Brandywine Success Plan Overview

Needs identified and addressed through Success Plan:  Improve standards-based instruction, fidelity to the curriculum, instructional delivery, professional development, and accountability

 A.  Curriculum Alignment and Instructional Best Practices 

1.      Adoption of and alignment to the National Common Core Standards of all of Brandywine’s academic curriculum and programming in mathematics and English/language arts

2.      Adoption of Singapore Math

3.      Implementation of Learning Focused Solutions provides the framework and monitoring protocol of research-based best practices in every classroom, every day

B. Building a Culture of College and Career Readiness
 
Closing the achievement gap between groups of student remains a top priority of the District.

1.      Increase students taking higher level courses such as AP and ready for college and/or career upon graduation 

2.      Support and expand the AP course offerings and AP professional development for teachers

3.      Examine and modify the academic programming for the highest performing students so that all students receive relevant and rigorous learning opportunities

4.      Continued support and expansion of the IB Programme at Harlan, P.S. duPont, Talley and Mt. Pleasant HS

5.      Continued support of the AVID program in all six secondary schools

6.      Expansion of PSAT testing down through ninth grade and track AP Potential data

7.      Use Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (S.T.E.M.) education as a framework to increase the rigor and critical thinking skills in a problem-based learning approach in all classrooms

8.      Increase the availability of acceleration and/or remediation opportunities available to students in English language arts and mathematics

9.      Implement summer preparatory AP courses

C.  Engage Families and Communities in Supporting Academic Success for All

Schools need the partnership, commitment and support of parents, as well as the community at large, in order to raise student achievement.  Use Race to the Top to hire a Family and Community Coordinator that will work directly with schools to promote innovative opportunities for parents, families, communities and schools to work together to collectively offer every student an educational experience in which all stakeholders take an active role and share responsibility

D.  Professional Development

1.      Provide training and follow-up support of research-based instructional best practices using LFS

2.      Ensure the consistent and pervasive use of instructional best practices through the LFS framework as “expectations” that defines a standard of professional practice and culture that is uniquely Brandywine

3.      Provide intensive professional development in instructional best practices for all teachers and administrators with defined implementation timelines and accountability monitoring

4.      Provide professional development on effective use of PLCs

5.      Design and implement a job-embedded professional development plan ensuring that teachers and administrators are engaged in professional development activities on a weekly basis

6.      Modify existing Aspiring Administrators Program to reflect new administrative competency expectations ensuring the program’s continued success in providing a qualified pool of candidates and strategic succession planning

Other notable initiatives/investments:

•        Hiring of new staff, including RTTT Director, math coach, math program specialist, curriculum and instruction program manager and S.T.E.M. program manager to assist with the coordination and workload associated with the aggressive comprehensive and systemic reform outlined in the District Success Plan.
•        District-wide articulated S.T.E.M. program, Kindergarten through high school, providing inquiry-based contextual learning and an integrated application of skills and knowledge across the curriculum.