The Weber State University P-16 Alliance consists of leaders from each of the school districts surrounding Weber State (Weber, Ogden, Davis, Morgan, Box Elder) and from the university. The first meeting was held December 16, 2011, the second March 20, 2012, and the third June 15.
The next Alliance meeting to be held March 15, 2013, 9:30 a.m. in the Garden Room of the Lindquist Alumni Center.
The purpose of the Alliance
between the school districts and Weber State University was defined as:
- Work together to better prepare students for successful college careers and lives
- Identify areas of shared interest / concern
- Create an inventory of resources we can apply to these areas of interest/concern
- Deal with the reality of the political situation, improving it where we can
These purposes were reviewed In June, 2012 and reaffirmed as the purposes of the Alliance, although the primary purpose is the first bullet.
The priority focus areas for Alliance
were determined to be:
- Create an ongoing process to improve communication between districts/high schools and Weber State University founded on shared student performance data.
- Create a systemic approach to get high school/district and Weber State together around content, but also across disciplines
- Share best practices among teachers, between teachers, and with university faculty
- Seek out opportunities for larger impact and/or impact on the most students
- Systematically manage the transition from high school to college
- Begin the university experience earlier, with more students visiting WSU campuses and more faculty visiting high schools
The focus areas were review in June, 2012 and re-affirmed as the areas to focus on.
Objectives, Strategies and Success Measures
were identified as:
| Objective | Strategies | Success Measure |
| Improve the WSU 1st year retention and timely graduation rates for students from regional high schools. | Compute and publish 1st year retention and six year graduation rates, resolved by high school and district. | 1st year retention improves ____ percent Six year graduation rates improves ____ percent |
| Reduce numbers of regional high school students needing remedial math when they enter WSU. | Compute and publish math preparation statistics, resolved by high school and district. | Reduce the number of regional high school students needing remedial math by ___ percent |
| Increase success in remedial math at the university for those regional high school students who do need remedial math. | Compute and publish WSU remedial math success statistics, resolved by high school and district. | Improve the pass rate of remedial math students from regional high schools by ___ percent. |
| Strengthen the relationship between WSU and the districts/high schools | Kick off with an “event” bringing together WSU and district faculty to look at the common core. Begin with math and writing. | Increase the contact hours between WSU and district faculty by ___ percent |
| Compute and publish fundamental post-secondary experience data, resolved by high school | Create a WSU web page for Alliance data to be stored and shared. | Web site up and running by February, 2012; maintenance process in place by August, 2012. |
| Utilize and build on what already exists | Find the state-wide, fundable initiatives already underway | Inventory of opportunities completed ____, 2012 |
| New 3-20-12 Utilize and build on Common Core State Standards |
|
Video exemplars and learning process available and shared across districts by fall term, 2012. |
Prior to the September 2012 meeting, next steps for the Alliance are:
- The superintendents will meet to figure out a way to get their top teachers on the task of developing curriculum and best practices for the match CCSS.
Prior to the June meeting, next steps for the Alliance are:
- Gary Dohrer (WSU) will continue meeting the group focused on language arts
- Dixie Blackinton (WSU) will report back to her math-focused group that their need for exemplars for teaching using the CCSS in math was understood and heard. Enthusiasm was generated by the idea of creating a video library of exemplars to be shared across the Districts (not restricted to math). The University President and the District Superintendents pledged support and urged producing them for use in the fall.
- Claudia Eliason (WSU) will continue meeting the group to focus on issues with WSU curriculum alignment to the CCSS.
- All parties agreed that the Districts and University must speak about the CCSS positively, directly and with a consistent voice to WSU faculty, District teachers, and legislators. The idea is to endorse and promote the themes emerging from other in-process working bodies, creating a broad-based, consistent message. In any case, we need a public statement of where we are going.
Prior to the March meeting, next steps for the Alliance were:
- Gary Dohrer (WSU) will convene a group of WSU faculty and district teachers and administrators to plan how to implement the writing common core (Common Core State Standards) and other best practices for supporting P-12 language arts student achievement.
- Dixie Blackinton (WSU) will convene a group of WSU faculty and district teachers and administrators to plan how to implement the math common core (Common Core State Standards) and other best practices for supporting P-12 math student achievement.
- Elementary and secondary (new core) math teaching is considered to be a pressing need