After each school leadership team reflected on its school culture, community, and the key contributing factors to student growth, they used this information to select the Strategic Plan Indicators that would have the greatest positive impact for their students.  Each school was directed to select two to six indicators on which to focus during the 2018-19 school year.  Certainly, we all know that if we focus narrowly and deeply, we are more likely to realize positive results.  The indicators that this school’s leadership team selected are noted below.

Throughout the next 3 years, schools will focus on their chosen Strategic Plan Indicators as the drivers to increase student engagement and achievement within their schools.  They will choose strategies to help them grow or increase within each indicator and will monitor and evaluate the student and school changes that take place along the journey.  Below you will see what this school imagines their students and school to look like in 2021 after having focused and worked on their chosen indicators for three years.

In recent years, our school improvement efforts have been focused on fostering strong relationships and promoting critical thinking among all student groups in Math and Reading instruction. In the future, we look forward to seeing our academic successes continue; and to building a welcoming, positive community of engaged learners. We will focus upon PBIS initiatives and Restorative Practices, specifically Community Circles, to build and repair community in our classrooms and to foster a greater sense of belonging among OES students. We will also continue to meet challenges with understanding, patience, and dedication. [Indicators 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6]

To achieve our vision, we will continue to work closely with the Central Office Math and Reading Specialists to develop meaningful instruction that emphasizes thoughtful dialogue, purposeful engagement, and critical reflection.  Our students will take greater ownership over their learning, gaining confidence to analyze and critique their own thinking as they gauge their progress toward mastery.  The incorporation of number sense routines, rigorous discourse and effective questioning will produce interactive, inquiry-based math lessons; and structured conferencing and progress-monitoring will make reading lessons strategic and personal.  As our students continue to refine these skills, we will focus on the progress of each student group; ensuring that every student has the confidence and flexibility to read, comprehend, analyze and solve complicated texts and questions. [Indicators 5 and 6]

We will also continue to build positive communities that meet the social and emotional needs of our students and their families outside of the classroom.  With the continued support of our community partnerships and an extremely supportive PTA, we will continue to provide meaningful programs such as:

• HERO Boys
• Girls on the Run
• WatchDOGS
• Confident Kids
• Arundel Middle School & High School Mentoring Program
• Community in Action (CIA) Mentoring Program