District Announces Goals for ‘08-’09 School Year
The hallmark of a successful organization is the commitment to “stretch” itself in the pursuit of its mission. South Brunswick School District is no exception. At its August 18 meeting, the Board of Education approved the 2008 – 2009 District Goals and Objectives which were designed to focus and extend the efforts and resources of our schools.
Packaged in eight areas, the goals included the following major areas: Curriculum and Instruction; Professional Development; Information Technology; Facilities; Cost Effectiveness/Cost Containment; School Safety; Health and Student Support; and Miscellaneous.
Within each goal area, a host of behaviorally-stated objectives have been framed in order to provide specific definition for the work. For instance, under the Curriculum and Instruction Goal, objectives have been formulated to identify the work being carried out within the District’s Curriculum Review Cycle. As we enter the fifth year of the cycle, every content area of our curriculum will be in some stage of renewal. To allow our curriculum to be in a dynamic state, it must always be involved in such a process.
Objectives will be pursued to create a more consistent framework for lesson planning, as required by New Jersey Quality Single Accountability Continuum (NJQSAC). Likewise, in the Curriculum and Instruction Objectives, the District will finalize work in its grades 6 –12 Character Education Program, study and create a Pre-school Program for eligible low socio-economic children and develop a community presentation to share the initiatives that are being utilized to support our struggling and least-able learners.
Continuing in the Curriculum and Instruction Goal area, one of our objectives involves placing curriculum online for ease of access. Parents and community members will be able to view a shortened form of the curriculum, while the full document will be available to staff. As always, all curriculum documents are available in hard copy for review by anyone.
The Professional Development Goal area has objectives that support all curricular, technology and training needs of our entire staff. To enhance institutional agility, a flexible delivery system for professional development will be developed and implemented. This model is designed to create more latitude for staff in gaining the insights needed to improve practice. Anther objective of Professional Development involves a focus on equity and exceptionality needs within the District. This work area seeks to indentify and refresh time-honored practices through exposure to speakers and study.
Information technology objectives will focus on several key areas of instruction. We will begin the first of a three-year plan to create “powerful” workstations for classroom teachers. This model will serve to enhance the use of technology as a tool to support effective teaching. We will also continue our work in cyber safety instruction, adding a secondary component to the elementary work completed last year.
In addition, we will conduct proficiency assessments for Fourth and Eighth Graders to better-evaluate student technology knowledge and skills. As well, we will survey staff in order to ascertain similar insights about classroom technology practices.
Under theFacilities Goal, a critical objective involves the completion of an energy audit. With sky-rocketing
costs in all energy areas, the District will use the audit results to determine avenues of cost containment. In
addition, another objective will have us continue to assess the security measures in place in each of our buildings in light of technological advances. Another related objective will have the District develop a new (we already have one) State-mandated work order procedure.
Several objectives in the goal area of Cost Effectiveness and Cost Containment relate to the implementation of our budget. One in particular involves a shared service arrangement that will result in a joint paving project with South Brunswick Township working on one of our school parking lots. In the area of School Safety, the objectives include the submission of a grant to acquire security cameras and the completion of the installation of the proximity building access cards for staff.
Health and Student Support objectives are framed around Child Study Team training in the area of Functional Behavior Assessments, the establishment of a District-wide Medication policy and practices as well as refinement of our District Intervention and Referral System.
In the Miscellaneous Goal area, objectives will include an investigation of the International Baccalaureate Program, the acquisition of software to better link Human Resources and Professional Development and further analysis of both NJQSAC and the recently enacted Accountability regulations.
We believe that this ambitious undertaking (complete listing reviewable on the District Web page) coupled with our daily operational practices will truly “stretch” the District but allow us to remain focused in our approach.
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