First Day of ARMT

Today is Day 1 of our ARMT assessment.  If our STAR data is correct, we are projected to have 95-100% of our students meeting the proficiency criteria established by the state of Alabama.  Wouldn't that be something?  I would love to end this school year feeling that we have gotten that percentage of our student prepared for their educaitonal journey.  That is what it is really all about isn't it?  Giving them what they need now so they can conquer the future.

Data

In school today we have data.  Tons of it. We have demographics, attendance, assessment, survey, and daily data.  How do we use that data to drive our instruction or make change happen?  When I began my principalship in July, our school CIP was due almost immediately.  There was so much data there to sift through I was overwhelmed.  Although I knew the numbers on the sheet, I was uncertain what could really maximize impact.  After working here for a year, I see data very differently.  Having lived the day to day with these teachers and students I see that some of our data is more relevant than others. 

The thing that has stung the most this year for me is our attendance.  Students just are not at school as much as they should be, and some teachers miss way too many days to be effective.  As I look forward to our CIP for the new school year, I will be hyper focused on this attendance rate.  I will include incentives for those who attend.  We cannot teach students who are not at school, and students cannot learn from most substitutes what they can learn from a highly qualified teacher.  I believe this every day data could make a great impact that many other topics of focus. 

Our School

I am taking an online class, and our assignment tonight was to "write something inspirational" about your vision for your school.  I don't usually sit down and take time to reflect on all the success we are having each day at our school.  I am often so overwhelmed with the day to day that I forget to really deeply celebrate what we do each day.  As I read through what I wrote tonight I thought I should share it with all of you because without you, our school is not all of these wonderful things.  Although we have not seen this vision come to full fruition, I believe we are on our way.  If you want to take the time, you can read what I wrote for my assignment.

Our School

From the outside, our school appears just as it should.  Well kept, organized, and safe.  Parents are pleased that their students attend a successful school, but what they don’t know is that a school is not successful by chance.  A school is successful because there is a constant purpose, an intense dedication, and a determined faculty serving as pillars of our success.

Within our walls we maintain an expectation of excellence, understanding that high expectations develop exceptional results.  We focus on individual children because each child contributes to the success of our school.  We know our students, over six hundred of them.  We know their strengths, their weaknesses, and their goals, and we work relentlessly to help each child attain them. 

We work together to solve our problems.  We look for solutions, and do not dwell on the setbacks.  We know our data, and we find ways to use data to drive our instruction.  We meet to discuss our successes and our failures.  We build each other up, and look for the best ways to promote excellence.

Each adult in this building is a leader, and we work to develop leadership in every child.  Because we know the truth- these tiny beings are our future.  They must learn to lead today so they will be ready to lead our nation in just a few short years.  Yes, on the outside our school appears steady and strong, but the impressive part of our school is what is happening on the inside.  Inside our school there is a riot of change happening every day; a storm of reorganization, a frenzy of growth, and an establishment that is becoming more defined and more fantastic with each day that passes.