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L

Learning Excellence - Personalization

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Learning Excellence

Personalization

RATIONALE:

Bismarck Public Schools believes personalization honors who learners are, how they learn, and what they aspire to do.

DEFINITION:

Personalization is a relationship-based approach that provides learners with more choice in how they demonstrate mastery. Instruction is tailored for each learner’s culture, strengths, needs, and interests - including enabling voice and choice in what, how, when, and where they learn. Personalization empowers exploration, practice, agency, communication, creativity, critical thinking, collaboration, and efficiency.

GOAL:

Every learner has access to personalized learning paths.

OBJECTIVES:

  • Foster skills and dispositions that support staff, student, and stakeholder engagement in personalized learning.
  • Identify alignment and clarify or revise inconsistencies in policy, infrastructure, curriculum, instruction, and professional development needed to systemically support personalized learning across the district.
  • Expand learning environments for all learners to include supports that accelerate personalized competency-based learning (i.e. blended learning, flexible time, multiple learning paths).

Learning Excellence – Standards-Based Education

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Learning Excellence

Standards-Based Education

RATIONALE:

Bismarck Public Schools believes standards drive instruction and that all students need to meet or exceed proficiency on North Dakota state standards.

DEFINITION:

Standards-based education is a systemic approach to delivering high quality, equitable learning experiences inclusive of instruction, assessment, grading, and academic reporting practices deliberately focused on students demonstrating mastery of skills and understandings inherent in the standards.

GOAL:

Deliver a high quality, equitable, standards-based education that is consistent across grade levels and courses.

OBJECTIVES:

  • Increase all stakeholders’ (e.g. staff, students, families, community) understanding of the components of effective standards-based education. (SBE Pocket Guide/Parent Guide)
  • Establish and maintain a K-12 curriculum review and revision cycle that aligns to budget priorities.
  • Establish and communicate clear and consistent grading practices that are supportive of learning, bias resistant, and intrinsically motivating.

O

Operational Excellence - Comprehensive Plans

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Operational Excellence

Comprehensive Plans

In addition to the Strategic Priority areas, BPS believes having comprehensive plans for critical operational functions within the district are essential for optimal performance. Our Facilities, Finance, Transportation, Technology, and Communication Plans will be located online at https://www.bismarckschools.org/Page/53

OBJECTIVES:

  • Financial Plan
    This Long-Range Financial Plan provides a road map for the district’s financial well-being and our plan to achieve educational results by combining financial projections with financial strategizing.
  • Facilities Plan
    The Long-Range Facilities Plan will assist in guiding decisions made for future facility needs and usage (presented September 2020).
  • Communication Plan
    The Bismarck Public School District’s Community Relations Office practices the 4C’s: Communicate Clearly & Consistently with Compassion. Our role will be to communicate all aspects of the new BPS Strategic Plan. This community relations plan is based on National School Public Relations Association audit (presented December 2020).
  • Technology Plan
    BPS believes proactive and comprehensive technology planning is a foundation for district success. Our vision for engaged digital learning is for all students to have individual access and sophisticated integration of digital tools for personalized learning. We strive for cost-savings and efficiencies through effective uses of technology. We strive for our financial model to include the metrics and processes to ensure not only sustainability, but also accountability for learning returns on investments. Our 2020-2025 Technology Plan is available on the district website.
  • Transportation Plan
    The Long-Range Transportation Plan will assist in providing a safe and effective transportation system (presented January 2021).

Operational Excellence - Human Capital Development

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Operational Excellence

Human Capital Development

RATIONALE:

Bismarck Public Schools believes in developing human capital where employees can learn and apply ideas and acquire new competencies, behaviors, and attitudes that align with our foundational values.

DEFINITION:

Human capital development serves to position the district as a sought-after choice for employment. It is a system to implement and improve human capital decisions, recruitment strategies, hiring and onboarding, retention, professional development, mentoring, evaluation processes, and compensation and benefit packages.

GOAL:

Recruit, hire, develop, and retain a diverse and premier workforce.

OBJECTIVES:

  • Develop processes and partnerships for recruitment and hiring.
  • Develop an evaluation growth model that encompasses BPS values.
  • Streamline and connect human resources processes from hiring to retirement.

Operational Excellence - Partnerships

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Operational Excellence

Partnerships

RATIONALE:

Bismarck Public Schools believes collaborative partnerships with the community enhance and enrich experiences for learners.

DEFINITION:

Partnerships include the formal and informal community connections, collaborative projects, and relationships that advance a school’s learning goals.

GOAL:

Create and refine our partnerships based on the mutually beneficial interests between BPS and other agencies, citizens, and private-sector companies.

OBJECTIVES:

  • Expand the Bismarck Public Schools Foundation and its services to benefit all learners.
  • Develop partnerships with providers aimed at establishing a continuum of services for wellness, school-based behavioral and mental health.
  • Promote and market the BPS Mission, Vision, Values, and Strategic Plan as a means to create collaborative partnerships that enhance district operations and learning experiences for all learners.

P

Personal Excellence - Extracurricular/Co-Curricular

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Personal Excellence

Extracurricular/Co-Curricular

RATIONALE:

Bismarck Public Schools believes all students deserve extracurricular/co-curricular experiences that facilitate exploration of interests and passion in order to enhance school experience and build life skills.

DEFINITION:

Extra/co-curricular activities provide additional opportunities to support and reinforce learner skills and understandings through passion driven participation in teams, clubs, and specialized courses both in and outside of school.

GOAL:

All learners have diverse opportunities to participate in or lead activities that enhance their experience.

OBJECTIVES:

  • Provide diverse and relevant opportunities for all students to experience success in activities.
  • Improve communications and outreach to inform parents and students about activities.
  • Provide leadership training to coaches, advisors, and students involved in activities.

Personal Excellence - Inclusive Practices

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Personal Excellence

Inclusive Practices

RATIONALE:

Bismarck Public Schools believes each learner thrives within an equitable and inclusive learning environment that values the contribution of personal, cultural, and historical aspects of identity to enrich our schools and community.

DEFINITION:

Inclusive practices ensure that each learner is valued as an equal member of the school community. They support positive school climates and foster an understanding of each student’s strengths and weaknesses while providing intentional and meaningful opportunities to engage in all aspects of learning.

GOAL:

Each learner is valued for their distinct characteristics, ideas, and perspectives.

OBJECTIVES:

  • Ensure that schools cultivate and integrate diversity in all learning environments by recognizing each learner’s distinct needs, ideas, and perspectives.
  • Examine and revise our curriculum and teaching practices as necessary to ensure that we are effective in reaching each learner.
  • Improve access to equitable school opportunities across buildings and for each student.

Personal Excellence - Multi-Tiered Systems of Support for Behavior (MTSS-B) / Interconnected Systems Framework

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Personal Excellence

Multi-Tiered Systems of Support for Behavior (MTSS-B) / Interconnected Systems Framework

RATIONALE:

Bismarck Public Schools believes supporting social and emotional needs through a tiered systems framework is foundational to learning.

DEFINITION:

An Interconnected Systems Framework (ISF) serves to integrate School Mental Health and Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports through the blending of resources, training, systems, data, and practices (Multi-Tiered System of Supports). There is an emphasis on prevention, early identification, and intervention of the social, emotional, and behavioral needs of students. Family and community partnerships are critical to this framework.

GOAL:

All learners are supported through a continuum of evidence-based practices that promote behavioral and mental health.

OBJECTIVES:

  • Establish and monitor a continuum of evidence-based interventions at all MTSS levels that results in early identification and intervention implementation using data-based decision making.
  • Increase efficiency and effectiveness of Student Support Services (School Counselors, School Psychologists, and School Social Workers).
  • Provide professional development to meet the social and emotional needs of all staff and students.
  • Engage community collaborators in supporting schools in the promotion of behavioral and mental health for all learners.

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