R-7 School District Board of Education approves five-year strategic plan Comprehensive School Improvement Plan developed by community team

The Lee's Summit R-7 School District Board of Education approved the district's five-year Comprehensive School Improvement Plan (CSIP) at a July 21 meeting.

The plan was developed by an approximately 40-person community team working throughout spring 2011. Team members included parents, district staff members, Board of Education representatives and local citizens.

The plan focuses on five areas – governance; student performance; highly qualified staff; facilities, support and instructional resources; and parent and community involvement. The complete plan is posted at the district's Board of Education website, located at http://www.boarddocs.com/mo/lsr7sd/Board.nsf/Public within the decision items for the July 21 regular meeting.

The new plan will cover 2011 through 2016 with the major emphasis on student achievement. Members of the community team met several times during the spring to determine the five focus areas. In addition, the group broke into five smaller teams to develop goals and strategies for each area.

The Board of Education reviewed the team's recommendations at its June workshop. Following the July 21 approval of the plan by the Board of Education, R-7 staff members are writing action steps for each strategy. To ensure accountability, the action steps will be placed on a timeline and reviewed annually by the CSIP Team, the Superintendent's Leadership Team and the Board of Education.

In addition, the CSIP Team will meet again in November to review the action steps before the Board of Education makes a decision on these steps later in the fall.

The community team also developed a new mission, vision and commitments for the R-7 School District. The new mission approved by the Board of Education reads: "We prepare each student for success in life." The vision consists of several statements: "Lee's Summit is an exemplary school district, graduating students who are college and career ready with the competitive advantage necessary to be successful. Lee's Summit R-7 reflects a culture of respect and acceptance. Collaboration is an expectation that fosters mutual understanding and a focus on student achievement and staff development. Lee's Summit R-7 encourages innovation and creativity, recognizing student learning as our fundamental purpose. "

The CSIP Team also recommended seven commitments, including:

"Engaging students in research-based programs in a technology-rich environment.
"Embracing open, honest two-way communication.
"Promoting continuous improvement through data-driven decision-making.
"Sustaining positive relationships among students, staff, families and community members.
"Ensuring a rigorous and relevant learning experience that leads to success for each student.
"Partnering with students in identifying and achieving their learning goals.
"Continuing a safe and caring environment."
An important part of the district’s Comprehensive School Improvement Plan is its role in the district’s state evaluation process. Every five years, Missouri public school districts go through a thorough evaluation conducted by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Following the state's most recent review of the local district, the Lee’s Summit R-7 received full accreditation, the highest Missouri classification.

In addition, the district was among a handful of districts in the state to earn a perfect score on criteria for the state's Distinction In Performance Award each year for the last 10 years. This award recognizes consistent gains in academic performance and has been presented for just the past 10 years.

The current R-7 Comprehensive School Improvement Plan is actually the R-7 School District’s fifth five-year strategic plan. Previous strategic plans were also developed by community and staff members in 1990, 1995, 2001 and 2006.