POLICY FOR GOVERNING ACADEMICS
Judeen Bachura, Council Grove Elementary School -
Grade 5
Jean Dingler, Council Grove Middle School - Science
Sherry Edmiston, Curriculum Director/Council Grove
Middle School Principal
Wayne Engle, District Board of Education
Donna Frese, Council Grove Community
Kelly Gentry, Curriculum Leadership Institute
Consultant
Jean Johnson, Prairie Heights Elementary School
Grade 2
Sheila Litke Prairie Heights Elementary/Middle
School Technology/Teacher
Kelly McDiffett, Council Grove High School Principal
Diane Miller, District Superintendent
Judy Parks, Council Grove Elementary School -
Principal
Corey Reese, Athletic Director/Council Grove High
School Assistant Principal
Cynthia Schrader, Prairie Heights Elementary/Middle
School Principal
Lori Schwilling, Council Grove High School Virtual
Prescriptive Learning
Kathy Switzer, Dwight/Alta Vista Community
Published
January 23, 2006
Presented for Approval to
Morris County USD #417
Board of Education
February 13, 2006
USD 417 Policy for Governing Academics
District Academic Council
The District Academic
Council (DAC) is a representative group of district personnel and community
members that advises the Board of Education, through the superintendent, in
matters concerning curriculum and instruction. The DAC makes recommendations
pertaining to curriculum, instruction, and student learning. This means the DAC also serves as a
sounding board for certified personnel in curriculum/instruction matters,
facilitates communication regarding staff development needs and accreditation
processes, directs work of all Subject Area Committees, and appoints and
directs other committees necessary for the development, implementation,
improvement, and long-term evaluation of curriculum and instruction. (See Appendix A.) The DAC does not make managerial
decisions related to buildings, personnel, budgets, or other agenda items
reserved for the administrative team, building principals, or site councils.
Meetings
GENERAL PROCEDURES: The DAC will meet a minimum of once
each month for the purpose of carrying out its functions. A primary meeting date will be
established for each month and noted on the district calendar. At the beginning of each school year
members will be informed of all regular meeting dates. Notification of all extra meetings
shall be given at least five days prior to the meeting. Special meetings may be called as
needed by the curriculum director, superintendent, or at least five members of
the DAC.
DECISION-MAKING PROCESS: Decisions shall be by consensus of
those members present. Voting will
be used only when consensus cannot be reached and a decision must be made
according to an immediate timeframe.
In that case, simple majority shall rule. Consensus about decisions regarding policy will be
determined at a meeting subsequent to the meeting at which the policy decision
was proposed. (Consensus outlined
in Appendix B.)
QUORUM: A
quorum constitutes a simple majority of the total membership. Meetings will not
be conducted unless a quorum is present.
CHANNELS OF COMMUNICATION: All
recommendations of the DAC will be presented to the Board of Education by the
superintendent and/or the curriculum director.
AGENDA DEVELOPMENT AND
PROCEDURE: A tentative agenda for
the following meeting shall be established by DAC consensus at the conclusion
of each regular meeting.
Additional agenda items for consideration by the DAC may be proposed by
the members, by certified personnel, the superintendent or by members of the
Board of Education. The items
should be submitted to the curriculum director at least ten working days prior
to the scheduled meeting of the council.
The agenda and notification of the meeting shall be distributed to
members of the DAC, one copy per building for posting, and to each member of
the Board of Education.
Distribution shall occur at least five working days prior to the
scheduled meeting. The director
shall determine the priority of agenda items.
MAINTAINING MEETING
RECORDS: Minutes of all meetings
shall be recorded and kept on file by the secretary. Minutes will be forwarded to the director, DAC members, the
superintendent, members of the Board of Education, and to each building for
posting. Summaries of Subject Area
Committee meetings shall be forwarded to the director, and will be attached to
regular DAC meeting minutes. The
director will maintain a master file of all minutes, summaries, and other
materials submitted to the DAC.
Amendments
The mission statement,
long-range plan, and the policy document are subject to annual review. If
changes, corrections, or updating are determined to be necessary after this
analysis, then the DAC will make the amendments following the standard
decision-making process.
Personnel
CO-CHAIRPERSONS OF THE DAC: The curriculum director and Curriculum
Leadership Institute (CLI) consultant will serve as co-chairs of the DAC, with
the following specific duties:
1.
preside
at all regular meetings
2.
prepare
agendas for all regular meetings
3.
provide
for notification of all meetings
4.
call
all special meetings
5.
assist
in conducting inservice activities
6.
oversee
selection of DAC members according to the policy document and provide for their
training, using current DAC members as resources
7.
with
the approval of DAC members, appoint and train members of Subject Area
Committees
8.
monitor
attendance of DAC members
9.
receive
all written resignations from DAC members
10.
prepare
an annual report on the activities of the DAC to be submitted to the
superintendent and Board of Education
11.
recommend
yearly committee goals and objectives
12.
represent
the DAC at all Board of Education meetings and other appropriate public
functions, or appoint a DAC member to do so
13.
assure
that all district committees adhere to the goals of the mission statement and
the long-range plan
SECRETARY: The curriculum
director and superintendent will select an individual who is not a member of
the DAC to serve as secretary. The duties of the secretary include these
provisions:
1.
attends
all meetings of the DAC
2.
takes
accurate and thorough notes of proceedings
3.
types
and duplicates notifications and minutes of all meetings, then distributes them
to all DAC members, the superintendent, Board of Education, and two copies to
the curriculum director; items will also be sent to all school buildings for
posting and to other designated certified personnel
4.
maintains
all DAC minutes, correspondence, and other pertinent documents
Members of
the DAC
The members of the DAC
shall be representative of district certified personnel and community
members. Interested parties will
be asked to fill out an application and submit it to the curriculum
director. The co-chairs will work
with the superintendent in making the final selections. However, principals will be asked for
their input on teacher applicants and will periodically be asked to make
recommendations. District
personnel members of the DAC will be selected on the basis of interest and
experience. Community members will
be selected according to interest, availability, and a rotation among
buildings, levels, and communities.
Member replacement will be made to maintain appropriate
representation. The Board of
Education must approve all members yearly. Additional provisions are these:
1. TERMS: Members of the first DAC will serve for one, two, or
three years in order to stagger terms.
After the initial appointments, all members will serve for a term of
three years. They may reapply for
subsequent three-year terms.
2. RESIGNATION: A DAC member may resign at any
time. A letter of resignation
shall be written and submitted by the resigning member to the curriculum
director at least one regular meeting prior to the effective date of the
resignation. The resigning
member's constituency shall then be notified immediately by the director. The vacancy shall be filled promptly
from the constituency according to the selection procedures.
3.
COMPOSITION AND
REPRESENTATION: Member selection
should provide for a variety of personal and professional traits, assuring that
all grade levels and professional categories are represented.
DAC composition and representation
shall be:
K-5
teacher (CGES) 1
K-4
teacher (PHES) 1
6-8
teacher (CGMS) 1
5-8
teacher (PHMS) 1
9-12
teachers (representing
both Core & Elective, if possible) 2
special
education teacher 1
certified
personnel outside regular classroom 1
high
school counselor* 1
building
administrators (CG
ES/MS, PH ES/MS, HS)* 4
curriculum
director* 1
superintendent* 1
community
representatives** 6
board
member***
1_
Total 22
*These members are on the DAC by virtue of their positions; they do not apply for membership.
**Every attempt will be made to include representatives from the following communities: Alta Vista, Council Grove, Dunlap, Dwight, and Wilsey. Rotation and representation among buildings and levels will also be considered.
***The Board of Education selects one of its members to serve on the DAC.
4.
ATTENDANCE:
A member may be absent from no more than three regular meetings during one
school year. Those who are members
by application will be contacted by the director and/or superintendent after a
second absence. In the case of an
ex officio member's absences, the DAC as a whole, or the member's immediate
supervisor will make a recommendation.
5.
DUTIES
OF AN INDIVIDUAL DAC MEMBER:
a.
completes
training in the curriculum model being used in the district
b.
attends
all regularly scheduled meetings of the DAC and assigned Subject Area Committee
c.
maintains
positive communication between the DAC and his or her representative group(s)
d.
assists
in training new DAC members, SAC members, or other participants in the
district's curriculum development process
e.
may
chair a SAC or serve as a member of such committee
6.
DUTIES
OF THE DAC AS A WORKING GROUP (to advise, communicate, and make recommendations
pertaining to each of the following):
a.
acts
as the communication link among the certified staff, superintendent, and Board
of Education; and promotes and encourages communication among buildings and
levels within the district
b.
establishes
meeting dates and length of meetings
c.
sets
and prioritizes goals for the year
d.
reviews
the curriculum policy document on a yearly basis and makes revisions when
appropriate
e.
reviews
the district mission statement on a yearly basis and makes revisions when
appropriate
f.
assures
that the district's mission statement is a working mission statement used in
all district decision-making circumstances
g.
develops
a long-range plan for curriculum development, implementation, and evaluation ‹
with an annual review of progress and direction
h.
assists
the curriculum director in selection of Subject Area Committee members who are
not DAC members
i.
establishes
guidelines for Subject Area Committees, approves work completed by these
groups, and recommends completed work to the Board of Education
j.
assists
Subject Area Committees with staff development sessions related to new
curriculums
k.
recommends
staff development sessions based on the needs and timelines of the curriculum
model
l.
guides
the district through a process of defining proficiency and validates that
definition periodically
m.
discusses
and possibly modifies grading practices and student progress reports
n.
creates
a plan for extended learning opportunities
o.
makes
decisions about assessments
p.
reviews
and acts on externally mandated assessment and accreditation issues
q.
reviews
the latest trends and developments in curriculum and instruction and makes
decisions regarding their applicability in the district
r.
receives
reports from each building regarding implementation of any of the approved
initiatives listed above
Subject Area Committees
The District Academic Council (DAC) appoints Subject Area Committees (SACs) in accordance with the long-range plan for curriculum development. A SAC is formed for each subject area to be analyzed. The primary responsibility of this group is to formulate a results-based curriculum and the corresponding local assessments by following an action agenda prescribed by the DAC.
1. SELECTION: Prospective members of each SAC should
show an interest in curriculum development and have one year of successful
classroom teaching experience. Exceptions to this rule may occur when
particular teachers must be appointed to the SAC because of district size and
the need for grade level or course representation. Council members will choose
SAC members using previously mentioned criteria as well as ensuring that each
building and grade level is represented.
The number of individuals appointed to a SAC may vary according to
subject; however, no SAC should be larger than 20 and no SAC involving all
levels (elementary, middle, high school) should be smaller than five or six.
2.
TERMS: Members of SACs should understand that
the committee will meet regularly and will follow a prescribed action agenda
for a period of three to four years.
3.
RESIGNATION: A SAC member may resign if there are
additional persons available in the position represented. If a member submits a resignation, the
resigning member's building principal and the superintendent will make a
recommendation to the DAC for a replacement. In all cases involving the work of the SAC, the DAC has the
right and obligation to make whatever decisions necessary ‹ to include removal
and appointment of SAC members ‹ to facilitate the successful completion of the
SAC's work.
4.
LEADERSHIP: SACs will be chaired by a member of the
DAC if possible. Chairs will preside at meetings, schedule meetings and plan
agendas, monitor attendance, work closely with the curriculum director, report
progress to the council at each of its meetings, ensure completion of
curriculum documents according to a schedule established by the council, and
personally present completed curriculum documents to the council and the Board
of Education.
5.
DUTIES
OF MEMBERS: SAC members are
expected to attend all committee meetings, complete assigned tasks, and
maintain positive communication between the SAC and building faculties.