MERSD District Improvement Plan

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    Core Value:  Whole Child
    We believe schools must establish a safe environment conducive to the development of the whole child, which extends beyond the academic core to include experiential learning, the arts, cultural awareness, and physical and emotional well being.

    Overarching Goal:  Develop systems to support the belief system of whole child education.
    Summary of Current Status FY12:  MERSD’s embraces the whole child philosophy and informally works to implement components of the belief system.  Beginning in 2009 the district undertook a study to determine the role whole child education played in our educational program; it has since been adopted as a core value of the district and an area for development in the MERSD strategic plan.   Over the next three years our work will be to institutionalize the belief system by integrating it into our articulated set of practices.

    Goal 1:  Develop and articulate a PreK-12 social emotional curriculum.

    Goal 2:  Create a continuum of specialized programming designed to meet the needs of all learners PK-12.
    This is also Goal 6 of Core Value ~ Student Achievement.  
    Core Value:  Student Achievement
    We believe that challenging standards and differentiated instruction encourage all students to excel and become confident engaged learners who achieve their potential at different rates and on different paths.

    Overarching Goal:  To establish the District as a leader in innovative and inclusive instructional practices that meet the needs of all learners.
    Summary of Current Status FY12:  Curriculum alignment is a dynamic process. MERSD’s Pre K-12 curriculum is in the process of being re-aligned to recently released Mass Common Core frameworks.  A master curriculum map that documents the full PreK-12 scope and sequence is under development.   In 2011 MERSD instituted a Curriculum Review Cycle in order to establish a cycle for systematically reviewing, assessing and documenting our curriculum.  Through this process we strive to keep abreast of local, state, and national updates and maintain alignment and currency in the curriculum. MERSD has a partial system of common/benchmark assessment and will need to focus its work on the development and implementation of a district-wide system.

    Goal 1:  Documentation of Curriculum and alignment to MA Common Core.

    Goal 2:  Establish and articulate a core curriculum centered on 21st Century Skills.

    Goal 3:  Strengthen tier one instructional methodology to support differentiated instruction and individualized learning.

    Goal 4:  Implement new teacher evaluation model.

    Goal 5:  Hire and retain exceptional teachers.

    Goal 6:  Create a continuum of specialized programming designed to meet the needs of all learner PK-12.   Also Goal 2 of Core Value ~ Whole Child

    Core Value:  Climate
    We believe our schools must create an environment of respect and appreciation for individual and cultural differences and instill a passion for responsible social action, both locally and globally.

    Overarching Goal:  Institutionalize a philosophy of inclusion, tolerance and cultural awareness both locally and globally.

    Summary of Current Status FY12:  MERSD is an inclusive school district; as such, we are a collaborative culture that welcomes all members into our learning community.~ Recognizing that students share more similarities than differences, our learning community respects each individual’s unique contributions.~ It is expected that all adults share the responsibility for providing every student with access to and participation in high quality education.  As of the close of FY13, we have successfully implemented inclusive academic practices that support targeted interventions for students on an individual basis, but need to broaden our repertoire of strategies and methodologies~within the mainstream setting to reach a greater variety of learners.  Additionally in order to meet support its mission and core values, MERSD must develop a broader program of inclusion that reaches beyond supporting student academic achievement and strives to cultivate a broad world-view and culture of tolerance and cultural awareness.

    Goal 1:  Implement programming that promotes respect and appreciation for individual and cultural differences.

    Goal 2:  Organize, articulate, and Implement programming that promotes critical thinking, global awareness and social responsibility.

    Core Value:  Community Partnerships
    We believe providing a quality education for our children is a shared responsibility, fostered by partnerships among the schools, families, businesses and the community at-large.

    Overarching Goal:  Strengthen partnerships with local charitable organizations.
    Summary of Current Status FY12:  MERSD benefits from strong community support.  A number of giving organizations provide financial supports that allow for extra-curricular and enrichment activities as well as providing funding for investments in classroom technology.   Our work going forward centers on strengthening these partnerships by aligning giving efforts with the districts strategic plan.

    Goal 1:  Improve school to home communication by implementing proactive school based outreach.

    Goal 2:  Align giving efforts with strategic plan.

    Core Value:  Resources
    We believe our district should provide appropriate resources in order for students to achieve our stated vision and mission.

    Overarching Goal:  Develop the Business Department into an innovative, customer-oriented and resource-efficient organization that supports the continuous improvement of MERSD's educational program.

    Summary of Current Status FY12:  The Business Department is in the midst of a transition, having solicited outside feedback to assess its strength and weaknesses.  While significant progress has been made in advancing a culture of customer service orientation and cost-consciousness more work needs to be done to support the core operations of MERSD’s instructional program and to ensure that the district is on a firm financial footing for many years in the future.


    Goal 1:  Manage resources efficiently and innovate to support educational program quality within confines of Proposition 2.5.

    Goal 2:  Create an organizational structure and develop effective internal processes to meet the needs of students, employees, families and taxpayers.

    Goal 3:  Raise quality of educational facility conditions to match quality MERSD’s educational program.