What does 10 percent by 2010 mean to MUSD?

In July 2009 the Maricopa Unified School District’s (MUSD) Leadership Team met together to develop a plan that would raise the bar for MUSD students, teachers, and community members.

The Leadership Team (which consists of the following members: the superintendent, district principals, district assistant principals and special area directors) worked together to come up with a goal that unifies the district on a path toward academic excellence. Together, the Leadership Team developed a slogan that represents our objective, which is to raise the student achievement level by 10 percent by the end of the 2009-2010 school year, or “10% by 2010.” This goal will be measured by our spring reading and math AIMS scores. Ten percent improvement is a considerable challenge, but the team is confident that this goal is attainable through hard work, dedication, and the collaborative efforts of all MUSD students, staff and community.

In addition to the collaborative efforts of all of our stakeholders, there are several other strategies that will require additional support as we strive to reach the 10 percent by 2010 goal.  Our first priority in achieving this goal is to create a positive learning environment for our students.  Secondly, we need to increase our instructional expectations by setting higher standards for learning.  To create a climate of success, teachers are offered professional development opportunities based on high priority needs, as determined from looking at our district assessments. The alignment of our professional development to directly match student-learning needs is an essential component in meeting our goal of 10 percent by 2010.

Another priority in helping us meet our district goal is bridging the school-home gap. By focusing on improving our communication, we can increase our parent support.  Involving the community at a school and district level is imperative to the success of student achievement. This year we are looking for a 10 percent increase in parent volunteers, conferences, curriculum nights and parent teacher organizations. A district-level communication team has been hard at work, developing the expectations and procedures that we as a district will follow to share important information with the community. Monthly newsletters, frequently updated websites and positive phone calls home are just a few of the strategies that we are implementing in our race for 10 percent by 2010.

Maricopa Unified School District is confident that with hard work, dedication and perseverance our goal of 10 percent by 2010 will be achieved.

Krista Roden is Director of Curriculum and Instruction for the Maricopa Unified School District.

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