DRAFT
Trio Wolf Creek

 

Strategic Planning Document – July 8, 008

 

This plan is presented to the Trio Wolf Creek Board of Directors for their approval. This plan is a result of several meetings with school stakeholders and analysis of student and parent surveys and interviews. Research documents were collected and summarized. Parent, student, and staff interviews/surveys were conducted and summarized. Staff developed mission and vision statements. Most importantly, stakeholders reviewed all of this information and discussed how these thoughts and ideas from the staff, students, and parents could inform the strategic planning process. They built consensus on the most important areas to focus on and took several meetings to drill down on goals, directions, and strategies.

 

The intent of this document is to set direction in several key areas and define tasks that the school leadership is to implement. If approved, this document should define the “ends” that the school leadership is responsible for with general guidance on the main strategies or “means” they are to use in implementation over the next five years. Certainly, more granular action plans and tasks will emerge during implementation; however, this is an opportunity to get all of the key stakeholders “on the same page” with the general strategic direction of the school.

 

TRIO Wolf Creek Distance Learning Charter School #4095 opened on July 1, 2003. The TRIO Wolf Creek Distance Learning Charter School is a hybrid online high school serving grades 9-12 in the Chisago Lakes area.  It is certified by the Minnesota Department of Education to be an online provider in the state. A hybrid combines time between the network computers in a school lab setting with computers at home or another location. This simply means that students work on-line at home or other safe location several days of the week.  Students also access the network computers two to three days per week in our school setting. 

 

The school has seen a steady growth in student enrollment. While it has continued to grow, like many charter schools - the student population is “top heavy” with juniors and seniors which means that ongoing marketing of the school is very important.

 

Also, core to our program is the Learning Manager model of instruction. The Learning Manager is one caring individual who helps students in academic, as well as, non-academic areas of their lives. Learning Managers use what is referred to as an IGP (Individual Graduation Plan) to help students gain credits, create Basic Skills Testing (BST), NWEA, and MCA II score goals, create short term and long term goals and to think about their future.  Our student-to-teacher ratio is twenty-five students per Learning Manager.  We believe that small numbers allow each Learning Manager to build a long-lasting relationship with their students. 

 

The student population at Wolf Creek is a population that is a majority of at-risk youth.  Using the definition provided by Minnesota statute 124D.68 at least 60% of the Wolf Creek population is considered at-risk by definition. Many of them have significant gaps in their education and need to have remediation in able to continue with their high school education and obtain a certified high school diploma.

 

TRIO Wolf Creek does experience high levels of parent satisfaction based on the cards and comments from a variety of parents and relatives of our students. Things they like most include:

  • We liked the one-on-one help my child would receive
  • My child would be comfortable there
  • We are very happy with the school
  • My child can proceed at his own pace
  • There is much flexibility in the program
  • My child was a risk for not graduating
  • WC has a one-on-one, more personal program
  • We heard good things about the school
  • The student gets more attention than in the public schools
  • My child has medical issues
  • The HS counselor recommended Wolf Creek

 

More in-depth interviews of a few parents highlighted some of the main things that parents like about the school and the things they would not want to change. See the Appendix for a summary of these interviews.

 

Staff provided input on a variety of topics. They outlined several critical areas that the school should address as it moves forward; which included:

  1. How should we use the new building – will there be more space for math/science labs and hands on learning, and concurrent lab classes?
  2. How can we differentiate between the kids who can be very independent and those that can’t be independent; and how can we, as a small school, meet the needs of students who want a wide variety of course options?
  3. A major challenge is serving those that come to use for credit recovery and those who want to accelerate into post secondary/career planning and preparation. We need a program that is somewhere in between so that we can light a spark for those that need it and also have a program for those that want to move ahead.

 

A more detailed summary of the teacher interviews is in the appendix. 88 students responded to an online survey. In summary, the students were very positive about the school and frankly didn’t want the school to change much. They like the interaction with their teachers and really like the flexibility of the program. While generally satisfied, they did emphasize their desire for more “fun courses,” job skills, and help with college planning. More detailed results are in the appendix.

 

 

 

 

 

Strategic Direction, Goals, and Strategies

 

1. Enrollment

 

Direction

We plan to continue to be a 9-12 school. We are top heavy so we need to work hard at recruiting 9th graders.  Our marketing region is the 7 county metro area, although we may target more specific geographic areas where we have strongholds. We will continue to stress our hybrid model and we want to find students that are intentional online learners, not just defaulting to our school.

 

Our goal is to attract and retain intentional online learners; our specific goals are 175 students in 2009, 180 in 2010, and then 190-200 in 2011 and beyond.

 

Strategies:

  • Identify “ideal” student.
  • Remain a respected leader in online learning by demonstrating student achievement gains and student satisfaction.
  • Communicate with community stakeholders and the media.
  • Have a robust website presence that optimizes Google searches.
  • Utilize a marketing database so that emails can be sent to people asking for our publication (something like) “The 5 Common Mistakes Students Make When Choosing an Online School” and to others interested in our school.

 

 

2. Curriculum

 

Direction

We will continue to serve a differentiated student body. Some want credit recovery; some want to accelerate their college plans. We need to improve our hybrid model to include more “hands on,” outdoor, and practical applications.  We need to improve the technological experience so that it is more fluid for the student. We want to gradually move towards a single dashboard and continually make the online classes more interactive, user friendly, and engaging.

 

Our goal is to make significant improvements in curriculum according to an adopted set of criteria to improve the student learning experience.

 

Strategies:

  • Research and adopt a set of criteria or “best practices” for online learning.
  • Have monthly “Professional Learning Community” meetings focused on online learning practices and student feedback.
  • Train all teachers annually on these practices that are differentiated and collaborative in nature.
  • Seek additional funds/grants aimed at improving the student experience and/or improving teacher practices.
  • Identify staff members as leaders/coaches for new technologies such as Moodle.
  • Gradually transition (over 3-4 years) to a stable platform (Moodle).
  • Develop more hands on activities in all classes. Make sure there are enough hands on supplies for science activities.

 

3.  Connections for the School and Students

 

Direction

We want to increase “service learning” projects in our classes so that students get out into the community more and as a way to extend our presence in the community.  In addition, we want to introduce more of our students to possible career options by connecting more closely to area businesses. We also want to encourage school and student involvement (and volunteerism) in other local communities such as the Youth Council, Community Education, JSAC, YAK, Youth Partners, and Chisago County. We want Trio Wolf Creek to known in the community so that we can be at the table when exciting educational opportunities become available.

 

Our goals are for our school and students to be much more connected to the community so that students can grow academically and socially and so the school will be viewed as a key partner when regional education decisions are made.

 

Strategies:

  • Compile a database of all community organizations and businesses that we want to connect with for career pathways and class projects and that we want to use for service learning or volunteer projects.
  • Implement an email campaign to regularly send these partners school news and to share partnering opportunities so that they think of us when they have opportunities as well.
  • Develop leadership skills in students through involvement in the Youth Leadership Council.
  • Continue to offer monthly community activities to students.
  • Find mentors for all students in the community.
  • Involve TWC alumni with current students.
  • Join the Alliance for Successful Student Educational Transitions (ASSET) to connect regularly with Minnesota technical and community colleges.

 

4. Space

 

Direction

We want to make sure we optimize the space at our new location for at least 5 years. We want to make sure we have enough space for our enrollment targets while at the same time utilize the space for building community partnerships. We want to make sure the computer labs and classroom space works well for our hybrid model of online learning.

 

Our goal is to optimize the use of the new building by having win/win partnerships with community specialists whereby we trade space for services; by increasing student use for learning and post high school planning; by community rental of space; and by being properly equipped for this optimal use.

 

Strategies:

  • Establish partnerships with service providers.
  • Establish facility rental policy. Utilize the email marketing campaign to let community organizations know that the facility is available.
  • Have a “top notch” technology plan that assures reliable usage of computers, applications, and networks.
  • After 2008 – 2009 school year, offer more flexible lab hours for students.
  • Establish an adequate budget for equipping the facility so that it can be used optimally by students; and the desired community partnerships and facility rental opportunities.

 

 

 

5. Our Online Model

 

Direction

We want to maintain and further develop our hybrid online model. We want to maintain the close relationships between teachers and students; areas where we want to develop include wikis, blogs, threaded discussions, chats

 

Our goal is maintain the hybrid model where we have a 25:1 student and teacher ratio; and excellent relationships between teachers and students.

 

Strategies:

  • Hire enough staff to maintain 25:1 ratio.
  • Train staff in the learning manager role.
  • Schedule enough lab and in school time for students.
  • Maintain and log three communications per week between teachers and students.
  • Add to the ways in which teachers and students can communicate including the use of blogs, wikis, phone conferences, chats, webinars, and any other appropriate technology.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Appendix

 

Parent Interview Summary

In summary, they love the accountability that results from the relationship and constant communication between teachers and students. They also feel that the school allows the students to find themselves and take more responsibility for their own education and future. They definitely do not want the school to become too big or to lose the kind of one on one and flexible attention students get at TWC.

 

One parent mentioned that they had trouble with Forest Lake Public Schools. In fact, she said the teachers there were “nasty.” So they had their students go to North Lakes Academy for middle school. They started looking on the Internet for high school options and found Trio Wolf Creek. She said her students went from being D students to A/B students. They are exceeding expectations at TWC.

 

One of the most remarkable things is the time that teachers spend on the phone with students – there have been times when a teacher has spent two hours on the phone with their child.  Her husband was a real skeptic to this type of learning, but now he couldn’t imagine their students attending any other school.

 

The fact that they hold students accountable is what sets them apart. They feel that they offer wonderful schooling. The Learning Managers really care about the kids. They keep in contact with the students and keep the students accountable.

 

Her daughter wants to get a science degree. At first, she struggled with math until the teacher spent extra time. If you don’t get something – sometimes they even respond at 2:00 a.m. The flexibility is nice. Her students average 30-40 hours a week and they can do it during different hours.

 

Her daughter does miss the social side of schooling, but a lot of the social activity at regular schools is negative.  She stated, “I just love it!” She really feels like the school understands and cares about the kids.

 

Another parents stated that kids learn more at TWC because of the one on one attention. TWC really turned her student around by being able to learn in different ways. In the regular classroom there are too many distractions. At TWC, there are fewer distractions and less personality conflicts that can distract students from learning what they need.

 

She feels that the teachers are there for you, and that they listen.  They care more about the child mentally and emotionally; the support has been phenomenal.

 

This parent recommended that the school not go over 300 students because it would lose the control and lose each student as a person. If they got too big then they will get the same problems as regular public schools. The smaller environment contributed to an environment of individual accountability where students appreciate credits they have earned. The communication with the teachers taught her student to speak up more and be more assertive about her own educational planning.  This resulted in her daughter getting caught up quickly academically and very soon started taking college prep classes. She also took courses that qualified her to get a CNA and get a good job, too. She is getting a head start on life.

 

Trio Wolf Creek Staff Interview Summary

 

Staff responded with this list of questions they think prospective parents/students think about when considering TWC:

 

  • Is it a good school? Is it accredited? Did they really graduate? Is it real?
  • Could this be the answer if they haven’t been doing well?
  • Could this be the magic place? I hope it is?
  • Are they really learning anything?
  • Are the courses rigorous? Will they retain it?
  • Will it make a difference?
  • Are there references?
  • What kinds of relationships? Will they have good relationships with peers and teachers?
  • Can they graduate in a week?
  • Why can’t they graduate sooner?
  • Don’t understand process?
  • Are the teachers legitimate?

 

Staff thinks the school should be known for:

 

  • We offer a flexible program
  • Our program is a hybrid of online learning – we have more labs statewide – we provide 1 on 1
  • We have engaging curriculum
  • We have rigorous curriculum
  • It is not an “easy out”

 

Staff thinks that the student benefits we should be known for are:

 

  • We help students become self motivated and accountable
  • We help them become better citizens
  • We provide computer skills – to help them get a job in computerized world
  • Students gain a better understanding of self

 

In the future, staff thinks we should be known for:

  • Career preparation – beyond getting them to graduate
  • College preparation
  • More of sense of community – “I really felt part of a community” – more discussions, virtual community building, asynchronous classrooms, use of phone calls, meaningful school experiences
  • More peer mentoring – both students and adults
  • Bringing the community into the school – “I was so glad the mayor came to talk to us...”
  • Success: “I became a better writer and communicator – it helped me do well in college – helped me succeed”

 

 

 

Staff thinks the following features set TWC apart from other online high schools:

 

  • Hybrid – multiple hubs
  • Learning manager model
  • Sense of community
  • Access to AP classes
  • PSEO availability
  • We would be accredited
  • We would have a mentoring program
  • Awards
  • Small school – 150 kids and more one on one; more involved their lives

 

Staff thinks we should get the word out more by:

 

  • Being more part of the community
  • Being part of the online community – reputation
  • Teachers that network and promote online learning

 

Staff thinks we should meet the needs of students who want to go beyond HS to college and career by:

 

§  Making sure we are training kids to use the online environment for college and career planning

§  Having students have ownership of their education – training for the future

§  Offering college in the schools classes

§  Providing college visits to and from, youth leadership seminars, portfolio class

§  Creating a position focused on this

§  Creating more college and career connections within all of our classes

§  Finding better military connections

 

Spring of 2008 Trio Wolf Creek Student Survey Results (88 responses)

 

  1. How safe do you feel at this school? (pick one)
    1. Extremely safe (39%)
    2. Safe (54%)
    3. Somewhat safe
    4. Unsafe

 

What could be done to make the school safer? (Most said “not much”)

 

  1. What type of relationships do you have with teachers at this school? (pick one)
    1. Extremely good relationships with all teachers
    2. Good relationships with most teachers (76%)
    3. I have problems with one or two teachers
    4. I have problems with most of the teachers

 

What could be done so that you and other students could have really good relationships with the teachers? (Many said something like “more communication”)

 

  1. What would you like the teachers to spend more time and energy on? (pick the 3 best answers)
    1. Building positive relationships with students (56%)
    2. Planning more interesting lessons (65%)
    3. Making the courses harder
    4. Coming up with different courses (65%)
    5. Helping me prepare for college or for other post high school plans
    6. Planning social activities for students
    7. Make the courses more harder

 

What other things should teachers spend time and energy on that aren’t listed here? (Several said “fun courses” and “fun activities after school”)

 

  1. How important is having fun and social activities with other students? (pick one)
    1. Very important (23%)
    2. Pretty important (34%)
    3. Somewhat important
    4. Not important

 

What ideas do you have for fun and social activities with other students? (Many want field trips to the movies, bowling, etc...)

 

  1. What is your preferred ways for your teachers to communicate with you? (rank 1-6)
    • Regular email
    • Threaded discussion (2)
    • Online chats (3)
    • Phone
    • In person
    • Secure website (1)

 

Do you have any other suggestions for how teachers can better communicate with students? (An overwhelming number had no suggestions)

 

  1. How much time do you think students need to spend at the school in order to be a successful at TWC? (pick one)
    1. 1 day/week (36%)
    2. 2 days/week (29%)
    3. 3 days/week
    4. Once every couple of weeks
    5. Once a month

 

  1. What hours of the day would you like to come to school? (pick one)
    1. Mornings (37%)
    2. Afternoons (45%)
    3. Evenings

 

Please describe your ideal situation. (Mornings was the most common answer)

 

  1. What is the realistic amount of hours/day an average student should spend on school work in order to be successful? (pick one)
    1. 8 hours
    2. 6 hours
    3. 4 hours (54%)
    4. 2 hours

 

  1. What rules should be changed at school? (some want different hours and some want lunch privileges)

 

  1. What incentives would make students work harder in school? (pick one)
    1. Grades
    2. Money
    3. Skills that could help me get a job (24%)
    4. Trips/outings
    5. No incentives are needed – students should be self motivated. (30%)

 

What other incentives would make you work harder? (Money or things that would help with future planning)

 

  1. What should TWC be known for? (select the 5 most important)
    1. Being the best online high school (1)
    2. Helping kids prepare and get into college (3)
    3. Helping students earn college or advanced placement (AP) credit while they are still in high school. (4)
    4. Helping students gain certifications that help them get skilled jobs.
    5. Helping students plan their future (2)
    6. Helping students learn technology skills and/or game design skills
    7. Outdoor adventure
    8. Learning while using the latest in technology (5)
    9. Learning other languages
    10. Music,  theater, and the arts
    11. Science and math
    12. Learning about the environment

 

How should TWC set itself apart from other online high schools? (Better classes or emphasize the teachers)

 

  1. What skills do you want to graduate with? (select the 3 most important)
    1. Certified job skills (for example – certified nursing assistant, automotive, technology) (2)
    2. Job performance skills (communication, time management, working hard, organization) (1)
    3. College study skills
    4. Communication skills
    5. Artistic skills
    6. Life skills (parenting, marriage/relationships) (3)

 

What other skills would you like to graduate with? (Many said life or career skills; several said math or mechanical skills)

 

  1. How should the school get the word out to attract more students? (select the 3 best)
    1. Through community websites like Facebook and MySpace. (1)
    2. Through chat rooms.
    3. Ads at movie theaters.
    4. Ads at coffee shops and other stores.
    5. Ads in the newspaper.
    6. Articles in the newspaper. (3)
    7. Hosting events at the school. (2)

 

What other ideas do you have for the school in attracting more students? (Many said through them talking to their friends and by advertising with flyers, radio, and online)

 

  1. What type of courses should TWC offer? (select only 4)
    1. Advanced placement or college prep (4 - tie)
    2. Dual credit (college credit and high school graduation credit) (1)
    3. Basic skills (reading and math basics) (4 - tie)
    4. Foreign languages
    5. Science and math
    6. Music, theater, and the arts
    7. Job skills/certification classes (for example becoming a certified nursing assistant or technology support certification) (2)
    8. Just the regular high school courses, but online (3)

 

What other courses should be offered? (Foreign language and auto)

 

 

  1. What is the best way to experience online learning? (pick the best answer)
    1. It is totally online – you never have to actually go to the school
    2. It is totally online – you only schedule an appointment with a teacher when you need to (26%)
    3. It is mostly online – you only go to school when you need to or to attend a special event such as a speaker or school social event (37%)
    4. It is mostly online – but many of your classes have “hands on” experiences where you need to come to school and participate with other students
    5. It is online – but most or all of the classes have regular sessions in classrooms at the schools so the teacher can explain or teach certain things in person

 

If none of these fit what you think would be best, please describe what you think would be the best way to experience online learning. (Many said “mostly online” with some in school experience for hands on things or for extra help from teachers)

 

  1. What type of skills should students have to be successful at TWC? (select the 3 most important)
    1. Technology
    2. Organization (3)
    3. Self discipline (1)
    4. Thinking and problem solving
    5. Basic reading, writing, and math skills
    6. Communication
    7. Time management (2)

 

What other skills do you think students should have to be successful at TWC that aren’t on this list? (Organization and motivational skills)

 

  1. When you come to the lab setting, what is your primary purpose?
    1. academic support
    2. Meet with Learning Managers (39%)
    3. Social
    4. Use the computers (30%)
    5. Pick up materials

 

  1. What is your view of school?
    a. It is a means to a better future. (78%)
    b. I only attend because I have to.

 

  1. What are your plans after high school?
    a. To continue the education immediately after receiving my diploma. (48%)
    b. I am not sure about my future educational plans. (46%)
    c. I do not plan on continuing my education.

 

 

  1. What is the biggest obstacle to going to college?
    a. Having enough money. (54%)
    b. My GPA is low or I didn’t do well enough on college admission tests. (31%)
    c. I don’t have the time – I need to get a job.

 

 

Vision Statements from Staff

 

Wolf Creek is a school that offers online education options to students throughout MN.  Wolf Creek fosters a strong school community while also providing rigorous and engaging curriculum.  We are flexible, and thus occupy a niche of public education that is not filled by other public education.

 

 

Wolf Creek is an Educational Delivery System for students from many 
walks of life. It is not an ALC, Detention Center or Half Way 
house. Wolf Creek provides these students with alternate ways to learn 
and grow.

The students are responsible for their own direction and choosing the 
best delivery system in which they can achieve their goal of graduating.

Trio personnel act as councilors encouraging and assisting students to 
reach those goal. They also help get them over those bumps in the road 
that had prevented their earlier success.

Trio Wolf Creek will continue to grow and help the students that 
choose to enroll in the program. Trio will become an integral part of 
the Chisago Lakes community as it also grows and will be a model for 
those communities looking for another delivery mode to educate youth.

 

My vision for Wolf Creek would to highlight the hybrid component of the school by creating smaller outlets throughout the state of Minnesota to reach a wider demographic of students.  With that being said, to attract these students we need to find our niche, and that could be college in the schools or special services.  Many students come to Wolf Creek for the small school setting and the one-on-one attention that they receive that no matter how large the school gets, the learning manager model must remain.

 

My vision for Wolf Creek is that it will be the leader for online education in the state of Minnesota.  We will achieve this by demonstrating the positive combination of technology-rich, online learning and personal attention through the student-LM relationship to improve students’ academic and character development in order for them to succeed in their communities and the increasingly technological and global world.

 

 I would like to start with our mission statement:

TRIO Wolf Creek Distance Learning Charter School’s mission is to provide students with a personalized, rigorous, technology based, and flexible high school education emphasizing accountability, higher-level thinking, and communication skills to prepare students for the future.

 

With this in mind, my statement is as follows:

Wolf Creek is and will continue to be a high school where students are successful due to learning that while being rigorous is flexible, based on technology, and personalized. Wolf Creek is an Online School with a lab component that enhances the online learning. A personal connection between a student and teacher (learning manager) is a strong component of our program, developing student responsibility and communication skills.  In the future, I visualize more appeal to multiple intelligences, as well as appeal to all learning styles with more hands on and auditory learning, utilizing current and future technological options.  Also, our school is developing more programs to help students learn about and be successful in their future post-secondary choices. 

 

 

 

 

Wolf Creek is a small school/ community. We give and get respect.
We need to stay strong as an online leader and stay flexible for students- offering them onsite time as needed. I used to think 120 was a huge number and our limit- now I think we can still be all these things for up to 180.

 

A premier online school that combines a hybrid approach with complete online learning to meet the needs of students throughout the state of Minnesota.  This would include the main campus in Chisago City in addition to small satellites throughout the metro area, where we draw most of our student population from and throughout the state, where we could serve a number of students who have not yet experienced TRIO Wolf Creek.  Additionally, I see TRIO Wolf Creek demonstrating the continued success of the Learning Manager model and incorporation new technologies to stay ahead of the curve (i.e. asynchronous and synchronous classes, various purchased technologies for coursework and other hands on experiments, etc., and a solid e-learning platform).

 

The hybrid model of online/charter school will continue to be the mainstay of our functionality in offering the convenience of online learning with the benefits of one-on-one contact with Learning Managers and staff to develop a trusting, respectful relationship.  This hybrid will allow us to continue to be a premier leader in online learning in the State of Minnesota and across the Country.

 

Our school would be seen as academically and fiscally responsible by the larger public school community in Minnesota.  The hybrid model would be embraced through research methods to show student academic and social advances in the future.

If I had to articulate my vision for what Wolf Creek is or will become in a brief statement I would say the following:

*To provide personalized, rigorous, and flexible online education options for students in the entire state of Minnesota.

*To use the lab setting to support individual students who live nearby and enjoy one-to-one interaction.

*To expand the geographic "attendance" area in both supplemental and comprehensive students