Strategic)Plan)201202017))

Administrative)Work)Plan)))

Littleton)Public)Schools)Board)of)Education)

)Fall$2011$

Updated$June$2012$Updated$November$2013$Updated$August$2014$Updated$March$2015$

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The$Littleton$Public$Schools$Administrative$Work$Plan$Summary$is$designed$to$provide$the$Board$of$Education$with$specific$and$timely$information$that$shows$how$the$Board’s$Focus$Areas$are$being$addressed$districtwide.$This$“atDaDglance”$summary$is$not$intended$to$be$a$comprehensive$report$of$all$initiatives$in$Littleton$Public$Schools,$but$rather$a$working$document$for$the$superintendent$and$his$staff.$

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Focus  Area  1    Enhance  instructional  systems  and  career  pathways  that  maximize  achievement  for  all  students  and  integrate  knowledge  and  skills  relevant  to  21st  century  career  choices.    Intended  Outcome  All  students  will  achieve  at  high  levels  and,  upon  graduation,  be  postsecondary  and  workforce  ready.  Therefore,  90  percent  of  all  students,  K-­‐11,  will  be  on  or  above  grade  level  in  reading,  writing  and  mathematics  as  measured  by  the  current  body  of  evidence  reported  through  the  district  Grade  Level  Index  calculation.  Students  not  at  grade  level  will  exhibit  catch-­‐up  growth.    Since  2006,  the  implementation  of  Professional  Learning  Communities  (PLCs)  and  the  shared  vision  of  the  90  percent  goal  have  resulted  in  significant  change  districtwide.  These  were  bold,  sweeping  statements  in  our  shared  belief  of  what  we  could  do  for  students,  together.  To  this  day,  LPS  remains  the  only  Denver  Metro  Area  school  district  to  set  such  high  goals  and  to  see  remarkable  progress  toward  achieving  them:    

● LPS  is  one  of  two  school  districts  in  the  Denver  Metro  Area  to  be  “Accredited  with  Distinction”  and  the  only  district  that  has  received  this  rating  for  five  consecutive  years.  

● LPS  continues  to  have  the  highest  graduation  rate  and  the  lowest  dropout  rate  in  the  Denver  Metro  Area.  

● LPS  students  rank  #1  in  the  Denver  Metro  Area  in  18  of  27  grade  levels  and  subject  areas  tested  on  state  assessment  tests  (2013-­‐2014  school  year).  

 In  addition  to  PLC  work,  the  district  has  implemented  several  interventions  such  as  Fast  ForWord,  Do  the  Math  and  Reading  Assistant.  Teachers  have  been  trained  to  help  students  with  these  interventions  and  how  to  progress  monitor  frequently  to  see  if  they  are  working.  Modifications  to  the  School  Intervention  Team  (SIT)  process  have  been  ongoing  to  better  meet  the  needs  of  students.      In  mathematics,  new  materials  have  been  thoroughly  analyzed  through  the  district  material  selection  process.  Currently,  secondary  mathematics  are  being  implemented  and  evaluated.  Elementary  mathematics  and  world  languages  have  taskforces  working  to  determine  their  new  materials.  All  material  adoptions  are  accompanied  with  professional  development  opportunities  throughout  the  implementation  process.  In  addition,  parent  sessions  will  also  be  scheduled,  where  needed,  at  the  request  of  the  building  principals.    Maintaining  a  clear  focus  on  Tier  II  opportunities  for  all  students  is  another  strategy  that  has  served  our  students  well.  We  continue,  through  opportunities  such  as  co-­‐teaching,  adding  intervention  time  to  the  day,  seeking  1:1  computer  implementation  and  providing  additional  social,  emotional  and  behavior  support,  to  find  ways  to  give  our  students  access  to  grade  level  work.    A.  A  calendar  will  be  developed  that  sustains  ongoing,  embedded  time  to  increase  student  achievement.  The  calendar  committee  presented  a  two-­‐year  recommendation  to  the  Board  of  Education  in  the  fall  of  2013.  The  calendars  have  been  approved  for  the  2014-­‐2015  and  2015-­‐2016  school  years.  The  next  calendar  committee  will  convene  in  the  fall  of  2015  under  the  facilitation  of  the  Directors  of  Elementary  and  Secondary  Education.    Following  the  completion  of  negotiations  in  June  2014,  the  furlough  day  was  removed  from  the  calendar  for  the  2014-­‐2015  school  year  and  subsequent  years.  Learning  Services  presented  the  committee’s  calendar  recommendation  for  the  furlough  day  removal.  The  Board  of  Education  approved  the  revised  calendars,  which  caused  the  start  of  school  to  be  moved  from  August  18,  2014  to  August  15,  2014.  A  communication  plan  was  developed  and  implemented  to  inform  the  community  of  this  change.        

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B.  A  plan  for  professional  development  for  teacher  and  principal  effectiveness  will  be  designed  and  implemented.  The  professional  development  calendar  is  available  through  Google  Docs.  The  professional  development  plan  is  evolving  as  Educator  Effectiveness  is  implemented.  A  thorough  plan  for  the  implementation  of  Standard  VI,  the  growth  standard,  is  underway  from  now  through  the  summer  of  2016.  There  are  multiple  opportunities  for  teachers  to  work  with  the  Assessment  Specialist  to  learn  the  fine  points  of  setting  SMART  goals  and  the  Student  Learning  Objective  (SLO)  process.  Currently,  an  Administrative  Leadership  Academy  in  partnership  with  Cherry  Creek  and  Englewood  Schools  is  being  developed  with  implementation  tentatively  scheduled  for  the  2015-­‐2016  school  year.  Credit  for  relicensure  will  be  available  through  academy  attendance  and  participation.  Professional  development  continues  throughout  the  summer  to  support  the  standards  in  various  content  areas.    C.  Pyramids  of  Intervention  will  expand  across  all  school  sites.  All  schools  continue  to  have  access  to  a  menu  of  options  for  mathematics  and  reading  support.  Training  has  continued  as  schools  add  to  their  intervention  plans.  Solid  Tier  I  instruction  remains  a  district  focus.  The  implementation  of  the  new  Colorado  Academic  Standards  has  helped  to  increase  awareness  of  the  importance  of  appropriate  access  to  Tier  I  instruction  for  all  students.  Scholastic’s  Math  180  was  added  to  the  mathematics  interventions  for  the  middle  schools  in  2013-­‐2014.  Significant  work  on  the  behavior  side  of  the  pyramid  has  been  done  and  will  be  shared  with  sites  and  parents  during  the  2014-­‐2015  school  year.  In  addition,  a  Director  of  Social,  Emotional  and  Behavior  Services  position  has  been  created  to  combine  duties  from  the  former  Director  of  Alternative  Education  position  and  to  support  growing  mental  health  needs.  The  behavior  face  of  the  pyramid  continues  to  develop  with  a  focus  on  high  schools.      D.  Student  Intervention  Teams  will  be  supported  systemwide.  The  implementation  and  expansion  of  Aimsweb,  as  a  progress-­‐monitoring  tool  for  reading,  continues  to  be  a  priority  in  supporting  site  intervention  teams.  During  the  school  improvement  site  visits,  school  leadership  teams  expressed  a  continued  need  for  appropriate  progress-­‐monitoring  tools.  This  will  remain  a  focus  of  the  Pyramid  of  Intervention  Leadership  (POI)  Team  during  the  2015-­‐2016  and  2016-­‐2017  school  years.  In  addition,  plans  to  streamline  the  paperwork  process  are  underway.  The  purchase  of  a  software  package  continues  to  be  explored  in  order  to  document  the  individual  intervention  process.  The  Universal  Literacy  Plan  is  currently  being  updated  through  the  work  of  a  district  committee.  Progress  monitoring  is  a  need  expressed  by  this  group  as  well.  The  committee  is  investigating  current  products  and  strategies,  which  will  be  included  in  their  final  report.      In  the  winter  of  2015,  Infinite  Campus  developed  a  tab  for  RTI  plans.  The  Learning  Support  Team  (LST)  saw  a  demonstration  and  recommended  that  the  POI  Team  look  at  it  and  discuss  the  possibility  of  using  it  during  the  2015-­‐2016  school  year  to  capture  student  intervention  plans.    E.  Strategies  will  be  implemented  to  continue  to  close  the  student  achievement  gaps  in  various  subgroups.  Thinking  around  closing  achievement  gaps  has  changed  to  considering  how  best  to  help  all  students  who  are  not  at  grade  level  to  catch  up.  Specific  strategies  underway  include  a  comprehensive  plan  of  change  and  improvement  for  Field  Elementary  School.  The  goal  is  to  learn  from  the  Field  experience  and  to  expand  the  successful  efforts.  Co-­‐teaching  for  English  Language  Learners  (ELL)  and  special  education  students  is  being  implemented  along  with  a  technical  coaching  model.  The  school  day  was  extended  at  Field  to  provide  additional  teacher  contact  time.  East  Elementary  School  is  undertaking  a  co-­‐teaching  initiative  beginning  in  2014-­‐2015.  Goddard  Middle  School  and  Littleton  High  School  are  continuing  co-­‐teaching.  District  English  Language  Acquisition  and  Learning  Support  Services  staffs  are  now  both  trainers  for  co-­‐teaching.  A  large  co-­‐teaching  training  was  held  in  August  2014  with  staff  from  across  the  district.  Ninety  teachers  participated  in  the  training  and  every  level  was  represented.  Excellent  Tier  I  instruction  for  all  students  is  emphasized  and  supported  with  appropriate  professional  development.    

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Summer  school  enrichment  for  our  middle  school  English  learners  was  provided  by  some  of  our  English  Language  Acquisition  staff.  This  included  language  instruction  and  cultural  enrichment  opportunities.  For  our  high  school  English  Learners  we  partnered  with  Arapahoe  Community  College  to  provide  credit  acquisition  and  credit  recovery  in  order  to  provide  students  an  opportunity  to  get  on  track,  or  to  stay  on  track,  for  an  on-­‐time  graduation.    F.  Alternative  Education  opportunities  will  be  analyzed  and  expanded.  Significant  changes  to  Options  and  Pathways  took  place  during  the  2013-­‐2014  school  year  and  continue  to  be  revised  as  the  team  searches  for  the  best  programming  solutions  for  our  most  needy  students.  After  analyzing  the  effects  of  merging  the  middle  and  high  school  levels  into  one  program,  the  decision  has  been  made  to  separate  them  once  again.  This  time,  each  program  will  have  a  dedicated  administrator,  which  has  not  been  the  model  in  the  past.  A  full  time  dean’s  position  supports  both  programs.  The  staff  is  undertaking  significant  professional  development  through  the  Discovery  Institute.  An  alternative  high  school  teacher  in  Poudre  School  District  created  this  institute  and  the  program  in  1990.  The  program  is  designed  to  teach  social-­‐emotional  skills  to  students  struggling  with  academics,  attendance  and/or  attitude  problems.  The  curriculum  includes  sophisticated  social  skills,  behavior  management  strategies,  culture  development  and  experiential  activities.  In  order  for  the  staff  to  fully  engage  in  this  professional  opportunity,  Options  Secondary  will  have  weekly  Wednesday  late  starts  for  all  students.  This  will  also  provide  sufficient  time  to  fully  develop  their  case  management  model.  Initial  data  was  presented  during  the  January  2015  school  improvement  site  visit.  Attendance  and  tardies  have  significantly  decreased  from  previous  years.  The  initial  anecdotal  information  is  very  positive.  All  students  will  take  a  Discovery  induction  course,  which  helps  students  learn  those  “lagging”  social  or  school  skills.    Plans  are  underway  to  add  Grade  9  to  Options  Secondary  high  school  level  and  to  remove  it  from  the  Options  Secondary  middle  level  and  to  add  Grade  6  to  the  middle  level.  This  will  fill  a  need  during  those  transition  years  to  provide  support  to  some  of  our  struggling  students  before  they  have  the  opportunity  to  fail  in  a  larger,  more  comprehensive  setting.  There  are  still  questions  about  space,  which  may  slow  down  the  implementation  of  this  initiative  for  a  semester.    G.  Support  teachers  and  principals  as  they  implement  the  Colorado  Academic  Standards.  After  a  controversial  selection  process,  the  secondary  level  did  approve  Agile  Mind  as  the  new  materials  for  high  school  and  CMP3  for  middle  school  mathematics.  The  Board  of  Education  approved  the  materials  after  lengthy  discussion  with  several  teachers.  An  agreement  was  made  that  Agile  Mind  would  be  evaluated  by  an  outside  group  at  the  end  of  the  first  full  year  of  implementation.  Implementation  is  also  being  phased  in;  beginning  with  Algebra  I.  Summer  training  was  held  for  all  teachers  who  are  teaching  Agile  Minds  this  school  year.  Additionally,  technology  was  provided  for  teachers  and  students.  CMP3  training  was  also  held  during  the  summer.  Additional  support  has  been  provided  throughout  the  school  year  for  all  secondary  teachers  of  mathematics.  January  5,  2015  was  the  most  recent  professional  development  opportunity.    A  thorough  review  of  elementary  mathematics  instructional  resources  was  conducted.  A  recommendation  will  be  made  to  the  Board  in  the  spring  of  2015  for  implementation  in  2015-­‐2016.  All  resource  adoptions  are  accompanied  with  professional  development  opportunities  throughout  the  implementation  process.  Where  needed,  parent  sessions  will  also  be  scheduled  at  the  request  of  the  building  principals.      In  Literacy,  over  260  teachers  came  for  two  days  to  hear  teachers  from  Columbia  Teachers’  College  share  their  work  with  the  Lucy  Calkins  writing  materials,  which  are  used  in  all  of  our  elementary  schools.  This  training  was  very  well  received  and  all  elementary  principals  also  attended.  Following  the  institute,  two  days  were  spent  working  on  student  learning  outcomes  tied  to  the  previous  two  days’  training.    The  middle  level  is  working  on  the  implementation  of  the  Middle  School  Literacy  Framework.  During  the  summer  of  2014,  the  taskforce  gathered  to  refine  some  aspects  of  the  framework.  Training  has  continued  during  the  2014-­‐15  school  year.    Science  continues  to  focus,  K-­‐12,  on  implementing  Discovery  Education.  All  teachers  had  an  opportunity  to  meet  with  Discovery  Education  during  the  summer  to  discuss  what  works  and  what  they  would  like  to  see  changed  or  developed.  A  variety  of  other  professional  development  opportunities  continue  to  take  place  during  the  school  year.  These  vary  by  the  individual  needs  of  each  school.  For  example,  some  schools  have  requested  model  

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lessons  while  others  have  opted  for  more  traditional  training.  K-­‐5  teacher  leaders  also  met  as  a  cadre  to  build  out  units  and  lessons  by  grade  level  to  support  cross-­‐district  collaboration  and  classroom  instruction  in  science.    The  Elementary  Social  Studies  Teacher  Leader  Cadre  (TLC)  worked  together  to  build  out  units  and  lessons  for  the  new  standards.  Through  that  process  the  TLC  identified  the  necessary  instructional  resources.  Those  resources  were  approved  by  the  Board  of  Education  and  purchased  for  all  classrooms.    STEM  (science,  technology,  engineering  and  math)  Inc.  is  being  continually  developed  to  support  the  new  standards  and  to  engage  students  in  relevant,  real  world  problem  solving.  Much  work  has  been  done  collaboratively  with  Learning  Services,  Instructional  Technology  and  Career  and  Technical  Education  to  refine  the  vision  of  STEM  in  LPS—not  only  for  the  immediate  future  but  also  for  the  next  five  to  ten  years.  The  plan  that  was  developed  during  the  2013-­‐2014  school  year—to  upgrade  current  middle  school  technology  labs  into  STEM  Centers  with  the  goal  of  every  child  experiencing  learning  through  a  STEM  Center  during  their  middle  school  years—is  in  Phase  I  of  implementation.  Over  $267,000  dollars  has  been  raised  in  collaboration  with  the  Littleton  Public  Schools  Foundation.  The  implementation  of  the  Middle  School  STEM  Centers  has  been  met  with  enthusiasm  from  teachers,  students  and  parents.  We  look  forward  to  completing  the  project  and  continuing  to  partner  with  the  Foundation  to  make  this  a  reality.    In  addition,  Littleton  High  School  has  implemented  a  robust  STEM  endorsement  program  featuring  several  new  courses  and  articulation  agreements.  In  informal  conversations  with  students  during  winter  school  improvement  site  visits,  STEM  is  indeed  drawing  students  to  Littleton  High.  This  program  will  continue  to  develop  and  grow.    H.  Develop,  implement  and  support  new  assessment  plan  to  include  PARCC  and  new  Colorado  Academic  Standards  assessments  (CMAS).  Learning  Services  and  Instructional  Technology  have  worked  for  the  past  two  years  to  develop  a  viable  plan  to  enable  each  of  our  schools  to  have  enough  assessment  compatible  machines  to  deliver  the  new  tests  within  reasonable  time  frames.  The  continuing  bond  work  will  provide  additional  infrastructure  to  support  the  testing  needs  in  the  future.  While  we  have  provided  devices  and  access-­‐points  to  support  testing,  continuing  issues  of  scheduling  and  student/parent  buy-­‐in  have  become  increasingly  problematic.  Littleton  High  School,  because  of  their  alternating  block  schedule,  will  try  a  different  schedule  this  spring  from  the  one  they  used  in  the  fall.  They  will  give  the  tests,  English  Language  Arts  and  Mathematics,  in  the  student’s  corresponding  class  thus  eliminating  the  need  to  have  other  students  remain  at  home  during  the  testing  period.  Heritage  High  School  and  Arapahoe  High  School  continue  to  work  on  finding  a  schedule  solution  that  works  the  best  with  their  variable  schedules.      The  Learning  Support  Team  (LST)  continues  to  grapple  with  the  95  percent  participation  rate  and  now  has  a  plan  in  place  for  spring  2015  testing.  Presentations  have  been  made  to  both  the  Board  of  Education  and  the  district  Accountability  Committee.  Input  and  suggestions  from  both  groups  informed  the  plans  for  spring.    I.  Study,  create  and  implement  new  grading  and  reporting  practices  aligned  with  the  standards.  Teacher  leaders  are  beginning  to  come  together  to  work  on  new  grading  and  reporting  practices  based  on  the  Colorado  Academic  Standards  implementation.  This  work  will  span  several  years  as  districts  begin  to  receive  more  direction  on  the  new  graduation  guidelines  and  the  impact  they  might  have  on  grading  practices.    Beginning  in  the  2013-­‐2014  school  year,  students  with  a  significant  reading  deficiency  received  a  Reading  to  Ensure  Academic  Development  (READ)  plan.  The  student's  READ  plan  includes  targeted,  scientifically  based  or  evidence  based  intervention  instruction  to  address  and  remediate  the  student's  specific,  diagnosed  reading  skill  deficiencies.  This  plan  has  been  implemented  but  the  READ  implementation  committee  continues  to  search  for  appropriate  software  to  better  meet  the  requirements  and  to  provide  easier  access  for  those  who  need  to  see  READ  plans.    J.  Monitor  and  evaluate  legislative  mandates  to  determine  appropriate  fit  and  action  for  LPS.  It  remains  critical  for  Learning  Services  to  take  an  active  role  in  responding  to  proposed  legislation.  It  is  the  expectation  that  leaders  will  continue  to  read  and  respond  with  opinion  papers  that  help  inform  our  lobbyist  to  influence  the  course  of  legislation.  Currently,  we  have  several  members  serving  on  a  variety  of  taskforces  that  will  help  keep  us  informed  as  well  as  help  us  influence  legislation.  The  Deputy  Superintendent  is  working  with  two  groups,  the  Metro  Area  Learning  Leaders  (MALL)  and  the  Front  Range  Board  of  Cooperative  Educational  Services  (BOCES)  to  also  coordinate  and  share  legislative  influence  and  priorities.  The  Director  of  Learning  Services  and  the  Director  of  Special  Education/Student  Support  Services  each  serve  on  a  subcommittee  of  the  

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CDE  Graduation  Guidelines  Taskforce.  The  Career  and  Technical  Education  Coordinator  also  serves  on  two  subcommittees.    K.  Revise  the  elementary  Universal  Literacy  Framework  including  ongoing  professional  development,  progress  monitoring.  The  taskforce  charged  with  updating  the  Universal  Literacy  Framework  has  been  hard  at  work.  In  January,  a  report  was  given  to  the  elementary  principals  explaining  the  work  of  the  group.  “Close  reading”  strategies  have  been  studied  in  an  effort  to  better  understand  the  nature  of  the  structure  as  it  pertains  to  the  new  standards.  In  addition,  particular  attention  has  been  given  to  word  work,  targeted  instruction,  independent  reading  and  the  writing  framework  supported  by  Lucy  Calkins  materials  and  training.  Future  professional  development  will  be  planned  based  on  the  work  and  recommendations  of  this  taskforce.  The  former  Director  of  Elementary  

Education  and  the  current  Elementary  Learning  Specialist  are  leading  this  work.  Literacy  training  and  work  will  have  a  significant  place  for  all  levels,  K-­‐12,  in  the  summer  academy  development.      L.  Monitor  strategies  to  reduce  remediation  rates  and  increase  on-­‐time  graduation  rates  for  all  students.  Since  the  initial  work  on  root  cause  began  nearly  three  years  ago,  on-­‐time  graduation  rates  have  steadily  increased.  This  work  will  continue  throughout  the  2015-­‐2016  school  year.  Each  individual  school  is  also  working  

through  their  Unified  Improvement  Planning  process  to  address  the  topic  of  remediation  reduction.  Adding  PLATO  licenses  for  all  high  schools  is  an  important  part  of  the  plan  and  has  proved  successful  at  Littleton  High  School.  Now  all  three  high  schools  have  access  through  the  collaborative  efforts  of  the  three  high  school  principals.  In  addition,  software  used  for  the  Voyager  program  is  being  reevaluated  to  determine  how  it  might  also  be  used  in  the  effort.  Much  of  the  work  of  the  graduation  task  force  speaks  to  possible  changes  in  philosophy  as  we  begin  to  think  about  competency  rather  than  seat  time.  There  will  be  rich  discussion  in  the  coming  months  and  years  as  this  concept  is  more  clearly  defined.    M.  Implement  the  Middle  Level  Literacy  Framework.  The  framework  has  been  introduced  to  all  middle  level  teachers  of  English  Language  Arts.  More  in-­‐depth  training  will  be  planned  after  teachers  have  had  time  to  do  initial  implementation.  The  framework  will  serve  as  a  basis  for  material/resource  selection  as  well.  The  teacher  leaders  who  worked  on  the  framework  continue  to  work  together  to  refine  and  to  develop  appropriate  professional  development  opportunities.    N.  Investigate  the  possibility  of  expansion  of  concurrent  enrollment  programs  and  develop  a  plan  for  the  implementation  of  the  new  graduation  guidelines.  Under  the  facilitation  of  the  Director  of  Secondary  Education,  a  graduation  guidelines  taskforce  has  been  developed.  Their  charge  is  to  thoroughly  understand  the  law  and  the  rules  promulgated  around  the  law  and  to  determine  how  best  to  implement  in  Littleton  Public  Schools.  This  group  has  worked  on  various  issues  throughout  the  first  semester  of  the  2014-­‐2015  school  year.  Timelines  have  been  established  and  communication  plans  will  be  developed.  The  taskforce  will  also  seek  community  input  through  our  current  advisory  committee  process.  A  presentation  to  the  Board  of  Education  and  to  the  District  Accountability  Committee  is  planned  for  the  spring  of  2015.  Materials  will  be  produced  so  that  the  presentation  can  be  replicated  at  each  school  SAC  meeting.  A  Board  of  Education  workshop  will  also  be  arranged  when  initial  plans  are  completed.    O.  Investigate  additional  career  exploration  opportunities  including  but  not  limited  to  Career  Technical  Education.  During  the  2014-­‐2015  school  year,  a  fashion  design  class  was  added  to  the  CTE  offerings.  Internships  and  work-­‐study  partnerships  continue  to  be  developed  at  our  individual  school  sites.  A  programming  course  was  added  to  Littleton  High  School’s  schedule  and  Heritage  High  School  continues  to  explore  the  “green”  house  project.  

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   P.  Provide  clear  expectations  and  a  focus  on  21st  century  skills  for  all  teachers.  Significant  work  has  been  done  by  the  Learning  Support  Team  with  the  help  of  curriculum/IT  specialists  in  preparing  documents  that  clearly  outline  Littleton  Public  Schools’  expectations  for  21st  century  skills  development  of  our  students.  These  documents  are  posted  on  the  district  intranet.  A  communication  plan  will  be  developed  in  light  of  our  potential  new  website.  Strategies  for  teaching  these  skills  are  included  in  all  of  our  professional  development  offerings.  The  plan  that  was  developed  last  year—to  upgrade  current  middle  school  technology  labs  into  STEM  Centers  with  the  goal  of  every  child  experiencing  learning  through  the  STEM  Center  during  their  middle  school  years—is  in  Phase  I  of  implementation.  Over  $267,000  dollars  has  been  raised  in  collaboration  with  the  Littleton  Public  Schools  Foundation.  The  results  of  this  implementation  have  been  very  impressive  and  bode  well  for  the  future  funding  of  the  STEM  Centers.          

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Focus  Area  2    Expand  utilization  of  instructional  technology  with  appropriate  use  for  student  achievement  while  providing  the  infrastructure  for  organizational  efficiency  and  effectiveness.    Intended  Outcome    Appropriate,  engaging  use  of  technology  is  the  norm  for  doing  the  work  of  school.  

 A.  District  networks  will  be  enhanced  to  support  converging  services.  The  communications  systems,  including  voice  over  IP  (VoIP)  are  in  place.  Edge  switches  in  the  schools  have  been  replaced  as  part  of  the  Summer  2014  activities.  LPS  Internet  access  has  been  boosted  to  1  gigabit  per  second  broadband  speeds  through  two  connections  (500mbps  each  with  Comcast  and  Affiniti)  and  will  double  the  speed  on  each  of  those  links  during  summer  of  2015.  Going  forward,  the  district  will  enhance  the  wireless  network  to  support  three  devices  (phone,  tablet,  laptop)  per  person  (3:1  ratio)  to  meet  the  

growing  needs  created  by  personally  owned  devices.  Bond  projects  will  include  upgrades  to  central  switches  and  the  further  convergence  of  intercom,  bells,  video  cameras  and  other  network  services.  This  convergence  to  the  computer  network  will  increase  efficiency,  reliability  and  performance  of  the  systems  connected.  Convergence  and  its  benefits  are  both  a  result  of  the  fiber-­‐optic  network  backbone  the  district  utilizes  under  the  franchise  agreement  established  by  the  City  of  Littleton  with  Comcast.    B.  Online  learning  opportunities  will  be  expanded.  LPS  has  operated  a  number  of  online  and  computer-­‐based  services  for  students  ranging  from  software  interventions  (Fast  ForWord,  FasttMath,  Alex.com,  Earobics,  Study  Island,  etc.)  to  blended  learning  (Voyager  program  -­‐  using  Aventa,  In-­‐School  Credit  Recovery  using  PLATO)  to  a  small  online  learning  pilot  (LPS@Home  using  PLATO).  Online  student  achievement  and  assessment  services  have  also  been  a  part  of  LPS  online  services  (AIMSWeb  and  MAP  tests).  Further,  the  district  has  adopted  policies  and  procedures  regarding  acceptance  of  credits  for  online  courses  from  non-­‐LPS  institutions  in  an  effort  to  both  expand  opportunities  and  to  maintain  the  integrity  of  LPS  diplomas.    C.  STEM  Inc.  courses  and  programs  will  be  enhanced.  STEM  (science,  technology,  engineering  and  math)  is  best  represented  by  the  Technology  Education  programming  in  LPS,  which  once  again  dominated  state  competitions  and  sent  representatives  to  national  events.  In  2014,  the  Littleton  High  School  Technology  Student  Association  earned  its  12th  state  championship.  Building  on  STEM  Inc.’s  strategy  guide,  the  district  is  pursuing  several  key  projects  including  upgrades  of  Middle  School  Technology  Education  Labs  to  become  STEM  Centers.  Littleton  High  School  has  launched  a  STEM  initiative  that  includes  new  programming  courses  and  collaborative  efforts  with  local  universities  to  provide  a  pathway  into  engineering  programs  for  students  who  complete  a  specified  sequence  of  STEM  programming.  In  addition,  Littleton  High  School  sponsored  a  Saturday  course  that  featured  various  local  engineers.  The  course  was  very  well  attended.  The  LPS  Foundation  is  leading  the  fundraising  effort  to  gather  the  funds  to  support  both  the  middle  school  upgrades  and  to  support  Littleton  High  School.    D.  A  comprehensive  and  coherent  data  management  strategy  will  be  maintained  and  enhanced.  The  district  is  in  compliance  with  state  data  pipeline  demands  using  a  coordinated  effort  among  departments  and  schools  using  existing  methods.  However,  a  central  reporting  database  will  be  necessary  for  the  long-­‐term  due  to  the  frequency  of  data  exchanges  that  the  state’s  new  system  will  require.  Preliminary  plans  have  been  sketched  for  a  data  reporting  system  that  will  gather  data  from  various  systems  and  present  a  validation  interface  for  school  and  ESC  staff  to  approve  information  prior  to  submission  to  the  state.    

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E.  Internet  filtering  services  upgrades.  -­‐Project  complete  The  district  has  upgraded  Internet  filtering  services,  which  will  keep  us  in  compliance  with  the  Children’s  Internet  Protection  Act  (CIPA)  requirements  for  student  safety.  Additional  capabilities  for  remote  filtering  services  (home-­‐based)  on  district-­‐owned  student  devices  are  now  part  of  the  upgrade.  This  capability  will  allow  us  to  provide  filtering  for  1:1  student  devices  when  they  are  taken  off  campus.    F.  Inspired  Writing  grades  5-­‐12  will  be  maintained  and  monitored.    The  district  continues  to  be  a  national  model  for  the  use  of  sub-­‐laptops  (netbooks  and  Chromebooks)  in  support  of  writing.  Achievement  impact  has  been  documented  by  several  studies  and  highlighted  in  the  book  Learning  in  the  Cloud  by  Mark  Warschauer.  The  district  will  continue  to  train  teachers  in  the  methods  of  Inspired  Writing  through  training  cohorts  and  peer  mentoring.    G.  Develop  a  plan  for  technology  needs  serving  curriculum,  instruction  and  assessment.  During  the  October  24,  2013  Board  of  Education  meeting,  Learning  Services,  Information  and  Technology  Services  and  Operations  co-­‐presented  a  discussion  about  the  implications  of  online  curriculum,  instructional  practices  and  assessment  that  are  on  the  horizon  for  LPS.  The  Board  made  value  recommendations  and  charged  the  administration  with  developing  a  plan  to  address  these  new  challenges.  The  plan  presented  on  February  13,  2014  included  needs  assessments,  educational  outcomes,  action  steps  and  funding  requirements.  A  total  cost  per  pupil  investment  is  projected  to  be  $305.  In  coordination  with  the  math  adoption,  the  district  is  projecting  a  two-­‐  to  three-­‐year,  1:1  implementation  with  Chromebooks  as  the  chosen  device.  This  plan  will  continue  to  be  assessed  and  revised  as  we  move  forward.    H.  Continue  support  and  evaluation  of  the  technology  platform  for  Educator  Effectiveness.  A  technology  platform  was  deployed  for  the  pilot  of  SB  191  requirements  during  the  2012-­‐2013  school  year.  The  Bloomboard  system  (not  to  be  confused  with  inBloom)  hosts  the  Model  Colorado  Educator  Effectiveness  rubrics  and  provides  services  for  recording  the  evaluation  process  for  teachers  and  administrators.  The  platform  is  being  re-­‐evaluated  by  the  Human  Resources  Department,  Learning  Services,  IT  and  the  Littleton  Council  for  Educator  Effectiveness  (LCEE)  in  the  2014-­‐2015  school  year.  The  re-­‐evaluation  includes  cost,  effectiveness,  ease  of  use  and  other  factors  in  comparison  with  other  product  offerings  available  in  the  marketplace.    I.  Continue  to  partner  with  the  LPS  Foundation  to  supplement  technology  funding.  As  the  Foundation  has  made  sizeable  contributions  to  technology  initiatives  in  the  past,  the  district  will  continue  to  look  for  on-­‐going  fundraising  and  community  awareness  support  for  these  initiatives.  In  particular,  the  Spirit  Celebration  will  be  a  focal  point  for  showcasing  best  practices  of  technology  supporting  teaching  and  learning  in  LPS.    J.  Instructional  applications  that  support  new  standards  and  interventions  will  be  implemented.  The  Discovery  Education  Tech  Book  represents  the  first  textbook  adoption  in  LPS  history  that  is  not  actually  a  textbook.  Instead,  the  online  service  is  a  collection  of  standards-­‐aligned  videos,  lesson  plans,  learning  activities,  simulations  and  interactive  virtual  labs  that  can  be  accessed  from  any  online  computer.  The  2014  adoption  of  Agile  Minds  for  math  curriculum  represents  the  second  such  adoption.  Agile  Minds  brings  forward  the  need  for  1:1  (student  to  computer)  strategies  because  the  application  of  Agile  Minds  is  intended  outside  the  classroom.  This  curriculum  adoption  represents  the  next  major  step  in  our  collective  progress  in  realizing  the  potential  of  technology  to  support  instruction.    K.  Cybersafety  programming  will  be  extended.    After  hosting  a  Cyber  Safety  Summit  for  secondary  schools  in  2012,  the  district  has  held  several  Cyber  Safety  events  while  supporting  similar  activities  at  individual  schools.  The  Cyber  Savvy  Parent  Forums  held  in  May  2013  and  in  April  2014  served  more  than  150  attendees  each.  The  district  refined  the  program  and  is  offering  it  again  during  the  2014-­‐2015  school  year  (April  2015).  Plans  are  to  offer  it  periodically  in  the  future  to  assist  parents  with  the  evolving  challenges  of  cyberspace.    

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L.  Continue  to  pursue  1:1  student  computing.  Adoption  of  online  curriculum  over  the  past  three  years,  along  with  the  deployment  of  classroom-­‐based  carts  of  student  devices,  has  shown  the  1:1  

model  of  student  device  deployment  to  be  a  more  efficient  model.  The  most  cost-­‐effective  approach  may  be  to  use  Chromebooks,  which  perform  very  well  in  Colorado  Measures  of  Academic  Success  (CMAS)  tests  as  well  as  for  both  the  Agile  Minds  and  Discovery  Education  curriculum  sources.  To  accomplish  this  goal,  the  district  will  need  to  re-­‐purpose  existing  netbooks  and  Chromebooks  deployed  in  schools.  While  some  devices  were  purchased  by  PTOs,  any  cart  of  devices  purchased  before  2012  is  part  of  the  Board’s  refresh  plan  and  many  PTO  investments  have  already  been  upgraded.  The  district  continues  to  consider  how  to  leverage  BYOD  (Bring  Your  Own  Device)  strategies  to  maximize  computer  choice  options  for  students  and  to  assure  equity  for  all.    LPS  currently  has  more  than  6,000  Chromebooks,  with  funding  allocated  in  2014-­‐2015  for  another  1,500  devices.  There  are  also  4,300  Netbooks  deployed  to  students  for  their  work  with  online  curriculum  and  research  activities.  Funding  for  computers  for  the  2014-­‐2015  school  year  includes  $667,000  of  restored  state  funding  (negative  factor)  and  $830,000,  which  was  earmarked  from  one-­‐time  2010  mill  levy  funds.  LPS  students  create  over  40,000  new  Google  Docs  every  month,  which  speaks  to  the  high  rate  of  computer  utilizations  across  the  entire  district.  

The  district  continues  to  be  a  national  model  for  the  use  of  sub-­‐laptops  (netbooks  and  Chromebooks)  in  support  of  writing.  Achievement  impact  has  been  documented  by  several  studies  and  highlighted  in  the  book  Learning  in  the  Cloud  by  Mark  Warschauer.

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Focus  Area  3    Provide  an  educational  and  work  environment  that  supports  professional  learning  and  collaborative  work  for  all  staff.    Intended  Outcome    Time  and  resources  for  all  collaborative  work  are  provided  that  result  in  students  reaching  the  goal  of  on  or  above  grade  level  in  reading,  math,  writing  and  science.    Research  is  clear  that  professionals  must  have  a  work  environment  that  not  only  encourages  collaboration  but  also  provides  the  necessary  training  and  common  focus  to  bring  about  true  collaboration.  Our  work  to  that  end  continues.    A.  Increase  access  to  and  utilization  of  modern  technologies  to  support  professional  practice.    The  laptop  initiative  for  principals  was  a  huge  step  forward  for  LPS.  This  occurred  during  the  fall  of  2012.  The  next  step  is  to  secure  laptops,  or  other  devices  such  as  tablets,  for  all  of  our  teachers.  Staff  utilization  of  technology  is  directly  related  to  their  access  and  training.  The  science  and  mathematics  materials  adoptions  have  created  a  critical  need  in  this  area.  Learning  Services  and  IT  are  exploring  ways  to  make  sure  each  teacher  has  a  laptop  and  has  appropriate  training  in  the  use  of  the  tool.    B.  Continue  training  and  support  for  the  Professional  Learning  Communities  (PLC)  model.  While  Learning  Services  offers  support  for  the  existing  PLC  work,  no  specific  training  has  been  conducted  for  several  years.  This  is  a  strategy  that  will  need  some  assessment  on  current  state  and  evaluation  for  future  training  ideas.  As  we  begin  to  incorporate  work  on  Standard  VI  of  Educator  Effectiveness,  some  PLC  time  will  be  used  to  train  on  Student  Learning  Objectives  or  Outcomes  and  research-­‐based  assessment  strategies.    C.  Maintain  and  enhance  a  comprehensive  and  coherent  data  management  strategy.    Hiring  an  Assessment  Specialist  was  the  first  step  in  the  student  assessment  piece  of  this  strategy.  She  will  lead  the  work  after  planning  with  the  larger  group.  Helping  teachers  write  solid  Student  Learning  Objectives  (SLO)  is  a  top  priority  in  the  2014-­‐2015  school  year  with  implementation  scheduled  for  2016.  Learning  Services  is  also  working  collaboratively  with  IT  and  Human  Resources  to  support  the  new  CDE  Data  Pipeline  initiative  that  was  first  implemented  in  2013-­‐2014.    D.  Identify  a  sustainable  funding  stream  for  staff  computer  refresh.  Capital  needs  for  the  district,  including  dedicated  funding  streams  for  Information  Technology  and  Operations,  will  be  reviewed  as  the  Bond  work  completes  the  urgent  infrastructure  repairs  in  the  buildings.  The  transfer  of  funds  from  the  General  Fund  to  the  capital  reserve  fund  will  be  analyzed  to  support  these  needs  as  well  as  one-­‐time  dollars  received  from  the  one-­‐time  buy  down  of  the  negative  factor.  A  more  stable  stream  of  funding  will  need  to  be  explored  in  the  future.  This  could  include  a  dedicated  mill  levy  override  and  the  issuing  of  Certificates  of  Participation.      E.  Develop  a  sustainable  funding  stream  for  materials  and  resources  to  support  the  Colorado  Academic  Standards.  We  are  currently  using  a  plan  developed  after  the  2010  mill  levy  passed  –  called  the  White  Paper  –  to  allocate  one-­‐time  dollars  to  fund  curriculum  work.  These  dollars  will  run  out  after  one  curriculum  cycle.  One  source  of  funding  that  helps  alleviate  pressure  on  the  general  fund  is  that  of  the  LPS  Foundation.  Our  partnership  has  helped  LPS  to  become  one  of  the  first  wireless  districts  in  Colorado,  supports  the  EEE  Inspired  Writing  initiative  and  many  other  teacher  directed,  grant  funded  classroom  projects  in  addition  to  the  middle  school  STEM  

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Centers.  Thinking  about  a  sustainable  source  of  funds  is  a  topic  that  is  often  discussed  with  an  eye  to  the  not-­‐too-­‐distant  future.    F.  Investigate  and  offer  solutions  for  equity  in  elementary  school  time  for  art,  music,  PE,  Gifted,  technology,  library,  etc.  in  a  comprehensive  school  program.  No  timeline  has  been  established  for  this  strategy.  Fiscal  implications  have  diverted  time  from  this  important  challenge.      G.  Track  the  correlation  between  National  Board  Certification  and  increased  teacher  effectiveness  and  student  achievement.  In  the  fall  of  2014,  LPS  National  Board  Certified  Teachers  presented  to  the  Board  of  Education  regarding  the  process  they  undertook  to  gain  the  certification  and  the  benefits  of  their  experience.  Human  Resources  and  LST  will  continue  to  track  National  Board  Certified  Teachers’  effectiveness  and  increased  student  achievement.      H.  Design  professional  development  opportunities  to  maximize  the  implementation  of  Colorado  Academic  Standards.  Every  summer,  LPS  plans  and  implements  a  summer  academy  approach  to  professional  development.  However,  in  the  summer  of  2015,  because  of  the  bond  work  throughout  the  district,  there  is  very  limited  access  to  training  sites.  Professional  development  will  be  limited  to  mathematics  on  all  levels,  required  safety  and  mental  health  training,  limited  leadership  training  and  a  few  other  opportunities  that  we  believe  are  critical  to  teachers’  continuing  work.    

Research  is  clear  that  professionals  must  have  a  work  environment  that  not  only  encourages  collaboration  but  also  provides  the  necessary  training  and  common  focus  to  bring  about  true  collaboration.  Our  work  to  that  end  continues.  

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Focus  Area  4    Promote,  sustain  and  create  quality  programs  that  make  Littleton  Public  Schools  the  uniquely  preferred  choice  for  families  inside  and  outside  the  district.    Intended  Outcome    Strengthen  premier  district  status  as  measured  by:  student  achievement  index,  choice  index  and  community  survey  ratings.    LPS  has  a  history  of  enjoying  tremendous  support  from  its  parents,  students,  employees  and  the  community  at  large.  This  has  been  proven  time  and  time  again  through  the  passage  of  local  mill  levy  and  bond  elections  and  positive  elections  for  the  selection  of  Board  of  Education  members.  We  firmly  believe  that  this  kind  of  support  does  not  happen  by  accident  but  rather  is  a  result  of  purposeful  and  ongoing  involvement  with  all  of  the  various  community  groups  that  Littleton  Public  Schools  serves.  These  efforts,  which  have  served  LPS  well  in  the  past,  will  continue  into  the  future  and  additional  ways  of  engaging  the  community  will  be  explored  as  well.  LPS  will  embrace  –  as  it  always  has  –  the  very  essence  of  excellence  this  community  expects  and  deserves.  We  continue  to  listen  to  our  constituents  and  to  provide  them  with  the  very  best  we  have  to  offer.    A.  Expand  online  learning  opportunities.  During  the  2013-­‐2014  school  year,  the  Center  for  Online  Learning  (COLS)  and  the  LPS@HOME  programs  merged  under  a  new  name,  Voyager.  All  three  high  schools  and  the  Options  Secondary  Program  have  implemented  credit  recovery  programs  utilizing  PLATO  as  the  curriculum  provider.  The  Redirection  Center  day  and  evening  programs  and  homebound  instruction  continue  their  programming  utilizing  PLATO  as  well.  Merging  programs  and  online  providers  gives  consistency  across  the  district  and  allows  future  expansion  to  meet  the  ever-­‐changing  needs  of  LPS  students,  parents  and  schools.    B.  Monitor  and  evaluate  existing  promotion  and  recruitment  strategies  and  explore  new  ones.  Choice  will  be  a  focus  for  all  families  served.  LPS  has  been  very  successful  in  its  promotion  and  recruitment  strategies  as  more  than  20  percent  of  LPS  students  live  outside  district  boundaries.  This  remains  the  largest  percentage  of  out-­‐of-­‐district  enrollment  for  any  school  district  of  our  size  in  the  Denver  Metro  Area.      Out-­‐of-­‐district  enrollment  increased  by  980  students  from  2003  to  2012.  From  2011  to  2012  alone,  out-­‐of-­‐district  enrollment  increased  by  211  students.  This  is  the  largest  single-­‐year  increase  since  2006.  From  2012  to  2014,  open  enrollment  remained  stable  at  3,064.  Without  the  increasing  number  of  students  choosing  LPS  from  outside  the  district,  LPS  would  have  experienced  a  greater  drop  in  enrollment  and  funding.      LPS  families  also  take  advantage  of  choices  within  district  boundaries.  During  the  2014-­‐2015  school  year,  2,849  in-­‐district  students  attended  an  LPS  school  other  than  their  neighborhood  school.    In  2011,  a  targeted  advertising  and  promotion  campaign  for  key  enrollment  events  was  developed,  which  centered  on  freshman  showcase  nights,  middle  school  parent  information  nights  and  kindergarten  registration  events.  Communications  personnel  will  continue  to  build  upon  these  efforts.  In  addition,  these  efforts  will  be  expanded  and  complemented  by  increased  social  media  and  more  targeted  marketing.  The  goal  is  to  retain  current  audiences  while  reaching  out  to  new  audiences  through  new  approaches  within  our  defined  budget.  

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 C.  Monitor  and  evaluate  the  reasons  families  “choice  out”  of  LPS.  About  700  students  “choice  out”  of  Littleton  Public  Schools.  While  LPS  brings  in  a  great  deal  more  students  than  it  loses,  we  will  focus  on  learning  more  about  why  students  within  our  attendance  boundaries  choose  to  attend  schools  other  than  those  in  LPS.    D.  Continue  to  communicate  directly  with  our  target  audiences.  

LPS  has  the  ability  to  communicate  directly  with  all  parents,  students,  employees,  key  communicators  and  taxpayers—some  more  quickly  and  cost-­‐effectively  than  others.  LPS  will  increase  communication  to  LPS  families  and  taxpayers  to  tell  “the  LPS  story”  

through  in-­‐house  communication  tools  such  as,  but  not  limited  to,  print,  digital,  social,  video,  web,  etc.  We  will  explore  new  methods  and  funding  sources  to  directly  communicate  more  frequently  with  taxpayers.    E.  Improve  and  expand  the  LPS  digital  footprint.  The  LPS  web  presence  is  being  updated  and  improved.  At  the  same  time,  new  tools  such  as  a  mobile  app  are  being  added  to  meet  the  growing  needs  of  LPS  constituents.    F.  Schools  continue  to  monitor  and  evaluate  offerings  to  meet  the  needs  of  students  and  families.  This  is  done  at  the  site  level  through  school  accountability  committee  discussions  and  survey  documents.  Students  are  also  frequently  surveyed.  All  of  our  schools  are  very  responsive  to  student  interest  groups  and  provide  opportunities  for  students  to  form  clubs,  intramural  activities  or  special  events.    G.  Study,  create  and  implement  new  grading  and  reporting  practices  aligned  with  the  standards.  Teacher  leaders  are  beginning  to  come  together  to  work  on  new  grading  and  reporting  practices  based  on  the  Colorado  Academic  Standards  implementation.  This  work  will  span  several  years  as  districts  begin  to  receive  more  direction  on  the  new  graduation  guidelines  and  the  impact  they  might  have  in  grading  practices.    Beginning  in  the  2013-­‐2014  school  year,  students  with  a  significant  reading  deficiency  received  a  Reading  to  Ensure  Academic  Development  (READ)  plan.  The  student's  READ  plan  includes  targeted,  scientifically-­‐  or  evidence-­‐based  intervention  instruction  to  address  and  remediate  the  student's  specific,  diagnosed  reading  skill  deficiencies.  This  plan  has  been  implemented  but  the  READ  implementation  committee  continues  to  search  for  appropriate  software  to  better  meet  the  requirements  and  to  provide  easier  access  for  those  who  need  to  see  READ  plans.    

LPS  will  embrace  –  as  it  always  has  –  the  very  essence  of  excellence  this  community  expects  and  deserves.  We  continue  to  listen  to  our  constituents  and  to  provide  them  with  the  very  best  we  have  to  offer.  

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Focus  Area  5    Engage  the  community  and  parents  as  active  partners  in  the  objectives,  activities  and  performance  of  the  school  district  and  its  students.    Intended  Outcome    Time  and  resources  for  community  and  parent  engagement  are  provided,  which  result  in  a  continuous  collaborative  process  that  fosters  understanding  of  and  support  for  the  district.    This  is  an  area  –  perhaps  more  than  any  other  –  where  it  can  be  said  that  this  is  “The  Littleton  Way.”  LPS  has  a  long-­‐standing  tradition  and  history  of  community  involvement  in  decision-­‐making.  It  has  served  us  well  in  the  past  and  continues  to  do  so.      A.  Survey  the  community  to  understand  its  priorities  and  concerns.  A  community  survey  was  last  conducted  in  the  spring  of  2013.  This  sampling  was  similar  to  those  in  previous  surveys  and  indicated  high  levels  of  satisfaction  in  many  areas.  This  current  data,  along  with  data  from  previous  community  surveys,  helped  the  district  determine  the  focus  for  the  future  in  many  areas  of  the  organization.  Another  community  survey  is  scheduled  for  the  spring  of  2016.    B.  Continue  to  draw  upon  the  important  relationships  between  LPS  and  its  district-­‐level  committees,  parents  and  their  individual  schools.    These  committees  give  us  invaluable  feedback  in  all  areas  of  responsibility.      C.  Engage  the  LPS  community  in  the  Board  of  Education’s  selection  of  a  new  Superintendent.  The  Board  contracted  with  the  Colorado  Association  of  School  Boards  (CASB)  in  the  fall  of  2014  to  guide  it  through  the  process.  CASB  conducted  eight  focus  groups  in  November  2014,  which  involved  about  300  community  members,  parents,  teachers  and  administrators.  The  Board  formed  two  advisory  committees  to  interview  final  candidates  and  to  serve  in  an  advisory  capacity  to  the  Board.  These  committees  included  community  members,  parents,  teachers,  classified  staff,  principals,  students  and  other  district  leaders.    D.  Engage  the  community  in  the  2015  Board  of  Education  election.    Strategies  may  include,  but  would  not  necessarily  be  limited  to,  a  Board  of  Education  interest  workshop  in  the  spring  of  2015,  informational  sessions  for  potential  candidates  and  Board  candidate  forums  in  October  2015  for  candidates  appearing  on  the  ballot.    E.  Continue  to  partner  with  local  legislators  and  actively  influence  state  legislation  as  it  relates  to  the  values  and  priorities  of  the  LPS  community  and  directly  impacts  K-­‐12  education.  The  Superintendent  and/or  his  staff  met  with  community  groups  in  the  winter  of  2013-­‐2014  to  discuss  the  need  “to  buy-­‐down  a  portion  of  the  negative  factor”  and  to  provide  more  funding  for  all  school  districts  in  Colorado.  The  communication  department  produced  several  “call  to  action”  letters  that  asked  the  public  to  contact  their  legislators  to  ask  them  to  provide  more  funding.  We  heard  from  our  legislators  that  our  local  call  to  action  was  successful,  as  many  community  members  contacted  their  legislators  and  visited  the  Capital.  The  Board  of  Education  and  staff  spent  numerous  hours  working  with  the  district  lobbyist  to  provide  information  to  legislators  on  areas  of  the  budget,  assessment,  transparency  of  data,  needs  of  at-­‐risk  students  and  numerous  other  topics  that  surfaced  during  the  legislative  session.  We  will  continue  to  keep  principals,  employees,  community  members  and  PTO  leaders  updated  on  the  district’s  budget  issues  as  the  

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year  progresses.  We  continue  to  utilize  the  same  approach  for  the  buy-­‐down  of  the  negative  factor  for  the  2015-­‐2016  budget  year.  As  the  “math  problem”  of  the  state  budget  becomes  more  apparent,  we  need  to  make  sure  that  our  public  understands  that  the  total  funding  available  for  any  increase  from  the  general  fund  will  become  limited  and  a  long-­‐term  solution  will  need  to  be  implemented.  This  solution  may  ultimately  require  a  statewide  tax  question  on  the  general  ballot  in  November  of  2015  or  2016.    F.  Informational  presentations  on  essential  topics  such  as  funding,  graduation  requirements  and  assessments  will  continue  to  be  made  to  advisory,  staff,  parents  and  community  groups.  This  will  be  done  from  both  the  district  level  and  the  site  level.  It  is  critical  that  these  important  groups  be  kept  informed  of  how  these  issues  impact  LPS.  The  Citizen’s  Bond  Oversight  Committee  (CBOC)  has  been  established  and  will  be  making  presentations  to  the  Board  of  Education  quarterly.      G.  Provide  information  to  and  seek  input  from  our  various  publics  in  the  awareness  and  celebration  of  LPS’  changing  demographics  and  cultures.    A  demographic  study  was  completed  and  presented  to  the  Board  of  Education  in  August  of  2012.  The  study  reported  a  change  in  student  characteristics  over  the  last  seven  years  as  our  students  living  in  poverty  has  increased  7.4  percent  from  13.9  percent  in  2005  to  21.3  percent  in  2011.  The  study  also  suggests  that  enrollment  is  starting  to  stabilize  and  the  elementary  building  utilization  is  at  92  percent,  which  does  not  suggest  that  the  district  needs  to  add  building  capacity  at  this  time.  As  new  development  continues  within  the  Littleton  school  boundaries,  such  as  the  Littleton  Village  project,  the  number  of  open  enrolled  students  will  have  to  be  closely  monitored  so  that  schools  have  space  for  the  new  in-­‐district  students  that  these  housing  developments  generate.    H.  Engage  the  community  in  school  safety  and  mental  health  issues.  The  Board  of  Education  formed  the  Safety  and  Mental  Health  Advisory  Committee  in  the  fall  of  2014  to  operate  as  a  short-­‐term  advisory  group  to  the  Superintendent  and  to  the  Board  of  Education.  The  committee  represents  a  cross-­‐section  of  the  community—parents,  mental  health  experts,  community  members,  agency  leaders,  elected  leaders,  law  enforcement,  teachers,  students  and  administrators.  Committee  members  are  reviewing  all  of  the  programs  and  services  in  place  within  LPS  that  are  designed  to  keep  families  safe  and  to  serve  children  who  are  at-­‐risk  or  in  crisis.  The  committee  began  meeting  in  December  2014  and  will  conclude  its  work  in  June  2015  with  a  report  to  the  Superintendent  and  the  Board  that  will  include  recommendations.      I.  Further  promote  community  involvement  through  the  Senior  Citizens  Tax  Rebate  Program  and  Volunteers  in  Public  Schools  (VIPS).    Workshops  in  literacy,  math  and  21st  century  learning  tools  continue  to  be  offered  for  our  senior  volunteers.  These  workshops  are  well-­‐attended  and  they  help  parents  and  community  volunteers  to  align  their  support  with  what  is  actually  taking  place  in  the  classroom.  Parent  volunteers  and  senior  volunteers  continue  to  improve  their  understanding  about  Google  Docs  and  its  use  across  the  district.  Seniors  continue  to  be  placed  in  all  areas  within  our  schools  with  an  ongoing  emphasis  being  placed  on  their  work  with  students  in  literacy  and  math.  Volunteers  participate  in  mentorships,  in  order  to  build  relationships  with  our  students.  The  district’s  Coordinator  of  Volunteers  has  joined  in  the  School  Service  Project  (along  with  other  metro  area  Volunteer  Coordinators)  in  order  to  share  what  we  do  in  LPS  and  to  gain  knowledge  from  other  districts  to  improve  all  volunteer  programs.  Through  this  project,  other  districts  are  forming  programs  such  as  our  VIPS  coordinators  group  and  LPS  has  integrated  new  training  procedures  based  on  what  has  been  shared.  Human  Resources  will  participate  in  civic  organizations  that  focus  on  community  partnerships.  LPS  continuously  updates  its  wikis  for  our  volunteers—one  for  Senior  Volunteers  and  one  for  VIPS  Coordinators—to  share  information  that  they  can  use  with  students  and  PTOs:  lpsvips.wikispaces.com  and  sctrp.wikispaces.com.  Keeping  these  groups  of  constituents  well  informed  is  critical  to  continued  widespread  support  for  LPS.          

The  Board  of  Education  formed  the  Safety  and  Mental  Health  Advisory  Committee  in  the  fall  of  2014  to  operate  as  a  short-­‐term  advisory  group  to  the  Superintendent  and  to  the  Board  of  Education.  The  committee  represents  a  cross-­‐section  of  the  community—parents,  mental  health  experts,  community  members,  agency  leaders,  elected  leaders,  law  enforcement,  teachers,  students  and  administrators.

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J.  Provide  support  to  sites  to  enhance  parent  involvement  in  student  achievement.  This  ongoing  strategy  is  often  facilitated  through  the  instructional  coaches  at  each  site  and  through  the  literacy  coaches  at  sites  who  have  them.  Depending  on  the  school’s  improvement  goals,  activities  range  from  helping  parents  with  reading  and  vocabulary  building  strategies  to  do  at  home  to  explaining  constructivist  mathematics  programming.  The  district  provides  significant  training  to  instructional  coaches  and  literacy  specialists  and  coaches.      Title  I  schools  develop  a  yearlong  parent  involvement  plan  as  part  of  their  Title  I  obligations.  The  district  learning  specialists  and  coordinators  often  support  both  planning  and  delivery  of  these  programs.      In  addition  to  individual  sites  hosting  parent  activities,  the  district  offers  multiple  opportunities  for  parent  training  in  a  variety  of  areas  including  mental  health  support,  cybersafety,  mathematics  programming  and  special  populations  events.      K.  Implement  comprehensive  communications  strategies  that  address  issues  affecting  students,  parents,  employees  and  taxpayers.  Communications  are  vital  to  building  understanding  throughout  the  district,  regarding  not  only  all  of  the  Key  Strategic  Initiatives  in  the  Administrative  Work  Plan  but  also  all  of  the  issues  that  relate  to  the  community’s  values  and  priorities  for  its  schools.      

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Focus  Area  6    Optimize  the  use  of  district  resources  and  facilities  to  meet  student  learning  needs  while  operating  the  district  efficiently.    Intended  Outcome    Plan  of  action  is  developed  for  optimal  use  of  district  facilities  for  effective  use  of  district  resources.    Littleton  Public  Schools  has  a  well-­‐earned  reputation  of  running  its  operations  efficiently  while  continuing  to  achieve  academically  at  very  high  levels.  It  is  critical  to  know  and  understand  the  priorities  of  the  communities  served  and  to  continuously  seek  new  and  improved  ways  of  doing  business.  Quality  can  never  be  sacrificed  in  the  process.    A.  The  district  will  commission  a  demographic  study.  A  demographic  study  was  commissioned  in  2012  and  the  results  were  presented  to  the  Board  in  August  2012.  The  study  concluded  that  the  district  has  the  building  capacity  for  the  projected  enrollment  for  the  foreseeable  future.  The  Human  Resources  Department  will  develop  strategies  to  recruit  and  retain  staff  that  is  more  reflective  of  student  and  community  demographics.    B.  Optimal  building  use  and  capacity  will  continue  to  be  studied.    The  capacity  report  has  been  updated  and  indicates  some  population  imbalances  in  some  attendance  areas  that  affect  building  utilization.  Open  enrollment  is  closely  monitored  in  these  areas.  A  class  size  presentation  was  given  to  the  Board  of  Education  during  a  workshop  in  January  2015.  In  addition,  class  size  capacity  was  reviewed  for  all  elementary  schools.      C.  LPS  will  influence  school  finance  legislation  that  impacts  the  district’s  ability  to  adequately  fund  programs  and  achievement.    District  personnel  continue  to  be  active  in  the  Colorado  Association  of  School  Executives  (CASE)  Department  of  Business  Officials  Board,  Colorado  School  Finance  Project,  and  Great  Education  Colorado.  An  LPS  Board  member  currently  serves  on  the  Board  of  Directors  for  the  Colorado  Association  of  School  Boards,  which  has  a  powerful  voice  at  the  Capitol.  During  the  2013-­‐2014  school  year,  LPS  played  a  significant  role  in  crafting,  and  providing  testimony  for,  changes  and  improvements  to  HB  1292  and  HB  1298.    D.  Develop  and  implement  plans  to  make  all  school-­‐based  enterprise  programs  self-­‐supporting  including  school  aged  childcare,  club  sports,  etc.  The  school  age  childcare  fund  overall  is  self-­‐supporting  although  some  individual  programs  are  not  self-­‐supporting.  We  continue  to  assess  those  programs  to  find  ways  to  improve  their  revenue  and  reduce  their  expenditures.      E.  An  improved  method  for  parent  and  student  use  of  credit  cards  will  be  implemented.    Completed.  During  the  2012-­‐2013  school  year,  nine  schools  and  two  departments  opted  to  offer  payment  through  credit  cards.    F.  A  new  school  staffing  model  was  developed  and  will  be  implemented.    The  Finance  and  Human  Resources  departments  are  surveying  principals  to  explore  the  needs  of  and  the  desire  for  a  new  staffing  model  for  the  district.  It  has  been  determined  that  a  new,  less  complicated  model  that  allows  principals  flexibility  while  meeting  the  needs  of  the  demographics  of  the  school  population  is  needed.  A  pilot  program  with  a  few  principals  using  a  new  model  is  being  developed  for  the  2015-­‐2016  budget  year.    G.  Other  BusinessPLUS  and  change  management  items  for  core  financial  reports  will  be  developed  and  implemented.  Human  Resources  has  converted  over  400  HR/PY  reports  from  JDE  and  Excel  to  BusinessPLUS.  In  addition,  several  BusinessPLUS(formerly  IFAS)  applications  are  now  implemented  in  Human  Resources.  Automated  payroll  

Littleton  Public  Schools  has  a  well-­‐earned  reputation  of  running  its  operations  efficiently  while  continuing  to  achieve  academically  at  very  high  levels.  It  is  critical  to  know  and  understand  the  priorities  of  the  communities  served  and  to  continuously  seek  new  and  improved  ways  of  doing  business.  Quality  can  never  be  sacrificed  in  the  process.

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reports,  including  the  Subtracker  module,  files  for  PERA,  TIAA-­‐CREF,  state  unemployment,  941  reporting,  EEO-­‐5  Reporting,  and  tax  reporting  are  now  in  place.  Benefits  reporting,  including  COBRAtracking  and  files  from  BusinessPLUS  to  insurance  carriers  are  all  active  in  BusinessPlus.  The  improved  Tuition  Reimbursement  process  has  significantly  reduced  the  timeframe  in  which  teachers  receive  their  reimbursement.  Employee  Online  is  running  smoothly  and  feedback  from  employees  about  its  content,  availability  and  accessibility  has  been  positive.  Electronic  e-­‐mail  notification  of  licensure  expiration  has  been  well  received  by  licensed  personnel.  Tracking  teacher  induction  and  all  induction  reports  was  transferred  from  Excel  spreadsheets  to  BusinessPLUS.  During  the  2013-­‐2014  school  year,  LPS  played  a  significant  role  in  crafting  and  providing  testimony  for  changes  and  improvements  to  HS  1292  and  HB  1298.    Tracking  the  completion  of  Staff  Development  classes  was  also  transferred  from  Excel  to  BusinessPLUS.  HR’s  annual  data  reporting  to  the  CDE  has  improved  because  of  the  capabilities  of  BusinessPlus.  Tracking  all  leaves  of  absence  reports  moved  from  Excel  to  BusinessPLUS.  The  Applicant  Online  and  Applicant  Tracking  modules  are  active.  HR  developed  Applicant  Online  dashboard  reports  for  schools  and  departments  to  utilize  as  needed.  Alternative  electronic  application  systems  were  investigated  during  the  2014-­‐2015  school  year  and  a  new  system  is  planned  for  implementation  in  the  2015-­‐2016  hiring  season.  The  antiquated  Employee  Change  Notice  was  updated  and  renamed  the  Automated  Employee  Action  (AEA)  form.    H.  An  Electronic  Timecard  System  will  be  investigated.    During  the  2014-­‐2015  school  year,  options  for  an  electronic  timecard  system  are  being  investigated  in  collaboration  with  Human  Resources  and  Finance.    I.  Continue  to  enhance  payroll  and  human  resources  to  increase  staff  and  employee  productivity  and  satisfaction.    A  new  online  application  system  was  implemented  in  February  2015.  This  system  increases  the  efficiency  of  the  posting/hiring  process  for  district  administrators  and  is  much  more  user  friendly  for  applicants.  Additionally,  this  system  allows  the  hiring  process  to  become  paperless  and  begins  the  process  of  creating  electronic  personnel  files.    J.  Online  Benefits  Open  Enrollment  During  the  2014-­‐2015  school  year,  options  to  move  from  paper-­‐based  open  enrollment  to  electronic  open  enrollment  are  being  investigated.    K.  Board  policies  in  the  Human  Resources  G-­‐Series  (all  GA  and  GB  policies)  were  revised.    A  Board  workshop  was  held  in  the  fall  of  2012  to  review  these  Human  Resources-­‐related  policies.  Policy  updates  and  revisions  continue.  All  G  policies  will  be  taken  to  the  Board  of  Education  for  approval  during  the  2014-­‐2015  school  year.    L.  An  advisory  committee  was  established  to  recommend  a  new  evaluation  system  in  alignment  with  SB-­‐191  for  both  teachers  and  principals.  The  Littleton  Council  for  Educator  Effectiveness  (LCEE)  continues  to  meet  three  times  annually  to  monitor  the  implementation  of  SB11-­‐191.  In  June  2014,  LCEE  members  approved  the  recommended  approach  to  Standard  VI  for  teachers.  LPS  will  continue  to  develop,  over  a  two-­‐year  period,  Student  Learning  Outcomes/Objectives  by  which  teachers  can  be  individually  measured.  Significant  training  and  practice  time  is  required  for  this  project.  In  the  meantime,  collective  attribution  is  how  Standard  VI  is  being  measured  to  meet  the  requirements  of  the  law.    M.  Develop  capital  bond  implementation  strategy  including  timeline  for  capital  improvement  planning  committee,  building  site  assessments  and  Board  of  Education  consideration.  This  work  was  completed.        

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N.  Investigate  and  evaluate  a  transportation  fee  for  ride  proposal  for  Board  of  Education  consideration.  This  strategy  was  completed  in  2012  and  will  be  dropped  from  the  plan.    O.  Develop  and  evaluate  alternative  student  routing  and  delivery  system.    The  transportation  routing  system  was  upgraded  and  as  student  needs  change,  the  routing  system  is  adjusted  to  meet  their  needs.    P.  Expand  school  district’s  central  refrigerator  and  freezer  to  accommodate  more  food  choices  and  increased  volume  of  fresh  produce.    The  expansion  of  the  central  refrigerator  and  freezer  is  included  in  the  bond  program.      Q.  Analyze  and  revise  teacher  and  administrator  recruitment  and  hiring  processes.    The  Human  Resources  Department  will  develop  strategies  to  recruit  and  retain  staff  that  is  more  reflective  of  student  and  community  demographics.  Human  Resources  will  continue  to  actively  recruit  teachers  and  administrators  through  participation  in  Denver  Metro  Area  teacher  and  administrative  recruitment  fairs.  Specific  attention  will  be  directed  towards  the  alignment  of  the  application  questions  and  the  hiring  process  with  the  expectations  focused  on  21st  century  skills  and  SB  191.  Human  Resources  and  Learning  Services  have  partnered  for  the  2015-­‐2016  hiring  season  for  the  hiring  processes  for  building  leaders.        R.  Study  and  develop  alternative  teacher  compensation  models.    The  Strategic  Compensation  Committee  (SCC)  was  created  during  the  2013-­‐2014  school  year  and  established  guiding  values  and  a  direction  for  the  future  studies.  Human  Resources  will  continue  to  study  through  the  SCC  various  compensation  models  in  collaboration  with  the  Finance  department  and  the  Littleton  Education  Association  (LEA).    S.  Develop  processes  and  procedures  to  enhance  effective  transportation  for  all  students  with  special  transportation  needs.  

Transportation  staff  and  special  education  staff  will  work  collaboratively  to  develop  processes  and  procedures  during  the  2015-­‐2016  school  year.  The  district  continues  to  have  increased  needs  for  transporting  more  students  to  out-­‐of-­‐district  placements.  These  students  have  a  variety  of  needs  that  require  collaboration  between  various  sites  and  transportation  so  that  routes  can  be  developed  in  an  efficient  manner  and  student  needs  are  met.    T.  Study  and  develop  budgeting  tools  that  allow  for  differentiated  funding  for  students.  The  district  needs  to  make  sure  that  we  are  

providing  the  resources  to  meet  the  needs  of  our  students.  As  the  district  looks  at  a  new  weighted  staffing  model,  it  will  also  explore  a  weighted  student-­‐funding  model.  Both  models  will  help  reallocate  scarce  resources  to  our  schools  to  make  the  most  impact  in  student  achievement.    The  models  will  be  developed  during  the  2015-­‐2016  school  year  and  the  first  pilot  for  selected  schools  will  occur  in  the  2016-­‐2017  school  year.  The  model  will  then  be  reviewed  and  changes  will  be  made  for  districtwide  rollout  during  the  2017-­‐2018  school  year.      U.  Review  building  life  and  education  viability.      After  the  current  bond  program  is  completed,  the  district  will  convene  a  facility  use/capital  improvement  planning  committee  to  review  the  items  that  were  deferred  and  new  deficiencies  that  may  have  been  identified  during  the  bond  work.  This  committee  will  also  review  current  enrollment  trends  and  determine  the  viability  of  all  educational  facilities  from  an  operational,  programmatic,  functional  and  financial  basis.      V.  Continue  to  review  and  implement  best  practice  security  strategies  in  all  buildings.  This  is  ongoing  work.  The  security  department  will  continue  to  meet  with  the  district’s  security  committee  to  review  best  practices  and  needs  of  the  building.  The  security  committee  is  made  up  of  School  Resource  Officers  

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from  each  school  and  members  from  certified,  classified  and  administrator  employee  groups.  We  also  will  review  the  recommendations  of  the  Safety  and  Mental  Health  Advisory  Committee  as  it  pertains  to  physical  security.      W.  Identify  a  sustainable  funding  stream  for  technology,  transportation,  and  operational  facility  needs.  While  this  is  an  ongoing  need,  administration  does  not  currently  have  the  capacity  to  conduct  a  thorough  study  and  to  seek  solutions  but  will  continue  to  take  our  more  pressing  needs  and  to  bring  those  needs  to  the  forefront  every  year  for  budget  consideration.  The  district  will  continue  to  seek  legislative/voter-­‐approved  remedies  for  a  sustainable  funding  stream.  

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Focus  Area  7    Promote  and  provide  an  environment  that  fosters  caring,  respect  and  compassion  for  others.    Intended  Outcome    Resources  and  supports  are  in  place  to  provide  systemwide  environments  that  are  safe,  respectful  and  responsive  to  student  needs.    Community  surveys  tell  us  over  and  over  again  that  one  of  the  highest  priorities  for  our  community  is  a  safe  and  caring  learning  environment  for  students.    A.  Continue  to  expand  Positive  Behavior  Support  and  Intervention  Supports.  Currently,  18  LPS  schools/programs  are  utilizing  the  school-­‐wide  Positive  Behavior  Interventions  and  Supports  (PBIS)  model.  The  LPS  Positive  Behavior  Team  continues  to  support  and  coach  schools  on  the  implementation  of  PBIS  as  well  as  to  support  individual  schools  and  students  struggling  with  challenging  behaviors.  This  team  provides  facilitation,  training,  professional  development  and  parent  workshops  that  focus  on  positive  behavioral  interventions.  In  addition,  the  Positive  Behavior  Support  Team  provided  PBIS  training  for  School  Age  Child  Care  programs  at  all  sites  in  the  fall  of  2014.  All  three  traditional  LPS  high  schools  currently  use  their  own  variety  of  school  culture  and  climate  programs  and  activities,  but  are  not  currently  implementing  PBIS.  One  current  goal  is  to  work  with  schools  to  better  align  behavior  frameworks  across  LPS  at  the  high  school  level.    B.  Increase  staff,  student  and  parent  awareness  of  responsible  practices  related  to  cybersafety  and  digital  citizenship.  Several  successful  events  were  planned  and  implemented  during  this  school  year.  The  LPS  Cyber-­‐Savvy  Parent  website  has  been  operating  since  2012  to  provide  resources  and  links  to  parents  in  the  area  of  online  safety,  digital  citizenship,  cyberbullying  and  a  variety  of  other  cyber  resources.  In  the  spring  of  2014,  our  second  Cyber-­‐  Savvy  Parent  Workshop  was  held  in  partnership  with  the  Arapahoe  Library  District,  the  18th  Judicial  District  Attorney’s  office  and  the  LPS  Foundation.  Over  175  parents  attended  the  event,  learning  about  a  variety  of  cybersafety  topics.  The  event  was  also  streamed  live  via  the  LPS  website.  Additional  parent  workshops  were  planned  for  the  2014-­‐2015  and  2015-­‐2016  school  years  in  order  to  reach  even  more  parents.  Some  of  our  School  Resource  Officers  have  also  participated  in  trainings  about  cybersafety  and  are  now  providing  parent  information  nights  in  the  schools.    C.  Continue  strong  and  proactive  partnerships  with  community  law  enforcement,  fire  and  city  governments  to  promote  and  maintain  safe  and  secure  learning  environments.    LPS  continues  to  have  strong  relationships  with  its  School  Resource  Officers  (SROs),  the  Littleton  Police  Department  and  Arapahoe  County  Sheriff's  Office.  As  a  result  of  those  partnerships,  Littleton  City  Council  approved  the  addition  of  two  full  time  School  Resource  Officers  to  serve  our  schools  in  the  City  of  Littleton.  Arapahoe  County  has  also  added  an  additional  deputy  for  Arapahoe  High  School.  We  also  have  an  ongoing  relationship  with  the  Littleton  Fire  Department,  which  provides  safety  support  for  all  of  our  schools.  The  Director  of  Secondary  Education  meets  regularly  with  the  Littleton  Police  Department  Commander  to  review  the  SRO  program  and  problem  solve  other  potential  safety  issues  in  the  district  and  community.  Finally,  LPS  worked  closely  with  the  Littleton  Police  Department,  the  Department  of  Human  Services  and  other  community  groups  to  create  a  model  for  “Safety  Assemblies”  that  help  elementary  students  know  whom  they  can  go  to  for  help  when  they  feel  unsafe.  These  have  been  piloted  in  two  schools  and  are  conducted  by  SROs  and  school  mental  health  staff  members.  

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 D.  Provide  ongoing  training  and  capacity  development  for  all  schools  and  programs  to  effectively  implement  danger  assessment  protocols  for  threats,  suicide  intervention  and  bullying.      Through  the  implementation  of  the  Student  Support  Services  annual  training  calendar,  ongoing  training  was  provided  

to  administrators  and  school  staff  to  improve  capacity  for  effective  crisis  intervention.  This  includes  the  course  Danger  Assessment  (Threats,  Suicide,  Bullying),  in  addition  to  the  tabletop  drills  conducted  by  LPS  Security  as  part  of  the  Incident  Command  System.  In  June  2014,  an  administrative  review  of  LPS  Threat  Assessment  protocols  was  conducted,  including  supervisors  from  the  Littleton  Police  Department,  the  Arapahoe  County  Sheriff’s  Office,  the  Arapahoe  Douglas  Mental  Health  Network  and  national  expert  Dr.  John  Nicoletti.    Following  this  review,  additional  feedback  was  taken  from  school  administrators  and  staff  prior  to  development  of  some  new  guidance  documents  to  help  provide  more  specific  detail  regarding  the  threat  assessment  process.    E.  Conduct  a  review  of  discipline  data  and  explore  innovative  alternatives  to  suspension  and  expulsion.  In  an  effort  to  avoid  duplication  of  efforts,  we  have  been  working  with  the  current  Safety  and  Mental  Health  Advisory  Committee  and  presented  them  with  some  key  information,  including  discipline  data  and  a  review  of  our  discipline  policies  and  procedures.  At  the  same  time,  we  have  been  collecting  information  from  other  districts  about  their  alternative  to  suspension  and  expulsion  programs.  It  is  clear  that  drug  and  alcohol  incidents  are  the  major  reason  for  expulsion  and  we  are  actively  working  on  ideas  for  how  to  develop  a  model  that  is  focused  on  graduated  intervention  and  consequences  that  can  support  students  in  a  variety  of  situations  (chronic  addiction  to  first-­‐time).    A  new  process  in  place  this  year  is  a  weekly  meeting  that  includes  the  Director  of  Security,  the  Director  of  Social,  Emotional  &  Behavioral  Services,  and  the  Coordinator  of  Student  Support  Services.  The  team  reviews  all  discipline  events,  critical  incidents  and  other  related  reports  in  an  effort  to  cross-­‐reference  and  review  with  an  eye  on  safety.        

LPS  continues  to  have  strong  relationships  with  its  School  Resource  Officers  (SROs),  the  Littleton  Police  Department  and  Arapahoe  County  Sheriff's  Office.  As  a  result  of  those  partnerships,  Littleton  City  Council  approved  the  addition  of  two  full  time  School  Resource  Officers  to  serve  our  schools  in  the  City  of  Littleton.  Arapahoe  County  has  also  added  an  additional  deputy  for  Arapahoe  High  School.

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Focus  Area  8    Enhance  and  support  quality  early  childhood  and  childcare  programs.    Intended  Outcome    To  provide  access  to  quality,  self-­‐sustaining  early  childhood  programs  and  school  age  childcare.    Research  tells  us  that  children  who  enter  elementary  school  ready  to  learn,  achieve  at  higher  levels  throughout  their  K-­‐12  education  experience.  

 A.  Analyze  available  data  related  to  current  early-­‐childhood  programs  LPS  currently  has  seven  Early  Childhood  Education  sites.  The  Village  for  Early  Childhood  Education  has  program  sites  at  North  and  at  Ames  and  shares  an  administrator.  The  other  five  programs  operate  independently.  These  programs  implement  their  own  curriculum,  conduct  their  own  assessments  and  operate  on  their  own  schedules.  The  elementary  school  principal  supervises  programs  that  are  hosted  at  their  site.  New  legislation  on  School  Readiness  and  the  

implementation  of  new  Colorado  Academic  Standards  provide  us  with  an  opportunity  to  align  all  early  childhood  education  programs  under  a  common  vision.  This  vision  will  strengthen  our  continued  focus  on  the  importance  of  early  childhood  education  and  outcomes  for  all  young  children  in  LPS.  Currently,  discussions  are  underway  with  Cherry  Creek  Schools  in  terms  of  a  collaborative  effort  in  the  creation  and  implementation  of  required  school  readiness  plans.    B.  Encourage  and  strengthen  collaboration  between  site  preschools  and  the  Village.  Work  in  this  area  began  during  the  spring  of  2013.  In  August  2014,  the  Village  at  Ames  opened  its  doors  as  our  second  district  preschool.  Under  the  leadership  of  the  Director  of  Elementary  Education,  the  Director  of  Special  Education/Student  Support  Services  and  the  Coordinator  for  Special  Programs,  much  support  and  professional  development  has  been  provided  to  make  this  project  a  success  for  the  students  and  their  families  of  LPS.  Plans  will  continue  to  use  our  collective  expertise  to  support  each  other  and  our  youngest  learners.  Preschool  managers  meet  with  the  Director  of  Elementary  Education  four  times  a  year.  This  quarterly  meeting  schedule  was  implemented  during  the  2014-­‐2015  school  year  and  will  continue.  Preschool  programs  meet  on  the  elementary  early  release  days  to  share  best  practices  and  to  participate  in  shared  professional  development.  Shared  professional  development  will  continue  in  the  2015-­‐2016  school  year.    C.  Coordinate  and  align  School  Age  Child  Care  (SACC)  programs  for  equity  and  consistency.  A  SACC  Coordinator’s  position  was  created  in  the  fall  of  2013  and  filled  in  January  of  2014.  The  SACC  Coordinator  provides  support  and  feedback  related  to  program  implementation  and  quality,  budget  development  and  financial  transactions/procedures  and  assistance  for  students  and  parents.  The  SACC  Coordinator  provides  training  to  SACC  managers  and  SACC  personnel  to  ensure  quality  and  engaging  programs.  The  SACC  Coordinator  ensures  that  programs  are  maintained  in  accordance  with  Colorado  Department  of  Human  Services.  The  SACC  Coordinator  position  is  specific  to  before-­‐and-­‐after  school  programs  and  to  summer  programs.  This  first  year  of  operation  has  been  highly  successful.    D.  Monitor  and  adjust  appropriately  all  Preschool  and  SACC  programs  to  make  sure  they  are  self-­‐supporting.  Preschool  and  SACC  have  an  annual  budget  meeting  in  February  to  receive  training  on  budget  development  and  to  review  guidelines  for  enterprise  programs.  Programs  are  provided  with  current  financial  information.  Programs  are  audited  a  minimum  of  every  other  year.  Programs  with  financial  concerns  are  audited  yearly.  The  Director  of  Elementary  Education  receives  an  annual  update  in  September  that  includes  end-­‐of-­‐year  financials  

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and  budget  allocations  for  the  new  school  year.  The  Director  of  Elementary  Education  and  personnel  from  Financial  Services,  meet  with  programs  as  needed  to  develop  and  monitor  a  plan  to  ensure  each  program  is  self-­‐supporting.  Creative  problem  solving  has  helped  to  limit  financial  risk  and  to  continue  supporting  our  enterprise  programs.    E.  Investigate  employee  childcare  options  within  the  district.  The  infant  daycare  program  at  Options  is  licensed  to  provide  services  to  families  other  than  Options  students.  An  open  house  for  employees  will  be  held  in  the  spring  of  2015.  The  program  began  to  provide  day  care  for  the  infants  of  Options  students  and  LPS  employees  beginning  in  August  2014.      F.  Strengthen  the  relationship  between  the  Village  and  LPS  kindergarten  programs.  The  Village  transition  meeting  takes  place  on  the  April  non-­‐student  day.  All  LPS  schools  receiving  students  from  the  Village  programs  are  given  achievement  data—Teaching  Strategies  Gold  and  family  data  from  the  Village  Family  Partnership  Office.  The  goal  is  to  create  a  similar  transition  process  for  all  LPS  preschools.  The  Director  of  Elementary  Education  updates  principals  annually  to  ensure  transition  date  information  and  expectations  are  communicated.    G.  Further  investigate  and  evaluate  the  use  of  Ames  facility  as  a  site  for  a  second  district  preschool  program.  Completed  in  the  fall  of  2014.        

New  legislation  on  School  Readiness  and  the  implementation  of  new  Colorado  Academic  Standards  provide  us  with  an  opportunity  to  align  all  early  childhood  education  programs  under  a  common  vision.  This  vision  will  strengthen  our  continued  focus  on  the  importance  of  early  childhood  education  and  outcomes  for  all  young  children  in  LPS.

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Focus  Area  9    Educate  and  support  staff,  parents  and  community  to  address  diverse  student  learning  by  providing  access  and  opportunities  for  all  students.    Intended  Outcome    Littleton  Public  Schools  and  the  community  are  culturally  proficient  and  competent  in  addressing  diversity  and  equity  issues  according  to  the  needs  of  the  various  groups  represented  in  the  community.    The  communities  that  LPS  serves  are  changing.  They  are  becoming  more  culturally  diverse  and  richer  in  ideas  and  experiences.  This  provides  a  wonderful  opportunity  for  LPS  to  find  new  ways  to  embrace  this  broad  diversity.  It  also  presents  the  challenge  to  LPS  to  ensure  that  families  with  ever  changing  needs  receive  the  help  that  they,  and  their  children,  need  so  that  they  will  thrive  in  the  community  and  in  our  schools.    A.  Develop  and  implement  multiple  communication  delivery  strategies  for  a  multicultural  and  more  diverse  district  as  a  result  of  changing  demographics  of  the  community.  Spanish  is  the  second  language  most  highly  represented  in  the  district.  Key  district  and  building  level  communications  are  translated.  Schools  that  host  second  language  programs  are  staffed  with  an  English  Language  Acquisition  Parent  Liaison  to  support  communication  and  help  meet  the  needs  of  students  and  families.  Translation  services  for  all  languages  are  available  for  parent-­‐teacher  conferences  and  special  education  meetings.    B.  Develop  increased  awareness  and  sensitivity  to  cultural  differences,  cultural  implications  and  challenges  that  result  from  the  various  demographic  changes  in  the  Littleton  community.  Cultural  sensitivity  is  critical  in  supporting  the  increasing  diversity  in  LPS.  Parent  liaisons  in  our  schools  with  second  language  programming  are  an  asset  to  developing  this  awareness.  At  the  elementary  level,  shared  reading  provides  students  with  an  opportunity  to  develop  awareness  and  appreciation  of  cultural  differences.        C.  Access  to  supports  and  resources  for  immigrant  families  will  increase  in  coordination  with  the  City  of  Littleton.  LPS  will  commit  resources  from  the  federal  Title  grants  to  provide  parent  liaisons  at  all  north  corridor  schools  including  the  Village.  The  job  descriptions  of  parent  liaisons  are  being  rewritten  for  increased  effectiveness  and  scope  of  work.  Training  for  parent  liaisons,  specifically  to  address  coordination  and  planning  of  effective  parent  involvement  activities,  is  also  being  developed.    D.  Develop  and  implement  processes  to  identify  issues  of  equity  and  opportunity  for  all  students.  Equity  and  opportunity  for  all  students  remains  a  high  priority  for  LPS.  Administration  is  developing  a  process  for  how  to  identify  and  address  issues  in  the  area.      E.  Effective  instructional  and  extracurricular  practices  for  English  Language  Learners  will  be  analyzed  and  implemented.  The  co-­‐teaching  model  is  in  place  at  all  schools  that  host  a  second  language  program.  Co-­‐teaching  supports  access  to  Tier  I  instruction  for  language  learners.  Language  learners  have  access  to  and  are  encouraged  to  participate  in  extracurriculars.  The  middle  level  continues  to  host  a  summer  school  program  that  includes  academic  and  experiential  learning.  East  Elementary  School  was  awarded  the  Foundation  for  Great  Schools  Grant.  Grant  monies  will  be  used  to  support  a  2015  summer  reading  program  for  students.    

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F.  Develop  partnerships  with  higher  education  resources  to  create  opportunities  and  incentives  for  staff  to  obtain  ELD  licensure  and/or  other  related  endorsements.  This  work  will  begin  in  2017.  Until  that  time,  administration  will  study  options  in  this  area.      G.  Work  will  continue  on  the  analysis  of  the  standards  and  certification  requirements  for  district  translators  and  interpreters.  The  district  English  Language  Acquisition  Specialist  has  developed  requirements  for  district  translators  and  interpreters  and  is  implementing  those  standards.  Learning  Services  developed  a  district  translation  process  in  2013-­‐2014  and  found  it  effective  in  providing  translation  of  written  documents.  We  are  currently  in  the  process  of  developing  a  process  for  accessing  interpretation  services  for  families  needing  to  access  school  functions  whom  are  deaf  and  hard  of  hearing.      

H.  Local  partnerships  will  be  enhanced  to  increase  engagement  of  parents  and  community  members  from  diverse  backgrounds.  LPS  submitted  the  Adult  Literacy  Grant  application  to  continue  to  partner  with  Bemis  Library  to  offer  adult  English  classes,  however  this  grant  application  was  declined.  The  program  was  

eliminated.  Learning  Services  believes  that  the  needs  of  the  clients  are  being  met  through  the  numerous  other  programs  available  in  Littleton.    I.  Continue  to  develop  opportunities  for  senior  citizen  engagement  and  support  for  the  district,  including  adult  learning  opportunities.  LPS  has  a  strong  tradition  of  senior  citizen  volunteers.  Many  seniors  are  involved  through  the  Senior  Citizen  Tax  Rebate  Program.  Elementary  schools  have  a  long  and  cherished  tradition  of  hosting  Grandparent  Days.  Workshops  in  literacy,  math  and  21st  century  learning  tools  continue  to  be  offered  for  our  senior  volunteers.    J.  Explore  opportunities  and  options  to  recruit  a  more  diverse  workforce.  Human  Resources  continues  to  promote  LPS  to  minority  candidates.  During  the  2014-­‐2015  school  year,  they  attended  a  Hispanic  administrative  recruiting  fair  sponsored  by  the  Colorado  Association  of  Latino  Administrators  and  Superintendents.  HR  also  conducted  an  internal  demographic  study  to  review  the  demographic  makeup  of  our  current  staff.  Currently,  our  staff  demographics  are  very  similar  to  our  student  demographics.  Anticipating  increasing  diversity  in  coming  years,  this  strategy  will  continue  to  be  explored.    

Cultural  sensitivity  is  critical  in  supporting  the  increasing  diversity  in  LPS.  Parent  liaisons  in  our  schools  with  second  language  programming  are  an  asset  to  developing  this  awareness.  At  the  elementary  level,  shared  reading  provides  students  with  an  opportunity  to  develop  awareness  and  appreciation  of  cultural  differences.    

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Focus  Area  10    Partner  with  parents  and  community  to  expand  and  enhance  programs  that  address  the  physical,  social  and  emotional  well  being  of  students,  families  and  staff.      Intended  Outcome    Students  in  Littleton  Public  Schools  will  have  access  to  physical,  social  and  emotional  programming  in  order  to  enhance  their  success  as  learners.    A.  Support  schools  in  implementing  a  continuum  of  social  emotional  programs  and  interventions.    The  additional  mental  health  staffing  provided  this  year  has  helped  support  capacity  to  implement  social  emotional  interventions  in  schools.  In  addition,  the  administrative  staff  presented  a  summary  of  the  LPS  pyramid  of  intervention  model  to  the  current  Safety  and  Mental  Health  Advisory  Committee  to  support  their  work  in  developing  recommendations  moving  forward.      After  an  initial  pilot  at  two  schools,  many  of  our  LPS  elementary  schools  are  now  using  Second  Step,  a  research-­‐based  bullying  prevention  and  social  skills  curriculum,  with  assistance  from  the  LPS  Positive  Behavior  Team.  We  also  purchased  the  curriculum  for  middle  schools  and  they  are  exploring  how  to  most  effectively  use  the  program  within  their  existing  systems.  Additionally,  through  the  PBIS  framework,  schools  have  implemented  lessons  for  students  that  focus  on  bullying  prevention.  High  schools  utilize  a  variety  of  methods  to  increase  positive  culture,  including  LINK,  Rachel’s  Challenge,  Make  a  Difference  Week  and  other  events.  All  district  administrators  and  mental  health  staff  were  trained  on  new  requirements  for  intervention  and  documentation  of  bullying  allegations.  The  expansion  of  the  district’s  Behavior  Support  Team  has  made  a  significant  difference  in  our  ability  to  support  such  programming.      Playworks—a  playground  and  after  school  childcare  program  to  reduce  bullying,  increase  physical  activity  and  support  social-­‐emotional  well  being—was  implemented  for  elementary  schools  during  the  2013-­‐2014  school  year  and  will  continue  through  2015-­‐2016.  Preliminary  results  are  very  promising.  While  continuing  to  provide  resources  and  support  to  schools  to  address  bullying  prevention  strategies,  we  focused  particularly  on  cyberbullying  prevention  for  the  last  two  years.      As  a  result  of  ongoing  collaboration  between  Littleton  Public  Schools,  the  Littleton  Police  Department,  Kidpower  of  Colorado,  Sungate  Kids  and  the  Arapahoe  County  Department  of  Human  Services,  two  new  programs  related  to  safety  are  being  piloted  in  LPS.  

 An  elementary  presentation  delivered  by  our  School  Resources  Officers  and  mental  health  staff  started  in  several  elementary  schools  in  the  fall  of  2014.  The  school  assembly  focuses  on  adults  in  the  school  setting  who  students  can  talk  to  as  well  as  basic  messages  about  safety.    In  addition,  Sungate  Kids,  a  nationally  accredited  Children’s  Advocacy  Center,  created  a  program  specific  to  the  prevention  of  physical  and  sexual  abuse.  Sungate  Kids  SafeKids  (SK2)  was  created  to  teach  children  how  to  keep  their  bodies  safe.  Children  learn  

about  the  dynamics  of  child  abuse  and  sexual  abuse  through  the  use  of  puppets  in  a  performance-­‐based  assembly.  This  assembly  will  be  offered  to  third,  fourth  and  fifth  grade  students  this  year.  As  of  March  2015,  four  LPS  elementary  schools  have  hosted  the  Sungate  Kids  SafeKids  assembly.        

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B.  Expand  the  continuum  of  programming  available  for  all  students  with  significant  behavioral  and  emotional  challenges.    We  have  begun  the  process  of  exploring  multiple  options  and  ideas  for  expanding  our  service  continuum  in  both  general  education  and  special  education.  The  space  constraints  created  by  bond  construction  work  is  a  barrier  to  expanding  programming.  However,  we  are  continuing  to  talk  internally  and  externally  about  how  to  best  expand  our  range  of  services  for  students  with  the  highest  needs.    C.  Improve  student  and  family  access  to  quality,  licensed  school-­‐based  mental  health  staff.  The  Board  approval  of  the  2014-­‐2015  budget  request  for  additional  mental  health  staff  has  been  very  impactful  across  LPS.  The  three  primary  goals  of  this  expansion  include:  increasing  direct  counseling  and  case  management,  improving  Tier  Two  social/emotional  interventions  and  creating  multi-­‐disciplinary  teams.      Secondary  schools  have  been  creative  in  different  ways,  such  as  using  the  new  staff  to  work  intensively  with  students  with  high  needs  or  to  conduct  group  interventions  or  special  support  classes.  Elementary  schools  have  benefited  from  the  additional  capacity  on  the  district  Behavior  and  Mental  Health  Team  who  provides  consultation  on  individual  cases  and  behavior  interventions.        D.  Develop  sustainable  and  effective  partnerships  with  community  agencies  and  resources  to  support  students  experiencing  significant  mental  health  needs  (Arapahoe  Douglas  Mental  Health  Network,  Littleton  Adventist  Hospital  and  other  community  agencies.  LPS  continues  to  value  community  partnerships  to  support  suicide  prevention.  We  formalized  our  relationship  with  the  Arapahoe/Douglas  Mental  Health  Network  (ADMHN)  through  monthly  networking  meetings.  We  began  discussions  about  creating  a  cooperative  mental  health  program  or  clinic  in  partnership  with  ADMHN  and  possibly  additional  partners.  We  continue  to  provide  ASIST  (Applied  Suicide  Intervention  Skills  Training)  for  our  staff  and  community  members.  We  support  suicide  prevention  efforts  through  the  entire  school  year,  but  also  focus  on  them  during  Colorado  School  Safety  Month.      This  year,  ADMHN  decided  not  to  continue  their  Functional  Family  Therapy  Program,  a  significant  resource  for  LPS  families.  We  are  currently  utilizing  other  therapy  programs  through  ADMHN.  Family  referrals  are  made  through  the  Student  Attendance  Review  Board  (SARB),  LPS  deferred  expulsion  contracts,  alternative  education  staff  and  LPS  mental  health  staff.  In  addition,  in  December  of  2014,  Colorado  Crisis  Services  was  launched—a  new  network  of  urgent  care  services  across  the  state.  A  local  Urgent  Mental  Health  Walk-­‐in  Clinic  on  South  Santa  Fe  is  part  of  this  network  and  is  managed  by  ADMHN.  Their  services  also  include  a  hotline  and  a  mobile  crisis  team.  We  have  already  seen  this  new  service  help  many  families.  LPS  has  benefitted  from  ongoing  partnership  in  the  past  year  with  Littleton  Adventist  Hospital  to  provide  Resiliency  Training  opportunities  for  the  Arapahoe  High  School  community.      E.  Increase  partnerships  with  community  agencies  and  improve  student  and  family  access  to  needed  resources  such  as  medical,  dental,  basic  needs  homeless  assistance.  LPS  Health  Services  continues  to  collaborate  with  the  TriCounty  Department  of  Health  and  other  community  agencies  to  develop  resources  for  LPS  families.  We  continue  to  have  a  homeless  liaison  that  works  with  families  and  facilitates  school  and  community  resources.      F.  Support  the  physical  health  needs  of  students  through  promoting  healthy  nutrition,  physical  movement  and  access  to  health  services.  Through  the  work  to  support  student  and  family  access  to  resources  that  address  the  health  and  mental  health  needs  of  the  district,  increasing  district  health  needs  became  apparent.  The  number  of  students  with  significant  health  needs,  that  require  a  health  care  action  plan,  increased  by  240  percent  over  the  last  10  years.  Therefore,  thanks  to  the  approval  of  the  LPS  Board  of  Education,  a  part-­‐time  health  assistant  position  was  approved  for  every  school.  This  position  was  implemented  in  the  2013-­‐2014  school  year.  In  addition,  the  expansion  of  LPS  mental  health  staffing  will  help  increase  case  management  and  connections  for  families  to  community  resources.    

The  additional  mental  health  staffing  provided  this  year  has  helped  support  capacity  to  implement  social  emotional  interventions  in  schools.  In  addition,  the  administrative  staff  presented  a  summary  of  the  LPS  pyramid  of  intervention  model  to  the  current  Safety  and  Mental  Health  Advisory  Committee  to  support  their  work  in  developing  recommendations  moving  forward.

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G.  Participate  in  activities  of  the  Greater  Littleton  Youth  Initiative  (GLYI)  and  promote  and  support  integration  of  activities  into  existing  school  structures  to  the  greatest  extent  possible.  Unfortunately,  the  Greater  Littleton  Youth  Initiative  has  had  trouble  finding  a  renewed  purpose  and  mission  as  a  result  of  several  simultaneous  events.  There  were  leadership  changes  within  the  Board  of  Education  a  year  ago,  the  Littleton  City  Council  withdrew  their  funding  and  the  Arapahoe/Douglas  Mental  Health  Network  opted  to  not  continue  Functional  Family  Therapy.  GLYI  has  not  conducted  regular  meetings  this  year  and  some  of  its  leaders  have  been  participating  in  the  Safety  and  Mental  Health  Committee.  Despite  the  current  struggles,  LPS  continues  to  actively  pursue  community  partnerships  and  will  support  GLYI  in  whatever  form  it  takes  in  the  future.    H.  Explore  feasibility  of  continuing  Restorative  Justice  activities  after  the  funding  from  the  EARSS  grant  ends.    We  continue  to  implement  our  four-­‐year  Expelled  and  At-­‐Risk  Student  Services  (EARSS)  grant  that  is  focusing  on  restorative  practices.  Currently,  the  program  funds  a  full-­‐time  Restorative  Justice  Facilitator,  subcontractors  and  other  costs  for  implementing  a  few  key  strategies  in  our  alternative  programs.  These  strategies  include:  Restorative  Circles  and  Mediations,  Collaborative  Problem  Solving  and  Positive  Behavior  Supports  and  Interventions.  This  year  we  have  put  a  large  focus  on  implementing  Restorative  Family  Conferences  targeting  three  areas:  Drugs/Alcohol,  Truancy  and  Behavior.  Family  conferences  include  both  the  student  and  parent(s),  who  create  solutions  together  with  the  help  of  a  facilitator.  We  are  also  conducting  trainings  for  staff  to  learn  how  to  facilitate  restorative  practices  as  well.  As  a  result,  Littleton  High  School  began  running  their  own  Family  Attendance  Conferences  to  intervene  with  truancy.  We  are  currently  finishing  year  three  of  this  grant  and  will  need  to  make  decisions  soon  about  how  to  sustain  the  program  after  the  2015-­‐2016  school  year.    I.  Increase  staff  awareness  and  access  to  employee  assistance  programs.  Human  Resources  provides  information  to  our  school  buildings  regarding  employee  assistance  programs.  Building  leadership  promotes  these  resources  with  their  staff  as  needed.      J.  Facilitate  and  support  the  ongoing  recovery  and  resiliency  activities  related  to  crisis  response  in  our  schools.    The  LPS  Mental  Health  Crisis  Team  takes  a  lead  role  in  supporting  schools  when  a  traumatic  event  occurs.  The  team  is  made  up  of  administrators  and  mental  health  staff  from  across  the  district  and  utilizes  the  PREPARE  model—a  standardized  framework  and  training  for  crisis  response  in  the  schools.  This  team  received  many  commendations  for  its  work  with  the  Arapahoe  High  School  community  in  the  past  year.    As  a  result  of  the  Arapahoe  High  School  incident,  much  discussion  has  taken  place  about  various  aspects  of  crisis  intervention.  The  additional  mental  health  staff  at  the  secondary  level  has  supported  mental  health  issues  and  crisis  intervention.  LPS  constantly  strives  to  continuously  improve  and  is  continuing  to  meet  with  partners  in  law  enforcement,  human  services  and  community  mental  health  to  update  and  improve  our  threat  assessment  procedures.    Through  collaboration  with  the  Littleton  Adventist  Hospital  Foundation  we  provided  two  community  events  in  the  winter  of  2014  focusing  on  resiliency  for  the  AHS  community.  These  well-­‐attended  events  featured  a  well-­‐known  psychologist  from  Duke  University,  Dr.  Bryan  Sexton.  Participants  gained  helpful  tips  and  tools  for  developing  positive  coping  skills  and  resiliency.  We  are  continuing  to  explore  how  to  further  integrate  resiliency  concepts  into  our  schools.    K.  Provide  funding  for  sustainability  of  social  emotional  interventions  and  programming.  Social  emotional  interventions  and  programming  continue  to  be  a  focus  and  a  priority  need  area.  Administration  is  developing  a  plan  for  how  to  address  sustainable  funding  in  this  area  and  awaiting  recommendations  from  the  Safety  and  Mental  Health  Advisory  Committee.  Absence  additional  funding  from  the  taxpayer,  the  district  will  review  areas  that  can  be  reduced  to  fund  our  highest  needs.      

Key$Strategic$Initiatives

A Develop'a'calendar'that'sustains'ongoing,'embedded'time'to'increase'student'achievement.

B Implement'a'plan'for'ongoing'professional'development'for'teacher'and'principal'effectiveness.

C Expand'Pyramids'of'Intervention'across'all'school'sites.

D Support'Student'Intervention'Teams'systemwide.

E Implement'strategies'to'continue'to'close'the'student'achievement'gaps'in'various'subgroups.

FSupport'and'monitor'alternative'education'programming'to'ensure'it'is'meeting'the'needs'of'students'and'families.

G Support'teachers'and'principals'as'they'implement'Colorado'Academic'Standards.

HDevelop'and'support'new'assessment'plan'to'include'PARCC'and'Colorado'Measures'of'Academic'Success'(CMAS).

I Study,'create'and'implement'new'grading'and'reporting'practices'aligned'with'the'standards.

J Monitor'and'evaluate'legislative'mandates'to'determine'appropriate'fit'and'action'for'LPS.

KRevise'the'elementary'Universal'Literacy'Framework'including'ongoing'professional'development'and'progress'monitoring.

L Monitor'strategies'to'reduce'remediation'rates'and'increase'onJtime'graduation'rates'for'all'students.

M Implement'the'Middle'Level'Literacy'Framework.

NInvestigate'the'possibility'of'expanding'concurrent'enrollent'programs'and'develop'a'plan'for'the'implementation'of'new'graduation'guidelines.

OInvestigate'additional'career'exploration'opportunities'including,'but'not'limited'to,'Career'Technical'Education.'

P Provide'clear'expectations'and'a'focus'on'21st'century'skills'for'all'teachers.

20172011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

Focus$Area$1:$ $Enhance$instrucJonal$systems$and$career$pathways$that$maximize$achievement$for$all$students$and$integrate$ $$ $knowledge$and$skills$relevant$to$21st$century$career$choices.$

!Intended!Outcome:!$All#students#will#achieve#at#high#levels#and,#upon#gradua5on,#be#postsecondary#and#workforce#ready.#Therefore,#90#percent#of#all#students,#K?11,#will#be#on#or#above#grade#level#in#Reading,#Wri5ng#and#Mathema5cs#as#measured#by#the#current#body#of#evidence#reported#through#the#district#Grade#Level#Index#calcula5on.#Students#not#at#grade#level#will#exhibit#catch?up#growth.#

Key$Strategic$InitiativesA Enhance'district'networks'to'support'converging'services.

B Expand'online'learning'opportunities.

C Enhance'STEM'Inc.'courses'and'programs.

D Maintain'and'enhance'a'comprehensive'and'coherent'data'management'strategy.

E Upgrade'district'filtering'services.

F Maintain'and'monitor'Inspired'Writing'project'for'grades'5B12.

G Develop'a'plan'for'technology'needs'serving'curriculum,'instruction'and'assessment.

H Support'and'evaluate'the'technology'platform'for'Educator'Effectiveness.

I Continue'partnershop'with'the'LPS'Foundation'to'supplement'technology'funding.

J Implement'instructional'applications'that'support'new'standards'and'interventions.

K Extend'cybersafety'programming.

L Pursue'1:1'student'computing

20172011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

Focus$Area$2:$ $Expand$uHlizaHon$of$instrucHonal$technology$with$appropriate$use$for$student$achievement$while$providing$the$$ $infrastructure$for$organizaHonal$efficiency$and$effecHveness.$

$Intended&Outcome:&Appropriate,*engaging*use*of*technology*is*the*norm*for*doing*the*work*of*school.*

Key$Strategic$Initiatives

A Increase(access(to(and(utilization(of(modern(technologies(to(support(professional(practice.

B Continue(training(and(support(for(the(Professional(Learning(Communities((PLC)(model.

C Maintain(and(enhance(a(comprehensive(and(coherent(data(management(strategy.

D Identify(a(sustainable(funding(stream(for(staff(computer(refresh.

EDevelop(a(sustainable(funding(stream(for(materials(and(resources(to(support(the(Colorado(Academic(Standards.

FInvestigate(and(offer(solutions(for(equity(in(elementary(school(time(for(art,(music,(PE,(G/T,(technology,(library,(etc.,(in(a(comprehensive(school(program.

GTrack(the(correlation(between(National(Board(Certification(and(increased(teacher(effectiveness(and(student(achievement.

HDesign(professional(development(opportunities(to(maximize(implementation(of(the(Colorado(Academic(Standards.

20172011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

Focus$Area$3:$ $Provide$an$educaEonal$and$work$environment$that$supports$professional$learning$and$collaboraEve$work$for$all$

$ $staff.$

$

Intended&Outcome:&Time%and%resources%for%all%collabora1ve%work%are%provided%that%result%in%students%reaching%the%goal%of%on%or%above%grade%level%in%reading,%math,%wri1ng%and%science.%

Key$Strategic$InitiativesA Develop'an'evaluation'model'for'Specialized'Service'Professionals—Human'Resources'(HR)/Student'

Support'Services'(SSS).

B Refine'evaluation'model'for'licensed'teachers'to'include'conferencing'and'feedback'protocols'with'clear'

observation'expectations'for'both'probationary'and'nonD'probationary'staff'(HR).

C Develop'an'evaluation'model'for'other'licensed'central'office'personnel—Human'Resources'(HR)'with'

support'from'Learning'Services'(LS).

D Establish'interDrater'agreement'around'the'professional'practices'in'the'teacher,'SSP,'and'administrator'

evaluation'models'(LS'with'support'from'Technology'and'HR).

E Develop'instructional'walkDthrough'protocols'for'teacher'evaluation'model'(LS).

F Develop'instructional'walkDthrough'protocols'for'SSP'evaluation'model'(SSS'and'LS).

G Clearly'define'and'refine'formal,'informal,'and'walkDthrough'protocols'(LS).

H Develop'the'growth'standard'for'teachers'and'school'leaders'including'collective'and'individual'

attribution'(LS).'

I Develop'Littleton'definition'of'Student'Learning'Objectives'(SLOs)'for'teachers'and'Individual'Objectives'

(IIOs)'for'school'leaders'(LS).

J Assess'the'validity'and'reliability'of'the'growth'component'for'all'licensed'personnel'(LS).

K Develop'a'plan'for'gathering'of'stakeholder'input'as'outlined'in'the'law'(HR'with'support'from'LS).'This'

includes:

•'''Student'perception:'licensed'teachers,'SSPs,'school'leaders

•'''Staff'perception:'school'principal,'assistant'principals

•'''Colleague'feedback:'licensed'teachers

•'''Expert'feedback:'SSPs

20172011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

Focus$Areas:$ $$1,$2,$3,$5,$and$6$as$they$relate$to$SB$SB191$Educator$EffecJveness$ImplementaJon$$Intended&Outcome:&&All#students#will#achieve#a#high#levels#through#the#focused#work#and#ongoing#training#of#highly#effec7ve#teachers#and#leaders.#Time#and#resources#are#provided#which#support#professional#learning#and#collabora7ve#work.#

Key$Strategic$Initiatives

•'''Parent'perception:'licensed'teachers,'SSPs,'school'leaders

•'''District'Accountability'Committee'engagement:'student'growth

•'''School'Accountability'Committee'engagement:'Principal'Improvement'Plan

L Reach'agreement'and'communicate'the'following'practices,'procedures'and'policies:'(HR).

'•''Improvement'for'one'or'more'of'the'Standards'1–5'for'Partially'Proficient'rating

'•''Improvement'for'overall'professional'practice'rating'of'Partially'Proficient

•''Remediation:'Ineffective'or'Partially'Effective'summary'rating

'•''Appeals'Process:'2nd'consecutive'Ineffective'of'Partially'Effective'summary'rating

'•''Earning'and'losing'status,'fullDtime'and'partDtime'teachers

'•''Recruitment'and'hiring'of'licensed'employees

'•''Compensation'and'career'opportunities

'•''Evaluation'Handbook

'•''Reporting'and'monitoring'for'compliance'to'CDE'and'to'LPS'(Outcomes'that'matter'to'all)

'•''Induction'and'orientation'of'new'licensed'personnel

M Develop'a'comprehensive'training'plan'for'sustainability'on'(LST'with'HR):

'•''The'evaluation'model'itself'(HR)

'•''Alignment'of'professional'development'framework'and'employee'blueprints'(LS)

'•''Leadership'development'and/or'career'pathways'for'licensed'employees'(HR)

'•''Transition'planning'for'ESC'and'Building'Leadership'(HR)

2016 20172011 2012 2013 2014 2015

Key$Strategic$Initiatives

N Create'plan'for'technology'system'maintenance'and'management'(IT'with'HR'support).

O Develop'plan'for'sustainability'of'district'and'LEA'key'processes'related'to'Educator'Effectiveness'(HR).

P Establish'process'for'budget'alignment'and'prioritization'(HR'with'LS'and'IT'support).

Q Monitor'and'update'the'District'Strategic'Plan'(HR'with'LS'and'IT'support).

R Develop'plan'for'managing'all'of'the'data'and'data'reporting'(HR'with'LS'and'IT'support).

S Monitor'and'update'the'work'of'the'1338'Council,'i.e.,'the'Littleton'Educator'Effectiveness'Council'

(LCEE)'in'its'advisory'role'regarding'the'evaluation'models'for'LPS'(HR,'LS,'IT).

T Update'and'revise'BOE'policies'pertinent'to'changes'effected'by'SBD191'as'appropriate'to'LPS'(HR).

2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

Key$Strategic$Initiatives

A Expand'online'learning'opportunities.

BMonitor'and'evaluate'existing'promotion'and'recruitment'strategies'and'explore'new'ones.'Choice'will'be'a'focus'for'all'families'served.

C Monitor'and'evaluate'the'reason'families'"choice'out"'of'LPS.

D Continue'direct'communication'with'our'target'audiences.'

E Improve'and'expand'the'LPS'digital'footprint.'

F$ Continue'to'monitor'and'evaluate'offerings'to'meet'the'needs'of'students'and'families.

G Study,'create'and'implement'new'grading'and'reporting'practices'aligned'with'the'standards.

20172011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

Focus$Area$4:$ $Promote,$sustain$and$create$quality$programs$that$make$LiLleton$Public$Schools$the$uniquely$preferred$choice$for$

$ $families$inside$and$outside$the$district.$$

$

Intended&Outcome:&Strengthen(premier(district(status(as(measured(by:(student(achievement(index,(choice(index(and(community(survey(ra8ngs.(

Key$Strategic$InitiativesA Survey'the'community'to'understand'its'priorities'and'concerns.

B Continue'to'draw'upon'the'important'relationships'between'LPS'and'its'district:level'committees,'parents'and'their'individual'schools.

C Engage'the'LPS'community'in'the'Board'of'Education's'selection'of'a'new'superintendent.

D Engage'the'community'in'the'2015'Board'of'Education'election.'

E Continue'partnership'with'local'legislators'and'actively'influence'state'legislation'as'it'relates'to'the'values'and'priorities'of'the'LPS'community'and'directly'impacts'K:12'education.'

F Continue'informing'and'involving'advisory,'staff'and'parent'groups'in'essential'topics'such'as'funding,'graduation'requirements'and'assessments.

G Provide'information'to'and'seek'input'from'our'various'publics'in'the'awareness'and'celebration'of'LPS''changing'demographics'and'cultures.

H Engage'the'community'in'school'safety'and'mental'health'issues.'

I Further'promote'community'involvement'through'Senior'Citizens'Tax'Rebate'Program'and'Volunteers'in'Public'Schools'(VIPS).

J Provide'support'to'sites'to'enhance'parent'involvement'in'student'achievement.

K Implement'comprehensive'communications'strategies'that'address'issues'affecting'students,'parents,'employees'and'taxpayers.

20172011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

Focus$Area$5:$ $Engage$the$community$and$parents$as$acHve$partners$in$the$objecHves,$acHviHes$and$performance$of$the$school$$ $district$and$its$students.$

$Intended$Outcome:$Time%and%resources%for%community%and%parent%engagement%are%provided,%which%result%in%a%con8nuous%collabora8ve%process%that%fosters%understanding%of%and%support%for%the%district.%

Key$Strategic$Initiatives

A Commission'a'demographic'study'to'update'district'data.

B Continue'evaluaion'of'optimal'building'use'and'capacity.

CInfluence'school'finance'legislation'that'impacts'the'district's'ability'to'adequately'fund'programs'and'achievement.

DDevelop'and'implement'plans'to'make'all'school=based'enterprise'programs'self=supporting'including'school'aged'childcare,'club'sports,'etc.

E Implement'an'improved'method'for'parent'and'student'use'of'credit'cards.

F Continue'implementation'of'new'school'staffing'model.

G Develop'and'implement'other'BusinessPlus'and'change'management'items'for'core'financial'reports.

H Investigate'an'Electronic'Timecard'System.

IContinue'enhancement'of'payroll'and'human'resources'to'increase'staff'and'employee'productivity'and'satisfaction.

J Implement'Online'Benefits'Open'Enrollment.

K Revise'policies'in'Human'Resources'G=Series.

L Establish'an'advisory'committee'to'recommend'a'new'evaluation'system'in'alignment'with'SB191.

MDevelop'capital'bond'implementation'strategy'including'timeline'for'capital'improvement'planning'committee,'building'site'assessments'and'Board'of'Education'consideration.

N 'Investigate'and'evaluate'a'transportation'fee'for'ride'proposal'for'Board'of'Education'consideration.

O Develop'and'evaluate'alternative'student'routing'and'delivery'system.

PExpand'the'district's'central'refrigerator'and'freezer'to'accommodate'more'food'choices'and'increased'volume'of'fresh'produce.

20172011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

Focus$Area$6:$ $OpJmize$the$use$of$district$resources$and$faciliJes$to$meet$student$learning$needs$while$operaJng$the$district$ $$ $efficiently.$

$Intended$Outcome:$$Plan%of%ac)on%is%developed%for%op)mal%use%of%district%facili)es%for%effec)ve%use%of%district%resources.%

Key$Strategic$Initiatives

Q Analyze'and'revise'teacher'and'administrator'recruitment'and'hiring'process.

R Study'and'develop'alternative'teacher'compensation'models.

SDevelop'processes'and'procedures'to'enhance'effective'transportation'for'all'students'with'special'transportation'needs.

T Study'and'develop'budgeting'tools'that'allow'for'differentiated'funding'for'students.

U Review'building'life'and'education'viability.

V Continue'review'and'implementation'of'best'practice'security'strategies'in'all'buildings.'

W Identify'a'sustainable'funding'system'for'technology,'transportation'and'operational'facility'needs.'

2016 20172011 2012 2013 2014 2015

Key$Strategic$Initiatives

A Continue(expansion(of(Positive(Behavior(Support(and(Intervention(Supports((PBIS).

BIncrease(staff,(student,(and(parent(awareness(of(responsible(practices(related(to(cybersafety(and(digital(citizenship.

CContinue(strong(and(proactive(partnerships(with(community(law(enforcement,(fire(and(city(governments(to(promote(and(maintain(safe(and(secure(learning(environments.

DProvide(ongoing(training(and(capacity(development(for(all(schools(and(programs(to(effectively(implement(danger(assessment(protocols(for(threats,(suicide(intervention(and(bullying.

E Conduct(a(review(of(discipline(data(and(explore(innovative(alternatives(to(suspension(and(expulsion.((

20172011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

Focus$Area$7:$ $Promote$and$provide$an$environment$that$fosters$caring,$respect$and$compassion$for$others.$$Intended&Outcome:&Resources(and(supports(are(in(place(to(provide(system3wide(environments(that(are(safe,(respec8ul(and(responsive(to(student(needs.(

Key$Strategic$InitiativesA Analyze(available(data(related(to(current(early2childhood(programs.

B Encourage(and(strengthen(collaboration(between(site(preschools(and(the(Village.

C Coordinate(and(align(School(Age(Child(Care((SACC)(programs(for(equity(and(consistency.

D Monitor(and(adjust(appropriately(all(preschool(and(SACC(programs(to(make(sure(they(are(self2supporting.(

E Investigate(employee(childcare(options(within(the(district.

F Strengthen(the(relationship(between(the(Village(and(LPS(kindergarten(programs.

G Further(investigate(and(evaluate(the(use(of(the(Ames(Facility(as(a(site(for(a(second(district(preschool(program.

20172011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

Focus$Area$8:$ $Enhance$and$support$quality$early$childhood$and$childcare$programs.$$Intended&Outcome:&&To#provide#access#to#quality,#self4sustaining#early#childhood#programs#and#school#age#childcare.#

Key$Strategic$Initiatives

ADevelop'and'implement'multiple'communication'delivery'strategies'for'a'multicultural'and'more'diverse'district'as'a'result'of'changing'demographics'of'the'community.

BDevelop'increased'awareness'and'sensitivity'to'cultural'differences,'cultural'implications'and'challenges'that'result'from'the'various'demographic'changes'in'the'Littleton'community.

CIncrease'access'to'support'and'resources'for'immigrant'families'in'coordination'with'the'City'of'Littleton.

D Develop'and'implement'processes'to'identify'issues'of'equity'and'opportunity'for'all'students.

EAnalyze'and'implement'effective'instructional'and'extracurricular'practices'for'English'Language'Learners.

FDevelop'partnerships'with'higher'education'resources'to'create'opportunities'and'incentives'for'staff'to'obtain'ELD'licensure'and/or'other'related'endorsements.

G Analyze'standards'and'certification'requirements'for'district'translators'and'interpreters.

HEnhance'local'partnerships'to'increase'engagement'of'parents'and'community'members'from'diverse'backgrounds.

IContinue'development'of'opportunities'for'senior'citizen'engagement'and'support'for'the'district,'including'adult'learning'opportunities.

J Explore'opportunities'and'options'to'recruit'a'more'diverse'workforce.

20172011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

Focus$Area$9:$ $Educate$and$support$staff,$parents$and$community$to$address$diverse$student$learning$by$providing$access$and$$$ $opportuniLes$for$all$students.$

$Intended&Outcome:&&Li#leton)Public)Schools)and)the)community)are)culturally)proficient)and)competent)in)addressing)diversity)and)equity)issues)according)to)the)needs)of)the)various)groups)represented)in)the)community.)

Key$Strategic$InitiativesA Support'schools'in'implementing'a'continuum'of'social'emotional'programs'and'interventions.

BExpand'the'continuum'of'programming'available'for'all'students'with'significant'behavioral'and'emotional'challenges.

C Improve'student'and'family'access'to'quality,'licensed'school>based'mental'health'staff.

DDevelop'sustainable'and'effective'partnerships'with'community'agencies'and'resources'to'support'students'experiencing'significant'mental'health'needs'(ADMHN,'Littleton'Adventist'Hospital,'and'other'community'agencies.)

EIncrease'partnerships'with'community'agencies'and'improve'student'and'family'access'to'needed'resources'such'as'medial,'dental,'basic'needs'and'homeless'assistance.

FSupport'the'physical'health'needs'of'students'through'promoting'healthy'nutrition,'physical'movement'and'access'to'health'services.

GParticipate'in'activities'of'the'Greater'Littleton'Youth'Initiative'(GLYI)'and'promote'and'support'integration'of'activities'into'existing'school'strucures'to'the'greatest'extent'possible.

HExplore'feasibility'of'continuing'Restorative'Justice'activities'after'the'funding'from'the'EARSS'grant'ends.''

I Increase'staff'awareness'and'access'to'employee'assistance'programs.

JFaciliate'and'support'the'ongoing'recovery'and'resiliency'activities'related'to'crisis'response'in'our'schools.''

K Provide'funding'for'sustainability'of'social'emotional'interventions'and'programming.

20172011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

Focus$Area$10:$ $Partner$with$parents$and$community$to$expand$and$enhance$programs$that$address$the$physical,$social$and$ $$ $emoMonal$well$being$of$students,$families$and$staff.$$$

$Intended&Outcome:$Students(in(Li+leton(Public(Schools(will(have(access(to(physical,(social,(and(emo9onal(programming(in(order(to(enhance(their(success(as(learners.(