A version of this story appears in TheDailyNorwalk.com
Superintendent Susan Marks and the district's central office are ready to address hot school topics like the calendar, staff evaluation and out-of-district assignment policies. At the Tuesday night Board of Education meeting, Marks announced that she is organizing workgroups in 16 areas (see list below). “The purpose of these groups is to improve processes and bring about more consistency,” she said. “They will be cross-functional with representatives from the unions and parent groups. They’ll have specific deliverables.” Marks expects to form the teams by the end of the month.
Marks, herself, will be in charge of the school calendar group and the district survey group. She insists the groups must have specific time frames. For example, she expects that the middle school code of conduct should be completed in a couple of months. Marks intends to distribute a survey to the school community in the spring and expects a high school schedule to be ready for next fall. “Some things like high school reform will take more time,” says Marks. High school reform initiatives were passed into law in May.
Marks is working with Lisa Lenskold, the new PTO Council president, to find parent participants. "We want people who don't have a single agenda, but can look at district wide issues." The workgroups include:
1. Out of District Assignment Policy: Carol Marinaccio, Director of Elementary Education
2. Magnet Programs Lottery Process: Carol Marinaccio
3. Elementary School Walkthrough Protocol and Consistent Expectations: Carol Marinaccio
4. After school Programs: Carol Marinaccio
5. Kindergarten Screening and Orientation: Karen Helyer
6. High School Reform: Tony Daddona, Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction
7. High School Schedule: Tony Daddona
8. Middle School Code of Conduct: Tony Daddona
9. High School Code of Conduct: Tony Daddona
10. School Calendar: Susan Marks, Superintendent and Bob Polselli, Director of IT
11. Academically Talented Identification Process: Diane Filardo, Instruction Specialist of Data and Testing and Joan Glass, Instructional Specialist of the Academically Talented Program
Also at Tuesday's BOE meeting, Marks said that NPS will be partnering with the College Board to evaluate how the district can increase the number of students who take the PSATs and SATs. In addition, NPS will work with the College Board to make sure that teachers are well-trained to teach AP Courses.
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This is the first superintendent in a long time to give central office some actual duties to fulfill. I look forward to seeing more of this type of leadership. I also look forward to reports of their results.
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone think for a minute that the assistant superintendent is going to recommend anything other than the NHS schedule, no matter that it requires more staff and yet it still results in more study halls? He was at NHS when this plan was put there.
ReplyDeleteJust curious, does any one know what is being discussed with the AT identification process?
ReplyDeleteWhat are some of the calendar discussions?
ReplyDeleteMoina, do we have more specificis on what they grouos are aiming to change/do?
How are/were the work groups organized? As a parent in three schools, I haven't seen any type of request for volunteers or for that matter, any information regarding these work groups other than on this blog and perhaps The Hour. I was told that several of the groups are "complete". Is this more of the "transparancy" that we are accustomed to?
ReplyDelete