Priorities

Within the three organizing principles of Learning, Talent, and Partnerships, we have identified five priority areas.

• Learning
  • Systems of Support
  • Literacy & Early Learning
  • Successful, Curious, Lifelong Learners
• Talent
  • Educator Pipeline
  • Educator Growth & Development
• Partnerships
  • Parents & Families

Key Actions

Key actions are the overarching strategies or approach that guides a group’s work. Key actions have been identified for each priority.

• Systems of Support
  • Create an Assessment Advisory Team
    • Review current data-collection systems
    • Design/develop a comprehensive data-collection system
  • Establish a district Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) Leadership Team and provide professional development (PD) across the district as identified in the CDE District Systems Self-Assessment
  • Create a Safe, Healthy, and Equitable Schools Coordinating Team
    • Review all related data to establish attendance, behavior, and safety baselines
    • Design and implement a comprehensive building security plan.
  • Provide increased translation and interpretation services to schools and BVSD departments.
• Literacy & Early Learning
  • Identify and implement common assessments PK-12 to develop a common understanding of student mastery of standards and to differentiate instruction
  • Establish a committee to review of English language arts (ELA) and English language development (ELD) materials:
    • Adopt resources to meet Boulder Valley School District’s (BVSD) Literacy Instructional Framework and Curriculum
  • Identify high-leverage strategies in literacy, scaffolds for language development, and purposeful technology integration
  • Align instruction, curriculum, and assessment—horizontally and vertically—for grades PK-2
  • Develop an evaluation cycle that enables continuous improvement in program strategies, professional development, interventions, and assessments
• Successful, Curious, Lifelong Learners
  • Develop BVSD Success Skills, new graduation requirements, and expectations for postsecondary and career readiness
  • Implement individual career and academic plans (ICAPs) for all students, beginning with grades 9-12, followed by PK-8
  • Integrate BVSD Success Skills and principles into school design, curriculum and instruction, and teacher professional development and evaluation in PK-12
  • Use the BVSD Success Skills Framework as a guide to increase student-led learning experiences and instruction in and across PK-12 classrooms
• Educator Pipeline
  • Evaluate the effectiveness of BVSD’s current hiring, retention, and development practices for teachers and building administrators
  • Determine the key attributes and skill sets that contribute to candidate success. Refine current hiring and recruiting process to select for these attributes and skills. Develop assessment procedures that enable candidates to demonstrate the desired skills and attributes
  • Develop a comprehensive marketing plan to attract and recruit qualified candidates locally and nationally, based on findings that emerge out of work on priorities 1 and 2
  • Build systems to induct and retain outstanding BVSD professionals through recognition and professional development opportunities and other incentives. Create pathways for exemplary teachers to become building administrators, instructional coaches, or mentor teachers
• Educator Growth & Development
  • Combine professional learning team and educator evaluation committee
  • Build a job-embedded, customized, educator-directed professional learning model based on research and best practices. Analyze how current structures must change to accommodate new model, including allocation of professional learning hours and days, technology and data system requirements, and training needed to implement new system
  • Budget to implement and sustain the new professional learning model. Ensure that the model is sustainable with anticipated funding
• Parents & Families
  • Develop a district wide definition of meaningful family engagement
    • Align district efforts with new Colorado Department of Education (CDE) parent engagement regulations (http://www.cde.state.co.us/cdesped/pep_aboutus)
  • Recruit and hire a bilingual, culturally competent, full-time Family Partnerships Coordinator
  • Identify strategies to increase parent and family engagement
    • Hold parent/guardian focus groups
    • Develop strategies based on feedback and research

March 2015 Update to the Board of Education