2012-2013 Action Plan Progress Report

Focus Group Reports: Student Objectives | Program | Culture | Staff | Finance | Facilities

Changes Since March 2012

Legal Status

On April 1, 2013, the school changed its legal status from a foundation juridical person (zaidan houjin) to a school (gakko houjin). This change was part of CAJ's improvement plan.

Staff

Winnie Langelaar was appointed as middle school principal, to begin serving in SY 2013-2014. Hiroaki Tada was appointed as government liaison.

Resource Management

The school's 1-to-1 laptop program has been expanded to now include grades 10-12. The school now has 25% of its operating budget in cash reserves (a requirement for getting the new legal status).

Action Plans

Curriculum

Action Plan

Further develop an aligned curriculum that has refined scope and sequences and unit maps that meet baseline criteria, implementing it with increased differentiated instruction and student use of technology for learning (possibly, in part, by implementing technology standards/learning targets across the curriculum).

Progress Report

Teaching staff have made progress on further developing the curriculum, thereby supporting student achievement of all student objectives:

1. Academic departments, using the Understanding by Design framework, have made significant progress toward completing the documentation of the alignment of the student objectives, standards, assessments/rubrics, instructional strategies, and technology resources (*WASC 2).
2. Teachers, using the Understanding by Design framework, worked to get unit maps to baseline, which included aligning learning targets, enduring understandings/essential questions, and content/skills; and learning targets and assessments (*WASC 2). Many teachers will be working during the summer on unit maps for pay.
3. Secondary Bible refined its standards and learning targets, and secondary English and social studies refined their scope and sequences for MLA style and department assessments.
4. Teachers have taken initial steps to increasingly use differentiated instruction and technology for learning.

To support these efforts, teaching staff received training and support for Stage 3 (Instruction) of Understanding by Design, technology integration, the Big 6 research framework, and differentiated instruction. Additionally, the Learning Team reviewed the option of developing and implementing technology standards/learning targets across the curriculum, deciding to reconsider this option next school year.

Next steps include:

1. Backward designing all appropriate department assessments (in secondary Bible, English, social studies, and other subjects as appropriate) from senior comprehensives.
2. Getting unit maps to baseline by June 2014.
3. Providing training and support for technology.

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Data Usage

Action Plan

Systematically use data to drive achievement of board ends and, consequently, the mission.

Progress Report

CAJ staff are increasingly using data to drive achievement of board ends, including student achievement of the student objectives. Focus groups, for example, monitored the achievement of the ends by analyzing the school profile, parent survey, and key performance indicators; they also suggested additional key performance indicators. Some academic departments used student assessment data to modify instruction. The headmaster is increasingly using data to support his board monitoring reports. Our use of data helps improve decision-making, thereby supporting student achievement of all student objectives.

To support data usage,

1. Meeting leaders were encouraged to model data usage and have meeting participants use data.
2. An online professional development application process that further links data from instructional supervision and student outcomes has been implemented (*WASC 1).
3. The Professional Development Plan has been reviewed and further aligned with ends (including the student objectives). The plan's goal address ongoing needs and the school improvement plan, both of which involve a review of student assessment data and instructional supervision data. The plan now more clearly identifies strategies for implementation (*WASC 1 and 3).
4. Staff received initial data training which emphasized the importance of using data to support statements (*WASC 3).

Next steps include:

1. Implementing a review process for administrative policies and plans in SOPHIE.
2. Adding PHOENIX features, including reports on student attendance and student health.
3. Modifying PHOENIX so that it provides data on standards and rubric criteria and provides a more effective breakdown of the assessment data and report card grades for use by PLCs, divisions, and individual teachers.
4. Further developing key performance indicators and core data portfolios for each focus group and professional learning community.
5. Further training staff in data usage.

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English Language Proficiency

Action Plan

To address our demographic shift, increase students' English language proficiency (reading, writing, and vocabulary).

Progress Report

Given the focus on further developing the curriculum and on changing the school's legal status, CAJ intentionally invested limited energy in this action plan. Teaching staff have made progress, thereby supporting the achievement of 1 student objective (Effective Communicators):

1. Reading and writing are now integrated into secondary standards for Bible, math, and science.
2. Teaching staff received training in English language acquisition and in effective instructional strategies for language proficiency, including differentiation and EAL (ESL) strategies.
3. Middle school core teachers are discussing the importance of academic vocabulary using the book Building Academic Vocabulary.

Next steps include:

1. The Leadership Team facilitating shared faculty understanding of the connection between the EAL (ESL) admission policy regarding English language proficiency and the decisions that are made.
2. Assessing our EAL (ESL) program including the impact of providing EAL (ESL) support in middle school English and elementary language arts, and exploring providing EAL (ESL) support in content courses other than middle school English and elementary language arts.

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Legal Status Change

Action Plan

Complete the change of CAJ’s legal status from zaidan houjin to gakko houjin.

Progress Report

At a ceremony with the Tokyo Metropolitan Government on April 1, 2013, CAJ completed the change of its legal status from zaidan houjin to gakko houjin. This change involved establishing a cash reserve that is equal to 25% of the operating budget by November 2012, successful submission of the application in November 2012 (which involved completing the revision of core legal documents and getting them approved by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, finalizing accounting changes required by the transition to gakko houjin status, and submitting required personnel and financial documents), and a January 2013 site visit from government officials who toured the school and asked questions about CAJ's revenue, admissions, program, and accreditation.

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Resource Master Plan

Action Plan

Collaboratively develop a Resource Master Plan that provides clear direction for future facilities and equipment that support the educational program for students and account for student safety.

Progress Report

For a number of reasons, but primarily because of the need for key support staff to focus on efforts to ensure the legal status change, the timeline for the strategic plan has been revised.

Progress to date includes (*WASC 4):

1. Ongoing opportunities for all staff to provide feedback.
2. Work on student population number projections and the implications of growing or reducing in size or maintaining current numbers.
3. The collection into an accessible database of the facilities history and maintenance/purchasing cycles.
4. Work on financial projections in anticipation of a significant building project within the next 10 years.

Next steps include:

1. The development of "need" statements. Need statements are those facility matters that we determine have to be changed in order to accommodate our current student population, staff and program. They also take into consideration the needs of anticipated changes in enrollment or program.
2. The development and prioritization of "want" statements. Want statements are those facility matters that CAJ desires to have changed in order to accommodate our current student population and staff as well as allow or stimulate positive changes to our program. They also take into consideration the needs of anticipated changes in enrollment or program.
3. Accessing outside expertise via research and the inclusion of some or all of the following: non-CAJ educators and administrators, consultants, contractors, our current architect, and other qualified experts.
4. Involving the board, staff, students and community in further dialogue about possible changes.

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*Red text indicates a task related to a major critical area for follow up from the 2012 WASC Visiting Committee Report.