As we plan for the future, it can be helpful to get an outside perspective. RCAS Title I schools have been going through a comprehensive needs assessment over the last few months with consultants from HMH Education Services. The comprehensive needs assessment (CNA) is used to determine how a school is performing in relation to several foundational practices for school improvement. This data-driven process, which includes a two-day on-site visit, interviews with a wide range of stakeholders, surveys, and observations, identifies a school's strengths as well as its opportunities to increase student performance.
Canyon Lake had it's on-site visit in December, and our final report was delivered in mid-January. Here are some of the major findings:
Students and parents describe Canyon Lake as a warm and inviting place to learn and grow. The school has faced a great deal of transition in leadership, teaching staff, and redistricting of students. Within the last three years, the school has become stable and cohesive and is supported by a strong culture focused on positive student behavior and learning.An area of particular strength was our learning environment and school culture; Canyon Lake is a results-driven school that has a safe, orderly learning environment where everyone assumes collective responsibility for student growth and achievement.
In addition to pointing out some of our strengths, our CNA gave us some ideas regarding next steps. As a staff, we've decided to focus on two initiatives moving forward:
- Personalized learning and differentiation based on rigor, relevance, and engagement
- Student and parent feedback
Stay tuned for more information!
