2 0 1 3 – 2 0 1 4
D I S T R I C T
I N I T I A T I V E S
District Goals:
Ensure continuous improvement in student learning
Ensure that Plano ISD efficiently uses its financial resources/budgeting
Initiative:
Implement House Bill 5 components required for 2013-14
District Goal:
Ensure continuous improvement in student learning
Guiding Principles:
Learning Standards, Assessments for Learning, Accountability for Learning
WSBC Strategic Areas:
Student Learning, Community Connectedness, Data-Informed Decision-Making
WSBC Benchmarks:
Ensuring Learning for All Students (SL), Integrating Standards (SL), Developing A Coherent
Curriculum (SL), Understanding and Using Assessment Results (CC), Using a Variety of Data
Effectively (DIDM), Using Information to Improve Instructional Practice (DIDM), Using Data
to Affect Student Performance (DIDM), Relating Investments, Outcomes, & Improvement
Strategies (DIDM)
Background:
House Bill 5 provided for many changes in curriculum, assessment, and accountability
requirements. In addition, there are specific requirements for partnerships with institutes of
higher education. Plano ISD must plan to implement these changes over a wide period of
effective dates as specified in the bill. This initiative focuses on those required for 2013-14.
Much of the initial work regarding implementation of the new foundation, endorsements,
and distinguished graduation programs (curriculum components and advanced courses)
depend upon State Board of Education (SBOE) decisions. Some discussions and preparation
can occur locally in a concurrent fashion, but the timing of the SBOE decisions will affect our
ability to address the personal graduation plan component of HB5 as well as our course
catalog and student course selection in our typically scheduled manner.
Evidence:
 District committees formed to address each requirement.
 Training and related information sessions provided to counselors, other affected
staff members, students, and parents.
 Eighth grade students in 2013-14 create their personal graduation plan under HB5
requirements.
 Ninth, tenth, and eleventh grade students in 2013-14 have a transition plan for HB5
requirements.
 EOC acceleration program aligned with the five required EOC exams.
District
2013-2014
In addition, for 2013-14, the following requirements must be addressed:
 Students participating in minimum, recommended, or Distinguished Achievement
Plan (DAP) graduation plans who will be completing their 4th year of high school
during 2013–14 can graduate under the components of foundation program in
accordance with Commissioner Rules.
 Districts must evaluate the effectiveness of the Accelerated Instruction programs
and hold an annual public hearing to consider the results.
 Alternative assessments for special education must include assessments approved
by the Commissioner that measure growth, and these assessments must, to the
extent allowed under federal law, provide districts with options for the assessment
of these students.
 Students who fail to achieve passing scores may retake the End-of-Course (EOC)
assessments. If a student is determined unlikely to meet score requirements at the
end of 11th grade, the district must enroll the student in a college prep course.
 No more than two district required benchmark assessments designed to prepare
students for a corresponding state assessment can be administered per year, except
by a parent of a student with special needs who requests additional benchmarks.
 Board must adopt policy limiting removal from class for remedial tutoring or test
preparation.
 Our school district must evaluate its own performance in community and student
engagement at the district level as well as each campus with exemplary, recognized,
acceptable, or unacceptable ratings for both overall performance and on individual
factors that include: 1) fine arts; 2) wellness and P.E.; 3) community and parental
involvement; 4) 21st Century Workforce Development program; 5) second language
acquisition program; 6) digital learning environment; 7) dropout prevention
strategies; 8) educational programs for gifted and talented students; and 9) record
of district and campus compliance with statutory reporting and policy requirements.
The ratings must be reported to the TEA by August 8, of each year, and the
information made publicly available.
Initiatives
Work in the assessment and accountability components are more clearly defined in HB5
and the required work can begin based on our local schedule. Working groups will consider
requirements for subsequent years in all recommendations.
Initiatives

District


Partner with at least one institute of higher education (IHE) to develop and provide
college prep courses in math and English Language Arts (ELA) for 12th grade
students who do not meet college readiness standards or whose performance
indicates they are not ready.
Course catalogs aligned with previous and new HB5 requirements.
New course committee recommendations aligned with SBOE decisions to provide
maximum flexibility in student course choices for endorsement selection.
Community and student engagement accountability system designed and reported
by August 8, 2014.
2013-2014

Initiative:
Initial opening of three academies and continued development
District Goal:
Ensure continuous improvement in student learning
Guiding Principles:
Digital Learning Environment, Learning Standards, Assessments for Learning
Plano ISD Academy High School
The initial curriculum development for grades 9-10 is complete and will be implemented for
the 2013-14 school year. The instructional method used will be project-based learning, with
the projects set in a science, technology, engineering, arts, and math context.
Additional faculty members have been identified and hired to lead the development of the
grade 11 curriculum to be implemented in the 2014-15 school year.
IB World School at PESH
This academy is a school-within-a-school concept located at PESH and designed as a grade
9-12 cohort experience. The initial curriculum development for grades 9-10 is complete and
will be implemented for the 2013-14 school year. Grades 11-12 students will continue to
access the adopted IB curriculum. Additional IB learning experiences will be developed for
grades 9-10 throughout this school year and next summer and be ready to implement in the
2014-15 school year.
Health Sciences Academy
The initial curriculum development for grades 9-10 is complete and will be implemented for
the 2013-14 school year. This academy provides required medical courses in grades 9-10 as
well as content area dual credit options in the 10th grade at Williams High School in
District
Background:
We have opened three student choice academy programs for 9th and 10th grade students
for the 2013-14 school year and will continue our development of the Plano ISD Academy
High School and Health Sciences Academy programs for our 11th grade students in
preparation for the 2014-15 school year. Our IB World School program will use the already
adopted IB curriculum for grades 11-12.
2013-2014
WSBC Benchmarks:
Ensuring Learning for All Students (SL), Incorporating Innovative Practice (SL), Providing
Community-Based Learning Opportunities (CC), Building Community Partnerships (CC)
Initiatives
WSBC Strategic Areas:
Student Learning, Community Connectedness
partnership with Collin College. Ongoing development of grades 9-10 learning activities will
continue as needed.
District
2013-2014
Evidence:
Quarterly reports provided to the Board. Annual report of the Plano ISD Academy High
School provided to TI in November 2013.
Academy staff continues development work during 2013 and 2014.
Students and parents will provide feedback on their academy experiences via face-to-face
meetings and online survey opportunities.
Initiatives
In 2014-15, students in grade 11 at Plano East Senior High School will apply for medical
paths which will enable them to choose from a wide variety of certificated technical paths,
as well as pre-medical college paths. In addition, they will have many options to take
content area dual credit courses.
Initiative:
Study and use STAAR results to close achievement gaps
District Goal:
Ensure continuous improvement in student learning
Background:
The need to address the persistent performance gap among our student groups is
supported by the information presented by our performance management portal in terms
of local, state, and national assessments. The need to accelerate individual student learning
trajectories is a priority to ensure college and career readiness for all students and to
demonstrate improved proficiency on the State of Texas Assessments of Academic
Readiness (STAAR) exams.
In addition, a new campus distinction for 2013-14 is a measure of closing the achievement
gap compared with 40 similar campuses statewide.
Strategies to be considered for implementation include:
 Provide additional analysis of 2013 accountability results for principals at iLead
meetings.
 Provide on-site training opportunities for campus staff to more fully utilize
information available on the performance management portal.
 Provide 12 hours of English Language Development training for staff at all Title I
campuses.
 Multilingual director and coordinators will meet with elementary bilingual campus
principals on a regular basis to ensure that district criteria and LPAC committee
decisions are used to exit eligible students from the bilingual program.
District
WSBC Benchmarks:
Ensuring Learning for All Students (SL), Integrating Standards (SL), Incorporating Innovative
Practice (SL), Integrating Technology (SL), Developing A Coherent Curriculum (SL),
Promoting Innovation (CD), Understanding and Using Assessment Results (CC), Using a
Variety of Data Effectively (DIDM), Using Information to Improve Instructional Practice
(DIDM), Using Data to Affect Student Performance (DIDM), Relating Investments,
Outcomes, & Improvement Strategies (DIDM)
2013-2014
WSBC Strategic Areas:
Student Learning, Capacity Development, Community Connectedness, Data-Informed
Decision-Making
Initiatives
Guiding Principles:
Digital Learning Environment, Learning Standards, Assessments for Learning, Accountability
for Learning
Evidence:
iLead agenda items.
Training materials used by the accountability and assessment department.
Professional development dates for English Language Development at Title I campuses.
English Language Development presentations from training sessions.
Meeting dates and agendas for Elementary Bilingual Campus Principals’ meetings.
Professional development training dates for Elementary Instructional Specialists.
Title I Parent Education meeting dates and agendas.
Initiatives

District

Continue Lead4ward training and improve understanding of the readiness and
supporting TEKS standards.
Elementary instructional specialists and support teachers will be provided
professional development on targeted reading and mathematics intervention
strategies for struggling learners at monthly meetings.
Elementary Title I and Early Childhood campuses will provide parent education
programs focusing on literacy and mathematics during the school year.
2013-2014

Initiative:
Implement year two of CoreWork® Diagnostics
District Goal:
Ensure continuous improvement in student learning
Background:
Planned action steps include:
 Review critical actions from the spring 2013 CoreWork District Diagnostics to
determine the Developing Practices and Leverage Points to focus on at the district
level in 2013-14.
 District support will be provided at campuses to support the implementation of each
Campus Improvement Plan built around their CoreWork Developing Practices and
Leverage Points.
 iLead meeting topics will be focused on Developing Practices and Leverage Points
determined by the campus CoreWork Diagnostics completed in spring 2013.
Evidence:
SBIC planning and Campus Improvement Plans containing steps addressing critical actions
identified by CoreWork Diagnostics.
iLead meeting agendas showing discussion built around CoreWork Diagnostics.
District
WSBC Benchmarks:
Ensuring Learning for All Students (SL), Integrating Standards (SL), Incorporating Innovative
Practice (SL), Integrating Technology (SL), Developing A Coherent Curriculum (SL),
Promoting Innovation (CD), Using a Variety of Data Effectively (DIDM), Using Information to
Improve Instructional Practice (DIDM), Using Data to Affect Student Performance (DIDM),
Relating Investments, Outcomes, & Improvement Strategies (DIDM)
2013-2014
WSBC Strategic Areas:
Student Learning, Capacity Development, Data-Informed Decision-Making
Initiatives
Guiding Principles:
Learning Standards, Assessments for Learning, Accountability for Learning, Organizational
Transformation
Initiative:
WSBC – Systems leadership towards instructional quality and campus
leadership
District Goal:
Ensure continuous improvement in student learning
Background:
Western States Benchmarking Consortium (WSBC) has begun a collaborative effort toward
shared practices around systems leadership and its impact on instructional quality and
campus leadership capacity.
This work has been focused on principals as the fulcrum of change in teaching and learning.
This also includes leadership at the district level and other campus level leaders (building
leadership teams, teacher leaders).
The consortium will continue to review district frameworks which drive the thinking and
design of the Instructional Quality Matrix. It supports patterns, processes and structures
that improve instructional quality evidenced by teaching and learning. With the IQ Matrix
looking directly at teaching and learning with impact on student achievement the data
collected is filtered through the principal, teacher, student, and district leaders’
perspectives.
As our work continues with the development of the IQ Matrix, it will involve review of
multiple resources with focus on The Wallace Foundation report, January 2012, titled “The
School Principal as Leader: Guiding Schools to Better Teaching and Learning.”
District
WSBC Benchmarks:
Ensuring Learning for All Students (SL), Integrating Standards (SL), Incorporating Innovative
Practice (SL), Developing a Coherent Curriculum (SL), Expanding Organizational
Effectiveness (CD), Promoting Innovation (CD), Improving Professional/Organizational
Development (CD), Developing a Strong Community (CC), Understanding & Using
Assessment Results (CC), Using a Variety of Data Effectively (DIDM), Using Information to
Improve Instructional Practice (DIDM), Using Data to Affect Student Performance (DIDM),
Relating Investments, Outcomes, & Improvement Strategies (DIDM)
2013-2014
WSBC Strategic Areas:
Student Learning, Capacity Development, Community Connectedness, Data-Informed
Decision-Making
Initiatives
Guiding Principles:
Learning Standards, Assessments for Learning, Organizational Transformation
Evidence:
The WSBC will continue with its attention on the IQ Matrix throughout the 2013-2014
school year. The working group will convene prior to the October 2013, WSBC meeting, in
order to further develop the matrix and to generate ideas for the use of it. This group will
dialogue with WSBC superintendents at the October meeting to share and discuss the IQ
Matrix and suggested ideas regarding its use.
2013-2014
District
Initiatives
The group will convene prior to the Spring WSBC meeting and present the IQ Matrix with
supporting information at the meeting.
Initiative:
Implement district-wide security enhancements
District Goal:
Ensure continuous improvement in student learning
Ensure that Plano ISD efficiently uses its financial resources/budgeting
Background:
Campus security is a balancing act of maximizing safety while still allowing efficient
operation of the school for its intended purpose – that is, educating students. To make a
campus 100% impervious to all potential threats would make it impossible to operate the
building as a school. Boiled down to the three most important concepts, school security
involves: 1) keeping the threat outside the door whenever possible; 2) minimizing access to
potential victims if the threat does make it inside the building; and 3) getting help on the
way quickly.
In that regard, it is important to remember that our district has:
 Strict visitor access policies that require visitors to present identification, be checked
through RAPTOR, and wear a visitor ID badge for identification while in the building.
 Strict policies that require each employee to wear his or her ID badge at all times in
order to allow first responders and other staff members to quickly determine who is
an employee and who is a possible intruder.
 Provided training to all campus staff members on Visual Detection of Weapons and
Campus Intruders.
 Emergency “panic” buttons in each school office that causes local law enforcement
to be immediately notified of a panic alarm.
 Emergency radios at each campus to allow emergency communications.
 Strict policies requiring each campus to conduct at least one lockdown drill and
disaster drill each semester, and a fire/evacuation drill each month.
 A full-time school liaison police officer at each high school and senior high school.
These officers participate in ongoing specialized training in active shooter incidents.
The officers can respond to other campuses in a dire emergency to supplement the
response of regular patrol officers.
District
WSBC Benchmarks:
Expanding Organizational Effectiveness (CD), Building Community Partnerships (CC),
Incorporating Innovative Practice (SL), Ensuring Student Learning (SL)
2013-2014
WSBC Strategic Areas:
Capacity Development, Community Connectedness, Student Learning
Initiatives
Guiding Principles:
Organizational Transformation, A More Balanced and Reinvigorated State/Local Partnership
District-wide Security Enhancements
Collectively, these enhancements address a broad range of security concerns, should
increase both actual and perceived security, and given the scale of the projects involved, are
reasonably priced. As a “package” these enhancements will complement our existing
security features and provide added security to all campuses, with an extra measure of
security to our elementary and early childhood schools where our most vulnerable students
are located.
Target Hardening
Modify the entrances and reception areas of approximately fifty (50) campuses in order to
create physical barriers that prevent visitors from entering the secure areas of the school
without going through the school office first. Install additional interior doors to identified
campuses in order to allow reasonable compartmentalization of the school during a lock
down. District New Construction and Facilities departments are currently working with
outside architectural firms to obtain plans and costs.
Added Police Protection at Middle / Elementary / Early Childhood Schools
Currently, each high school and senior high school has a full-time School Resource Officer
(SRO) assigned to the campus. Through this initiative police protection will be added to the
remaining campuses. Through the use of interlocal agreements and the use of off-duty
contract police officers, we will staff the district with police officers who will constantly
patrol all middle schools and elementary schools. The district would purchase marked
police vehicles for the officers to drive, both for added visibility and to allow emergency
response to a campus. Officers would also be provided with a district radio and district cell
phone that would allow direct communication with campuses. These officers could also be
rapidly deployed to a particular school facing a security threat. Both municipal and county
officers would be used in order to secure peace officer authority across the five (5) cities in
which the district has schools. The first year cost of this program is approximately
$750,000. Second and subsequent year cost is approximately $470,000.
Mobile “No Delay” Panic Buttons at Elementary / Early Childhood Schools – Bond Funds
Provide each elementary and early childhood school with mobile panic buttons that would
be distributed to specific staff members. These mobile panic buttons and the associated
equipment would send an alarm signal directly from the school to the radio console of a
police dispatcher, and send a text message to selected staff. This technology has the
Initiatives

District

A network of over 4,600 security cameras that can serve as a deterrent and as a
source of evidence.
A very close working relationship with local law enforcement agencies who stand
ready to bring all available resources to bear in the event of a critical incident.
Undergone the state-mandated school safety audit by an outside consultant who
concluded that PISD has some of the best and tightest visitor access controls of any
school district the consultant has encountered in his more 30 years of safety and risk
management experience.
2013-2014

potential to shave minutes off of a police response, which in an “active shooter” type
incident, is critical.
Installing this technology at all elementary and ECS campuses would cost approximately
$390,000. Existing bond funds will be used to pay for this measure.
Community Agencies:
 Plano Police Department
 Murphy Police Department
 Richardson Police Department
 Dallas Police Department
 Allen Police Department
 Collin College Police Department
 Collin County Sheriff’s Department
 Collin County Constable’s Offices for Precincts 1, 3 and 4.
 Texas Department of Public Safety
 City of Plano Public Safety Communications
Proposed Implementation 2013-14 School Year
 Target Hardening
 Campus Protection Patrol Program
 Panic Buttons
 Additional Drills
 Additional Police Visibility
District
District Departments:
 Campus Services
 Facilities
 Purchasing
 Finance
 Technology
2013-2014
Evidence:
The Executive Director of Safety & Security Services will coordinate the implementation of
these enhancements working with the following district departments and community
agencies:
Initiatives
Additional Drills and Locking Requirements
We have implemented additional required lock down drills at all campuses, increasing such
drills from two (2) drills to four (4) drills per year. We have also implemented a monthly
emergency radio test for all campuses and other facilities.
Initiative: Biennium financial plan (TRE)
District Goal:
Ensure that Plano ISD efficiently uses its financial resources/budgeting
Guiding Principles:
A More Balanced and Reinvigorated State/Local Partnership, Organizational Transformation
A Maintenance & Operations tax rate increase of 13¢ was approved on August 20, 2013.
This increase will require voter ratification in November. Absent voter approval, budget
reductions of $20-$25 million will be necessary for the 2014-15 school year.
Evidence:
2014-15 adopted budget with enhanced revenue or budget reductions.
District
Background:
The district has been negatively impacted by state funding reductions over the 2011-13
biennium. Legislative action in the spring of 2013 restored a significant amount of funding
on a statewide basis, but Plano ISD will receive restoration of less than 30% of the amount
cut in 2012-13.
2013-2014
WSBC Benchmarks:
Incorporating Innovative Practice (SL), Promoting Innovation (CD), Expanding Organizational
Effectiveness, Improving Professional/Organizational Development (CD), Relating
Investments, Outcomes, & Improvement Strategies (DIDM)
Initiatives
WSBC Strategic Areas:
Capacity Development, Community Connectedness, Data-Informed Decision-Making