As we move into the 2011 calendar year Fountain Hills Unified School District continues to seek system improvement to meet our student learning mission. The new calendar year will bring ongoing efforts to improve instruction, curriculum and assessment.
In December we added SuccessMaker software at Four Peaks ES and Fountain Hills Middle School to provide students and parents a software enrichment program available at their school site and from home. This program allows students an engaging program that assesses each individual student then provides an individualized program for mathematics and reading improvement. As we monitor student progress the number of building site licenses may increase to provide a wider range of student access. We will also explore a similar program for McDowell Mountain ES for the 2011-12 schoolyear. Also trained were our FHUSD elementary teachers in the use of Apple iTouches to utilize in grades 2-5 classrooms seeking to enhance reading fluency and access a number of educational applications for learning enrichment. The teachers have these with full implementation planned immediately after winter break.
In January we will reconvene our McREL Community Stakeholder group to review our progress on goals made during the 2009-2010 school year. We will provide the group with updated district student achievement data and continue our dialogue on making FHUSD a school system with 24/7 access through a number of learning platforms.
FHUSD is rapidly moving toward regular online credit courses for secondary students registered in our school system. We believe digital learning will become a regular aspect of student learning systems either for enrichment or school credit. In January we will likely have a hybrid program featuring digital learning from FHUSD certified teachers adding an online vendor for the beginning of 2011-12 to provide students more course options.
Finally, FHUSD is exploring the use of the Cambridge International Curriculum to provide our students with a college ready/career ready curriculum. With over 90 percent of our students moving into higher education upon graduation, it will enhance our students opportunity in the new Arizona State "Move on When Ready" initiative. It will also enhance our grades 11-12 Advance College Placement courses and community college dual enrollment courses. This could possibly begin in the the 9th grade for next school year expanding to grade 10 and grades 6-8 for the 2012-13 school year.
Now is the time for our school system to move forward with a strong intentional focus on improvement. Despite the funding shortages and negative national debate toward public schools, FHUSD intends to move forward for meaningful school restructuring that results in student success for all.
