View Policy / Procedure

I. PURPOSE

The purpose of this policy is to focus public education strategies on a process that promotes higher academic achievement for all students and ensures broad-based community participation in decisions regarding the implementation of state and federal laws.

II. GENERAL STATEMENT

Implementation of the Minnesota K-12 Academic Standards and federal laws will require a new level of accountability for the Moorhead Area Public Schools. The school district also will establish a system to review and improve instruction, curriculum, and assessment which will include substantial input from students, parents/guardians, and local community members. The school district is accountable to the public and the state through annual reporting.

III. DEFINITIONS

A. "Credit" means a student's successful completion of an academic year of study or a student's mastery of the applicable subject matter, as determined by the school district.

B. "comprehensive achievement and civic readiness" means striving to: meet school readiness goals; close the academic achievement gap among all racial and ethnic groups of students and between students living in poverty and students not living in poverty; have all students attain career and college readiness before graduating from high school, and have all students graduate from high school; and prepare students to be lifelong learners. 

IV. ESTABLISHMENT OF GOALS; IMPLEMENTATION; EVALUATION AND REPORTING

A. School District Goals

1. The Moorhead School Board has established school district-wide goals which provide broad direction for the school district. Incorporated in these goals are the graduation and education standards contained in the Minnesota K-12 Academic Standards and federal law. The broad goals shall be reviewed annually and approved by the School Board. The School Board shall adopt annual goals based on the feedback of the Instruction and Curriculum Advisory Committee (ICAC).

2. The improvement goals should address feedback identified through the ICAC committee process. The ICAC Committee is established by the school board to ensure active community participation in all phases of planning and improving instruction and curriculum affecting state and district academic standards. (Procedure 230.6 MAPS School Board Instruction and Curriculum Committee)

3. The school district's goal-setting process will include consideration of individual site goals. School district goals may be developed through an evaluation of student progress and a locally determined process.

B. System for Reviewing All Instruction and Curriculum

Incorporated in the process is the analysis of the school district's progress toward implementation of the Minnesota Academic Standards (Administrative Procedure 601.1: Moorhead Area Public Schools Academic Standards Curriculum Review Cycle). Instruction and curriculum shall be reviewed and evaluated by taking into account strategies and best practices, student outcomes, and principal evaluations under Minnesota Statutes section 123B.147, Subdivision 3, and teacher evaluations under Minnesota Statutes section 122A.40, Subdivision 8, or 122A.41, Subdivsion 5.

1. By October of each year, the ICAC will meet to review and assist the school district in the implementation of the school district system accountability and comprehensive continuous improvement process.

2. ICAC will provide active community participation in:

a. Reviewing the school district instructional and curriculum plan, with emphasis on implementing the Minnesota Academic Standards;

b. Identifying annual instruction and curriculum improvement goals for recommendation to the School Board;

c. Making recommendations regarding the evaluation process that is used to measure school district progress toward its goals;

3. The ICAC shall meet the following criteria:

a. The advisory committee shall ensure active community participation in all planning for instruction and curriculum affecting graduation standards.

b. The advisory committee shall make recommendations to the School Board on school district-wide standards, assessments, and program evaluation.

c. Building teams may be established as subcommittees to develop and implement an education effectiveness plan and to carry out methods to improve instruction, curriculum, and assessments as well as methods to use technology in meeting the school district improvement plan.

d. A local process shall be used for developing a plan for assessment of student progress toward the academic standards as well as program evaluation data for use by the advisory committee in the instruction and curriculum review process. This plan shall annually be approved by the School Board.

5. Translation services should be provided to the extent appropriate and practicable.

1. September to May: Review evaluation results and prepare recommendations.

2. November: Become familiar with the instruction and curriculum of the cycle content area.

3. November: Present recommendations to the School Board for its input and approval.

Evaluation of Student Progress Committee.

A committee of licensed professional staff shall develop a plan for assessment of student progress toward the Minnesota Academic Standards, as well as program evaluation data for use by the ICAC committee in the instruction and curriculum, cultural competencies, including cultural awareness and cross-cultural communication, and student achievement at the school site. This plan shall be approved annually by the School Board.

2. The school performance report for a school site and a school district must include performance reporting information and calculate proficiency rates as required by the most recently reauthorized Elementary and Secondary Education Act.

3. The school district must annually report the district's class size ratios by each grade to the commissioner of education in the form and manner specified by the Commissioner.

4. The school district must report whether programs funded with compensatory revenue are consistent with best practices demonstrated to improve student achievement.