A5+Strengths.Growth

A5 Areas of Strength and Opportunities for Growth

//**Below you will find the results of the work done by Focus Group chairs and the Core Team to hone in on and prioritize dominant growth items that appeared across the category. In addition a DRAFT Action Statement was developed to encompass those dominant items- this will become part of the Schoolwide Action Plan in Chapter 5 of the Self Study document. Please review the prioritized growth items and the action statement. At the bottom of the page, you will see your focus groups original Areas of Strengths/Growth. Please make comments/edits/additions at the bottom of the page- not directly into the text.**//

CATEGORY A: Preliminary ACTION STATEMENT for October 22 With continued sensitivity and respect for diversity, the school will utilize all available methods of communication, expressive and receptive, with all stakeholders in order to raise awareness and to maintain transparency and consistency of message.

Prioritized Areas for Growth

 Communication with stakeholders
 * Easier access to information about trustees and work of the board (A2, also in D1,D2)
 * School leadership creates more opportunities for input, suggestions, ideas from staff, where appropriate, before decisions are made (A3).
 * Schoolwide articulation of expectations regarding professional development (A4).
 * Focus on new ways to share our stories within our school community and with our outside community (cross-curricularly, across all departments of the school, with our publications (A7),
 * Continuous growth through financial strategic plan and communication between financial director and the school community (A7).

 Clarified Role of Parents
 * Suggest to create ways to make parents a more central part of our key materials in communication, such as in the the Philosophy of Teaching and Mission Statement (A1).
 * Suggestion to find ways to make parent/guardians more empowered to take responsibility for student learning. Perhaps by adding “parent responsibilities” along with student and teacher responsibilities in the handbook? (A3)
 * Continue to engage parents in our school community and provide opportunities for parents to connect with each other and the school (A7).

 Awareness/consistency of message
 * Statement of philosophy becomes lost when thinking about ESLRs and Mission Statement. Perhaps we need to communicate/publicize this more? (A1)
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Suggestion to add “inform, form, transform” language to the Mission Statement to best reflect the new ESLRs (A1).

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Continued sensitivity/respect for diversity
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Continue to emphasize sensitivity and respect among our diverse student population through leadership training, curriculum, and educational resources (A5).

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Involvement/Engagement (mentioned in C)
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Kairos needs to get more buy-in from students. Make requirement? Is cost an issue? If so, does the new cost structure alleviates this issue? (A3)
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">How to get more involvement from students and faculty at all retreats.
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">An increased level of engagement in technology professional development

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Due to new theology curriculum, limitations are being placed on student schedules; we need to find a way to continue to meet our students' academic and curricular needs within this new framework (A5).

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Find ways to show the measurement student competencies in a digital format, such as e-portfolios (benchmark not area of growth) (A6).

Instructions for Identifying Strength and Growth
Utilize the **Narrative** for the identification of areas of strength and areas of growth. These should be a bulleted list of noun statements.

For example, your list would look like. . ..
 * **Areas of Strength (a good thing)**
 * "what do we have. . . "** || **Areas of Growth (a thing we need)**
 * "what do we need. . . "** ||
 * * The use of a wide variety of research data in programmatic improvement || * Greater inclusion of higher order thinking skills across all content areas ||

Area A5 Chart for Strengths and Areas of Growth


 * **Areas of Strength (a good thing)**
 * "what do we have. . . "** || **Areas of Growth (a thing we need)**
 * "what do we need. . . "** ||
 * * Holy Cross values are infused into the curricular and co-curricular programs, and students identify as Holy Cross men and women. || * Continue to emphasize sensitivity and respect among our diverse student population through leadership training, curriculum, and educational resources. ||
 * * The administration and faculty communicate clearly and openly with each other and to the student population. Students feel empowered to address faculty and administration. || * Due to new theology curriculum, limitations are being placed on student schedules; we need to find a way to continue to meet our students' academic and curricular needs within this new framework. ||