John E. 

a Marzano Academy

 

Academies




Where Educati 

The Need for Innovation
THE CHANGING POLICY LANDSCAPE
In May 2013 the Colorado State Board of Education adopted new high school graduation
guidelines, to be fully implemented by 2021. Among many considerations, two specific
guidelines stated that districts must provide a “recognition of multiple and diverse pathways to
a diploma” and an “articulation through a standards-based education system” (Grad Guidelines,
2013, p. 2). Also specified was schools “must state the minimum academic competencies needed
for students to demonstrate postsecondary and workforce readiness and the types of
measurements used”, as well as “must allow students multiple, equally rigorous and valued ways
to demonstrate competency of the knowledge and skills necessary for postsecondary education
and meaningful careers” (Grad Guidelines, 2013, p. 2). These new guidelines represent a
potential paradigm shift for public schools in Colorado, and present a unique opportunity for
competency-based education (CBE) to be more widely adopted.
The importance of demonstrating a minimum set of academic competencies to obtain a high
school diploma cannot be understated. Schools currently operate under a time-based
measurement of academic progression, known as the Carnegie unit. Students attend semesteror year-long courses where the teacher determines a final percentage-based letter grade from a
variety of considerations, including items such as assignment completion and class participation.
Although these measures have been used for decades, they do not always reflect a student’s
mastery of subject content (Silva, White, & Toch, 2015). Students can be deemed competent
with a “D” letter grade, despite missing up to 40% of course material (Patrick et al., n.d.; Vander
Ark, 2013). Starting in 2021, Colorado high school students must demonstrate mastery in all core
subjects, even if they earned an acceptable grade point average. The old saying “D’s earn
degrees” may no longer be true. Leading up to 2021, schools and districts need to know if their
students will be able to demonstrate mastery across core-subjects, and if not, what gaps must be
filled. One educational reform schools can consider is a competency-based education approach.
In competency-based systems, schools replace the Carnegie unit, by instead focusing on student
mastery. According to Competency Works, at its very core competency-based education uses
student mastery of measurable learning targets as the metric to determine academic
progression, not seat-time in a class (Competency Works, n.d.). Since students can no longer
advance with only 60% mastery, in a competency-based system all graduates will be able to meet
the new high school graduation guidelines set out by 2021. With this said, implementing such a
reform is not easy.
NEW PERSPECTIVES ON OLD CHALLENGES
In a competency-based design learners must be provided a multitude of ways to demonstrate
mastery, not just summative assessment tools typically used in classrooms today (Patrick &
Sturgis, 2015). Competency-based teachers use assessment strategies that are individualized
and promote multiple pathways for demonstrating mastery (Sturgis, C., Patrick, S., & Pittenger,
L., 2011). Performance-based assessments with clear rubrics and consistent scales measure
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 student proficiency on cross-curricular learning objectives, a critical process for high quality
competency-based learning to occur (Sturgis et al., 2011). An example of this is the use of student
learning portfolios, or compilations of academic work that demonstrate mastery of specific
learning objectives (Patrick & Sturgis, 2011). Unlike traditional assessments, which only provide
credit for a single course, learning portfolios travel with the student as they progress through
school, becoming evidence of mastery toward multiple subjects and levels (Patrick & Sturgis,
2011). Finally, since students learn at different rates, providing a single assessment, usually an
end-of-unit summative exam to an entire class at the same time seems unfair. In a competencybased learning environment, assessment doesn’t occur as a whole-group event, but instead only
when a student is ready. Since students progress at different rates, individualized point-in-time
testing is more personal and allows a student to demonstrate mastery of learning only after he
or she is ready (Sturgis et al., 2011). This element of personalization is important but is not the
only way competency-based education tailors instruction to each child.
Since competency-based education allows students to advance at their own pace and on their
own trajectories, a high degree of personalized learning exists (Sturgis et al., 2011).
Personalization occurs in many ways, but must include structures that promote student agency,
specifically through the use of clear, individualized learning plans derived from data-driven
decisions (Sturgis et al., 2011). Since every child is an active participant in the creation of his or
her plan, higher degrees of student agency in the learning process are achieved. In addition,
these learning plans highlight individual strengths and identify gaps, providing unique insights
into next steps for learning (Sturgis et al., 2011). Since individual learning plans must include
student data, the use of detailed student records becomes necessary. This data rich environment
allows for reflection of past successes, but also easy identification of next steps (Patrick & Sturgis,
2011). Competency-based school systems’ seamless integration of student information systems,
learning management systems and data analytics ensures accurate recording, tracking, and
monitoring of student progression toward mastery (Patrick & Sturgis, 2011). When the
components of personalized learning come together in the framework of a competency-based
learning environment, high levels of student agency occur (Patrick et al., n.d.). This creates a
pathway whereby students assume ownership in their learning, are aware of their strengths and
areas of improvement, know how success will be measured, and understand their path toward
becoming a competent graduate.
When considering the departure competency-based reform requires from traditional school
design, it becomes necessary to consider a new school model, one that is responsive to the
changing demands CBE places on students, teachers, and administrators. Toward this end, the
District has partnered with Marzano Academies to identify high-leverage research-based
instructional practices, as well as school-wide systems necessary to achieve personalization of
education for every student, and to promote student agency in the learning environment.
The District believes a Pk-8 structure, where the traditional transition between fifth and sixth
grades is eliminated, will allow the maximum flexibility in an educational model where students
advance at their own pace. At the end of the 2017-2018 school year, John E. Flynn Elementary
will close its doors for good and will reopen in August 2018 as John E. Flynn a Marzano Academy.
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 In designing the school, the John E. Flynn a Marzano Academy (the Academy) is seeking
Innovative School Status to provide it with the flexibility and freedoms that will motivate our staff
and students to achieve at higher levels.
For the successful implementation of the Academy’s plan it has become apparent current District
policies, the Collective Bargaining Agreement, and various state policies and regulations limit the
creativity and flexibility needed to breathe life into a robust competency based system. Currently,
local policies limiting the length of the school year, the school day, and school choice are all
barriers to realizing the full potential of the plan. State regulations and policies regarding teacher
qualifications currently prohibit or limit the use of otherwise competent individuals in the
teaching process.
Innovation status will allow us to cultivate a culture of creativity and to hold ourselves
accountable for our students’ success. The Academy is set to take risks and is capable of
implementing a successful innovative educational plan, we just ask to be given the opportunity.

Mission and Vision
The mission of John E. Flynn a Marzano Academy (the Academy) is to ensure that all students
progress through the Academy not only to become academically proficient, productive
members of society, but also to become individuals who experience joy and satisfaction in life
and strive to create a world where all have access to these outcomes.
The Academy is for students of all backgrounds, education, and ability levels. It is incumbent
upon the Academy’s teachers and staff to create an inspiring educational environment where
students develop the intrinsic motivation to learn and succeed. The Academy will develop
students who are not only successful academically, but also develop deep, resilient, life-long
learning habits.
The mission, while lofty, is based on evidence from decades of research by Dr. Robert J. Marzano
on specific instructional, curriculum and assessment strategies that have a high impact on
student learning and the Marzano High Reliability Schools™ (HRS) program where educationally
disadvantaged students’ close achievement gaps and exhibit positive, prosocial behavior.
Superior instructional methods used by motivated, high-quality teachers will increase student
academic achievement. Great teaching equals great results.
GROWTH THROUGH COLLABORATION: BRING THE MISSION AND VISION TO LIFE
The Academy will be a unique school collaboration effort between Westminster Public Schools
and Marzano Academies, including Dr. Robert J. Marzano, founder of Marzano Academies and
Marzano Research. The proposed school-innovation model presented herein, was created
between Westminster Public Schools and Marzano Academies, with direct input from Dr.
Marzano.
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 The Academy is planned to not only be a lab school for Westminster Public Schools, but also to
all schools in the United States, as to what public education can and should be and demonstrate
the concrete means to manifest this vision within their local communities.
The Academy will focus on innovative methods of teaching to improve student academic success.
Marzano Academy students will become intrinsically motivated students who believe in their
ability to academically succeed. Positive, pro-social behavioral attributes will be a significant part
of each student’s proficiency scale. Developing academically successful, motivated students will
have a positive impact on the Westminster Public Schools community.
The Academy will use a proven, researched-based school framework created by Dr. Marzano, in
conjunction with the HRS™ framework, to ensure teachers are supported and students succeed.
The Academy’s teachers and leadership team will all be personally trained by Dr. Marzano and
have direct access to Marzano Academies research, educational tools, rubrics, and researchlibrary collection. Westminster Public Schools, the Academy, and Marzano Academy staff will
impart a “no-excuses” approach to improving student academic performance with school staff.
The Academy’s academic program, teacher training, leadership development, and student
success elements will be linked to Dr. Marzano’s lifetime of work and the ongoing work of
researchers within Marzano Research. His research writing includes The New Art and Science of
Teaching, 1 Effective Supervision: Supporting the Art and Science of Teaching, 2 The Highly Engaged
Classroom, 3 Teacher Evaluation that Makes a Difference, 4 Vocabulary for the Common Core, 5 and
Coaching Classroom Instruction. 6 Dr. Marzano’s practical translations of the most current
research and theory into classroom strategies are known internationally and are widely practiced
by both teachers and school leaders. The HRS™ framework is supported by forty-years of
educational research. A HRS™ is one in which all students learn the content and skills they need
for success in college, careers, and beyond. The framework consists of five levels:
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Level 1: Safe and Collaborative Culture
Level 2: Effective Teaching in Every Classroom
Level 3: Guaranteed and Viable Curriculum
Level 4: Standards-Referenced Reporting
Level 5: Competency-Based Education

PROCLAIMING OUR DREAM: A FRAMEWORK FOR SUSTAINABLE IMPLEMENTATION
1

Marzano, R. J. (2017). The New Art and Science of Teaching. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Marzano, R. J., Frontier, T., & Livingston, D. (2011). Effective supervision: Supporting the Art and Science of
Teaching. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
3
Marzano, R. J., & Pickering, D. J. (2011). The Highly Engaged Classroom. Bloomington, IN: Marzano Research.
4
Marzano, R. J., & Toth, M. (2013). Teacher Evaluation that Makes a Difference. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
5
Marzano, R. J., & Simms, J. A. (2013). Vocabulary for the Common Core. Bloomington, IN: Marzano Research.
6
Marzano, R. J., & Simms, J. A. (2013). Coaching classroom instruction. Bloomington, IN: Marzano Research.
2

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 The Marzano HRS™ framework will be the overarching organizer for the design and management
of the Academy. The framework is based on the notion of continuous improvement, via the use
of leading and lagging indicators. In order for educators to know what to work on and how to
measure success at each level, school leaders need ways to assess their school’s current status,
gauge their progress through each HRS™ level and confirm achievement for each level. Leading
and lagging indicators are useful tools to these ends. The distinction between leading and lagging
indicators is: leading indicators show what a school should work on to achieve a high reliability
level (indicators provide direction) and lagging indicators are the evidence a school provides to
validate its achievement of a high reliability level (educators provide proof), particularly in areas
where there is general agreement that the school is not doing well.
Leading indicators are important conditions that are known to be associated with school
improvement. That is, they help school leaders decide what to work on to achieve high reliability
status, at each level. For example, at HRS Level 1, one leading indicator is “faculty and staff
perceive the school environment as safe and orderly.” School leaders can use a survey to measure
the extent to which faculty and staff perceive the school environment as safe and orderly. If
perceptions of safety and orderliness are high, school leaders may not need to focus on that area.
Conversely, if perceptions of safety and orderliness are low, school leaders might decide to
implement initiatives or programs designed to improve the safety and orderliness of the school
environment. Low average scores on leading indicators might indicate that an area is not
important in the school. For example, at HRS Level 1, town hall meetings and community business
luncheons may or may not be important considerations for a school. Essentially, leading
indicators help school leaders identify areas that are important to the school in which the school
is already doing well, areas that are important to the school and need to be addressed and areas
that are not important to the school. For areas that are important to the school (both those that
need to be addressed and those in which the school is already doing well), lagging indicators can
be designed.
Lagging indicators provide concrete evidence that a school has achieved a specific high level of
performance, particularly in an area initially identified for low performance. For example, at HRS
Level 1, a school where the faculty and staff do not perceive the school environment as safe and
orderly (a leading indicator) might formulate the following lagging indicator to measure their
progress toward a safe and orderly environment: “Few, if any, incidents occur in which rules and
procedures are not followed.” To meet this lagging indicator, school leaders would have to
determine how many incidents constitute a “few.” This number is called a criterion score; it is the
score a school is aiming to achieve for the lagging indicator. School leaders then track the actual
number of incidents occurring in the school and compare the number of incidents to the criterion
score. If the results meet the criterion score, the school considers itself to have met that lagging
indicator and the evidence can be used to validate the school’s achievement of a specific high
reliability level. If the results do not meet the criterion score, the school continues or adjusts its
efforts until it does meet the score.

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 To design lagging indicators and criterion scores, school leaders can use several different
approaches. The first is a percentage approach whereby school leaders create a lagging indicator
that states a certain percentage of responses or data collected will meet a specific criterion. For
example, a percentage lagging indicator for HRS Level 1 might be, “Ninety percent of survey
responses will indicate agreement that the school is safe and orderly.”
A second approach involves setting a cutoff score, below which no responses or data will fall. The
following is a possible cut-off lagging indicator for HRS™ Level 2, “No teachers will improve less
than two levels on the scale for each of their growth goals each year.” In cases where a school
has received high initial survey responses but still wants to improve, school leaders can choose
to set lagging indicators for specific amounts of growth. A growth-lagging indicator for HRS™
Level 3 might say, “Survey responses regarding all students having adequate opportunity to learn
will improve 10 percent.”
Finally, lagging indicators can be designed around the creation of a concrete product as evidence
of high levels of performance. A concrete product lagging indicator for HRS Level 4 might say,
“Written goals are available for each student in terms of his or her performance on common
assessments.” Each the five levels of focus in the HRS™ model addresses specific indicators that
will be continually monitored within the Academy, and are discussed in detail in upcoming
sections.
By first conducting an identification process of school needs as shown by leading indicators across
all Levels of HRS™, then followed by a concerted implementation of research-based best
practices and critical commitments in each Level, the Academy intends to become a Level 5
HRS™. By becoming a Level 5 HRS™, by definition all of the Academy’s students will be on-track
for graduation as determined by the new graduate guidelines laid out by the Colorado State
Board of Education and adopted by the Westminster Board of Education.
In addition to adopting the overarching HRS™ framework; the Academy will also use a supporting
Marzano Research educational model that includes seven highly effective key elements; these
are the elements that support a HRS™ school.
Element One:

All students will receive feedback on specific educational topics within each
content area (e.g., mathematics, science, English language arts) at each grade
level. Traditionally academic content has been treated in a holistic manner. This
manifests as students receiving feedback at the subject-matter level only. That
is, students might receive an overall grade or percentage score for fifth grade
mathematics, but not formative and summative feedback on the specific topics
for content at each grade level.

Element Two:

The curriculum will include cognitive and metacognitive skills. In addition to
addressing the critical concepts in the major subject areas, the Academy will
teach and reinforce cognitive and metacognitive skills. Such skills are the
centerpiece for college and career readiness, as referenced in Getting Ready for
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 College, Careers, and the Common Core, 7 Handbook of Social and Emotional
Learning, 8 and Teaching and Assessing 21st Century Skills. 9
Element Three: Students will move through the content at their own pace. In a traditional
school, students move on to new content in each subject area at a given grade
level only when the teacher moves to the content. At the Academy students will
move as quickly as they can through the content as dictated by their level of
background knowledge and development in the subject area.
Element Four: High engagement instruction will be utilized. Academy teachers will regularly
employ instructional strategies that produce high-levels of student engagement.
These strategies will be drawn from books such as The Highly Engaged
Classroom. 10 These strategies include the frequent use of academic games that
enhance vocabulary knowledge, physical movement, the presentation of
unusual information, use of response rate strategies, use of humor, and use of
friendly controversy. In addition, the Academy will also utilize Kagan Structures,
research-based student interaction practices that increase student engagement.
Element Five:

A focus on inspiration and altruism will be emphasized. To help students
develop a sense of optimism and self-efficacy for the future, a steady diet of
inspirational stories will be presented to students virtually and by guest
speakers. Specifically, at least once per month, teachers will present students
with stories and or guest speakers to provide evidence suggesting that great
obstacles can be overcome through focus and hard work. Students will be asked
to keep journals regarding their impressions of the information gleaned from
these experiences and how that information might relate to their lives. To help
develop a sense of concern for and connection to members of their local and
extended communities, each year students will be asked to participate in
projects or design projects of their own that help improve the lives of others
and/or the environment.

Element Six:

Responsibility for student success will be shared. While students will be
assigned to a specific teacher for a particular subject at a particular grade level,
every teacher will be responsible for the success of every student in the
Academy. This will manifest as students being able to work with any teacher
who is qualified in each subject area to verify a particular student’s proficiency
on any topic. Time during the day will be set aside for students to work with

7

Conley, D. T. (2014). Getting ready for college, careers, and the Common Core. San Francisco: Jossey Bass.
Durlak, J. A., Domitrovich, C. E., Weissberg, R. P., & Gullotta, T. P. (Eds.) (2015). Handbook of social and
emotional learning. New York: Guilford Press.
9
Marzano, R. J., & Heflebower, T. (2012). Teaching and assessing 21st century skills. Bloomington, IN: Marzano
Research.
10
Marzano, R. J., & Pickering, D. J. (2011). The highly engaged classroom. Bloomington, IN: Marzano Research.
8

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 peers or teachers to whom they have not been officially assigned and work on
topics that are problematic for them.
Element Seven: Continuous improvement of teachers and leaders will be expected. To develop
a sense of collective efficacy among teachers and leaders, all staff will set specific
improvement goals for their instructional practices (if they are teachers) or for
their leadership behaviors (if they are administrators). These goals will be shared
in the context of collaborative teams designed to ensure continuous
improvement of the educators in the building. All teachers and administrators
will share their personal goals regarding instruction or leadership and seek the
help of their fellow educators in the accomplishment of these goals. All teachers
and leaders will be encouraged to pair with “coaching buddies.” Teachers and
leaders will periodically share their successes and difficulties in progressing
toward their personal improvement goals.

Culture and Climate
One of the central tenets of a HRS™ is the hierarchical dependence of the Levels. In other words,
a school cannot become highly reliable on Level 2 until Level 1 HRS™ is achieved. And although
a school must be working toward high reliability on all levels at all times, the necessary starting
point must be Level 1: Safe and Collaborative Culture. Level 1 addresses the factors considered
foundational to the well-being of a school. Namely, do faculty, staff, students, parents, and the
community believe the school is safe, and do they maximize collaboration for the enhancement
of student learning? Level 1 has eight leading indicators:
1.1
1.2
1.3
1.4
1.5
1.6
1.7
1.8

The faculty and staff perceive the school environment as safe and orderly.
Students, parents, and the community perceive the school environment as safe and orderly.
Teachers have formal roles in the decision-making process regarding school initiatives.
Teacher teams and collaborative groups regularly interact to address common issues
regarding curriculum, assessment, instruction, and the achievement of all students.
Teachers and staff have formal ways to provide input regarding the optimal functioning of
the school.
Students, parents, and the community have formal ways to provide input regarding the
optimal functioning of the school.
The success of the whole school, as well as individuals within the school, is appropriately
acknowledged.
The fiscal, operational, and technological resources of the school are managed in a way
that directly supports teachers.

According to Marzano’s Becoming a High Reliability School the critical commitment, or the
necessary foundation to achieve high reliability status on Level 1 is the creation of Professional
Learning Communities (PLC). The PLC process can help identify ways to make the school safer,
as well as obtain teacher input into school-wide decision-making. The Academy will use the PLC
structure to obtain HRS™ status on Level 1 indicators.
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 The Academy believes the school culture and relationship with its community are essential to
academic achievement. Toward this end, the Academy will partner with Rachel’s Challenge, a
supplemental educational program which provides speakers, workshops, assemblies and
enrichment materials to K-12 schools. Founded in memory of Rachel Joy Scott, the first person
killed in the Columbine School Shooting, Rachel’s Challenge helps schools create a climate less
susceptible to harassment, bullying and violence. Its members work in socioeconomically and
demographically diverse schools across North America every day, making schools safer, more
connected places where bullying and violence are replaced with kindness and respect; and where
learning and teaching are awakened to their fullest. Rachel's Challenge programs provide a
sustainable, evidence-based framework for positive climate and culture in our schools. When
fully implemented, partner schools achieve statistically significant gains in community
engagement, faculty/student relationships, leadership potential, and school climate; along with
reductions in bullying, alcohol, tobacco and drug use. Each year: over 1.5 million people are
involved in Rachel’s Challenge programs, more than 1,200 schools and businesses are reached,
school bullying and violence decrease and community service and acts of kindness increase.
Rachel's Challenge exists to inspire and equip every person to create a permanent positive
change not only in themselves, but in their schools, their businesses and communities. Rachel’s
Challenge has a comprehensive set of age-appropriate programs for K-12. The objectives of these
programs are all the same; to continue Rachel's legacy of kindness and compassion and to: (a.)
help schools become safer, more connected places to live and learn, (b.) stimulate real culture
change by actively involving the entire community in the process, (c.) change lives by providing
culturally relevant social/emotional training and (d.) increase achievement and ensure results by
engaging the participants’ heart, head and hands in a continuing improvement process.
Rachel’s Challenge helps create a learning environment where all students feel welcomed in their
classrooms and hold a desire to contribute to their community. Furthermore, creating a selfsystem of learning is one of the Academy’s highest aspirations. This unique learning state is
achieved only when a student feels both part of, and esteem within their community; and holds
a desire to give back. The culminating event to the self-system of learning is the personal project;
a multifaceted, year-end, assignment that serves as a culminating and intellectual experience for
students. Personal projects may take a wide-variety of forms, but most are long-term,
investigative projects that culminate in a final product, presentation or performance. Students
may be asked to select a topic, profession or social problem that interests them and conduct
research on the subject, maintain a portfolio of results or findings, create a final product
demonstrating their learning acquisition or conclusions and give an oral presentation on the
project to a panel of teachers, experts and community members who collectively evaluate its
quality.
In order to foster this learning environment, the Academy’s staff and students will work toward
the following practices.
● School-wide implementation of Rachel’s Challenge Awaken the Learner program
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 ● Incorporation of Motivating and Inspiring Students teaching strategies into daily
lesson plans to encourage social/emotional learning
● Build a culture of academic excellence and a belief that all students can learn at the
highest level.
● Integrate the school code of conduct as represented by the acronym SOAR, which
stands for Safety, Ownership, Attitude, and Respect
● Celebrate successes through quarterly level-up assemblies for those students who
moved up a level in any academic area and/or have positive attendance. Also, ensure
Positive Behavioral Intervention Systems (PBIS) are in place to promote and reward
SOAR behavior, as well as weekly SOAR recognitions to those students most
exemplifying SOAR behaviors
● Any student violations of the code of conduct will be met with district disciplinary
procedures.
● Supporting the whole child: wrap around services include mental health services both
from WPS as well as from Community Reach.
The Academy will use Rachel’s Challenge as a foundational block from which every student will
complete a personal project, every year. These projects provide students the opportunity to give
back while deepening content skills through project-based learning that is directly tied to the
school community.

Curriculum and Instruction
The creation of a safe learning environment sets the foundation for meaningful teaching and
learning, especially when using a viable and guaranteed curriculum. HRS™ status Level 2 and
Level 3 as outlined in the descriptive indicators below will serve as the guideposts for all work
done around curriculum and instruction in the Academy:
Level 2: Effective Teaching in Every Classroom
Level 2 addresses factors that relate to developing and maintaining effective instruction in every
classroom. This is a central feature of effective schooling—the quality of teaching in classrooms.
Level 2 has six leading indicators:
2.1 The school leader communicates a clear vision as to how instruction should be addressed in
the school.
2.2 Support is provided to teachers to continually enhance their pedagogical skills through
reflection and professional growth plans.
2.3 Predominant instructional practices throughout the school are known and monitored.
2.4 Teachers are provided with clear, ongoing evaluations of their pedagogical strengths and
weaknesses that are based on multiple sources of data and are consistent with student
achievement data.
2.5 Teachers are provided with job-embedded professional development that is directly related
to their instructional growth goals.
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 2.6 Teachers have opportunities to observe and discuss effective teaching.
A Level 2 highly reliable school ensures little to no variability exists in instructional quality across
classrooms. According to Marzano’s Becoming a High Reliability School the critical commitment
for Level 2 is an evaluation system that’s primary objective is professional development. Toward
this end, every teacher at the Academy will continually work toward becoming highly effective
across all 43 elements of instructional design, as laid out in Marzano’s New Art and Science of
Teaching. Supporting educators in this endeavor will include extensive coaching, including
videotaping of classroom practices, guided instructional rounds, and meaningful supervision as
defined in Marzano’s Effective Supervision: Supporting the Art and Science of Teaching. Finally,
every teacher’s evaluation will focus on three elements: 1) a specific and comprehensive system,
2) use of teacher development scales on the 43 elements of instructional design, and 3) a final
evaluation metric that acknowledges and supports professional growth. When a school’s
evaluation system emphasizes teacher development, it communicates that the school expects
and incentivizes continuous improvement with all school members.
Every teacher at the Academy will be expected to work toward becoming a High Reliability
Teacher. The High Reliable Teacher certification is a certification program based on Dr.
Marzano’s research on High Reliability Schools. The goal of the High Reliability Certification
process is to provide a structure in which an individual teacher may increase their instructional
effectiveness. The process is designed to culminate in certification as a High Reliability teacher at
one or more of three levels. The first level focuses on the demonstration of effective use of
instructional strategies. The second level focuses on using assessment to demonstrate effective
instruction as it positively impacts student learning. The third level focuses on valid and rigorous
feedback. A High Reliability Teacher is a teacher who has demonstrated proficiency through the
production of products and artifacts in regard to instruction and assessment as it relates to
improved student learning.
Although highly reliable teachers in every classroom is crucial to the Academy’s success, it is
equally as important that a guaranteed and viable curriculum is present as well. Toward this end,
the Academy will work toward becoming a Level 3 HRS™ as defined by the indicators listed below:
Level 3: Guaranteed and Viable Curriculum
At Level 3, school leaders ensure that a guaranteed and viable curriculum focused on enhancing
student learning is in place. Guaranteed means that all teachers are aware of the content they
are responsible for teaching and are, in fact, teaching that content (usually stated as standards).
This approach ensures that every student has the opportunity to learn the grade- and subjectappropriate content on which they will be assessed. Viable means that the amount of content is
teachable in the time available for instruction. Essentially, a guaranteed and viable curriculum is
one that can be taught in the time available and is being taught in every classroom. Level 3 has
six leading indicators:

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 3.1 The school curriculum and accompanying assessments adhere to state and district
standards.
3.2 The school curriculum is focused enough that it can be adequately addressed in the time
available to teachers.
3.3 All students have the opportunity to learn the critical content of the curriculum.
3.4 Clear and measurable goals are established and focused on critical needs regarding
improving overall student achievement at the school level.
3.5 Data are analyzed, interpreted, and used to regularly monitor progress toward school
achievement goals.
3.6 Appropriate school- and classroom-level programs and practices are in place to help
students meet individual achievement goals when data indicate interventions are needed.
A Level 3 highly reliable school ensures every student has access to a meaningful curriculum that
is also attainable within the time constraints of an academic calendar. According to Marzano’s
Becoming a High Reliability School there are three critical commitments a school must make to
achieve this. They are: 1) continually monitoring the viability of the curriculum, 2) a
comprehensive vocabulary program, and 3) direct instruction in knowledge application and
metacognitive skills. Each of these commitments is discussed in more detail below, as well as
how the Academy will use the competency based system (CBS) of Westminster Public Schools
(WPS) as the foundation from which all instruction and learning will occur.
BUILDING CONNECTIONS: THE BRIDGE BETWEEN WESTMINSTER PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND
MARZANO’S HIGH RELIABILITY SCHOOLS MODEL
The Academy will adopt the WPS approved curriculum in Literacy (Wonders), Math (PMIProgressive Math Initiative), Science (Progressive Science Initiative and FOSS kits), and Social
Studies (Wonders). Coupling the proficiency scales with the WPS approved curricular resources
will help ensure that every student at the Academy is provided access to a guaranteed and viable
content. (See page 16-17 for in-depth description of proficiency scale).
In addition to the core curriculum, the Academy will also implement a tiered vocabulary
instructional model. The Marzano Building Basic Vocabulary program is an instructional resource
which enable teachers to introduce vocabulary in a meaningful way. Building Basic Vocabulary
provides focused instruction and practice, with Dr. Robert J. Marzano’s 2,845 basic vocabulary
terms, and exposure to 2,889 challenge (or advanced) terms. Educators might best think of basic
vocabulary as tier 1 terms and the challenge words as tier 2 terms. These 5,734 terms are
organized into 420 clusters and 60 superclusters of related terms. Online and downloadable
resources allow educators to assess prior knowledge, determine where to begin instruction,
introduce new terms, and reinforce learning through practice and self-assessment. An adaptive
assessment indicates which cluster each student should work on first and printable resource
packets provide images, descriptions, and activities for each cluster. Online videos provide
scaffolding and support, while empowering students to investigate and learn new terms
independently.
Page 13 of 71

 CORE SUBJECT PROGRAMS, CURRICULAR RESOURCES, AND INTERVENTION SUPPORTS
The core literacy program of the Academy will be the WPS proficiency scales in literacy. Teachers
will develop progressions and unit plans based on these scales, which will be submitted to
administration for data monitoring, as described in the overall CBS instructional system
developed by WPS. The curricular resource for literacy will be the Wonders program through
McGraw-Hill. The Academy will utilize a balanced literacy approach, including modeled
instruction, read aloud and whole group instruction, shared and guided reading in whole and
small groups, and independent reading. Instruction will include responding to literature,
including engaging with two to three different text sources using evidence, comparing and
contrasting literary works as well as analyzing literary devices.
The Academy will also utilize Knowledge Maps, which are a way for students to graphically
organize information so that it becomes meaningful. Knowledge Maps are essentially graphic
organizers; they are visual devices that help students organize information into patterns.
Marzano Researchers have extensively studied the effectiveness of graphic organizers and
recognize their importance in helping students understand complex information. Marzano
researchers have analyzed decades of research associated with graphic organizers and developed
an improved graphic organizer, known as a Marzano Knowledge Map, which is a powerful way
for students to gather and analyze information.
Opportunities for expository, narrative, argumentative, and creative writing will be provided to
help students learn to express themselves in a reasoned fashion, as well as artistically depending
on the context of the writing assignment. To help students become better writers, sentence
combining, an instructional strategy and part of Writing to Win, will be utilized. The model is
used in conjunction with other Marzano instructional models as part of a complete critical
thinking- instructional approach within a Personalized-Competency Based Education program.
The Writing to Win model for teaching and learning challenges students to think critically and
take an active role in their learning through writing. The use of “learning routines” results in
higher achievement and greater engagement in school.
The core math program will, like the literacy program described above, be in line with WPS
proficiency scales as described in Westminster Public Schools Learning Model. Like literacy, Math
will be taught through unit plans based on progressions in the CBS system. The core curricular
supports for delivering this curriculum will be PMI (Progressive Math Initiative). The math
instruction will mirror literacy instruction in many ways, including a balanced approach that
includes modeled math in whole and small group settings, shared math in whole and small group
settings, guided math in small groups and independent work. Instruction will build from concrete
to pictorial in order to build students’ abstract understandings of math concepts across the
varying strands.
Science will be delivered utilizing the CBS instructional system developed by WPS as well as
literacy and math. The core curricular resources for Science will be PSI (Progressive Science
Initiative) as well as FOSS kits for hands-on learning.
Page 14 of 71

 Social Studies will be taught using the CBS instructional method developed by WPS. Teachers will
utilize the Social Studies content built into the Wonders literacy curriculum.
Students will receive instruction in the visual arts as well as performing arts. Most of the arts
instruction will be embedded during the school day as part of the specials and electives rotation,
however the Academy will offer after-school programming utilizing community partnership in
conjunction with other WPS schools.
The Academy will employ a 1:1 student to device ratio, or will ensure every student has access
to his or her own Chromebook in the classroom. These devices are an integral part of the CBS as
they enable students to track their learning progress in real time utilizing the Empower learning
management system, and provide the platform for other types of online learning, including
individually targeted enrichment opportunities, with a specific focus on technology. The term
coding and its use in the Academy, refers to “computer coding” or the symbolic arrangement of
data or instructions in a computer program or the set of such instructions. Marzano Academy
educators understand the importance of learning this skill-set at an early age with a continued
emphasis as a life-long learning approach to problem solving. Coding instruction within a
Marzano Academy (dependent on grade-levels served) may begin as early as preschool and be
an integral part of each grade-level. Coding can also be used cross-curricular as an approach to
learning and problem solving in each subject.
Many of our curricular supports have robust online components that are essential for direct
instruction, small group work, and centers based differentiated activities, all of which can be
accessed through the use of a Chromebook. In addition, every classroom will also be equipped
with an interactive TV, an updated and improved version of SmartBoards, to aid learning in both
whole-group and small-group instruction. The Academy will continue to maintain and replace all
of its technology through the use of general building funds, as well as an annual technology fee
collected from families at time of registration. Teachers will also utilize classroom document
cameras for direct instruction purposes.

Student Learning Outcomes
Effective instruction and a guaranteed and viable curriculum must be in place to ensure positive
student learning outcomes. Part of this includes assessment practices that are clearly aligned to
proficiency scales, varied to meet student need, and accurately reported in a timely manner. At
the same time, assessment data must be used to make instructional decisions, as well as to
measure the efficacy of different learning environments. With these goals in mind, the Academy
will work toward becoming a Level 4 HRS™ as defined by the indicators listed below:
Level 4: Standards-Referenced Reporting
Level 4 addresses how well a school’s reporting system identifies specific subject and grade-level
topics as well as each student’s current status on those topics. A school that reaches level 4 high
Page 15 of 71

 reliability status operates at a rarefied level because it reports student achievement in more
detail than is possible with overall letter grades alone. Specifically, the school reports student
achievement for specific topics within each subject area. Level 4 has two leading indicators:
4.1 Clear and measurable goals are established and are focused on critical needs regarding
improving achievement of individual students within the school.
4.2 Data are analyzed, interpreted, and used to regularly monitor progress toward achievement
goals for individual students.
According to Marzano’s Becoming a High Reliability School there are two critical commitments a
school must make to achieve HRS™ status for Level 4. These are: 1) develop proficiency scales
for the essential content, and 2) report status and growth on the report card using proficiency
scales. Students must also keep track of their own academic progression through data notebooks
and set personal academic goals in coordination with their teacher. Finally, parent-teacher
conferences should be student-led, and focused on his or her individual academic goals.
To achieve Level 4 HRS™ the Academy will utilize academic, cognitive, and meta-cognitive
proficiency scales to organize academic standards and learning outcomes. A proficiency scale is
a tool that displays a collection of related learning goals from the simple to more complex. It
creates a continuum that articulates levels of knowledge and skills around a specific topic.
Proficiency scales ensure alignment of curriculum, instruction, assessment and feedback while
serving as a framework for high-quality classroom assessment. Scales are developed with an
increasing level of rigor from score 0.0 to a 4.0 with 3.0 being the required level of proficiency to
progress.
In WPS, proficiency scales have been developed for Performance Levels Pre-K to 12 in Math,
Literacy, Science, Social Studies, Physical Education, Health, Performing Arts, Visual Arts, World
Language, Technology, Habits of Personalized Learners, STEM and Career and Technical
Education. After in-depth training, teacher teams created the scales and learning progressions
for each content area based on the corresponding Common Core State Standards (Math and
ELA), Next Generation Science Standards (Science), Colorado Academic Standards (Social Studies,
Physical Education, Health, Performing Arts, Visual Arts, World Language) and program standards
(Technology, Habits of Personalized Learners, STEM and Career and Technical Education). All
scales were created using Dr. Marzano’s framework to strategically group learning standards,
help define student proficiency on specific standards, and provide insights into the development
of instructional plans that meet the cognitive complexity of the Colorado Academic Standards
(see below for an example of an Academic proficiency scale).

Page 16 of 71

 Cognitive System
One of the central tenets of the Academy is for students to move beyond learning content, and
to work toward deliberate cognitive instruction. To achieve this the Academy will build into the
curriculum Cognitive and Metacognitive proficiency scales. Cognitive and metacognitive scales
are types of Marzano Proficiency Scales used within a Personalized-Competency Based Education
program. Cognitive instruction helps students set goals and objectives and helps students make
connections between units; building and deepening their understanding of content. The
Cognitive system helps students develop hierarchical levels of retrieval, comprehension, analysis,
and knowledge utilization. Cognitive Proficiency Scales allow teachers and students to measure
progress toward carefully crafted “goal-setting” targets.
Cognitive Skill
Generating conclusions
Identifying common logical
errors
Presenting and supporting
claims
Navigating digital sources
Problem solving
Decision making

Description
Involves combining pieces of known information to form new
ideas.
Involves analyzing information to determine how true it is.
Involves expressing a new idea and presenting information to
support it.
Involves using electronic resources to find credible and
relevant information.
Involves accomplishing a goal in spite of obstacles or limiting
conditions.
Involves using criteria to select among alternatives that initially
appear to be equal.
Page 17 of 71

 Experimenting

Involves generating and testing explanations of observed
phenomena.
Investigating
Involves identifying confusions or contradictions about ideas or
events and suggesting ways to resolve those confusions or
contradictions.
Identifying basic
Involves consciously analyzing relationships between ideas to
relationships between ideas better understand complex tests.
Generating and
Involves creating images in one’s mind to facilitate deep
manipulating mental images processing and memory of information.
Metacognitive System
The Metacognitive system is responsible for monitoring, evaluating, and regulating goals and
plans. It includes specifying goals, process monitoring, monitoring clarity, and monitoring
accuracy. Metacognitive Proficiency Scales allow teachers and students to measure their
progress toward “process-monitoring” targets. In addition to helping students design cognitive
and metacognitive goals, teachers can also focus their efforts by developing appropriate
Cognitive and Metacognitive Scales. For example, a teacher may want students to increase their
efforts towards monitoring their goals. The student can use a Metacognitive Proficiency Scale to
measure his or her progress.
(Example Learning goal): Students will be able to monitor their progress towards learning to write
computer codes:
Metacognitive Skills
• Setting personal goals, making and executing plans, and monitoring progress.
• Fostering a growth mindset.
• Staying focused when answers and solutions are not immediately apparent.
• Resisting impulsivity.
• Pushing the limits of your knowledge and skills.
• Generating and trusting your own standards of excellence.
• Seeking accuracy.
• Seeking clarity.
• Seeking cohesion and coherence.
• Recognizing incremental steps.
Example of Metacognitive Proficiency Scale
4.0 Students use formative assessments to check their progress every day.
3.0 Students use formative assessments to check their progress every other day.
2.0 Students use formative assessments to check their progress once a week.
1.0 Students wait for the teacher to monitor their progress.
Self-System
Page 18 of 71

 Teachers within the Marzano Academy will create classroom learning environments which foster
individual, student academic and cognitive growth. Teachers who help students develop these
structures provide students with guidelines in cognitive strategies, even with metacognitive skills.
Teachers are often pleasantly surprised to discover that a learner has accomplished a task that
they considered to be far too difficult. These situations occur because at the root of all learning
is the self-system. This system is comprised of the attitudes, beliefs and feelings that determine
an individual’s motivation to complete a task. The factors that contribute to motivation are:
importance, efficacy, and emotions.
Knowledge Domain
The knowledge domain contains all the information and skills that we learn from formal
education and from our participation in a community. Traditionally, the focus of most teaching
and learning has been in the knowledge domain. Learners were assumed to need a significant
amount of knowledge before they could think seriously about a subject. Unfortunately, in
conventional classrooms, teaching rarely moved beyond the accumulation of knowledge, leaving
learners with a mental file cabinet full of facts, most of which were quickly forgotten after a final
test. Knowledge is a critical factor in thinking. Without sufficient information about the subject
being learned, the other systems have very little to work with and are unable to engineer the
learning process successfully. This research defines three categories of knowledge: information,
mental procedures, and physical procedures. Simply put, information is the “what” of knowledge
and procedure are the “how-to”.
The Three Systems and Knowledge Domain
Beliefs About the Importance
of Knowledge
Specifying Learning
Goals
Knowledge Retrieval
Recall Execution

Information

Self-System
Beliefs About Efficacy

Emotions Associated with
Knowledge

Metacognitive System
Monitoring the
Monitoring Clarity
Execution of
Knowledge
Cognitive System
Comprehension
Analysis
Synthesis
Representation

Matching
Classifying
Error Analysis
Generalizing
Specifying
Knowledge Domain
Mental Procedures

Monitoring Accuracy

Knowledge
Utilization
Decision Making
Problem Solving
Experimental Inquiry
Investigation
Physical Procedures
Page 19 of 71

 Goals, scales, and tracking progress are strategies that can be used to provide feedback and
improve performance towards any target.
The use of proficiency scales creates the foundation necessary for a competency-based report
card. The Academy will use Empower Learning system as the student recording and reporting
tool, as well as the school’s learning management system (LMS). Empower is a competency
based reporting system specifically designed for personalized competency-based education.
Each proficiency scale is embedded into the platform, making for easy tracking of student
academic progression, including identifying gaps of knowledge and projecting learning
trajectories for student goal-setting.
The ultimate goal of a school achieving HRS™ status on Levels 1-4 is to create an environment
conducive to becoming a competency-based system; one that ensures student mastery of all
content. The end goal of the Academy is to guarantee academic success for all students,
regardless of background or previous experience through a competency-based system. With this
in mind, the Academy will work toward becoming a Level 5 HRS™ as defined by the indicators
listed below:
Level 5: Standards-Based Education
Level 5 addresses the extent to which a school matriculates students based on their
demonstrated competence rather than on the amount of time they have spent learning. In other
words, students only move to the next level when they have demonstrated competency at the
previous level. HRS™ Level 5 status represents the most rarefied level of high reliability
designation; once a school has achieved this level, it will have implemented competency-based
education (also called standards-based education). Level 5 has three leading indicators:
5.1 Students move on to the next level of the curriculum for any subject area only after they
have demonstrated competence at the previous level.
5.2 The school schedule is designed to accommodate students’ moving at a pace appropriate
to their situation and needs.
5.3 Students who have demonstrated competency levels greater than those articulated in the
system are afforded immediate opportunities to begin work on advanced content and/or
career paths of interest.
According to Marzano’s Becoming a High Reliability School the single critical commitment a
school must make to achieve HRS™ status for Level 5 is the removal of time requirements (seat
time and traditional terms) to move through academic levels of knowledge. The Westminster
Public Schools’ Competency Based System allows students to learn at a customized pace. CBS
presents knowledge and skills as a series of blocks that build upon each other. Students show
that they have mastered one block—a proficiency scale—before moving onto the next. Within
each content area, there is a collection of scales that make up a performance level, and that
students must systematically progress through. Learning is individual to the student and happens
Page 20 of 71

 at a customized pace. To support the student, progress is monitored through Empower, where
individual competencies are tracked on a 4-point scale, with 3.0 score being the required level of
proficiency to progress. The model allows for:
● Learners to progress purposefully at their own pace with teacher guidance based on
demonstrating proficiency or better on the proficiency scales.
● Learning to be personalized through goal setting, choice and voice with appropriate
instruction.
● Multiple opportunities over time are provided to demonstrate and verify competency
of proficiency scales (standards).
● Support and scaffolding for any struggling learner is provided through the Blended
Services Model to meet the area of need. There is no retention.
The cornerstone of the Academy will be the WPS Competency Based System. CBS provides a
framework for personalized learning by instructing students’ at their performance level, and by
allowing flexibility for individualized pacing. Also, by using student ability in specific subjects to
academically group students, instead of the traditional age-based practices, CBS decreases the
need for differentiated instruction and accelerates students through proficiency scales and to
deeper levels of understanding.
ASSESSMENT DESIGN
Personalized Learning
The Westminster Public Schools, Competency Based System, allows student to learn at a
customized pace. The model presents knowledge and skills as a series of blocks that build upon
teach other. Students show that they have mastered one block, called a proficiency scale or
learning target, before moving onto the next. Within each content area, there is a collection of
proficiency scales that make up a performance level. Students must complete all of the
proficiency scales within a performance level before moving to the next level. Learning is
individual to the student and happens at a customized pace. To support the student, progress is
monitored through the Empower Learning Management System that tracks individual
competencies on a called of 0.0-4.0, with 3.0 being the required level of proficiency to progress.
The model allows for:
● Learners to progress purposefully at their own pace with teacher guidance based on
demonstrating proficiency or better of proficiency scales.
● Learning to be personalized through goal setting, choice and voice with appropriate
instruction.
● Multiple opportunities over time are provided to demonstrate and verify competency
of proficiency scales.
● Support and scaffolding for any struggling learner is provided through the Blended
Services Model to meet the area of need. There is no retention.

Page 21 of 71

 Learning is measured through a detailed Competency Based reporting tool. Student assessment
will reflect three criteria; all reflective of course and level specific learning:
● Product Criteria: What students need to know and be able to do at each level (i.e.,
standards-based content knowledge).
● Process Criteria: How students are doing related to their efforts and behavior (i.e.,
how students are developing their 21st century skills and as global citizens).
● Progress Criteria: How students will measure their own progress (i.e., goal setting and
rubrics monitored in data notebooks).
Students are required to use rubrics to measure their own progress toward meeting assignment
goals. Benchmarks for adequate achievement are established and communicated regularly to the
Academy’s families. School improvement goals are directly linked to measurable data from
school wide rubrics and assessment results which will be analyzed by Marzano Academies to
determine teacher effectiveness as well as the effectiveness of the instructional practices.
Student progress is measured by:
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●

Student achievement on state assessments
Performance assessments in all areas
Curriculum embedded performance tasks
Team collaboration/leadership/social emotional skills
Participation in extra-curricular activities/competitions
Scantron assessments
Community engagement
Student presentation

In addition, the Academy will use six-week data cycles that measure student proficiency and
growth on units of study. The Academy will also utilize tri-annual local assessments to help drive
instruction.
The following assessment calendar will serve as a guide for the 2018-2019 school year and
subsequent years following a similar pattern:

Page 22 of 71

 Implementation Timeline
Successful new-school development is a complex endeavor. The Academy anticipates opening
in the fall of 2018 (technically, August 2018). Phase I development focused and will continue to
focus on school need, proposed educational program, school viability, location, and projected
costs.
Phase I

Phase II

Phase III

INNOVATE

IMPLEMENT

Identify the
Need(s)

Discover
Solutions

Finalize the
Solution

Generate Ideas

Select the
Solution

Validate &
Implement

Assess
Opportunity

Refine the
Solution

Transition to
Scale, Review &
Adjust

INCUBATION

Page 23 of 71

 Adopted from: Doug Von Feldt & Bradley J, (Woody) Bendle - © Copyright 2011

Phase I: Incubation: Bridging the Gap Between Idea and Implementation
The following start-up plan and specific organizational goals are for the planning year (SY 20182019). Development to begin in fall 2017 and will continue through spring 2018, to ensure that
the Academy is ready for a successful launch in fall 2018.
2017-2018
Milestones
Building the
Prototype:
Strategic
Thinking

Developing
Talent

Advocacy

Resources

Activity
Development team members for
the Marzano Academies meet
with Dr. Robert Marzano and
core school team learn about
Phase I. Members will learn all
about the school’s proposed
framework, mission and vision of
proposed school. Initial plans
for design and testing of the
model will be developed.
1. Interviewing interested,
potential school leadership.
2. Plan development for
leadership and teacher
introduction and training.
3. One-on-one coaching sessions
with teachers.
Building a “business case” for
the innovation plan. Introducing
staff to the plan, and
management metrics. Through
the identification of strengths,
weaknesses, opportunities, and
threats the team will balance the
inherent risks of innovation with
targeted rewards of success.
Identify existing and needed
resources. Budget development
and securing funding streams.

Key Personnel
•
•
•

Principal
Executive Director
of Teaching and
Learning
Marzano
Academies

Milestone
Date(s)
Spring 2017

Superintendent
Chief Academic
Officer
Principal
Marzano
Academies

Spring 2018

•
•
•

Principal
Core Team
Marzano
Academies

Spring 2018

•

Marzano
Academies
Principal
Chief Financial
Officer
Director of
Federal, State and
Special Grants

Spring 2018

•
•
•
•

•
•
•

Page 24 of 71

 2017-2018
Milestones
Parent &
Community
Engagement

Activity
Development of marketing plan
and materials.

Key Personnel
•
•
•

School Systems
& Culture

Dr. Robert Marzano provides
overview of Academy mission,
goals, concepts to whole staff.

•

Marzano
Academies
Chief
Communications
Officer
G&D and
Associates
Marzano
Academies

Milestone
Date(s)
Spring 2018

Summer 2018

Phase II: From Theory to Action
Phase II, which is anticipated for the spring of 2018 (technically, January 2018 – May 2019), will
mark the completion of school development and include final instructional staff hiring, building
completion, and the initiation of school enrollment.
2018-2019
Milestones
Instruction

Talent

Advocacy

Activity
Dr. Robert Marzano will work
with staff on:
• The New Art and Science of
Teaching
• Metacognitive and
Cognitive Scales
• Tiered Vocabulary
Implementation of the High
Reliability Teacher Certification.
Hiring of principal and staff.
Innovation plan completed and
submitted to WPS school board.
Innovation plan submitted to
Colorado Department of
Education.

Key Personnel
•
•
•

•
•
•
•
•
•

Resources

School budget included in
District adopted budget.

•
•

Parent &
Community
Engagement

Creation of PTA/PTO,
distribution of marketing
materials, parent open house.

•
•

Marzano
Academies
Principal
Assistant Principal

Marzano
Academies
Principal
Assistant Principal
Principal
Executive Director
of Teaching and
Learning
Chief Operating
Officer
Principal
Chief Financial
Officer
Principal
Marzano
Academies

Milestone
Date(s)
August 2018

March 2018

March 2018

June 2018
April 2018

Page 25 of 71

 Phase III: Implementation
Academy innovation plan contained herein will be implemented starting August 2018.

School Calendar and Schedule
LENGTH OF SCHOOL DAY
● The school day will begin at 8:00AM for all students and will run until 3:30 PM. Preschool will run from 8:30AM to 3:00PM.
● Extended day opportunities will run from 3:30 PM to 5:00 PM based on availability,
student interest and possible collaborations with outside groups.
● The school day will contain a 45-minute Focused Instructional Time (FIT) block, where
instruction will stop and all students are able to engage in personalized, targeted
learning opportunities. The addition of the FIT Block will extend the school day from
420 minutes to 450 minutes.
● This will provide the Academy a total of approximately 77,850 contact minutes with
students. This compares to Colorado STEM Academy and WAIS, two local innovation
schools with an extended school day. Likewise, exceeding the school day in traditional
elementary schools typically who have approximately 73,500 instructional minutes.
● The Academy will be adding 10 school days based on the additional 30 minutes of
instruction, or 2 school weeks, above the traditional elementary school, also in-line
with Colorado STEM Academy and WAIS.
● During the first year of implementation, we will survey our parents and community to
determine the level of support for an early release model (weekly, bi-weekly, and
monthly).
LENGTH OF CALENDAR YEAR
● Students will have the same length of calendar as WPS schools, approximately 173
school contact days. No changes will be made to breaks or holidays.
In the first year of the Academy, the teacher year will consist of a 195-day school calendar, or
hourly equivalent, which will extend ten days longer than the WPS teacher year of 185 days. In
the second year and beyond, the Academy will have a 190-day school calendar. A waiver has
been submitted to allow the school the flexibility needed to increase the school year. These
additional days will consist of a variety of structures, including full-day professional development
in-service days, summer data camps, and early release school days.
SCHOOL CONTRACT
The Academy will have a student parent contract that will ask for commitments around
behavior, attendance, parent involvement and academic excellence. This contract is provided at
Page 26 of 71

 the end of this document (Appendix B) and should be referenced for further detail on parent,
student and school commitments. Students will be required to wear approved school uniforms.
APPLICATION PROCESS
The Academy will utilize a comprehensive application that scores students across a distribution
of attendance, behavioral and academic data points. This process is designed to ensure that
students with great potential are not overlooked because they may be behind, have special needs
or are learning English as a second language. For the full process and application process see
(Appendix B).

Special Populations
CULTURALLY AND LINGUISTICALLY DIVERSE LEARNERS
The Academy is committed to working with all students, irrespective of labels. Culturally and
Linguistically Diverse Learners are supported through the implementation of the Sheltered
Instruction approach using On Our Way to English curriculum. Students are guided to construct
meaning by scaffolding the instruction starting at the instructional level of each student. The
students will have the opportunity to demonstrate understanding of concepts and skills through
different assessments such as:
●
●
●
●

Hands on activities
Group tasks or projects
Performance-based assessments
Instruction by a highly-qualified language teacher

The Academy shall ensure that ELL students and their parents or guardians are aware of school
activities and other opportunities at the school in a language they understand.
SPECIAL EDUCATION
● Special Education teachers use a co-teaching and push-in blended service model.
Lessons are differentiated to ensure the success of all students in the class. Data is
disaggregated and monitored to ensure that all students are successful. Special
education teachers participate in personalized job-embedded professional learning to
support the development of all skills across content areas.
SUPPORT SERVICES MODEL
● There is a school-wide system of support for students’ social-emotional and
behavioral development. The use of the Positive Behavior Intervention Support (PBIS)
and the District’s classroom management code of conduct will provide materials and
curriculum to sustain this school-wide design.
Page 27 of 71

 ● Students who continue to experience academic difficulty or miss assignments will be
required to meet with parents and administration to develop a plan for academic
success using our student contract.
In addition to direct program instruction required by law, the Academy will have a team of
interventionists comprising special education (SPED) specialists, culturally and linguistically
diverse (CLD) specialists, and Title 1 teachers. Using the WPS Blended Services instructional
model, students will be grouped by academic need not by any particular label a student might
have. Through the use of this flexible grouping model all interventionist staff work in concert in
order to provide targeted services to any student who is in need. This approach is an integrated
response to remove the isolated intervention strategies that is typical in most elementary
settings.

Recruitment and Hiring
Colorado is facing a teacher shortage. Recent reports estimate Colorado has approximately 5,000
educator openings a year, with supply not keeping up with demand. The effect of decreasing
enrollments in teacher preparation programs compounded by attrition, Colorado loses about 16
percent of new teacher within their first five years, means schools must look at alternatives to
the traditional methods of recruitment and hiring 11. We can no longer rely on the traditional
system of higher education to provide us with teachers. Non-traditional candidates, schoolbased teacher preparation programs where teacher candidates can learn from veteran teachers,
and hiring for potential or talent rather than experience will ensure we place the best
individual(s) in front of our students. In the new order, schools will need creativity and flexibility
in addressing the talent shortage.
In our recruiting and hiring process the Academy will be seeking waivers from teacher licensure
requirements and some flexibility in removing new hires that are not the right fit for the school.
Academy leadership, teachers, and support staff will be hired on an at-will basis. This will allow
us to:
• Recruit non-traditional candidates,
• Pursue alternative certifications,
• Create alternative pay structures—performance pay plans, bonuses, and/or other
incentives and rewards.
• Enhance the workplace environment by ensuring that teachers who want to work in
our model are surrounded by like-minded individuals and those who do not support
the model are afforded the opportunity to look for alternative employment.
iNACOL has identified teacher competencies for an effective teacher in a “blended learning”
model, an approach that aligns closely with our Competency Based System. 12 Organized around
Colorado’s Teacher Shortages: Attracting and Retaining Excellent Educators, Colorado Department of Higher
Education
12
Inacol Blended Learning Teacher Competency Framework
11

Page 28 of 71

 four broad domains, the Framework will provide guidance to the Academy in designing selection
criteria for potential candidates. The four domains are:
•

•
•
•

Mindsets: Core beliefs that guide an individual’s thinking, behaviors, and actions, and
that align with the goals of education change and mission. Practitioners need to
understand, adopt, and commit to mindsets that help them shift towards new forms
of teaching and learning.
Qualities: Those personal characteristics and patterns of behavior that help academic
staff make the transition to new ways of teaching and learning: qualities like grit,
flexibility, and transparency.
Adaptive Skills: Skills such as collaboration and problem-solving that help
practitioners tackle new tasks or develop solutions in situations that require
organizational learning and innovation.
Technical Skills: Domain specific “know how” and expertise.

Professional Development
Teachers will be supported through a robust system of highly trained leadership and robust
professional development services. The Academy will work with Marzano Research to create a
specific, teacher professional development plan. In order to ensure a successful program,
teachers must participate in the following professional development:
● Staff retreat over summer break in order to:
o Analyze data and participate in master planning for the school year, including the
drafting of the school’s Unified Improvement Plan as well as any updates to the
Innovation Plan.
o Participate in Marzano professional development workshops.
● Ongoing professional development in New Art and Science of Teaching, tiered
vocabulary instruction, Knowledge MapsTM, Sentence Stems, Coding, Kagan
Structures, Problem-Based Learning (PBL), CLD, CBS, any other Academy topics and
instructional delivery.
● New Teacher Institute (NTI) for new teachers as designed by the WPS Learning
Services team and implemented before the school year.
● Ongoing trainings necessary for the completion of New Teacher Institute during the
school year.
ENCOURAGED PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Although not mandatory, teachers are encouraged to engage in staff development in the
following areas:
● Teaching in poverty
● Classroom management
Page 29 of 71

 ● Differentiated instruction
● Specific contents (PE, Art, Music, et al)
Sample Teacher Training Program
Type of Training
Attendance
Beginning of the year Mandatory
staff retreat.

Ongoing CLD training

Mandatory

Ongoing personalized Encouraged
training

Description
Whole team instructional planning for the school.
This will range from data driven analysis and
action plan building to instructional needs and
culture and climate. The direction for the building
will be set during this critical time.
In monthly meetings after school the staff will
explore and learn to use CLD instructional
techniques for English language learners.
As needed, teachers will continue to grow
professionally by investigating best practices in all
content areas and sharing their learning’s with
staff.

Evaluation and Retention
Coaching is critical to helping teachers advance in their pedagogical skills. For example, once a
teacher has identified his or her skill level on the developmental scale, it is fairly straight
forward to coach teachers to the next level. All academy teachers will be assigned a coach to
help teachers develop a general understanding of the pedagogy and identify his or her errors or
omissions in the use of the strategy.
4
Innovating
3
Applying
2
Developing
1
Beginning
0
Not Using

The coach helps the teacher adapt strategies or create new strategies that meet
the needs of students for whom the typical use of the strategy does not work.
The coach helps the teacher understand the desired effect on students for the
strategy and helps the teacher develop strategies to monitor whether the
strategy is having the desired effect in the classroom.
The coach helps the teacher eliminate errors in the use of the strategy.
The coach helps the teacher understand or develop the steps in the strategy.
The coach facilitates the teacher’s initial trials of the strategy.
The coach explains why the strategy is important and provides a general sense
of the strategy.

Input from the coach, observation by the principal, and input from Marzano Academies on
teacher professional growth will all be elements in the teacher evaluation process.

Page 30 of 71

 In the 2018-2019 school year, we will develop and pilot a competency-based teacher evaluation
tool that uses a development scale and acknowledges and supports teacher growth to replace
the current evaluation model used by the District. See Appendix G.
Due to the high cost, in terms of time, talent and treasure, and providing professional
development to staff in this innovation model, the Academy will strive to minimize staff turnover.
Access to individualized coaching and direct support from Dr. Robert Marzano will identify
struggling teachers early and allow for additional support and intervention to support
professional growth and lead to individual success.

Compensation
Teachers will be provided with additional compensation for additional time. In addition, if a
teacher attains highly reliable teacher status, s/he will have the opportunity to receive
compensation from Marzano Research for mentoring future highly reliable teacher candidates.

Stakeholder Engagement
Building on the history and success of the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) of John E. Flynn
Elementary, the Academy we will continue to support and grow this partnership. The PTA
conducts several fundraisers each year, as well as organizes several school social events
including: Moms and Muffins, Dads and Doughnuts, a holiday bake sale, and a Spring Dance.
The Academy will also continue its close relationship with the WPS Board of Education (BOE)
through our Board Liaison. This rotating position will help the Academy share information about
our building with the BOE and will be a conduit for support, if necessary.
PARENT LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT
The Academy believes great schools work beyond just the classroom walls. This is most
exemplified by a robust parent community. However, parent participation needs to move
beyond simply helping students with homework at night. Successful schools find ways to bring
parents into the school, include them in decision-making processes (when appropriate), and help
build their capacity to support their child’s education. The Academy will achieve these goals
through the following programs:
●
●
●
●

Parent Academy for Student Success (PASS)
Rachel’s Challenge
Building Accountability Advisory Committee (BAAC)
Parents have opportunities for involvement through participation in after school events
and activities such as Family Literacy Nights, Fitness Nights, and PTA events.
● Parents serve on school committees and organizations.

Page 31 of 71

 ● The Academy provides regular communication with parents about student progress and
performance.
● As homework assignments become increasingly more difficult, parents are expected to
monitor assignment completion using the rubric provided.
● Parents have online access to classrooms assignments, resources, and are able to track
student progress through online access to grades and projects through Empower.
STUDENT LEADERSHIP TEAM
Students will participate in the Academy student council governance team. Each class will have
one or two representatives who will make recommendations to the governance team on behalf
of the student body, for curriculum-related activities, projects (including the personal project),
field trips and events that support their learning.
PARTNERS
●
●
●
●
●
●

Marzano Research Laboratories (MRL)
Rachel’s Challenge
Lomie G. Heard Elementary School a Marzano Academy
SpringBoard After School Care
AdvancEd
Denver Museum of Nature and Science

School Leadership and Governance Structure
The Academy will have a shared leadership and governance model. Some decision making will
fall within the responsibility of the principal and school administration and some will be under
the direction of Marzano Academies. The following table outlines the general responsibilities of
each party:
Westminster Public Schools: District and
School
• Hiring, retention, and dismissal of
staff
• Hiring, retention, and dismissal of
administration
• Management and Maintenance of
physical plant
• Budget
• Core content (ELA, math, science,
social studies) materials and activities
that can be tagged to the proficiency
scales.

Marzano Academies
•
•
•
•
•
•

School instructional and leadership
evaluation
Student and teacher instructional
resources
Curriculum, assessment, Marzano Tier
1 Vocabulary Program
Professional development services
Whole school on-site and virtual
professional development workshops
Individual professional development
plans for each staff member
Page 32 of 71

 •

Student safety and discipline

•
•

School leadership development
services
Monitoring of continuous
improvement

Decisions are divided into three major areas, command, consultative and collaborative decisions,
each decided by the appropriate person(s) or committees.
Command decisions: The principal makes these decisions, which involve student safety, staffing,
personnel, evaluation, hiring, dismissing and budgetary decisions.
Consultative decisions: Student discipline is a consultative decision made by the principal,
assistant principal, and mental health interventionists on a case-by-case basis.
Instructional action plans, such as those found in the Unified Improvement Plan, are decided
upon through a consultative process involving the Building Leadership Team and Marzano
Academies. The BLT is composed of the Principal, AP, and teachers from primary, intermediate,
specials, and interventions and meet bi-monthly.
Collaborative decisions: Decisions that impact culture and climate in the building such as
revamping the code of conduct, hosting an after school event, facilitating a club, or instituting a
new positive behavioral support system are decisions made collaboratively by all stakeholders
affected by the initiative. In these settings the principal, assistant principal, BLT member, teacher,
student, parents etc. are all equal stakeholders in the process and decisions are made
collaboratively.
Community input: Specifically parents but any interested members, will be solicited through the
BAAC for items such as discretionary budgetary items, school accountability, and discussion of
shared goals as they relate to culture, climate, and student achievement.
Monitoring and Implementing the Innovation Plan: The innovation plan is implemented and
monitored by the BLT and staff from Marzano Academies. Both the UIP and Innovation plan will
be integrated so that there is one document that drives the philosophical and operational
direction of the building.
SCHOOL LEADERSHIP ACCOUNTABILITY SUPERVISION
As the execution of the mission and vision is the most essential function of building leadership, a
supervisory and support structure for the school principal must be in place.
The Academy’s principal will receive support through bi-monthly visits and walkthroughs by his
or her direct district level supervisor and staff from the Academy. The district level supervisor
will assist with issues as they arise and also ensure that the principal is keeping up with district
level expectations, deadlines and mandates.
Page 33 of 71

 Budget
The Academy’s principal will ensure that the necessary resources, including time, money,
personnel, and materials, are allocated to accomplish the school’s goals. This will require
flexibility and site-based latitude to cut back on or dropping initiatives not aligned to the
academic goals. It is also clear from Dr. Marzano’s forty years of research analysis that meaningful
financial commitments must be dedicated to professional development. Therefore, a new
funding model is needed by the Academy.
In the traditional budget environment, WPS provides schools with staffing based on a student to
teacher ratio and a per pupil amount for supplies and materials. To maximize the autonomy
allowed under innovation, a site-based funding model will be applied to the Academy. The
funding model for the Academy outlined below provides the school direct access to, and
oversight of, funding:
Allocations
Revenues
Student Base
Amount
Kindergarten Base
Amount
READ ACT
At-Risk

Per Pupil Allocation
$7,706

Additional Allocation: Hold Harmless
Expenses*
Utilities
Districtwide Services

$4,585
$274
$200

Number of Students
207
51
104
170
Sub-Total Revenues
Total Revenues

Total
$1,595,142
$233,859
$28,496
$34,000
$1,891,497
$198,815
$2,090,312

($39,735)
($239,271)
Sub-Total Expenses
($279,006)
Grand Total School Allocation
$1,811,306
*The District will continue to pay the full-cost of utilities, general maintenance to the building,
food service, and provide general human resource functions such as payroll, business functions,
and benefits administration. The figures represented here are the “pay-back” the school will be
charged for these services.
Using the total school allocation, the Academy will annually review its needs—both
instructionally and non-instructionally—and develop the budget accordingly. The proposed
2018-2019 budget reflects the Academy’s needs. Waivers requested through the Innovation Plan
will allow the school flexibility and fluidity in increasing/decreasing the number of staff needed

Page 34 of 71

 in any given year, allow for site-based collaboration on extended calendar day/extended school
day compensation, and ultimately leads to greater autonomy in the budgeting process.
Budget Detail

Licensed/Administrative Staffing
Position
FTE
Administration*
2.0
Teachers*
12.0
Total Licensed/Administrative Staffing
ESP (Non-Certified) Staffing
FTE
3

Position
Non-Instructional (i.e.,
Secretary/Custodians)*
Instructional (i.e., librarian, building aides)*

Substitutes
Additional Calendar Days/Extended
School Days (as described in Plan)

Salary/Benefits
$186,953

3
Total ESP Staffing

Supplies and Services
Description
Program
Reserve (5%) to be distributed if school
Contingency
reaches projected enrollment
Supplies/Materials
Instructional/NonInstructional
Total Supplies and Services
Program Description
Benefit Payout

Salary/Benefits
$242,458
$983,040
$1,225,498

Additional Pay
Program
Instructional/NonInstructional
Instructional
Instructional/Staff
Development
Total Additional Days

$135,319
$322,272
Budget

$104,509
$35,662
$140,171

Budget

$34,960
$27,084
$61,321
$123,365

Budget Check Figure

Total Budget Expenditures
$1,811,306
Total School Allocations
$1,811,306
*All salaries and benefits are calculated off the average for each professional group.
Additional Resources Provided by the District Outside of School Allocation
The District will continue to provide the Academy with special instructional service personnel:
special education, Culturally Linguistically Different (ESL), E-Care (early learning staff above the
Page 35 of 71

 kindergarten funding provide in school allocation), and Title I support. These allocations will be
based on student needs and will fluctuate year-to-year.
Implementation Costs Outside of School Funding Allocation
Professional Services and materials support provided by Marzano Academies will be funded over
a two-year implementation period by non-general fund revenue. Title II-A funds will be the
primary support for the professional development, monitoring and mentoring of highly effective
teachers, implementation of individual professional development plans for teachers, and related
support materials to be provided by Marzano Academies. The anticipated support to be provided
by the Title II-A grant funding is $207,000.
In-Kind Contribution and Support
Dr. Robert Marzano, cofounder and Chief Academic Officer of Marzano Research, is donating his
time to the success of this project.

Facilities and General Operations
In the 2015-2016 school year, the school went through extensive renovations and upgrades.
Work included the addition of air-conditioning, new lighting, a new office and secured entry to
enhance safety, updated technology infrastructure (wiring, cabling, internet access points), and
new flooring and paint. These upgrades provide the school flexibility in:
• Designing an extended day/extended year calendar (with air-conditioning summer
heat is no longer an issue).
• Enhancing teaching and learning through the expansion of technology (the school
now has a strong technology backbone infrastructure).
• Use of space for program expansion (the redesign anticipated future growth and
incorporated flexible learning spaces throughout the building).

Accountability and Supervision
Accountability is more than a promise of change. The district, in committing significant financial
and human resources into the Academy expects high-yielding results. Just like our teachers have
three-week data cycles, principals too meet regularly with supervisors. The focus of these
meetings is continuous improvement, and to address any challenges faced by the principal, staff,
and/or students.
In meeting with the principal, the evaluator:
● Discusses balancing achievement with improvement
○ How do we balance the need for achievement with incremental improvement?
○ How much growth is expected and achievable?
● Communicates specific demands
○ What are the principal’s goals and how is s/he achieving them?
Page 36 of 71

 ○ How is the principal holding staff accountable?
● Focuses on student learning
○ How does the principal communicate to staff, students, and families the value
s/he places on student achievement?
○ How often, and in what ways, does the principal monitor learning?
● Ensures frequency of observation, evaluation, and feedback
○ The evaluator meets with the principal on the two to three week cycle.

District Systems
The purpose of Colorado’s Innovation Schools Act is to improve educational performance
through greater school autonomy in staffing, scheduling, programming and resource allocation.
As we reflected on State Statutes, WPS Board of Education Policies, and articles in the WPS/WEA
Master Agreement that may present challenges to our success. Listed below are the proposed
innovations, waivers requested, and a rationale for why the waivers are requested.
WAIVERS REQUESTED
See Appendix A for a detailed description of Replacement Policies/Practices
STATE POLICIES – COLORADO REVISED STATUTES
TIME AND TEACHING/WORKING CONDITIONS
C.R.S. 22-32-109(1)(n)(I) – Local Board Duties Concerning School Calendar
Waiver from this statute allows the Academy to use its own method for determining a school
calendar.
C.R.S. 22-32-109(1)(n)(II)(A) – Determine Teacher-Pupil Contact Hours
Waiver from this statute allows the Academy to use its own method for setting teacher-pupil
contact hours.
C.R.S. 22-32-109(1)(n)(II)(B) – Adopt District Calendar
Waiver from this statute allows the Academy to use its own method for determining a school
calendar.
C.R.S. 22-32-109(1)(t) – Educational Program and Selection of Textbooks
Waiver from this statute allows the Academy to determine its own educational programs and
have direct oversight and decision-making on textbook selection.
C.R.S. 22-32-110(1)(k) – In Service Training
Waiver from this statute allows the Academy to determine its own needs for in-service training
and professional growth.
C.R.S. 22-32-118 – Summer Schools, Continuation, Evening and Community Education Programs
Waiver from this statute allows the Academy to use its own method for determining a summer
school schedule/school calendar.
COMPENSATION
Page 37 of 71

 C.R.S. 22-32-109(1)(f) – Local Board Duties Concerning Selection of Personnel and Pay
Waiver from this statute allows the Academy to use its own method for selecting and paying
teachers.
C.R.S. 22-63-401 – Teachers Subject to Adopted Salary Schedule
Waiver from this statute allows the Academy to develop its own compensation system.
C.R.S. 22-63-402 – License and Letter of Authorization Required in Order to Pay Teachers
Waiver from this statute allows the Academy to adopt its own policy for fair compensation of
instructional staff.
C.R.S. 22-63-403 – Payment of Salaries
Waiver from this statute allows the Academy to adopt its own policy for fair compensation of
instructional staff upon dismissal.
EMPLOYMENT AND EVALUATION
C.R.S. 22-63-201 – Employment – License Required – Exception.
Waiver from this statute allows the Academy to verify to the District the qualifications of teachers
for the purpose of complying with federal law.
C.R.S. 22-63-202 Contracts in Writing, Duration, and Damage Provision
Waiver from this statute allows the Academy to issue its own employment offer letters.
C.R.S. 22-63-203 Renewal and Nonrenewal of Employment Contract
Waiver from this statute allows the Academy to use its own method for determining the
conditions for continued employment or termination of licensed staff.
C.R.S. 22-63-206 – Transfer of Teachers
Waiver from this statute allows the Academy not to have the District transfer teachers into the
school.
C.R.S. 22-63-301 – Grounds for Dismissal
Waiver from this statute allows the Academy to set its own policy for dismissal.
C.R.S. 22-63-302 – Procedure for Dismissal
Waiver from this statute allows the Academy to develop its own procedure for dismissal.
C.R.S. 22-9-106 – Local Board Duties Concerning Performance Evaluations for Licensed
Personnel
Waiver from this statute allows the Academy to use its own method for evaluating licensed
personnel.
C.R.S. 22-32-110(1)(h) – Local Board Powers Concerning Employment Termination of School
Personnel
Waiver from this statute allows the Academy to use its own method for terminating school
personnel.
C.R.S. 22-63-202: Contracts in Writing, Duration, Damage, Provision, Human Resource
Management
Waiver from this statute allows the Academy to use its own contracts, hiring procedures,
termination procedures, and withdraw from mutual consent procedures. All contracts will be in
writing and with the school not the district. Academy teachers hired following the adoption of
the school’s innovation plan shall be on annual contracts which expire at the end of each
Page 38 of 71

 contract year. All Academy employees, including teachers, will be at-will employees. The
Academy has the right to refuse transfers of teachers from the district.
WESTMINSTER PUBLIC SCHOOLS BOARD POLICIES
TIME AND TEACHING/WORKING CONDITIONS
Policy GCHC – Professional Staff Induction
Waiver from this policy allows the Academy to opt out of District-mandated induction
procedures. The Academy will not opt out of Culturally Linguistically Diverse (CLD) mandated
training.
Policy GCI – Professional Staff Development Opportunities
Waiver from this policy allows the Academy to opt out of District-mandated professional
development.
Policy IC/ICA – School Year/School Calendar/School Day
Waiver from this policy allows the Academy to opt out of the District calendar and District
recommendations for length of school day.
Policy GDJ – ESP Payment Schedule, Work Week, and Work Day
Waiver from this policy allows the Academy to set payment schedule, work week, and work day
for Educational Support Professionals.
Policy IHA-R – Educational Program
Waiver from this policy allows the Academy to incorporate individual and career academic plans
into our problem-based learning model.
Policy IHBB – Gifted and Talented Education
Waiver from this policy allows the Academy to follow state procedures to determine placement
of gifted students, advanced learning plans, and professional development.
Policy IJJ-A and IIJ-B – Textbook selection/ Adoption Form and Procedure
Waiver from this policy allows the Academy to select appropriate educational materials to
enhance our focus on Marzano Academies curriculum, instructional resources, and personal
project learning model.
EMPLOYMENT AND EVALUATION
Policies GCE/GCF – Professional Staff Recruiting/Hiring
Waiver from this policy allows the Academy to develop its own procedures for recruiting, hiring,
and appointing candidates to open positions.
Policy GCF - Professional Staff Assignments and Transfers
Waiver from this policy allows the Academy to opt out of voluntary and involuntary transfers.
Policy GCJ – Staffing New Schools
Waiver from this policy allows the Academy to select teaching staff directly.
Policy GDE/GDF – ESP Recruiting, Posting, and Hiring
Waiver from this policy allows the Academy to select non-teaching staff directly and meet or
exceed the requirements for the selection process utilized by the District.

Page 39 of 71

 MISCELLANEOUS
Policy DFG – Income from Vocational/ Technical School Shop Sales and Services
Waiver from this policy allows the Academy to raise finances through an entrepreneurial program
with students.
Policy JQ – Student Fees, Fines, and Charges
Waiver from this policy allows the Academy to adopt our own procedures for student fees, fines,
and charges.
Policy GCJ – Staffing New Schools
Waiver from this policy allows the Academy the flexibility in creating and implementing a hiring
process that meetings building specific needs.
WESTMINSTER PUBLIC SCHOOLS COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENT
LICENSED AGREEMENT WAIVERS
Article

Summary of Article(s)

Recognition and Representation
L3 – Recognition
Westminster Education
Association (WEA) is
L4 – General Provisions
L5 – Conducting Negotiations exclusive representative of
and negotiating agent for
L6 – Grievance Procedure
L9 – Right to Representation licensed staff, to include:
Master Agreement and
L32 – Association Rights
Salary Negotiations,
L33 – Dues Deduction
Grievances, Representation.
L36 – Instructional Advisory
Committee
L37 – Term of Agreement/
Interim Negotiations
Teaching Conditions
L7 – Transfers
These articles outline the
length of school year,
L8 – Teaching Conditions
planning and professional
L10 – Teacher Exchange
development days, planning
L11 – Job Sharing
periods, transfer rights,
L12 – Teacher Evaluation
evaluation, seniority, job
L13 – Reduction in Force
assignment, participation on
L14 – Teaching Assignments
building committees, teacher
L25 – Professional
input in planning in-service,
Relationships
and protection from
L26 – Professional
censorship.
Responsibilities
L31 – Academic Freedom

Replacement Policy or
Practice
The Westminster Public
Schools Human Resources
Department will assume the
role and duties currently
provided by WEA.

The principal, in consultation
with Marzano Academies and
the school leadership team
will mutually agree upon the
length of school year/day,
the amount of planning time
allocated to staff, the design
and content of professional
development. The District
will not make direct
placement of teachers to the
Academy, or direct
Page 40 of 71

 Article

Administrative Vacancies
L15 – Administrative
Vacancies

Personnel Files
L16 – Personnel Files

Teacher Facilities
L17 – Teacher Facilities

Class Size
L20 – Class Size

Summary of Article(s)

Replacement Policy or
Practice
placement within the
Academy. The principal will
have flexibility in placing
employees in teaching
positions, including the
consideration of a teacher’s
endorsement area when
making decisions.

This article requires all
administrative and
supervisory vacancies be
posted in all district
buildings. All interested
teachers may submit an
application for said positions.

Given the significant
investments in time,
treasure, and talent at the
Academy, administrative
vacancies will first be opened
to qualified internal
candidates. If the position is
not able to be filled by
internal candidates, the
position will then be opened
to a wider audience.

This article outlines what will
and will not be placed in a
teachers personnel file.

Teachers will continue to
have access their file for
review, be provided an
opportunity to contest any
document placed in the file,
and provide written replies
to such material as they
challenge. This process will
be handled by the
Department of Human
Resources.

Recognizes the importance of Staff will have input into
the facility and the building’s building use and
environment to the teaching environment.
and learning process.
Teachers have the right to
contest class size to principal
and/or his/her supervisor.

Teachers will be able to bring
class size concerns to the
principal.
Page 41 of 71

 Article
Curriculum & Instruction
L18 – Curriculum
L19 – Instructional Materials

Medical Examination
L21 – Medical Examination

Leave
L22 – Cumulative Leave
L23 – Sick Bank Leave
L24 – Other Leaves
L29 – Personal Injury Leave
Insurance
L27 – Liability Insurance
Coverage
L28 – Personal Property
L35 – Insurance
Protection From Assaults
L30 – Protection From
Assaults

Summary of Article(s)

Replacement Policy or
Practice

These articles speak to
teacher participation in
planning, reviewing, and
adopting curricular and
instructional materials.

Marzano Academies provides
all instructional materials.
Marzano Academies, the
principal, and building
leadership team will
continually monitor the
viability of the curriculum
and make needed
adjustments as determined
at the building level.

Requires new teachers to
obtain pre-employment
health checks. District retains
right, at its expense, to
require additional health
checks during employment.

Teachers will still be required
to obtain pre-employment
health checks. Additionally, if
the Academy deems
additional health checks
necessary, it can require the
teacher obtain the
examination at the
school/District’s expense.

These articles outline the
type, and amount of, leave
provided to employees.

The District will continue to
offer these benefits to the
staff at the Academy to at
least commensurate with
other district employees.

These articles outline the
liability, health and medical
benefits, and supplemental
insurance available to
employees.

The District will continue to
offer these benefits to the
staff at the Academy to at
least commensurate with
other district employees.

This article outlines steps
taken in the event a teacher
is accused of an assault, is a
victim of an assault, or has
property damaged during an
assault.

Teachers accused of an
assault will still be required
to immediately report the
circumstances thereof to the
principal and follow the
District’s procedures in these
cases. Teachers who are
Page 42 of 71

 Article

Compensation
L34 – Compensation

Summary of Article(s)

Replacement Policy or
Practice
victims of assault will file a
complaint with the principal
for investigation—teachers
maintain the expectation of a
violence free workplace.

This article, in concert with
Appendices A, B-1, B-2, and C
to the Agreement, outlines
the compensation and
compensation formulas.

Teachers will be
compensated, at a minimum,
in accordance with the salary
schedule annually adopted
by the District and as
modified by the Academy or
the District to account for
performance of the
Academy.

Summary of Article(s)

Replacement Policy or
Practice

ESP AGREEMENT WAIVERS
Article

Recognition and Representation
E2 - Retained Rights
Westminster Education
E3 – Recognition
Association (WEA) is
exclusive representative of
E4 – General Provisions
E5 – Conducting Negotiations and negotiating agent for ESP
staff, to include:
E6 – Conflict Resolution
Master Agreement and
E15 – Association Rights
Salary Negotiations,
E16 – Dues Deduction
Grievances, Representation
E20 – Classified Advisory
Committee
E21 – Term of Agreement/
Interim Negotiations
Working Conditions
E7 – Transfers
These articles outline the
workday/work week,
E8 – Disciplinary Actions
assignment, supervision,
E9 – Reduction in Force
transfer rights, evaluation,
E19 – Working Conditions
seniority, job assignment,
reduction in force,
participation on building
committees, ESP input in

The Westminster Public
Schools Human Resources
Department will assume the
role and duties currently
provided by WEA.

The principal, in consultation
with Marzano Academies and
the school leadership team
will mutually agree upon the
length of school day/week,
the design and content of
professional development,
job assignments. The
Page 43 of 71

 Article

Summary of Article(s)
planning in-service, and
discipline.

Personnel Files
E10 – Personnel Files

Leave
E12 – Personal Injury Leave
E13 – Bereavement Leave

Insurance
E11 – Liability Insurance
Coverage
E14 – Personal Property
E18 – Insurance
Compensation
E17 – Compensation

Replacement Policy or
Practice
Academy in consultation with
the Westminster Public
Schools Human Resources
Department will define rules
for transfers, discipline, and
reduction in force. The
Academy will reserve the
right to opt out of transfer of
ESP between schools, on a
case-by-case basis.

This article outlines what will
and will not be placed in an
ESP’s personnel file.

ESP staff will continue to
have access their file for
review, be provided an
opportunity to contest any
document placed in the file,
and provide written replies
to such material as they
challenge. This process will
be handled by the
Department of Human
Resources.

These articles outline the
type, and amount of, leave
provided to employees.

The District will continue to
offer these benefits to the
staff at the Academy to at
least commensurate with
other district employees.

These articles outline the
liability, health and medical
benefits, and supplemental
insurance available to
employees.

The District will continue to
offer these benefits to the
staff at the Academy to at
least commensurate with
other district employees.

This article, in concert with
Appendices A and B to the
Agreement, outlines the
compensation and
compensation formulas.

ESP staff will be
compensated, at a minimum,
in accordance with the salary
schedule annually adopted
by the District and as
modified by the Academy or
Page 44 of 71

 Article

Summary of Article(s)

Replacement Policy or
Practice
the District to account for
performance of the
Academy.

SUMMARY OF RATIONALE FOR WAIVERS REQUESTED—STATE, LOCAL, & NEGOTIATED
Rationale for Innovation
Employment and Evaluation

Compensation

Time and Teaching

To strategically exit low performing staff and retain effective
staff with qualities and credentials in alignment with the
innovation plan, the Academy requires the authority to
establish its own termination and dismissal policies and
procedures.
To strategically recruit, hire, and retain staff with qualities and
credentials in alignment with the innovation plan, the Academy
requires the authority to select staff and set rates of pay. In
order to do this, the Academy requires the authority and
flexibility to determine compensation schedules and set rates of
pay at or above existing schedules.
To effectively implement the innovation plan the Academy
requires increased flexibility around scheduling, the use of time,
including but not limited to student learning time and teacher
planning time thus the school requires waivers to determine its
own school year and school day calendar.
To implement the program as outlined in the innovation plan,
one that is sufficiently rigorous and engaging to meet the needs
of students, the Academy requires the authority and flexibility
to determine its own educational program and curricular
materials.

Page 45 of 71

 Appendix A
STATE POLICIES – COLORADO REVISED STATUTES
To enhance the ability of John E. Flynn a Marzano Academy (the Academy) to innovate, the school
is requesting the following Colorado Revised Statutes be waived.
Description

Action

Statute to be Waived Replacement Policy
or Practice
Teacher
The Academy will
C.R.S. 22-63-201
The Academy will
Employment,
make hiring decisions
verify to the District
Compensation and
for non-core content
the qualifications of
Dismissal Act of 1990 teachers based on its
teachers for the
Employment
own criteria.
purpose of complying
required-exception.
with federal and
state law. In order to
comply with ESSA
Title II A
requirements, all
core content
instructional staff
employed at the
Academy will have a
valid teaching license
and meet subject
matter competency
requirements for the
teaching subject.
Local Boards of
Delegate authority to C.R.S. 22-32-209(1)(f) The Academy will
Education—Duties
the Academy to
select teaching staff
Local Board duties
select staff and set
directly and set rates
concerning selection rates of pay.
of pay based on
of personnel and pay.
school policy for any
additional hours.
Schedule and
Calendar

Delegate authority to
the Academy to
establish its own
calendar.

Actual hours of
teacher-pupil

C.R.S. 22-32109(1)(N)(L)

C.R.S. 22-32109(n)(II)(A)

The Academy will
exceed statutory
minimums for
calendar, hours of
teacher pupil contact
and schedule, subject
to District oversight.
The Academy will
Page 46 of 71

 instruction and
contact
School Calendar

C.R.S. 22-32109(n)(II)(B)

have authority to
establish its own
calendar, including
professional
development days, or
days off that may
differ from the
district.

DISTRICT POLICIES – BOARD OF EDUCATION POLICIES
To enhance the ability of John E. Flynn a Marzano Academy (the Academy) to innovate, the school
requests the following WPS Board of Education Policies be waived.
Description

Action

Professional Staff
Assignments and
Transfers
Administrative staff
recommends
licensed personnel
for transfer to
Superintendent.

Exempts the
Academy from
involuntary or
voluntary transfer of
licensed personnel.

Professional and ESP
Staff
Recruiting/Hiring
The District handles
hiring, recruiting,
background checks
and appointment of
position to be filled
at schools and other
District facilities.

Delegates to the
Academy the ability
to recruit for, hire
and appoint
candidates for
positions; the
Academy will be
responsible for
complying with
statutory due process
expectations when
applicable.
Waives the provision
that teachers new to
the District and
employed at the

Professional Staff
Induction
Induction program is
conducted jointly by

Board of Education
Policy to be Waived
GCF

GCE/GCF

GCHC

Replacement Policy
or Practice
The Academy will not
participate in
transfer of licensed
personnel, but
reserves the right to
hire licensed
personnel that, in the
principal’s discretion,
fits the needs of the
students and vision
of the school.
The Academy has
authority to pursue
recruiting, hiring, and
appointment of
suitable candidates
on its own; will seek
the support of
Human Resources
when handling
recruiting, hiring, and
appointment of
candidates.
The Academy will
largely utilize District
induction
procedures, which
Page 47 of 71

 the central
administration and
individual schools.

Academy will have to
participate in District
mandated induction
activities.

Professional Staff
Development
Opportunities
The District shall
mandate and provide
for professional
growth
opportunities.

Delegates to the
Academy the ability
to supplement or
replace District
required professional
development
activities.

GCI

ESP Recruiting,
Posting, and Hiring
The District is
responsible for
recruiting, posting,
and hiring of ESP.

Waives the provision
that the District
recruits, posts
positions, and hires
ESP.

GDE/GDF

School Year/School
Calendar/School Day
The Superintendent
supervises the
development and
implementation of
the District calendar.

Waives the provision
to follow the District
calendar and District
recommendations for
staff development.

IC/ICA

comply with state
law, but adopt
additional standards
so they are aligned
with instructional
programs at the
Academy, as well as
the teacher profile.
The Academy will
utilize District
professional
development
opportunities where
it aligns with the
adopted standards
and the instructional
programs at the
Academy, as well as
the teacher profile.
Additional
professional
development will be
offered in
conjunction with the
Academy goals.
The Academy will
select non-teaching
staff directly and
meet or exceed the
requirements for the
selection process
utilized by the
District.
The Academy will
develop its own
annual calendar and
set length of school
day, and thus meet
or exceed the
minimum standards
of the District and
state.

Page 48 of 71

 Appendix B

Student Enrollment Application
Parent’s Name: _________________________________________________________
Phone Number: _________________________________________________________
Address: ______________________________________________________________
Student’s Name: ________________________________________________________
Prior School Name: ______________________________________________________
Prior School Address: ____________________________________________________
Prior School Phone Number: ______________________________________________
Current Grade Level: ____________________________________________________

Page 49 of 71

 Thank you for your interest in our school programming and for your patience during our
application process. At the Academy, we strongly believe in a robust screening process
in order to ensure that all of our new students are successful members of our learning
community. Our program is fun and engaging but very rigorous. In order to ensure that
students succeed in this program, we feel it’s necessary for both parents and students to
understand the commitments required in order to be successful.
The following is a checklist of the materials we will need from parents in order to process
the application. Please note the descriptors in italics, as not all items will be necessary
depending on if the student is a current Westminster Public Schools (WPS) student or an
external transfer.
Once the application is completed you will be contacted if further testing is needed, such
as a Scantron assessment, as well as with instructions for how to register your student
online and the payment of fees.
____1. Most recent Scantron Scores only necessary for current WPS students
a. Literacy____
b. Math____
____2. Empower proficiency rates or non-CBS equivalent only necessary for current
WPS students.
a. Literacy______
b. Math________
____3. DIBELS Composite Score
Blue_____ Green____ Yellow_____ Red______
____4. Attendance/Behavioral records
____5. Writing Sample
____6. Parent Contract
____7. Teacher Recommendation Form
____ 8. Interest Survey

Page 50 of 71

 Parent Involvement Contract
As educators, we realize that it is vitally important to involve our community in the
education of our children. In order for students to succeed, all parties involved in the
student’s upbringing need to work together—indeed, it “takes a village” to raise a child.
As part of your student’s application process to The Academy, we would like to make sure
you are in full understanding of the supports we are able to provide you and your student
as well as the support we will require from you.
Our commitment to you and your student:
1. Your student will receive a high quality education and upon matriculating the 5th
grade, will be prepared for middle school.
2. The school will make every effort to make sure your student is safe at all times in
the building. The principal’s (and all adults in the building) most important job is to
make sure students are safe.
3. You and your student will be treated with dignity and respect.
4. Your student will have access to before and after school programming
5. The school will make every effort to maintain clear, consistent and timely
communications with you regarding your student and your student’s progress.
Your commitment to the school:
1. Parent Participation in the Building: I will commit to 8 hours of service to the school
including, but not limited to: attending PTA meetings, attending BAAC meetings,
volunteering on the playground, assisting in the building, supervising field trips,
participating in building planning meetings, and participating in after-school and
evening student events (Literacy Night, School Dances, Music Performances, etc).
2. Attendance: I will commit to having positive attendance. My student will not miss
school more than 8 times in the school year, as I realize the State of Colorado
considers a student habitually truant after 10 absences in a school year (or 4
consecutive absences in a month). Additionally, I will commit to making sure my
student is on time to school and is not unduly pulled from school early. I commit
to ensuring my student has no more than 8 tardies or 8 early removals from school.
3. Behavior: I realize that in order for all students to succeed in the school, students
must follow the school’s code of conduct while in the building and while traveling
to and from the building. I realize that students that are habitually disruptive may
be asked to leave the school. I realize that a student that commits an offense that
results in a suspension may result in his or her removal from the school.
4. Homework and home support: I commit to ensuring that my student has a quiet
place and allotted time every day to complete homework and course work as
needed. I also understand that students may take advantage of before and after
school opportunities to get assistance on work.
5. Communication: I commit to providing the school with communication regarding
my family and student’s situation as it pertains to behavior, attendance and
academic performance. I commit to reading weekly newsletters that are posted on
Page 51 of 71

 the website and sent home in hard copy. I commit to attending at least two parent
teacher conferences during the year. I understand that I may make additional
conference dates with the teacher and/or principal.
6. Parent presence in the building: I understand and commit to maintaining the
learning environment while in the building. While I am volunteering in the school, I
understand that I am not to interrupt teaching and learning. I understand that I am
welcome to make an appointment with teachers, staff or the principal for meetings.
I understand that parents must check into the office when working in the building
or attending appointments outside of established parent teacher conference times
for safety reasons. I will consent to wearing identifying badges while in the building.
7. Extended Day: In order to better address student needs, The Academy has gone
to great lengths in order to provide robust after-school and before-school
programming. I understand that my student is expected to attend at least one
extended day program. I understand it is my responsibility to make sure my student
gets to and from these events in a timely manner.
Student Contract
In order to be successful at The Academy, our students need to follow certain guidelines
and expectations around behavior, attendance and academics. Read the following and
discuss it with your parents/guardian.
1. I understand that I am to follow the student code of conduct.
2. I understand that every adult in this building is here to ensure that I learn and that
I am safe, therefore, when an adult tells me to do something I am to follow his/her
directions without arguement.
3. I understand that I may be asked to leave The Academy if I commit an offense or
offenses that will result in a suspension.
4. I understand that I am to keep up on homework and classwork and use the before
and after school programming as I need to stay on top of my studies.
5. I understand that I must attend school in an approved uniform every day.
6. I understand that I am to have no more than 8 absences in a school year. I
understand that I need to be here on time. I understand I may be asked to leave if
I am habitually late or absent.
By signing below, I am indicating that I read and understand both contracts.
Parent name_________________________________________________
Parent Signature______________________________________________
Student Name________________________________________________
Student Signature_____________________________________________

Page 52 of 71

 Student Interest Survey

Name: __________________________

Date: _______________________

1. If I could do one thing all day it would be:
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
2. If I had one wish it would be:
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
3. One thing I am really good at is:
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
4. School would be better if:
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
5. I do my best thinking when:
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
6. This is what one of my teachers did last year that I liked the most:
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
7. This is what one of my teachers did last year that I liked the least:
________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
8. I have a special talent for:
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
9. I would be interested in an after-school club or activity in the area of:
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
10. My favorite thing to do outside is:
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
Page 53 of 71

 11. When I graduate, I want to:
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
12. Something else that I want you to know about me is:
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
Writing Sample
What is a problem facing your community, and what are two possible solutions you can
do to help solve the problem?
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
Student Signature: ______________________________Date: ___________________
Page 54 of 71

 Teacher Recommendation Form
Please complete this survey regarding the applicant.
Scale: 1.0: significantly below peers 2.0: slightly below peers 3.0: same as peers 4.0:
significantly above peers.
Critical Thinking Skills: (creativity, problem solving, analysis)
1 .0
2.0 3.0 4.0
Work Habits: (focus, motivation, independence, task completion, persistence,
organization)
1.0
2.0
3.0 4.0
Behavior in class: (does the student remain on task without undue prompting, following
the code of conduct, is respectful when redirected, etc.)
1.0
2.0 3.0 4.0
Any additional comments about this student?
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________

Page 55 of 71

 Appendix C
John E. Flynn a Marzano Academy Master Schedule (modified for readability)
(Insert daily schedule)

Page 56 of 71

 Appendix 

 

2018-2019 Calendar Once Published

Page 57 of 71

Appendix 

 

2013-2019 Calendar of Required Westminster Public Schools Assessments

Assessment

TS Gold kindergarten
[Gr It]

 

Cognitive Abilities Test
[Gr 2)

 

 

DIBELS NEXT (Early Literacy}
[Gr all students}

 

[Gr 4?5 READ Act Cohort}

 

DIBELS Deep Di?nos?c
[Gr - Significant Reading Deficiency
students]

 

Scantron Performance Series
Math [Gr Reading (Gr 3?5)

 


CD English Language Screener
[Gr 

 

WIDA ACCESSIACCESS Alternate
CD English Language Proficiency
[Gr NEP and LEP studen?)

 

DLM
Alternate for CMAS ELA lit Math
[Gr 3?5]

 

CHAS
Bl Math
[Gr 3-5]

 

CHAS 8i 
Science {Gr 5]
Social Studies {Gr 4]

 

 

State: ens. 

 

 

State: ens. 
State: ens. set-messianic}

 

 

Evidence for Instructional Level
placement

 

Results Federal State 
Calender Test Duration Used Notestomrrtents
Avalla ble District Requirements
. State: DDS. 22-i-lDD4l2Ha] and . . This is for all students who are kindergarten age
l:l'l
Completed no later than ?ct. 19 Immediately C.R.S. 1lianes School Readiness Plan per In?nite Campus.
1iI'Il'eb-based Three online sessions GT Universal Screening per state Used to identify students with exceptional
Snif?ng; 1Db? fail: . a reporting widtin 23:34:35 22 20 2D4.S and 22? of?D minutes each; amendments passed in March 2D15 ability or potential, especially students from
a" 5 2-143 hours 13D min total under ECEA rules for gifted edu?ttion traditionally underrepresented populations.
Fall: Aug. 22 Sept. 5? 21313 . READ Act reporting Testing is based on traditional gmde level.
- 9 mm utes Determination of Signi?cant Reading The "Cornposite" score must be reported on the
Winter: Dec. 3 14: 20.13 Immediately State: DDS. and lit? minut? De?ciency READ Act Report to the (DE.
(IRS. 4 mi nutes Evidence for Instructional Level Pathway 2 Sr 3 students will use the sa me test
. . 5 minutes placement window with appropriate alternate approved
1D 
p? ay Teacher evaluation Senate Bill 191 assessment.
Immediately upon designation of 
student havin a Si nificant Readin Immediatel State: and 1dates o?f student's speci?c
. 3' ens. reading still de?ciencies
Deficiency
Fall: Aug. 15 Sept. 1 2D 13 Evidence for Instructional Level Students :i'ho tesi: outslide 
Winter: Dec. 3 1:15: 21:13 Immediately District 3 hours acement norm win ow wl not ave or scores.
Companson to external measure The Scantron norm wind ow Is July 115? Nov. 3D,
29 24- Teacher evaluation Senate Eli  191 Dec. 1 Feb. 29, March 1 July 15.
Within SD days of start of the school All new students must be tated within SD days
year or two weeks from the date of Immediately Federal: ESEA 1 hour Determining initial ELL designation ?f enrollment. NEW EDWHITIEMS during the
enrollm ent. year must be tested within 2 weeks.
All LEP Students. ACCESS 2D is
It 45 ut administered online. Kindergarten and
January 2 February new . Federal: ESEA 1111iu}lslie}inl E5 Determining ELL status Alternate access for ELls will continueto be
Apnl 2013 lit? 12?" 2.5 hours
[There will be no December testing} State: DDS. 22-24-1D5 Alternate? 1 2 hours School Performance meeviork paper-based for the near future. Alternate
ACCESS is for students who are eligible to take
DLl'u'l.
Federal: ESEA 1111[b}[3 limit} Testing is based on tra ditional grade level.
A 2 Apr" 25* ED 19 1mg State: ens. zs-r-loossislic} ?mes Testing is completely online.
1h Achievementofstate standards Testing is based on traditional grade level.
Federal' ESEA 1111iullslic1riyii} 3e_5 H5 mu? School Performance meeyiarlrs Tm? '5 mm mm? If EmmaApril 2 April 26, 2D19 July 2D1l3 State: DDS. 3.25 hours Evidence for Instructional Level Is approved by school choosing
Iacemen to tat the week pnor to spring brealt should
ad minister only ELA.
1111 Testing is based on tra ditional gmde level.
State. CR5. Achievement Df state standards Testing is online.
M: Federal: ESEA SWSM hours and School Performance meevilorks
April 3 April 26, 2o1s July 1on nutshell-suit} nib-2.5 hours WEFIHE ?Mimi-"E ?altars- ?b?ut 1H3 

will be selected to administer the Social Studies
test ea ch year.

 

 

Page 58 of 71

Appendix F
GLOSSARY OF TERMS
Abstract Representation: In math, abstract representation is when mathematics is represented
by equation or algorithm.
Assessment: In education, this term refers to the measurement, usually by test or task, of a
student’s ability in a particular content or learning target.
Assessment, Diagnostic: A diagnostic assessment usually given at the beginning of a unit of study
or school year, designed to ascertain what a student can already know and do as pertaining to a
unit of study.
Assessment, Formative: Formative assessments are measurements of students’ mastery of
learning targets, usually administered midway in a unit of study or a school year.
Assessment, Summative: A summative assessment is an assessment taken at the end of a unit
of study or school year to measure student achievement and/or growth.
Achievement: A student’s ability level in a given subject as compared with his or her peers across
the state and/or nation.
Appreciation Financial: An investment and retirement group partnered with Westminster Public
Schools.
BAAC: Building Accountability Advisory Committee: A group consisting of parents and staff
members of a school, tasked with holding the school accountable for its financial management
and student performance.
Balanced Literacy: An instructional model that breaks up literacy instruction into whole group,
small group and individual tasks and assignments.
Balanced Math: An instructional model that breaks up math instruction into whole group, small
group and individual tasks and assignments.
Blended Services: Unique to Westminster Public Schools, “Blended Services” is an approach to
instructing SPED, CLD and Title I students in a collaborative fashion based on their skill set in
academic subjects.
BLT: Building Leadership Team: The team at John E. Flynn a Marzano Academy that acts as a
consultative governing body. This body is composed of teachers, administrators and ESP staff.

Page 59 of 71

 CBS: Competency Based System: As defined by Westminster Public Schools, a Competency Based
System is a systemic and systematic approach to education that emphasizes grouping students
by ability levels; expecting that students show competency in any particular area prior to them
moving to the next level; encouraging student ownership over their work, and ending the
practices of social promotion.
CDE: Colorado Department of Education.
CLD: Culturally and Linguistically Diverse is a label given to students whose first language is one
other than English.
CMAS: The Colorado Measures of Academic Success are the tests given by the PARCC consortium
as part of the state wide accreditation process.
Community Reach: A local mental health group that partners with Westminster Public Schools.
Concrete Representation: In math, concrete representation is math in the three dimensional
physical world, or “real world” math. Examples of concrete representations might be coins or
other objects.
Curriculum: Curriculum is a resource that helps teachers guide students to mastery of academic
standards.
Curricular Resource: Usually a purchased program that helps a teacher deliver curriculum and
gives instructional methods or best practices in doing so.
Data Driven Dialogue/Analysis: A collaborative effort that examines data for major trends and
helps inform future actions by an organization or team. In education, this generally refers to
looking at multiple points of student assessment data (sometimes referred to as triangulating) in
order to help shape goals and action steps for educators.
DIBELS: DIBELS, or Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills, is an assessment given by both
in Colorado and nationally to measure reading fluency in students grades K-5 in the beginning,
middle and end of year.
Differentiated Instruction: An instructional term that refers to designing instruction and
curriculum to meet the needs of students across varying ability levels, learning styles, and student
preferences of learning.
Electives: In middle and secondary education, this term refers to specialized contents that may
or may not be mandatory for matriculation or graduation. Examples might be visual arts, band,
gym or secondary language.
EngageNY: A curricular resource in mathematics.
Page 60 of 71

 ESSA: Every Student Succeeds Act, is legislation signed under President Barack Obama that is a
continuation of NCLB. ESSA maintains student accountability measures but helps reduce burdens
caused by some of the prescriptive requirements of NCLB.
Extracurricular: Usually referring to activities or events that occur outside the normal teaching
hours or calendar year.
FRL: Free and Reduced Lunch refers to culinary services given to students impacted by poverty.
By citing “Free and Reduced Lunch” numbers, a school can give a depiction of how its community
is impacted by poverty.
FOSS Kits: A science curricular resource utilized by Westminster Public Schools.
FTE: Full Time Employee. This refers to a position being added to a school and represents a
financial consideration to the district and tax payers.
Gap Filling: In education, this refers to the action of taking any deficiencies a student may have
in any subject area in any previous years and re-teaching those skills. Thus a level 3 student may
have certain skills in math from level 2 that he/she has not completed, or “gaps.” The level 3
teacher would then re-teach the student those skills to assure mastery, or “gap fill.”
GPA: In education this term means “grade point average” or the average grade a student has
across multiple subjects. In a competency based system this term means the traditional system
equivalent to a student’s performance levels across all subject areas.
Grandfather: In this context, grandfathering means to allow students that have already been
attending the old John E. Flynn Elementary to remain in the school and overtime, phase in new
students on an application only basis.
Growth: A student’s progress from year to year in a given subject as compared with his or her
peers across a state and/or nation.
Guided Instruction: As opposed to whole group instruction, guided instruction is instruction in a
small group setting where the teacher guides students to master a very narrow skill.
Highly Qualified: A term used for teaching credentials that indicate that a teacher has had what
the state deems as adequate study in the content area they plan to teach in.
Improvement: An accreditation rating by the Colorado Department of Education. A rating of
Improvement means that a school is making adequate progress in their achievement and growth
data.

Page 61 of 71

 Instruction: Instruction is the method in which teachers guide students, using curriculum, to
achieve academic standards.
Integrated: This term refers to interventions in education. As opposed to “siloed,” “integrated”
suggests that different departments are working collaboratively in order to educate students.
Intervention: In an educational setting this refers to specialized instruction for students that may
not be achieving at the appropriate level. Intervention is usually described as having three tiers:
Tier I generally refers to regular classroom instruction all students receive. Tier II generally refers
to more small group instruction either in or outside of the classroom. Tier III usually refers to very
small group or one on one instruction outside of the classroom.
Kinesthetic Instruction: Instruction that utilizes physical movement in order to help the learner
master targets.
Learning target: A specific skill and/or knowledge in a specific level and content area.
Literacy: This term refers to a content area that encapsulates reading and writing. At earlier ages,
student learn to read, form letters and eventually sentences. At later levels student read to learn
ideas in texts and writing in paragraph form.
Master Schedule: In education this refers to a total building schedule of all classes and activities
for a given school year.
Magnet School: A term usually used to describe public schools with specialized programs
designed to attract students from outside its traditional boundaries.
Modules: In an educational context, this term usually refers to units of study for teachers
participating in Professional Development.
No Child Left Behind: A national piece of educational legislation signed under President George
W Bush in 2002 that greatly increased school accountability and close the achievement gap
between poor and minority students and their more advantaged peers.
Numeracy: This term refers to early mathematics such as counting and simple addition.
PARCC: PARCC, or The Partnership for Assessments of Readiness for College and Careers, are the
makers of standardized tests that the State of Colorado administer on a yearly basis to measure
students’ abilities in math, literacy, science and social studies. Although there are multiple tests,
they are colloquially called ‘PARCC’ by educators.
Performance: An accreditation rating by the Colorado Department of Education. A rating of
“Performance” means that schools possess strong academic achievement and growth.
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 Performance, Performance Framework: Like School Performance Frameworks, this term refers
to a mathematical calculation the Colorado Department of Education administers to decide the
accreditation rating of a district.
Performance Framework, School: Like District Performance Frameworks, this term refers to a
mathematical calculation the Colorado Department of Education administers to decide the
accreditation rating of a school.
Pictorial Representation: In math, pictorial representation is the representation of math in
picture form. An example of this may be a student drawing a pie in order to show work in
fractions.
PMI: Progressive Math Initiative is a math curricular resource utilized by Westminster Public
Schools.
PPOR: Per Pupil Operating Revenue: the amount of money that a school receives for each student
to run their program. The pupil count is conducted in October.
Priority Improvement: An accreditation rating by the Colorado Department of Education. A
rating of “Priority Improvement” means that school have not made adequate progress on
standardized assessments and have five years to make significant gains on their performance
data on the PARCC assessment or they may face sanctions.
Professional Development: Ongoing training for teachers, usually occurring outside normal
teaching hours or calendar year.
Proficiency Scales: A series of learning targets, or skills and knowledge, that build on each other
to create mastery.
Progressions: In education, this refers to the logical sequence in which a compilation of learning
targets, called scales, are taught to students.
PSI: Progressive Science Initiative is a science curricular resource utilized by Westminster Public
Schools.
PTA: Parent Teacher Association
Push-in: This refers to a Tier II intervention technique. It means that a specialist teacher will teach
in a classroom alongside a regular education teacher with a small group.
Pull-out: This refers to a Tier II or III intervention technique. It means that a specialist teacher will
remove a small group or single student from a classroom to give them specialized instruction.

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 Race to the Top: A competitive grant created to spur and reward innovation and reforms in state
and local district K-12 education. The grant incentivizes districts to implement performancebased evaluations of teachers and principals, adopting common standards and adopting policies
that do not prohibit the expansion of high-quality charter schools. This was announced by the
Obama administration in 2009.
Rubric: A document used to outline criteria necessary for the completion of a task.
SB-191: Colorado legislation that seeks to rate teachers’ efficacy and places new rules over
teacher employment status (see Standard 6 below). This Colorado legislation is in compliance
with Race to the Top grant requirements.
Scantron: A multiple choice test in math and literacy that Westminster Public Schools use a way
to assess k-10 student’s abilities at the beginning, middle and end of year.
Standards: Academic Standards are a set of specific knowledge and skills that students must have
in each grade level. Standards are how curriculum is developed and delivered.
Siloed: Referring to interventions in education, the term “siloed” usually has a negative
connotation, suggesting that departments are working in isolation of one another and either
duplicating instruction or in some cases, working in opposition to one another.
Standard 6: Referring to SB-191, teacher efficacy is measured by five standards. The first five
standards refer to observable and artifact driven observations by the teacher evaluator. Standard
6 refers to school and individual data.
Systematic: This term refers to a step-by-step procedure and is usually a gradually unfolding
process.
Systemic: Refers to processes engrained across an entire system.
Specials: In elementary education this term generally refers to specialized content outside the
core contents of math, science, social studies and literacy. These contents are usually physical
education, gym and music, but may include such subjects as secondary language, health, or other
subject areas.
Teaching Gold: A preschool and primary level curriculum in literacy and numeracy.
Turnaround: An accreditation rating from the Colorado Department of Education. A rating of
“Turnaround” means that the school is far below expectations in growth and achievement. A
school with this rating has five years to improve their rating or face sanctions.
Walkthroughs: In education a Walkthrough generally refers to an administrator(s) or teacher(s)
tasked with touring multiple classrooms in order to observe specific behaviors, evidences, and/or
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 criterion. This data is then tabulated to look for trends. ‘Walkthrough’ and ‘Learning walk’ are
often used synonymously.
aWEA: Westminster Education Association. The teacher’s union in Westminster Public Schools.
Wixie: A digital curricular resource that allows teachers and students to create e-books with
sound and graphics.
Wonders: A Literacy Curricular resource utilized by Westminster Public Schools.
WPS: Westminster Public Schools. Once called Adams County School District 50, WPS is the
largest district in the state of Colorado to implement a competency based design of instruction.
WPS is located just north of Denver, in the city of Westminster.
Write…From the Beginning: Abbreviated as WFTB, this is a curricular resource for writing utilized
in WPS.
UIP: Unified Improvement Plan: The Unified Improvement Plan is a document that all public
schools complete in as part of their accreditation process with the Colorado Department of
Education. Within this plan are specific instructional and student achievement goals and action
plans.

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 Appendix G

The High Reliability Teacher

The goal of the High Reliability Teacher certification process is to provide a structure in which individual
teachers can increase their instructional effectiveness to the highest possible levels. The process is designed
to culminate in certification as a High Reliability Teacher at one or more of three levels, though there is no
guarantee of certification for any teacher who engages in the process. Teachers have one full year to
become certified in one or more levels.
HRT Level 1: Demonstration of Effective Use of Instructional Strategies
1. Provide evidence of an explicit model of instruction (for example, The New Art and Science of
Teaching) and its use in the classroom.
The teacher submits a document that articulates a specific model of instruction that he or she is
using as the basis of self-improvement. If The New Art and Science of Teaching is being used, the
teacher need only reference the title and the source the teacher is using to study the model (i.e.,
the Marzano Online Compendium of Instructional Strategies or the book The New Art and Science
of Teaching). The teacher also provides a description of how the model is used to guide unit
planning, lesson planning, feedback to students, and reporting students’ status and growth.
2. Submit a self-assessment and growth goals regarding the explicit model of instruction.
For each element in the model of instruction being used, the teacher submits a self-rating using
the scale in Appendix A. From this self-assessment, the teacher selects at least three strategies for
which growth goals are identified. The teacher then keeps anecdotal records of progress on those
three or more growth goals using the formats depicted in Appendix B.
3. Submit video evidence for each of the ten major areas of student outcomes described in The New
Art and Science of Teaching. This will require at least three video segments with narration
explaining the types of strategies and student outcomes that are being demonstrated.
The ten major areas of student outcomes are described in Appendix C. The teacher submits video
evidence of each of these outcomes in class. The videos must be accompanied by a narration by
the teacher explaining how specific actions of students depicted in the video exemplify one or more
of the ten major areas of student outcomes. Videos may also include interviews with specific
students that exemplify the desired mental states.
4. Administer student surveys that gauge students’ mental states and processes relative to specific
strategies (see Marzano Compendium).
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 For each of the three or more strategies for which a teacher has set growth goals, pretest and
posttest surveys are submitted regarding students’ perceptions of teacher of the effects of the
strategy prior to the teacher focusing on improving the strategy (i.e. the pretest) and after the
teacher believes he or she has improved in the strategy (i.e., the posttest). Student perception
scores on the posttest must be substantially higher on the posttest.
5. Develop and implement at least one project in the classroom that is designed to enhance students’
self-actualization and/or connection to something greater than self (see Motivating and Inspiring
Students, Marzano, Scott, Boogren, & Newcomb, 2017).
The teacher submits a written description of a project that was designed to enhance students’
sense of self-actualization or connection to some altruistic purpose. Student testimonial evidence
in written and/or video form must be included to document the effects of the project.
HRT Level 2: Demonstration of Student Learning
6. Provide evidence that measurement topics and proficiency scales are in place and being used.
The teacher submits a listing of the measurement topics that are addressed throughout the year,
along with the proficiency scales for each measurement topic.
7. Provide evidence that assessments are aligned to those proficiency scales.
For a minimum of three proficiency scales, the teacher submits at least on assessment that
addresses levels 2.0, 3.0, and 4.0 of the proficiency scale. The teacher also provides examples of
other specific assessments or measurement techniques that are aligned to the proficiency scale as
a whole or specific levels of the proficiency scale.
8. For at least one measurement topic, trade and score pretests and post-tests.
For a specific unit of instruction or related set of lessons, the teacher submits: the proficiency scale
for the specific measurement topic being addressed, the pretest and posttest based on the
proficiency scale, and documentation that the pretest and posttest were scored by someone other
than the teacher seeking certification.
9. Demonstrate the overall growth of the class (with the expectation that the vast majority of student
have grown).
The teacher submits an analysis of the pretest and posttest data that computes average growth for
the class and provides an analysis and discussion of the results for the class in light of generally
held expectations for that class or past performance for the class.
10. Report the growth of each student and explain why learning did or did not occur.
The teacher submits an analysis of the pretest and posttest data at the individual student level
(keeping the identity of each student anonymous). For those students who have not demonstrated
adequate growth, the teacher provides an analysis of possible root causes.

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 11. Report intervention plans for students who did not demonstrate adequate growth.
For those students who did not demonstrate adequate growth the teacher describes an
intervention plan and the results of the implementation of that plan.
HRT Level 3: Demonstration of Valid and Rigorous Feedback
12. For at least one measurement topic, keep track of assessment reliability using the online
assessment reliability tool.
For at least one measurement topic the teacher keeps track of student scores using the free Excel
growth calculator. The teacher submits the input spreadsheet reporting individual student’s score
and the output spreadsheet reporting predicted scores and reliabilities.
13. Describe and explain the level of reliability exhibited by assessments.
For the data reported in 12 (above) the teacher submits an analysis of the reliability of the various
growth measures provided in the Excel calculator.
14. Demonstrate that student results based on proficiency scale scores correlate to those on a state
test or some other external test.
The teacher provides scores on some type of assessment other than his or her classroom
assessments that students in the class have demonstrated adequate growth and/or performance
on specific topics addressed in class.
Marzano Research will review all of the products and artifacts described here to make a decision on high
reliability status for each level. Levels of high reliability status will be awarded in sequential order, but
teachers can submit evidence for more than one level simultaneously and may become certified at multiple
levels based on that evidence.

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 Appendix A: Rubric for Self-Analysis Regarding Specific Instructional Strategies

4
Innovating

I adapt strategies and behaviors associated with this element for unique student needs and
situations.

3
Applying

I use the strategies and behaviors associated with this element correctly and with fluency,
and I monitor the extent to which the techniques keep students engaged.

2
I use the strategies and behaviors associated with this element correctly and with fluency,
Developing but I do not monitor the effect on students.
1
Beginning

I use the strategies and behaviors associated with this element incorrectly or with parts
missing.

0
Not Using

I am unaware of strategies and behaviors associated with this element.

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 Appendix B: Anecdotal Evidence for Growth in Instructional Strategies.

 

92?12

used a free?flowing web to introduce the writing process. It was not very effective at first because I
explained how the web works instead of showing students how to use it. The class seemed to like the
exercise, though, so I would like to keep trying to use the webs.

 

9f21

Today we used free?flowing webs to brainstorm ideas for an essay. Once my students had selected a
topic for their essay, they mapped out main ideas and details using another web. It worked well, but
the circles tended to get disorganized.

 

103'5

Today I tried asking students to use free-flowing webs to compare two things, and it worked really well.
They drew the two things they were comparing in two big circles on the left and right of a page and
wrote descriptors and facts in smaller circles around them. Then they connected the big circles to all
the descriptors and facts that applied to them. There were some really interesting webs that helped
the kids see connections they hadn't realized before.

 

10:14

Today the counselor came in to do a career lesson, and asked her to use a free?flowing web as a part
of her lesson, because the kids were already familiar with it. They really caught on to the idea of put?
ting themselves in the center circle and then filling in their life goals in the surrounding circles. Some
of them even made circles to show what they would have to do to achieve their goals.

 

103'20

 

 

Now that my students are comfortable with free?flowing webs, we've started using them to show rela?
tionships, and a few of my students even adapted the web for use with pictures. Almost like a story?
board, they planned out narrative pieces by drawing different events from their stories, and then found
connections between the events and characters by drawing lines.

 

 

 

 

Name: Marty Bloomoem
Instructional strategy: [Mega elm: vote
My initial score: 1 My goal is to be at 3 by Agra}? I5 .

Specific things I am going to do to improve: Use the that vote three times. videomye me}? use
oftbe tetra med the video. Use at elem survey to colieet data about student perceptions of

the elm: note .

Teacher Progress Chart

Instructional Strategy: Using a Glass Vole

Integrating 4
Applying 3
Developing 2
Beginning I

Not Using?

 

8. am. 16 f.
b. Feb. 3

C. Mm?. 12
d. Agar. 9 i.

Summative Score: 3

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Appendix C: Ten Major Categories of Mental States and Processes

CONTEXT

CONTENT

FEEDBACK

Teacher Actions

Providing and
Communicating Clear
Learning Goals
Assessment

Student Mental States and Processes

1. Students understand the progression of knowledge they are
expected to master and where they are along that progression.

2. Students understand how test scores and grades relate to
their status on the progression of knowledge they are expected
to master.
Direct Instruction
3. When new content is being presented, students understand
Lessons
which parts are important and how the parts fit together.
Practicing and
4. After new content has been presented, students deepen their
Deepening Lessons
understanding and develop fluency in skills and processes.
Knowledge Application
5. After new content has been presented, students generate
Lessons
and defend claims through knowledge application tasks.
Strategies That Appear in 6. Students continually integrate new knowledge with old
All Types of Lessons
knowledge and revise their understanding accordingly.
Engagement
7. Students are paying attention, energized, intrigued, and
inspired.
Rules and Procedures
8. Students understand and follow rules and procedures.
Relationships
9. Students feel welcome, accepted, and valued.
Communicating High
10. Typically reluctant students feel valued and do not hesitate
Expectations
to interact with the teacher or their peers.

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