SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT

Dear Community,

Allow me to tell you just two real experiences students have had with tests and a reflection o­n each o­ne of the experiences.

Six years ago a friend’s son in fourth grade returned home from school and told his mother that he wanted to be absent from school the next week.His mother, alarmed, inquired the reason.Her son’s face contorted and he fought hard not to cry.All he could manage to say was:“the kids said I’m stupid and I always need a lot of help and I’d bring down the test scores.”The parents thought it best to pursue the matter with their son’s teacher.The teacher explained that the state testing program would be administered next week, and she told her students it was important that they tried their best o­n the test because high scores meant she was a good teacher and their school was a good school.She told the children that the test scores would be published in the newspaper.She said she was very upset when her motivational message backfired, and students pointed to several other children and told them they were stupid, or they would bring down the reputation of the school.

The second experience happened in mid-January of this year when I was asked to be o­ne of the judges for the regional Forensics Tournament here at WUHS.Eleven public secondary schools, including ours, were represented.In the Improvisation group, o­ne student picked the topic “future” from an envelope of possible subjects.I timed the o­ne minute she had to prepare her thoughts, and the three minutes she improvised about the word “future.”For three minutes, all listeners were captured as the student vividly, with anguish and joy, explained that the future, since fifth grade, had been for her the need to get into an Ivy League College.She explained that she had not truly lived in the present until she received early acceptance to the Ivy school of her choice.She accounted her studies, her course selections, her independent studies, her SAT preparation as the students looked at her with awe and respect.Toward the end of the allowed three minutes, she wondered at the change in herself, and the joy she felt in her accomplishment, and in the present.She ended by smiling: “I wonder what I’ll say about the future next year…..”At the end of her improvisation the students gave her a standing ovation as questions tumbled from them.

We have all been to school, and we have all taken tests.The excellent teachers, then and now, use the test results to help students learn what they have not learned, to confirm for the student and parent a mastery of subject matter, and to extend opportunities for further exploration and study.We all did our best when we understood the academic goal of a lesson.

Today, too, our teachers’ use of variety of measurements such as the extended written response, demonstration, and oral presentation, to measure student learning against school goals and a district wide vision, all centered clearly o­n the needs of the student.Perhaps the difference today is that we are better able to help the fourth grader described earlier.We know every child can learn, and we know better how to dislodge the barriers to learning to read and do math.

The senior student talked of her o­nline courses which could not be offered at her school because of small class size and budget.At the high school, we have a “Learning Standards” group of teachers, parents and school board members who are studying distance learning, and other opportunities.For example, this year we have three students who completed calculus as juniors, and are now taking advanced calculus o­nline.Your staff is dedicated to discovering and offering opportunities for each student to create a future as a good citizen and a knowledgeable interpreter of the world.

Sincerely,

Mary Ellen Gallagher

Superintendent of Schools

REPORT FROM THE DIRECTOR OF CURRICULUM, INSTRUCTION AND ASSESSMENTS

Dear Residents of Barnard, Bridgewater, Pomfret, Killington, Reading, and Woodstock :

We are pleased to present to you the fourth biennial Windsor Central Supervisory Union School–Community Report – Winter 2006.This report will provide you with a “snapshot” look at our six elementary schools as well as our middle school and our high school.Information included in this report consists of national and state assessment results, supervisory union and local school goals, local school profiles, state survey results and some important demographic information.This material is published as a supplement to the Woodstock Union Middle/High School Budget to insure the widest possible distribution by the most economical means possible.Additional copies of this supplement are made available in our schools and in various public locations around our towns.

Please know that the information contained in this report represents o­nly a small sample of the data available to you about our schools and programs.If you wish any additional information or have questions about our schools, we encourage you to give us a call at 802-457-1213.We hope that the Windsor Central Supervisory Union School–Community Report – Winter 2006 provides you with the information about our schools that you, as taxpayers, parents and community members, deserve to know.

Thank you for your continuing support.

Sincerely,

Stephen A. Michlovitz, Ph.D.

Director of Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment

Act 51/SDFSC Coordinator

Windsor Central Supervisory Union Goals^*

2005-2006

Curriculum, Instruction, Assessment

·Complete the K-12 curriculum renewal initiative in math

·Complete a K-12 curriculum review in health

·Initiate the K-12 curriculum renewal process in language arts

·Implement an in school/in classroom curriculum accountability program in conjunction with building principals and the supervisory union administrative team

·Complete a comprehensive review of the grades 7 – 12 science curriculum using national, regional and local expertise and other resources

·Complete the state mandated local comprehensive assessment process by September 2006

·Train new principals in the Danielson Evaluation Model

·Begin implementation of the state approved Information Technology Plan

Staff Development

·Facilitate local school action plan goals in the area of professional staff development including, but not limited to, math instruction support, language arts instruction support, critical friends protocols for examining student work, and differentiating instruction for all students

·Support school action plan goals with respect to implementing the state approved Information Technology Plan and attendant professional development initiatives.

Legislative

·Remain current, compliant with, and proactive toward legislation that impacts our schools; Act 68, Act 51, Act 117, IDEIA, new School Quality Standards, NCLBA, including HQT and licensing, Special Education and Title 1 audits

·Remain involved with policy makers at all levels of governance

Governance

·Complete the work necessary to bring the Windsor Central Supervisory Union governance study to a successful conclusion

Public Relations

·Continue to support the Ottauquechee Community Partnership (OCP) as it becomes firmly established in our six sending communities as a resource for promoting school and community assets o­n behalf of our children

·Initiate and/or maintain mechanisms to ensure open lines of communication between Windsor Central Supervisory Union and the public and between our schools and the public.This will be accomplished through the Windsor Central Supervisory Union website, among other communication channels, to inform the general public about policies, practices and other general information

^*Reflects a coordinated effort to implement both school and supervisory union-level action plans

The Action Planning Process

Consistent with the goals of Windsor Central Supervisory Union above referenced, each school develops, on an annual basis, a Local Action Plan designed to improve student performance.These action plans reflect the thoughts and priorities of parents, community members, board members, school staff, administration, and whenever possible, the students themselves.

Local Action Plans are developed using a variety of data and information related to student performance.These data include results of national, state, and local assessments, analysis of information about local conditions, practices, and resources and any other information sources that might impact student performance.The Local Action Plans primarily address individual school needs, but annually some common issues tend to emerge across schools within the supervisory union.

In the 2004-2005 and 2005-2006 school years, these common needs formed the basis of the Windsor Central Supervisory Union Goals and Action Plan.This district action plan served as a framework upon which resources, professional development initiatives, and instructional best practices were focused o­n a supervisory union-wide basis.

We encourage you to request additional information or a copy of any school’s action plan within Windsor Central Supervisory Union.Schools will be actively involved in reviewing and revising their annual action plans in light of new assessment and student performance data gathered during the 2005-2006 academic year.

Windsor Central Supervisory Union

ENROLLMENT FIGURES 2005-2006

Opening Week Figures—August 2005

School	K	1	2