DOUGLASS

Challenging, Caring, Preparing Every Student Every Day

Every Student, Every Day!  That is the vision that drives our teachers to work continuously to improve the education of their students.  The Kansas State Department of Education has implemented a new accreditation process for all Kansas school districts known as KESA (Kansas Education Systems Accreditation).  This accreditation process replaces No Child Left Behind and QPA with a growth process in which our schools and students are compared to themselves, proving progress in learning and teaching, rather than held to one number.

The Kansas State Board of Education’s vision, Kansas leads the world in the success of each student, sets the goal for all districts.  They define “success” as follows:  

A successful Kansas high school graduate has the academic preparation, cognitive preparation, technical skills, employability skills and civic engagement to be successful in postsecondary education, in the attainment of an industry recognized certification or in the workforce, without the need for remediation.

Douglass schools are already implementing strategies to meet each of the five Kansas State Board of Education outcomes:

• Social/emotional growth measured locally - Lions Quest in K-8 classrooms, school wide behavior plans, and many incentive programs, along with community service requirements for graduation

• Kindergarten Readiness - expanded pre-school opportunities, utilizing the Ages and Stages Questionnaire to establish baseline for academic and behavioral skills in Kindergarteners

• Individual Plans of Study based on career interest - Career Cruising is being used to guide students in grades 6-12 in career discovery and preparation

• Graduation Rate - a multitude of strategies in middle and high school to keep students in school. An increased focus of student attendance at all building levels is just one priority on making sure parents and students know the importance of education.

• Postsecondary attendance/attainment - meeting the state’s goal of success following graduation

To meet these outcomes, Douglass schools are focused on two goals:  Relationships and Relevance.  Relationships are about the continual cultivation of connections with staff, students, families and the community.  Relevance is attending to curriculum, instruction, student engagement and technology.  We feel that meeting both of these goals will have the greatest impact on the culture and learning environment of  Douglass schools.

The systems approach to school improvement helps the district focus on comprehensive alignment of state standards, consistent and reliable materials, providing and allocating the necessary resources so that every student has the ability to succeed.

The school district is in the fourth year of a five year cycle and will host an Outside Visitation Team visit later this spring, followed by an accreditation visit next year.  After our accreditation visit, we will start the process again to ensure that we are always reviewing our practices and data to meet the ever-changing needs of our students.

Continuous improvement has long been the foundation of the success of Douglass Public Schools.  The board of education, administration and district staff are all engaged in providing the best for the students of the district, and are committed to continuing the long history of excellence in education. Parents and community members have high expectations of the district and show their support of the district by being involved and invested in the success of the district.  Together we are partners working to ensure the best opportunities for the future of our community.  Students are our priority.