Using the following beliefs to guide our efforts is one way to ensure consistent movement toward maximizing student achievement:

1. Highly effective personnel deliver scientific, research-based instruction and evidence-based practices.
2. Evidence-based curriculum and instructional approaches have a high probability of success for most students.
3. Instruction is differentiated to meet individual learning needs.
4. Reliable, valid, and instructionally relevant assessments include the following:
• Screening Measures: Assessment tools designed to collect data for the purpose of measuring the effectiveness of core instruction and identifying students needing more intensive interventions and support.
• Diagnostic Measures: Formal or informal assessment tools that measure skill strengths and weaknesses, identify skills in need of improvement, and assist in determining why a problem is occurring.
• Progress Monitoring Measures: Ongoing assessment conducted for the purposes of guiding instruction, monitoring student progress, and evaluating instruction/intervention effectiveness.
• Formative Measures: Ongoing assessment embedded within effective teaching to guide instructional decisions.
• Summative (Outcome) Measures: Typically administered near the end of the school year to give an overall perspective of the effectiveness of the instructional program.
5. Ongoing, systematic planning/problem solving is consistently used by teams including parents and educators, from enrollment to graduation for all students, to make decisions across a continuum of student needs.
6. Student response to instruction/intervention (RtI) data are used to guide meaningful decision making.
7. Job embedded, on-going, professional development and follow-up coaching with modeling are provided to ensure effective instruction at all levels.
8. Actively engaged administrative leadership for data-based decision making is inherent to the school culture.
9. All students and their parent(s) are engaged in one proactive and seamless educational system.