As is usually the case, it’s hard to believe a new school year is already upon us. We’re busy preparing to welcome back our students on Monday for another exciting nine months of discovery and learning. I’m eager to get started, but first I’d like to share a few thoughts about what promises to be a momentous year for State College Area School District.
In all my career, this time of year has never grown old, as I too experience both anxiety and great anticipation for my colleagues, our students, and my own children. The buzz around our district stems from the fact that we truly love creating new relationships. Those bonds, the foundation for inspiring and challenging daily learning, are critical for helping each student develop academically and personally. With all of the different programs, initiatives and facility upgrades in the works, let’s remember the enduring constant is the quality of our people and their interactions with students every day. In short, those connections are paramount.
We’ve never taken relationships for granted, and this year we are going to strive to do even better. Our secondary teachers have created and implemented weekly professional learning communities that support our teachers’ complex responsibilities for becoming more responsive to each student’s strengths, needs and interests. This September, we expect to refine our student day proposal for 2018-19. In increasing the length of the elementary day and shifting secondary school times, we want to improve learning for our students — more core instruction and time with teachers for elementary children, later starts for older students so they can derive more from morning classes, as adolescent sleep research recommends. But the extended school day proposal is only one of our many objectives.
Last year, our school board created a policy delineating our district’s expectations for embracing diversity in our schools, to treat all students with dignity, to provide a safe and positive school environment, and to prepare them for future success in a global society. That was a critical step, but words aren’t enough. This summer, our principals and administrators received valuable training in recognizing unconscious cultural bias, and we plan on extending the instruction districtwide. We’ll also keep supporting teachers and student groups with their efforts to bridge differences and build ties. For meaningful relationships to form, every student must feel welcome, safe and respected at all times. We’re making progress toward further uniting our community, and we expect this year to bring us closer.
Looking ahead some more, it’s clear we’ve got a lot on our plate. We’re refined our English language arts curriculum plan, and we are preparing an update of our K-5 math curriculum for 2018-19. Our math update will include outreach to K-5 parents this fall. For our high school, we have been approved as a candidate school for the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme and Career-Related Programme, and will be pursuing authorization as an IB World School. That’s not to mention starting three elementary school renovation projects and moving students into part of our new high school in January, a significant milestone as construction continues until 2019. We’re in for a packed year, to say the least.
All of our initiatives, however, circle back to our highest priority: providing high-quality learning experiences to every student, every day. We already have indications — high marks, if you will — that we’re succeeding. Niche.com ranked our district and all of our schools among the best in the state. Our SAT scores last year tied us for 23rd out of more than 650 public high schools statewide. Sixty percent of our second to sixth graders scored in the top 25 percent nationally on the Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) assessment test. Equally encouraging, our latest survey data indicates the number of students who like school and look forward to coming to it has increased over the past three years.
Although we are proud of our student performance and feedback, we’re far from complacent. Currently, we’re finalizing a strategic plan that will guide us toward enhancing our teaching, curricula and relationships with students. Last year’s grades are a thing of the past. Like our teachers and students, we’re ready for a fresh start, optimistic that 2017-18 will be another positive journey for every student.
To stay up to date about the district, please visit our website: www.scasd.org.
