Westlake Picayune

By Dane Anderson, Staff Writer

The Eanes school district recently released a new District Improvement Plan for the 2008-09 year. The DIP details goals for the coming school year that were previously approved by the school board and includes new ways for the district to achieve long term plans.

“Our first goal is the most important, that’s why it is number one,” said Bill Bechtol, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction at the district. “It is to have more students achieving at higher levels of performance than the in the previous year. That’s really what the district is about, instruction and kids learning.”

Bechtol said the other goals listed in the plan support the targeted higher achievement level. He said additional goals for the year were to provide a safe learning environment, to provide learning opportunities that prepare students for the future and inspire them to realize their highest potential, to maintain a staff of exemplary employees, to allocate resources effectively and efficiently and to engage the community in meaningful ways.

Bechtol highlighted some changes in the DIP from previous years. 

“Under goal one, the achievement goal, we want to continue to improve our intervention programs,” he said. “We are going to improve our science instruction; and we are actually going to implement some benchmarks in science to track how our students are doing.”

Bechtol said the district would also be implementing a new elementary math program this year and refining the assessment process that allows students into the advanced math programs. 

“We are getting ready for the new set of (Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills requirements) in the state for reading and in language arts,” Bechtol said. “We continue to work on college readiness skills and we will be improving the use of formative assessments, all to support goal one (achievement).”

To achieve safety goals, Bechtol said the district would be developing reunification plans for each campus to use in the case of emergency so that students know how to get back to their parents. The district is also working on a continuity plan so that in the event of the closure of a school there would be a provision in place to educate the displaced students. 

Also included in the 2008-09 DIP is the implementation of the second year of student support counselors with a new federal grant to fund a program to reduce alcohol and substance use. 

Bechtol said the district is studying an elementary foreign language program and continuing to find ways to enhance instruction with technology, including providing increasing opportunities for middle school students to make global connections. Eanes is also looking at the writing curricula because of its importance at the university level and new TEKS requirements, he said.

Bechtol reminded board members that this year, the district will be developing a long-range master plan that will include planning for future bond projects. Highlighted in plans for the year are a climate survey for parents, students and teachers; a new district Web site; and a closer look at how to help students transition from high school into the college environment. 

“We’ve talked a lot here about transitions from fifth to sixth grade and from eighth to ninth grade, now we are looking at expanding from 12th into the university level,” he said. 

Bechtol presented the plan to board members during a meeting on Oct. 29. He said the District Leadership Team, campus principals, the district administrative cabinet and superintendent Nola Wellman had reviewed the 33-page plan.

 Board members approved the 2008-09 DIP with an unaimous vote.