Aligning for Student Success: Integrated Application

A significant strength in the district is that equity is front and center in the Reynolds School District Strategic Plan. The plan focuses on four goal topics. Goal Topic #1 focuses on marginalized students. This goal focuses on giving voice to marginalized populations, removing barriers, and holding high academic expectations for focus populations. Goal Topic #2 focuses on culturally responsive teaching, which aims to interrupt bias and microaggressions in curriculum and instructional practices.

The district’s Equity and Student Success department is developing a strategic plan focused on the four goal topics, to further support the Reynolds School District Strategic Plan. The plan will be divided into the following categories: state mandates, district policies and procedures, professional development and resources, school equity committees, collaboration, staff and student wellness/belonging, and community/caregiver engagement. These seven categories will not only strengthen individual schools but the district’s overall focus on equity and access.

The Reynolds School Board of Directors approved the District Equity Committee.  This committee was developed following the guidance given in Senate Bill 732. The Reynolds School Board of Directors and the Superintendent will receive direct feedback from members of the District Equity Committee on matters of equity and access impacting the entire district. A total of 12 committee members were selected, 3 students, 3 parents/caregivers, 3 community partners, and 3 Reynolds employees.

Career readiness courses are offered for all students at RLA and RHS, and we work with community partners to provide access to tours, career fairs, site visits, job connections, informal interviews, job shadows, guest speakers, internships, pre-apprenticeships, and more through a multitude of paths. The efforts of school counselors, youth transition specialists, voc rehab specialists, school-to-career coordinators, and teachers are coordinated to help guide students toward their personal post-secondary goals. At RHS, the college and career center is open to all students on a drop-in basis, and students are regularly invited to visits, tours, expositions, and career fairs. In freshmen Access class, all students register for and use Naviance to develop their post-secondary goals and begin to build their personalized learning plans. At RLA, staff work with individual students to help them complete applications, register for orientations, and compile professional portfolios including resumes, cover letters, copies of certifications, and examples of their work. Students have opportunities to conduct research on their areas of interest through searches, videos, classroom materials, onsite experiences, and classroom discussions, and they are offered assistance in filling out paperwork for FAFSA, college enrollment, and scholarships.

Reynolds School District is constantly engaging in the work of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging at all district levels. After connecting directly with teachers, students, parents/ caregivers, site administrators, district office administrators, and community members, the department of Equity and Student Success identified the following needs: affinity groups for students and staff, updating the district equity lens, differentiated and ongoing equity training for staff across the district, culturally responsive community engagement, focus on recruitment and retention of diverse staff, and ongoing guidance on state mandates.

Reynolds participation in ODE’s Intensive Coaching Program provides an additional layer of support for identifying district needs in terms of equity and student success. The Intensive Coaching Program aims to support the Reynolds School District in the areas of teaching and learning, leadership, and community. This means that three members of the Reynolds Stewarding Body bring direct experience and visibility to addressing the district’s needs around teaching and learning, leadership, and community, which are also intentionally addressed in this application. Furthermore, the Director of Equity and Student Success serves as the district point person. As point person, the director meets regularly with the ODE Point Person as well as district leadership about all matters regarding the Intensive Coaching Program. The director’s involvement ensures that the district’s equity and access needs are maintained at the forefront and consistently addressed.

View the PDF version of the Equity Lens for Decision Making below:

The questions in the Reynolds School District Equity Lens for Decision Making were reviewed throughout the comprehensive needs assessment process, and the development of the strategic plan, outcomes and investments. While this tool was reviewed and referenced through the process, it became clear that while the tool is used in some spaces for the purpose of decision making, it does not appear to be consistently used across the district. Therefore, the need to update the Reynolds Equity Lens for Decision Making has been noted by members of Reynolds Executive Cabinet and the Instructional Leadership Team. As such, the work to update Reynolds equity lens tool has been initiated. A group with wide representation was initially convened by the Superintendent to begin work on updating the tool. During this time of leadership transition, the work of updating the tool became stalled, but completing the revision of the tool will be part of the Equity and Student Success Strategic Plan. The revision of the Reynolds Equity Lens for Decision Making will include the input from a variety of voices, including students, parents/caregivers, teacher union representatives, classified union representatives, school and building administrators, and members of the District Equity Committee, among other voices. The plan for revision of the tool will also include training and expectations around its use. The revision of the tool is scheduled to be completed by the end of fall 2023.     

Safety is at the base level of Maslow’s needs. With the investments in increased Assistant Principals, Restorative Practices TOSAs at Reynolds HS, professional learning in restorative practices and social-emotional learning for staff, as well as increased number of counselors and social workers, the potential impact for students, staff and community in an increased sense of safety is great. These investments allow us to continue to refine our systems to support both physical and emotional safety. Aligned with our efforts to recruit and retain staff who better reflect our student body, including supportive on-boarding, our focal groups of students will hopefully feel more connected. 

As an outcome of increased safety and targeted professional development, students will feel more engaged in their school communities. Additional support from Instructional TOSAs, increased opportunities for professional learning on curriculum and instructional strategies, as well as having smaller class sizes, will result in students being more engaged in their learning. Strong Career-Technical Education programs, career-connected learning, and opportunities for 

There is a need for on-going student acceleration in the area of literacy and math, and Reynolds is investing in staff that will assist in improving academic outcomes for all students, but most importantly historically marginalized students at the individual school level. 

Our ninth-grade students will be supported in their transition to high school by Access classes, increased counselor access, teaming, and additional attendance supports and the percentage of students on track to graduation will increase. 
 

For Reynolds School District to meet the Longitudinal Performance Growth Targets (LPGTs), there are some assets- based decisions that must be made in order to remove barriers and risks.  Chronic absenteeism is an area in which the district needs to make a priority in order to meet the LPGTs for both attendance and academic based metrics (third grade ELA, 9th Grade-On-Track, 4-year cohort grad rate and 5-year cohort completion rate).  To assist students with meeting third grade ELA LPGTs the district has invested in providing professional development for all K-5 educators, instructional coaches and administrators around the Science of Reading (LETRS training). In addition, the district has invested in training educators and instructional coaches on the use of Heggerty phonemic awareness and Exemplary Center for Reading Instruction (ECRI).  Reynolds School District has also adopted and are now implementing a new ELA curriculum, HMH Into Reading (K-5) and HMH Into Literature (6-12). The district has also been strategic to invest in continued summer programming (i.e. Children’s Defense Freedom Schools (R)) for K-8 students as well as for high school students who need to gain additional credits to be back on track towards graduation. The two high schools (Reynolds and Reynolds Learning Academy) have been in the process of evaluating transcripts to assist students with making decisions around multiple pathways to graduation.   

Reynolds School District has two policies related to ensuring students experiencing homelessness are not isolated or stigmatized. The first is JECBD, readopted 9/28/2022, ensures that students experiencing homelessness have access to all education and services needed to ensure they can meet the same academic standards as all students. It goes on to designate a district liaison for students in need of McKinney-Vento services. This year, we have ensured this position is wholly focused on the students experiencing homelessness, and supports our building based social workers and counselors.  
 
These building based social workers provide students and families with a direct contact for identification, connection to services and supports, and direct service regarding basic needs. These building-based supports are complimented by a central liaison, social workers, and an assistant in order to ensure our students and families have connections to resources connections, which include transportation, housing, and basic needs (e.g. laundry, clothing, food). 
 
Further, our attendance and discipline policies have been reviewed and updated to account for the needs of students experiencing homelessness. These policies, along with the ones mentioned before related directly to homelessness, provide a natural monitoring process to ensure that we are monitoring early warning indicators for students in this position. Lastly, we are currently collaborating with the MESD to provide ongoing professional development and technical assistance for our central and school-based staff.

At Reynolds High School (RHS), the freshman year is designed as an exploratory year to give all students an opportunity to try the pathway offerings in order to make educated and guided forecasting choices. Every student takes CTE classes as part of their 4-year plan, and pre-requisites that might limit student choice have been removed. Students have after school opportunities to explore their passions in the career clusters as well. We consistently seek ways to make our programs integrated and accessible for all learners by incorporating modifications, language supports, and accessibility supports. Our teachers, administrators, counselors, and consortium team are dedicated to reviewing disaggregated data and to reflecting on our professional practices in order to eliminate the systemic barriers and opportunity gaps that create program disparities. At Reynolds Learning Academy (RLA), the CTE programs have a 20+ year history of successful operation serving a diverse at-risk population by providing alternative pathways to high-skills, high-demand, high-wage careers tied directly to industry after graduation. Former graduates work with current students to help them see the connection to what comes next. Students are cohorted for classes and field days, thus providing a more cohesive team which works to support students as they learn and grow to success together.

We have identified a need to make adjustments to our main schedule that would allow for improved equity and access to our focused programs. We also recognize a need to creatively staff our programs to offer access to courses based on personal student choice and industry demand while maintaining safety in the workshop spaces. A move to a block schedule could provide opportunities for more course offerings and allow students time off campus to participate in internships, job shadows, and other applied areas of learning. Our partnerships need continued development so that the work based learning placements are options for the majority of students. For example, some of our current partnership placements have barriers because of transportation requirements. Our goal as a school district system is to find ways that we can support students who need academic intervention without eliminating elective offerings, so that CTE is an option for all students. Solutions like push-in supports for language or accessibility, can help us to meet this objective. As we do not charge fees for program supplies, continued planning for financial sustainability within our programs is essential. This requires a long term vision for acquiring industry standard equipment, maintaining equipment, funding certifications, offering competitive experience in CTSO’s, and purchasing the consumables and supplies for our dynamic programs of study. This will help us ensure that quality, industry-level experiences are available to all students and are not limited due to economic shortfalls.

We recognize that students and word of mouth are our strongest marketing tools. Knowing this, we strive to continually improve our programs so they are relevant to students and help them access high-wage, high-demand jobs. We promote career pathways during forecasting by hosting an 8th grade visit to all programs of study. All freshmen take exploratory classes and conduct self-assessments to develop a personal post-secondary goal. Counselors meet 1:1 with every student to discuss personal goals and to design a high school 4-year plan that can help students identify and meet their post-secondary aspirations. We sponsor a CTE assembly where students can find out more about our programs. We are improving our marketing materials and course catalog so that they serve as a helpful tool for students and families. CTE Community Awards night highlights and showcases student accomplishments. Our counseling team collaboration with the CTE team through program tours so that they are up to date on the most relevant information. All programs are offered to all students as a part of forecasting, and students are also invited to attend career fairs, college visits, and to learn more about careers within the fields of study that we offer. Brochures and fact sheets are distributed and available year-round for student reference. To engage the broader community, we work closely with the district office to promote stories with local media outlets to generate interest from other students who may want the same type of exposure to work based and career connected learning.

It is our collective purpose to ensure that enrollment, retention, and successful completion of our CTE programs reflects the demographics of our overall school and district populations. Our district leadership, consortium partners, administrators, counselors, and teachers are dedicated to this objective, and our program strategies are designed to meet this mission. Working in PLCs with disaggregated data is key to identifying where there are opportunity gaps. We are working to collect student data that will help us make the adjustments that are needed for equitable programming for all students. Through intentional marketing in multiple languages, we plan to increase overall knowledge of focused programs of study, career connected learning, work-based learning, and employability skills for all students. Our engagement of students, families, and community partners will help build an awareness of and improvements within our programs of study. This will include embedding articulated career connected learning in our K-12 system—providing enriching opportunities to spark passion in students at younger ages who will develop employability skills, 21st century skills, and industry specific skills to meet the demands of our global marketplace.

Reynolds School District is committed to providing a well-rounded education designed to meet the diverse needs of all students, recent investments include changes to our secondary English Language Development model for our emerging bilingual students are included in grade level core instruction and elective courses. The purchase of K-12 culturally responsive texts to allow our diverse students to be represented throughout their instruction. Alignment of course offerings vertically, especially in CTE and the Arts, and establishing a district aligned K-12 course catalogue.

FTE at elementary schools was increased so each school has full-time PE and Music, as well as a full-time Media Specialist. K-12 teachers are implementing a new core Language Arts curriculum that has embedded ethnic studies, science and social science standards. At the middle school level, students are enrolled both in core classes and a variety of different electives (AVID, Performing Arts, Foreign Language, STEAM, Career and Technical Education, Humanities and Career Development). 

Students at the high school level can participate in CTE (Automotive, Computer Information Systems, Construction/Woods, Hospitality Management and Culinary Arts, Early Childhood Education, Engineering, Graphic Design and Metals and Manufacturing).   Students can enroll in college-accredited program areas to earn dual credit at Center for Advanced Learning (CAL) in the areas of Business, Computer Science, Apparel and Design, Digital Media, Mechanical Engineering, and Health Sciences. Students at RLA can participate in MYC, a youth service-learning/conservation program including field study. RLA also has a Computer Science program of study and also trades courses in construction.

Fine Arts opportunities in secondary schools include Choir, Orchestra, Band, Theater Arts, Visual Arts, Digital Media and Design, Graphic Design and Photography. Through the Portland Arts Tax, Art and Music are offered at elementary schools. Reynolds School District are working on a K-12 fine arts articulation plan to make sure that all students are ensured access to the visual and performing arts.

In elementary school all students participate in Library twice a week and each school has a full-time Library and Media Specialist. At the secondary level, students do not take a media class, but the addition of full-time Media Assistants allows for the integration of more digital literacy and development of 21st Century libraries. Media Assistants are reviewing library collections to reflect student population and align with K-12 library standards and free up Media Specialists to work more closely with classroom teachers and students.

Reynolds School District coordinates transportation to ensure students arrive at school with time for breakfast. Elementary students receive breakfast in the classroom as part of a soft start each day. Lunch time for both students and teachers is contractual, allowing 30 minutes for both eating and recess. 

More time for nutrition occurs while elementary schools participate in the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program Grant, introducing elementary school children to a variety of different produce that they otherwise might not have the opportunity to sample. And elementary snacks are provided with ESSER funds. 

All K-8 students have Physical Education. For both middle and high school students, required PE courses are built into their schedule or through course elective selection. K-5 all have access to recess twice a day, and for middle schools, a recess time is attached to lunch.

Students in grades 6-12 also have access to athletics and/or extracurricular activities that provide time for exploring organized movement and play.

Most of Reynolds schools are Community Schools with extended day Schools Uniting Neighborhoods (SUN) programs. In SUN, students receive a full meal as well as additional opportunities for movement and play.
 

All Reynolds students have 1:1 instructional technology devices. We have adopted ISTE standards and Common Sense media digital citizenship. Instructional Technology Coaches support implementation and integration of technology in classrooms with both staff and students.

Students in secondary schools have the opportunity to participate in Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) programs. AVID helps teachers shift from delivering content to facilitating learning, resulting in an inquiry-based, student-centric classroom. By teaching critical thinking, inquiry, and self-advocacy, AVID educators empower students to own their learning. 

Starting in 2021-22, emerging multilingual students have access to AVID Excel. AVID Excel works to ensure their heritage language courses support full biliteracy, increase academic rigor, and provide a path to Advanced Placement language classes for ELL students. 

Middle School students have Project Lead the Way, for computer science, engineering, and biomedical science.  Students are engaged in hands-on activities, projects, and problems; to solve real-world challenges; and inspire them to reimagine how they see themselves.

Our new Language Arts curriculum adoption has embedded STEAM online tools. We are currently piloting curriculum for math adoption, and math related to real world problem solving is a critical criterion for review. The Language Arts curriculum that was adopted provides embedded lessons that explore various forms of art and the arts across history.  There is a clear articulation and crosswalk between science standards and mathematical standards that will be adopted by our implementation team for our math curriculum adoption in order to embed those standards into our math scope and sequence.   
 

Curriculum adoption committees include teachers, staff, and building administration from each school in the district.  The committee also surveys students to include their voice and choice in the adoption process. The committees use state rubrics to then create their own RSD rubric, to ensure that the committee selects the most culturally appropriate curriculum. RSD selects curriculum from the approved state instructional materials list that offers both English and Spanish options. The curriculum implementation committee meets and ensures that there is also an articulated crosswalk of all standards. The instructional materials are also piloted with a diverse pool of educators and students, before the materials are brought forward to the School Board for adoption. Community involvement to review the potential adopted instructional materials and professional learning on the curriculum are provided to both educators and administration.

For the K-12 Language Arts Instructional Materials Adoption, once HMH Into Reading (K-5) and HMH Into Literature (6-12) was selected by the committee and adopted by the School Board, a Curriculum Pathway was developed that is aligned to the following Oregon adopted standards: Language Arts, English Language Development, and Ethnic Studies (including Holocaust/Other Genocides and Shared History/Tribal History).  In addition, a committee was held to analyze and select culturally responsive books that allow students of diverse ethnic and gender identity to see themselves throughout the instructional materials. 

Our Tier 1 instructional model follows the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) model of instructional delivery.  This model allows teachers to engage students in various modalities; learners differ markedly in the ways in which they can be engaged or motivated to learn. This approach allows for a variety of instructional strategies that allow for individual variation, including neurology, culture, personal relevance, subjectivity, background knowledge and lived experiences. The instructional materials and lessons are represented and presented in various ways that provide access to students at multiple levels of depth of knowledge and understanding. 

Students express their learning in variety of different formats and genres. Our instructional practices also focus on making sure that we have a focus on Culturally Responsive Pedagogy (CRP) and that we shelter instruction for our emerging bilingual learners.  When all of these instructional practices are in sync and are engaged then equitable outcomes for all students, including our most historically marginalized groups are achieved.  Instruction is intentional, engaging, and challenging for all students by allowing them to also have voice and choice in regard to their learning.  

As part of the recent K-12 English Language Arts adoption, Culturally Responsive texts were selected and purchased in order for students to see themselves throughout their instruction.  These cultural and gender-identity diverse texts are embedded into the curriculum and aligned to both the Ethnic Studies standards and Every Student Belongs guidelines. By creating inclusive environments, students are able to be in engaged in discussions and assignments that celebrate diversity.
 

Reynolds School District currently partners to provide multiple early childhood education opportunities. Alliance for Equity in Montessori Education offers two all day classrooms for 3 and 4 year olds at Alder Elementary School, with plans to expand through Preschool for All. Transportation and meals are provided by the district. Play and learn groups with parent education are available at other schools in coordination with Community Based Organizations and the Schools Uniting Neighborhoods (SUN) Service System. Teen parents are supported through a Mount Hood Community College (MHCC) partnership for full day Early Head Start at Reynolds Learning Academy. Davis Elementary hosts a MHCC Head Start classroom. And as a component of Reynolds HS Early Childhood Education Program of Study, a fee-for-service half-day preschool is available to community members. 

We are partnering with Education Northwest to assess the availability of and access to quality early learning programming in the district. RSD understands the importance of high-quality, culturally responsive early learning programs and aims to provide opportunities for all families in the district to access these services. This evaluation will provide recommendations on how to meet this need. Our Early Learning Advisory Committee has guided this study and will be developing a strategic plan for expansion of early learning programs and opportunities for our community. 
As we prepare for a future bond measure, investing in building schools that will serve the needs of students and families, with the programs that help them thrive, including expanding space for early learning is a priority.

Collaboration is essential to helping students start high school strong, and the summer is a critical opportunity to build a bridge from middle school. With support from culturally-specific community partners the Ninth Grade Counts (NGC) program focuses on student enrichment and transitional skills into High School. Students have a chance to earn .5 elective credit toward their high school graduation requirements and participate in weekly field trips. Parents have access to workshops that help parents, many of whom are immigrants, understand the educational system in the US and the challenges facing their children.

Ninth Grade Access is a required course designed to help students successfully transition from middle school to high school. Areas of focus include study skills, time management, graduation requirements and four-year plan, career exploration through Naviance, work-place readiness and post-secondary planning. Ninth grade teachers meet regularly to track the number of freshmen on-track as measured by grades/credits and attendance data. The caseload for counselors for ninth graders is purposefully low to allow them to meet with students four times a year.

The RHS College and Career Center (CCC) is available to RHS students in every grade level. The primary goal of the CCC is to spark students' interests and engage them in planning for life after high school. Students who visit the CCC can find the latest information about exploring colleges and universities, college and university admissions, college applications, financial aid (FAFSA/ORSAA), scholarships and grants, Oregon Promise, community service, volunteer opportunities, Naviance, and more.

The Reynolds School District MTSS framework is a data driven model that provides early identification and interventions for students needing academic or behavioral support along with an intentional approach to professional development. Professional Learning Communities follow the improvement cycle process outlined by evidence-based practices within the Dufour PLC model. Structured around grade level bands or content areas, educators exchange their expertise in a collaborative decision-making process reviewing data collected from universal screeners and common formative assessments. Students receive interventions or additional supports for their academic, behavioral, and social emotional needs. These supports may occur beyond the school day or year, or through credit recovery options.

For students who identify as English Language Learners, instruction and content lessons consider students’ English language proficiency to support accessing grade level content and modifications must be identified as necessary to allow students exposure to the content and opportunities to demonstrate proficiency in grade level standards. Effective instruction for students acquiring English considers and builds on students’ cultural knowledge, home language, background, life experiences, and linguistic proficiencies. It also involves shared ownership by classroom teachers and ELD teachers. 

Student Support Team Meeting is a collaborative problem-solving process to find ways around roadblocks to academic, behavioral, environmental, and social-emotional success for any student referred. As part of the MTSS process, the SST considers the individual needs of students to develop and refine plans that include support and evidence-based intervention strategies designed to close skills gaps and increase success in school.
 

At the elementary level, teachers write TAG personalized learning plans for students outlining curriculum and instructional modifications along with student learning goals to meet student’s assessed levels and accelerated rates of learning. Examples and resources for teachers are provided by the TAG department. Teachers often differentiate by content, process, and product. The district provides online programs for all students to work at their own rate and level in reading using Lexia and math using Dreambox. TAG identified students are eligible for an ALEKS online math subscription which allows students to work up to advanced high school math courses. 

At the secondary level, students have opportunities to take advanced coursework in multiple subject areas. While in middle school, students may earn a high school math credit by taking algebra. Reynolds High School offers honors courses, AP classes, dual-credit options with Mt. Hood Community College through Middle College and College Now, as well as Senior Inquiry through Portland State University. The Center for Advanced Learning (CAL) offers career and technical education where students may earn college-transferable credits. 
 

Career readiness courses are offered for all students at RLA and RHS, and we work with community partners to provide access to tours, career fairs, site visits, job connections, informal interviews, job shadows, guest speakers, internships, pre-apprenticeships, and more through a multitude of paths. The efforts of school counselors, youth transition specialists, voc rehab specialists, school-to-career coordinators, and teachers are coordinated to help guide students toward their personal post-secondary goals. At RHS, the college and career center is open to all students on a drop-in basis, and students are regularly invited to visits, tours, expositions, and career fairs. In freshmen Access class, all students register for and use Naviance to develop their post-secondary goals and begin to build their personalized learning plans. At RLA, staff work with individual students to help them complete applications, register for orientations, and compile professional portfolios including resumes, cover letters, copies of certifications, and examples of their work. Students have opportunities to conduct research on their areas of interest through searches, videos, classroom materials, onsite experiences, and classroom discussions, and they are offered assistance in filling out paperwork for FAFSA, college enrollment, and scholarships.

Marketing materials such as CTE brochures, course catalogs, website pages, and newletters will be made available in multiple languages and formats. We will offer opportunities for engaging our students and families through focus group conversations for program improvement and through family engagement events in our school and out in the community. Our community partners are poised to help engage our families by offering access to coursework and career skill building as well. We will maximize those opportunities to make career connections for all who are served by our district. Showcasing student work and word of mouth are excellent tools for positive press, and we intend to continue to offer quality programs of study that lend themselves to opportunities for recruitment and retention in our career pathways.

All of the programs of study at Reynolds high school have well developed work-based simulations or workplace examples, and Reynolds Learning Academy has extensive opportunities for students to work in the community in their field of study. Oregon’s standards for the development of employability skills are embedded into coursework and across content. When a partnership or project is developed for student learning, we are careful to ensure that all students can access the experience. We carefully vet partners to ensure that the guidelines provided by the district, state, ODE, and BOLI for equity, diversity, and inclusion are followed and that students’ needs are met. A move to a block schedule would allow for continued development of workplace learning and potential concurrent enrollment so that students have better access to these opportunities across the district and within our industry partnerships.

Our objective is to ensure that our K-12 programs are well articulated and connected and guide all students toward a personalized post-secondary goal. CTE, co-curricular activities, summer enrichment, AVID, AP coursework, school guidance, MTSS, family engagement interconnect as supports to meet this objective. Relevant applied learning opportunities are embedded within each program of study, and these real-world applications are also part of a student’s learning in core content areas. Teachers receive professional development for engaging students in activities that promote 21st century skills such as critical thinking, collaboration, and inquiry. Schools help students develop the social-emotional skills that they need to be resilient in the face of adversity. At RHS, freshman begin their high school career with Access/AVID elective classes and CTE exploration to assist them in finding their path to their personal post-secondary goals. At RLA, the small, flexible learning environment provides students opportunities for personalized learning in a highly supportive environment. These activities help bring relevance to student educational plans. Curriculum content combines state and industry standards to ensure that students obtain the full breadth of understanding of their areas of focus. Students are prepared to meet industry expectations and standards for employment upon graduation or with further training or education at the post-secondary levels. Students can earn dual credit and certifications in some CTE programs of study, and we intend to increase those opportunities to all pathways. We have 2 certified pre-apprenticeship programs and will expand those offerings, allowing students direct entry into apprenticeship after graduation.

We will offer certifications, knowledge, and skills that are relevant to current industry needs. Our plan includes building strong CTSOs so that students can also engage in extra curricular activities that will help them form a strong professional portfolio and personal resume. In each pathway, students will complete a number of site visits, projects, growth mindset-diversity-equity trainings, and portfolio building activities as a demonstration of their post-secondary career readiness. Students will also have a chance to earn dual credit in select courses.

Maintaining relationships with industry partners is essential to staying abreast of current trends, changing industry demands, evolving technologies, and new career opportunities. We will want to ensure relevance in our programs of study by adapting our certifications to current markets, reviewing and adjusting our pre-apprenticeships to meet industry standards, and incorporating new content within our curriculum. We will continue to expose students to industry partners through work-based learning placements, college and career fairs, site visits, and guest visits. Career readiness activities that are embedded and well-articulated for students K-12 will help students gain the skills necessary to enter and successfully work within these fields after graduation.

Although there are limitations for continual expansion of pathways and programs of study, our goal is to stay relevant to the student and industry demands. With intentional planning and creative scheduling, we have the potential to add a Business program at Reynolds High School and a Culinary or Health Services program at Reynolds Learning Academy. We would like to develop opportunities for students to explore pathways programs at the middle schools. Our current priority is the development of a well-articulated K-12 system for career connected learning, exploration, enrichment, and work-based learning. Any additional pathways would be carefully and intentionally brought on board if the budget, staffing, and facilities constraints allow. POS expansion is not likely for this upcoming biennium.

Reynolds aims to increase community engagement at the school level. Through this planning process, it became apparent that community members, parents, and caregivers are more likely to engage via their schools, rather than directly through a district-sponsored event. There seems to be a barrier in trust or relationship directly between the district and community. Specifically, our Black/African Amerian and Native American families asked for district staff to not participate in the focus group; just the facilitator. 

A benefit of Reynolds participating in the Intensive Coaching Program is to directly focus on establishing processes for culturally responsive community engagement. Reynolds has already begun the work by utilizing ODE’s Community Engagement Toolkit to develop goals for the district. The Community Engagement Steward has been influential in guiding Reynolds’ goal for meaningful, authentic, and ongoing community engagement. 
  
The district aims to have all schools include parent/caregiver participation in their improvement plans. Next steps are to invest training and resources in school leaders on effectively knowing, valuing, and engaging their communities to be meaningful partners in shared decision-making and fostering community through student-centered events, partnerships with culturally-specific organizations, and active volunteer programs.

The expected outcome is that families will experience an increased sense of belonging and collaboration, as a result of the schools increasing the levels of community engagement over the next four years. It is important that the activities chosen by the schools create spaces of belonging and collaboration that fit the community values for each school and that align to the plan.  
 

Reynolds continues to work with our Intensive Coaching Stewards to identify authentic and proactive ways to support and engage our communities, beyond resource provision and into participatory leadership and planning. 

We are on a path to strengthen partnerships by having district leaders strategically plan with Albina Rockwood at Promise Neighborhood Initiative community leaders, and with the MESD to bring Equity Directors together across districts in order to identify where successes are happening for our historically underserved students, and to replicate these with our students and communities.

More recently, community partners and district leaders have been participating in professional development in teams such as the MESD’s Empathy Interviews training series. Special education leaders are working with community partners to provide parents/caregivers with focused information relevant to students and families receiving special education services. Multiple community partner voices are currently present in Reynolds Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Curriculum Adoption Committee and in the District Equity Committee.   

Reynolds’ partnerships with Latino Network, Self Enhancement Inc. (SEI), and the Native American Youth and Family Center (NAYA) will cultivate higher levels of community partner and general community engagement since one member from each organization represents community voice in the Reynolds Equity Committee.  

Reynolds will be hiring a Family Engagement Coordinator and designing a Framework for engaging with families and caregivers that supports their agency in codesigning and transforming our schools. This will lead to more equitable schools where caregivers and families of historically marginalized identities are seen as holders of legitimate knowledge to support students and are given agency in the design of school improvement systems beyond the traditional methods of engaging families such as community nights, communication methods, and afterschool and during school programs. We seek additional support in activating our communities through culturally specific and responsive strategies and in programming, in codesign with our community, that allows our schools to reflect the cultural values and wishes and to promote expression of voice, concern, and validation.  

The SIA plan integration already funds the Family and community Engagement Coordinator and Reynolds will be adding a budget for schools to have the needed resources available for implementation in these first five years. Costs may include transportation, food, childcare, materials.

Community partners are an integral aspect of our students’ success. The safety and security of our students, families, staff, partners and community members is our highest priority. This year, we conducted our first ever “Partner Summit” prior to the start of the school year. This allowed RSD staff to discuss transportation, nutrition, building maintenance, and social-emotional support services with our partners. It also allowed our partners to meet our new building administration and start the year off in a cohesive manner to ensure students and partners are in a safe environment during their programming and services.
 
Throughout the year, through site visits, we survey partners on a variety of topics, including safety-related issues they may have. The Assistant Director of Public Relations & Partnerships takes partner concerns to the appropriate departments to discuss and come up with solutions so that our partners experience a safe and welcoming environment throughout RSD.
 
RSD is also collaborating with partners, community representatives and building administration to create a “Code of Conduct” document so that partners understand school safety policies, emergency protocol and email announcements that affect their services while in our schools. 

Partners are fully integrated into the schools they serve. All partners have district email addresses and are provided office spaces and classrooms as well as time for partners to share out at staff meetings and collaborate with teachers and specialists. All district staff regularly vote on community members to be recognized during monthly board business meetings. 
 

Reynolds Arthur Academy chose to engage with the community in two distinct ways. The first step was to send out an online survey in multiple languages (English, Spanish, Vietnamese and Russian) to all of their families. The second step was to engage with families via phone interviews/calls. They chose multiple families to call with students from the focal groups (students of color; students with disabilities; emerging bilingual students; other students who have historically experienced academic disparities). The SIA team reviewed the data from the survey and phone calls to determine outcomes and strategies.

Multnomah Learning Academy plans to utilize Integrated Guidance funds to further provide professional development to staff particularly in the areas of math and science. The data indicates a deep need for growth in student math performance. A strategy is to increase teacher knowledge around best practices in order for students to receive improved instruction. Further use of these funds would support the purchase of additional curriculum to improve small group instruction and interventions provided to students in ELA and Math.

►Students of color

►Students with disabilities

►Students who are emerging bilinguals

►Students who identify as LGBTQ2SIA+

►Students navigating poverty, homelessness, and foster care

►Families of students of color

►Families of students with disabilities

►Families of students who are emerging bilinguals

☐Families of students who identify as LGBTQ2SIA+

►Families of students navigating poverty, homelessness, and foster care

►Licensed staff (administrators, teachers, counselors, etc.)

►Classified staff (paraprofessionals, bus drivers, office support, etc.)

►Community Based Organizations (non-profit organizations, civil rights organizations, community service groups, culturally specific organizations, etc.)

►Tribal members (adults and youth)

►School volunteers (school board members, budget committee members, PTA/PTO members, booster club members, parent advisory group members, classroom volunteers, etc.)

☐Business community

☐Regional Educator Networks (RENs)

☐Local Community College Deans and Instructors; Local university deans and instructors

►Migrant Education and McKinney-Vento Coordinators

☐Local Workforce Development and / or Chambers of Commerce

►CTE Regional Coordinators

☐Regional STEM / Early learning Hubs

☐Vocational Rehabilitation and pre-Employment Service Staff

☐Justice Involved Youth

►Community leaders

►Other: Intensive Coaching Stewards

☐Survey(s) or other engagement applications (i.e., Thought Exchange)

►In-person forum(s)

►Focus group(s)

☐Roundtable discussion

►Community group meeting

☐Collaborative design or strategy session(s)

☐Community-driven planning or initiative(s)

►Website

☐CTE Consortia meeting

►Email messages

☐Newsletters

►Social media

►School board meeting

►Partnering with unions

►Partnering with community-based partners

☐Partnering with faith-based organizations 

☐Partnering with business

☐Other ______________

These artifacts show multiple opportunities, focus groups and various engagement methods that Reynolds School District executed to provide a variety of levels for community engagement. 

The first artifact is one of the summaries of results from our annual Educational Effectiveness Survey given to students, families/communities and staff. This particular summary triangulates data showing whether staff and students share common beliefs and perceptions. It also makes clear the top and bottom five survey items from the staff, student and family surveys.

A series of 19 community listening opportunities with public, partner agencies, families and staff were held with the support of BRIC Architecture and participation of SEI and Latino Network. One artifact from this process is the planning calendar that the Executive District Team utilized during weekly meetings. The calendar provides evidence of intentional focus on engaging focal student populations, their families and the community. Another artifact is the Listening and Learning summary report from BRIC that outlines the session designs, facilitation and feedback themes. Artifacts showing the various manners in which the Input Sessions were advertised, and the presentation that was shared were also selected. 

The final artifact included was the most powerful product of our engagement with students: The raw notes from the listening sessions with high school students from nine different focal groups. Students shared their feelings on the topics Safe and Welcoming Schools, and Acedmic Engagement. Students were provided data from the comprehensive needs assessment related to these two topics and then asked a series of questions.
 

Reynolds School District has ongoing relationships with many community partners. We held a listening session with some of our culturally-specific partners (Latino Network and Self Enhancement Inc) to learn from their community engagement strategies specific to our Latine and Black/African American focus groups and to collaborate about how they can help us engage those focal groups. This strategy is at the consultation level on the Community Engagement Spectrum, but this strategy is intended to help us be more culturally-appropriate in order to engage with families and community at the collaboration level. 

The other strategy was listening sessions with different focal groups of high school students. The Director of Federal Programs and the Director of Equity met with nine different student groups to gain additional feedback and input around engagement and safety, as these two areas stood out in the annual ESS Survey results. While the example of focus groups falls under Consult on the spectrum, the impact of the information we learned from our students moved this engagement to the level of Involvement: Ensure students, families & community needs and assets are integrated into applicant process and planning. 
 

The initial engagement with staff was the Educational Effectiveness Survey given spring 2022. This survey has been given for three years and the longitudinal data helps us track growth and outcomes of our Strategic Plan as well as School Improvement Plans. Surveys are at the Consult level of Community Engagement. The data is used as primary resource to inform strategies/activities.

Staff were invited to two engagement input sessions at the Involvement level on the engagement spectrum. Staff present at these sessions hold various positions at schools across the district including teachers, community liaisons, TOSAs and MTSS staff, librarians, and others. Participants were divided into small groups with a facilitator, a note-taker, and District representative. To maximize opportunities for feedback, participants  were given a printout of a budget presentation, and invited to ask any questions. The facilitator guided the group through a series of questions including

• What is working well in our district for your students and families?
• What is not working in our district for your students and families?
• What is the kind of space that would welcome creating a sense of belonging for ALL students? For their families?
• What ideas do you have to create school spaces that better reflect marginalized communities, or communities that have not historically been represented?
• What changes and/or investments should we make to better support your students and/or family? If you had control of the budget, how would you prioritize spending to maximize student outcomes?

Key Themes that emerged:

• Schools need to be safe, secure, welcoming environments. In addition to physical safety, consider how students and staff feel emotionally safe, supported and understood. Ensure there are enough counselors and mental health supports
• Staff need much more support. Invest in professional learning to better support diverse needs of diverse students.
• Community needs better representation. Invest in inclusive family engagement and reduce barriers in partnership with culturally-specific community based organizations
• Academic outcomes need to improve. Focus on building reading and literacy skills in younger students and keep class sizes small.
• Expand programs that keep students engaged and interested. Increase CTE offerings and offer programs that teach students real-world skills.

These themes became the five Outcomes that our Plan was built around.

As part of our High School Success funding, we have hired a Director of CTE. We intend to maximize this new role in order to develop sustained partnerships for work-based learning. Our outreach will include coordination with community colleges, industry partners, community agencies, and chambers of commerce. We will participate in site visits, consortium meetings, collaborative work sessions, conference networking, and career fairs in order to seek out new areas of growth and interest for students throughout the region. We will also make use of tools such as YouScience, Naviance, and Oregon CIS to continually solicit student input and develop strategies to meet their needs.

Recruitment practices

• Develop strategic institutional relationships – outreach to universities and colleges with programs that suites our hard to fill hiring needs. Share information regarding hiring needs and build pipeline of support for student teachers.
• Further Relationship based recruitment – participate in mock interviews, be available for campus visits and invite candidates to school or district events to meet teachers or educators.
• Extend relationship network – utilize current staff, teachers of color and other community members to build networks to assist with relations with communities of color and potential candidates.

Hiring and selection practices

• Market and publish vacancy as early as possible. – generates larger pool and hire prior to school ending.
• Actively involve staff of color in the recruitment and selection of candidates –
• Train administrators and educators to recognize implicit bias and use more behavior-based interviewing – allow job candidates the opportunity to demonstrate their potential based on how they may have handled similar situations based on past experiences.
• Analyze application and use multiple measures to evaluate the qualification of applicants - do not isolate decision on certifications, education, and experience. Provide more performance-based tasks.

Onboarding and retention

• Provide informative induction to resources and support - Access to Intranet with resources and system information. Ongoing professional development and learning opportunities.
• Promote inclusion, tolerance, and acceptance – Diversity training and affinity spaces
• Strategically place teachers in school for success - Balance new leadership and least experienced educators in schools.
• Maintain competitive compensation and benefits – Include professional development and leadership opportunities.

RSD works to assure that all students are taught by high quality educators. Measures we have in place to meet that goal are:

• External hiring in early spring that includes letters of intent for high need areas. This promotes our goal of attaining high-quality teachers because the pool of external candidates is “deeper” earlier in the hiring season.
• All schools have instructional coaches to support teachers newer to the profession and those teaching outside of their licensure.
• All elementary schools have at least two on-site administrators- this also supports newer teachers. Middle and high schools have two or more administrators supporting students.
• District-wide professional development in LETRS is designed to provide educators with necessary knowledge and skills to make instructional moves supporting all learners.
• District- wide and school FTE allocations are at a level that provide opportunity for data- teams to meet and make grouping, instructional decisions that meet the needs of all students
• ELD teachers are supported by the Department of Multi-lingual Education (DOME). Supports include PD, coaching from TOSAs, and material acquisition.
• The SpEd Department supports schools by assigning program administrators and TOSAs to support our educators.
• RSD has implemented MTSS to assist with Student Study Teams in interpreting student data, determining interventions, and progress monitoring. This strategy supports students with receiving the right intervention and reduces the overidentification of students of color in for SpEd Services.

We engaged multiple shareholders to develop a MTSS Resource Guide, MTSS Framework, Behavioral Handbook, Tier I Instructional Framework, and Menu of Tiered Supports and Interventions for our schools that are centered in equitable and inclusionary practices (e.g., Antiracism, UDL, trauma informed, restorative, culturally relevant and linguistically appropriate). We have updated discipline codes in Synergy to ensure language has been decriminalized and appropriately assigned. Schools use data cycles within PLCs and student study teams to meet the needs of students by appropriately utilizing the Menu of Tiered Supports and Interventions for services at each tier.  We are in the process of a SEL curriculum adoption in which multiple shareholders are engaging in selecting an aligned tool for common language around SE skills and strategies. 
 
Social workers and counselors are provided professional learning in trauma informed practices, needs of our focal communities, and resources to support SEL.  Sped staff are trained on the rights of students with disabilities, including protections against exclusionary discipline and the manifestation determination process. We provide Mandt (de-escalation strategies for behavior communication) for administrators and classified staff. We have invested in additional professional development around Functional Behavior Assessments and Behavior Support Plans to aid staff in their reinforcement of prosocial behaviors. The Sped Department has added an Autism Specialist to support training and implementation of evidence-based practices for students who experience autism with complex behavioral and communication needs. We have also invested in increased Augmentative and Alternative Communication to support communication for students who are complex communicators. 

Professional development is an intentional focus for the Reynolds School District.  We have a five-year plan that is aligned at the district level for all our departments.  One of our major initiatives is LETRS – teachers needed knowledge of SOR, multiple pacing options, different times they can participate in Seminars, credit, salary advancement, as well as district leaders. We have also trained our staff in improving our PLC practices.  The CEE survey allows us to use the comments to have buildings share in the autonomy to tailor PD to needs of the building and teachers, and Instructional Coaches. By doing this we can offer personalizing PD for our Teacher Leaders through Student Centered Coaching personalized. From our five-year professional development plan, we have a menu of services that offer choices for our buildings. We continue to work on developing our affinity group space and our “grow-your-own" space.  

In the 2022-2023 school year we have partnered with Student-Centered Coaching (SCC) by Diane Sweeney.  Our partnership with SCC will allow our coaches to partner with teachers and focus on examining data to increase student achievement.  The coaching program will be implemented following the company guidelines and provide a way for us to give feedback on instruction and how to improve student outcomes through bettering our teaching and learning. 

In the fall of 2022 Reynolds certified teachers and administrators took part in the initial Professional Learning Communities (PLC).  This training gives classroom teachers a model to review student data and implement the Plan, Do, Study, Act process which supports teachers in reflecting on instruction and implementing best practices to improve student outcomes.

In addition, we provide ongoing professional development for our instructional staff that focuses on learning how to teach the school board adopted curriculum, as well as there is an intentional focus on developing best practices by using professional learning communities and multi-tiered systems of supports.  These have been our two main priorities for the past year.

Reynolds School District uses a professional learning communities (PLC) model to monitor student outcomes and progress towards student, school and district goals. Teachers, Specialists, and Administrators use a cycle of inquiry to identify student groups and individual students needing supports and accelerated interventions. These PLCs use the RSD Menu of Tiered Supports and Interventions to select professional learning that will support with the specific areas identified within the cycle of inquiry (and to accelerate learning for our focal students). Reynolds has various progress monitoring systems in place to ensure that we are focusing on students that are not growing or are at risk of academic failure.  We utilize STAR as our interim district assessment and within individual student conferencing. PLCs use common formative assessments and curriculum-based assessments along with DIBLEs for progress monitoring between interim assessments. The PLC/Data Teams identify students that are on the fringes and that need to be given an accelerated dose of academic intervention.  If the students continue to be monitored they are then assigned to the Student Support Team (SST).  This SST team then monitors the student and ensures that proper academic, socio-emotional support or other interventions are in place for the student.

We partner with DDSD as our early childhood provider to prepare for our incoming kindergarteners receiving early childhood education. We have access to their database to run reports and collect IFSP documents. We pre-register incoming students in the spring so school teams can begin doing observations and developing school age IEPs prior to Fall. A two week Early Kindergarten Transition program is offered during the summer at each elementary school that focuses recruitment on students who did not have a preschool experience. 

Elementary principals meet with middle school principals to align programming and set dates for transition activities, plan parent engagement events, clearly communicate about forecasting, and provide opportunities for students to visit their middle school for a tour. Counselors, teachers and specialists set up time to meet and discuss students and their strengths and needs or any programmatic considerations to assist with a smooth transition. 

A similar transition process occurs between middle school and high school.

Reynolds High School has a vibrant College and Career Center to spark students' interests and engage them in planning for life after high school. Students who visit the CCC can find the latest information about exploring colleges and universities, college and university admissions, college applications, financial aid (FAFSA/ORSAA), scholarships and grants, Oregon Promise, community service, volunteer opportunities, and career planning.