2006-07 Annual Report to the Public

Board of Education Report

Board sets learning goals for students in 2006-07

We know as a school district what we want our students to learn and to be able to do when they graduate from high school. We identified those learning goals in our new Mission and Ends Policies, but do we know whether we're making appropriate progress each year to ensure that all students meet or exceed our learning goals?

The Durango School District 9-R Board of Education spent 2006-07 identifying the kinds of assessments and data it needed to determine how well our schools are preparing students for life after graduation. The board set high expectations for its students with reasonable progress targets for each subject area. In general, we expect the district to demonstrate reasonable progress toward meeting the following goals:

80 percent of students will score proficient or advanced on CSAP tests in reading, writing, math, and science, or
The percentage of students scoring proficient or advanced will increase by 4 or more percentage points on the CSAPs, or
The district will make a gain of 25 percent in proficient and advanced over three years

You can review each of the monitoring assessments for each subject area by clicking on the following links:

Reading	Writing	Math	Science	Life Skills
Social Science	World Languages	Arts	Physical Fitness

Board Accomplishments in 2006-07

BOARD POLICIES: Rewrote all board policies addressing Board Culture, Board/Superintendent Relationship, and Superintendent Expectations. The board reduced the number of policies and clarified language regarding the superintendent's relationship with the board and operational expectations for the district. See BOARD POLICIES on the district's Web site.
ACCREDITED DURANGO HIGH SCHOOL: Approved the accreditation of Durango High School. The Colorado Department of Education requires school districts to accredit their schools to ensure that they set high expectations for student achievement and develop the plans and assessments to ensure that students meet them.
RESUMED VIDEOTAPED BROADCASTS OF BOARD MEETINGS: The board agreed to contract with Durango Community Access Television to produce three-camera videotaped recordings for broadcast on Durango Cable Channel 22. Improved sound quality and the three-camera setup allow the audience to see and hear board members as well as participants. Copies of the video recordings also are posted to the district's Web site.

APPROVED PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITIES: The board approved a pilot program called Professional Learning Communities to improve student achievement. Students are released from class from 60 to 90 minutes early on Fridays to give school staff time to collaborate on improving student learning. See the 2006-07 Goals and Accomplishments link above.

INITIATED QUARTERLY MEETINGS WITH BAYFIELD AND IGNACIO BOARDS: The three boards of education meet quarterly to address regional and state-wide issues affecting local education.

Board Goals for 2007-08

BEGIN MONITORING PROGRESS OF STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT WITH NEW PERFORMANCE GOALS: Now that the board has set clear benchmarks to determine whether the district is meeting student learning goals, it will systematically review student progress for each subject area identified in its Ends Policies. The review will allow the board to more effectively identify areas of improvement for the superintendent and district as well as develop additional resources to support teaching and learning.
HIRE NEW SUPERINTENDENT: The board has hired the superintendent search firm of Hazard, Young, Attea and Associates to conduct a nationwide search for a new superintendent. Dr. Mary F. Barter, superintendent since 1999, has announced that she will retire in June 2008. The board hopes to appoint a successor by February 2008. Follow the board's progress on the district's Web site.

Look for the logo:
IMPROVE COMMUNICATIONS WITH CONSTITUENTS: The board will meet quarterly in open forums with its constituents to create opportunities for the community to share its concerns informally with board members.
BUILD NEW BOARD TEAM: With three new members, the Board of Education will undertake training to clearly understand its role under policy governance to prepare for the new superintendent. Under policy governance, the board's leadership role is limited to setting policy and direction for the district while investing the superintendent with the authority and responsibility for running the district's day-to-day operations. The board holds the superintendent accountable for meeting the goals it sets for student learning and for operating the district within the confines of board policy.