School Improvement Planning: The Process and the Product

1
School Improvement Planning The Process and
the Product
Virginia Department of Education Office of School
Improvement February 27, 2008
2
Part I The ProcessSchool Improvement Planning
Coordinating School Plan Responsibilities
under NCLB and the SOA Why Not One Plan?
3
The Common Goal
Improved Student Achievement
Research
NCLB
SOA
4
From the Experts

• What does research say about the bottom line
• Delivering
• Good Instruction?

5
The Language of The Research

• Any school and school division involved in
  improvement should
• Ensure that parents are kept informed and
  involved in the school improvement planning
  process.
• Provide technical assistance to staff in the
  areas of
• data analysis
• curriculum alignment
• time and scheduling
• professional development
• use of funds
• organizational systems and procedures
• selecting instructional methods
• use of scientifically-based research and
• school culture.

6
The Language of Virginias Standards of
Accreditation (SOA)

• Plan Requirements for Schools Warned and Beyond
• The school must include in its plan
• A description of how the school will meet
  accreditation
• Specific measures for achieving and documenting
  academic achievement
• Amount of time in the school day devoted to
  instruction in core academic areas
• Instructional practices designed to remediate
  students who have not been successful on
  Standards of Learning tests
• Intervention strategies to prevent further
  decline in student performance
• Staff development
• Strategies to involve and assist parents
• Description of the use of funding to support
  implementation and
• Restructuring and reconstitution options when
  appropriate.

7
The Language of the No Child Left Behind Act of
2001 (NCLB)

• Requirements for a Title I School
  Improvement Plan
• The school must
• Incorporate scientifically based strategies to
  strengthen the core academic subjects in the
  school
• Directly addresses the academic achievement
  problem that caused the school to be identified
  for school improvement
• Adopt policies/practices concerning the schools
  core academic subjects that have the greatest
  likelihood of ensuring that all students meet
  proficiency
• Establish specific, annual, measurable objectives
  for continuous and substantial progress by each
  group of students in the legislation
• Include strategies to promote effective parental
  involvement and
• Identify implementation responsibilities of the
  school, the LEA, and the SEA.

8
The Language of NCLB (continued)

• The local school division must
• Ensure that parents are kept informed and
  involved in the school improvement planning
  process.
• Provide technical assistance in the areas of
• data analysis
• professional development
• use of funds
• selecting instructional methods and
• use of scientifically-based research.
• Provide an opportunity for students to be
  transferred to other more successful schools.
• Provide organized tutorial services.
• Provide corrective action and restructuring
  options when appropriate

9
The Result Common School Improvement Themes

• Data Analysis
• Use of Time
• Research-base Instructional Practices
• Curriculum Alignment
• Specific Instructional Interventions for at-risk
  subgroups
• Professional Development
• Parental Involvement
• Use of Funds
• Corrective Action or Restructuring Options

10
Common School Improvement Themes from the
Research, NCLB, and the SOA

• Data Analysis
• Use of Time
• Research-base Instructional Practices
• Curriculum Alignment
• Specific Instructional Interventions for At-Risk
  Subgroups
• Professional Development
• Parental Involvement
• Use of Funds
• Corrective Action or
• Restructuring Options

THEN WHY NOT ONE PLAN?
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The SIP Requirements A Comparative Look

• NCLB
• Develop/Revise the
• School Improvement Plan
• Incorporate scientifically based strategies to
  strengthen the core academic subjects in the
  school
• Directly addresses the academic achievement
  problem that caused the school to be identified
  for school improvement
• Adopt policies/practices concerning the schools
  core academic subjects that have the greatest
  likelihood of ensuring student proficiency
• Establish specific, annual, measurable objectives
  for continuous and substantial progress by each
  group of students in the legislation
• Include strategies to promote effective parental
  involvement and
• Identify implementation responsibilities of the
  school, the LEA, and the SEA.
• Include corrective actions, restructuring and
  reconstitution options when appropriate

• SOA
• Develop/Revise the
• School Improvement Plan
• Incorporate scientifically based strategies to
  strengthen the core academic subjects
• Describe how the school will meet accreditation
• and include specific measures for
  achieving and documenting academic achievement
• Examine amount of time in the school day devoted
  to instruction in core academic areas
• Include instructional practices designed to
  remediate students who have not been successful
  and Intervention strategies to prevent further
  decline in student performance
• Provide staff development
• Include strategies to involve/assist parents

12
A Reminder
The Common School Improvement Plan Requirements
Represent the CORE of School Improvement
Planning.

• There may be other local requirements.

13
A Reminder
The Common School Improvement Plan Requirements
Represent the CORE of School Improvement
Planning.

• There are other requirements for NCLB Years 3-6
• schools and for those consecutively
• warned under the SOA.

14
NCLB Year 3Selection of a Corrective Action

• Continue to offer public school choice and
  supplemental educational services (SES)
• Choose one of these Corrective Actions
• Replace school staff deemed relevant to the
  failure to
• make AYP or
• Implement a new curriculum shown by research as
• effective in raising achievement or
• Decrease the authority of school-level
  management or
• Appoint an outside expert to advise the school on
• the plan implementation or
• Extend the school year or school day or
• Restructure the internal organization of the
  school.
• (Teachers and parents must be promptly notified
  and given an opportunity to participate in the
  planning and comment on any action before taken.)

15
NCLB Year 4 and 5Preparation for or
Implementation of Alternative Governance

• Continue to offer public school choice and SES
• Choose one of these Alternative Governance
  Options
• Reopen the school as a public charter school or
• Replace all or most of the school staff (may
  include
• principal and other staff) relevant to the
  schools failure or
• Enter into a contract with an entity i.e., a
  private
• management company with a demonstrated record
  of
• effectiveness to operate the school or
• Institute other significant governance and
  staffing changes
• that will likely impact the problems that are
  causing the
• school to remain in improvement.
• (Teachers and parents must be promptly notified
  and given an opportunity to participate in the
  planning and comment on any action before taken.)

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SOA School Divisions with Schools Warned Four
Consecutive Years Must

• Enter into a Memorandum of Understanding with the
  Virginia Department of Education that will
  outline actions the school(s) will undertake.
• The Memorandum of Understanding may include, but
  is not limited to
• A Service/management review
• Employment of a Turnaround Specialist
• Reconstitution
• May include restructuring governance,
  instructional program, staff, student body
• Closing/combining schools
• (Parents must be involved in the process.)

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All in One Place Overview of School Plan
Requirements
SOA
NCLB
Accredited with Warning Years 1-3
Accreditation Denied
Year 4 in School
Improvement (for Implementation in Year 5)
Year 3 in School Improvement
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The Task Include NCLB and SOA Requirements in
One Plan
Extras SOA Additional Accreditation
Denied Requirements
Common School Plan Requirements
Extras Example NCLB Additional Year 3, 4, or 5
Requirements Example Locally Directed
Requirements
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Ensuring that Both Sets of Requirements Are In
the School Improvement PlanA Management
Tool
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Checklist and Certification of SOA and NCLB
School Improvement Plan Requirements(http//www.d
oe.virginia.gov/VDOE/SchoolImprovement/SOAandNCLB-
SIPrequirements.doc)
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Checklist and Certification of SOA and NCLB
School Improvement Plan Requirements (continued)
22
Checklist and Certification of SOA and NCLB
School Improvement Plan Requirements (continued)
23
Checklist and Certification of SOA and NCLB
School Improvement Plan Requirements (continued)
Then
Add and Discuss the Implementation of the Extras.

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Goal Attained One Plan

• Submit the
• Checklist and Certification of SOA and NCLB
  School Improvement Plan Requirementsas a cover
  sheet
• to the SOA required plan if the school is both
  warned and in
• Title I School Improvement.

25

• The Difference in
• Process and Product

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Part II The Product An Improved School
Fully Accredited and Making AYP
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Producing the Product

• What are our schools needs?
• How simple or difficult is it to determine our
  schools needs?
• Is there a formal tool or process that can be
  used to determine the needs?
• Could the needs fall in several different but
  equally important categories?
• Can we tackle all of our needs at one time?

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Is There Time?

• Juggling Priorities
• Principals Aim To
• Improve the literacy and numeracy of their
• student populations
• Raise standards of achievement in general
• Maximize the learning opportunities for pupils
  with special
• needs
• Improve poor attendance
• Share good teaching practices of staff
• Perfect performance monitoring.
• When laid out in a list like this, it can seem
• that the role of most school managers is
• something akin to a highly skilled
• juggling act.
• 
  Phil Neal, Capita Education Services

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Is There Time To Examine

• The Quality of Teaching
• Effective teachers employ effective instructional
  strategies,
• classroom management techniques, and classroom
• curricular design in a fluent, seamless fashion.
• Leinhardt and Greens Brooks and Hawke
• The most important factor affecting
• student learning is the teacher.
• Robert J. Marzano

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Is There Time To Examine

• The Degree of Central Office Support
• Effective school improvement involves building
• the capacity for change and development. This
• necessitates pressure and support from both
• external and internal sources.
• The need for 'change agentry' is well established
• in the literature however, relatively little has
  been written
• about the role of the LEA as an external agent of
  change.
• School Leadership Management, Taylor Francis
  Group

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Is There Time To Examine

• The Order of
• Priorities
• The old way of thinking
• was that parental
• involvement was
• all about parents.
• The new way is that its
• about student success.
• Dr. Joyce Epstein, Center on School, Family
• and Community Partnerships

Is Increased Parental Involvement a Top Priority
in Our School?
32
Is There Time To Examine

• Fundamental
• Student Beliefs
• What matters most is that students
• come to believe deeply in their own
• capacity to master difficult academic
• material through sustained,
• thoughtful effort.
• Every student is completing
• homework, volunteering in class
• Changing the Culture, D. Bruce Jackson

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It Can Be Done.

• Research Shows
• "Any school in the United States can operate at
• advanced levels of effectiveness--if it is
  willing to
• implement what is known about effective
  schooling.
• If we follow the guidance offered from 35 years
  of
• research, we can enter an era of unprecedented
• effectiveness for the public practice of
  education."
• Robert J. Marzano

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Will Your School Take the Time?

• The Good
• The Bad
• The Ugly

Whats Really Behind Your School Doors ?
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Workshop Time
15 minutes

• In your teams, decide what are the top three
  Goods and the top three Bads and Uglies in
  your collective school.
• Discuss the impact each of the six factors has on
  your school.
• Prioritize the three positive factors and the
  three negative factors.

36
Behind Those Doors

• The Good
• Changing Behaviors
• Assessing Students
• Parent Conferencing
• Articulation Among/Across Grade Levels
• Thinking Big
• On-going Development of Integrated, Sequential
  Curriculum
• Team Building
• Sharing Ideas, Materials, Resources
• Creating a Supportive Risk- Taking, No-Fault
  Environment

• The Bad and The Ugly
• Inadequate Planning Time
• Lack of Adequate Funding
• Few Materials / Resources
• Traditional Assessments
• Lack of Parental Involvement
• Community Apathy
• Student Apathy and Poor Behavior
• Fear of Job Security
• Constant Change in Administrative Policy
• Inadequate Teacher Compensation
• Inconsistent Professional Development

37
Why Are the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly All Good?

• For the lowest achieving students in the highest
  poverty schools to meet high standards of
  performance, the entire instructional program
  must be substantially improved and every facet of
  the school must be examined.
• From The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001
• Comprehensive School Reform
• Administration, staff, parents, and community
• must assess the good, the bad, and the ugly (of
  the whole
• school) before there can be change.
• 
  

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The Path to Producing the Product

• Where are we now?
• Where do we want to go?
• How will we get there?
• How will we know when we get there?
• How will we sustain the focus and the momentum?
• Asking the Right Questions Techniques for
  Collaboration and School Change
• Edie Holcomb

39
Examining Data To Answer Where Are We
Now?Academic Data Sources

• Achievement Tests Scores
• Criterion-Referenced Tests
• Norm-Referenced Tests
• Diagnostic Tests
• Benchmark Tests
• Competency Tests
• End-of-Chapter Tests

• Other Performance Indicator Tools
• Progress through Levels of Instruction
• Teacher Grades (Report Card)
• Grade-point Averages
• Progress Checklists and Logs
• Workbook Completions
• Student Assignment Sheets

40
Even More Data School/Student Status Indicators

• Percentages of
• Students--
• Continuing in, Formerly in, or New Identification
  for Special Programs
• Retained
• Dropping Out
• Attending at or Near 100 percent and lower
• Tardy Each Day
• Referred, Suspended, Homebound, Expelled

• Percentages of
• Students--
• On Honor Roll
• Taking AP Courses
• College Bound
• Attending College Each Year
• On, Below, Above Grade Level
• Involved in Extra-Curricular Activities

41
Even More Data

• Instructional Support Programs
• Guidance/ School Health
• Gifted and Talented
• Title I /Other Federal Programs
• Parent Resource Center
• Instructional Materials
• Technology
• Before/After School Programs

• Staff
• Staff Credentials
• Staff Attendance
• Staff Morale
• Use of Instructional Time
• Teacher After-school Involvement with Students
• Professional Development

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...and More Data

• In-School
• School Climate
• Parent / Teacher / Adm. Relationships
• Teacher Satisfaction
• Building / Equipment
• Communication/
• Accessibility to Adm.
• Student Nutrition Program
• Transportation

• Community Relations
• Confidence in School
• Commitment to School
• Volunteerism
• Donations
• Open Door Policy
• Mentorships
• Quality of Public Relations

43
Learning About Students from Parent and Teacher
Driven Data

• Parent Input
• Parent-noted Strengths/Deficiencies
• Noted Adjustment Problems
• Physical Handicaps or Health Problems
• Degree of Commitment to Education in Home
• Parent Requests for Certain Teachers

• Teacher Input
• Student Comfort in Classroom
• Peer Influence
• Student Appreciation of Academics
• Student Respect for Teachers and Administration
• Student Response to Rewards and Consequences

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Where Do I Start?
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Where Do You Want to Go? Begin With
the End in Mind.

• The Language of the Research
• Where are we now?
• Where do we want to go?
• How will we get there?
• How will we know when we get there?
• How will we sustain the focus and the momentum?
• Asking the Right Questions Techniques for
• Collaboration and School Change
• Edie Holcomb

46
Isnt This Where You Want To Go?DestinationsF
rom the Virginia Department of Education
Academic Review Process
Improved Student Achievement Accurate Curriculum
Alignment Effective Use of Time and School
Scheduling Practices Effective Use of Data for
Making Instructional/Planning Decisions Aligned
Professional Development Effective School
Improvement Planning Effective Organizational
Systems and Processes Positive School Culture
47
Workshop Time
Do Your Good, Bad, and Uglies Fall Under These
Destinations?
Improved Student Achievement Accurate Curriculum
Alignment Effective Use of Time and School
Scheduling Practices Effective Use of Data for
Making Instructional/Planning Decisions Aligned
Professional Development Effective School
Improvement Planning Effective Organizational
Systems and Processes Positive School Culture
48
There May Be Other Categories of Destinations
from Research

• This Is What You WantWhere You Want to Go.
• Effective
• Reform Activities for All Children
• Scientific Based Methods and Strategies to
  Strengthen Core Academic Program
• Strategies to Meet the Needs of Historically
  Underrepresented
• Students
• On-going Plan to Assess Implementation of
  Progress
• Strategies to Increase Parent Involvement
• Plan to Involve Teachers in Assessment Plan
• Identification of and Intervention for Students
• Experiencing Difficulty
• Coordination of Local, State, Federal Funding

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So How Do We Get There?

• The Language of the Research
• Where are we now?
• Where do we want to go?
• How will we get there?
• How will we know when we get there?
• How will we sustain the focus and the momentum?
• Asking the Right Questions Techniques for
• Collaboration and School Change
• Edie Holcomb

• Improved Student Achievement
• Accurate Curriculum Alignment
• Effective Use of Time and School Scheduling
  Practices
• Effective Use of Data for Making
  Instructional/Planning Decisions
• Aligned Professional Development
• Effective School Improvement Planning
• Effective Organizational Systems and Processes
• Positive School Culture

50
By Examining the Indicators of Effectiveness in
Each Area (Destination) and Where Your School
StandsWhat Are the Indicators of Effectiveness?

• Destinations
• Improved Student Achievement
• Accurate Curriculum Alignment
• Effective Use of Time and School Scheduling
  Practices
• Effective Use of Data for Making
  Instructional/Planning Decisions
• Aligned Professional Development
• Effective School Improvement Planning
• Effective Organizational Systems and Processes
• Positive School Culture

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From the AR Indicators

• Area Professional Development
• Is the school with division support
• Designing an ongoing, school-based program of
  professional development that is based on the
  analyses of data and is aligned with the schools
  goals for improving student achievement?
• Focusing the core of staff learning on
  research-based content and instructional
  practices that have been proven effective in
  improving student achievement?
• Identifying essential learning outcomes from
  professional development activities that will be
  used to change practice?
• Embedding professional growth and development
  into job performance expectations and the
  performance evaluation process?

52
From the AR Indicators (cont.)

• Area Use of Data for Making Instructional /
  Planning Decisions
• Is the school with division support
• Using data/evidence from multiple sources to plan
  instruction that promotes the attainment of state
  standards and essential understandings,
  knowledge, and skills?
• Collecting, compiling, and analyzing data related
  to instructional practices to determine the
  degree of alignment with state learning standards
  and to identify professional development needs?
• Collecting and compiling individual student
  performance data to identify students needs,
  plan instruction, and monitor progress?
• Disaggregating state and local student
  performance data by appropriate subgroups of
  students to identify needs and monitor student
  progress?

53
From the AR Indicators (cont.)

• Area Use of Time and School Scheduling
  Practices
• Is the school with division support
• Basing decisions related to the pacing of the
  curriculum on state test blueprints and on
  student performance data?
• Organizing instruction and structuring lessons to
  maximize student time on task?
• Maintaining a high level of student engagement
  throughout the lesson?
• Using classroom instructional time to provide
  enrichment opportunities and support services to
  individuals and small groups, based on students
  identified strengths and needs?

54
From the AR Indicators (cont.)

• Area Taught Curriculum
• Is the school with division support
• Focusing instruction on specific learning
  objectives that promote the attainment of state
  learning standards and address essential
  understandings, knowledge, and skills?
• Using available curriculum resources and
  supplementary materials appropriately to promote
  attainment of state learning standards?
• Differentiating instruction to meet the
  identified needs of individual students and
  groups of students?
• Assigning projects and tasks that require
  students to integrate and apply their learning in
  meaningful contexts and to reflect on what they
  have learned?

55
From the AR Indicators (cont.)

• Area School Culture
• Is the school with division support
• Basing the mission of the school on the shared
  beliefs and common vision of the members of the
  school community?
• Clearly communicating expectations for student
  performance to students and parents?
• Implementing instructional and organizational
  practices that reflect high expectations for all
  students and consideration of the culture and
  needs of the school community?
• Assigning teachers by matching the needs of
  students with the endorsements and demonstrated
  strengths of teachers?

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Practicing Planning
Workshop
A School Improvement Team Planning Tool
57
Contact Information

• Brenda A. Spencer
• School Improvement Coordinator
• Virginia Department of Education
• Office of School Improvement
• Brenda.Spencer_at_doe.virginia.gov
• [phone]