Entry Plan for Assistant Superintendent of Student Services

Start Date: March 24, 2025

I. Purpose of the Entry Plan

The purpose of this Entry Plan is to guide a focused and strategic transition into the role of Assistant Superintendent of Student Services. While I bring a deep understanding of the district through my previous role, this position expands my scope of leadership to include Special Education, English Learner Education, Counseling & Mental Health, Nursing, 504s, Homeless/Foster Care Services, Student Discipline, and Tiered Supports.

This plan will allow me to:

• Re-establish relationships in a broader leadership capacity

• Gain a clear understanding of each department’s current strengths and challenges

• Ensure alignment with district priorities and equity goals

• Build trust, collaboration, and strategic direction with staff, families, and community partners

II. Guiding Principles

• Student-Centered Decision Making

• Equity, Inclusion & Access for All Students

• Transparency and Trust in Leadership

• Collaborative Problem-Solving

• Systems-Level Thinking and Sustainability

III. Focus Areas & Key Questions

1. Departmental Deep Dive

Goal: Understand the current functioning, staffing, strengths, and challenges of each department under Student Services.
Departments:

• Special Education

• English Learner (EL) Services

• Counseling & Mental Health

• Nursing

• Section 504 Services

• Homeless & Foster Care Coordination

• Discipline/Behavioral Support

Key Questions:

• What are the core strengths and immediate challenges in your department?

• What systems are in place to track student outcomes and service effectiveness?

• Where are we seeing inequities or inconsistencies across schools?

• What support do you need from district leadership?

2. School-Based Engagement

Goal: Meet with principals and school-based student support teams to assess building-level implementation of Student Services.
Activities:

• Attend SST, MTSS, and Admin Team meetings at each school

• Observe inclusion practices, intervention models, and student support systems

Key Questions:

• How are student services integrated into building-based decision-making?

• Are tiered supports being implemented with fidelity across buildings?

• How well are general and special education working together?

3. Community & Family Voice

Goal: Strengthen relationships with parents/guardians, particularly families of students with disabilities, English Learners, and those accessing Tier 2/3 supports.
Activities:

• Hold listening sessions with SEPAC, EL PAC, and family groups

• Connect with key community organizations supporting students and families

Key Questions:

• How do families experience student services in Bedford?

• Are communications accessible, timely, and responsive to diverse needs?

• What do families need from us to feel seen, heard, and supported?

4. Data & Compliance Review

Goal: Ensure systems are in place for compliance and continuous improvement.
Activities:

• Review IEP/504 processes and timelines

• Review EL identification, placement, and exit procedures

• Analyze student discipline data and intervention access by subgroup

• Review recent monitoring reports  (e.g., TFM, DESE grant reviews)

Key Questions:

• Are we meeting state and federal requirements consistently?

• What are our data telling us about access and equity?

• What quality assurance processes need to be strengthened?

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IV. Deliverables & Timeline

Phase	Focus	Deliverables	Timeline
Phase 1: Listening & Learning	Departmental and school-based interviews, document review	Entry meetings summary, strengths/challenges themes	3/24/25- 5/2/25
Phase 2: Stakeholder Engagement	SEPAC, EL PAC, counselors, nurses, principals	Notes from focus groups; family and staff feedback	4/14/25- 5/19/25
Phase 3: Analysis & Priorities	Identify districtwide patterns and priority actions	Draft memo with short-term and long-term priorities	5/5/25- 6/2/25
Phase 4: Superintendent & Leadership Debrief	Share findings and proposed direction	Final summary presentation or report	6/2/25- 6/18/25

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V. Immediate Priorities to Monitor Concurrently

• Staffing and onboarding for fall (Assistant Superintendent of TL, PA Counseling)

• DESE monitoring follow-up (TFM, Title grants)

• Summer program planning and ESY review

• Discipline data and equity review

VI. Closing Statement

This Entry Plan is designed to allow me to listen, learn, and lead with intention. While I bring institutional knowledge and deep relationships from my previous role, stepping into this broader leadership position requires a fresh lens, active collaboration, and a clear systems focus. I am excited to deepen my impact and partner with the incredible staff, families, and community members of Bedford to ensure every student receives what they need to succeed.

Marianne Vines, Ed. D.
Assistant Superintendent of Student Services

K-5 Core Program Review and Implementation Plan
June 2024

DLLT Meetings

Since the last update, a lot has happened!  On May 9th the DLLT met and held a debrief regarding the last curriculum we reviewed, which was Core Knowledge Language Arts (CKLA).  We debriefed regarding what our findings were when we reviewed all the materials related to this program.  

On May 14th, 16th and 21st, the DLLT members attended three different “Publisher Roundtables and User Panels”.  We were able to hear from each of the publishers from the three programs:  Into Reading, My View and CKLA.  We were also able to hear from educators who are currently using one of these three programs, and ask questions regarding their experiences in the field using these programs.  

On May 23rd the DLLT met for the last time.  We met for over two hours, and looked at the ratings created on the measurement tool, which provided a quantitative view into the scoring for each of the three programs.  We also were able to discuss which element of a program was most important to us in Bedford, and we discovered that writing, and phonics were the two top priorities for us in adopting a new program.  Lastly, we were able to hear from each member of the DLLT on which program they thought would be best for our students, then we participated in  a silent ballot vote, and selected, overwhelmingly CKLA!

On May 28th, Dr. Clifford presented to the school committee the selection process, and final decision, and merits of CKLA for our students in Bedford.  Andrea Salipante, ELA Curriculum Coordinator for K-5, presented the implementation plan for the district.

District Implementation Team

During the past year we had a District Literacy Leadership Team (DLLT), this was a group of K-5 educators, administrators and parents.  Now transitioning into implementation, and not adoption of a program, we have created a K-5 District Implementation Team (DIT).  This group is composed of K-5faculty members.

The following faculty members are part of the District Implementation Team for 2024-2025:

Lynn Armstrong Ann Hamel-Webster LoriAnn O’Brien     

Hannah Bullard Emma Heslop Kim Petersen         

Kristen Enneguess Jess Hoey     Courtney Roy         

Kirstie Foley Jamie Love     Andrea Salipante   

Deb Griffin Johnna Mangan     Jackie Smith

Nicole Grimes Jocelyn Mason     Brittany Stanley

Stacey Williams        Tricia White     Julie Sutton

Jenn Wayne-Bartlet

The implementation team will begin their work this summer during three days when they convene to prepare for the year, during those three days the outline of the work will be as follows:

Summer Day #1:

• 3-hour training from publisher to begin unpacking grade-level kits

• Guidance regarding how to attack each unit which includes a template and/or protocol for our work

• Overview of components including management 

• Taking place at Lane School

• Organize with the facilities department regarding the arrival of materials/prep and distribution of materials

• Using information gleaned from the publisher training, grade-level teams will begin work in their respective Unit 1, focusing on the layout of each lesson and beginning discussion of  “must-do’s” vs “may do's”

• Begin work on making a unit guide for each grade level 

• Homework: closely examine Unit 1 components and be prepared to create a guide

• including videos and support resources

• At end of day, communicate with administrators and grade level teachers the work that was done over the course of the day

Summer Day #2:

• Create a K-2 and a 3-5 lesson guide/slideshow and pacing guide that takes into consideration a close look at the school calendar and assessment calendar, and includes the First Days of School work

• At end of day, communicate with administrators and grade level teachers the work that was done over the course of the day

Summer Day #3:

• Finalize a plan for how each grade level will share the Implementation Team Summer 

work and general information regarding materials and distribution

• At end of day, communicate with administrators and grade level teachers the work that was done over the course of the day

Monthly Consulting Time with Hill for Literacy

As you can clearly see there will be a lot of work to do this summer, and we are looking forward to getting this work completed so that when we begin the school year, we will be ready to dig into CKLA in the K-5 classrooms. We discovered that districts that continued their consulting work with Hill for Literacy had a deeper understanding of their program, therefore, we will continue to work with Hill for Literacy during the 2024-2025 school year, and our time with them is outlined below:

District Admin Meetings (10 in total)	Oversight of partnership and problem-solving implementation issues
K-5 Literacy Implementation Team Meetings (10 in total)	Oversee implementation of the new core program to build internal capacity to support the implementation of tiered instructional models Build capacity to support the implementation team to lead grade-level meeting
Coaches Meetings (10 in total)	Develop implementation tools that support consistent implementation of the components of the new core program
Implementation-Coaching Support (5-coaching days per school, 10 in total)	This will be support provided at the school and classroom level, to help facilitate/guide/problem solve, as the lessons are being implemented, in real-time.

Looking at the beginning of school specifically, we are planning on utilizing professional development days during the year to focus on continued professional development for teachers, this would include August 29th, and the November and March professional development days.  

I want to thank the members of the DLLT for all of their hard work and dedication. 570 collective volunteer hours went into selection of the new literacy program, this included parents and educators, thank you again!!!