FAQs – Strategic Plan
1. What is a strategic plan?
On January 16, 1999, the State Board of Education Rules and Regulations (known as Chapter 4 Academic Standards and Assessment) became effective. Chapter 4 contains academic standards that identify the knowledge and skills students should learn in content areas by designated grade levels. These standards provide the rigor of world-class standards, are measurable and have been designed so that they provide clarity on what is expected for all students.
To guide the work of schools in helping every child succeed in meeting these standards, the Regulations of the State Board of Education require that each school district, area vocational-technical school (AVTS) and charter school develop a six-year strategic plan. The plan must show in detail how the school intends to incorporate the standards adopted by the State Board of Education into the curriculum. Further, the process used to develop the strategic plan must include broad community involvement that reflects the community's diversity.
It is expected that the total community - parents, community leaders, business leaders, students, educators and school officials - will be involved in the crucial work of developing the strategic plan. With this involvement, each district/school should succeed in charting a course of action that will ensure that adequate and appropriate consideration is given to the educational needs of every student in the district/school.
The purpose of these guidelines is to provide school districts, AVTSs and charter schools with directions for meeting the strategic planning rules and regulations while still providing maximum latitude in the planning process at the local level. Upon completion of the locally approved strategic plan, it is filed with the Department of Education.
A new strategic plan is created every six years. Each strategic plan is reviewed for revision at mid-point.
Chapter 4, Academic Standards and Assessment, Section 4.13 (c) provides that the strategic plan shall include the following components in addition to any others the school entity determines to include:
- A statement of the school district's mission;
- A listing of goals as they relate to student achievement and high school graduation requirements and a description of academic standards for student achievement which must be consistent with Pennsylvania academic standards;
- The planned instruction to be offered and the instructional and assessment practices to be used;
- An assessment plan designed to determine the degree to which students are achieving academic standards;
- A plan for improving students' achievement, including specific, measurable goals for student growth and plans that are designed to attain students' achievement goals;
- A professional education plan (formerly identified as a professional development plan) and induction plan;
- A description of the school entity’s organization and organizational goals and their relationship to differing student needs within the school entity;
- A description of the professional personnel, school libraries, classrooms, laboratories and other resources that will be devoted to the attainment of academic standards;
- A brief description of the process used to develop the strategic plan, including a list of persons involved in its development;
- A plan for additional instructional opportunities for students not achieving at the proficient level including identification procedures, alternate instructional strategies, monitoring of assessment procedures, and opportunities for extended learning time
The Pennsylvania Department of Education offers additional information about the strategic planning process here.
The Board of School Directors approved the current version of the Strategic Plan on March 9, 2009. Click here to view the approved Strategic Plan.
