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On November 2, the members of the Board of Education adopted goals and objectives that will serve the district over the next three school years, through 2011-12. The three goals are measurable goals, meaning that they will be continually monitored, reviewed, and their progress reported twice each year.

The implementation is the next big challenge and our school administrators will begin working with faculty and staff to begin applying these goals throughout the district.

The goals and objectives are:

• Goal 1A. Improve student achievement in academic performance. The district plans on boasting student performance by increasing the percentage of Regents diplomas for classified students and advanced Regents diplomas for general education students by 2 percent.

For students in grades 3-8, the district’s goal is to boost scores on state exams. Our goal is to move students from a level 1 score to level 2; level 2 to 3; and 3 to 4 as follows:

• Increase scale score in ELA by 3 or more points for 2009-10 by 3.75 percent
• Increase scale score in Math by 3 or more points for 2009-10 by 3 percent

• Goal 1B. Improve student achievement by providing opportunities to develop personal well-being and civic responsibility. Our goal is to increase participation in athletic and co-curricular activities by 2-5 percent.
   
• Goal 2. Improve technology and virtual learning district-wide. The district will fully implement its district-wide Technology Plan which encompasses a number of topics including curriculum, professional development, technical support and more. The district will also increase the number of faculty and staff members using updated hardware and software by 28-50 percent.
   
• Goal 3. Enhance school and work climate for all though a supportive climate for faculty, staff, administrators, parents, community and students. The district wishes to increase staff retention among its support staff and administrators and increase a positive learning environment, working climate and school atmosphere.

More details about the Board goals will be shared in the upcoming district newsletter, which will be mailed to residents later this month.

Over the summer, I encouraged district residents to fill out a brief survey that asked your opinions about the strengths and weaknesses of our district, as well as any opportunities and threats that you foresee. The survey was sent home in our students’ back-to-school packets and posted on the district website. The results of the survey helped develop the district’s goals and objectives.

If you didn’t have a chance to fill out the survey, there’s still time to do so. You can find it on the home page of the district website at www.goshenschoolsny.org, or simply write on a sheet of paper what you feel are the district’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities (such as capital projects) and threats (such as tight budgets). Mail the survey to my attention at 227 Main Street, Goshen NY 10924. This survey is a wonderful opportunity for residents to share their opinions about the district and allow me to learn more about the Goshen community.

In closing, I’d like to remind everyone that all facets of education can be strengthened through open communication and cooperation between the schools, parents and the community. Let’s continue to work together to ensure our students’ success

Daniel T. Connor
Superintendent of Schools