Chadron Public School

Chadron Middle School Strategic Plan

Grades 5-8

Cathy Kaus
TE 875

University of Nebraska Kearney

Introduction: Developing the Chadron Middle School Vision

Plan

In compiling data to create a strategic plan, developing a team

was the first consideration. Those serving on the team and providing
relevant data and information were: Cathy Kaus, social studies
teacher, Janet P., librarian, Amanda N., library paraprofessional, Kathy
S., computer teacher and Nick D., principal. Throughout the process,
we were able to gather information that gave us a clear image of the
Chadron Middle School learning environment including factors that
affect students both internally and externally. We were able to analyze
strengths and weaknesses in order to identify a clear vision statement,
mission statement and action plan in order to reach our goal of
empowering students with the skills necessary to be life-long learners.

External Scan

Social Trends. Chadron Nebraska has a unique social structure.

The city is located in northwest Nebraska near the Pine Ridge Indian
Reservation. As a result, many of the Native American students enroll
in Chadron Middle School for short periods of time and drop enrollment
in order to return to the reservation. They will usually re-enroll the
following quarter or semester. This is partially due to the family

structure and community type culture of the Lakota Sioux. In

addition, there is an increase in Marshallese families within the
Chadron community. According to enrollment records, Marshallese
students have increased from 0.6% in 2009 to 5% in 2014. Current
families have indicated that additional families will be moving to
Chadron from the islands. Families arrived in Chadron because of job
opportunities (Service Master, Safeway, McDonalds, etc.) and to allow
their children to get an education past the 6th grade. They have
established their own church and community activities. There has also
been an increase in both parents working due to an increase in cost of
housing and utilities. Most of those parents drop their students at
school at 7:30am and pick them up close to 5:00pm. This makes an
after school program and extended library hours necessary. In
addition, there is a growing home-school consortium especially for
grades 4-8. Nebraska statute limits classroom size for grades K-3 to 20
students. However, there is no limit for classroom sizes in grades
above 3rd. As a result, many staffing cuts came in grades 4-8 which
increased the class sizes considerably. Parents usually consider the
home-school consortium option if their student functions better in a
small environment.

Economic Trends. Recently, Chadron has been in a state of

economic decline. Community growth is stagnant and funding for

schools and government positions have been reduced. Many current

employers have had to cut employees, those include: Chadron State
College, Chadron Public School, Nebraska Job Corps. Cameco Uranium
Mine and Nebraska Forest Service. Many of those people have had to
accept a minimum wage positions and/or their spouse has had to find a
job. As a result, according to the Census Bureau, Chadron has seen a
decrease in the median income and an increase in those below poverty
level, currently at 32%. The number of Chadron Middle School Free
and Reduced Lunch students is currently 42%, an increase from 38% a
few years ago.

Political Trends. There are a number of recent political trends

that affect education. Chadron Middle School complies with the No
Child Left Behind Act. As a result, there has been an increase in high
stakes testing. Chadron Middle School currently conducts testing in
the fall and spring. Depending on test scores, Chadron Middle School
has had to reassess scheduling in order to accommodate additional
interventions and progress-monitoring assessments in order to meet
requirements. Chadron Public Schools is also committed to
maintaining a district-wide AdvancEd Accreditation. As a result, there
has been more input from community stakeholders regarding the
school. One of the positive outcomes has been a partnership with
Chadron State College. This partnership includes, mentors/tutors,

facilities and additional student opportunities such as programs and

resources.

Demographic Trends. According to the 2010 census, the

population of Chadron is 5,787. The diversity of Chadron has also
grown and changed. There is a substantial increase in Pacific Islanders
(Marshallese). In addition, there is an increase in the Native American
and African American populations. Chadron Public School currently has
four school buildings divided by grade level. On the south side of town
are Chadron Primary (K-2), Chadron Middle School (5-8) and Chadron
High School (9-12). The north side of town houses Chadron
Intermediate (3-4). The current enrollment for Chadron Middle School
is 265 students. In addition to the public school, there are two
parochial schools (Prairie View Adventist and Trunk Butte Christian
School). Although the enrollment at these schools has been small it
has increased in the last 2 years due to parents looking for smaller
student/teacher ratios.

Summary. Chadron Middle School is mostly affected by social

and economic trends. The school budget has been drastically reduced
while the needs of the students has increased. Chadron Middle School
strives to be fiscally responsible while creating a learning community
that will empower students and provide for their diverse needs.

Internal Scan

Assessment. Chadron Middle School uses the scores from

various assessments to evaluate and adjust curriculum and
interventions. Students set goals and strive to meet those goals.
Goals are reevaluated regularly through a teacher/student conference.
NWEA MAP Math, Reading, Language and Science testing is done twice
a year for grades 5-8. Math benchmark tests are given quarterly and
NeSA is given once a year. In addition, 5th & 6th graders take the Dibels
test twice a year. All of these are reported at the district level. The
data is used to make any necessary adjustments to curriculum or
scheduling. Teachers are required to progress-monitor and assess
students on an ongoing basis.

Climate. The Chadron Middle School staff consists of eighteen

full-time certified teachers, six part-time certified teachers, seven
paraprofessionals and two one-on-one paraprofessionals. The
administration is extremely supportive of the staff. The overall
atmosphere is very positive. Staff is willing to try changes and
administration is willing to include staff in the decision-making process.
The climate is more team-driven rather than top-down directives.
Teachers are currently being trained on the Danielson Model of

teaching. This model contains a set of components for instruction that

all teachers will use. The idea is to have all teachers use the same
language so students and parents know the expectations. There has
also been a general push to use more technology. Although much of
the technology is outdated, the staff works hard to find viable
alternatives to expensive options. As part of the initiative to have
students take responsibility for their education, they are asked to be a
part of committees and lead any initiatives they feel are important for
their education.

Standards. The students and staff are expected to use and

meet the Nebraska State Standards. In addition, all content areas are
encouraged to include the Information Literacy Standards. Chadron
Middle School has set a goal to increase student vocabulary. The
vocabulary is to include both content and academic vocabulary.
Currently, the district is working on curriculum alignment for
Kindergarten through 12th grade. This includes the standards as well
as content and level of rigor. Discussions include depth and breadth of
content throughout the childs educational career at Chadron Public
School.

Curriculum. According to the curriculum director, research

based curriculum is used at Chadron Middle School. Curriculum

decisions are made by staff and the curriculum director in order to

assure that standards are met in the content area as well as fit the
overall K-12 scope and sequence. Saxon Math is used district-wide and
math tutorial classes are available as an intervention. There is a
district-wide reading series. Reading Mastery provides support for
lower levels. Reasoning & Writing for grades 5-6 and Six Traits Writing
for 7-8 are used to teach the writing process. There is a district-wide
science curriculum that uses the integrated approach for grades 5-8.
The social studies curriculum has been recently realigned K-12.
Technology integration is expected in all areas.

Summary. Chadron Middle School excels in the overall

atmosphere and climate of the learning environment. Math and
science tests scores have been consistently high. Writing scores have
also been high. However, the reading scores fluctuate from year to
year. Currently, the reading scores are low. To rectify this a number of
interventions have been added as well as required reading
comprehension assignments in all classes and library hours have been
extended.

Organizational Analysis

School Strengths and Challenges. The working relationship

between the Chadron Middle School staff and administration is very
strong. Mutual respect is evident within the learning community. Both
teachers and administrators go beyond the expectations in order to
assure student success. Curriculum in all areas have been aligned K12. As a result, professional learning communities were created based
on grade-levels and content areas. The goal is to maintain ongoing
systemic communication. The community is also actively involved in
schools activities. Community members are supportive of activities
and are often invited to present programs within the school. In
addition, students are invited to present projects at community
functions and activities. One of the biggest challenges at Chadron
Middle School is funding. In recent years, funding has decreased
resulting in loss of staff and equipment. In an attempt to compensate
for lost staff, class sizes have increased. There are also staff members
who are shared with other buildings. Shared staff limits some of the
possibilities for scheduling and class offerings. Technology has become
outdated because there are no funds available for updated equipment.
These challenges have forced the Chadron Middle School staff to
become creative collaborators.

Library Strengths and Challenges. The Chadron community

has three different libraries that students can access: school library,

public library and Chadron State College library. The current librarian
has worked very hard to build a positive working relationship with the
librarians at the public and college libraries. She has provided all
middle school students with public library cards and those cards are
also accepted at the college library. In the last two years, the entire
middle school library collection has been weeded. The librarian met
with each content area to ensure that any new titles would be relevant
to curriculum and student trends. She also checked the children
collections at the college and public library so that there was not
excessive overlap in materials. In addition, online resources were
updated. Students can also check out E-books. A full-time
paraprofessional was added to the staff in the last year to assist with
additional library hours. The biggest challenge is with staffing. Recent
cuts reduced the library position to one certified librarian to cover
three buildings. The current librarian has been advocating for an
additional library endorsed staff member. Her goal is to collect data
that shows the necessity of a librarian for improved information
literacy skills and independent student reading. The additional
challenges relate to this goal. Once the library position was reduced,
independent student usage of the library as well as whole class usage
of the library decreased. The challenge is to increase usage so that
additional staff is justifiable. In addition to staffing and usage

challenges the library faces increased costs for books and

subscriptions.

Vision Statement

The Chadron Public School Library Media Center is the center of

the learning community that is committed to providing quality
resources and innovative services in order to stimulate intellectual
curiosity and facilitate life-long learning. The media center will provide
a safe, nurturing and equitable learning environment that will empower
students.

The media center will maintain a current and relevant collection,

which includes print, and digital sources that will enrich studentlearning experiences, reading for pleasure, and global citizenship. In
addition, the library media specialist will work in collaboration with
teachers and students to support the use of the media center.

Mission Statement

The media centers role will be to create positive global citizens,

develop life-long learning skills through inquiry and promote reading
for recreational purposes. The library media center will provide

materials and resources needed to support district standards and

curriculum in order to assist students to meet their potential now and
in the future. The media center will accomplish this by:
1. Supporting both students and staff in accessing, evaluating
and using information effectively
2. Providing for the diverse and changing needs of the 21st
century by implementing the information literacy competency
standards
3. Encourage a love of reading for information and pleasure
4. Having materials and technology for students of varying
abilities, a variety of choices and differing points of view
5. Providing leadership, instruction and collaborative
assistance when using the library.

Action Plans
Goal 1: Supporting both students and staff in accessing,
evaluating and using information effectively.
Action Steps:
1. Increase collaboration with teachers
2. Provide resources and activities that support school
curriculum
3. Provide resources and activities that represent a diverse
range of
experiences and perspectives

4. Plan and execute at least one collaborative research

activity for
each grade level each year
Schedule: Begin immediately and is ongoing
Resource Requirements:
1. Acquire the TechPaths curriculum map for grades 5-8
2. Acquire the Nebraska Standards
3. Perform an evaluation of resources available within the
library
Anticipated Student Outcomes:
1. Students in each grade level will complete a project
using the
library media center.
2. Students will become aware of resources available in
the
library media center.
3. Students will gain confidence in using the library media
center.
4. Library media center collection will be continually
assessed for
relevance to student learning goals.
Goal 2: Providing for the diverse and changing needs of the
21st century by
implementing the information literacy competency standards
Action Steps:

1. Prepare a report demonstrating the need for teaching

the information literacy competency standards at the 7th
grade level.
2. Recommend the quarter mini-course class be an
information literacy course. This would replace study
hall as a quarter class.
3. Work collaboratively with core content area teachers to
provide a meaningful and relevant experience.
Schedule: Start scheduling in March 2015 for the 2015-2016
school year.
Resource Requirements:
1. Information literacy competency standards
2. Curriculum map of planned course showing objectives,
skills, and outcomes
Anticipated Student Outcomes:
1. Students will gain 21st century skills necessary to
become
successful global citizens.
2. Students will gain experience using resources and tools
in the library media center.
3. Student will gain confidence in using the library media
center both individually and within class time.
Goal 3: Encourage a love of reading for information and
pleasure
Action Steps:
1. Feature a Spotlight chapter book and a Quick Pick
shorter/easy reader book every two weeks.

2. Run book trailers in the library and during homeroom.

3. Feature items from the community with corresponding
books (fiction and nonfiction).
4. Start a book club.
5. Use the library website and social media to promote
books.
Schedule: Begin immediately and is ongoing.
Resource Requirements:
1. Library collection and corresponding reading lexile
levels.
2. Computer & USB or download book trailers for
continuous loop
3. Items from the community that correspond to books
4. Multiple copies of books for book club
5. Current website and social media accounts updated
regularly
Anticipated Student Outcomes:
1. Students will become aware of different genres of books
available in the library.
2. Students will be exposed to both fiction and nonfiction
books.
3. Students will gain skills in reading comprehension and
discussion of books.
4. Students will be motivated to read.

Rationale for Action Plan Priority Order

Goal one regarding the support of both students and staff in

accessing, evaluating and using information effectively was chosen as
the priority because an earlier survey of staff and students showed
that the volume of information available for use in the classroom can
be overwhelming and thus discouraging for students to use
independently. The goal attempts to address this with assistance on
how to access, evaluate and use sources. Goal two was given second
priority because it is a more structured, student-focused plan to
improve information literacy skills. This will give students the guidance
necessary to develop skills in order to become successful. The third
priority goal is to develop a love of reading for multiple purposes.
Students should be motivated and encouraged to read.