An important milestone was reached this week in the school improvement process at Wicomico Middle School when the Wicomico County Board of Education approved the Alternative Governance Plan required under No Child Left Behind. This plan, developed by Wicomico Middle School staff and leadership, outlines the many steps to improve achievement and school climate that the school is already taking and will continue to take during the two years covered by the plan. The more than 120 staff members at Wicomico Middle School are actively engaged in moving the school toward the goal of Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP), with the support of the school system and the Board of Education.
Unfortunately, the headlines on two newspaper stories gave a very different and very inaccurate impression of what the Alternative Governance Plan means for Wicomico Middle School. The first story (Feb. 8) ran under the headline “Wicomico Middle may see major staffing changes,” despite the fact that the story itself clearly stated that staffing changes occur every year at every school, and that Wicomico Middle had already had 22 percent turnover for this school year, including a new principal and assistant principal. Wicomico Middle School has a dedicated and experienced team of professionals in place to lead the school out of school improvement status.
A second headline, above the Feb. 10 story, was more inflammatory and even more off the mark: “Wi-Middle set to replace staff: BOE approves school shake-up plan as mandated by No Child Left Behind.” No one at the Board of Education level or at the district level, from the superintendent on down, has ever called for zero-based staffing or a wholesale “shake-up” at Wicomico Middle. The focus, even without an Alternative Governance Plan, has been and will continue to be on improving achievement for students, particularly in the areas of Reading/English/Language Arts and Mathematics. The Alternative Governance Plan, developed by the school itself, is all about ways of building success, not engaging in a “shake-up.” The current staff is a key part of the future success of Wicomico Middle School.
The school system and the Board of Education support Wicomico Middle School as its staff members and students continue to work for success each and every day. I hope this explanation helps the community better understand what the school improvement process means for Wicomico Middle School. The Alternative Governance Plan the Board approved this week will now go to Maryland State Department of Education staff for review, with a vote by the Maryland State Board of Education in April. The final Alternative Governance Plan will take effect for the 2011-12 school year.
Dr. Margo Handy
Assistant Superintendent for Instruction and Student Services
Wicomico County Public Schools
Unfortunately, the headlines on two newspaper stories gave a very different and very inaccurate impression of what the Alternative Governance Plan means for Wicomico Middle School. The first story (Feb. 8) ran under the headline “Wicomico Middle may see major staffing changes,” despite the fact that the story itself clearly stated that staffing changes occur every year at every school, and that Wicomico Middle had already had 22 percent turnover for this school year, including a new principal and assistant principal. Wicomico Middle School has a dedicated and experienced team of professionals in place to lead the school out of school improvement status.
A second headline, above the Feb. 10 story, was more inflammatory and even more off the mark: “Wi-Middle set to replace staff: BOE approves school shake-up plan as mandated by No Child Left Behind.” No one at the Board of Education level or at the district level, from the superintendent on down, has ever called for zero-based staffing or a wholesale “shake-up” at Wicomico Middle. The focus, even without an Alternative Governance Plan, has been and will continue to be on improving achievement for students, particularly in the areas of Reading/English/Language Arts and Mathematics. The Alternative Governance Plan, developed by the school itself, is all about ways of building success, not engaging in a “shake-up.” The current staff is a key part of the future success of Wicomico Middle School.
The school system and the Board of Education support Wicomico Middle School as its staff members and students continue to work for success each and every day. I hope this explanation helps the community better understand what the school improvement process means for Wicomico Middle School. The Alternative Governance Plan the Board approved this week will now go to Maryland State Department of Education staff for review, with a vote by the Maryland State Board of Education in April. The final Alternative Governance Plan will take effect for the 2011-12 school year.
Dr. Margo Handy
Assistant Superintendent for Instruction and Student Services
Wicomico County Public Schools
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.