Capital School Improvement Plan (2020-21)

Outcome 1: Be compassionate and kind.

  1. Be aware of and appreciate one’s similarities and differences with others.
  2. Listen well and cooperate with others.
  3. Demonstrate awareness of one’s own thoughts and emotions and how they impact behavior.
  4. Express emotions, thoughts and impulses in positive and beneficial ways.
  5. Resolve conflicts and repair relationships.

Metric

Total office/behavioral referrals from the teaching / administrative staff.

Goal

As compared to the baseline data measure at the end of June 2019, by June 2020 yearly Capital High School behavioral referrals will reduce by 10% via effective school wide implementation of the Restorative Practices Continuum. 

Action Plan

  1. Via Our LID days and our October 9th in-service training day: We will teach our staff about:
    • Restorative Practices / Terminology 
    • Social Discipline and the “Punitive --- Permissive” Continuum.
    • The Social Discipline Window
    • Understating of “repairing the harm”
    • Apologies 
    • Attending to the needs
    • Punishment 
    • The Nine Affects and the “Compass of Shame.”
  2. Staff will develop a pre and post set of in-depth interview questions for a random number of students who have spent time in the Restorative Justice Center. The questions would explore the potential for growth regarding behavior, conflict resolution, and or academic achievement.
  3. Through the use of 10-15 minutes at each staff meeting this year, we will build a common knowledge: 
    • “The Restorative Practices Continuum”  
    • Affective Statements
    • Affective Questions
    • Impromptu conversations 
    • Circles
    • Formal Conferences 
  4. Teachers/students will use Affective Statements when discussing feelings.
  5. Teachers/ Staff will use Affective questions to challenge negative behaviors and assist those affected.  
  6. Staff will use small "Impromptu Conferences" to address small negative incidents. (minor infractions) 
  7. Staff will spotlight and share with school community an anecdotal success story from the Restorative process on a regular basis to encourage staff to support the ongoing work. 
  8. Finding working connections with students that can be addressed during the restorative interview process when standard restorative processes are ineffectual.  What is the why or why not that the restorative process has worked?   
  9. Staff will lead at least three circles per week within the restorative center.
    • Cell phone infractions
    • Class Tardies    
  10. Additionally, support staff will be trained to use Affective Statements and Affective Questions in all school settings. (Custodians, Lunch Support, security) 
  11. Teachers/Staff will use "Circle Conferencing."
  12. Administrators will periodically conduct informal walkthroughs (via Zoom) to ensure that Restorative Practices are in use. 

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Outcome 2: Have the academic and life skills to pursue their individual career, civic and educational goals.

  1. Read, write and speak effectively for a wide range of purposes, including the interpretation and analysis of both literary and informational texts.
  2. Know and apply mathematics to a level of fluency that ensures a broad range of post-secondary opportunities and career choices.
  3. Use analytic and scientific principles to draw sound conclusions.
  4. Analyze multiple causal factors that shape major events in history.
  5. Exit with a personalized post-secondary transition plan for work, career and/or college, and complete the first steps toward achieving post-secondary goals before graduation.
  6. Develop and use conceptual understanding, exploring knowledge across a range of disciplines, and engage with issues and ideas that have local and global significance.
  7. Problem solve using both creative and critical thinking skills.
  8. Demonstrate continuous growth across the disciplines to meet or exceed academic learning standards and work toward graduation.
  9. Apply reliable information and systematic decision making to personal financial decisions.

Metric

  • Science ~ Common Rubric Scores 
  • Math ~ modified formative and summative assessment scores 
  • Enlgish ~ Curriculum reading lists, common assessment scores, IB assessments 
  • History ~ CBA's and DBQ's

Goal

Science - Staff will continue to develop common curriculum and related rubrics to assess all students, focusing on essential standards. Students will be assessed at least three times during the course of the year, using standards based grading. Data will be used to inform ongoing instruction. 

Math - Staff will modify math curriculum to accommodate the distance learning/hybrid models. We will also explore and share effective methods of delivering instruction. This will include a modified plan for formative and summative assessment that takes into account the challenges of distance learning.

English - Staff will identify inclusive literature to include in current curriculum, create shared essential questions and common assessments, and identify and monitor areas of growth for students in preparation for the HL essay.

History - Staff will develop scope and sequence for the skills of essay writing, source analysis and historical investigation in order to ensure seamless transitions from World History to HotA to H20, as measured by CBA’s and DBQ’s. 

Action Plan

Science - Science teachers will use PLC time to create curriculum, develop rubrics to commonly score student work and calibrate assessment scoring. Data will be used to inform ongoing instruction. 

Math - Math teachers will use PLC time to modify curriculum, share best practices, and discuss solutions to the challenges of teaching in a distance learning model. 

English - English teachers will use PLC time to curate reading lists that are inclusive of all people, create shared essential questions and end of unit assessments, and share best teaching practices in preparing students for IB testing. 

History - History teachers will use PLC time to create a common scope and sequence to use when instructing students on essay writing, source analysis and historical investigations. Data will be used to inform instruction and modify the scope and sequence. 

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Outcome 3: Advocate for the social, physical and mental wellness of themselves and others and be hopeful about the future.

  1. Communicate effectively.
  2. Develop knowledge and skills to have healthy eating habits, have a healthy body image and access reliable health information and services.
  3. Be physically active and see athletics and exercise as health-enhancing behaviors.
  4. Understand and apply principles of sound mental and emotional health and learn to identify signs of emotional health concerns such as depression, anxiety and suicidal thinking in self and others.
  5. Understand how and when to seek supportive mental and emotional health resources for self and others.
  6. Cultivate healthy relationships that honor each person's personal preferences and boundaries.
  7. Identify and develop personal strengths and interests.
  8. Develop the skills and habits to assess the role of technology and social media in their lives and distinguish between healthy and harmful use.

Metric

Measured by Healthy Youth Survey (HYS) question AND our own internal survey from beginning to end of the year.
HYS question(s) to use for our metric:
19. When you feel sad or hopeless, are there adults that you can turn to for help?
​​​​​​​96. There are people in this school who will help me if I need it?

Goal

CHS will continue to support students' social, emotional and physical well-being through a variety of methods outlined in the action plans below.

Action Plan

  1. Implementing the Character Strong curriculum in our weekly Wednesday Homeroom for 30 minutes.
  2. Staffing students of concern, in a weekly Care Team meeting. Our Homeless Liaison, Social Worker, Drug/Alcohol Counselor and School Psychologist all attend these weekly meetings.
  3. Connecting students with drug/alcohol issues to our Chemical Dependency Counselor.
  4. Identifying resources for support in all areas through 9th grade Health course.
  5. Connecting students through Restorative Justice self-improvement for any students needing behavioral supports.
  6. Reaching out to dis-engaged and non-graduated students through our Graduation Specialist.
  7. Promoting our school lunch program to students at home to ensure all are able to access food.
  8. Providing grocery and/or gas vouchers for our families in need.
  9. Using the Principal’s checkbook fund to ensure students stay warm, clothed and fed during our remote learning time.
  10. Using Common Sense Media during Homeroom to inform students about the proper use of all forms of Media in their lives.
  11. Providing a time/space for students of color to participate in a BIPOC Homeroom if they choose to do so.
  12. Continuing work around Equity in the Schoolhouse through training of staff.
  13. Continuing work in 9th Health courses around Lifelines curriculum.
  14. Providing a time/space for staff to converse with one another in a non-curricular way: Zoom lunches, etc. 

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Outcome 4: Have the skills, knowledge and courage to identify and confront personal, systemic and societal bias.

  1. Develop an appreciation of world cultures, which may include the understanding of the basic structure of another world language.
  2. Be well versed in local, national and world history and understand how prejudice, racism and xenophobia have contributed to conflict.
  3. Demonstrate the ability to recognize that biased attitudes expressed consistently over time gradually distort perceptions until stereotypes and myths about people different from oneself are accepted as reality.
  4. Empower themselves to interrupt discriminatory remarks and attitudes.
  5. Evaluate the significance and dependability of information used to support positions.
  6. Analyze the validity, reliability and credibility of information from a variety of primary and secondary sources while researching an issue or event.

Metric

Staff Survey

Goal

All CHS teachers will engage in Equity training at least one time per month, led by CHS staff, to further their understanding of culturally responsive education. Teachers will work both synchronous and asynchronous to complete work and learn more about how cultural diversity impacts our teaching and student learning. Multiple check-ins throughout the year will give staff the opportunity to share what they are learning and what wonderings they still want to explore. 

Action Plan

Staff will participate in synchronous and asynchronous opportunities to learn about equity, culturally responsive education and examine their own biases and learning. Staff will take pre and post surveys about their knowledge, new learning, areas of deeper knowledge needed and reflections on learning.

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Outcome 5: Discover their passions, be curious and love learning.

  1. Broaden their perspectives and seek out various opportunities to explore new ideas, particularly those areas that are unfamiliar or uncomfortable to find their interests.
  2. Experience failure, setbacks and disappointments as an expected and honored part of learning.
  3. Understand and demonstrate the value of service in their community and learning by doing.
  4. Pursue creative and artistic opportunities as a vocation and/or a form of lifelong enrichment.

Metric

Naviance log in / usage data.

Goal

Implement and utilize the Naviance tool for all parents and students grade 9-12 to use. 100 % of Students will track their HSBP via Naviance. 

Action Plan

  • Send an informational letter to all parents and students.  Parent letter will include instructions and access code for the Naviance parent portal.
  • Assign tasks to students with due dates.
  • Create 15 minute video modules to be shown to students (all grade levels) during Homeroom time on Wednesday’s.  Keep an open zoom at that time to answer any questions students have.  
  • Keep students on track for the High School and Beyond plan by making sure they are completing the assigned tasks.  
  • Notify students and parents as the task due dates approach if students are not completing tasks.  

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Outcome 6: Be critical thinkers who contribute to and collaborate with our local, global and natural world.

  1. Participate on teams and know the power of teamwork.
  2. Demonstrate the ability to engage in inclusive problem solving.
  3. Advocate for and contribute to local, regional or global improvement by utilizing natural resources in an efficient, sustainable way.
  4. Use digital tools to constructively learn from and connect with people and communities around the world.
  5. Gather, interpret and present information in culturally responsive ways.

Metric

Staff Survey

Goal

To provide time and space for staff to learn how to use technology tools so they can work collaboratively and teach in a remote environment.(2) To provide a time/space for students to learn how to use technology tools to learn and work together in their remote classrooms.

Action Plan

  1. Educating staff and students on how to collaborate in a virtual environment.
  2. Implementing these tools with staff and students in a virtual classroom.
  3. Providing opportunities for staff to learn how to use the myriad of technology tools to support their virtual classrooms.
  4. Adding IB History to our curriculum for ALL 11th and 12th grade students in 2020-21 in addition to the IB English for all begun in 2019-20.

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