Special Progress Report

Hazen Union School

November 1, 2007

 

Per the New England Association of Schools and Colleges Commission’s letter dated April 13, 2007, Hazen Union is submitting its Special Progress Report.

 

1.     Conduct a review and revision of the school’s mission and expectations which includes a wide variety of stakeholders, ensuring the narrative part of the mission includes core values about which the stakeholders are passionate.

 

Classification:  In Progress

The School Board drafted the Ends statement for the Mission in March 2007 and held the first meeting with stakeholders in May.  Community members, teachers, parents, and students attended the facilitated session.  On Monday, June 18, the Subcommittee on Linkages met to organize and plan for future meetings with owners and stakeholders.  At that meeting, the scheduling of future meetings, during the 2007-2008 school year, for the Board to continue its work to define its “Ends” took place.  The following meetings have occurred or will take place:  1) Faculty and Staff: September 24, 2007,

2) Students: October 22, 2007, 3) Community Leaders: November or December 2007 and 4) Alumni: January 2008. 

 

After the meetings, the Board anticipates to adopt the Ends policies, which will become the Mission.  In this way, we wish to articulate that we are using a system-wide understanding of the Mission of the school.  Once the Mission is finalized, based on the above input, we expect to focus on the areas listed below.

 

2.     Develop and submit specific academic, civic, and social expectations, based on the review noted above.

 

Classification: Planned for the Future

As soon as the Mission is completed, the Hazen Rocks Domain, as assigned by the Principal’s Advisory Council, will begin work in this area.

 

SPECIAL PROGRESS REPORT

November 1, 2007

Page Two

 

3. Develop and Implement a method to increase teacher, student, and community support of the mission and the academic, civic, and social expectations.

 

Classification: In Progress

On October 22, 2007, the Principal’s Advisory Committee met and addressed this by assigning the Communication Domain to work on this and to report back to the Principal’s Advisory Committee by April 7, 2008.

 

4. Identify which curriculum areas are responsible for addressing each of the academic expectations in the new mission.

 

Classification: Planned for the Future

As soon as the Mission is completed, the P Domain will begin work in this area.

 

5. Align the school’s curriculum with the newly developed academic expectations in the mission.

 

Classification: Planned for the Future

As soon as the Mission is completed, the P Domain will begin work in this area.

 

 

6. Report initial progress on the implementation of the newly developed school-wide rubrics.

 

Classification: In Progress

 

On October 22, 2007, the Principal’s Advisory Committee met and addressed this by assigning the Action and Attitude Domain to study the implementation and to report back to the Principal’s Advisory Committee on April 7, 2008.

 

 

 

 

 

 

SPECIAL PROGRESS REPORT

November 1, 2007

Page Three

 

 

7. Ensure Special Education students have access to the curriculum.

 

Classification: Ongoing

 

1.     At the middle school level, Special Education students, including those in the Connections program attend the PEP (Personal Exploratory Program) classes.  These are discipline-based classes, graded on a pass/fail basis, and students choose classes according to their interests.  Classes range from Polish language to animal habits to Vermont history, to name a few.  These classes meet four times a week within the regular bell schedule. 

They also participate in the other elective programs such as family life and consumer science, adaptive PE, where needed, keyboarding, and woodworking, where they spend a quarter in each area.

 

2.     At the high school level, students are mainstreamed as appropriate to their IEP.  Special Education students receive one-on-one support or paraeducator support, according to the IEP, in the least restrictive environment. The regular curriculum is open to the students.  Students take courses such as sculpture, Art I, Graphics, Language Lab, Foods, Creative Living, Mastering Mealtime, PE, Biology, English, Government, and Math Simms I.  Some attend the Green Mountain Technical Career Center.  Some special education students participate in the Job Program, which is also open to students who are not on an IEP.  Remedial reading programs, as necessary, are administered on a one-on-one basis permit increased access to mainstreamed curriculum

 

 

 

Respectfully Submitted,

 

 

 

Elaine F. Laine, Ph.D.                                     David Mitchell, Chairperson

Principal                                                           Follow-up Committee