PURE Reform - Parents United for Responsible Educational Reform


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PURE Reform Questions: Draft Strategic Plan Activity 1.1a: This activity involves writing elementary curriculum, but development of a rigorous and aligned curriculum has been part of the Excellence for All plan for 3 years. What work has already been done on the curriculum and how does the work that Kaplan K – 12 was hired to do fit in with the curriculum work now being done? Activity 1.1a: What is “Coaching Cycle Implementation”? What are curriculum teachers? Who will serve as “curriculum teachers”? Has the Professional development that has been taking place been evaluated by the district? How are we evaluating whether professional development is translating into stronger teacher practices? Activity 1.1c: What is the vision for student assessments? What form will they be in? How/when will they be administered? Activity 1.1d: Who will be on the Teaching and Learning Teams? Activity 1.1e: How will Team impact be evaluated? Activity 1.2a: Where will this “culturally relevant pedagogical instruction and curriculum” take place? Activity 1.2b: What is the “Conciliation Agreement”? Who is on the “Equity Panel” Activity 1.2c: How will results be monitored? Activity 1.3a1: Please give details of this improvement. The IEP process at this time is basically just paperwork. Activity 1.3a2: What is the “Gifted Pilot Program”? Where was it launched in 2008-09? Activity 1.3b2: What methods will be employed to expand the district’s IB program? Has there been an evaluation of the students that were forced into the IB program from the IS program at Schenley in 2007-08? Activity 1.4: What is an RTI model? What are the details of the University Partnership with Pitt? Activity 1.5: Will this audit be available to the public? What is the percentage of kindergartners entering the PPS that have attended Pre-K? Activity 1.6: How will this be done? Will there be more counselors hired? Will secretaries be hired to ease the counselors’ paperwork load? Activity 1.7d: What is a Team of Cross District Expertise”? Activity 1.7e: What are the criteria for admission into the PELA principal program? Where can one review the PELA curriculum? Activity 1.7f: What is the “Pittsburgh Urban Leadership System of excellence”? What tool will be used for principal evaluation? What are the criteria for admission into the PELA program? Activity 1.8a: Where can one review 4Sight assessment data? How often is this assessment done? Who will be on these teams? Activity 1.10b: What is a “unique instructional delivery method”? Activity 1.10e: What do the students that do not need extra help do during this “Extra Period of Help”? Activity 1.10h: What are the results of the parent engagement efforts at the ALA's? Activity 1.10f: How will there be “individualized strategies” for students if we have the same ratio of student/teacher? Activity 1.10h: What are the results of the parent engagement efforts at the ALAs? Activity 1.11e: Why is this in a 6 year plan when the IB committee is looking at Westinghouse for a potential site of the IB program? Acitvity 1.11g: Who will monitor CAPA after the merger, particularly as to the concerns raised by the CAPA merger committee? Activity 1.11i: What is the result of moving the IS students into the IB program? How are the IS students doing? Are both IB and old IS students taking the same classes? Activity 1.11j: How can one review the new school counseling model? How will this be evaluated? Activity 1.12a: What can be done about the situation where a teacher who is planning to take medical leave shows up for the first day of class and then leaves for an extended period of time so that the position is not filled and the students are left with a substitute for an extended period of time? Activity 1.13a: Has the professional development that has been taking place been evaluated for increased teacher effectiveness? If so, how? Activity 1.14a: Will parents and students be included in evaluation of new teachers? Activity 1.15a: What will be done to free up counselors from paper work that allow for more counseling time? Activity 1.15i: What agencies will be utilized? How will they be evaluated? Activity 2.2c: How will this be attained? Have the after school programs been evaluated? How? Activity 2.3a: What is PBIS? What is the incidence of events that have required police intervention or resulted in suspensions? Activity 2.4a: Has there been an evaluation of CEP? Are the students moving back to their home schools in one year as touted by CEP? Activity 3.1a: Will there be a projected budget regarding facilities made available to the public? Activity 3.3a1: Will multiple bids be obtained for major expenditures? (CEP was hired to run Clayton at $5.7 million/year without a competitive bidding process). Activity 3.9a: What is the E Technology plan? Activity 4.1b: Are students/parents that are leaving the district being contacted to find out reasons for leaving the PPS? Activity 4.3 When will the 10 year facilities plan be completed? Wouldn’t it make sense to put out the plan for public comment and discussion before any additional schools or programs are opened, started, closed or moved? Activity 5.3a1: How will information from the Excellence for All Steering Committee be disseminated to the general public? General: Several different teams are mentioned in this plan (Cross-functional Pathways to The Promise Planning Team, Instructional Leader Support Teams, Executive cabinet, and Academic cabinet). What staff will constitute all of these various teams? What are the priorities for this plan? What is the time schedule for the various activities over the next 6 years?

PURE Reform Questions: Draft Strategic Plan

Activity 1.1a:

This activity involves writing elementary curriculum, but development of a rigorous and aligned curriculum has been part of the Excellence for All plan for 3 years. What work has already been done on the curriculum and how does the work that Kaplan K – 12 was hired to do fit in with the curriculum work now being done?

Activity 1.1a:

What is “Coaching Cycle Implementation”? What are curriculum teachers? Who will serve as “curriculum teachers”? Has the Professional development that has been taking place been evaluated by the district? How are we evaluating whether professional development is translating into stronger teacher practices?

Activity 1.1c:

What is the vision for student assessments? What form will they be in? How/when will they be administered?

Activity 1.1d:

Who will be on the Teaching and Learning Teams?

Activity 1.1e:

How will Team impact be evaluated? Activity 1.2a: Where will this “culturally relevant pedagogical instruction and curriculum” take place?

Activity 1.2b:

What is the “Conciliation Agreement”? Who is on the “Equity Panel”

Activity 1.2c:

How will results be monitored? Activity 1.3a1: Please give details of this improvement. The IEP process at this time is basically just paperwork.

Activity 1.3a2:

What is the “Gifted Pilot Program”? Where was it launched in 2008-09?

Activity 1.3b2:

What methods will be employed to expand the district’s IB program? Has there been an evaluation of the students that were forced into the IB program from the IS program at Schenley in 2007-08?

Activity 1.4:

What is an RTI model? What are the details of the University Partnership with Pitt?

Activity 1.5:

Will this audit be available to the public? What is the percentage of kindergartners entering the PPS that have attended Pre-K?

Activity 1.6:

How will this be done? Will there be more counselors hired? Will secretaries be hired to ease the counselors’ paperwork load?

Activity 1.7d:

What is a Team of Cross District Expertise”?

Activity 1.7e:

What are the criteria for admission into the PELA principal program? Where can one review the PELA curriculum?

Activity 1.7f:

What is the “Pittsburgh Urban Leadership System of excellence”? What tool will be used for principal evaluation? What are the criteria for admission into the PELA program?

Activity 1.8a:

Where can one review 4Sight assessment data? How often is this assessment done? Who will be on these teams? Activity 1.10b: What is a “unique instructional delivery method”?

Activity 1.10e:

What do the students that do not need extra help do during this “Extra Period of Help”?

Activity 1.10h:

What are the results of the parent engagement efforts at the ALA's?

Activity 1.10f:

How will there be “individualized strategies” for students if we have the same ratio of student/teacher?

Activity 1.10h:

What are the results of the parent engagement efforts at the ALAs?

Activity 1.11e:

Why is this in a 6 year plan when the IB committee is looking at Westinghouse for a potential site of the IB program?

Acitvity 1.11g:

Who will monitor CAPA after the merger, particularly as to the concerns raised by the CAPA merger committee?

Activity 1.11i:

What is the result of moving the IS students into the IB program? How are the IS students doing? Are both IB and old IS students taking the same classes?

Activity 1.11j:

How can one review the new school counseling model? How will this be evaluated?

Activity 1.12a:

What can be done about the situation where a teacher who is planning to take medical leave shows up for the first day of class and then leaves for an extended period of time so that the position is not filled and the students are left with a substitute for an extended period of time?

Activity 1.13a:

Has the professional development that has been taking place been evaluated for increased teacher effectiveness? If so, how?

Activity 1.14a:

Will parents and students be included in evaluation of new teachers?

Activity 1.15a:

What will be done to free up counselors from paper work that allow for more counseling time?

Activity 1.15i:

What agencies will be utilized? How will they be evaluated?

Activity 2.2c:

How will this be attained? Have the after school programs been evaluated? How?

Activity 2.3a:

What is PBIS? What is the incidence of events that have required police intervention or resulted in suspensions?

Activity 2.4a:

Has there been an evaluation of CEP? Are the students moving back to their home schools in one year as touted by CEP?

Activity 3.1a:

Will there be a projected budget regarding facilities made available to the public?

Activity 3.3a1:

Will multiple bids be obtained for major expenditures? (CEP was hired to run Clayton at $5.7 million/year without a competitive bidding process).

Activity 3.9a:

What is the E Technology plan?

Activity 4.1b:

Are students/parents that are leaving the district being contacted to find out reasons for leaving the PPS?

Activity 4.3

When will the 10 year facilities plan be completed? Wouldn’t it make sense to put out the plan for public comment and discussion before any additional schools or programs are opened, started, closed or moved?

Activity 5.3a1:

How will information from the Excellence for All Steering Committee be disseminated to the general public? General: Several different teams are mentioned in this plan (Cross-functional Pathways to The Promise Planning Team, Instructional Leader Support Teams, Executive cabinet, and Academic cabinet). What staff will constitute all of these various teams? What are the priorities for this plan? What is the time schedule for the various activities over the next 6 years?