Student Success with Equity and Access

Student Success with Equity and Access

Critical Initiative 1: Reading Before 3rd Grade (RB3): TCS teachers will provide targeted K-3 core reading instruction in order to increase student reading proficiency.

Critical Initiative 2: Content Literacy: TCS will integrate literacy through reading, writing, speaking, listening, and thinking across all disciplines to ensure that all lessons are rigorous and to the depth of the standard. Lessons will integrate reading engagement as a critical component of literacy instruction.

Critical Initiative 3: Content Literacy: TCS will integrate literacy through reading, writing, speaking, listening, and thinking across all disciplines to ensure that all lessons are rigorous and to the depth of the standard. Lessons will integrate reading engagement as a critical component of literacy instruction.

Critical Initiative 4: Mathematics: TCS will continue to target mathematics teaching and learning which emphasizes content deepening, best instructional practices and student-based activities to grow learners who are critical thinkers, leaders, and problem-solvers.

Critical Initiative 5: STEM with Arts Integration: TCS will improve the learning culture to promote creativity, innovation, and collaborative problem-solving.

Critical Initiative 6: Alternative Pathway: TCS will create and implement an alternative pathway for virtual students who desire blended and/or online learning opportunities.

Critical Initiative 7: School Improvement Practices: TCS will strengthen school improvement processes to ensure effective vertical stakeholder team collaboration and successful implementation of school improvement plans, resulting in school goals being achieved.

Critical Initiative 8: College, Career and Workforce Ready: TCS students will enter high school on a selected career path and will follow a prescribed course sequence as aligned to TCS Graduate competencies.

Critical Initiative 9: Escalate Opportunities for College Level coursework in High School: TCS will increase student access to Advanced Placement (AP) courses, International Baccalaureate (IB) courses, dual enrollment and dual credit.

Critical Initiative 10: TCS Graduate: TCS will develop a project plan for implementation and evaluation of TCS model of characteristics of the high school graduate.

Critical Initiative 11: Digital Practice: TCS will create a standard of excellence in technological pedagogical content knowledge among all faculty K-12. TCS teachers K-12 will implement high quality technology integration guided by technological pedagogical content knowledge. Specifically, daily practice will entail planning and implementing learning experiences that use best practice to facilitate student mastery of learning targets/standards with effective integration of learning resources, including digital ones.

Critical Initiative 12: English Learners (EL): TCS will provide equitable instruction and support for all English Learners to access grade-level content and build both social and academic language in listening, speaking, reading, and writing.

Critical Initiative 13: Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports. TCS will enhance positive behavioral interventions and supports in order to decrease student infractions in all schools.

Critical Initiative: Special Education Services: TCS will strategically target accommodative learning opportunities for children with exceptionalities in the general educational classroom in order to meet grade-level achievement standards.

Critical Initiative 15: Extended learning opportunities: TCS will secure additional grants for 21st Century Community Learning Centers (CCLC) for all Title I schools in an effort to provide extended learning opportunities that include broad range of programs that provide students with academic, enrichment, and supervised activities beyond the school day and during the summer.

Critical Initiative 16: Summer Learning: TCS will implement a high-quality summer learning program.

Critical Initiative 17: Arts in Education: TCS will strategically target arts education as a strategy in meeting student needs for a well-rounded education.

Activity 1: Train all K-3 teachers on LETRS Units 1-4.

Activity 2: LETRS Bridge to Practice for units 1-4

Activity 3: Train all PK-3 Teachers on LETRS Units 5-8

Activity 4: LETRS Bridge to Practice Units 5-8.

Activity 5: Train all new K-3 teachers on the aimswebPlus early reading and math assessment with dyslexia screener.

Activity 6: Conduct Situational Appraisal (SCAN) with 2nd grade teachers to determine the next steps for instructional practices in the area of foundational reading.

Activity 7: Follow action steps- which include weekly visits from the Alabama Literacy Leadership Specialist and in-house daily support from Alabama Regional Literacy Specialist-- for full support schools as indicated by the Alabama Literacy Act.

Activity 1: Participate in collaborative team planning by utilizing the curriculum guides and district benchmark assessments as part of the PLC learning cycle.

Activity 2: Review Better Practice Visits based on tiered support of schools to ensure rigorous instruction across all content areas.

Activity 3: Implement local school reading engagement plans as critical components of school-wide literacy work.

Activity 4: Develop and implement plans for improving all library collections to exemplary status.

Activity 1: Reach, recruit and serve all Tuscaloosa City zoned four year olds for our Pre-K program to provide an universal Pre-K program in Tuscaloosa City. Display signs throughout the community, social media, news coverage and community flyers will be used to recruit eligible students.

Activity 1: Provide math retooling and professional learning in all secondary schools and select elementary schools. Each year, additional elementary schools will be selected to participate. Schools who are currently participating in year 1 or year 2 professional learning will also participate in ongoing grade level PLCs throughout the school year with support from AMSTI specialists.

Activity 2: Utilize a new early math assessment in grades K-3 during the 2021-2022 school year to address math achievement gaps.

Activity 3: Establish daily math intervention in all elementary schools. Math intervention will be provided by highly qualified, certified math teachers utilizing a targeted, research-based intervention program. Provide intervention to high-risk students in grades K-3.

Activity 4: Hire and train six Elementary Math Coaches and two Middle School Math Coaches and provide coaching services Math Solutions for three high schools.

Activity 1: Develop a 5-year implementation plan for STEM with Arts Integration.

Activity 2: Offer TCS innovation grant opportunities for school/s grassroots efforts utilizing Design Process/STEM with Arts Integration.

Activity 3: Discover/explore/develop contacts in other schools/systems that are national models of STEM with Arts Integration and Design Process learning. Share summary report with TCS schools and leaders at the end of the 2020-2021 school year.

Activity 4: Support all schools in achieving state and national recognition for interdisciplinary teaching and learning efforts.

Activity 5: Develop a local course to meet the computer science requirements in middle and high school with a focus on project-based learning integrating mathematics and STEM with Arts Integration.

Activity 6: Develop a system wide field trip plan to provide all students with hands-on experiences in the area of STEM with Arts Integration at each grade level.

Activity 1: Apply for a state-approved cost center, establishing a virtual school.

Activity 2: Select faculty and staff to provide flexible learning opportunities.

Activity 3: Establish selection and exit criteria to recruit and retain virtual students that may benefit from a flexible learning model.

Activity 4: Create interdisciplinary, project-based curriculum with a strong focus on “core” subjects.

Activity 5: Develop a communication plan in partnership with TCS Public Relations Department to communicate opportunities to all stakeholders.

Activity 1: Research and develop best practices model for vertical teaming.

Activity 2: Develop a network of vertical teams with school leaders who are implementing the vertical teams progress.

Activity 3: Conduct orientation for school leaders on vertical team model best practices.

Activity 4: Create a digital space for schools to share data resources, best practices, and new learning.

Activity 5: Modify ACIP development template that will communicate shared vertical team goals, critical initiatives, activities, monitoring, and evaluation process.

Activity 6: Appraise issues and barriers around monitoring and feedback of school improvement planning to modify process.

Activity 7: Secure school improvement grants as applicable to help support schools in vertical teams and in need of improvement.

Activity 1: Review all 4 year plans to develop a program of work for students including post-secondary and work-ready internships using YouScience data.

Activity 2: Expand post-secondary opportunities for students in Work Ready pathways through increased community engagement, increased dual enrollment opportunities, and collaboration with other agencies.

Activity 3: Revise or modify priority programs of study based on alignment and evaluation of current CTE programs with regional workforce needs.

Activity 4: Develop an implementation plan for financial literacy for all high school students.

Activity 5: Develop system level criteria for rigorous experiences in CTE including curriculum (secondary/post-secondary), job-shadowing, internship, apprenticeship and CTSO Engagement.

Activity 1: Identify students who have not completed courses in AP/IB, dual enrollment and create a pathway to ensure access, participation, and success in the courses

Activity 2: Expand access and successful completion of Advanced Placement courses through the implementation of Pre-AP in grades 6-8.

Activity 3: Develop a communication plan in partnership with TCS Public Relations department to consistently communicate opportunities to all stakeholders with a specific emphasis on parents.

Activity 1: Review and revise the 4 areas of the TCS graduate and the expectations for performance and/or skill acquisition (8-12) and define the K-12 component of the TCS grad plan.

Activity 2: Plan and develop a K-12 pathway of expectations by grade and/or subject area for each of the TCS grad indicators for student support as related to TCS graduate expectations (K-12).

Activity 3: Implement a K-12 pathway of expectations by grade and/or subject area for each of the TCS grad indicators for student support as related to TCS graduate expectations (K-12).

Activity 4: Develop an evaluation metric to ascertain when TCS grad indicators have been successfully achieved.

Activity 5: Streamline, clarify, promote, and train stakeholders on educational opportunities

Activity 1: Identify key practices associated with technological pedagogical content knowledge. Evaluate current implementation of the key practices in order to establish a baseline of current competencies. Create and implement a road map for growth.

Activity 2: Provide a variety of professional learning opportunities during the summer and district professional learning days.

Activity 3: Organize Ed Tech Leadership Communities.

Activity 4: Curate and review collections of high-quality digital learning resources that support district initiatives. These include resources that the district purchases, curates from free resources, or creates.

Activity 5: Set up an analytics dashboard for digital learning resources to provide data to develop a clear picture of implementation practices and value of investment.

Activity 6: Establish an annual formal, collaborative process for acquisition and review of learning resources.

Activity 1: Guide effective Implementation of WIDA Standards.

Activity 2: Provide professional development to teachers and administrators on differentiated instruction, implementation of WIDA standards, and addressing the needs of English Learners.

Activity 3: Provide opportunities for EL families to engage in reaching educational goals for English Learners: Bilingual Family Literacy Program, Global Cafe and PTLA.

Activity 4: Participate in partnership with the University of Alabama’s Spanish Outreach Program to provide bilingual support services for Spanish speaking English Learners.

Activity 5: Plan and implement a Newcomer Program at CHS in the fall of 2021 for TCS students who are both English Learners and have limited or interrupted formal education (SLIFE).

Activity 1: Research and develop best practices for Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) in all schools.

Activity 2: Implementation of HOPE Institute, Schools of Character and or Second Step in all schools.

Activity 1: Provide professional development and resources to local school teams to accurately identify students with disabilities through early intervention which improves student achievement. Enact a comprehensive screening and intervention plan to identify why the student is struggling and determine appropriate services and supports in the general education classroom using a tiered approach of planning and instruction.

Activity 2: Provide professional development on an evidence-based framework for individualizing instruction that provides a blueprint for creating instructional goals, methods, materials, and assessments that work for students by offering flexible approaches that can be customized and adjusted for individual needs with focus on scheduling of classroom and intervention instruction.

Activity 3: Provide professional development for special education teachers on interpreting grade level standards and curriculum and provide professional development for general education teachers in interpreting IEPs and implementing instructional accommodations.

Activity 4: Provide strategic Interventions to identify, implement and collaborate between instructional specialists on specially designed supports and related services based on the academic and functional needs of each student by progress monitoring weekly and across grade levels beginning at Pre K through 12 grade.

Activity 1: Apply for Additional 21st CCLC Grants for all Title I schools.

Activity 1: Establish and implement unified district protocols for funding, planning, executing, and evaluating all summer programs via TCS Summer Learning Handbook. Includes guiding principles, persons responsible, deadlines, and decision criteria.

Activity 2: In collaboration with partner organizations, establish community summer learning “backbone” organization. Articulate district contributions to summer learning, objectives for improving quality community-wide, metrics for evaluating summer programs. Execute memorandum of understanding to guide collaborative partnerships.

Activity 3: Initiate ongoing, community-wide “Summer Learning for All” communication campaign. Long-range public conversation about the importance and benefits of summer learning, paired with communication of available programs and opportunities.

Activity 1: Ensure equity of access to high-quality, K-12 arts education programming.

Activity 2: Attract and retain high-quality arts educators.

Activity 3: Increase arts exposure and achievement with support from community partners from institutions of higher education, civic leaders, and arts community.