SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT TEAM MEMBERS

Christopher Ashley, Principal

Diana Siliezar-Shields, Science Dept. Chair

Co-Chairperson

Cynthia Navarro, World Language Dept. Chair

Co-Chairperson

, Special Education Teacher

, Grade 9 Parent

Amy Pettine, Grade 10 Parent

Margarita Robledo Guedes, Grade 11 Parent

Liz Henderson, Grade 12 Parent

Ela Er, Grade 9 Student

Alexandra Smuk, Grade 10 Student

Eilidh Thomson, Grade 11 Student

Kendal Bazerman, Grade 12 Student

Colleen Pickford, Community Member

Rebecca White, Student Representative to the School Committee

SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT TEAM MEETING DATES

September 11, 2024

October 9, 2024

November 13, 2024

December 11, 2024

January 9, 2025

February 12, 2025

March 12, 2025

April 9 , 2025

May 14 2025

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School Improvement Team Policy

Barrington Public Schools

Purpose of the School Improvement Team (SIT) 

The purpose of the SIT is to provide input on and monitoring of SMART Goals (School Improvement Plan) for continuous improvement based on the District Strategic Goals (Scorecard), data, and feedback provided by the school and district-based teams such as the data teams, the Health and Wellness Committee, Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) teams, and the Multi-Tiered Systems of Support teams. Teams will provide voice and an avenue for communication from each building to their school community and the larger district community regarding progress toward our strategic goals and objectives. Teams will also be integral to the participatory governance of the school.

Membership

Each SIT shall be composed of the principal and an appropriately balanced number of teachers, education support employees, students, family members, and other business and community citizens who are representative of the ethnic, racial, and economic community served by the school. The high school and middle school SIT shall include students. 

For the purposes of SIT, the term "teacher" includes classroom teachers, certified student services personnel, and media specialists. For purposes of this subsection, "education support employee" means any person employed by a school who is not defined as instructional or administrative personnel pursuant to law and whose duties require twenty (20) or more hours in each normal working week.

  • Who: 4 Students (high school only),  3 Students (middle school only), 3 Family Members, 1  Community Member,  3 Teachers,  1 Administrator, 1 Support Personnel

  1. Chaired by a Teacher (Principal can facilitate and organize)

  2. One Family Member or Educator needs to be the liaison to the Health and Wellness Committee

  3. In schools with 20% ELL students, one family member must be the family member or guardian of an ELL student

  4. In high schools and middle schools, shall include at least one department head from a humanities subject area and at least one department head from one of the sciences, technology, engineering, or mathematics subject areas

  5. Two members from the same family may not be on a team at the same time

Membership Process 

Each September the school will send out applications to each group to determine interest. A selection committee, including the building principal, two existing members of the SIT, and a member of central office administration will review the applications and select membership using the district rubric for committee participation.

Members representing teachers, education support employees, students, and family members shall be selected by their peer groups at the school in a fair and equitable manner. Business and other community members shall be selected by the school through an application review process conducted by the SIT Selection Committee. The School Committee shall review the membership composition of each SIT. Should the School Committee determine that the membership elected by the school is not representative, the Committee shall direct the principal to reopen the application process and appoint additional members to achieve proper representation. 

The application is due by September 15 and selections by September 22. Priority will be given to those who have not had an opportunity to participate in the past. Members can choose to serve two-year terms. They will need to re-apply to serve again after that. Student representatives serve for two years. Members may opt to resign or may be asked to resign due to policy infractions or lack of attendance. Vacant positions will be filled within one month of vacancy following the application process.

Duties of the School Improvement Teams

  • All members of the SIT will serve a 12 month year and the team will collaboratively develop the meeting schedule and times.

  • The SIT, including the school principal, shall meet regularly and shall assist in the identification of the educational needs of the students attending the school; make recommendations to the principal for the development, implementation, and assessment of a curriculum accommodation plan; and shall assist in the review of the annual school budget and in the formulation of a school improvement plan, as provided below.

  • The SIT will support the principal in the screening of candidates for all teachers, athletic coaches, instructional or administrative aides, and other personnel assigned to the school. The SIT will consult with the principal on the makeup of the interview committee. All members of the SIT will need to sign the District level letter of confidentiality. 

  • The principal of each school, in consultation with the SIT established pursuant to this policy, shall, on an annual basis, develop and submit to the District Superintendent a plan for improving student performance. The Superintendent shall review and approve the plan, after consultation with the School Committee. Plans shall be prepared in a manner and form prescribed by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and shall conform to any policies and practices of the District consistent therewith. If the Superintendent does not approve a plan submitted by the principal, the plan shall be returned to the principal who shall, after consultation with the SIT, resubmit the plan to the Superintendent who shall review and approve the resubmitted plan which will be shared with the School Committee.

Meeting Frequency 

The team will meet at least one time a month. Increased frequency may occur at the start of the school year.

Development of SMART Goals  

The school improvement plans will all use the same SMART Goal format. SITs will use these documents to either develop or provide input into a SMART Goal. The SMART Goals will be public documents that will be used to communicate progress toward goals.

Each school will have 2 Student Success Goals, 1 Social Emotional Well-Being Goal, 1 Parent and Community Engagement Goal, 1 Health and Wellness Goal, 1 Collaborative Culture Goal, and 1 Efficient Resources Goal connected to the Strategic Plan and District Scorecard.

Monitoring of SMART Goals

The SIT will monitor and use the Plan Do Study Act process to implement and/or adjust strategies embedded in the SMART Goals if needed. They will report benchmark data at the beginning of the year and progress data in the middle and end of the school year. 

Communication  

The SIT representative will provide an annual report on strategy and goal area(s) at the beginning, middle, and end of the year faculty meeting and parent-teacher organization meeting. The plan will be published on the websites of each school and shared in an annual newsletter. The administrators will report to the School Committee at the beginning, middle, and end of the year. Meeting agendas and minutes will be taken and published on the school website.

References:

RI General Laws 16-53.1-3

RI General Laws 16-2-11.1

First Read: January 9, 2020

Approved: February 6, 2020

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SMART GOALS – TEMPLATE

SMART goals help improve achievement and success.  A SMART goal clarifies exactly what is expected and the measures used to determine if the goal is achieved and successfully completed.

A SMART goal is:

Specific (and strategic):  Linked to position summary, departmental goals/mission, and/or overall school goals and strategic plans.  Answers the question—Who? and What?

Measurable:  The success of meeting the goal can be measured.  Answers the question—How?

Attainable/Achievable:  Goals are realistic and can be achieved in a specific amount of time and are reasonable.

Relevant and realistic:  The goals are aligned with current tasks and projects and focus in one defined area; include the expected result.

Time frame:  Goals have a clearly defined time-frame including a target or deadline date.