Academic Departments

Creating a zone of innovation will allowed all POWER Zone schools to operate as one unit with one clearly unique overarching mission and value system. Skyview Middle School and the other schools in this zone, aligned their curriculum, instruction, assessment and professional development practices to a zone wide calendar that supports the mission and values of the teachers, parents, students, administrators and community members.

Skyview Middle School acknowledges the potential of powerful educational research.

• Improved instruction. Providing teachers time to work in collaborative teams is the best way to improve schools. (Dufour, 2009).
• Establishing effective procedures and routines. Establishing effective procedures and routines are the most important step in establishing a well managed classroom. (Harry Wong, 2001).
• Classroom management. Classroom management will be better because teachers will be able to focus on establishing effective procedures and routines rather than assessing students. Anxiety affects testing results. (Driscoll, 2006) Giving the students time to get to know their teacher before testing will produce valid benchmark assessment scores, increased accuracy in testing.
• Higher employee morale. Employee engagement in work place decisions leads to increased productivity. A calendar sensitive to the needs of staff will lead to more effective staff (United States Personnel Management, 2010).
• Quality instruction. Time spent teaching is time students are learning. Seat time in school is not what produces student achievement. (Nelson, 1990). This proposal promotes quality instruction which creates engaged learning time for students.
• Timely conference days. Designated conference days increase parental involvement. (Henderson, 2002) Increased parental involvement significantly increases student achievement.
• “Buy in” from our stakeholders. Change of calendar honors community needs as evidenced through POWER ZONE proposal process.
• Respectful relationships. Respectful relationships are a zone value. Strong staff relationships will allow more effective PLC and fewer discipline referrals.

I-Pad Team Resources