Department Mission Statement
The English department will focus attention on improving the overall testing scores for the language arts section of the CRT tests. The English department will focus on applying the new state standards.
1. Improve over all CRT test scores.
– Use the Utips testing modules as pre and post tests during the B and C sections to determine the direction each class will need to take in order to help each student to be successful.
2. Applying the new state standards.
– The English department will redo the curriculum mapping for the A, B, and C sections.
– The mapping will be finished by December 1st 2013.
Department Goals
Parent support
1. Parents will be contacted in regards to all students that are struggling in classes.
- A syllabus will be sent home and returned signed at the beginning of each term.
- Students whose parents do not attend parent teacher conference will receive a grade update that students will need to return signed by the following Friday.
- Parents of students not returning signed grade updates receiving D’s or F’s will be contacted by phone on Friday following parent teacher conference.
- Parents of failing students will be contacted 1 week prior to the end of term.
2. Parents will be contacted to gain their support in preparing students for End of Level testing.
- Parents will be contacted prior to End of Level testing to inform them of test dates and test taking strategies.
Teacher excellence
1. Teachers will develop common department policies regarding late work and absences.
- UEN website will be updated with common course options for meeting student needs in regards to late work and absences.
- A section late work and absence options will focus on usage skills.
- B section late work and absence options will focus on mechanics.
- C section late work and absence options will focus on reading comprehension.
2. Teachers will focus on preparing students to increase CRT passing scores by 10%.
- Sections B and C will focus on preparing students for the CRT tests by focusing daily on the skills they will be tested on.
- UTIPs pre and post tests will be given during the B and C sections.
- Scores from the Utips testing website will be analyzed to gage student learning.
- Students who had failing scores the previous school year will receive extra class time to help boost their improvement.
Student commitment
1. Teachers will focus on helping students gain an understanding of how to succeed in the English classes.
- Each class will review study skills involving note taking strategies, organization strategies, and the importance of asking questions.
- Students will turn in their notes at the completion of a project as a way to verify skills listed above.
2. Teachers will post their expectations of classroom behavior.
- Class rules and school mission statement will be posted in each English classroom.