OSP Connected
December, 2016-Office for School Performance-Volume 4
Message from Dayle
At a meeting recently we were asked to go around the circle and introduce ourselves and tell how many years we had been in the district. As the participants shared, "4 years, 13 years, 6 years, 17 years...." I began to realize my over 23 years in the district made me the "old timer" in the room. I was so thankful!
Years ago, a supervisor of mine said the thing she liked best about Hillsboro was, "It's a big district that thinks its small." I agree. As an employee, like many of you, who live in the community and send their kids to HSD schools, I am proud to be part of the Hillsboro School District family. We are surrounded by colleagues who work hard, care for the students in our classes and spaces, and build incredible school experiences.
Our jobs are ever evolving, as we work to meet the needs of students, and require us to be life long learners. Our roles are not easy. However, they are some of the most important roles in our community, as we get the privilege of supporting and guiding the next generation of leaders, artists, doctors, builders, designers and teachers. (And the list goes on!)
Thank you for your work. Thank you for for your commitment to our students' success.
You are appreciated and celebrated!
HSD Focus 2016
Instruction: Social Language v. Academic Language
Building Relationships
College and Career Ready: CTE Roadmaps
During the 2015-2016 school year, Career and Technical Education (CTE) teachers began work on CTE Program of Study roadmaps and this year they have continued their work in collaboration with counselors, community college partners, and the City of Hillsboro. One purpose of the roadmaps is to provide clear pathways from Pre-K-14. The goal is for these roadmaps to be uploaded into Naviance and used by families, students, teachers and counselors to help them understand the system, the options available to them, and assist students in making personally relevant educational plans that lead to a successful post-secondary transition to careers and college. The roadmaps will also serve as a platform for our community members and current/future business partners to see where they fit and how they can be involved, whether it be through volunteering, offering Experiential Learning Opportunities, etc. Please click here to see a sample roadmap.
HSD Website Redesign
Our Communications department, in collaboration with Technology Services is transitioning to a unified messaging platform in the 2017-18 school year. That means that our website, automated calling, and mobile app services—currently provided by three different companies—will soon be provided by one company, Blackboard, which will allow much more streamlined and efficient communications, especially in emergency situations.
Blackboard purchased the Schoolwires website content management system in March of 2015. Schoolwires is the leading provider of web-based solutions for K-12, serving more than 1,700 school districts and 11 million users in the U.S. and China. HSD is excited to transition from the DotNetNuke (DNN) platform we currently utilize in three separate instances (one for the district site, one for the school sites, and one for Hillsboro Online Academy) to a unified instance of Schoolwires.
Work is currently under way to analyze our current sites and determine how they can be better organized in the future. In January, the transition team will participate in intensive training with the Blackboard team to learn the system and design the new websites to be visually pleasing, intuitive, and consistent. Once the design phase is complete, current content will be migrated to the new site.
Beginning in late spring, trainings will be conducted so that site-based website content managers can use the new system to update their school’s or department’s information.
Questions about this process can be directed to Webmaster Justin Arey (x2756) or Communications Director Beth Graser (x2772).
Extracurricular Expansion & Support
Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) Update
The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) was signed by President Obama in December 2015, replacing No Child Left Behind. The new federal legislation affords greater flexibility to states in education implementation and oversight. Beginning in spring of 2016, the Oregon Department of Education has been leading workgroups to develop our state plan. The key principles guiding this work are:
Designing a collaborative plan that will improve both teaching and learning and student achievement in Oregon
Improving student outcomes and boosting graduation rates
Closing the state’s achievement and opportunity gaps and having a state plan founded on educational equity
High-quality instruction and educational leadership; every student should be taught by an effective teacher and every school led by a strong and effective leader
Leveraging effective strategies for school improvement and transforming underperforming schools