PURPOSE
The purpose of the educational plan is to identify a school district’s strengths, needs, and goals and then to outline the strategies for implementing changes and improvements.
PARTICIPANTS
The plan is jointly developed by school district personnel, the community, and representation from the local school board. This participation is documented.
SOURCES OF INPUT
Each school district establishes structures which solicit regular input of community citizens, students, and staff regarding the policies, procedures, programs, and operation of the school district. The school board considers such input as the plan is developed.
DATA SOURCES
The plan is based upon but not limited to:
1. A survey which reflects pupil, faculty, and community attitudes or opinions concerning the district and/or its individual school administration(s) and programs.
2. An outline of the district’s instructional management system which indicates how the curriculum is aligned from subject to subject and from grade to grade.
3. An analysis of student achievement data, with emphasis on the evaluation component of the instructional management system.
4. The school district’s improvement plan (where applicable) which is designed to address cited accreditation deficiencies. A copy of the approved improvement plan will be included in the educational plan, along with updated information pertaining to the district’s compliance with accreditation standards.
5. Student, staff, and community demographic data.
6. A description of each school’s individual program strengths, needs, and goals.
CONTENT
The content of the educational plan includes identified goals, the means of achieving these goals, and the timeliness required. The educational plan also includes but is not limited to:
1. A written mission statement which reflects the purpose of the educational program and the ways the mission will affect district operations.
2. A description specifying how student achievement will be advanced in the district over the time period of the plan.
3. The role each school will play in the district’s overall educational plan.
NOTE: Supplementary documents (data sources) used to identify strengths, needs, and goals of the district are not required as a part of the plan but must be available for review.
ANNUAL APPROVAL/REVISION PROCESS
The school board shall evaluate, revise, and approve the plan on an annual basis. As part of the strategic planning process the plan is updated yearly. The annual revision includes a review of the district’s educational status and specific actions that will be implemented to improve the quality of educational programs.
CRITERIA FOR PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION
1. The educational plan is made available for review upon request to any citizen living within the district and to officials in the State Department of Education.
2. Once each academic year, the local school board provides and makes available to media with coverage in the general area of the school district a report to the public outlining progress in implementing the educational plan and identifying specific needs and plans to address needs.
3. Once each academic year, the Board of Trustees also holds a public meeting (which may be part of a regular school board meeting) to review and discuss the progress made toward meeting the goals and timeliness of its educational plan. Such meeting is publicized for at least two weeks prior to the meeting, including publication in a newspaper with major circulation in the school district.
LEGAL REF.: MS CODE as cited
Mississippi Public School Accountability Standards (2007)
CROSS REF.: Policies BA C Board Operations Goals and Objectives Mission Statement
CA C General School Administration Goals and Objectives
IB C Instructional Goals
IH C Student Achievement Improvement Act of 1999
II C Testing Program