PCSD Strategic Plan

Park City School District

Education for the Emerging
World in which We Live

Strategic Plan

Page i

Message from the Superintendent

Dr. Ray Timothy
435-645-5600 x1425
rtimothy@pcschools.us

Park City School District takes great pride in the quality of education that
is provided to its students. Parents, patrons, community members,
students, and district employees have high expectations in helping to
prepare our students for the world in which they live.

Much of the success that our students achieve today is the result of the
collaborative efforts of our stakeholders. This strategic plan is a prime
example of such collaboration. It is the product of several months of hard
work between board members, teachers, administrators, staff, and
community leaders. This collaboration has not only helped in envisioning
the future of the District, but also in the development of the roadmap that
will take us there. By clearly articulating our values, vision, mission, focus
areas, and objectives, we are in the position to continue in the direction of
educational excellence.

I am grateful for all of the time, energy, hard work, and creativity given by
many in the development of this plan. As we continue to move forward, the
strategic plan will be used to guide our direction in doing that which is in
the best interest of our students.

Page i

Message from the School Board

Good planning is an integral part of any successful organization.
While planning has taken place in a number of different forms
within the Park City School District over the past few years, the
Maurice Park City Board of Education and Superintendent felt it was time
Hickey, for a new and more comprehensive strategic plan. We carefully
District 1 selected the University of Utah’s Utah Education Policy Center to
facilitate the process. The organization’s expertise with education
research and policy development, along with being a local
organization with an understanding of Utah State statutes, code
and standards, were key in its selection. We also utilized the
talents of many local community members, teachers,
Lisa administrators, and staff. The Board wishes to thank all of those
Kirchenheiter, that participated in the six-month process or provided input. Your
District 2
contribution has been invaluable.

This strategic plan will be a dynamic, living document. It will be
used to guide us in decision making at both the school and district
level, and to help evaluate current programs for effectiveness and
contribution to our district goals, mission and vision. It will create
Anne measures for our initiatives and programs that will become tools to
Bransford, monitor our success and illustrate areas for improvement. Reports
District 3 at the Board level will be designed to clearly communicate this
information to the community on a regular basis. This plan will
also inform our master planning process for effective facilities
development.

As Benjamin Franklin said, ―By failing to plan, you are planning to
fail.‖ This plan will guide the Park City School District in our
Kim Carson,
District 4; quest to provide the highest quality of education that our students
President and community expect and deserve. We will build on our legacy of
success.

Thank you for your support,

The Park City Board of Education

June 15, 2010
Michael Boyle,
District 5;
Vice-President

Page ii

Contents
Message from the Superintendent ............................................................ i
Message from the School Board ............................................................... ii
Contents ................................................................................................... iii
Tables ....................................................................................................... iv
Figures ..................................................................................................... iv
Park City School District ......................................................................... 1
Process ................................................................................................... 2
Strategic Planning Committee Members ............................................. 3
Park City School District Strategic Plan ................................................. 5
Values .................................................................................................... 5
Vision ..................................................................................................... 5
Mission .................................................................................................. 5
Strategic Focus Areas ........................................................................... 6
Objectives and Measures ...................................................................... 8
Initiatives ................................................................................................ 14
Types of Initiatives ............................................................................. 14
Strategic Focus Area Initiatives ......................................................... 15
Decision Making Criteria for Initiative Selection, Adoption, and
Retention ............................................................................................. 23
Example of Applying Criteria to Learning Initiatives................... 24
Implementation and Sustainability ....................................................... 26
Glossary of Terms ................................................................................... 31
UEPC Acknowledgments ....................................................................... 34

Page iii

Tables
Table 1. PCSD Schools, Grade, and Enrollment, Demographics 2010 .................... 1
Table 2. Park City School District Strategic Planning Committee ............................ 4
Table 3. Learning Objectives and Measures ..................................................................... 8
Table 4. Instruction Objectives and Measures ............................................................. 10
Table 5. Choice/Options Objectives and Measures .................................................... 11
Table 6. Programs Objectives and Measures ................................................................ 12
Table 7. Partnerships Objectives and Measures .......................................................... 13
Table 8. Sample Learning Initiatives ................................................................................ 15
Table 9. Sample Instruction Initiatives ........................................................................... 17
Table 10. Sample Choice/Options Initiatives................................................................ 18
Table 11. Sample Program Initiatives .............................................................................. 20
Table 12. Sample Partnership Initiatives ....................................................................... 21
Table 13. Example Decision-Making Process When Adopting an Initiative that
Addresses a Learning Objective ............................................................................... 24
Table 14. PCSD Strategic Plan Leverage Points ........................................................... 27

Figures
Figure 1. Park City School District Core Values .............................................................. 5
Figure 2. Park City School District Strategic Focus Areas ........................................... 6
Figure 3. Strategic Focus Areas and Objectives .............................................................. 7
Figure 4. Selection, Adoption, and Retention Criteria for District-wide, District
Sponsored and District-Endorsed Initiatives ...................................................... 23
Figure 5. Implementation and Sustainability Leverage Points .............................. 27

Page iv

The Park City School District (PCSD) is located in the Wasatch Mountain
resort town of Park City, Utah in Summit County. The majority of Summit
County's 35,000 residents live in Park City and the surrounding
unincorporated Snyderville Basin. PCSD currently serves 4,561 students in
Grades K-12. Four elementary schools with Kindergarten through Grade 5
serve approximately 2,100 students. One middle school (grades 6 and 7)
and one junior high school (grades 8 and 9) serve approximately 1,445
students. One high school serves approximately 1,030 students in Grades
10 -12. In addition, the PCSD serves students in an alternative high school
setting. Table 1 provides an overview of the PCSD schools and student

Park City School District Strategic Plan
demographics.

Table 1. PCSD Schools, Grade, and Enrollment, Demographics 2010

American Indian
Eligible for Free

Pacific Islander
Enrollment

& Reduced

Language

Unknown
Learners

Hispanic
English
Female

Lunch

White
Asian

Black
Male

School
Elementary
Jeremy Ranch 568 278 290 72 50 18 7 63 0 0 480 0
(K-5)
McPolin (K-5) 372 180 192 176 120 8 2 178 0 0 180 4
Trailside (K-5) 526 275 251 88 59 3 1 63 0 7 451 1
Parley's Park 613 306 307 143 96 0 0 2 0 0 0 0
(K-5)
Middle Schools
Ecker Hill 722 374 348 118 41 11 6 95 2 3 604 1
International
(6-7)
Treasure 723 369 354 98 19 11 3 78 1 1 627 2
Mountain
International
(7-8)
High Schools
Park City High 970 524 446 86 25 10 11 73 2 1 872 1
(10-12)
Park City 67 40 27 16 3 1 0 15 1 0 49 1
Learning
Center (10-12)
District Total 4,561 2,346 2,215 797 413 62 30 567 6 12 3,263 10

Page 1

This Strategic Plan provides Park City School District with a clear
direction and road map and a means of navigating the district’s course for
the future. Based on numerous hours and contributions from many
district and community representatives, this plan is expected to help the
district leadership, administration, faculty and staff members maximize
the opportunities for students across the district and successfully traverse
the challenges they face in the years ahead.

Process
In January 2010, the PCSD Superintendency and School Board met with
the Utah Education Policy Center (UEPC) to discuss the district’s needs,
mission, and timeline for the strategic planning process. The UEPC is a
research-based center at the University of Utah’s College of Education.

The UEPC’s purpose is to bridge research, policy, and practice in education
to improve access and opportunities. The UEPC’s facilitation of the
strategic planning process was guided by four principles:

 Tailored to the individual organization and its needs

 Inclusive and transparent

 Data-based and research-informed

 A dynamic or living instrument that guides progress and
improvement

Following the initial January meeting, the PCSD invited committee
participants who met from January 2010 through June 2010 in a series of
10 committee-at-large and subcommittee meetings. To develop the
Strategic Plan, the Committee:

 Revisited the previous mission statement, vision, focus areas, and
objectives (January – May, 2010)
 Reviewed data presented by district leadership on the status of the
district (February, 2010)
 Developed core values and revised PCSD’s mission and vision
statement, focus areas, objectives, measures, and initiatives through
the planning process and analysis of current data (January – June,
2010)

Page 2

 Presented draft plan and solicited feedback at Public Forum (May
2010)
 UEPC prepared final report of the Strategic Plan and presented the
plan to the Strategic Planning Committee and the PCSD Board of
Education (June 15, 2010)

Over the past six months, the PCSD Strategic Planning Committee
completed a series of planning activities to determine the strengths of the
district, the challenges it faces, the opportunities that exist, and the
direction the district should take to accomplish its goals and vision for
students. These activities included iterative, cumulative exercises that
incorporated multiple perspectives and feedback from the community,
resulting in a unified plan.

Nearly 70 district patrons participated in the Public Forum in May 2010.
Information gathered at the public forum included a focus on the need for
consistent and constant communication from PCSD and the importance of
using the strategic plan to improve decision-making in the district and
across schools. Subsequent feedback from forum participants and those who
provided input through the PCSD website informed the Committee’s final
considerations for the Strategic Plan.

Strategic Planning Committee Members
Of those individuals invited to participate in the Strategic Planning
Committee, 35 accepted the invitation. The Strategic Planning Committee
included:

 Board Members (5)
 Superintendency (4)
 School-level leadership (3)
 Teachers (7)
 Staff representatives (1)
 Parents (5)
 Student (1)
 Parents (2)
 Community Organizations (3)
 City/County (2)
 Community-at-Large representatives (2)

Page 3

Committee members engaged individually in over 40 hours of meetings
across six months. Table 2 below presents the individual members of the
Strategic Planning Committee.

Table 2. Park City School District Strategic Planning Committee

 Michael Boyle (School  Brian Hoyt (Special
Board) Education Teacher)
 Anne Bransford (School  Lisa Kirchenheiter (School
Board) Board)
 Kara Brechwald (Teacher)  Manuel Maravi (Teacher)
 Nora Buchanan (Teacher)  Cindy Matsumoto (City

 Kim Carson (School Board) Council)
 Veronica Claridge (Park  Heidi Matthews (Park City
City Classified Employee Education Association)
Association)  Gail McGuill (Community)
 Ana Cruz (Student)  Abby McNulty (Park City
 Charles Cunningham Education Foundation)
(Parent)  Suzanne Moore
 Shawna Doughman (Parent (Community/ Higher
Teacher Association) Education)
 Bob Edmiston (Principal)  Matthew Nagel (Teacher)
 Julie Eihausen (Parent)  Lars Nordfelt (Teacher)
 Mark Etheridge (Teacher)  Bob O’Connor (Principal)
 Traci Evans (Assistant  Steve Oliver (Director
Principal) Support Services)
 Ken Fisher (Recreation/  Mary Ann Pajakowski
Park City Municipal) (Holy Cross Ministries)
 Lori Gardner (District  Charles Robinson
Director) (Community)
 Stacey Hamill (Community  Ray Timothy
Council) (Superintendent)
 John Hanrahan (Summit  Tom VanGorder (District
County Council) Office)
 Moe Hickey (School Board)

Page 4


Values
The Park City School District has
distinguished five core values and
beliefs:
 Excellence in Teaching &
Learning
 Respect & Commitment
 Personal & Social
Responsibility

 Community Engagement
 Sustainability of Resources

Figure 1. Park City School District Core
Values

The core values, as identified in Figure 1, guided the development of the
district’s vision, mission, strategic focus areas, and objectives. The core
values serve as anchors for the district’s efforts in accomplishing the
Strategic Plan.

Vision
Park City School District will be a district of choice that provides an
innovative and excellent education to all students that fosters achievement
and success.

Mission
Park City School District empowers students to develop their knowledge,
skills, and potential as critical thinkers. We maximize resources for
academic rigor and excellence through staff, programs, and technology that
make learning relevant to the emerging world in which we live.

Page 5

Strategic Focus Areas
The Park City School District has five strategic focus areas. As illustrated
in Figure 2, the five strategic focus areas include:

 Learning
 Instruction
 Choice/Options
 Programs
 Partnerships

Figure 2. Park City School District Strategic Focus Areas

The strategic focus areas provide guidance for PCSD leadership and policy
decisions, and development of initiatives and strategies to achieve our
vision.

For each of the above strategic focus areas, the Strategic Plan contains both
process and outcome objectives which are listed in Figure 3. The process
objectives identify the actions that the district will take to achieve the
PCSD mission and vision. The outcome objectives emphasize the changes
anticipated as a result of the PCSD activities.

Page 6

Figure 3. Strategic Focus Areas and Objectives

•Improve student achievement across all content areas.
•Improve student achievement across all student groups.
•Increase student engagement in learning.
•Increase student responsibility for learning.
Learning •Promote and maintain a safe learning environment.

•Attract, develop, retain and support caring, motivated, innovative,
engaging, and professional faculty and staff.
•Differentiate instruction based on student individual needs.
•Identify and use multiple measures of student learning.
Instruction •Increase accountability for performance.

•Provide multiple pathways for students to post-secondary education
programs and career opportunities.
•Provide extended day and summer options for students.
Choice/ •Provide community education opportunities for students and adults.
Options

•Identify effective research and evidence-based programs.
•Implement effective instructional programs.
•Evaluate programs for effectiveness.
Programs

•Improve District’s communication with parents and community.
•Promote parental and community support for student learning and
achievement.
•Support active district/school and community partnerships.
Partnerships •Access local talent and expertise to support district/school goals and
objectives.

Page 7

Objectives and Measures
The Park City School District is dedicated to monitoring and
evaluating the Strategic Plan and progress on each of the
objectives for the five focus areas. To accomplish this,
performance measures for each of the objectives were considered.
The performance measures are outlined in Tables 3-7.

Table 3. Learning Objectives and Measures

Focus Strategic Objectives Performance Measures
Area
Improve student CRT scores
achievement across DIBELS scores
all content areas. State Kindergarten Assessment

scores
Advanced Placement Assessment
scores
Advanced Placement Course
Taking rates
NAEP scores
Cognitive Abilities Test scores
Benchmark Assessment scores
STAMP Language Proficiency
scores
Learning

Direct Writing Assessment scores
ACT participation rates and
scores
Improve student CRT scores
achievement across DIBELS scores
all student groups. State Kindergarten Assessment
scores
Advanced Placement Assessment
scores
Advanced Placement Course
Taking rates
NAEP scores
Cognitive Abilities Test scores
Benchmark Assessment scores
STAMP Language Proficiency
scores
Direct Writing Assessment scores

Page 8

Area
ACT participation rates and
scores
Increase student Program Participation Rates
engagement in Attendance Rates
learning. Chronic Absenteeism Rate
Graduation Rates
Sheltered Instructional
Observation Protocol Indicators
Increase student Student Led Conferences
responsibility for
Homework Completion Rates
learning.
Promote and School Quality Indicators

maintain a safe Safe School Reports
learning Professional Practice Report
environment. Crisis Management Plan
State Risk Property Assessment
SHARP Survey
Student incident report

Page 9

Table 4. Instruction Objectives and Measures

Area
Attract, develop, Qualifications and Experience
retain, and support of faculty and staff
caring, motivated, Demographics of faculty and
innovative, staff
engaging and Turnover rates by school
professional faculty Non-renewal rates
and staff. Professional development
participation rates
Lane change rates
Tenure progression rates

Exit survey responses
Job Satisfaction survey results
Instruction

Differentiate SIOP Indicators
instruction based on Learning intervention rates
student individual
needs. Coaching observations
Identify and use PLC's use of multiple
multiple measures measures to guide instruction
of student learning. Changes in teacher use of
multiple measures of student
learning
Increase School Quality Indicators
accountability for AYP (including Sub Group
performance. Progress by Teacher)
Indicators of student
achievement-measure student
performance
Nonrenewal rates, including
reasons for nonrenewal
Parent satisfaction survey

Page 10

Table 5. Choice/Options Objectives and Measures

Area
Provide multiple AP assessment scores
pathways for AP course taking rates
students to post- Program participation rates
secondary education (e.g., IB, CTE, Internships)
programs and ACT scores
career Graduation rates
opportunities. Dropout rates
Postsecondary application
rates
Postsecondary attendance and
Choice/Options

placement rates
Postsecondary and career
counseling participation
Provide extended Program participation rates
day and summer Course completion (including
options for students. the types of course)
Number and type of
partnerships
Parent, students, and
community satisfaction
surveys
Provide community Program participation rates
education Course completion (including
opportunities for the types of course)
students and adults. Number and type of
partnerships
Participant satisfaction
surveys

Page 11

Table 6. Programs Objectives and Measures

Focus Strategic Objective Performance Measure
Area
Identify effective Type of evidence used
research and
evidence-based
programs.
Implement effective Number and effectiveness of
Programs

instructional pilot programs
programs. Alignment of programs to
instructional goals
Programs meet effectiveness
criteria

Evaluate programs Implementation fidelity
for effectiveness.
Program outcomes (e.g.,
Relationship between
participation and other
academic outcomes)

Page 12

Table 7. Partnerships Objectives and Measures

Focus Strategic Objective Performance Measure
Area
Improve District’s Type of parent involvement
communication with
parents and Rate of parent and
community. community communication
Promote parental Parent/Community time
and community contributions
support for student Parent/Community monetary
learning and contributions
Partnerships

achievement. Parent/Community
volunteer rates
Number of partnerships that

support learning goals
Type of parent involvement
Support active Number of
district/school and community/business
community partnerships
partnerships. Rate of community
involvement
Access local talent Type of talent and/or
and expertise to expertise provided
support Number of individuals who
district/school goals share their expertise
and objectives.

Page 13

Initiatives
Park City School District emphasizes the importance of innovation while
honoring the history and contributions of initiatives that to date have
benefited students, faculty, staff, and the community. As such, the PCSD
aims to enhance the flexibility of the district and schools to select and
implement initiatives that are responsive to individual school needs and
ensure that the outcomes associated with selected initiatives may be
maximized across the district.

Types of Initiatives
PCSD, as a school system, will support three types of District initiatives:

 District-wide initiatives are those initiatives that would be present
in each school and receive some form of resource support from PCSD.

 District-sponsored initiatives are those initiatives that the PCSD
may provide resources for but may not be found at every school.

 District-endorsed initiatives are those initiatives that PCSD
approves and may encourage but subsequent resources may not be
available from the district.

Importantly, PCSD recognizes the discretion of schools and their authority
for shared decision making at the local school site. At the same time, PCSD
seeks to ensure that students have comparable and equally beneficial
experiences and opportunities across all schools.

To illustrate how PCSD might use the above criteria in selecting, adopting,
or retaining district-wide, district sponsored, or district-endorsed
initiatives, the following example is provided.

Page 14

Strategic Focus Area Initiatives
As indicated above, the following objectives were established to meet the
PCSD’s mission and vision related to the learning focus area:

 Improve student achievement across all content areas.
 Improve student achievement across all student groups.
 Increase student engagement in learning.
 Increase student responsibility for learning.
 Promote and maintain a safe learning environment.

The Planning Committee generated sample initiatives for the district to
explore as it continues its plan to select, adopt, and/or retain initiatives
that may be used to address the learning objectives. The Sample Learning

Initiatives are listed in Table 8.

Table 8. Sample Learning Initiatives

Examples of District-
Examples of District-Wide
Sponsored or District-
Initiatives
Endorsed Initiatives
 Sheltered Instruction  Scholarships,
Observation Protocol (SIOP) competitions,
 Response to Intervention (RTI) recognitions
 Collaborative planning (e.g.,  Group/individual
teachers collaborate to discuss performances (e.g., in
results and make plans to the arts)
address areas of student need)  Standards-based
 Using data to support student grading
learning (e.g., support COGNOS  Study and
and continued development of organizational skills
reports to improve learning; development
understanding of data presented  Parent Academy
and used in assessing students)  Parent nights
 Technology integration (e.g.,  Latinos in Action (e.g.,
District technology plan to enhance and support
support learning) students)
 Literacy program
 Supports for English Language
Learners (ELL) (e.g., literacy
programs, translators)
 Gifted And Talented Education
(GATE)
 Safe Schools Initiatives (e.g.,

Page 15


Page 16
keyless entry, ID cards)

The following objectives were established to meet the PCSD’s mission
and vision related to the instruction focus area:

 Attract, develop, retain and support caring, motivated, innovative, engaging,
and professional faculty and staff.
 Differentiate instruction based on student individual needs.
 Identify and use multiple measures of student learning.
 Increase accountability for performance.

that may be used to address the instruction objectives. The Sample
Instruction Initiatives are listed in Table 9.

Table 9. Sample Instruction Initiatives

Initiatives
 Response-to-Intervention (RTI),  Partnership with
tiered instruction, higher education
 Multiple assessments (e.g., IEPs institutions
computer-adaptive, inventory of  Authentic learning
teachers use of authentic portfolios
assessments)  Professional
 Incentive and/or compensation Learning
package (e.g., incentive program, Communities (PLC)
brokering partnerships with to develop authentic
housing, food, and transportation measures of student
to increase living affordability for learning
teachers)  E-Mints teachers
 Teacher performance evaluation collaboration
systems (e.g., 360 Reviews,
recognize and reward effective
teachers, modify Jordan
Performance Appraisal System
(JPAS), including SIOP
indicators)
 Professional development (e.g.,
instructional coaches, professional
growth plans, action research
projects, leadership development
opportunities)

Page 17

 PC Early Years Enhancement

and vision related to the choice/options focus area:

 Provide multiple pathways for students to post-secondary
education programs and career opportunities.
 Provide extended day and summer options for students.
 Provide community education opportunities for students and
adults.


that may be used to address the choice/option objectives. The Sample
Choice/Options Initiatives are listed in Table 10.

Table 10. Sample Choice/Options Initiatives

Examples of District-Wide Examples of District-Sponsored or
Initiatives District-Endorsed Initiatives
 Curriculum consistent  Electronic high school
with state core  Utah Science Technology
curriculum and Research (USTAR)
(standards/objectives) initiative
 Instructional choice  Online learning options
options at all grade levels (e.g., ―Hybrid‖ courses
for all students offered on-line and at site)
 Career and Technical  Student recognition
Education (CTE), programs (e.g., Sterling
including provision of Scholar, National Merit,
CTE center Honor Roll)
 Preschool accessible for  Extracurricular activities
all students (e.g., student government,
 Full-Day Kindergarten athletics)
 Lecture series for  Outside of school
members of the enrichment opportunities
community (service learning)
 Expand career day to
lower grade levels

Page 18


Page 19

and vision related to the programs focus area:

 Identify effective research and evidence-based programs.
 Implement effective instructional programs.
 Evaluate programs for effectiveness.

that may be used to address the program objectives. The Sample Program
Initiatives are listed in Table 11.

Table 11. Sample Program Initiatives


Initiatives
 Formal process for initiative  Develop database of
adoption and review with effective programs
support and maintenance based on research
 Expand instructional  Provide research based
programs for adult and choice options
community learners  Identify transition
 Choose research-based issues (K, 6th, 8th,
programs with record of 10th)
success
 Prioritize instructional
programs based on
effectiveness
 RTI
 Promote consistency,
alignment, and cohesiveness
of PK-12 programs
 Continuous improvement of
instructional programs

Page 20

and vision related to the partnership focus area:

 Improve District’s communication with parents and community.
 Promote parental and community support for student learning and
achievement.
 Support active district/school and community partnerships.
 Access local talent and expertise to support district/school goals and
objectives.

that may be used to address the partnership objectives. The Sample
Partnerships Initiatives are listed in Table 12.

Table 12. Sample Partnership Initiatives

Initiatives
 Communication plan  School FAQ’s,
 Communication (website, state of student/parent
the schools’ annual address, task concerns that can be
force composed of faculty and addressed
parents to develop communication  Community Learning
plan, KPCW, Park Record weekly Centers
column, PTA/O newsletter at each  Develop and maintain
school, district public relations a database of
person to have a liaison at each community talent
school, School FAQ’s, resources
student/parent concerns,  Schools communicate
technology to help faculty their needs to the
communicate with parents) community (e.g.,
 Guidance for partnerships (e.g., tutoring program for
policy committee to develop Latino students)
decision matrix for eligibility of  Process for teachers to
facility use) communication about
 Cultivate relationship between their wants and needs
PCSD and Park City Education with those able to
Foundation access community
resources and expertise

Page 21


Page 22

Decision Making Criteria for Initiative Selection,
Adoption, and Retention
To determine how initiatives are selected and adopted, as well as how
existing initiatives are retained, PCSD will consider the following
criteria for such decisions: effectiveness, alignment and prioritization,
feasibility, and benefits and costs. These criteria, as illustrated in
Figure 4, shall be considered in tandem with the above values, vision,
mission, and objectives when selecting, adopting, and retaining
initiatives.

Figure 4. Selection, Adoption, and Retention Criteria for District-wide,
District Sponsored and District-Endorsed Initiatives

Benefits &
Costs
Feasibility
Alignment &
Prioritization
Effectiveness

Guiding Protocol Questions — The following questions are provided to
advance the decision making process for selection, adoption or retention of
initiatives.

 Effectiveness – How effective has this initiative been in comparable
districts with comparable schools? What makes this initiative effective
elsewhere? What evidence and research supports the adoption of this
initiative in PCSD? How effective is the initiative likely to be in PCSD?
 Alignment & Prioritization – How does this initiative align with the
values, vision, mission, and objectives? How does this initiative align with
other initiatives in the district? Does this initiative duplicate another
district initiatives? How should this initiative take priority?
 Feasibility – How feasible (e.g., easy, difficult) will it be to adopt and
implement this initiative in our district? What will need to occur prior to
and during implementation to assist with successful implementation?

Page 23

What resources (e.g. facilities, budget constraints, staff) are necessary
and available to support successful implementation?
 Benefits & Costs – What are the benefits to adopting this initiative in
the district and to whom? What are the costs (e.g., impact to other
initiatives, financial, time, facilities, staff) to adopting this initiative and
for whom? Are the costs to adopt this initiative worth the benefits? Will
adopting the initiative diminish our ability to carry out other high
priority efforts? Will adopting this initiative eliminate another initiative?

Example of Applying Criteria to Learning Initiatives
As indicated above, an important learning objective is to improve student
achievement across all content areas. The Committee identified several
initiatives that might support this objective, particularly ones that address

the use of data to identify student learning needs.

The following is an example of how the decision-making process might
progress if the district were considering the adoption of a new initiative
aimed at improving student achievement across content areas.

Proposed Initiative: Professional development to help
educators (e.g., teachers, instructional coaches) use formative
and summative assessments and SIOP data to inform
instruction, engage in collaborative planning, and monitor
student progress in the content areas.

Table 13. Example Decision-Making Process When Adopting an Initiative
that Addresses a Learning Objective

Criteria Example Decision-Making Process
 What are the specific outcomes that this
initiative is expected to accomplish?
 Does the particular professional development
use strategies that are supported by the
research evidence?
Effectiveness
 How have the particular strategies for using
data been adopted in similar districts with
positive outcomes?
 What does the research evidence suggest needs
to be in place for this initiative to be effective?

Page 24

 In what ways do the proposed data strategies
reflect our values regarding excellence in
teaching and learning, respect and
commitment, personal and social
responsibility, community engagement, and
sustainability of resources (Values)?
 In what ways does this initiative help us to
provide an innovative and excellent education
Alignment and (Vision)?
Prioritization  In what ways does this initiative help us to
(Mission):
o Empower students to develop their
knowledge, skills, and potential as critical
thinkers?

o Maximize resources?
o Promote academic rigor and excellence ?
o Ensure that learning is relevant to the
emerging world in which we live?
 How different are the proposed strategies from
what we are already doing with data?
 How would the proposed strategies
complement what we do or would we have to
adopt entirely new strategies?
 What data will we need to collect to meet the
requirements of this initiative in order to be
successful?
Feasibility
 What technology will we need to adopt the
proposed strategies and do we have sufficient
technological infrastructure?
 What background and expertise is needed to
support implementation?
 What additional staff will need to be hired and
with what expertise or do we have the
expertise in-house already?
 How much will the proposed strategies benefit
student learning?
 What are the costs to adopting this initiative in
terms of
Benefits &
o Time?
Costs
o Training costs?
o One-time and ongoing costs for supplies
and materials?
o Staffing (e.g., to provide ongoing

Page 25

professional development or technical
assistance)?
o Technology (e.g., software, hardware,
infrastructure)?
o Impact on teachers or staff?
 What are other less costly initiatives or
strategies that would yield the same/similar
results?

While the above example provides the type of reflection and discussions
that the district might engage when making decisions to select, adopt, or
retain initiatives, it is not exhaustive. Nevertheless, if these criteria are
addressed, we expect that the Strategic Plan will provide a more useful

planning and decision-making guide.

Implementation and Sustainability
The Park City School District recognizes the imperative nature of both
implementing and sustaining the Strategic Plan. As such, the PCSD has
selected five leverage points to frame implementation and sustainability
across all components of the Strategic Plan. These leverage points, as
identified in Figure 5, include:

 Leadership and Governance
 Resource Allocation
 Technology
 Communication

Page 26

 Accountability

Figure 5. Implementation and Sustainability Leverage Points

Accountability
Leadership and
Governance
Communication
Resource
Allocation

Technology

Below are considerations for how each of these leverage points may be
used. Taken together, the five leverage points provide part of the
infrastructure necessary to support district-wide Strategic Plan
implementation and sustainability. These leverage point strategies
provide targeted action steps for PCSD. Moreover, they also provide
sufficient guidance so that the leverage point strategies may be further
tailored to both PCSD and PCSD schools.

Table 14. PCSD Strategic Plan Leverage Points

Leverage Point Leverage Point Strategy

Page 27

 Maintain a focus on students
 Engage in and be visible in initiatives that
support the Strategic Plan
 Advocate for and or adopt policies that
align and support Strategic Plan
 Use Strategic Plan as ―road map‖ for
Leadership and
decision making
Governance  Continue to engage teachers, parents, and
community in decision-making, as
stipulated in the PCSD policy on shared
decision making
 Conduct annual review of Strategic Plan
and revise as necessary

 Use Strategic Plan to inform Master
Planning for development of facilities in
PCSD
 Establish timeline for resource acquisition,
Resource budgets, and allocation to support
Allocation implementation of the Strategic Plan
(Financial,  Dedicate resources to the development of
Facilities, knowledge and skills that ensure success of
Staffing, and Strategic Plan
Materials)  Provide staff and time to support initiatives
that align with Strategic Plan
 Consider transportation alternatives to
increase efficiency and access to programs
 Are there other partnerships that could
offer an initiative

Page 28

 Use PCSD Technology Committee to:
o Determine technology needs of schools to
effectively meet the Strategic Plan
objectives through the Site-based
Technology Committees, and the District
Technology Advisory Committee
o Distribute technology (software and
Technology hardware)
 Use PCSD technology as means of sharing
innovation and ―best practice‖
 Support accessibility and use of technology
 Provide information on available technology
based on school needs and student learning,

teaching, partnership, and program goals
 Develop a communication plan to:
o Communicate Strategic Plan goals and
activities
o Communicate progress on and impact of
objectives and initiatives
o Provide district message for school
newsletters
o Align some elements of school websites
with Strategic Plan
o Coordinate communication across district
schools for district-wide initiatives
 Facilitate conversations among school
leaders and leadership teams about
Communication initiatives that support strategic plan
implementation.
 Define purpose of communication, to whom
communications need to occur (e.g.,
principals, teachers, support staff, parents
and community), how often (e.g.,
consistently and constantly), and in what
medium (e.g., district and school
newsletters and websites, radio, TV,
Facebook, Twitter)
 Continue to use and make PowerSchool
accessible to communicate with
parents/guardians

Page 29

 Provide roles and opportunities for
principals, teachers and staff, parents and
community members to participate in the
implementation and evaluation of the
Strategic Plan
 Establish targets for each objective
measure of the Strategic Plan
 Use measures of Strategic Plan objectives
to inform continuous improvement efforts
 Provide report on ―Strategic Plan Progress‖
Accountability annually to teachers, parents, and
community, including community forum for
feedback and sharing successes

 Develop a means for schools to report on
how their school improvement plan
addresses the strategic plan, as stipulated
in the PCSD School Community Council
Policy
 Hold district and school leadership,
teachers, parents, and community
accountable for success of Strategic Plan

Page 30

Glossary of Terms
Term Abbreviation Description
Adequate (AYP) Annual measurable achievement objectives uses
Yearly consistent methods and measurements to reflect
Progress the increases in student achievement (Source:
http://www2.ed.gov/policy/elsec/leg/esea02/10
7-110.pdf)
Advanced (AP) Advanced Placement program offers college-
Placement level course work to high school students. Many
institutions of higher education offer college
credits to students who take AP courses. (Source:
http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/a
p/about.html)
American (ACT) Assessment programs that assess what learners

College Test have achieved through various stages of
education, K-16 (Source: http://www.act.org/)
Career and (CTE) Competency-based instruction, culminating in
Technical essential life skills, certified occupational skills,
Education and meaningful employment (Source:
http://www.schools.utah.gov/cte/)
Criterion (CRT) Tests that identify subject mastery (Source:
Referenced http://www.schools.utah.gov/assessment/info_e
Test la.aspx)
Dynamic (DIBELS) The DIBELS measures the 5 Big Ideas in early
Indicators of literacy identified by the National Reading Panel
Basic Early (Source: https://dibels.uoregon.edu/)
Literacy Skills
English (ELL) Affirmative steps to rectify language deficiency in
Language order to open instructional program to students
Learner who are learning English (Source:
http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/ellres
ources.html)
Enhancing (eMINTS) Instructional strategies powered by technology
Missouri’s (Source: http://www.emints.org/)
Instructional
Networked
Teaching
Strategies
Gifted and (GATE) Educational programs that recognize and make
Talented provisions for the needs of gifted and talented
Education learners (Source:
http://www.schools.utah.gov/curr/gift_talent/de
fault.htm)

Page 31

Individualized(IEP) Specific practices to accommodate a student’s
Education educational needs due to physical or mental
Plan limitations (Source:
www2.ed.gov/admins/lead/speced/toolkit/iep-
teams.doc)
International (IB) Curriculum and pedagogy of focused on
Baccalaureate international perspectives of learning and
teaching, while insisting that students fully
explore their home culture and language
(Source: http://www.ibo.org/)
Jordan (JPAS) Performance Appraisal System is designed to
Performance help teachers provide high quality instruction to
Assessment all students. (Source:

System http://www.jordandistrict.org/departments/for
ms/curriculum/JPASbook.pdf)
National (NAEP) Nationally representative and continuing
Assessment assessment of what America's students know
of and can do in various subject areas run by the
Educational Commissioner of Education Statistics in the U.S.
Progress Department of Education (Source:
http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/)
Parent (PTA/O) Parental groups that are partners with the school
Teacher to provide support (Source:
Association/O http://www.pta.org/)
rganization
Park City (PCSD) (Source : http://www.pcschools.us/)
School
District
Professional (PLC) A staff development approach and a strategy for
Learning school change and improvement (Source:
Communities http://www.sedl.org/change/issues/issues61.ht
ml)
Response to (RTI) Identification of students at risk for poor learning
Intervention outcomes, monitor student progress, provide
evidence-based interventions and adjust the
intensity and nature of those interventions
depending on a student’s responsiveness, and
identify students with learning disabilities or
other disabilities (Source:
http://www.rti4success.org/)

Page 32

Sheltered (SIOP) A practical model of sheltered instruction with an
Instruction, intent to facilitate high quality instruction for
Observation English Learners in content area teaching
Protocol (Source: http://www.siopinstitute.net/)
Standards- (STAMP) An online test designed to assess what students
Based can do with a language (reading, writing,
Measurement speaking) (Source:
and http://www.stamptest.net/stamp0708/stamptes
Proficiency t/)
Student (SHARP) Survey used to look and school environmental
Health And factors such as safety. (Source:
Risk http://www.dsamh.utah.gov/sharp.htm)
Prevention

Utah (UEPC) (Source: http://uepc.ed.utah.edu/index.htm)
Education
Policy Center
Utah Science (USTAR) An economic development initiative that invests
Technology in the State’s research universities to create
and Research technology based start up firms, jobs, and
initiative expand the Utah tax base (Source:
http://www.ustar.utah.edu/)

Page 33

UEPC Acknowledgments
The Utah Education Policy Center recognizes the Park City School
District Superintendent, Board of Education, and members of the
Superintendent’s Cabinet in this endeavor to determine a path for success
of students, teachers, families, and community. The Strategic Plan will
provide guidance for PCSD’s decision making and actions in the coming
years. Moreover, we acknowledge the tremendous contributions of the
Strategic Planning Committee who dedicated their time, experience, and
expertise to the development of the Park City School District Strategic Plan
and whose engagement reflects the commitment of the Park City
community investment in education.

We appreciated the opportunity to work with Park City School District.

For more information on UEPC research, evaluation, and policy
development services contact the UEPC at:

Andrea K. Rorrer, Ph.D
UEPC Director
Phone: 801-581-4207
andrea.rorrer@utah.edu

http://uepc.ed.utah.edu

Page 34


2700 Kearns Blvd
Park City, UT 84060
Phone: 435-645-5600
Fax: 435-645-5609

http://www.pcschools.us/

Page 35

PCSD Strategic Plan

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

Viewers also liked

Viewers also liked (8)

Similar to PCSD Strategic Plan

Similar to PCSD Strategic Plan (20)

More from Park City Education Foundation

More from Park City Education Foundation (13)

PCSD Strategic Plan