The Colorado Department of Education announced on May 10 that Montezuma-Cortez School District RE-1 will work with outside management organizations to improve student performance at Manaugh Elementary School.
Of the more than 1,700 schools in Colorado, 140 received one of the state’s two lowest quality ratings – priority improvement and turnaround – on Dec. 13, according to the State Board of Education. Schools with the lowest rankings are placed on the accountability clock and given five years to improve with a state-ordered school improvement plan or face intervention, which may include turning them over to new administrators.
Manaugh will enter its sixth year with the lowest rating on the state’s School Performance Framework in fall 2018.
According to the news release, the proposed final written determination regarding the external management pathway for Manaugh Elementary will be submitted by the district in partnership with CDE staff.
As part of the pathway, the district will continue to work with the University of Virginia, its selected management partner, to provide targeted professional development and ongoing accountability.
A second support partner, Relay Graduate School of Education will also work with the district to provide deep instructional coaching for school leadership to implement the pathway plan. In an email to The Journal on Friday, Carol Mehesy, director of Montezuma-Cortez School Improvement and Grants, said the organization specializes in development of school leaders.
According to Mehesy, the program that the district has chosen for Manaugh Elementary from Relay is The National Principals Leadership Institute, which focuses on:
Developing a vision for strategic leadership.Executing effective instructional planning.Using data to drive instruction.Creating a positive culture of high expectations for students.Building an aligned staff culture.Leading adult professional development.Delivering effective observation and feedback sessions.The state board will take a final vote on Manaugh’s pathway at its meeting in June.
Montezuma-Cortez Superintendent Lori Haukeness reported at the district’s board meeting on Tuesday that she, board President Sherri Wright and Mehesy presented the pathway plan to the state board.
“The state board was very receptive to the plan. They had some very targeted and comprehensive questions, as they should,” Haukeness told The Journal in a phone call on Friday.
The state board will take a final vote on Manaugh’s pathway at its June meeting.
According to Haukeness, if the pathway plan passes, the district will be required to present student growth and achievement to the state board in fall 2019.