The Governing Board of the Benicia Unified School District unanimously voted to approve the Single Plans for Student Achievement (SPSA) at Thursday’s meeting.

The SPSA is established by school site councils to develop goals, aligned to BUSD’s Local Control Accountability Plan, which would support the academic performance of all students. At the high school level, the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) goals act as the SPSA, with the goals and actions updated each year to represent continuous growth cycles. Each site team studies state and local measures to gauge progress and put together plans that represent the uniqueness of each school.

Benicia Middle School

Damian Scott, the principal of Benicia Middle School, was the first to present. The first two goals were to increase literacy and math proficiency respectively by 10 percent. The previous year, literacy proficiency had decreased by 5 percent, but math had remained consistent. In terms of other goals from the 2015-2016 school year, Scott noted that BMS saw a 59 percent decrease in suspensions and a 53 percent decrease in incidents. It also met its goal of using technology to promote 21st century learning by having two Chromebooks per every one student and allowing all professional learning opportunities to have a technology focus. Scott’s third goal was to provide a supportive learning environment for all students and staff as evidenced by 80 percent satisfaction on survey results.

Scott also highlighted that BMS had become a Teachers’ College Affiliated School, and that a staff developer had come to participate with the English and history departments.

The school also provided a writer’s workshop for sixth through eighth-graders and a reader’s workshop for sixth and seventh-graders.

Trustee Diane Ferrucci praised the inclusion on the reader’s and writer’s workshop.

“This is a big shift that will definitely support our students,” she said.

Liberty High School

JoAnn Severson, the principal of Liberty, said the big challenge was to address “transient” students and help them succeed.

“How are we going to address the reluctant learners that we get?” she asked. “I think we have work to do, and I think we have things to offer.”

Severson noted that graduation rates have been fairly consistent in the 90 percent range in the last few years and that credit accrual had actually improved, although she said the latter item comes with qualifications.

“That is dependent on what students we get and how much they need,” she said. “Do they just need a different place? Do they just need more support? They just need the ability to have more credits.”

Severson also noted that students were continuing to transition to trade schools and community colleges after graduation, with some students enrolled in Solano Community College’s Vallejo campus. Additionally, all graduating seniors are required to complete a Post-Liberty Action Plan to take students beyond graduation. This year, the plans were transitioned to digital portfolios.

“It became so apparent to me about three years ago that when our students leave, they need a plan and they need to know how to at least put the one foot forward into what they want to do,” Severson said.

Liberty’s goals are to increase math and ELA test scores by 5 percent, have all students complete digital portfolios and reducing office referrals and suspensions by 5 percent.

Severson recently highlighted a meeting with a visiting team who had mentioned impressment with the support Liberty was providing to students.

“They said it felt good when they walked on the campus,” she said.

As a result, Liberty is being recommended to the California Department of Education as a model continuation school.

Trustee Andre Stewart praised Liberty’s inclusion of more extracurricular activities, such as a recent sailing trip in the San Francisco Bay, where students made use of their five senses.

“Life is important when we have experiences,” he said. “Every time we test, kids don’t get experiences. The boat trip, they could learn more from that than possibly five algebra classes.”

Benicia High School

Principal Brianna Kleinschmidt said the school had all kinds of results from its previous goals. Proficiency on math assessments went up while proficiency in English Language Arts decreased, a New Teacher Orientation was established to help incoming faculty feel welcome, teachers’ desktop computers have been replaced with laptops, the school’s social media pages received increased activity and the school is looking at Next Generation Science Standards, which can take about three to four years for students to cover.

“”We want to make sure all students graduate with the ability to have choices,” Kleinschmidt said.

Benicia High’s goals are to have all staff participate in data-centric meetings each month, make all new teachers and 80 percent of overall staff feel connected to campus, allow all staff to use Illuminate and 80 percent of parents use Naviance and provide improved communication to and input from the community through the use of monthly forums, parent workshop events, a monthly newsletter and more.

Kleinschmidt also announced that Benicia High had settled on a six-period modified block schedule with an optional seventh period beginning the 2017-18 school year. Another goal was to prepare staff to adapt to this new schedule.

Stewart asked how often she meets with Scott at BMS.

“Not often enough is the easiest answer,” she said. “We meet twice a month but still not often enough. We’re going to be talking about a program that we hope to bring in that we hope to bridge not just the middle and Benicia High School but Liberty as well. We would love to do more reaching out.”

The board voted 4-0— Trustee Peter Morgan was absent— to approve the plans for each school.

In other business, Bond Director Roxanne Egan provided an update on Measure S projects, and the board highlighted instructional coaches at the elementary schools.

The board will next meet Thursday, Nov. 17 in the district board room, located at 350 East K St.