Wyoming — At Wyoming High School, students can expect more Advanced Placement classes and new opportunities to earn career certifications in construction and health care.
New courses for English language learners including EL algebra, EL biology and EL chemistry are also meeting the needs of a significant portion of students.
“We are making sure students are post-diploma ready,” Principal Josh Baumbach said.
‘This is a power lever in regards to how we can elevate the overall scholar experience to be a district of destination — to do what we need to do to put resources where they need to be to truly live it out.’
— Superintendent Craig Hoekstra
By that he means goals are for all students to graduate in four years, ready to enter college or a career; for each ninth-grader to be on track for graduation with sufficient credits; and for all students to have a plan with individual goals around developing their education.
At Gladiola Elementary School, kindergarten through fourth-grade parents and students can provide year-round feedback on a Principal’s Advisory Committee on how the school can best serve them. Teachers are in year two of implementing a new math curriculum and new staff are introduced to the mission values and core beliefs of the district from the first day, Principal Cheryl Corpus said.
Gladiola’s goals – like the district’s other three elementary schools – are for all students to read at grade level by the end of third grade, master early literacy skills in kindergarten and grade-level standards in math.
An overarching goal for all grade levels is for all students to feel a sense of belonging and to feel safe in their learning environment.
The Strategic Plan in Action
It’s year three of crafting the Wyoming Public Schools 2023-2029 Strategic Plan and the first year it is to be put into action.
Over the past two years, the district has gathered data from more than 1,058 students, parents, staff and community members through work on committees, surveys, focus groups and other opportunities.
“We were able to listen, learn and build a plan that’s extraordinarily comprehensive,” Superintendent Craig Hoekstra said. “This plan, for me, is shared ownership at the highest level because we took all of that feedback and created what we have today.”
Wyoming Public Schools’ Vision of The Student Experience
“In a culture where we embrace diverse identities, each Wyoming Public Schools scholar will experience belonging and be challenged to excel academically to positively impact our local and global communities.” — Strategic Plan, 2023-2029
The work will span kindergarten through 12th grade and align at all levels, he said.
“In my career of 29 years in education, this ranks up there as one of my highest points of pride. We know what we want and we certainly are leveraging what we do well. This is a power lever in regards to how we can elevate the overall scholar experience to be a district of destination — to do what we need to do and put resources where they need to be to truly live it out.”
The district is working with Tammy Campbell, CEO of The Scholar First, which uses a strategic planning process that puts student voice at the center of its creation. Campbell is a nationally recognized superintendent for Federal Way Schools, in Federal Way, Washington. She has worked with Wyoming Public Schools, the 12th most diverse district in Michigan, to embed equity strategies and align them.
District administrators participated in an August session with Campbell. She met with the entire staff Aug. 25 and lead monthly professional development sessions to address challenges and questions in real time. She also plans to visit schools to see how things are coming together
“The first thing is to make sure there is even implementation across the schools, meaning every principal knows the moves they are going to make to involve staff so we can actually accomplish the goals that are there, so it’s not just in a document,” she said.
