PLANO ISD
ACADEMY VISIONING COMMITTEE MEETING
October 27, 2010
Meeting began at 6:00 p.m.
Community Meeting Process
Deputy Superintendent Danny Modisette called the meeting to order and outlined the
process for the community meeting to be held November 3. There will be a large group
presentation with an overview of the process and the work the committee has compiled to
this point. The meeting will be setup in table groups with one committee member and
one staff member. One committee member will facilitate the discussion and the other
will take notes for the table group. The idea of the table groups is to get community input
and engage their thinking. A presentation outline and ice-breaker activity will be
provided for the tables prior to the community meeting.
UIL Participation
Mr. Modisette facilitated a discussion about the access/accommodation of extracurricular
activities in the Plano ISD academy. The committee engaged in discussion and their
feedback was saved to the wiki workspace and will be shared at the community meeting
for input.
Academy Focus
Group facilitator Roz Keck consolidated focus areas the committee previously worked on
and asked the committee to reach a consensus on the focus of the academy.
The four areas of focus were consolidated to include:
Project Based Learning
TEAMS - Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math, Science with PBL
Global Health/Medical/Personal Services with PBL
International Studies with PBL
After review and discussion, the committee recommended the areas be presented as:
Project Based Learning
 Broad focus/classical/core academic/comprehensive
 TEAMS
 Global Health/Medical...
 International...
Include clusters that would be involved in each in presentation.
Consensus on Mission Statement
After discussion, the committee decided to leave their mission statement as is and get
community input before making further changes:
The mission of (the, a) Plano ISD(___________) academy is to engage 9-12 grade
students in a non-traditional, rigorous, project-based curriculum inspiring collaboration
and creativity to empower them to compete, contribute and connect in the global
community.
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Instructional Spaces
Trey Laird gave a presentation on designing space for the academy program by showing
layouts of some of the academies recently “toured” via the Internet.
Ms. Keck asked a group of committee members to begin discussing and brainstorming
the questions outlined below with Mr. Laird and to write findings and directions in the
following areas: organization of instructional spaces, teaching spaces and teacher work
spaces. The group worked collaboratively and began to formulate their recommendation
in preparation for presentation at an upcoming meeting.
How should the core instructional area be organized spatially? By discipline or
department? In multi-disciplinary groups? By focus areas?
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How should other school functions relate to this organization of core spaces?
Administration? AP’s? Counselors? Library? Food Service? Electives? Focus
areas?
What kind of special education programs should be offered and what kinds of
facilities should be provided?
What types of spaces will be required to support different teaching methods?
Large group lecture spaces? Classrooms? Seminar/small group spaces?
Laboratories?
Should the configuration of the building provide natural light in most or every
instructional space? Only in spaces where natural light is required for instruction--science? Art? In circulation or corridor spaces?
If the school is to contain assembly spaces, what are the required seating
capacities? Auditorium? Gyms? Lecture halls? Cafeteria?
What should teacher work spaces look like?
How should the nature and location of teacher work stations relate to instructional
methods, schedules and technology?
Revisions to Findings and Directions
Ms. Keck shared a draft of the consolidated findings and directions from the committee’s
previous work. Topics included: teaching/learning/expectations, technology, time, school
size and counseling and advisories, performing and visual arts, career and technical
education, physical education, athletics and intramurals, college and work force
connections, clubs and student activities and school and community.
She asked the committee to review the information to ensure that their work was captured
accurately and to save edits and additional information about the topics to the wiki. The
draft of the findings and directions can be found in the attached document entitled “Plano
Academy Findings and Directions Draft# 2” (Attachment #1).
Questions the committee discussed regarding these topics included:
Teaching/learning/expectations
 What should learning look like at an academy?
 How can learning become engaging, real-world work that students perceive as
relevant, interesting and motivating?
 How can students take responsibility for their own learning?
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Should learning in a focus area be integrated with learning in core areas, and if so,
how?
 Should all teaching and learning take place at school? Should some learning take
place in the community?
 How should students demonstrate their learning?
 What types of learning will help students to be successful in college, and how
should that be integrated into instruction at the school?
 Should the graduation requirements for students at the academy be identical to
those at other schools? If not, what should be added?
Technology
 How should technology be integrated into learning in an academy?
 How will technology impact the library?
 Will there be a need for general purpose computer labs? Will there be a need for
computer labs for subjects that require special software, processing capability,
peripherals?
 How should the building be planned now to respond to what is anticipated or
imagined in the future?
Time
 How should time be utilized to allow for individual student learning?
 Should the entire school day for both teachers and students be fully scheduled or
should both teachers and students have some unscheduled time to work together
and independently—to allow students to obtain help as needed, to pursue areas of
interest? If so, how can time be used in order to help students know how to
effectively use unscheduled time?
 Should students be able to earn credits outside the typical school day? School
year? If so, should the school day be extended to allow students to take additional
courses?
School Size and Counseling and Advisories
 What is the optimum maximum size for an academy? Conversely, is there a
minimum size below which important programs or instruction cannot be offered
or costs become prohibitive?
 What should the role of the counselor be at an academy?
 How should counselors interface with students? When? Where?
 What kind of advisory services should be provided in an academy?
Performing and Visual Arts
 If the focus of an academy is not on performing and visual arts, what kinds of
PVA programs should be offered at an academy?
 Should students be allowed to go to an alternative site to participate in performing
and visual arts?
Career and Technical Education
 If the focus of an academy is not on career and technical education, what kinds of
CTE programs should be offered at an academy?
 Should students be allowed to go to an alternative site to participate in CTE?
Physical Education, Athletics and Intramurals
 Which physical education courses should be offered?
 What kinds of spaces should be provided for these courses?
 Should students be allowed to participate in athletics at an academy? If not,
should they be allowed to go to an alternative site to participate in athletics?
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Should intramural programs be offered at an academy? If so, what kinds of
intramurals should be offered or how should the decision be made regarding what
to offer?
College and Work Force Connections
 Should connections be developed between the academy and college and the work
force? If so, what should those connections provide?
 What courses should students be allowed to take for college credit? Should those
classes be taught at the academy or should students travel to another location, or
both?
 What other kind of support should be offered to students to assist them in the
transition from an academy to post-secondary learning?
 Should students have mentors and internships outside the school to help with
learning? What are the implications for the school?
Clubs and Student Activities
 What kinds of clubs and student activities should be offered at an academy or how
should the decision be made about what to offer?
School and Community
 What kinds of specific connections to the community would be necessary to
support an academy?
 Beyond their instructional responsibilities, should the school building and its site
provide services for or be accessible to the community?
 Should the school facility be used by the community college or other colleges or
other educational groups during/after normal hours?
The next meeting will be the community input session on Wednesday, November 3, from
7 to 8:30 p.m. in the cafeteria at Plano Senior High School. Committee members were
asked to arrive at 6:30 p.m. for meeting preparation.
Meeting adjourned at 8:28 p.m.
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PLANO ACADEMY FINDINGS AND DIRECTIONS DRAFT #2 FINDINGS Teaching, Learning and Expectations Project Based Learning engages students in real world learning that is relevant, interesting and motivation DIRECTIONS 
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Self awareness and personal accountability develops life‐long learners. 
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School Size School size impacts a sense of community and provides diverse opportunities for students 
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Counseling and Advisories Counselors should be proactive advocates who provide 
guidance, balance and direction for students 
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Going professional development and training for staff members Project based learning (PBL) will be incorporated in all academies to promote collaboration and teamwork with facilitation from teachers Effective implementation of PBL will require significant and on‐going professional development and training for staff members Community involvement and investments will be developed in order to provide real world experiences for students All students will maintain a portfolio of learning for all four years as a requirement of graduation. Students will be involved in mentoring, internships and service learning as requirements of graduation. Students will become active participants in choosing how they learn. The ideal range per grade level (9‐12) will be 150‐250 students with the overall school population maxing out at 1000. Academies will begin with 9th and 10th grade students so that the population is large enough to support initial course offerings Students will have opportunities to work in flexible collaborative teams and cohorts to meet the students’ needs at the moment. Priority will be placed on college and career guidance for all students Guidance lessons will be provided to model interpersonal collaboration skills for students Student groups will be organized to teach, model and practice traits needed for the 21st century including, but not limited to: o Cooperation o Collaboration o Diplomacy o Responsibility Peer mentorship provides opportunities for support as well as leadership 
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Counseling and advisory services should be a shared responsibility of all adults on the campus 
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Time Instructional goals should define the management of time 
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A thoughtful arrangement of time maximizes learning 
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Technology Technology will be seamlessly integrated into the curriculum and will be used for creative learning and school and global collaboration. A combination of personally owned and provided equipment will make technology available 24x7. 
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Older students will serve in the role of peer mentors for younger students providing leadership opportunities for the mentor and support for the mentee Organization of the peer mentor program will be a joint effort between the counseling department and teacher teams. Work place culture and etiquette will be integrated into instruction in the classroom A proactive elective will be offered/required in 9th grade that focuses on the pathway to success Connections to the community will provide opportunities for service learning, job shadowing, mentorships and internships Coaching will be provided for establishing good study skills Structured interventions will be provided to assure student success Each individual project will drive the timeline and the schedule Within each project there will be time blocked out for independent research, group collaboration and facilitator interaction Integrated curriculum will allow students to work toward multiple credits within each project Job shadowing and internships will take place during the school day Time will be divided into twenty minute modules that can be grouped together to support learning objectives. More relevant learning experiences will be created through interdisciplinary projects Time modules can be grouped into longer blocks to allow for adequate explorations. Technology will allow students to access digital resources regardless of where they are. The system will allow students to use their own technology devices Equipment will be provided for those who do not have their own devices. Ample charging solutions and flexible room and furniture arrangement will provide collaborative work areas for the use of technology The library will become a resource media center to support the use of technology. Technology will be used to maximize the space available in the school. Performing and Visual Arts Inclusion in performing and visual arts in a student’s 
education is essential for their personal well‐being and for a well‐rounded education 
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Career and Technical Education (CTE) CTE courses prepare students to be career ready and offer opportunities for students to learn varied methods of demonstrating their learning using technology. 
Physical Education, Athletics and Intramurals A physical education program should be provided that 
promotes healthy living, citizenship and sportsmanship 
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College and Work Force Connections All students should experience learning that connects to post‐secondary opportunities in order to give them all choices available to any graduate. Clubs and Student Activities Clubs and school activities build a school culture and allow students to have a sense of belonging. Available transportation provide opportunities for all students to participate in after school clubs and activities Performing and visual arts offerings at the academy will be tailored to support the academy focus and project based learning. A Humanities course will be offered that will include art, music and theater history. A graphic arts course/s will be offered to support the development and presentation of projects. Basic Design will be offered to support creative projects that are heavily using technology. CTE offerings at the academy will be tailored to support the academy focus and project based learning, including, but not limited to: o Multimedia o Web design o Graphic design o Animation o Audio visual production o Web and digital media Alternative physical education courses will be offered that are related to the academy focus. Physical education TEKS will be combined with other subjects to create new innovative courses that will be engaging for students. Intramurals driven by student interest will be offered to provide opportunities for students to participate in competitive activities. 
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Course offerings will include AP, dual credit and distance learning courses Seniors will complete either off‐campus internships or on‐campus senior projects Learning experiences should include partnerships with colleges and universities Field trips to universities and local business along with guest speakers on campus will be provided for all students 
Student‐led decisions will be key to the selection and implementation of school activities. Activities that enrich and complement the curriculum will be offered. Activities that develop leadership and foster service learning will be provided. After‐school transportation will be provided in order to allow all students to participate in clubs and activities 
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School and Community The Academy should collaborate with parents to ensure student success 
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The Academy should collaborate with the business community to enhance the learning experience for students The building should be available to the community for appropriate uses in order to share the benefits available in the building and to provide additional offerings for students and the community. -
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Parents will be encouraged to participate in the development of projects for students Technology and language classes should be offered for parents so they can participate in their child’s learning Parents will be encouraged to utilize services provided by the academy focus Parents will be invited to attend presentations of projects Parents will be invited to share their professions with students Collaboration between the Academy and the business community will include: o Internships and mentorships o Guest lectures o Input for curriculum design o Professional assessment of projects o Avenues for service learning Colleges and other educational groups will be encouraged to utilize the building after hours to offer additional programs for students and the community.