The following documentation is from the MAPS District Summary statements. These statements were used in the visioning process by the technology committee to develop the vision statement for the use of technology, and they are the goals and objectives which drive the overall educational process for the district. It is important to reflect on these goals when developing and implementing the recommended actions of this technology plan.

SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT EFFORTS

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In recent years, each of our building level school improvement teams have worked to improve the effectiveness of their building through examining the goals they set during the previous year. During the 1991-92 school year the district level school improvement team (composed of about thirty community, business, parent, student, staff and Board of Education representatives) worked on the development of a district mission statement, belief statements, and broad district goals as shown following this paragraph. These will serve as a focus for future decisions we must make in a wide range of areas including curriculum and instruction, the counseling program, staff development and community relations.

DISTRICT MISSION STATEMENT

Montague Area Public Schools recognizes the responsibility to educate each student to become a productive, caring citizen of our changing world.

BELIEF STATEMENTS

• We believe our most important role is to help each student develop a positive self image both personally and academically.
• We believe our students must acquire the basic skills, habits, and attitudes needed for successful careers and life-long learning.
• We believe in the worth of every student. Our students have valuable individual talents and potential that must be identified and developed according to their own rate of learning.
• We believe our students must learn to be effective and conscientious citizens in our local and world community.
• We believe learning will be more successful when meaningful experiences are provided for our students.
• We believe our students must understand and contribute to the needs and well-being of others.
• We believe our school has the responsibility to adjust the learning environment so that our students will learn regardless of race, nationality, gender, or socio-economic status.
• We believe we must foster a cooperative commitment to education among our students, parents, staff, community, and government because such cooperation is necessary to a successful educational program.

DISTRICT ADOPTS BROAD STUDENT EXIT OUTCOMES

During the 1992-93 school year, the district school improvement team, building upon its previous work designed and presented to the Board of Education district exit outcomes which each student will be expected to accomplish prior to graduation. The Board of Education adopted these exit outcomes at its April 1993 meeting.

Design of the outcomes was facilitated by a ten person group made up of district parents, staff members, and a Board of Education representative with the assistance of Ms. LaDon Gustafson, Director of General Education, Muskegon Area Intermediate School District. This group attended a facilitators training session and then designed the process through which the district school improvement team wrote the district level student outcomes. The outcome statements are listed below.

DISTRICT EXIT OUTCOMES

Productive Worker Who:

• Develops high quality products and services through cooperative, independent, and ethical actions.
• Applies innovative ideas, techniques, and approaches in both planning and implementation.
• Efficiently uses resources, information systems, and technology to meet current and emerging standards of quality.

Healthy, Fulfilled Person Who:

• Exhibits integrity and self-worth.
• Promotes and models a healthy lifestyle.
• Sets, prioritizes and strives to achieve goals that will enrich their own and others' lives.
• Displays respect and sensitivity when interacting with others.
• Models honest and trusting behavior.
• Encourages others to reach their potential.
• Strives for excellence in academic, occupational, and family settings.

Involved Citizen Who:

• Formulates and prioritizes decisions based upon an analysis of available information.
• Demonstrates the capacity to reach decisions cooperatively.
• Promotes stewardship of the environment and world resources.
• Reflects knowledge about the interdependence of global environmental, economic, and political systems.
• Participates in civic community activities.

Culturally Sensitive Individual Who:

• Displays respect for the value of diversity in people and cultures.
• Shares his/her unique cultural values and heritage.
• Explores, participates in, and evaluates aesthetic arts.

Life-long, Self-directed Learner Who:

• Applies creative ideas, techniques, and approaches for problem solving and decision making.
• Demonstrates basic skills in computation, reading and writing.
• Develops and implements plans for self-improvement and on-going learning.
• Communicates using a variety of methods including, but not limited to, verbal, written, listening, visual, and technological.
• Expands classroom learning through investigation of real world experiences.
• Engages and perseveres in the learning process.

BROAD DISTRICT GOALS AS ESTABLISHED BY THE DISTRICT SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT TEAM

I. Program and Instruction

Design, market, and implement curriculum and instructional programs for students and staff based upon, but not limited to, state guidelines, current educational research and local perspectives consistent with the district mission and belief statements.

II. Facility Planning And Development

Cost effectively provide and maintain facilities which meet student needs for the future.

III. Community

Develop a partnership with the community such that the school district understands the needs of the community and the community understands and supports the needs of the district.

In addition to these broad goals, the District School Improvement Team, during the 1993-94 school year identified several key areas in which to concentrate its effort during the next school year. It is hoped that this effort will help reach the goals mentioned above. These include improvement in both internal and external communications, specific targets for student achievement growth (MEAP and multiple assessments), a renewed look at performance based education, implementation of staff development activities to assist with implementation of the goals, and an evaluation design to measure the effectiveness of the District School Improvement Team plans. A copy of the specific action plan for each of these areas is available in the Central Office for anyone who wishes to request a copy.

CORE CURRICULUM ISSUES

Montague Area Public Schools is currently in the process of writing curriculum outcomes in line with state recommendations for each academic area. We are participating in a county-wide project designed to meet core curriculum standards over the next several years. This county-wide effort has an established curriculum review cycle. At the conclusion of the next of these cycles each of the curricular areas outlined in the state's core curriculum document will be included in the curriculum of Montague Area Public Schools. It is our hope that, when complete, this curriculum process will compare favorably with the critical student outcomes defined both by the state of Michigan and in our own mission, belief and outcomes statements.

During recent years core curriculum outcomes were completed for math and science and review and evaluation was done in the area of technology outcomes. During the 1993-94 school year our curriculum focus was on world studies. That work will continue through the l994-95 school year. Initial work in the area of language arts will also occur during l994-95.

In these areas the MAPS curriculum will meet or exceed core curriculum requirements.