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Accountability and flexibility are hallmarks of Gwinnett County Public Schools' success. Key to that success is ensuring that each school community understands the progress being made by its schools, as well as what plans will drive improvement. Each school creates a collaborative Local School Plan for Improvement (LSPI) to increase student achievement results, with targeted goals based on the four strategic priorities within the district’s Blueprint for the Future: Empathy, Equity, Effectiveness, and Excellence. All schools across the district will focus on goals 2A- Multi-tiered Systems of Support and 2B- Opportunity and Access. Additionally, schools are required to select one goal from each of the other strategic priorities. LSPI goals are dynamic, like our schools, and are updated to reflect changes that occur in schools. Multiple data points are used to determine areas needing improvement and to identify specific, measurable, annual objectives. Schools then determine how to use research-based strategies to achieve these goals, using flexibility as needed. The LSPI development process involves teachers, parents, students, and community members, so the entire school community has the opportunity to be involved in conversations about school improvement.

 

2025 - 2026 Local School Plan for Improvement (LSPI)


School: PHOENIX HIGH SCHOOL           Principal: Niki Ross
District Strategic Priorities/Goals Rationale Action Steps
(Implementation Design)		 How will you measure growth?
Growth Factors (Baseline & Targets)
Empathy 1.A - Cultural Competence

Phoenix High School will promote student and staff wellbeing through prioritizing self-care, physical and mental health, and social emotional learning to ensure that the focus is on the whole individual.
  1. Activities to reduce stress and encourage connection between students and staff, such as but not limited to: Phoenix Fall Fun Week, Winter Games, March Madness, and Spring Fun Week.
  2. W.I.L.D. Out Wednesdays (Wellness, Independence, Life Skills, Discovery) – Advisement/Social and Emotional Learning activities 
  3. Phoenix Health Fair
  4. Simon Youth Foundation Student Center – games, mural coloring stations, puzzles
  5. Open gym during common lunch
  6. College and Careers Fairs for planning for the future

 

Percent of students responding positively to the following student wellbeing EES Student Survey items (weighted average):

  • I enjoy coming to this school (72%).
    • Target: 75%
  • I am hopeful about my future (84%).
    • Target: 86%

Percent of staff responding positively to the following staff support EES Staff Survey items (weighted average):

  • When there is a problem in my school, we talk about how to solve it (80%).
    • Target: 80%
  • My principal/administrator cares about me as a person (90%).
    • Target: 90%
  • My principal facilitates systems/processes to support school improvement (97%).
    • Target: 97%
Equity 2.A - Multi-tiered System of Supports

Phoenix High School will implement a comprehensive framework to fully operationalize a multi-tiered system of supports to address academic and non-academic student needs and remove barriers to success. Further, as a federally identified CSI school, Phoenix High School will use this multi-tiered system of supports to increase the Cohort Graduation rate by 3%. 

Academic Interventions include the CSI Action Steps for increased graduation rate, but are not limited to:

  1. Individualized, self-paced mastery learning
  2. Flexible scheduling which includes student choice with teacher, time of day, and structure of learning environment
  3. Multiple attempts at tests and assignments
  4. Extended learning opportunities on Fridays and Saturdays for students to catch up, extra help, or get ahead
  5. Using a variety of technology to enhance student learning
  6. Communication with students and parents about tutoring, extended learning opportunities, and attendance updates
  7. Progress checks and goal setting with teachers and counselors
  8. Use of the Student Contact Database

Supportive Community Interventions include, but are not limited to:

  1. Daycare for teenage parents
  2. Positive Behavior Intervention Strategies
  3. Student choice in the hours he/she attends school
  4. Registration/on-boarding process with an administrator and counselor including goal-setting and planning for the future
  5. Student Contact Database
  6. Connections made with staff members through Activities Weeks and student well-being activities

 
  • Implementation of PBIS
  • Cohort Graduation Rate (Spring =19%).
    • Target: 22%
  • Graduation Rate of students who receive a Senior Letter (regardless of years in high school)
    • Target = 80%
  • Number of courses passed (half-credits earned) each mini-semester
    • Target = 1380
Equity 2.B - Opportunity and Access

Phoenix High School will expand student opportunities to engage in and have access to high quality, rigorous, culturally relevant curriculum, and enrichment activities.
  1. Quality and rigor checks of courses within each subject and department for instruction which incorporates high-quality Tier 1 instruction and utilizes the Phoenix Instructional Model (whole group instruction, small group instruction, personalization, and accelerated learning)
  2. Emphasis on document-based writing in Language Arts, Science, and Social Studies
  3. Regular use of Common Assessments
  4. Dual-enrollment in college
  5. College and Career Advisors and Counselors will meet with 12th graders to create plan for next steps.
  6. Implement Restorative Practices and PBIS to reduce disruption of learning resulting from exclusionary discipline practices.
  • Percent of 12th graders who graduate with a documented post-secondary plan of one of the following: enrolled in a post-secondary or technical institution, enlisted in a branch of the armed service, or employed. 
    • Target: 85%
  • Cohort Graduation Rate (Spring =19%).
    • Target: 22%
  • Total Graduation Rate of all students who receive a Senior Letter (regardless of years in high school)
    • Target: 80%