During Florissant Patch’s conversation with Ferguson-Florissant superintendent Art McCoy, he mentioned a number of initiatives and programs laid out for the district as well as his overall vision for this year and coming years.

We give a rundown of goals and focus points given by McCoy.

Motto: Excellence and equity every day

The focus for the 2011-12 – 3 P's

• Personalizing for the individual student: “This year, our focus is going to be on how to be personalized in how we educate. Every individual is unique, and we need to treat each one as if they’re our own child, and they are our children.”
• Being precise in how each student moves forward to the highest achievement: “That’s where that real time, rigorous instruction comes in, because the kid is at a different level than another kid. You have to precisely know what question to ask, what activity to give and what motivation or incentive to give so that they can have a work ethic that’s twice as much as the average work ethic or typical work ethic in school.”
• Professionally making a commitment to learning: “I want to have us focus on…that we’re a learning organization. As professionals, we must commit to learning. Learning before we lead the students, learn who they are. Learn the communities that we lead.”

Goals

• Increase graduation rates by 3 percent
• Increase attendance rates by one percent for each school or a district level of 95 percent overall
• Increase student achievement in communication arts, mathematics and student experiences
• Increase state test scores by 10 percent and have 50 percent of students perform at an advanced or proficient level on the tests
• A possible focus on looking at education in a continuum of P-20, preschool through college, including such things as
  • Exploring sixth-grade centers for students
  • Researching preschool university
  • Eighth to ninth grade transition