THE FIRST 100 - Baltimore County Public Schools Report.pdf · my first 100 days has reassured me...
Transcript of THE FIRST 100 - Baltimore County Public Schools Report.pdf · my first 100 days has reassured me...
In assuming the superintendency
of Baltimore County Public
Schools, I established the goal of
taking this already strong school
system and working in concert
with staff, students, parents, and
the community to make it the best
school system in the nation.
Everything I have learned during
my first 100 days has reassured
me that reaching this goal is
within our collective power. We
have already made tremendous
strides forward.
S. Dallas Dance
Superintendent
First steps: Entry and transition plans
Two of the first steps Dr. Dance took after being appointed
superintendent of Baltimore County Public Schools were
to establish a Transition Team and to craft an entry plan.
The Superintendent’s Transition Team
Two renowned educational leaders — Dr. Nancy
Grasmick and Dr. Bill Bosher, both former state
superintendents of schools — accepted Dr. Dance’s
request to serve as co-chairs of his Transition Team.
Nineteen other team members, a mix of outside education
experts and BCPS staff and stakeholders, were assembled.
Dr. Dance asked this team to conduct a thorough review of
the school system to highlight its strengths and identify
areas where additional focus is needed. The team spent
three months studying past school system audits and
reports and meeting with focus groups of school system
employees, students, parents, business leaders, faith
leaders, and retired BCPS employees.
In its final report, presented to the superintendent in late
September 2012, the Transition Team’s four
subcommittees — Organizational Efficiency and
Effectiveness; Teaching and Learning; Culture and
Context; and Operations and Finance — offered
short-term and long-range recommendations for the
superintendent’s consideration. The final report has been
made available on the BCPS Web site, www.bcps.org.
The Entry Plan
As the Transition Team did its work, the superintendent
engaged in his own proactive and strategic process of
investigation, study, and planning. The entry plan he
created, which was made available on the BCPS Web
site, was designed to guide his first three months of work
and focused on comprehensively assessing the school
system by identifying areas needing immediate change as
well as those requiring intense focus; leveraging
momentum to build a network of contacts and resources;
and energizing the community in committing to the
vision of becoming the best school system in the nation.
THE FIRST 100 A Report on Dr. S. Dallas Dance’s first 100 days as
Superintendent of Baltimore County Public Schools
The Superintendent’s Transition Team.
Chairs Dr. Nancy Grasmick, Presidential Scholar for Innovation in
Teacher and Leader Education, Towson University; Former Maryland State Superintendent
Dr. William (Bill) Bosher, Jr., Distinguished Professor of Public Policy and Education, Virginia Commonwealth University; Former Virginia State Superintendent
Members Michele Prumo, Chief of Staff, BCPS Dr. Anthony (Tony) Marchione, Former Superintendent, BCPS Dr. Marcus Newsome, Superintendent of Schools,
Chesterfield County, Virginia Dr. Shawn Joseph, Superintendent of Schools, Seaford
School District, Delaware Abby Beytin, President, Teachers Association of Baltimore
County (TABCO) John Desmone, Executive Director, Baltimore County Council
of Administrative and Supervisory Employees (CASE) Dr. Cathy Gantz, 2011–2012 President, Association for
Elementary School Principals; Principal, Hernwood Elementary School, BCPS
Sandra Reid, Principal, Pine Grove Middle School, BCPS
Tom Evans, 2011–2012 President of Secondary School Administrators Association; Principal, Eastern Technical High School, BCPS
Keith Dorsey, Director of Budget and Finance, Baltimore County
Nancy Ostrow, 2011–2012 President, PTA Council of Baltimore County
Dr. Michael Hickey, Professor and Director of the Center for Leadership in Education, Towson University; Former Superintendent, Howard County Public Schools
Dr. Diane Lee, Vice Provost and Dean of Undergraduate Education, University of Maryland Baltimore County
Lora Williams, President, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME)
Joe Coughlin, President, Educational Support Professionals of Baltimore County (ESPBC)
Donald Arnold, Chair, BCPS Education Foundation Michael Sines, Chief Operations Officer, BCPS Joshua Parker, 2012 Maryland Teacher of the Year; 2011–
2012 BCPS Teacher of the Year Logan McNaney, 2011–2012 Student Board Member, Board of
Education of Baltimore County
THE TRANSITION
REPORT
The Transition Report was presented to the
Baltimore County Board of Education in October
2012. The Transition Team began the report with
an overview of the school system’s status in
student achievement, talent recruitment and
retention, budget, resource maximization, facilities,
management, and operations.
After describing Dr. Dance’s initial focus areas
(Blueprint 2.0, Common Core, professional
development, and communications) in the report,
the Transition Team outlined its investigative
process and then offered its findings and
recommendations in 10 areas:
Organization
Communication
Teaching and Learning
Program Evaluation and Effectiveness
Recruiting, Retaining, Growing, and
Developing Excellent Employees
Equity
Budget Development
Technology
Strategic Planning
Creating Healthy, Safe, and Orderly
Environments
2
Next step: Building Blueprint 2.0
For the past 12 years, Baltimore County Public
Schools has made progress with the Blueprint for
Progress as its foundational document.
Faced with a set of new challenges and realities,
Dr. Dance has appointed a leadership planning
team to develop Blueprint 2.0, a strategic plan to
establish goals and measurable objectives for the
school system for the next five years. The four key
areas of focus for Blueprint 2.0 are: Academics,
Safety, Communication, and Organizational
Effectiveness.
With the goal of completing the framework for
Blueprint 2.0 by January 2013, Dr. Dance held a
series of staff and community meetings to gain
input into the plan’s development; appointed a staff
person to oversee the plan’s development and
production; and created a mechanism for the
community to submit insights and ideas via the
school system’s Web site.
Blueprint 2.0 Timeline 9/9/2012
Draft strategic framework. 10/19/2012
Conclude gathering initial stakeholder input.
11/30/2012 Draft strategic initiatives. Align action plans with FY14 budget.
12/12/2012 Complete draft of strategic plan framework.
1/2013 Release strategic plan framework.
3
4
Participated in a board retreat to enhance staff and
board’s working relationship.
Charged new deputy superintendent with taking
leadership for supervising and evaluating assistant
superintendents and academic offices.
Appointed chief operations officer to lead the operations
of the school system.
Appointed chief academic officer to be responsible for all
aspects of teaching and learning.
Established direction for the Office of Communications
by charging new chief communications officer with
developing a communications strategic plan.
Restructured support for schools, including creating
additional assistant superintendent positions and creating
a new structure for determining how much support and
autonomy each school needs.
Received report from superintendent’s Transition Team
Actions taken
Following is a partial list of the actions the superintendent took during his first 100 days, in accordance with
his entry plan and in acknowledgment of pressing concerns and immediate opportunities:
Superintendent Dance had the pleasure
of visiting the following schools:
Elementary
Bear Creek
Cedarmere
Chapel Hill
Colgate
Cromwell Magnet
Deer Park
Eastwood
Edmondson Heights
Fort Garrison
Franklin
Hampton
Jacksonville
Kingsville
Lansdowne
New Town
Owings Mills
Padonia
Pine Grove
Relay
Riderwood
Scotts Branch
Seven Oaks
Stoneleigh
Warren
West Towson
Westowne
Woodholme
Middle
Cockeysville
Deer Park
Dundalk
Hereford
Lansdowne
Perry Hall
Pine Grove
Ridgely
Stemmers Run
Sudbrook Magnet
Windsor Mill
Woodlawn
Special Education
Ridge Ruxton
White Oak
High
Chesapeake
Dundalk
Eastern Technical
Franklin
George Washington Carver Center
Hereford
Kenwood
Lansdowne
Loch Raven
Overlea
Patapsco
Perry Hall
Milford Mill Academy
New Town
Randallstown
Sparrows Point
Towson
Woodlawn
Charter
Imagine Discovery
SCHOOLS
VISITED
and began reviewing its recommendations.
Established staff committee to review and make recommendations
regarding magnet schools admission (Superintendent’s Rule 6400).
Expanded AdvancePath Academies to two additional schools to
support credit recovery.
Announced consolidation of office campuses, expected to yield $1.5
million annually in office rental savings.
Hosted 14 staff and community meetings throughout the county.
Launched audit of special education services and effectiveness.
Met with disengaged students, including students who have dropped
out, returned, or are in danger of dropping out of BCPS.
Expanded existing Office of Security into new Office of Safety and
Security to enhance school system’s safety operations.
Revised systemwide crisis plan to address a variety of potential school
emergencies.
Developed parent resource directory for Web site to make key
information and phone numbers easier to access.
Established BCPS blog, www.deliberateexcellence.wordpress.com.
Launched superintendent’s Twitter feed.
Posted link to send e-mail to superintendent on Web site home page.
Posted more information and documents on Web site, e.g., building
plans and the superintendent’s contract.
Increased use of video messages distributed to schools and offices via
Safari Montage and to the public via the Web site and BCPS-TV.
Presented to Towson University College of Education on the
importance of teacher preparation.
More than 700 BCPS administrators and
stakeholders gathered in late August to hear the
superintendent’s back-to-school address at the
annual Administrative and Supervisory Meeting, held
this year at Loch Raven High School.
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan
presented a major policy address before
850 BCPS language arts teachers on
August 22 at Perry Hall High School.
U.S. Dept. of Education photo
Kevin Liles, a Woodlawn High School
graduate and well-known music executive and
talent manager, sponsored a large back-to-
school festival in late August for Baltimore
County Public Schools’ students and families.
To build a shared vision of what BCPS can
become through collective action, Dr. Dance has
met with hundreds of area citizens and
community leaders. Following is a partial list of
groups with whom he has met:
Area Educational Advisory Committees
Association of Elementary School Administrators
The BCPS Education Foundation
Baltimore County Association of School
Counselors
Baltimore County Chamber of Commerce
Baltimore County Commission on Disabilities
Baltimore County Congressional Delegation
Baltimore County Council
Baltimore County Court System
Baltimore County Fire Department
Baltimore County Police Department
Baltimore County State’s Attorney’s Office
Baltimore County Student Councils
COMMUNITY OUTREACH
Baltimore Ravens
Boy Scouts of Central Maryland
Business leaders
Central Scholarship
Chesapeake Gateway Chamber of Commerce
Citizens Advisory Councils
Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC)
Council of Administrative & Supervisory Employees
Deans of Colleges of Education from local
colleges and universities
Education Support Professionals of Baltimore
County (ESPBC)
Faith community
Former BCPS superintendents
Kids Helping Hopkins
Leadership Baltimore County
Liberty Road Community Council
Maryland Association of Elementary School Principals
The Board of Education
of Baltimore County
Officers
Lawrence E. Schmidt, President
Valerie A. Roddy, Vice President
S. Dallas Dance, Ph.D.,
Secretary-Treasurer
Members
Olivia Adams, Student Member
Michael H. Bowler
James E. Coleman
Michael J. Collins
Cornelia Bright Gordon
Rodger C. Janssen
Ramona N. Johnson
George J. Moniodis
H. Edward Parker
David Uhlfelder
Maryland Business Roundtable for Education
Maryland Comptroller’s Office
Maryland PTA
Maryland State Department of Education
Maryland State Legislature
Maryland State Superintendent of Schools
Presidents of local colleges and universities
Public Schools Superintendents Association
Secondary School Administrators’ Association
Superintendents of local school districts
Teachers Association of Baltimore County (TABCO)
Towson Chamber of Commerce
Towson Families United
Towson University, College of Education
United States Department of Education
University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC)
Virginia Commonwealth University, School of
Education
Photo by Erica Brown, Carver Center student
Photo by Joaquina Braithwaite, Distinct Images
The new $57 million
building for the
nationally recognized
George Washington
Carver Center for Arts
and Technology
opened in time for the
new school year.
5
6
Moving forward: Building structures and pathways to maximize performance
To increase support for teaching and learning, Dr.
Dance created more structure in how the assistant
superintendents interact with the schools.
As a team, the assistant superintendents generated a
model that assigned each school to one of three
tiers based on an objective review of school data
and specific criteria for assignment to each tier.
Schools that meet or exceed academic standards for
all student subgroups are placed in Tier 1. These
schools receive support to encourage their
continuous development and growth. Tier II
schools are those with achievement needs for
targeted subgroups, and they receive support
focused on accelerating the progress of those
subgroups.
Finally, Tier III schools are those with intensive
needs for multiple subgroups not meeting
standards. The superintendent and assistant
superintendents intervene with these schools,
supporting the principals to conduct a school–wide
needs assessment and to improve overall student
performance.
DIFFERENTIATED TIERED SUPPORT MODEL
More central staff-directed Less self-directed
More self-directed Less central staff-directed
Tier I
Tier II
Tier III
}
}
}
BCPS COLLEGE/WORKFORCE-READY PATHWAY
Grade 10 PSAT Combined Score of 145
Advanced on MSA in Reading or Mathematics in one or more grades
Grade 8 Mathematics final grade of ―B‖ (Algebra I or Algebraic Thinking Part II)
Pass one AP Exam
Grade 9 GPA of 2.8
SAT Combined Score of 1650 or ACT Score of 24
Under Dr. Dance’s direction, school system
leaders have also developed a series of
benchmarks to ensure that students are
making adequate progress toward college and
career readiness. The pathway diagram shows
minimum standards students should meet as
they move throughout Baltimore County Public
Schools.
Fostering open, two-way internal and external communications quickly emerged as a hallmark of
Dr. Dance’s new administration. Meeting with disengaged students on his first day, hosting a series
of community town hall meetings, expanding the size of the Superintendent’s Student Advisory
Board, and increasing use of video and ConnectED to deliver messages are just some of the ways
that communications have been enhanced in the first 100 days.
This screen shot illustrates some of the improvements to the school system’s Web site that have
been made under Dr. Dance’s direction.
Steps toward timely, transparent, and clear communications
The school system has established a blog,
www.deliberateexcellence.wordpress.com,
to promote further exploration and discus-
sion of education issues.
The community can now quickly access
status reports on issues of interest — like
air conditioning and school construction —
directly from the homepage.
Finding information has become easier for
parents and other stakeholders with the
creation of directories of frequently needed
offices, telephone numbers, and Web pages.
The public can now e-mail Dr. Dance from
a link on the homepage and can follow him
on Twitter.
Public input is continually
sought. Here, the public is
invited to contribute to
Blueprint 2.0 either by
attending meetings or
commenting online.
Superintendent Dance
made his transition process
transparent by posting
Transition Team updates
and his entry plan.
7