School Council Membership

Principal:

Teacher/Staff  Representatives:   

Parent/Community Representatives:

Michelle Karb

Gretchen Bean

Crystal Hare

Jessica Himmelman

Dominique LePaul

Amanda Mullen

Lauren O’Neil

Kim Senior

Nilanjan Palit

Pragya Rashiva

Leslie Rutan

Melican Middle School School Improvement Plan Strategic Initiatives Bookmarks

SIP Initiative #1: High Quality Instruction for All Learners

SIP Initiative #2: Culturally Responsive Education

SIP Initiative #3: Social Emotional Learning

SIP Initiative #4: Educator Learning and Leadership

Mission

Educate, Inspire, and Challenge

Core Values

• Integrity
• Empathy
• Inclusivity
• Equity
• Perseverance    
• Respect

Vision:  Profile of a Graduate

Our Students Will Be: 

Collaborators

• Enrich the learning of self and others through teamwork.
• Solicit and respect diverse perspectives and contributions.
• Seek, contribute, and react to feedback to achieve shared outcomes.
• Recognize and leverage strengths to build collective commitment, action, and understanding.

Critical and Creative Thinkers

• Transfer and connect knowledge and skills to deepen understanding.
• Demonstrate thinking that is clear, rational, open-minded, and informed by evidence.
• Use disciplinary knowledge and skills in routine and innovative ways.
• Make informed decisions, solve problems, and use a variety of tools to deepen learning.

Communicators

• Articulate thoughts and ideas using oral, written, and non-verbal communication skills for a range of purposes and audiences.
• Listen to decipher meaning, including knowledge, values, attitudes, and intentions.
• Use technological skills and contemporary digital tools to explore and exchange ideas.

Socially and Civically Engaged  

• Demonstrate personal, civic, and social integrity through ethical and empathetic behaviors.
• Recognize individual and communal impact on others and the natural world.
• Value and embrace diverse cultures and unique perspectives through mutual respect and open dialogue.

Growth-Oriented

• Cultivate positive attitudes and habits about learning.
• Pursue one’s own interests and curiosity to experience new learning.
• Consistently improve the quality of one’s own thinking by skillfully analyzing, assessing and reconstructing.
• Persist to accomplish difficult tasks and to overcome academic and personal barriers to meet goals.

Healthy and Balanced

• Develop and demonstrate awareness, sensitivity, concern, and respect to connect with self and others’ feelings, opinions,

experiences, and cultures.

• Use reflective practices to understand one’s personal strengths, challenges, and passions.
• Make choices to support a lifestyle that is healthy, both physically and mentally.
• Demonstrate resilience through the ability to manage emotions, stress, and challenges.

School Data Profile - Melican

Enrollment Data (from DESE)

Theory of Action for 2021-2024 - Melican

If… All teachers develop a shared understanding of the MA DLCS standards and are coached and supported in integrating high priority standards into existing disciplinary units

Then… Students will have relevant experiences that increase their digital literacy knowledge and skills.

If...All teachers develop a shared understanding of high quality instruction and implement it consistently

Then...Students will have consistent high quality instruction across all learning experiences.

If… All educators develop a shared vision of equitable and inclusive communities / classrooms and have designated time to grapple with issues of unconscious bias and antiracist education

AND.. if educators consistently provide opportunities for students to see representations of individuals who are not like them and individuals who are like them in classrooms, content, and curriculum

Then… All students will feel connected, valued, welcome and contributing to our schools.

If … Educators within and across schools develop a shared understanding of a common framework about how we support social and emotional learning and align curriculum and instruction to that framework through collaborative decisions about a District approach to SEL

Then... Students will access strategies and skills to manage social and emotional challenges in support of their mental and physical wellbeing and learning.

If...Curriculum Leaders embrace their roles as leaders and are coached and supported around leading high quality instruction, leading productive action-oriented meetings, and examining data

AND...if Team Leaders embrace their roles as leaders and are supported around leading productive action-oriented meetings, collecting student data to support academic and social emotional needs, and representing team teachers’ and students’ perspectives

Then...All teachers will have a shared understanding of high-quality instruction, be able to consistently implement it, engage in collaborative planning with colleagues that focuses on instruction, and feel valued and represented across school decisions.

District Strategic Objectives

2020-2026

School Improvement Plan Strategic Initiatives - Melican

 2021-2024

1. Empowering Learners:  Implement instructional practices that engage students in developing and demonstrating their knowledge and skills through rigorous, innovative, and relevant learning experiences.

Goal 1: Increase the integration of  the DLCS power standards into existing curriculum.

1. Develop an understanding of the DLCS standards and their current use in our curriculum and instruction.
2. Plan and implement meaningful, high-quality digital literacy and computer science curriculum and instruction aligned to the DLCS standards.

Goal 2: Collaborate across disciplines to ensure consistent implementation of high-quality instruction.

1. Develop a shared understanding of high quality instruction.
2. Plan and implement meaningful, high quality instruction across all content areas.

2. Equity of Opportunity: Provide all students access to challenging and culturally responsive learning experiences that meet their individual needs.

Goal 3: Foster culturally responsive and inclusive classroom communities and school environments that provide equal access to learning for all students.

1. Develop a shared understanding of culturally responsive teaching and inclusive practices, and ensure that these practices are implemented across the school.
2. Define expectations for the implementation of culturally responsive teaching pedagogy and methodologies, and make necessary adjustments to current practice.

3. Healthy and Balanced Learners:  Prioritize social, emotional, and physical well-being of students.

Goal 4: Develop and implement a coherent and systematic approach to social and emotional learning (SEL) within and across schools.

1. Develop a shared understanding and culture that creates awareness, commitment, and ownership of the social, emotional, and physical well-being of all students.
2. Identify and implement current evidence based practices that develop SEL competencies for all students and staff.

4. Educator Learning and Leadership:

Demonstrate continual growth through professional collaboration.

Goal 5: Increase curriculum leaders’ and team leaders’ capacity to improve teaching and learning.

1. Review position roles and redefine as necessary.
2. Develop a shared understanding of effective high quality instruction and lead “teachers observing teachers” work with clearly defined look-fors and listen-fors.

District Strategic Objectives 

2020-2026

School Improvement Plan Strategic Initiatives - Melican

 2021-2024

1. Empowering Learners:  Implement instructional practices that engage students in developing and demonstrating their knowledge and skills through rigorous, innovative, and relevant learning experiences.

Goal 1: Increase the integration of  the DLCS power standards into existing curriculum.

1. Develop an understanding of the DLCS standards and their current use in our curriculum and instruction.
2. Plan and implement meaningful, high-quality digital literacy and computer science curriculum and instruction aligned to the DLCS standards.

Goal 2:  Collaborate across disciplines to ensure consistent implementation of high-quality instruction.

1. Develop a shared understanding of high quality instruction..
2. Plan and implement meaningful, high quality instruction across all content areas.  

Goal 1: School Improvement Plan - Action Plan 2021-2022

Action Steps

Person Responsible

Date

Status

Budget Impact and Professional Learning  

Create a committee to help organize and lead our work on Innovation of Teaching and Learning.

Administration, Instructional Technology Specialist, Digital Literacy Leaders,  and interested faculty and staff

October 2021

Will meet monthly

NA

Inventory the DLCS curriculum standards and coordinate with educators to identify which of the power standards are already being addressed through existing  curriculum and instruction.

Instructional Technology Specialist, Digital Literacy Leaders, administrators, curriculum leaders, and all teachers

December 2021 - March 2022

Future Work

We will need assistance and possibly PD from Julie Doyle.

Identify power standards for DLCS and in which grades and content areas these standards will be addressed.

Instructional Technology Specialist, Digital Literacy Leaders, administrators, and curriculum leaders

December 2021  - June  2022

Future Work

We will need assistance and possibly PD from Julie Doyle.

Measuring Impact-

Early Evidence of Change:  Changes in practice, attitude, behavior and/ or outcomes you should begin to see if the initiative is having its desired impact. These are not measurements of interim results.  Early evidence benchmarks might be based on observations or surveys

Early Evidence Benchmark

Date (by when)

Status (future work, in process, completed)

The committee that is formed will lead all teachers in activities at faculty meetings and in department meetings to further this work.

November 2021-June 2022

Future Work

Curriculum meetings will include incorporating DLCS into curriculum planning.

Ongoing

Future Work

Educators will be able to identify where DLCS standards are already incorporated into units across disciplines.

Ongoing

In Process

Goal 2: School Improvement Plan - Action Plan 2021-2022

Action Steps

Person Responsible

Date

Status

Budget Impact and Professional Learning  

Define what high quality instruction looks like (shared definition and understanding).

Curriculum Leaders, all teachers, administration

September 2021 -

December 2022

In Process

NA

Focus curriculum/department meetings on instructional strategies  along with curriculum. Share ideas and feedback about instructional practice, and reflect collectively on the effectiveness of instructional strategies implemented.

Curriculum leaders and all teachers

Ongoing

Future Work

NA

Use data from common instructional practices and assessments to adjust practice.

All teachers

September 2021  - June  2022

Future Work

NA

Measuring Impact-

Early Evidence of Change:  Changes in practice, attitude, behavior and/ or outcomes you should begin to see if the initiative is having its desired impact. These are not measurements of interim results.  Early evidence benchmarks might be based on observations or surveys

Early Evidence Benchmark

Date (by when)

Status (future work, in process, completed)

Curriculum and department meetings will focus on instructional strategies along with curriculum.

Ongoing

In Process

Curriculum and department meetings will involve analyzing data and reflecting on practice.

Ongoing

Future Work

District Strategic Objectives 

2020-2026

School Improvement Plan Strategic Initiatives - Melican

 2021-2024

2. Equity of Opportunity: Provide all students access to challenging and culturally responsive learning experiences that meet their individual needs.

Goal 3: Foster culturally responsive and inclusive classroom communities and school environments that provide equal access to learning for all students.

1. Develop a shared understanding of culturally responsive teaching and inclusive practices, and ensure that these practices are implemented throughout the school.
2. Define expectations for the implementation of culturally responsive teaching pedagogy and methodologies, and make necessary adjustments to current practice.

School Improvement Plan - Action Plan 2021-2022

Action Steps

Person Responsible

Date

Status

Budget Impact and Professional Learning

Create a committee to help organize and lead our work on Culturally Responsive Pedagogy and Inclusivity.

Administration, World of Difference advisors, and interested faculty and staff

October 2021

Will meet  monthly

NA

Define what a culturally responsive and inclusive classroom looks like (shared definition and understanding).

Administration and faculty and staff

September 2021-June 2022

In Process

NA

Provide training for faculty and staff so they can facilitate  classroom discussions on topics involving race, culture, and ethnicity,religion, gender identity, etc. and so they can use student ideas and perspectives to promote empathy and understanding.

Committee (referenced above), ADL

September 2021-June 2022

Future Work

-ADL PD in November  2021

-Additional PD and consultation throughout the year

Audit units of study across content areas to include diverse voices and perspectives.

Curriculum Leaders and all teachers

Ongoing

In Process

NA

Schedule guest speakers  who can share experiences and perspectives different from students and staff,  and who can help understand cultural responsiveness and inclusion.

Team Leaders and all teachers

January - June 2022

Future Work

PTO will support guest speakers

Create a student-led ADL World of Difference advisory group for students to explore the issues of race, gender, and identity, religion, and ability.

Administration and World of Difference Advisors

September/

October 2021

Future Work

-$2000 stipend for each World of Difference advisor (2 advisors)

-Consultation with ADL

Measuring Impact-

Early Evidence of Change:  Changes in practice, attitude, behavior and/ or outcomes you should begin to see if the initiative is having its desired impact. These are not measurements of interim results.  Early evidence benchmarks might be based on observations or surveys.

Early Evidence Benchmark

Date (by when)

Status (future work, in process, completed)

ADL World of Difference Advisors will present to the faculty and staff in August and will generate excitement about the World of Difference program, and discussion about equity and bias.

August 2021

Future Work

Faculty and staff will include participating in book clubs as goals and/or flex PD options.

Fall 2021

In Process

Classrooms will feature new texts that provide mirrors and windows.

Ongoing

In Process

District Strategic Objectives 

2020-2026

School Improvement Plan Strategic Initiatives - Melican

 2021-2024

3. Healthy and Balanced Learners:  Prioritize social, emotional, and physical well-being of students.

Goal 4: Develop and implement a coherent and systematic approach to social and emotional learning (SEL) within and across schools.

1. Develop a shared understanding and culture that creates awareness, commitment, and ownership of the social, emotional, and physical well-being of all students.
2. Identify and implement current evidence based practices that develop SEL competencies for all students and staff.

School Improvement Plan - Action Plan 2021-2022

Action Steps

Person Responsible

Date

Status

Budget Impact and Professional Learning

Create a committee to help organize and lead our work on Social Emotional Learning.

Administration and interested faculty and staff.

October 2021

Will meet at least monthly

NA

Create common language that is consistently used throughout the school when identifying behaviors, actions, and emotions.

Committee (referenced above), administration, District SEI Coordinator, counselors, and support staff

October 2021-June 2022

Future Work

NA

Collaborate with Northborough Elementary Schools, Trottier, and Algonquin to gain perspective on social-emotional work at various levels, and to Implement a more comprehensive social-emotional component to our Health curriculum, utilizing our new Health Teacher position.

Committee (referenced above), administration, District SEI Coordinator, all faculty and staff

October 2021-June 2022

Future Work

NA

Create more targeted opportunities for faculty and staff to connect with students beyond the classroom (smaller homerooms, additional before and after school clubs based on student interest, etc.)

Administration, faculty and staff

Ongoing

 In Process

Budget Line to pay club advisors

Provide students with opportunities to learn about their social emotional needs and teach them strategies for self care and self advocacy.

Faculty and staff, school counselors

September 2021-June 2022

Future Work

NA

Measuring Impact-

Early Evidence of Change:  Changes in practice, attitude, behavior and/ or outcomes you should begin to see if the initiative is having its desired impact. These are not measurements of interim results.  Early evidence benchmarks might be based on observations or surveys.

Early Evidence Benchmark

Date (by when)

Status (future work, in process, completed)

Faculty and staff will utilize common language when discussing students’ social emotional needs.

Ongoing

Future Work

“New” clubs will be offered throughout the year for students to connect with other students and connect with adults in the building.

Ongoing

Future Work

Students will advocate for their own social and emotional needs.

Ongoing

In Process

Students will be grouped in smaller homerooms and will be more connected as smaller groups and with their homeroom teachers.

September 1, 2021

In Process

District Strategic Objectives 

2020-2026

School Improvement Plan Strategic Initiatives - Melican

 2021-2024

4. Educator Learning and Leadership:

Demonstrate continual growth through professional collaboration.

Goal 5: Increase curriculum leaders’ and team leaders’ capacity to improve teaching and learning.

1. Review position roles and redefine as necessary.
2. Develop a shared understanding of effective teaching and lead “teachers observing teachers” work with clearly defined look-fors and listen-fors.

School Improvement Plan - Action Plan 2021-2022

Action Steps

Person Responsible

Date

Status

Budget Impact and Professional Learning

Review Team Leaders’ and Curriculum Leaders’ roles and responsibilities. Modify as necessary.

Administration, team leaders, and curriculum leaders.

August/

September 2021

Ongoing

NA

Curriculum Leaders and Team Leaders will “lead” others, taking initiative, guiding and shaping students’ overall school experiences, and contributing to an overall positive school culture.

Administration, team leaders, and curriculum leaders.

Ongoing

In Process

NA

Curriculum Leaders will lead the following:

1.  (From Empowering Learners, Goal 2): Define what high quality instruction looks like (shared definition and understanding).
2.  (From Empowering Learners, Goal 2): Focus curriculum/department meetings on instructional strategies  along with curriculum. Share ideas and feedback about instructional practice, and reflect collectively on the effectiveness of instructional strategies implemented.
3.  (From Empowering Learners, Goal 2): Use data from common instructional practices and assessments to adjust practice.

Curriculum Leaders

Ongoing

In Process

NA

Team Leaders will serve as liaisons between teams and student support services, between teams and parents, and between teams and the administration. They will take the lead on the following:  :

1. (From Healthy and Balanced Learners, Goal 4): Create more targeted opportunities for faculty and staff to connect with students beyond the classroom (smaller homerooms, additional before and after school clubs based on student interest, etc.), and
2. (From Equity of Opportunity, Goal 3): Schedule guest speakers  who can share experiences and perspectives different from students and staff,  and who can help understand cultural responsiveness and inclusion.

Team Leaders

Ongoing

In Process

NA

Measuring Impact-

Early Evidence of Change:  Changes in practice, attitude, behavior and/ or outcomes you should begin to see if the initiative is having its desired impact. These are not measurements of interim results.  Early evidence benchmarks might be based on observations or surveys

Early Evidence Benchmark

Date (by when)

Status (future work, in process, completed)

Curriculum and department meetings will focus on instructional practices.

Ongoing

Future Work

Team meetings will focus on customizing learning experiences for students, contributing to the operational aspects of the running of school, and positive action-oriented solutions.

Ongoing

Future Work

Team leaders will lead team teachers in collaborating about ways to deepen connections between students and adults in the building (both in and out of the classroom).

Ongoing

Future Work