PCPS Strategic Plan 2024-2025

The Pulaski County Public Schools Strategic Plan

Pulaski County Public Schools Strategic Plan 2024-2025

Table of Contents

Vision and Mission

3 4 5 6 7 8

Safety

Teaching

● Professional Staff

● Lesson Structure and Planning ● Professional Development

Learning

11 12 14 15 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 29

● Curiosity and Innovation ● Student Centered Learning

● 21st Century Learning and Innovation

● High Expectations Community Well Being

● Broader Community ● Virginia Preschool Initiative ● Chronic Absenteeism ● School Counseling Program ● Family and Community Engagement

Accountability

● Federal ● State ● Local

Visi on: PULASKI COUNTY PROUD! Making a Difference, One Child at a Time. Mission: PCPS will partner with the school community to enhance positive relationships while promoting a sense of belonging, increased engagement and academic achievement. Core Values At Pulaski County Public Schools we believe: ● Positive relationships are the foundation for a successful school experience. ● Students thrive in a supportive and safe environment. ● Schools are places for belonging, kindness, and respect. ● Students have potential to be learners, leaders, communicators, collaborators, critical thinkers, creative thinkers, and good citizens. ● Students need opportunities to improve, succeed, and reach their full potential. ● Schools are a place for high quality instruction, student engagement, innovative exploration, and curiosity. ● Students are most successful when families and schools partner by establishing and maintaining open lines of communication, parents attending meetings, and sending students to school everyday on time. ● Professional staff will communicate with families in a timely manner on all aspects of their child’s public school experience. ● High expectations are the standard we set for ourselves and others.

Provide students, faculty, and staff with a safe, welcoming and healthy school environment, including physical, mental, emotional, and social safety, and continuously evaluate practices to strengthen school security. Action Statement Strategies Ensure all schools have necessary resources to maintain security. ● A School Resource Office will continue to be assigned at each school. ● Maintenance and Operations staff will update facilities to improve any areas requiring attention. Develop and maintain crisis management plans.

● The administrative team at each school will work with law enforcement and their leadership team to create and update plans for the staff. ● Update as needed throughout the year. ● Review the Teacher Handbook and School Safety Plans with all school staff prior to the start of school and periodically review throughout the year. ● Provide information regarding school procedures and routines to families at the beginning of school and update as necessary. ● Implement safety directives and monitor regularly. ● Faculty and staff will wear district assigned identification and access card while in school buildings. ● All facilities will operate with doors locked. ● Visitors must present a valid ID to enter any school building and must go through the visitor check-in process prior to being admitted to the school building. ● Each school will develop lesson plans related to school- wide expectations to be taught in detail at the beginning and middle of each school year, or as needed for reminders. ● Seek and analyze feedback, utilizing surveys, at least yearly for community members, professional staff, and students and address areas of need.

Clearly communicate routines and procedures to faculty staff, and the school community.

Conduct yearly safety audits at each school performed by the PCPS Safety Consultant.

Consistently teach and reinforce school and classroom expectations and routines.

Regularly seek out and review feedback on community, professional staff, and student feelings of safety at school.

Provide educational opportunities for students that encourage curiosity, innovative exploration and engage students in skills related to becoming leaders, life-long learners, communicators, collaborators, critical thinkers, creative thinkers and productive citizens.

Professional Staff ● Employ practices that recruit and hire high quality professional staff with competitive salaries and benefits. Retain staff by supporting their professional growth through a cohesive teacher mentorship program.

Lesson Structure and Planning ● Utilize lesson planning and structure for effective use of instructional time, including activities which address the various ways in which students learn, that are aligned with curriculum content and rigor, that include assessment and feedback for students.

Professional Development ● Provide timely and meaningful professional development that enhances the quality of classroom instruction, including opportunities for student curiosity and innovative exploration, and ways to incorporate the skills into lesson planning and activities.

Employ practices that recruit and hire high quality professional staff and retain staff by supporting their professional growth through a cohesive teacher mentorship program.

Action Statement

Strategies

Recruit and maintain high quality professional staff.

● Offer competitive salary and benefits. ● Partner with local colleges and universities such as New River Community College, Radford University, and Virginia Tech to connect with preservice teachers and provide opportunities for professional development for current staff. ● Attend job fairs. ● Provide support for internal staff looking to obtain teacher licensure or additional licensure. ● Create a strong feedback loop for school staff to share input on job satisfaction and ideas for improvement. ● Model PCPS standards for high expectations of communicating with families, staff, and students. ● Update the New Teacher Mentor Handbook each school year with clear expectations and information about the program. ● Division staff will receive input from participants in the program and evaluate ways the program can be the most effective to support professional growth. ● Survey new teachers to determine areas in need of growth. ● Provide professional development opportunities, based on survey information, to assist new teachers with growth in areas of need. ● Create processes and procedures to support new teachers with curriculum and instruction support. ● Create and implement a companion teacher induction for special education teachers. ● Regularly review and update instructional expectations based on needs identified by evaluating student achievement data, including monitoring special populations to seek opportunities for improvement. ● Clearly communicate instructional expectations to all instructional staff and create consistent goals. ● Maintain an open feedback loop to support professional growth and high quality instructional practices. ● Perform periodic audits to ensure compliance with all state and federal law, guidelines, and guidance documents. ● Learn strengths and weaknesses of our employment practices in order to strengthen our processes and procedures for hiring, retaining, and growing professional staff.

Support teachers with a strong mentorship program, which includes an induction program for new teachers.

Ensure alignment of performance evaluations with instructional expectations and student achievement outcomes.

Conduct exit interviews.

Utilize lesson planning and structure for effective use of instructional time, including activities which address the various ways in which students learn, that are aligned with curriculum content and rigor, that include assessment and feedback for students. Action Statement Strategies

Provide professional development on the Virginia Department of Education standards for teaching, learning, and assessment to help teachers plan lessons.

● Provide opportunities for teachers to learn the required state curriculum through the standards of learning, instructional resources, assessment resources, and professional resources. ● Provide an instructional notebook with PCPS Instructional Expectations including grade level and or course standards, instructional resources, assessment resources, instructional strategies, and best practices. ● Provide professional learning to unpack the standards and create lessons through Professional Learning Communities (PLCs). ● Provide an online resource that serves as a pacing guide with curriculum resources and instructional strategies for each grade-level subject or course. ● Utilize new teacher professional development to teach and reinforce lesson planning expectations and practices. ● Provide common planning time for teachers to discuss data and plan lessons together. ● Provide teachers and instructional leaders with updated information on Bloom’s Hierarchy and the effect sizes from John Hattie’s Visible Learning research. ● Provide opportunities for general education and special education teachers to collaborate. ● Clearly identify the school division’s assessment program, provide professional development on how to use it and extract student data. ● Instructional teams will develop aligned, standards-based, and rigorous assessments to supplement the CIP assessments as needed. ● Utilize assessments created by the Comprehensive Instructional Program. ● Create and utilize aligned assessments to accurately evaluate instructional practices and student learning and drive future lesson planning. ● Include specific interventions and supports needed for students with disabilities, students with 504 plans, and English Learners. ● Identify areas for enrichment for students identified as gifted.

Create lesson plans that have high expectations, are data driven and embed opportunities for feedback on student progress.

Create lesson plans which incorporate the variety of ways in which students learn and are aligned to the standards to create rigorous opportunities to learn and demonstrate skills and knowledge.

Provide teachers with resources to support high quality classroom instruction.

● Provide expectations regarding the use of the Comprehensive Instructional Program (CIP) pacing guides, assessments, and resources. ● Provide expectations regarding the use of resources from the Virginia Department of Education, such as instructional guides. ● Evaluate instructional materials for alignment and rigor. ● Division staff will ensure the adoption and implementation of High Quality Instructional Materials as indicated by the Virginia Department of Education. ● Provide time in lessons for students to use technology as part of the learning process. ● Information technology resource teachers (ITRTs) and general education teachers will collaborate to assist students with building skills related to digital literacy, internet safety, and digital citizenship. ● Use Structured Cooperative Learning such as Think-Pair-Share, Jigsaw, and Project-Based Learning to encourage teamwork. Assign rotating roles within groups (leader, recorder, researcher) to ensure participation. Use peer feedback and self reflection tools to enhance collaboration skills. ● Real-World Problem Solving to engage students in service-learning projects such as Go PCMS/ PCHS Days to address community needs. ● Develop STEM and humanities challenges where students collaboratively solve real-world issues. ● Encourage partnerships with local organizations and businesses to provide authentic collaborative experiences. ● Use social-emotional learning integration to teach and reinforce active learning, conflict resolution, and empathy to build a positive collaborative culture. ● Use teacher-facilitated collaboration by modeling effective collaboration through co-teaching and interdisciplinary projects. ● Provide clear expectations and rubrics for collaborative work to ensure accountability. Regularly assess and provide feedback on teamwork skills using formative assessments.

Effectively incorporate technology in lessons and provide opportunities for staff to collaborate, to share, promote unity, and enhance instruction with all student learning opportunities.

We will foster a collaborative learning environment by implementing thoughtful, inclusive, student-centered strategies that encourage teamwork, critical thinking, and communication.

Provide timely and meaningful professional development that enhances the quality of classroom instruction, including opportunities for student curiosity and innovative exploration, and ways to incorporate the skills into lesson planning and activities. Action Statement Strategies

Provide professional development on the Virginia Department of Education standards for teaching, learning, and assessment to help teachers plan lessons.

● Provide opportunities for teachers to learn the required state curriculum through the standards of learning, instructional resources, assessment resources, and professional resources. ● Provide an instructional notebook with PCPS Instructional Expectations including grade level and or course standards, instructional resources, assessment resources, instructional strategies, and best practices. ● Provide professional learning to unpack the standards and create lessons through Professional Learning Communities (PLCs). ● Provide an online resource that serves as a pacing guide with curriculum resources and instructional strategies for each grade-level subject or course. ● Implement data driven instructional practices across all grade levels and subjects ● Division staff will assist principals in compiling and monitoring common assessment data to determine instructional strengths and weaknesses ● Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) will be utilized for teachers to disaggregate student data and discuss related instructional practices ● Division leadership will lead calendar committee meetings and ensure the calendar is evaluated appropriately for sufficient professional development time ● Provide flexible ways to offer professional development aligned to areas of potential growth ● Develop schedules to promote collaboration through common planning ● Provide professional development on student engagement and innovative practices. ● Provide professional development on effective instruction for diverse learners, including students with disabilities, ELLs, 504 plans, and gifted students. ● Leaders will use walkthroughs and evaluations to support improvement through feedback and communication. ● Gather teacher feedback on professional development 9

Regularly monitor student achievement data to identify areas of potential growth in instructional practices and align professional development opportunities.

Utilize the division-wide calendar committee to create a calendar conducive to providing professional development during the teacher work day.

Provide professional development to enhance student engagement and support the 5 Cs: critical thinking, creativity, communication, collaboration, and citizenship and assist students in acquiring the 5 Cs of the Profile of a Virginia Graduate. Create a feedback loop with teachers and administrators to discuss instructional practices.

through surveys and exit tickets.

Provide financial assistance for higher degrees, appropriate licensing and certificates to enhance learning opportunities.

● Partner with local colleges and universities to create opportunities for professional growth. ● Use federal grants to fund financial assistance when appropriate.

Curiosity and Innovation ● Provide a learner-centered experience in a safe and welcoming environment in which students are given opportunities to explore interests, experience high quality instruction including opportunities for authentic problem solving to positively impact the school community, with high rigor and expectations. Student Centered ● Provide students with a learning environment built on positive relationships, with high quality instruction, opportunities to collaborate, opportunities to explore interests, appropriately advocate for themselves and their learning, and want to attend every day.

21st Century Learning and Innovation ● Explore and evaluate current and potential learning opportunities and experiences to students, including opportunities that assist students in gaining skills in critical thinking, creativity, communication, collaboration, and citizenship.

High Expectations ● Provide high expectations for academics, behavior, and community. Post expectations in classrooms and throughout the school campus. Remind students of expectations as needed. Include high expectations for academics, behavior, and community in the student handbook.

Provide a learner-centered environment in which students are given opportunities to explore interests, experience high quality instruction including opportunities for authentic problem solving to positively impact the school community, with high rigor and expectations. Action Statement Strategies Build positive relationships within the school community. ● Fostering positive relationships with students increases attendance, improves academic progress, and behavior. Provide relevant, meaningful, and rigorous learning opportunities for all students. ● Seek feedback from students on what they find meaningful and relevant to their lives and allow them time to explore those interests.

● Create learning opportunities for students that include skill development and practice with the 5 Cs of a Profile of a Virginia Graduate: critical thinking, creativity, communication, collaboration, and citizenship. ● Utilize problem based learning where students identify and solve a problem directly impacting their community. ● Active learning will be used to interact with the learning process (movement, manipulatives, partner and small group tasks). ● Provide on-going professional learning for teachers. ● Create and sustain classroom environments in which utilize the growth mindset philosophy and take an active role in their learning. ● Project-based learning will be used to give students voice and choice in their learning. ● Create learning opportunities for students that include skill development and practice with the 5 Cs of a Profile of a Virginia Graduate: critical thinking, creativity, communication, collaboration, and citizenship. ● Provide evidence based, age appropriate, multimodal, and planned cognitive breaks for students. ● Regularly seek out student feedback on their learning activities and progress. ● Provide on-going professional learning on differentiation for teachers to stay up-to-date with research and evidence based practices and regulatory changes, including specially designed instruction (SDI) and service delivery.. ● General Education, Special Education, and Gifted Teachers co-plan and co-teach when appropriate. Analyze data to guide tiered instruction 12

Create learner-centered classrooms.

Instruction will be differentiated to meet student needs.

Assess student learning in multiple ways.

● Use data to drive instruction, remediation, and enrichment (SOLs, benchmarks, formative assessments). ● Partner with school and career counselors and Career and Technical Education to provide opportunities and experiences to learn about local careers of interest. ● Inform students and parents of the Health Care and Manufacturing Excellence Program to expose students to local careers. ● Offer field trips available in the New River Valley to educate students on opportunities. ● Partner with families to promote supporting students' interests by communicating opportunities with families.

Create opportunities to explore career paths related to learning to engage and excite students for their future.

Communicate with families about student interests, motivation, progress, attendance, behavior, and successes.

Provide students with a learning environment built on positive relationships, with high quality instruction, opportunities to collaborate, opportunities to explore interests, appropriately advocate for themselves and their learning, and want to attend every day. Action Statement Strategies Create a class and school environment built on positive relationships. ● Teachers will attend professional learning to create a positive class and school culture.

Student centered learning will be used giving students choice and voice to appropriately advocate for their learning and explore interests.

● Teachers will regularly seek out student input and feedback. ● Teachers will embed time in instruction for students to explore their interests. ● Students will be given areas and time for collaboration, projects, projects with exhibitions to show a broader audience, and self-reflection. ● School-wide expectations will be posted throughout the school building. ● Classroom expectations will be posted in the classrooms. ● Students will be taught lessons directly related to school and classroom expectations to ensure they understand expectations. ● Administrators will utilize the walkthrough document, performance evaluations, and the feedback process to evaluate instructional practices. ● Provide professional development to teachers related to student curiosity and innovative exploration. ● Staff will work to develop and cultivate positive relationships with their students. ● Teachers will intentionally implement strategies to create a positive classroom culture.

Consistently teach and implement procedures and expectations for students to have a structured learning environment.

Continuously evaluate current instructional practices to ensure students are receiving high quality instruction, opportunities to collaborate, and opportunities to address their curiosities.

Decrease chronic absenteeism rates by creating learning environments that support a sense of value and belonging.

Explore and evaluate current and potential learning opportunities and experiences to students, including opportunities that assist students in gaining skills in the 5 Cs of the Profile of a Virginia Graduate: critical thinking, creativity, communication, collaboration, and citizenship. Action Statement Strategies Continuously evaluate instructional programs and

● Provide professional development on the 5 Cs and ways to incorporate the learning of those skills into instruction. ● Provide time, during PLC meetings, for teachers to collaborate and embed these skills in lessons. ● Regularly provide professional learning for teachers. ● Utilize local colleges and universities to identify and implement new learning opportunities for students. ● Provide feedback loops for specialty teachers and staff, such as information technology resource teachers and other specialized staff to identify needs and collaborate on learning opportunities. ● Evaluate available materials and identify ones needed to enhance makerspaces and areas of collaboration, focusing on science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education. ● Evaluate fine arts programs to determine resources needed to enhance student creativity. ● Explore innovative technology, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) programs, for students and teachers to use to create products that show their learning. ● Allow instructional time for students to utilize available technology to support their learning. ● Teach students principles and ethics of internet safety, general safety tips with technology, and Artificial Intelligence (AI). ● Evaluate new trends in technology education and include in instructional practices. ● Build positive relationships with students. ● Consistently implement school-wide expectations. ● Teach students the growth mindset and implement that philosophy into classrooms and learning opportunities. ● Create a classroom community of belonging and respect. ● Create an understanding that failure is learning, try again. ● Create an alternative school, such as New River Valley Reset (NRV Reset), for local school systems 15

practices to ensure students have opportunities to build skills with critical thinking, creativity, communication, collaboration, and citizenship (5 Cs).

Regularly seek out new educational opportunities for students.

Provide resources to support student innovation.

Provide instruction on the use of technology and digital literacy.

Create classroom environments suitable for student and teacher risk-taking.

allowing students needing behavioral interventions to continue learning. ● Provide appropriate support and interventions for all students. ● Incorporate a Think-A-Bit lab in one elementary school to promote critical thinking and problem-solving through STEAM. ● Provide students the opportunity to attend the New River Valley Governor's School for Math and Science, the New River Valley Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities (coming 2026). ● Provide students the opportunity to earn an associate’s degree from New River Community College through the Cougar Scholar Program. ● Establish Valedictorian and Salutatorian recognitions for outstanding achievement for seniors.

Provide high expectations for academics, behavior, and community. Post expectations in classrooms and throughout the school campus. Remind students of expectations as needed. Include high expectations for academics, behavior, and community in the student handbook. Action Statement Strategies

Define and align academic, behavior, and community standards across the school to ensure consistency.

● Develop school-wide expectations aligned to core values ● Use teacher, student, and leadership input to define clear academic and behavior expectations. ● Align expectations with PBIS, VTSS, and instructional goals. ● Create signage for classrooms, hallways, cafeteria, and restrooms with shared language ● Include expectations in the student handbook and on the school website ● Display visuals at eye-level for students in primary and secondary areas. ● Review expectations at back-to-school events, during morning announcements, and after breaks. ● Use common language when addressing student behavior or acknowledging achievements. ● Teachers incorporate expectations into morning meetings and lesson plans. ● Use behavior rubrics and goal-setting tied to expectations. ● Prompt students to self-assess their alignment with expectations during activities ● Conduct informal walkthroughs focused on posted expectations and reinforcement techniques. ● Provide feedback to teachers on how expectations are being modeled and reinforced. ● Offer PD on effective behavior modeling and student engagement. ● Share expectations at family events and in newsletters. ● Recognize students publicly (e.g., shout-outs, bulletin boards, newsletters) who exemplify expectations. ● Analyze discipline referrals, academic performance, and student/staff surveys. ● Adjust implementation strategies based on data trends and feedback. 17

Post expectations throughout the building and include them in student handbooks to ensure visibility and access.

Regularly review and remind students of expectations through announcements, assemblies, and daily routines.

Embed expectations into classroom instruction, management strategies, and student reflection activities.

Conduct walkthroughs and provide teacher support to ensure expectations are taught and reinforced consistently.

Involve families by sharing expectations and recognizing students who model them at school and beyond.

Review data and feedback regularly to adjust and strengthen the implementation of expectations.

P rovide information and communication within the school community to foster positive mental wellness and behaviors while also holding high expectations for learning and decreasing chronic absenteeism rates.

Family and Community Engagement ● Ensure open and intentional communication between home and school to cultivate strong positive relationships that support student achievement and well-being.

Broader Community ● Support the needs of the school community by engaging and collaborating with community organizations that provide resources for students and families.

School Counseling Program ● Develop and support a robust school counseling program to support student mental wellness, emotional, and behavioral needs and provide support to families through the dissemination of available community resources.

Virginia Preschool Initiative (VPI) ● Ensure regular communication with the community regarding preschool opportunities in the area, evaluate the PCPS’ VPI program to ensure all possible openings are filled with qualifying students, and provide professional development to preschool teachers focused on high quality early childhood education practices. Chronic Absenteeism ● Provide communication to students and families about chronic absenteeism and the negative impact it has on student achievement and success while also identifying potential barriers to regular attendance and providing targeted professional development to target student attendance.

Support the needs of the school community by engaging and collaborating with community organizations that provide resources for students and families. Action Statement Strategies

Create and cultivate partnerships and collaboration with community organizations: Southwest Virginia Governor’s School, New River Valley Governor’s School of the Arts and Humanities, Radford University, New River Community College, Virginia Tech and R7VA Partnerships.

● Partner with local businesses and Chamber of Commerces to provide opportunities for students to tour and build skills through the Health Care and Manufacturing Excellence Programs. ● Continue partnership with R7VA, virtual learning platforms, that accommodate students through online learning. ● Continue to host and grow student interns from Radford University, New River Community College, and Virginia Tech. ● Encourage and support existing relationships. ● Identify division level positions that regularly collaborate with community organizations and provide support (law enforcement, New River Valley Community Services). ● Develop an alternative school, NRV Reset, to provide a high quality education for student behavioral needs. ● Create and regularly update a resource map, including a list of community partners and determine if there are needed partnerships that are not currently in place. ● Facilitate the communication of health resources offered by the Community Health Center to school staff and families as needed. ● Identify partnerships with community organizations to assist with improving student attendance through removing barriers to regular attendance.

Collaborate with New River Valley Community Services (NRVCS)

Utilize the Community Health Center to support student health.

Decrease chronic absenteeism rates at all schools.

Regular communication with the community regarding preschool opportunities in the area, evaluate the VPI program to ensure all possible openings are filled with qualifying students, and provide professional development to preschool teachers focused on high quality early childhood education practices. Action Statement Strategies Do everything possible to provide preschool ● Provide multiple opportunities for preschool registration at schools and in the community.

opportunities for all three and four year old children in Pulaski County. Research shows those in high quality preschool programs are more likely to be kindergarten ready. Communicate with the community about preschool opportunities in the area.

● Utilize a variety of communication methods to ensure information is disseminated to all members of the community. ● Hold a Pre-School Fair with local agencies to provide families with information to get students ready for school. ● Division-level VPI staff will meet regularly to identify and fill any student openings in the VPI program. ● Provide targeted and meaningful professional development on high quality early childhood education instruction to preschool teachers. ● Utilize the walkthrough document, performance evaluations, and the feedback process to evaluate the program and instructional practices.

Regularly evaluate the VPI program to ensure effective implementation.

Provide target professional development.

Ensure open and intentional communication between home and school to cultivate strong positive relationships to support student achievement and well-being. Action Statement Strategies Ensure school staff are communicating expectations to families. ● School staff will communicate with families

especially when there are concerns regarding a child’s achievement level, work habits concerns, or concerns with adherence to school-wide expectations and behaviors. ● Parents will be invited to the school for a conference if their student has a D or F in a class. ● Teachers create SMART goals to decrease chronic absenteeism for students in their classes. When students have missed several days, teachers call or utilize the texting system to check in with the family. ● Utilize division approved communication channels to increase communication with families. ● Implement multiple modes of communication such as email, texting software, and phone calls. ● Administrators and teachers will return calls in a timely manner to continue building positive relationships. ● Teachers will intentionally identify and communicate positives about students to their parents. ● School staff will periodically check in with families to ensure open communication and build a strong partnership. ● School staff will utilize multiple modes of communication to meet all families’ needs. ● Clearly communicate expectations of respect in all communication. ● Schools will provide opportunities for families and community members to attend Family Engagement Events at the beginning of the year (PCPS Back-to-School Pep Rally), conference time and holidays, Title I Nights, Special Education Events, Bilingual Learner Nights, and speciality events (book fairs, concerts, fine arts galleries). ● Communicate the strategic plan to the community through multiple outlets. ● Seek out feedback from stakeholders regarding the strategic plan.

Facilitate open and timely communication between school and home.

Provide clear expectations regarding school and home communication.

Provide family and community engagement opportunities.

Communicate the PCPS Strategic Plan and gather input from all stakeholders.

Provide communication with students and families about chronic absenteeism and the negative impact it has on student achievement and success while also identifying potential barriers to regular attendance and providing targeted professional development to target student attendance. Action Statement Strategies Build and maintain positive relationships with students and families. ● School staff will work to develop and cultivate positive relationships with their students and families.

● Teachers will implement research and evidence based strategies to create a positive classroom culture. ● Teachers create SMART goals to decrease chronic absenteeism for students in their classes. When students have missed several days, teachers call or utilize the texting system to check in with the family. ● Communicate through multiple modes to reach all families. ● Identify potential barriers for consistent attendance and proactively address them. ● Hold meetings with students and families when patterns of tardies or absences are noted to provide support. ● Utilize a team approach to help support students who are absent from school. ● Provide professional development on student engagement strategies, building positive relationships, and building a positive classroom community. ● Provide professional development on barriers to regular student attendance and how to address them. ● Communicate the role of the Student Services Coordinator if families need additional support or resources. ● Engage the school counselor in attendance conversations with students and families to ensure all potential resources are explored for needs.

Directly communicate with students and families regarding absenteeism and the negative impact it has on student achievement and success.

Regularly analyze attendance data to identify students on track to be identified as chronically absent. Provide professional development on instructional strategies that enhance the learning environment to improve student attendance.

Utilize Student Services Staff and School Counselors.

Develop and support a robust school counseling program to support student mental wellness, emotional, and behavioral needs and provide support to families through the dissemination of available community resources. Action Statement Strategies

Evaluate current practices to ensure school counselors have available time for whole group, small group, and individual counseling. Evaluate classroom guidance instruction and seek feedback from school counselors regarding the effectiveness.

● Review and evaluate school schedules to ensure compliance with the 80/20 expectation for school counselors. ● Provide opportunities for feedback related to classroom guidance needs. ● Identify and purchase a K - 12 social-emotional learning curriculum throughout the division. ● Establish regular communication related to community services and resources for students and families in need. ● Seek out and provide school counselors professional development on updated practices and trends in the field. ● Provide regular updates and training on crisis interventions for students. ● Provide regular updates on community services and resources available for students and families in need. ● Collaborate with New River Valley Community Services, DSS, Calfee Center, County Government, law enforcement and court services to support our students and families.

Provide school counselors with professional development and update them on community resources.

Partner with outside agencies to support students and families.

Pulaski County Public Schools will provide high quality instruction from high quality staff in order for students to meet or exceed federal, state, and local accountability measures.

Federal ● Evaluate student achievement data and federal accountability measures to ensure every school exceeds benchmark levels, is not under any federal monitoring designation, such as Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI), Additional Targeted Support and Improvement (ATSI), and Targeted Support and Improvement (TSI), and participation rates at Pulaski County High School exceed 95%.

State ● Evaluate student achievement data and the Virginia Performance and Support Framework to ensure every school is On Track or Distinguished every year and identify areas in need of improvement to implement specific improvement strategies.

Local ● Use benchmark data, grades, and local indicators to evaluate achievement and instruction, monitor progress, and implement targeted strategies to close gaps and improve performance.

Meet or exceed federal accountability measures. Evaluate student achievement data and federal accountability measures to ensure every school exceeds benchmark levels, is not under any federal monitoring designation, such as Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI), Additional Targeted Support and Improvement (ATSI), and Targeted Support and Improvement (TSI), and participation rates at Pulaski County High School exceed 95%. Action Statement Strategies Meet or exceed federal accountability measures.

● Inform staff of the new federal accountability measures so they can create SMART goals to plan, facilitate, and support student achievement to exceed federal measures. ● Administrators, school counselors, and teachers work together to plan for programming needs and supporting students. ● Use data to drive instruction and remediation ● Communicate with students about strengths and weaknesses. ● Set goals and track progress. ● Use tutoring and family engagement events to support students and families. ● Hold students to high expectations for academic growth and achievement. ● Provide support to instructional staff in identifying underperforming student subgroups ● Provide support to instructional staff in supporting underperforming subgroups through targeted professional development and discussions. ● Provide professional development to address specifically designed instruction in the general education setting. ● Clearly communicate areas for improvement to faculty and staff and the implementation expectations and the use of improvement strategies in instruction. ● Conduct walkthroughs to ensure the improvement strategies are being used. ● Review PLC agendas to ensure collaboration on instruction and implementation strategies. ● Ensure regular communication between school staff and division staff regarding any instructional needs expressed. ● Provide professional development on high quality instructional practices. ● Utilize a walkthrough tool to evaluate instructional practices and provide feedback to teachers. ● Support teachers with low student achievement. 25

Regularly evaluate student achievement data to determine progress towards federal accountability.

Regularly update, review, and implement school improvement plans to end federal monitoring requirements.

Ensure high quality instruction in every classroom.

Monitor and support use of data driven instructional practices.

● Provide assistance to teachers to identify areas in need of support and the implementation of instructional strategies to address those needs. ● Create PLC agendas that facilitate the discussion of student data and tailoring instruction to meet student needs. ● Create student data watch lists to identify students in need of more targeted support and collaborate to ensure the supports are provided. ● Analyze student cohort information to determine trends in participation rates in English and mathematics. ● Ensure students are given multiple opportunities to complete Standards of Learning assessments.

Improve student participation rates to 95% and above at PCHS.

Evaluate student achievement data and the Virginia Performance and Support Framework to ensure every school is On Track or Distinguished every year and identify areas in need of improvement to implement specific improvement strategies. Action Statement Strategies

PCPS will be the highest scoring division based on new accountability standards in the state.

● Inform staff of the new accountability measures so they can create SMART goals to plan, facilitate, and support student achievement to exceed accountability measures. ● Administrators, school counselors, and teachers work together to plan for programming needs and supporting students. ● Use data to drive instruction and remediation. ● Communicate with students about strengths and weaknesses. ● Set goals and track progress. ● Use tutoring and family engagement events to support students and families. ● Hold students to high expectations for academic growth and achievement. ● Provide informational meetings about the Virginia Performance and Assessment Framework to school leaders. ● Actively seek out opportunities for more information to increase understanding of the Framework. ● Provide support to instructional staff in identifying underperforming student subgroups. ● Provide training to instructional staff in supporting underperforming subgroups through targeted professional development and discussions. ● Share accountability information and data with all stakeholders through School Board meetings and the website. ● Provide professional development on high quality instructional practices. ● Utilize a walkthrough tool to evaluate instructional practices and provide feedback to teachers. ● Provide targeted support to teachers whose students are not showing high achievement. ● Provide assistance to teachers to identify areas in need of support and the implementation of instructional strategies to address those needs. ● Create PLC agendas that facilitate the discussion of student data and tailoring instruction to meet student needs. ● Create student data watch lists to identify students in need

Ensure understanding of the Virginia Performance and Assessment Framework by all school staff.

Regularly evaluate student achievement data to determine progress towards federal accountability.

Ensure high quality instruction in every classroom.

Monitor and support use of data driven instructional practices.

of more targeted support and collaborate to ensure the supports are provided. ● Schedule regular meetings with the division MTSS team. ● Evaluate and ensure high quality tier one instruction for all students. ● Research and identify opportunities for additional advanced coursework opportunities for middle school students in a variety of areas. ● Support collaboration between PCMS and PCHS to support additional advanced coursework opportunities.

Utilize Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) Framework and team meetings.

Increase opportunities for advanced coursework.

Use benchmark data, grades, and local indicators to evaluate achievement and instruction, monitor progress, and implement targeted strategies to close gaps and improve performance.

Action Statement

Strategies

Use quarterly assessments and grading data to monitor trends in student performance across content areas and grade levels.

● Administer division-wide benchmark assessments every quarter. ● Collect and disaggregate student performance data by grade level, content area, and subgroup. ● Compare benchmark results to report card grades for consistency and alignment. ● Hold quarterly data meetings with school leadership and instructional staff. ● Use data protocols to examine growth, proficiency, and instructional impact. ● Review teacher-level data to guide coaching, professional development, and intervention planning. ● Develop progress monitoring dashboards for schools to track quarterly growth. ● Set school- and grade-level targets aligned with local performance benchmarks. ● Provide mid-year and end-of-year data summaries to evaluate system-wide progress. ● Use subgroup analysis to examine performance by demographics, disability status, and socioeconomic indicators. ● Identify low-performing content standards across schools and grade levels. ● Highlight trends in performance discrepancies to inform support decisions ● Provide small group instruction, reteaching cycles, and supplemental interventions based on benchmark results. ● Utilize evidence-based tools for individualized support. ● Support teachers with coaching cycles focused on instructional strategies for specific student needs. ● Track student progress from intervention groups over time using progress monitoring tools. ● Adjust intervention groups and instructional strategies based on follow-up benchmark results. ● Report results to leadership teams and instructional staff to guide future planning.

Use performance data to assess the effectiveness of instruction and identify patterns of student achievement.

Track school progress toward local accountability benchmarks and adjust supports as needed to maintain forward momentum.

Pinpoint content standards and student subgroups showing gaps in achievement or growth.

Address identified gaps with targeted strategies to improve learning outcomes and equity of achievement.

Use data to review the effectiveness of implemented supports and make informed adjustments.

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