2024–2025 STRATEGY MAP
A MESSAGE FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT
Dear Middleton–Cross Plains Area Community,
It is my great privilege to introduce our District’s Strategy Map for the 2024–2025 school year. This document outlines our core beliefs, commitments, and key focus areas as we continually strive to provide an exceptional educational experience for every student in our District.
At MCPASD, our mission is to educate all students to become contributing members of our community. We aim to empower them through inclusion and collaboration, challenge them with rigorous and innovative curriculum, and inspire them with a lifelong love of learning. Our vision is to create inclusive, innovative, and inspiring schools where everyone thrives.
Equity remains at the forefront of our eforts. We are committed to eliminating disparities based on learner demographics such as race, ethnicity, language, disability status, and socioeconomic background. Our goal is to ensure that every student feels a sense of belonging, sees themselves represented in our curriculum and staf, and receives the support they need to achieve their full potential.
In this Strategy Map, you will fnd our core beliefs about students, our collective responsibility as educators, and the importance of educational equity. We outline specifc goals and priorities focused on literacy profciency, graduation rates, staf recruitment and retention, stakeholder engagement, fscal responsibility, and sustainability.
None of this work would be possible without the dedication of our talented educators, the support of our families and community partners, and the brilliance and resilience of our remarkable students. Together, we can continue to uphold MCPASD’s legacy of providing an inclusive, innovative, and inspiring education for all.
Sincerely,
Dr. Dana E. Monogue Superintendent
Dr. Dana E. Monogue Superintendent
A MESSAGE FROM THE BOARD PRESIDENT
Dear MCPASD Community,
On behalf of the Middleton–Cross Plains Area School District Board of Education, I am pleased to share our 2024–2025 Strategy Map. This comprehensive plan outlines the District’s mission, vision, core beliefs, and strategic goals for the coming year.
Our Board is committed to ensuring that all students in MCPASD receive an education that prepares them for success in whatever path they choose. We take great pride in our District’s outstanding academic achievements, diverse oferings, and talented educators. At the same time, we recognize that there is always room for growth and improvement.
A key priority for the Board is promoting educational equity. We believe that every student deserves access to rigorous curriculum, supportive learning environments, and opportunities to explore their interests and talents. We are actively working to dismantle barriers and systemic inequities to improve learning for all students.
The goals and priorities outlined in this Strategy Map were carefully developed to address areas of need and to align with our core values of inclusion, innovation, and inspiration. Enhancing literacy outcomes, increasing staf diversity, boosting stakeholder engagement, and operating with fscal responsibility are among the important objectives.
None of our work would be possible without our incredible students, families, staf, and community members. We are deeply grateful for your partnership and steadfast support of public education in our communities.
Together, we have an opportunity to build upon MCPASD’s considerable strengths and create a future where each and every student feels they truly belong and can thrive. We look forward to continued collaboration as we implement this strategy with excellence.
Sincerely,
Sheila Dahmen Hibner President, MCPASD Board of Education
Sheila Dahmen Hibner President, MCPASD Board of Education
OUR COMMITMENT TO EXCELLENCE
inclusive. innovative. inspiring.
The Middleton–Cross Plains Area School District serves approximately 7,200 students in a community-based four-yearold kindergarten program, an early learning center, seven elementary schools, two middle schools, and two high schools. Our student body is beautifully diverse, uniquely talented, and the future of our community. Our students excel in pursuits in the classroom, on the athletic feld, and on the stage. MCPASD has consistently been recognized as one of the top school districts in the state of Wisconsin and number one in Dane County. We pride ourselves on our expansive academic and cocurricular oferings. Our athletic teams consistently compete for and win state championships, and our musicians and thespians excel in their productions and competitions at the state, national, and international levels. Annually, our students earn thousands of dollars in scholarship monies to attend universities and colleges across the country.
Our expert staf are committed to student success. Sixty percent of our certifed staf have a master’s degree or doctorate degree. Many of our staf have been recognized for their work, receiving Herb Kohl Fellowship Awards and National Board Certifcation. Our staf engage in ongoing professional development and learning to stay at the forefront of advances in the feld of education. We are proud of our staf and work hard to recruit and retain the best and brightest educators in the region.
Our District and our schools consistently rank at the top in the state of Wisconsin. We have everything it takes to be a top-tier public school system: brilliant students, engaged families, talented staf, and a supportive community.
DISTRICT MISSION
To educate all students to be contributing members of a community and global society by inspiring them with a lifelong love of learning, challenging them with rigorous and innovative curriculum, and empowering them through inclusion and collaboration.
DISTRICT VISION
Inclusive, innovative, and inspiring schools where everyone thrives.
OUR COMMITMENT TO EQUITY FOR STUDENTS
inclusive. innovative. inspiring.
Equity in education means ensuring that every student gets what they need to be successful, including access to rigorous curriculum and expert educators, an expansive menu of cocurricular activities, and the resources and support necessary to achieve and excel. In alignment with our mission and vision of inclusion, innovation, and inspiration, it is our belief that all students deserve to be academically challenged in a safe and supportive learning environment where they feel a sense of belonging. This environment should be free of bullying, harassment, discrimination, and racism.
The educational system has historically disadvantaged specifc groups, but we are actively working to transform the Middleton–Cross Plains Area School District for the better. Our goal is to disrupt and eliminate disparities based on various student and family characteristics, including but not limited to race, color, national origin, home language, citizenship status, ancestry, religion, sex (including sexual orientation and gender identity), economic status, disability status, and age. We are committed to ongoing professional learning for all of our staf as it relates to identity development, issues of racial and social justice, and our roles as agents of positive change within our system.
Educational equity is based on the principles of fairness and justice in allocating resources, opportunity, and treatment, and in creating success for every student. Achieving equity means that students’ identities will not predetermine or predict school success. Expanding opportunities for students who have been historically disadvantaged by our system will enrich the overall development of all students. Specifically, our work is focused on the following:
1. Classroom materials that help all students feel represented and valued in the books and activities that are adopted and implemented in our schools.
2. A workforce that is demographically representative of our student body so that our students see themselves represented in the staf working in our schools. A diverse workforce benefts the educational experiences for all students and helps them prepare for success in a global and diverse economy.
3. High expectations for every student that are attainable through high quality instruction and assessments, lesson plans, classroom materials, and grading practices.
4. Teaching our students empathy and to see the world through the eyes of others so that students are able to listen to and learn from one another.
5. Teaching accurate and representative history so that our curriculum is both critical and patriotic while telling the age-appropriate truth about our nation’s history.
BOARD OF EDUCATION EQUITY POLICY
Every student is unique and deserves a respectful, inclusive learning environment in which to thrive. Every student’s experience is shaped by many factors, and our schools must provide equitable educational opportunities that align with a student’s needs including, but not limited to, race, ethnicity, native language, religion, gender, ability/disability, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, income, and preference for rural or urban lifestyle. We will appropriately prioritize educational equity in all our schools including the intentional allocation of resources, professional development, instruction, and opportunities to meet the specifc needs of all our students.
OUR SHARED BELIEFS
inclusive. innovative. inspiring.
BELIEFS ABOUT STUDENTS
We believe that each and every student: is brilliant and capable of exceeding universally high goals. comes to us with valuable experiences, background knowledge, and gifts and talents that we must learn and grow from, honor, and celebrate. deserves to be challenged in a safe and supportive learning environment in which they feel a strong sense of belonging.
must see themselves in the curriculum we are teaching and in the staf who work in our schools.
BELIEFS ABOUT COLLECTIVE RESPONSIBILITY
We believe that each and every adult in our system: impacts the success of every student; therefore:
● is responsible for living our equity commitment,
● must be committed to the lifelong pursuit of understanding their own identity and how they can have a positive impact on student success. is responsible for interrupting inequitable practices, examining their own biases, and creating inclusive environments for all. contributes to the discovery and cultivation of the unique gifts, talents, and interests that every human possesses.
BELIEFS ABOUT EDUCATIONAL EQUITY
We believe that:
equity work is humanitarian work that benefits our entire community. the educational system has disadvantaged some in our community and negatively impacted their sense of belonging; therefore, we must continue to work tirelessly to change the system. actively seeking feedback and perspective from community members who have been disadvantaged will ensure that our decisions are grounded in our beliefs. we can establish a system that ensures that all students thrive.
A
DISTRICT WHERE
STUDENTS BELONG
AND THRIVE inclusive. innovative. inspiring.
We want all of our students to have a positive and rewarding experience in our District in both their academic and cocurricular pursuits. Because we know that each student comes to us with unique gifts, talents, and needs, we strive to personalize their learning experience. Our educators understand the impact they have on the lives of our students and work every day to make a positive diference in their lives. Our Board of Education is focused on student achievement and the District’s ability to efectively meet the needs of all students.
BOARD GOAL FOR THE DISTRICT:
1. The District will analyze student achievement outcomes and prioritize a focus area for the next fve years to ensure that reading profciency for all students is at or above grade level.
DISTRICT GOALS:
1. Every educator will use efective literacy practices that are culturally and linguistically responsive so that 85% of our students achieve the following by the 2025-2026 school year.
● reading profciency by the end of third grade as measured by the Wisconsin Forward Examination;
● reading profciency by the end of eighth grade as measured by the Wisconsin Forward Examination;
● ACT reading score of 22.
These practices will be validated through the Educator Efectiveness Evaluation process.
2. Every student will graduate with their respective class by the end of the 2024–2025 school year.
PRIORITIES:
1. Implementation of literacy/biliteracy curriculum and professional learning.
2. Continued implementation of Multi-Layered Systems of Support (MLSS).
3. Implementation of special education program evaluation action plan:
● defnition of inclusion philosophy
● service delivery and programming options
● collaboration and efective teaming
4. Middle school master schedule review and revision by December 20, 2024.
Grade 3 Wisconsin Forward Examination
Grade 8 Wisconsin Forward Examination Reading Profciency
Grade 8 Wisconsin Forward Examination
Mathematics Profciency
Percentage of Students in Grades 9–12 Participating in at Least One Cocurricular Activity
Student Engagement Survey Question: “I feel like I belong here at this school.”
Student Engagement Survey Question: “I feel safe at this school.”
A DISTRICT WHERE STAFF ARE EMPOWERED AND SUPPORTED
inclusive. innovative. inspiring.
We want our employees to fnd meaning and purpose in their work. We want them to feel respected and empowered to do great work for our students, their families, and one another. We recognize the positive impact of talented staf in our schools. We remain committed to our talent attraction and retention eforts and our need to employ staf that represent the demographics of our student body.
BOARD GOALS FOR THE DISTRICT:
1. Increase the number of staf of color in all employee groups until our staf demographics at least match our District demographics.
2. Achieve a 90% retention rate in all employee groups.
DISTRICT GOALS:
1. Increase the percentage of teachers who identify as BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) to 7% by the beginning of the 2024–2025 school year.
2. Maintain a 95% retention rate of staf who identify as BIPOC by the end of the 2024–2025 school year.
PRIORITIES:
1. Convene a noncertifed compensation committee to recommend a formalized compensation structure.
2. Evaluate the process for receiving staf feedback, and implement a formalized feedback system.
3. Create a process to analyze supplemental compensation.
4. Continue the benefts workgroup for long-range health insurance planning.
5. Continue the development of the certifed staf compensation model.
6. Implement the three-year retention and recruitment plan.
TRACKING PROGRESS | 2023–2024
Percentage of employees who identify as BIPOC across all employee groups
Staf Engagement Survey Question:
12.1% (2023–2024)
“I receive timely and meaningful feedback that helps me improve my practice from a variety of sources.”
Staf Engagement Survey Question:
“I am provided with professional learning opportunities that support my development.”
2.73/4 (2023–2024)
2.68/4 (2023–2024)
A DISTRICT THAT IS VALUED AND TRUSTED inclusive.
innovative. inspiring.
We value stakeholder feedback and involvement and know that community partnerships help us provide better service to those in our care. MCPASD is a premier school district in the state, and our reputation has helped the greater community prosper and thrive. We understand the role we play in our community and want to continue to improve in all aspects of our operations.
Our School Board adopted a sustainability resolution, and we now have an opportunity to create a systemic approach to bring these ideals to reality. Our community relies on us to be stewards of taxpayer monies and thoughtful in our resource allocations and decision-making processes. Therefore, we need to ensure efciency and security in our fscal operations.
BOARD GOALS FOR THE DISTRICT:
1. Develop and implement a stakeholder engagement process that provides the Board with consistent, timely, and actionable feedback from families, staf, and students.
2. Develop and implement a fnancial benchmark identifcation process that provides meaningful comparison data for community stakeholders.
DISTRICT GOALS:
1. Maintain fdelity to safety and security protocols and partnerships with law enforcement agencies.
2. Convene the Sustainability Committee with a charge to develop a comprehensive sustainability plan focused on environmental stewardship, operational excellence, and educational engagement by June 1, 2025.
PRIORITIES:
1. Develop a long-range capital improvement plan to include athletics and activities facilities.
2. Conduct a program evaluation of our 4K program.
3. Convene a workgroup charged with learning about Artifcial Intelligence (AI) policy and practice implications for the District.
4. Facilitate a critical crisis event with local emergency responders by July 2025.
5. Maintain fdelity to safety training, exercises, and drill processes District-wide.
6. Rebrand/refresh District communication materials with an emphasis on enrollment marketing and talent attraction.
TRACKING PROGRESS | 2023–2024
Fund balance percentage of the overall budget
• Recommendation to maintain a fund balance percentage of 30% of MCPASD’s operational budget
* All schools have met the state requirement of 2 fre drills, 2 shelter drills, and an active threat drill.
• Emergency responders observed 1/4 of our drills.
Family Engagement Survey Question: “I would recommend the district to a friend or neighbor.”
Family Engagement Survey Question: “Our district is preparing our students to become independent and thoughtful learners through innovative experiences.”
Family Engagement Survey Question: “I believe the district is fscally responsible.”