District lays out roadmap to higher achievement

Members of the CDEP committee 
Read the CDEP in its entirety (PDF, 267 kb)*
Related documents used to help prepare the CDEP
Details about individual programs

* Please note the above opens in "pdf" format and requires the Adobe Acrobat Reader in order to download and print. If you do not have Adobe Acrobat on your computer, you can get a free copy from the Adobe web site.

What is the Monticello School District doing to improve the quality of education for your child? What steps is it taking to improve the buildings, to enhance staff development, and to promote a safe learning environment for your children?

These are questions that a committee of administrators, teachers, and parents has been discussing over the last five years to create a clear plan to achieve the goal of providing quality education at all levels for all students. The Comprehensive District Educational Plan (CDEP) is the school district's roadmap to achieving these goals. The district has worked to create, implement, and revise the plan over the last five years. 

A parents member of the CDEP committee was impressed with the comprehensive nature of the plan and believes that every parent should be informed about the district's programs. 

The planning committee has reviewed a variety of data about the district's students: attendance, test scores on district tests and State Assessments , discipline information, graduation rates, and student mobility. The aim of the committee was to find weaknesses in the educational program and to create solutions for student learning. The committee has identified four priority areas:

1. Literacy: To enable every student to read, write, listen and speak so as to be successful citizens
2. Math: To enable students to think mathematically, solve problems, and compute so as to be successful citizens. 
3. Student achievement: To ensure that all students have attained the skills and knowledge, as measured by the state Regents assessments, necessary to graduate. 
4. Improved learning environment: To provide students with a positive learning environment and thereby increase attendance rates, increase positive student behavior and citizenship, and increase the number of students who successfully complete their graduation requirements. 

The school district has focused its resources to make these goals a reality. The plan has begun to pay-off, even though there is a lot of work to be done. For example, fourth grade assessments in math and English language arts were weak four years ago. All schools are now considered in good standing. As measured by the New York State Assessments in grade four in 2003, all three elementary schools (Chase, Duggan, and Rutherford) have seen their students meet the standards in math and English language arts.

What’s made the difference? In the high school and middle school, after-school tutoring, mentoring, and summer programs have all helped to increase student performance. New programs have also been added, reaching out to more students in the district. For example, a Pre-K program for four-year-olds was added last year when space became available at the St. John’s Street Learning Center, and state funding was gained to support the program.

The elementary schools are meeting their testing goals, as well, thanks in part to programs such as after-school tutoring, summer programs, and added technology in the classrooms that help with math and English language arts instruction.

These efforts have worked because teachers have focused on understanding their student’s needs and planning instruction to meet those needs. This has been made possible by professional development programs, such as the literacy training collaborative and Wilson training, which give teachers additional strategies and skills to enhance student learning.

Is there more to be done? The CDEP committee has recognized room for improvement. The Robert J. Kaiser Middle School is now engaged in self-study and improvement plans to make students more successful. Likewise, change is occurring at the High School. Through the creation of the Academy of Finance, vocational programs and advanced placement college courses, the High School is trying to help every student be successful and chart a course to productive adulthood.

Thanks to the support of the community, district programs have led to improved facilities and the integration of instructional technology. For example, Students at the elementary level are using computer aided instruction; middle school students can do research in their library using state-of-the-art computers; and high school students make use of graphing calculators and geometry sketch pads in the course of the day.

Monticello is among about half of the districts in the state that use this planning model to focus its financial resources, staff’s efforts, and its work with parents. The planning is ongoing and adds new dimensions each year.

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