Forest Park, IL... On November 10, 2008, PTHS 209 faculty and staff came together for the first district-wide in-service training of the 2008-2009 school year. During this training, teachers from Proviso East, Proviso West, and PMSA discussed test scores and curriculum alignment. They also collaborated on strategies to raise student achievement.

During training, the focus was on improving education for PTHS 209 students. Teachers and administrators were encouraged to stop thinking as individual schools and to start thinking and working as a district.

"We are one school district," said PTHS 209 Superintendent Dr. Nettie Collins-Hart. "We rise and we fall together. So, with that, we will begin using more of a systems approach across all three schools to focus on the specific strategies that can have the greatest impact on student achievement. We are going to begin to align the district's written, taught, and tested curriculum to better prepare our students for all learning and high-stakes testing. That test [the Prairie State Achievement Exam (PSAE)] is not our curriculum, but our curriculum must deliberately include information for which our students are accountable for knowing. We will not sacrifice good instruction. Our teachers are trying so hard, but we have to focus. We will be sharing across our school system and beef up expectations district-wide."

According to Collins-Hart this means not only working to align curriculum across the school district but also more tightly aligning school curriculum with tested material. Teachers reviewed test score data and proposed various ways for the district to work together for success -- and also examined ways for teachers to improve.

"We must improve the classroom environment by providing more hands on activities," said PMSA teacher Dr. Greta Bryson as she spoke with the PTHS 209 faculty. "It is our job to generate hope."

Teachers also discussed the desire for continued collaboration, more communication with guidance counselors, feeder schools, the community, and parents. Moving forward, PTHS 209 Superintendent will use the suggestions of faculty and staff to implement policy as a part of the district's 2008-2009 goals and priorities.

 "We can and we will do better," said Collins-Hart as she spoke with the PTHS 209 faculty. "This can not work without you. With the enthusiasm I see from where I stand, we can do this. This is an important part of moving our district forward."

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