BC News

District launches parent surveys
Release Date: May 5, 2008

The Bethlehem Central School district has launched a series of online parent surveys designed to gauge parents' opinions on topics ranging from school communication to the academic preparation their children are receiving.

The surveys are tailored by academic level - elementary, middle and high school - and, at the elementary level, are broken down by the district's five elementary schools. They are part of the district's efforts to continuously improve in all areas, according to Assistant Superintendent for Educational Programs Michael Tebbano.

"We encourage parents to complete the surveys and we are looking forward to the results," said Dr. Tebbano, who will become superintendent on July 1 following Dr. Les Loomis' retirement. "The survey information we collect will be a valuable asset in not only determining what we are doing well, but also the areas we need to target for improvement. If we don't know, then we will not grow as a school community."

The surveys can be accessed via the links above or by visiting the home page for each school. The surveys will be available through May 30.

As part of the district's Continuous Improvement initiative, over the past several months district administrators have been working to identify a set of "performance indicators," that it can track over time to show areas of success, areas where progress is being made, and areas that require attention. The views of parents, students and recent graduates have emerged as information that district officials believe will be valuable performance indicators.

Surveys of elementary students were piloted earlier this year, while surveys of middle and high school students will be taking place at those schools in the coming weeks. In addition, the district will announce plans for a survey of recent graduates in the coming months.

"Basically, we want to know from all points of view, 'How are we doing?'" Dr. Tebbano said. "We think this is an important step toward continuing to build a culture and climate within BC that is always looking to do things better."

The performance indicators are pegged to the district's three enduring goals - knowledge, character and value - and range from students' scores on state assessments and Regents exams to the number of students' participating in co-curricular activities and service projects to financial data that points toward taxpayer value. It is anticipated that a community "Performance Indicators Report" will be compiled and will include the survey results.

The district implemented the Continuous Improvement initiative under the leadership of Dr. Loomis. Dr. Tebbano has said that two of his top goals as superintendent will be continue to strengthen a culture of constant improvement within the district and to continue to build strong bridges with all aspects of the BC community.

 

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