School Improvement Plan Analysis

Brookwood High Schools Improvement plan has three major goals, which have a few
implementation design aspects.
1) Annual Goal #1: Brookwood High School will increase academic performance in the core
academic areas for ALL students, including all subgroups, as indicated by a 0.6 point gain on the
total score of the 2014-2015 CCRPI report as compared to the 88.1 overall score from the 20132014 report. The improved performance will be achieved through student intervention and
enrichment opportunities, teaching practices focused on increasing student achievement, effective
teacher collaboration, technology integration in the classroom, and an emphasis on
communication and literacy skills. A specific area of focus will be on eClass integration by all
teachers as measured by the GCPS Matrix of eClass Implementation. Non-core areas will
integrate skills and content to enhance achievement in all core areas.
2) Annual Goal #2: In 2014-2015, Brookwood High School will integrate a STEAM (Science,
Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) Program that meets the STEM criteria
established by the GA Department of Education and adds the rich diversity of Fine Arts
experiences that Brookwood offers. The Brookwood STEAM Program will kick off in Fall 2014
with a Class of 2016 cohort and Brookwood will apply for state STEM certification in the Spring
of 2015 or 2016.
3) Annual Goal #3: Brookwood High School will increase the 4-year graduation rate by two
points.
Only the first goal specifically addresses technology implementation. Two of the implementation designs
of goal one focus on technology:
A) Effective Technology Integration in the Classroom: Teachers will utilize technology effectively
to build lessons, increase student participation during class, and obtain and analyze student data,
all with the goal of increased student learning and achievement. In order to assist in this
objective, all teachers will complete 6 hours of continuous improvement technology activities
over the course of the year. Teachers may attend local or county staff development opportunities,
among other routes, in order to meet this goal.
B) School-Wide eClass learning management system Integration: All teachers will utilize eClass as
the primary digital resource for all students to enhance classroom instruction and student
achievement. Over the course of the year, differentiated professional learning sessions and an
eClass focus during faculty, department, and instructional team meetings will allow this resource
to be pervasive across all classrooms. Data analysis on access in addition to teacher and student
surveys will be used to assess usage and the overall effectiveness of school-wide eClass
integration.

Overall, goal one suggests that the administration does not see a need to change the ways teachers are
teaching, but they want to increase student performance. They believe that adding technology into
teachers lessons will help achieve the goal. However, the goal does not even specifically address who
should be using the technology in the classroom, the teachers or the students, or how they will use the

technology. I find the goals and implementation design aspects vague and limited. Implementation
design A uses general language about building lessons, increasing student participation and improving
student achievement; however, it does not mention any specific ways that technology will be used to
achieve these goals. Based on the language of the design, it sounds like the teachers are the ones using
technology in the lessons, not the students. There is no mention of creating student-centered or authentic
lessons. Implementation design B states that teachers will use eclass to enhance classroom instruction
and student achievement; however, there is not mention of specifics in execution. For example, teachers
can create blended learning or problem-based learning lessons on eclass. Based on the language of the
design, the administration is more concerned with the fact that teachers and students are getting on eclass
rather than how eclass is being used.
Even though goal one is the only goal that specifically addresses technology integration, both goal two
and three should contain technology as part of the implementation design aspects. Technology will be a
vital part of the schools focus on the STEAM initiative (goal two). All of the areas of STEAM are
supported and enhanced by the use of technology, especially by the use of problem-based learning and
authentic lessons. These types of lessons would also increase student engagement and performance,
which would in turn improve graduation rate (goal three). Many students drop out of high school because
they are not engaged or motivated. They are expected to sit and receive information instead of forming
their own understanding. The use of more constructivist lessons would engage our struggling students,
resulting in improved retention, and would engage our STEAM students in more rigorous course work.
Therefore, the administration must add technology integrations into the second and third goal
implementation designs.
Lastly, student technology literacy, assistive technology, and digital equity are not addressed in any of the
goals or design implementation elements, which I find disappointing. If the point of the goals is to
improve student learning school-wide, then the implementation design must address how the varying
needs of the students, especially in the sub-groups, will be met. The school will not be able to meet their
goals effectively without addressing these three major concerns. I believe that the lack of a technology
implementation plan has resulted in administrations lack of direction and focus when it comes to
technology integration. Even though there is lots of room for improvement, I think that the school
administration is trying hard to integrate technology in the classroom. I support their requirement for
technology-focused professional development. I admire their enthusiasm in implementing the schoolwide usage of the learning management system (eclass) and for offering frequent professional learning
sessions to support the teachers exploration of eclass. I respect their desire to use data and researchbased practices in the creation of lessons. However, I think that the creation of a shared vision and
technology implementation plan would help the school meet goal one more effectively.