Assistant Superintendent for
The office of Curriculum & Instruction provides support for all staff members as we work and learn together in Professional Learning Communities. Every department and grade level has developed SMART goals that focus on increasing student achievement. Partnerships with local universities, such as SUNY Buffalo and Niagara University, enhance opportunities for professional growth with a global perspective.
The Cleveland Hill School District is a small district located in the suburban community of the Town of Cheektowaga. Nearly all the property in the district is residential with very little commercial and no industrial property. Students attending in the district are racially and ethnically diverse: 62% are European-American, 29% are African-American, 4% are Hispanic, 2% are Asian and 3% are Middle Eastern. A small minority of students are recent immigrants.
Cleveland Hill Schools (3) are located on one campus within a 2.5 mile radius, housing approximately 1500 students. Cleveland Hill Elementary recently adopted a comprehensive approach to literacy that includes The Daily Five and a focus on non-fiction writing. Teachers have common planning time to enable collaboration and planning. Federal stimulus funding provided support for early literacy initiatives such as: a reading teacher assigned to each grade level, the purchase of a leveled library, Fountas & Pinnell Benchmark Kits, Voyager Reading, AimsWeb, Soar to Success, two technology integrators, and tools for increasing phonemic awareness. A character education program was implemented last year through a partnership with Western New York United Against Drugs & Alcohol. Dr. Lisa Press, from Niagara University, is working with elementary teachers to enhance the effectiveness of data teams. Data teams meet every Friday to review scores, based on National norms, and to collaboratively determine next steps for students requiring academic intervention.
At the middle school, teachers in grades 6, 7 & 8 meet four days per week, with an agenda to address issues involving student achievement, teaching and learning, assessment and positive behavior intervention. In addition, department meetings are scheduled once a month. Teachers have been learning about Response to Intervention and the importance of data-driven instruction. Co-teaching is the service delivery model for students with special needs, supported by ongoing training and coverage for common planning.
The high school graduation rate for 2008-2009 was 83% including out of district placements and 87% for students attending Cleveland Hill High School. With a focus on continuous improvement, the district has invested in Nova Net Credit Recovery and a Distance Learning Program, in addition to a LINC program that provides more individualized support for struggling seniors. Both teachers and administrators are focused on connecting with families and supporting every student on the path to graduation.
Technology is an area that we will continue to develop at Cleveland Hill. Our Professional Development Plan will steer teachers toward innovative staff development that results in professional growth in this area. We recognize the need to keep up with changing methods of communication and teaching. We want to use technology to increase student engagement and motivation.
We will continue to discuss and explore evidence-based strategies for school improvement. Doug Reeves, at the Center for Leading and Learning (google this website) argues that student achievement is positively impacted by 14 research-based antecedents of excellence. He studied the 90-90-90 schools (see curriculum link) to identify common characteristics of high achieving schools and we are working to implement these characteristics at Cleveland Hill. We want to encourage students to be curious and to seek out information on topics of interest. Our goal is the development of self-determining readers, writers and thinkers.
