Allen Parish School Board outlines new plan for balanced education
Published on Monday, October 21, 2024 at 9:14am
The Allen Parish School Board is located at 111 West 7th Street in Oberlin. (Special article for American press)
The Allen Parish School Board announced a new strategic plan aimed at providing a high-quality, comprehensive education to promote the personal success of our students.
“There’s always a lot of things to fix, so it’s important that we don’t focus on too many things,” Superintendent Brad Thoreau said in presenting the plan to the board this week. “this is
The plan outlines priorities and goals for schools and educators to achieve by 2026, with the goal of keeping the district focused and demonstrating growth.
“This, in addition to changes in responsibilities and new testing requirements, including a short test for grades 3-8, is what we will be doing in the Allen Diocese over the next two years,” Solieu said. “I’m very nervous and curious about where this all leads us, but we plan to stay on track.”
Soileau said the plan’s core values focus on accountability, professionalism, stewardship and balance.
“As we consider the future of the Allen Parish School District, it is imperative that a focus on the continued growth of the district through the delivery of a high-quality education is at the forefront of every decision,” said Solieu. Quoted vision. district.
This focus needs to start before students enter school and continue throughout their educational experience, he said.
Although there are many opportunities to be distracted by the numerous responsibilities within a school district, decisions are always made in the best interest of the student and the focus is never diverted from the individual student’s education and their success in providing a strong foundation. Soileau said it’s important that there isn’t. For a rewarding future.
“There’s so much more to school than just going to class,” Soileau said. “It takes everything to be a well-rounded student: academics, sports, clubs. I can tell you many students who have succeeded because of a teacher, coach or someone who influenced them.”
Despite his personal success, Soileau pointed out that not all students go on to college. Many people are entering the workforce directly, he said.
The plan also aims to enhance the learning environment, improve test scores and attract talented staff to meet specific goals, Soileau said.
Under this plan, the district will work to provide the highest quality teaching and learning environment for all students and prepare them for their individual paths to success. The plan also requires teachers to provide high-quality, standards-based instruction while receiving mentor support through professional development.
Among other goals, the district desires to attract, develop, and retain qualified staff in all parochial schools. We also want to strengthen our connections with families and communities, building and maintaining positive relationships through partnerships and effective communication.
The plan also set goals to achieve student success, including having more than 65 percent of students achieve proficiency in LEAP 2025 in English/Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies.
“Looking at historical data, I think this is a reasonable goal,” Soileau said.
The plan also aims to reach 100% of high-ability students to improve overall LEAP 2025/LEAP Connect performance in English/language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies.
Additionally, the plan aims to ensure that more than 90 percent of students who attend kindergarten enroll in kindergarten.
“Our students are ready for kindergarten, and we are doing a great job of continuing to do that, so this is a lofty goal,” he said. “I don’t know if it will happen in my time, and I would like to, but this work we are doing now in literacy and preschool will help these students in a few years. They will benefit from this when they enter the workforce.”
Other specific goals to be achieved by 2026 are:
– More than 13.6 percent of high school students earn a statewide advanced certification, which leads to improved test scores and future employment.
– Diocese-wide ACT composite score of 20 or higher
– More than 80 percent of K-3 students perform at or above the benchmark on DIBELS.
– More than 80 percent of kindergarten through 8th grade students meet individual growth goals on literacy benchmarks through explicit reading and writing instruction.
The plan calls for 100% of teachers to conduct benchmark assessments and leverage data to make data-informed decisions when improving curriculum and instruction. It also requires 100% of teachers to intentionally plan their daily instruction using a specific curriculum or approved district curriculum and standards.
In attracting, developing and retaining qualified staff, the plan will ensure that more than 53 percent of non-certified teachers meet the requirements of Allen Diocese’s accreditation agreement and more than 70 percent of career and technical education (CTE) teachers statewide. They are required to obtain advanced qualifications. Credentials.
Teacher retention rates are now over 90 percent, with over 38 percent of teachers being highly effective.
To achieve the goal of family and community connections, the plan aims for 80 percent of parents to attend student meetings. We also aim to ensure that more than 90 percent of our students receive an academic recommendation for community service upon graduation.
“We want our students to have recognition on their diplomas that they have served community service hours,” Soleu said. “It’s great for scholarships and for colleges, but you have to do something to actually earn this.”
All CTE teachers complete monthly industry exchanges in their content areas, and all schools host 11 monthly community interactive events for students, such as open houses and math nights.
