{"id":1504,"date":"2019-01-29T21:06:08","date_gmt":"2019-01-30T02:06:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pleasantvillepress.com\/?p=1504"},"modified":"2019-09-23T15:04:23","modified_gmt":"2019-09-23T19:04:23","slug":"pleasantville-schools-5-year-plan-a-look-back-and-ahead","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pleasantvillepress.com\/index.php\/2019\/01\/29\/pleasantville-schools-5-year-plan-a-look-back-and-ahead\/","title":{"rendered":"Pleasantville schools 5-year plan\u2014a look back and ahead"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Pleasantville School Board recently announced a new five-year plan to be carried out by 2026. It comes as the previous strategic plan is expected to end in 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The school board, which has not yet announced what kinds of initiatives the new plan will entail, is expected to meet Feb. 1 to discuss the aims to initiate in 2020. According to Mary Fox-Alter, superintendent of Pleasantville schools, approximately 30 to 35 people, including community members, parents, teachers, administrators, board members, and three to four high school student volunteers are expected to attend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Current school board president Angela Vella stated that the purpose of developing a strategic plan in the first place was to \u201cstay current and make improvements and add technology as the years go on, because we want to make sure that students are prepared when they exit our doors.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vella has been school board president for three years, arriving during the first year of implementation for the 2014-2019 plan. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe idea was that we would take a look at where we were and where we wanted to be. And so, [the school board] originally came up with seven strategies and they were all predicated on things that the community wanted to see happen in the schools.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The seven strategies depicted above inspire action plans upon which the strategies are applied to Pleasantville schools. (Sabrina Sanchez\/Pleasantville Press)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The seven strategies were originally developed by a steering committee. From there, committees were developed for each strategy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The school board gathered with students, faculty, board and community members to execute action plans to implement the seven strategies that were developed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA lot of [the strategies are] technology-based, because we want to leverage what\u2019s been going on,\u201d Vella said, referring to the rise of a digital age. \u201cAbout half-way through our five-year plan we did an upgrade to our infrastructure\u2026 we did basic infrastructure updates for all of our technology.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Joseph Palumbo, the principal of Pleasantville High School, \u201cWithin each of those [seven] areas of focus, there\u2019s a laundry list of different items that we could do over the course of time to demonstrate that we were growing in those areas, making progress.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the infrastructure updates, improvements to connectivity and software were made, as well as switching from Smart Boards to True Touch boards, creating media labs, and maker-spaces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The school board also rolled out the Tech for All program for the first time this year. The program, which aims to give every student in fifth through 12th<\/sup> grade a device, provided fifth and ninth grade students Dell 2-in-1 laptops in 2018.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The devices serve as both laptop computers and tablets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vella said providing the devices was a budget-neutral move because it took the place of funding new laptop carts and desktop computers for classrooms. Next year, the board expects to reach sixth grade students in addition to incoming freshmen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The devices will remain in the classroom for the middle school students. However, ninth graders have the advantage of taking them home and keeping them throughout their high school career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The devices are protected by an \u201cacceptable use\u201d policy developed by the district that has existed for \u201ca number of years for devices in the building,\u201d according to Palumbo. The policy has been extended to include devices that are taken off-site by the students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA simple rule of thumb [is] any conduct that would be against rules and procedures that are outlined in our code of conduct here in the building would also lead to trouble outside of the building,” Palumbo said. “So, devices can\u2019t be used to access inappropriate material, they can\u2019t be used to engage in online bullying, [the students] are responsible for the devices issued a lot like [they are] responsible for a textbook.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The school-based technology is protected by internet filters under the Child Internet Protection Act<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Families have also been given the option to enroll in an insurance program that would help cover any damage to the devices, according to Palumbo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the next four years, the school board hopes to have reached every fifth through 12th<\/sup> grader.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Funding has been allocated for improving faculty performance with technology as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNow that we have devices in some of the student\u2019s hands, it\u2019s just as important that we spend money on professional development,\u201d Vella said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe need to empower our teachers to learn what\u2019s available, what they can use to enhance the curriculum, because the whole point of the technology is to improve and enhance the delivery of the curriculum,” she said. “We want to make sure that our teachers are comfortable with the devices and that they have exposure to the different possibilities.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Angela Vella (above) has been president of the Pleasantville School Board for three years. She arrived during the first year of the five-year plan implementation in 2014. (Sabrina Sanchez\/Pleasantville Press).<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The school board provides ongoing professional development for teachers where they can learn and train to use devices and software such as Windows 10 and Microsoft 365 in accordance with the curriculum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The results of this have appeared in the classroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cJust in the last week, I\u2019ve been in classrooms where teachers are using this technology with students to create interactive opportunities for learning,” said Palumbo, the Pleasantville High School principal. “I\u2019m thinking about a lab that I recently observed in an Honors Biology class where students were engaging in a \u2018virtual lab,\u2019 and because their screens were touchscreens, they were able to manipulate the pieces of the lab.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Above is a photo provided by Joseph Palumbo, Principal of Pleasantville High School. Depicted is a math teacher using the Dell 2-in-1 laptops provided to students for instruction. (Sabrina Sanchez\/Pleasantville Press).<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Making new adjustments to the spaces students use has also been on the agenda, resulting in the recent redesign of the Pleasantville Middle School library into a maker-space with new seating and collaborative centers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Currently, the school board is looking to redesign the elementary school library.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each year, after executing new enhancements in the district, the school board receives what Vella referred to as a \u201creport card,\u201d listing the things that were accomplished in the year and the things that need to be worked on the following year district and building-wide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fox-Alter referred to it as \u201caccountability measures\u201d given at the beginning and the end of the school year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe first accountability measure is given in the beginning of the school year and it\u2019s the commitment of the administration to the board as to what we will focus on this school year,\u201d in terms of the five-year plan, Fox-Alter said. \u201cAt the end of the school year in June, we give a \u2018report card\u2019 on our work\u2014what did we do? What did we accomplish?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These documents are shared with the board and administrators as well as the rest of the community online<\/a> under the titles \u201cStrategic Plan Year [insert number here]\u201d and \u201cBoard Goals Update\u201d for each year since 2014.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In general, according to Vella, the school board hopes to keep the seven existing strategies for the new strategic plan. \u201cI think we have a good framework for the new action plans.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Though the new action plans have not been discussed formerly, Vella revealed some ideas or needs that have been presented to the board by students include the need to create more charging stations and outlets for students in the high school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In response to public anticipation of the new plan, Fox-Alter said, \u201cpeople are enthusiastic and looking forward to the next five years of Pleasantville Schools 2026. There has been positive response from the community, parents, and students about the progress that we\u2019ve made under the current five-year plan.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once the new 2026 plan has been developed, the Board of Education must vote on it and adopt it before it can be implemented. From there, it is the responsibility of the superintendent and the administrative team in the district\u2014the principals, assistant principals, directors, assistant directors, and assistant superintendents\u2014act on the initiatives proposed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regarding the changes that have been made so far, Fox-Alter said this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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