by Natasha L. Adams, Superintendent and CEO
West Clermont Schools
In October, West Clermont stakeholders completed a survey and ThoughtExchange that measures the willingness of our stakeholder groups to recommend our services to others.
For this round, we had 2661 participants and we scored “-3” this fall. The Net Promoter Score or NPS has an index range from -100 to +100. Therefore “0” is a good score.
Since the NPS is meant to gauge stakeholders’ loyalty, satisfaction and enthusiasm with the organization, we created a ThoughtExchange to get a deeper analysis of our areas of strength and greatest opportunities. Our score this fall is slightly lower than our score in February 2021.
Top celebration themes include:
- West Clermont staff positively recognized for their care and connection with students!
- Increased time in specials (music, art, physical education and career ed/Discover) in elementary schools.
- 1: Wolf technology (laptop for every student) made available for all K-12 students.
- Positive recognition of effective district and school communication.
Top challenge themes include:
- Continued ups and downs living and working through the COVID-19 pandemic, etc…
- Lack of substitutes to cover for staff absences
- Need for increased expectations for all and issues with student behavior
- High School busing unavailable for students
To improve student, staff and family experiences in West Clermont we will use our strengths to help grow areas of needed improvement.
- Communication remains a top priority. We are committed to monthly e-newsletters, weekly principal updates, robust social media content, emergency communications and we are currently working behind the scenes to improve everyone’s experience with the website and Wolfpack Hub.
- Student-Centered Learning-According to the comments some things we do well is having a clear vision for the future, providing multiple pathways to graduation and fostering strong teacher-student relationships. Based on comments, areas we can improve include holding students accountable, attending to the unique needs of our diverse student population, and providing online learning options and curriculum transparency. Our main area of focus this year is the PK-12 math course of study process to improve student outcomes in mathematics. This feedback will help inform our process.
- Student Behavior-We are focused on Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) this means we focus on directly teaching behaviors and rewarding students for positive behavior. There are students struggling with the return to brick-and-mortar school and higher academic expectations. Overall, there seems to be decreased immaturity at every level that requires more time and effort in teaching appropriate behavior. The district is contracting with behavior specialists to help grow our capacity to support students with behavior challenges.
- Counselors-There are increased numbers of counselors at the Middle School and High School to create a smaller student to counselor ratio for more personalized attention and personal development opportunities.
- Student Engagement-We are focusing on improving instruction and classroom practice to increase student engagement through professional development days and job-embedded instructional coaching. We are working in new ways with district partners to provide real-world authentic learning opportunities available to our students of all ages through our WCYourFuture programming.
- Middle School Start time-We have created a Citizens Advisory Commission with the first task of researching the possibility of changing the middle school start time.
- High School Busing/Facilities-Based on comments, WCHS busing remains a top concern from parents. Additionally, some facility and spacing issues are mentioned at some elementary schools and WCMS. The Board of Education and administrative team is completing “horizon” planning based on increased enrollment projections and trends, increased staffing needs for diverse learners, and facility/space challenges. The best way to keep up to date with these conversations and plans is at Board of Education meetings and reviewing board agendas.
- COVID-19-There are new protocols in place as of 10/27/21 called Mask to Stay, Test to Play. We are in discussions with our partners in health care, Health Source, to coordinate plans to make vaccinations available for any families who are interested for children age 5 or older.
We are grateful for the students, parents and staff who participated in the Net Promoter Score process. Surveys help us uncover answers to important questions, provoke important discussions in-house and provide information helpful for making decisions and focusing our efforts. Knowing what is top of mind for our stakeholders, helps us as we think about our programs, practices, and policies. We appreciate your time and value your partnership.
