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Important Announcements 

Mercer Area School District 

District Goals

2024-25 Mercer Area School District
Superintendent's District Level Goals
Dr. Ronald R. Rowe, Jr.

Improved Student Performance

Goal #1: Improved Student Achievement on State Assessments  

  • To strengthen and foster the internal structures where teachers and administrators collaborate and identify data sources, engage in data analysis, and use data to guide instruction and interventions.
  • Mercer Area School District will perform in the top 25% of the county at all building levels in math and reading as measured by the PSSA and Keystone exams.

Goal #2: Innovative Teaching and Learning

  • Implement, with fidelity, instructional strategies that focus on professional ethics, and Explicit Direct Instruction within the classroom.  

Communication & Community

Goal #1: Increased communication

  • Enhance and keep all areas of the Mercer Area School District website current.  
  • Improve district, building, and teacher communication both internally and with the community.

Goal #2: Security

  • Maintain security/police presence within each school building during student attendance days for the 2024-2025 school year.

Finances

Goal #1:  

  • All financial decisions will continue to be directly related to the district’s core mission.
  • The district will continue to remain solvent and exercise comprehensive financial prudency. 

2024-2025 Administrative Goals
Assistant Superintendent
Dr. Michael Piddington

  1. Coordinate student support services within school district.
  • Supervision of Special Education Program, including implementation of School District Special Education Plan.
  • Maintain all 504 plans & service agreements within the school district.
  • Complete & submit all reports on homelessness to the Regional Coordinator for PA Education for Children & Youth Experiencing Homelessness.  
  • Complete updates to policies & procedures to meet requirements of regulations associated with Title IX, the federal statute addressing discrimination on the basis of sex in education programs and activities, within the school district.
  1. Coordinate the student information management system for the school district. 
  • Assist with the maintenance of an accurate & efficient Student Information System (Infinite Campus).
  • Ensure accurate submissions of all documents associated with state reporting using the Student Information System.
  • Review & recommend updates & new product features offered by Infinite Campus to increase effectiveness of Student Information System for reporting student data.
  • Ensure all components of the Infinite Campus system (Parent Portal, Student Portal, etc.) are implemented, with any corrections and/or modifications completed in a timely fashion.
  • Provide training modules for new employees on all components of Infinite Campus system associated with position.                             
  1. Continue implementation of Pennsylvania Core Standards into Mercer Area School District Curriculum. 
  • Complete annual review of school district curriculum, including course of study and scope & sequence. Modifications to curriculum (additions and/or deletions) will be submitted to the members of the school board for review & approval.
  • Oversee the implementation of Computer Science curriculum through the Project Lead the Way (PLTW) program at the elementary school & high school.
  • Increase familiarity & implementation of SAS materials & resources to assist teaching staff with the use of instruction practices & assessment tools aligned with the Pennsylvania Core Standards.
  • Continue the review the current course of study for all Science courses at both the Elementary and Secondary levels in order to prepare for the implementation of new Pennsylvania Science standards within the school district during the 2025-2026 school year.
  1. Review and/or revise district level & building level documents to continue improving communication within the school district and with all stakeholders (parents/guardians, community members, etc.).
  • Complete annual review of building-level staff & student handbooks, district level & building level mailings, information published on school district website & appropriate social media platforms, and all other documents.
  • Maintain the use of Blackboard Connect as the mass notification system to send messages to families within the school district.       
  • Assist with the implementation of a new school district website through the Finalsite platform.           
     
  1. Assist with the continued implementation of a social emotional learning (SEL) program within school district (elementary & middle-high school buildings) to educate students, parents/guardians, & staff members to better address the social, emotional, and mental health needs of students through the development of an atmosphere that promotes positive attitudes & behaviors, healthy relationships among peers, and resistance to negative peer pressures and influences.
  • Work with members of the social emotional learning (SEL) committee (administrators, school counselors, teachers, etc.) to participate in training & prepare for the continued utilization of the SEL program within the school district during the 2024-2025 school year.
  • Work with SEL committee to create & develop classroom lessons, presentations, & activities through the use of the CharacterStrong curriculum and other resources within the school district (elementary & middle-high school buildings) for use during the 2024-2025 school year.
  • Facilitate programming that will provide students in grades 5-12 with information regarding vaping & nicotine addition and their connection to mental well-being & health.
  • Complete the administration of a social emotional learning (SEL) screener with students in grades K-12 and faculty to identify specific topics and ideas that need to be addressed through the SEL curriculum at the Tier 1 level and also identify those students that are in need of additional interventions at the Tier 2 and Tier 3 levels through individual or small group meetings with the school counselors.
  1. Complete the steps necessary to maintain the designation of a Schoolwide Title I building for each building within the school district.
  • Coordinate with building principals to schedule meetings with Title I Committee (administrators, faculty & staff, school board members, families, & community members to review plan & collect stakeholder input for potential modifications and/or additions.
  • Submit Schoolwide Title I School Plans for each building (elementary, middle school, & high school) to school board for review & approval (August 2024).
  • Submit Schoolwide Title I School Plans for each building (elementary, middle school, & high school) to Pennsylvania Department of Education for review & approval.
  • Work with building principals to implement strategies & practices associated with Schoolwide       Title I School Plans. 
  1. Facilitate Comprehensive Planning Process for the school district.
  • Meet with Comprehensive Planning Committee (administrators, faculty & staff, school board members, families, & community members) periodically throughout the 1st semester of the 2024-2025 school year to review & complete the various components of the Comprehensive Plan.
  • Submit Comprehensive Plan for school board approval (January 2025/February 2025) & review by the public.
  • Submit Comprehensive Plan to Pennsylvania Department of Education for review & approval.