and achieve the expectations of the school as set forth in the mission.

to read a variety of text genres, including informational text.

To increase the number of students achieving the standard in writing effectiveness.

2007 NECAP state assessment results show our students need to improve in the area of extended response to informational text (36.76% achieved proficiency).

10% of the students with IEPs were proficient as measured on the Writing
NECAP in 2007.

1. Continue to develop department wide strategies to increase and integrate writing, in response to informational text, into each department curriculum.
1a. Begin an affiliation with the Rhode Island Writing Project.
1b. Use RISC rubrics to provide greater consistency in the grading of writing.

1. Continue to use part of each monthly department meeting to look at and discuss student writing.
1a. Follow curriculum guidelines for lists of specific suggestions, strategies and lesson plans for writing within each department that is in accordance with the state GSEs for writing requirements. Teachers will register to participate in the Writing Project Embedded Institute.
1b. Provide professional development for writing instruction.

1. Maintain a log of all department meetings as well as samples of student writing produced through the year.
1a. Maintain a list of suggestions, strategies and lesson plans for writing. A review will take place of artifacts/research topics with a presentation given by the teachers who took part in the Embedded Institute.
1b. Provide opportunities for all departments to LASWa number of times during the school year using the RISC rubrics, to discuss best practices for teaching response to informational text reading and writing strategies to evaluate impact of staff professional development.

1c. Expected increment of gain over 2 years is 66% or 15% of students with IEPs will be proficient in writing.

Continue to expand and balance the amount of writing time in all disciplines.

PHS academic expectations that a student/graduate must communicate proficiency through writing.

2. Continue to have all departments mandate that students write in each class with a scoring rubric that allows students to see how they are being judged.
2a. Continue to use interdepartmental consensus as to the types and frequency of writing to be completed.

2. Continue to monitor writing across the curriculum through looking at student work through departments monthly meetings.
2a. Departmental leaders and administration will arrange at least three interdepartmental meetings to discuss writing across the curriculum.

2. Maintain a file of strategies and model lessons accompanied by student work, demonstrating the strategies and lessons.
2a. Maintain a list of interdepartmental meetings.

Continue to improve quality and consistency of calibration/scoring of student writing across all disciplines.

-- Based on 2007 NECAP results and SALT Survey, many members of the faculty have expressed a lack of confidence in assessing student writing.
-- NEASC standard for instruction requires that instructional strategies shall be a significant part of the professional culture of the school.

3. Place “best practice” student work in all disciplines on a student's digital portfolio.
3a. Continue to develop/use rubrics pertaining to several types of writing assignments that can be used school wide.
3b. Focus professional development school wide on student-centered instruction and calibration/scoring of student work.
3c. Continue to discuss/look at student work during, at least, three monthly department meetings during the year using a training protocol.

3. Students to visit the computer labs to place “best practice” on their digital portfolio based upon teacher/department criteria for departmental “best practice.”
3a. Each department will maintain a file of rubrics that will be available departmentally and school wide.
3b. Continue to invite facilitators from the RISC to train departments to score in a consistent manner using common tasks involving writing.
3c. Department leaders will devote at least three monthly meetings to LASW.

3. Reinstitute the voluntary collection of student work through departments by the principal to verify writing across the curriculum and exhibit consistency in scoring school wide.
3a. Continue to increase consistency in instructionand assessment of writing throughout the school as evidenced by more students meeting the standard on state assessments.
3b. Maintain a file of all professional development opportunities that will increase the consistency in the scoring of writing.
3c. “Proficient” work will be placed on a student's portfolio.

Projected Expenses and Source of Funding for each Action Step/Strategy (if applicable):

Allocation for the above training $$___________.