The Teacher Student Success Act provides funds to each school based on the number of students in each school. The Jordan School District School Board has directed schools to spend the money in three areas. The first is Instructional Coaching to support teacher growth, next is professional development opportunities for teachers and the third is whatever school priorities each school may have.
While the plan is reviewed with the School Community Council, principals have the final decision as to how the funds are spent. At OHMS, we have a growing Instructional Coaching program, along with numerous opportunities for teacher professional development. In addition, we have chosen to focus on literacy, as well as school safety.
“We don’t learn from experience. We learn from reflecting on experience.” - John Dewey-
What did our TSSA Plan support during the 2022 - 2023 school year?
Our TSSA plan supported Instructional Coaching of our teachers, Professional Development opportunities for teachers, and a reading program designed to help students actively strengthen their reading skills. We feel that our emphasis on strengthening teacher skills are paying off in myriad ways. As we strengthen teacher skills by providing coaching and professional development opportunities, teacher confidence is strengthened and teachers are more able to respond to student needs.
Our PD and teacher induction programs are designed to improve Tier One instruction, thus, we were able to better plan for student learning, collaborate in PLCs and use data to make decisions.
Our coaches are on track to have more completed coaching cycles than last year, have conducted countless classroom observations and have conducted professional development workshops throughout the year. Eighty-five percent of our teachers are participating in book studies, conferences, or are taking part in their choice of other PD opportunities.
What is our TSSA Plan for the 2023 - 2024 school year?
Our plan for this year is to continue with the success from last year. We will continue with the instructional Coaching cycles: 18 - Instructional coaches trained. We have been focusing our efforts to have teachers participate in book group PD opportunities, along with school-wide efforts aimed at improving Tier 1 instruction. Everyone should do something. We have paid for and used Reading Plus as part of our school goal. While this has been successful, we have found another funding source for this program and felt that we needed to shift our focus to school safety and management. Our next steps are to pursue what we have started. We know that teachers who are trained, coached, and supported have a greater impact in the classroom, and will continue to ensure that every teacher has the opportunity to participate in professional development. We also believe in school safety and having support for students who might otherwise be suspended, as well as having adult support throughout the building. When students feel safe and the environment is orderly, they achieve more academically and socially.