Natrona School Board Revises Goals for Safety, Graduation Rates, Student Development
The Natrona County School District board of trustees at a work session Monday further revised its draft strategic plan for the next five years for academics, behavior, student achievement, literacy, graduation rates, work environment, and operations.
Most of goals remained the same.
However, some specifics were eliminated and some achievement levels were modified after trustees said in previous meetings that they were unrealistic.
These are the five goals:
— It will implement the long-term Multi-tier System of Support, or MTSS, program to identify and intervene with students who are struggling not only with their class work but also with their behavior.
The bottom and largest tier identifies the academic and social needs for all students and includes 75% to 90% of students who have few problems with their academic work and their social skills.
The middle tier identifies some at-risk students, who comprise about 10% to 25% of the student population who are struggling and need some kind of help.
The top tier affects only 3% to 5% of students who need more individual support including cognitive behavioral therapy.
— By 2024, each grade level will meet or exceed targets on the State English Language Arts Indicators according to the Wyoming Test of Proficiency and Progress for grades three through 10. The largest include the five components of literacy: phonological awareness, phonics, comprehension, vocabulary and fluency.
-- By 2024, the school district will improve high school graduation rates.
But some were revised downward after some trustees wondered if the district was setting itself up to fail if expectations weren’t met.
The Alternative High School — Roosevelt — will reach a graduation rate of 65% by the fourth year of the five-year plan.
Extending the five-year plan to seven years, the district wants Roosevelt’s graduation rate to reach 67%. The previous draft set the extended graduation rate at 70%.
By the fourth year, Kelly Walsh, Midwest and Natrona County high schools will reach a graduation rate of 86%. By the seventh year, the rate for these schools will reach 88%.
These goals for the traditional high schools were revised downward from 88% and 90% respectively.
— By 2024, the district will assure all environments will be “safe, orderly, supportive, and conducive to a climate of high expectations for students, staff, and the community….”
The district will conduct surveys, deploy a school safety plan, implement the MTSS and work with parents and community organizations.
— By 2024, the district will achieve a satisfaction rate of 80% in its effectiveness and efficiency of its operations, with information from the stakeholders in the district and the community.