Monitoring Report - Operational Expectations (OE) Policies

Policy: OE-10

Title: Instructional Program Interpretation and Monitoring Indicators

Status: Active

Adopted: July 31, 2018

---

MONITORING REPORT:   Policy OE-10 (Instructional Program)

*Formerly OE-11 

PHASE ONE: Interpretation and Monitoring Indicators

DATE: November 29, 2022

Policy

The Superintendent will maintain a program of instruction that offers equitable, challenging, and relevant opportunities for all students to achieve at levels defined in the Board’s Results policies.

Superintendent’s Introduction

We are pleased to submit this Monitoring Report (Operational Expectations Policy 10 (OE-10)) for Instructional Program to the school district’s Board of Directors. This report focuses on ensuring our educational programs are wide-reaching, data-driven and consistently updated.

 

As this is an Operational Expectations Monitoring Report and not a Results Policy Monitoring Report, this serves as an update on the day-to-day work that we do to ensure our instructional programs offer equitable, challenging, and relevant opportunities for all students to achieve. In the appropriate Results Policy Monitoring Reports, you will see our reporting on the data to demonstrate how our students are meeting academic standards.

 

After looking at the previous phase of this report, we took the original 11 monitoring indicators and realized there was some redundancy in what they were asking us to report. Therefore, we condensed the indicators to streamline the report and provide a more concise narrative. The original indicators can be viewed by following this link.

 

Policy

 The Superintendent will maintain a program of instruction that offers equitable, challenging, and relevant opportunities for all students to achieve at levels defined in the Board’s Results policies. 

 Interpretation

In general, we understand this policy expresses the Board’s expectation that – given limited resources available to meet the established goals for all students – the

Superintendent will ensure the district’s instructional program is: (1) research-based; (2) data-driven; (3) aligned with state and national standards; (4) broad enough to encompass the learning and developmental needs of the whole child; (5) culturally responsive enough to eliminate race, ethnicity, gender, or socio-economic status as a predictor of achievement; (6) relevant to today’s society; and (7) supported by appropriate professional development for staff.

Monitoring Indicator(s)

Provided below for each component part of OE-10. 

The Superintendent will:

 

1. Ensure that district-adopted (or -proposed) instructional materials are aligned with best-practice and current research, and that instruction is aligned to state/national standards 

 When we adopt any new curriculum, we follow Board Policy 2020, which guides our process for curriculum adoption. That process includes a review of available/potential curricula if possible, comparing the curriculum to EdReports, an evaluation of selected materials, and a potential pilot of the materials. Throughout the process, a bias review is conducted, along with seeking input from the community and the committee that is a part of the adoption.

Our intent is to follow a cyclical process to ensure that our content areas participate in a review of curricula materials in a timely manner. For example, in 2021-22, we completed a K-10 math curriculum adoption process, and we committed to utilizing the selected curriculum for at least the next 10 years. Consequently, when we adopt a curriculum, we keep in mind that these materials will be used for multiple classes of students for years to follow. We also pay attention to the company we select to understand how they keep their curriculum current. If the selected company tweaks their curriculum, we want to understand the changes and potential impact ahead of time. If we add supplemental materials into our instruction, those materials are discussed by the grade level or content teams and approved at the building principal level.  

In the past two years, we have adopted a K-5 reading curriculum (American Reading Company) and a K-8 math curriculum (Ready Math Classroom) and a 9-10 math curriculum (College Math Prep). We were fortunate to have our federal ESSER funding to support these adoptions. In addition to the adoption process, we also ensure that our grade level/content teams are following an agreed-upon scope and sequence that aligns with the essential standards identified for that grade or content area.

 

2. Effectively measure each student’s progress toward achieving or exceeding the standards

 

As mentioned in the introduction, the actual reporting of data occurs within our Results Monitoring Reports. When we measure student progress toward achieving standards, we consider multiple measures of assessment. Some of the data sets we use can be seen within our Results Monitoring Reports. These data sets may include:

• • Graduation rate
  • Enrollment information 
  • Student grades and achievement in classes
  • Referral data for students considered for an Individual Education Plan (IEP)
  • Data collected during our School Improvement Planning Processes that is individual to each building’s improvement planning
  • Diagnostic monitoring tools             
    • i-Ready (reading and math) o Panorama (social-emotional-learning)
    • IRLA (independent reading level assessment; which is a part of our K-5 ELA adoption)
  • SWIS (school-wide intervention system; for behavioral referrals)
  • Smarter-Balanced Assessment
  • WIDA (Multi-Language Learner) Assessment

 

We are excited about the adoption of a Data Dashboard that will help to streamline our ability to pull data for easier access to monitoring student progress. Additionally, our MTSS (multi-tiered systems of support) coordinators spend time analyzing data to assist with the implementation of interventions for students accessing Tier 1 (core grade-level) instruction. The MTSS coordinators have developed a Student Support Process that helps to coordinate intervention services for students identified as having a need for additional support, using ongoing monitoring.

 

3. Ensure that the instructional program allows for new and innovative programs, as well as a regular review of current programs, to make sure they are meeting student needs and providing opportunities for students to develop talents and interests

 

One of the advantages of an eight-period schedule at Ferndale High School, rather than a six-period schedule, is that students can take multiple electives that align with their personal interests. We have numerous career and technical education (CTE) options, as well as extensive offerings in the fine and performing arts. The elective courses available for Ferndale High School students can be viewed in the Course Catalogue. 

As part of the Entry Plan Process, feedback has been sought from all staff and all classrooms have been visited. This provides a deeper understanding of the instructional programs and areas of focus within our system. 

We continue to work with our students to solicit their input on events and activities that are of interest to them. For example, last year, we heard from students that they would like additional options within the health sciences; as a result, we met this need by adding a course within the health science pathway.

To further seek student input and voice, we are creating a superintendent advisory committee comprised of high school students. That committee has been initiated in conjunction with the Ferndale High School principal.

In addition to meeting our students’ needs in the academic realm, we also work to offer clubs and activities that meet students’ interests. For example, our students who are Native American expressed an interest in holding a Morning Gathering to come together and share song and dance prior to embarking on their day. We began holding these in late spring 2022, and as a result of its success, we have made this part of the daily culture at FHS. The group continues to grow.

At the middle and high school levels, our Oksale and Ches Kwin groups are very active.

For example, this November, they are making moccasins at FHS to honor Native

American Heritage Month – in particular, for the Rock Your Mocs week. Our MEChA Club, designed for our Latinx students, is also very active. Both of these groups have provided opportunities to bring our local communities together. While we highlighted these specific programs and clubs, it should be noted that we have a vast number of clubs and activities that run all the way through our elementary, middle and high schools, including ones such as Girls on the Run that are community organized and led, but supported by our budlings and staff. 

 4. Ensure that the instructional program accommodates the different learning styles of students, and that instruction meets the needs of students of various backgrounds and abilities

 This year’s focus is on Belonging, and all our initiatives are designed to support a sense of belonging for our students in our schools. In short – we want them to see themselves in their school and feel free to be themselves. Students who have a sense of belonging have better life outcomes and success in school. Just one strong, trusted adult in a child’s life makes a positive difference in student outcomes post-high school. Under the umbrella of belonging, we are targeting the following three big ideas:

• Inclusionary practices: Where each student is included meaningfully in general education. When students are included in a general education setting with their grade level peers, their sense of belonging increases. Reducing barriers to learning makes a difference for all students, allowing them a space in which to learn. Inclusion is also mutually beneficial for all students; it is good for all, and absolutely necessary for some. 
• MTSS: Where our systems are designed to meet the needs of our students to ensure that they get what they need, when they need it, and how they need it.
• UDL: Where every student is provided with access to grade level content so they can learn at high levels and have voice and choice in engagement and in representation of their learning. UDL reduces barriers while providing all learners access to high quality instruction. When students engage authentically, with grade level standards alignment, we increase the likelihood of improved student outcomes. 

 

As we continue to ensure that our instructional programs meet the diverse and varying needs of our students, we are focusing on how to ensure that we are fully inclusive. Currently, we are in the first year working with the WASA (Washington Association of School Administrators) Inclusionary Practices Project (IPP). This supports our work in moving toward inclusion and implementing Universal Design for Learning (UDL) within our instructional practices. 

Two changes that we have made this year are implementing SLE (Structured Learning Environment) classrooms in our elementary schools and co-teaching at the secondary level. Both initiatives ensure that students can attend their home school (rather than being bussed to a different school to attend a program) and provide access to the general education classroom and grade-level instruction. The SLEs meet the unique learning needs of our students who benefit from routine, predictability, frequent use of visual supports, communication support and high teacher-to-student ratios. The classrooms place an emphasis on antecedent and behavioral strategies to create a more accommodating environment. With co-teaching, we pair up two certificated teachers who team together to support all students within the classroom, rather than pulling students out into another setting to receive services such as multi-lingual support, IEP support, or title support. Both initiatives have accompanied professional learning opportunities for our teachers. 

We provide several options for students who prefer an alternate learning environment.

At Ferndale High School, we have FVA (Ferndale Virtual Academy) and GEA (Golden Eagle Academy). FVA allows students to complete their high school classes online and in a remote setting, with scheduled check-ins from our FHS staff. GEA provides a smaller learning environment for students, and they take a hybrid of classes within GEA, but also within FHS (mostly, electives). We also offer the Ferndale Family Partnership (K-8), which is a partnership program supporting families as they provide home-based education for their students. 

We are currently in the process of building our MLL (multi-lingual learner) program. We have a small team who are working to develop systems and processes that meet the needs of our learners, while also helping to support teachers in targeting language skills to support all learners in their classrooms. 

 Superintendent’s Final Remarks

While we recognize that we still have lots of work to do, we are excited about the systems that we are putting in place to ensure that our instructional programs offer equitable, challenging, and relevant opportunities for all students to achieve at levels identified within our Results Policies. 

 

As we continue to work through my Entry Plan, we will continue to refine the needs of our system based on the data we receive.

 

Approved 1/31/2023