Kit Carson's Priorities

PRIORITY #1
Student Growth
Provide both rigorous and proactive teaching of standards by using the elements of intentional design with a specific focus on helping students help themselves to achieve maximum growth.  
 
WHY IS THIS A PRIORITY
Measures of student academic growth can give teachers a more nuanced understanding of student achievement that’s useful for instruction. Academic growth happens for students even when they are below proficiency cuts.  The teacher gets insight into the student’s starting point and progress throughout the year so that he/she can adapt instruction accordingly.  The student is encouraged and applauded for his/her achievements and given feedback on areas that remain challenging; and his/her future teachers understand his/her achievement and his/her starting point for new learning.  With growth data, teachers and coordinators are able to better pinpoint whether specific instructional strategies and interventions hold promise and adjust over the course of the school year.

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PRIORITY #2
Establish SAFE and HEALTHY Learning Environments

a. District facilities will be designed and maintained to prevent and protect students from physical harm.

b. The Culture of the district will promote emotional and social well-bring of all students.

WHY IS THIS A PRIORITY
2a. The Kit Carson School District buildings are older facilities and require daily maintenance.  The building received new windows, new water heaters, and one updated bathroom in 2016.  A master facility plan will include attending to the needs discovered through a thorough diagnostic of the facilities to ensure the health of our students.  Attention to both the physical structures and culture (the intellectual and moral ability) of our schools is essential to ensuring the health and success of our students. 

2b. A positive culture within the district will be maintained and stressed. Preventative measures to address issues like bullying, suicide, and other risky adolescent behaviors are critical. Attention to both the physical environment and culture of our district is essential to ensuring the health and success of our students.

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PRIORITY #3
Instruct with focus on THINKING STRATEGIES and FEEDBACK
Provide both rigorous and responsive instruction by using the elements of intentional design with a specific focus making student thinking visible and giving specific, meaningful, feedback in the learning process.
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WHY IS THIS A PRIORITY
Research shows, ability and skills are not enough for students to reach potential.  Students need to develop and be taught the attitude and alertness to think deeply and to communicate thinking.  Thinking can be practiced.  Teachers who attend to ways of asking students to demonstrate their thinking visibly find students who are more engaged and responsible for their learning as well as successful in mastering content.  Paired with thinking strategies in promoting engagement and growth, is a teacher's intentional practice of specific and timely feedback to students.  Students need much more than a final score; learners need to know what is expected, what success looks like, and what needs to be done next to move toward higher success.  Feedback is the vehicle to do this.  Instructional strategies address teaching strategies that focus on developing students' thinking and providing meaningful feedback.  Prioritizing these two strategies will foster student engagement, student ownership of their learning, and mastery.

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PRIORITY #4
Build Professional Communities and Collaboratives
Establish and sustain systems for teachers and staff to strengthen delivery of instruction through on-going conversation and critique of practice and develop partnerships with the community.

WHY IS THIS A PRIORITY
Professional and Community Collaboratives are a necessary focus for the district.  Based on teacher evaluations, Kit Carson School District teachers perform at high levels.  The district has been successful in hiring and retaining qualified and powerful teachers.  Written curriculum and assessments are being established to coordinate instruction. Through both observation and teacher feedback data, there is an awareness among staff of the state standards along with agreed upon instructional practices.  Consistent and high levels of implementation of the agreed upon curriculum, assessments, and instructional practices are needed to elevate positive impacts for student success. Opportunities remain for strong connections between instruction and mindsets at all levels in the district.  While partnerships between local health agencies, businesses, youth and family care non-profits, and law enforcement are in place, informal feedback indicates intentional efforts are needed to further establish these partnerships to promote student success.