District Goals

FOCUS AREA: Student Learning and Development (Curriculum, Instruction, Assessment, and Professional Development) 

1.      The Washington Township School District is committed to ensuring that every child has access to viable, content-focused and purposeful curricula. For the 2019-20 school year, WTS will continue to review and revise  curricular areas using a collegial and collaborative process while expanding instructional practices within classroom environments that support children's social and emotional learning needs. 

Major Activities:

• Continue revisions of K-5 Library/Technology Curriculum and 6-8 World Language Curriculum (Spanish Language)
• Revise K-5 Comprehensive Health and Physical Education Curriculum
• Revise 6-8 English/Language Arts Curriculum
• Examine student assessment data (formative and summative, reflecting multiple measures of performance) to provide focus and clarity to curriculum-related decisions
• Provide varied and purposeful professional development opportunities
• Cultivate opportunities for focused curriculum articulation among faculty

2.       The Washington Township School District is committed to valuing each child’s unique learning needs by providing a focused and student-centered learning plan. The multi-tiered system of support (MTSS) is designed for this type of instructional platform. For the 2019-20 school year, WTS will expand its implementation of the MTSS program to narrow achievement gaps and provide for educational equity for each child. There will be a continued focus on differentiated instructional practices to better meet student learning needs in English Language Arts  and Mathematics. 

Major Activities:

• Highlight the art/science of differentiated instruction as part of professional learning opportunities (E/LA grades 2-5)
• Provide for professional development focused on mathematics content and instructional practices
• Establishment of lab classroom professional development opportunities with the District Literacy Coach
• Professional collaborations focused on student work relative to benchmark assessments
• Focused learning supports for grade 6 students in the area of E/LA
• Increased opportunities for students to learn and grow within the mainstream education setting

3.       The Washington Township School District is committed to the expansion of technology integration through the use of age-appropriate, relevant technologies  that support students’ preparation for living in a world of digital information. For the 2019-20 school year, students in grades 3-8 will utilize personal learning devices as an instructional resource to stimulate active engagement and foster student-centered, deep learning experiences. 

Major Activities:

• Purchase and prepare new Chromebooks for grade 6 students to replace older models at LVMS
• Repurpose older Chromebooks for grade 3-5 to establish a 1:1 personal learning device model
• Provide professional development opportunities on the Google Classroom learning platform 
• Provide professional development opportunities  on Chromebooks as instructional resources
• Collaborate with District professionals to identify  and recommend replacement technologies
• Research and pilot the use of replacement technologies that are instructionally sound and cost effective

FOCUS AREA: School Operations (Finance and Facilities) 

1.     The Washington Township School District prides itself on providing all learners with meaningful and varied learning experiences, and strives to develop an annual school spending plan that successfully addresses the needs and priorities of the school district. For the 2019-2020 school year, the District will examine student demographic, facilities, and budgetary data (both current and projected) to best address identified needs within the 2020-2021 school budget and to plan for the continued success of the Washington Township Schools. 

Major Activities:

• Review 2019 Demographic Study, pinpoint district-wide enrollment trends, and arrange for presentation to Board and public
• Examine NJDOE-projected State Aid reduction forecast for WTS and plan accordingly
• Maintain active membership in NJ’s Support Our Students State Aid Reduction Task Force
• Facilitate completion of Long-Range Facilities Plan based on anticipated release of necessary software from the NJDOE
• Develop a school budget for the forthcoming school year that maintains high quality student programs and services
• Explore with the Board of Education other forecasting opportunities related to future planning. 

2.     The Washington Township School District is committed to ensuring that its facilities are secure, clean, well maintained, and environmentally sound. For the 2019-2020 school year, the District will engage in a variety of proactive, facilities-related activities as a means of realizing this commitment for the children and stakeholders of the Washington Township community. 

Major Activities:

• Closely monitor infrastructure needs at all schools
• Continue to address the recommendations of the Superintendent’s Environmental Task Force
• Implement revised cleaning protocols across all school facilities
• Work with District architect to pinpoint site-specific infrastructure solutions for DIstrict schools
• Provide professional development to faculty and support staff that supports quality school facilities

Board of Education Adopted: September 10, 2019