2004-2008 New Buzz Words

Except for literacy coaches and PLC, most of the new buzz words came directly as a result of the strategic plan spearheaded by Dr. Jaurequi. Previously we had literacy coaches with CELL and ExLL and had PLC with Power Standards. Most of the staff did not fully understand the implications of strategic planning. After awhile we figured out the buzz words, were Strategic Plan, Action Plan, Writers Workshop, Literacy Coaches for Writers Workshop, Professional Learning Community commonly referred to as PLC, NWEA computer testing and Data Director.

Strategic Plan
The school board adopted a 5 year strategic plan for budgeting and decision making and published it in PDF format as Creating the Future. The plan included a mission statement and a set of objectives. The planners agreed on five strategies to meet their goals and subsequent action plans to meet the goals. Community members, teachers, principals were to meet at each school to devise action plans which would lead to the achievement of the goals.

OBJECTIVES of the Strategic Plan

• By 2010, at least 85 percent of all students will be proficient on the California state assessment and the achievement gap for all subgroups will be narrowed.
• All students will develop and consistently demonstrate the character attributes of a productive, responsible and successful citizen.
• Every student will meet graduation requirements or achieve their Individualized Education Plan (IEP) goals.

During the summer of 2008 members of the Alvarado staff, teachers and principals, parents, and students met with Glynn Thomson, Chief Academic Officer, to develop the strategic plan for Alvarado. During the following year members of the staff and students met to develop an action plan for Alvarado. The plan had to follow the guidelines of the original district strategic plan and Alvarado's own strategic plan. There were hundreds of hours spent on this after school and during the summer.

The district strategy that had most direct effect on instruction for Alvarado teachers and students was Strategy I.
We will assure effective implementation of the standards-based curriculum throughout the system and use assessment data to drive research-based instructional practices to ensure academic proficiency.
1.8 Implement the consistent use of the top 10 research-based instructional strategies as described in Classroom Instruction That Works by Robert Marzano, to improve student achievement and close the achievement gap.
1.11 Develop a model of literary instruction. (Writers Workshop)
1.12 Deliver and support New Haven’s model of literacy instruction.(Literacy Coaches)
1.18 Implement a system on ongoing collaboration between staff members that includes articulation of the K-5 curriculum. (PLC - Professional Learning Communities)
1.17 Integrate technology into the curriculum to improve/enhance instructional practices.
(NWEA Computer Testing and Data Director)