EXCLUSIVE!

Read and Share what it takes to proceed for progress for equity and access in Education Inclusion By:Lonnie Tucker, CHE, CSW and Donna B. Wells, FSSMS, CSW Ms. Wells is a State Certified Family Services Specialist Managing Supervisor, w ith professional experiences and expertise in the Social Work Field and Manageme nt Operations. Donna led collaborative hands-on processes in the child protectiv e field, Court Custody Advocacy, Casework Operations, Casework Processing Protoc ols and as a Community Resources Liaison. Mr. Tucker has a vast career experiences in public safety and services; that inc ludes Radio and Cable Broadcasting Management, Record & Video Artists Producer, Public Relations Director City of Newark, N.J. Fire Department, County Special A gent Essex County Prosecutors Office (Arson Unit), State Senators Chief of Staff, State representative & member of the N.J State Fire Services (BOCA Unit), Media Chair for the N.J. State Fire Prevention Association, and State member represen tative on the Drug and Alcohol Commission; In Schools & Education in the State of New Jersey; Lonnie was active in leadership and as a member. His leadership services include s: Chair of the N.J State PTA Bylaws Committee Northeastern Region, Governor app ointed Parent Advocate (CAPA Initiative), PTO PTA- President, Chair of the Paren ts Education Committee Essex County, East Orange, Community Leadership Coordinat or for the Abbott Educational Institute, Rutgers University. And currently serve s as CEO of Quality Dental School of Technology, Union and Essex Counties, In Schools & Education in the State of OHIO Lonnie is an active leader and member serving on the Lakota Schools Districts Com mittees and Councils. His leadership and service includes the DISC (Developing Inclusive Schools Consortium), Co-Chair of the Lakota Community Leadership Counc il & Chair of the Resources and Development Committee, Coalition Board member of Butler County Homeowners-Neighborhood Housing Group of Hamilton, The United Way of Butler County, Bridges Out of Poverty- Resources & Development Committee, SE LF (Supports to Encourage Low-income Families) Getting Ahead Program, and partic ipating member with the Ohio State & Federal Parents Engagement Program. SCHOOLS ACROSS AMERICA Accountability, School Improvement/District Improvement, AYP Gains and Parent & Commuity Engagement should be priorities. We wnt to thank the DOEfor the informa tion and data. The districts annual requirements for School Improvement under the No Child Left Behind Act (P.L. 107-110)? Before the beginning of each school year, every district must identify: 1) Schools that have failed to meet Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) for two conse cutive years and must be placed into School Improvement (SI); and 2) Schools that have already been placed into SI and have not yet met AYP requir ements for being removed from School Improvement. States provides summary and historical data to districts to tions, including identification of the number of years each I (school Improvement). Here are some required consequences on the number of years they have been in improvement. These o all Title I-funded schools in School Improvement. make these determina school has been in S for buildings based requirements apply t

Schools that are not Title I-funded do not have to meet requirements for offerin

g Public School Choice (PSC) and Supplemental Educational Services (SES) and for 10 percent set asides for professional development, but must meet all other lis ted requirements. School Improvement Year 1: The district must ensure that the identified school d oes the following: Offer Public School Choice (PSC) to all students (giving priority to the lowest achieving children from low-income families if there are inadequate resources to serve all children). Districts not having PSC options shall, to the extent practicable, establish a c ooperative agreement with other school districts in the area for a transfer. Districts may offer Supplemental Educational Services (SES) as an alternative to Public School Choice for schools in School Improvement Year 1 if either (a) there are no qualified schools available to which to transfer, or (b) the parents choose to decline the transfer school assigned for their child. 1 Develop a School Improvement Plan to cover a three year period (see the What are the School Improvement Plan requirements? section of this document for plan requi rements). The plan must be developed within three months of the school going into School I mprovement. The plan should be created using the Web-based Planning Tool and must be consist ent with the districts CCIP plan. The Planning Tool identifies the required components of the improvement plan in conformance with House Bill 3 and the No Child Left Behind Act. All improvement plans will be reviewed by members of the Office of Federal Progr ams and the Office of Field Relations. Spend not less than 10 percent of the buildings Title I funds on professional dev elopment. Notify parents promptly (in a language they can understand) and explain: What the identification means; How the school compares in terms of academic achievement to other schools in the district and the state; Reasons for the identification and what the school, district, and state are doin g to address the problem of low achievement; How parents can become involved in addressing the academic issues that caused th e school to be identified for improvement; and Parents option to transfer their children to another school. School Improvement Year 2: The district must ensure that the identified school does the following: Offer Public School Choice. Make Supplemental Educational Services available to students from low-income fam ilies (giving priority to the lowest achieving children from this group if there are inadequate resources to serve all children). Continue to implement the School Improvement Plan. Spend not less than 10 percent of the buildings Title I funds on professional dev elopment.

Notify parents promptly (in a language they can understand) and explain: What the identification means; How the school compares in terms of academic achievement to other schools in the district and the state; Reasons for the identification and what the school, district, and state are doin g to address the problem of low achievement; How parents can become involved in addressing the academic issues that caused th e school to be identified for improvement; and Parents options to transfer their children to another school or to obtain Supplem ental Educational Services. School Improvement Year 3: The school is now considered to be in Year 1 of Corrective Action. The district must publish and disseminate information regarding corrective actions available under the law to the public and to parents of all students enrolled in the schoo l. The district must also ensure that the identified school does the following: Offer Public School Choice. Make Supplemental Educational Services available. Spend not less than 10 percent of the buildings Title I funds on professional dev elopment. Notify parents promptly (in a language they can understand) and explain: What the identification means; How the school compares in terms of academic achievement to other schools in the district and the state; Reasons for the identification and what the school, district, and state are doin g to address the problem of low achievement; How parents can become involved in addressing the academic issues that caused th e school to be identified for improvement; and Parents options to transfer their children to another school or to obtain Supplem ental Educational Services. Take corrective action by taking at least one of the following measures: ulum; Replace school staff relevant to the failure; Institute and implement a new research-based and professionally-developed curric Significantly decrease management authority at the school level; Appoint an outside expert to advise the school on its progress; Extend the school year or school day for the school; and Restructure the internal organizational structure of the school.

School Improvement Year 4: The school is now considered to be in Year 1 of Restructuring. The district must ensure that the identified school does the following: Offer Public School Choice. Make Supplemental Educational Services available. Spend not less than 10 percent of the buildings Title I funds on professional dev elopment. Notify parents promptly (in a language they can understand) and explain: What the identification means; How the school compares in terms of academic achievement to other schools in the district and the state;

 Reasons for the identification and what the school, district, and state are doin g to address the problem of low achievement; How parents can become involved in addressing the academic issues that caused th e school to be identified for improvement; and Parents options to transfer their children to another school or to obtain Supplem ental Educational Services. Prepare a restructuring plan, to take effect within a year, to do one or more of the following: Reopen the school as a public charter school; Replace all or most of the staff (which may include the principal) who are relev ant to the failure to make Adequate Yearly Progress; Enter into a contract with an entity, such as a private management company, with a demonstrated record of effectiveness to operate the public school; Turn the operation of the school over to the ODE, if permitted by State law and agreeable to ODE; and Perform any other major restructuring of the schools governance arrangement that makes fundamental reforms, such as significant changes in the schools staffing an d governance, to improve student academic achievement in the school and that has substantial promise of enabling the school to make Adequate Yearly Progress. School Improvement Year 5 and beyond: The school is now considered to be in Year 2 or higher of Restructuring. The dis trict must ensure that the identified school does the following: Offer Public School Choice. Make Supplemental Educational Services available. Spend not less than 10 percent of the buildings Title I funds on professional dev elopment. Notify parents promptly (in a language they can understand) and explain: What the identification means; How the school compares in terms of academic achievement to other schools in the district and the state; Reasons for the identification and what the school, district, and state are doin g to address the problem of low achievement; How parents can become involved in addressing the academic issues that caused th e school to be identified for improvement; and Parents options to transfer their children to another school or to obtain Supplem ental Educational Services. Implement or continue to implement the restructuring plan developed in School Im provement Year 4. NOTE: Implementing a restructuring plan does not change the School Improvement s tatus of the school. What happens if a school meets Adequate Yearly Progress after going into School Improvement? If r N, the school r and will mprovement a school meets Adequate Yearly Progress while it is in School Improvement Yea will remain in School Improvement Year N for the following school yea be required to continue or repeat the actions required under School I Year N.

This status is called School Improvement Year N (Delay). For example, Yearly Progr ess while in School Improvement Year 2, it will be in SI Year 2 (Delay) beginnin

g if a school meets Adequate the following year, during which it must fulfill all requirements of School Improvement Year 2. How does a school get out of School Improvement? To get out of School Improvement, a school must meet Adequate Yearly Progress fo r two consecutive years. After the first year of meeting Adequate Yearly Progress, the school will go int o School Improvement Year N (Delay). If a school meets Adequate Yearly Progress the year that it is in School Improve ment Year N (Delay), it will get out of S School Improvement the following schoo l year. 5 In general, if a school meets Adequate Yearly Progress while in School Improveme nt Year N (Delay), it will get out of School Improvement the following year (see next section for further clarification). If, on the other hand, the school does not meet Adequate Yearly Progress while i t is in School Improvement Year N (Delay), it will advance to School Improvement Year N+1 the following school year. In the above example, if a school in School Improvement Year 2 (Delay) met Adequ ate Yearly Progress again for a second consecutive year, it would not be in Scho ol Improvement the following school year. If it did not meet Adequate Yearly Progress the second year, it would advance to School Improvement Year 3 the following school year. What happens if School Improvement statuses and/or Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP ) determinations differ across components, e.g., reading versus math? At the building level Adequate Yearly Progress is measured separately for three components: Reading, math, and either graduation rate (if it is a high school with grades 912) or attendance rate (if it is an elementary or middle school with grades K-8) . Overall Adequate Yearly Progress is met only if all three Adequate Yearly Prog ress components are met. If one or more of the Adequate Yearly Progress components is not met, then overa ll Adequate Yearly Progress is not met. Similarly, School Improvement status is maintained separately from year to year for each of the three components, and ov erall School Improvement status is always the worst case School Improvement stat us of the three components. To go into School Improvement, a school must fail to meet Adequate Yearly Progre ss in the same component(s) for two consecutive years. To get out of School Impr ovement completely, a school must meet Adequate Yearly Progress in its worst cas e component for two years in a row, and it must not be in School Improvement for any other component. If a school gets out of School Improvement in its worst case component, but rema ins in School Improvement in one or both of the other components, its School Imp rovement status will be that of the remaining worst case component. Thus, it is possible, for example, for a school to get out of School Improvement Year 3 in r eading, but move into School Improvement Year 1 in math.

What are the School Improvement Plan requirements? If a school is identified for improvement, it must develop a three-year improvem ent plan within three months. The district is responsible for approving the impr ovement plan. A district that identifies a school for improvement must ensure th at the school receives technical assistance as the school develops and implement s its improvement plan. The three-year plan must: Incorporate strategies based on scientifically based research; Adopt policies an d practices in the core academic subjects to ensure that all groups of students are successful; Spend not less than 10 percent of the Title I building allocation on professiona l development; Specify how the funds will be used to remove the school from School Improvement; Establish annual measurable objectives; Provide written notification to parents that the building is in School Improveme nt; Specify responsibilities of the school, the district, and ODE, including technic al assistance; Include strategies to promote effective parental involvement; Incorporate extended learning opportunities that the school will offer; and Incorporate a teacher mentoring program. District Improvement: State House Bill 3 and the federal No Child Left Behind Act require that distric ts not meeting Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) for two consecutive years be ident ified for District Improvement (DI) by ODE. This process takes place during the summer data reporting period and is complete prior to the beginning of the school year. For each district identified for Dis trict Improvement, ODE must provide notification to the parents of all students served by the district the reason(s) for the identification and suggestions for how parents can participate in improving the performance of the district. Based on its identified needs, the district needs to review and revise its distr ict plan as appropriate. Districts receiving Title I funds must budget 10 percen t of their Title I allocation for professional development. If applicable, distr icts may include the 10 percent professional development set asides for building s in School Improvement in this total. 7 District Improvement (DI): Districts are evaluated for Adequate Yearly Progress and District Improvement in much the same way that schools are evaluated for Adequate Yearly Progress and S chool Improvement. The district is treated essentially as one large school conta ining all students in the district. There are three main differences in determin ing Adequate Yearly Progress and improvement status for districts: 1) districts have four Adequate Yearly Progress and District Improvement compone nts instead of three: reading, math, graduation rate, and attendance rate; 2) the consequences of District Improvement are somewhat different from the cons equences of School Improvement; and

3) districts may, in some cases, avoid moving into District Improvement if they meet Grade Level Band requirements (for more information, please see District Imp rovement and the Grade Level Band Rule on the ODE Web site at https://ccip.ode.state.oh.us/DocumentLibrary/ViewDocument.aspx?DocumentKe y=802. Other rules for districts are virtually identical to those of schools, including : a) meeting Adequate Yearly Progress after going into District Improvement (i.e., after going into Delay); b) getting out of District Improvement (i.e., after two consecutive years of me eting Adequate Yearly Progress); and c) making Adequate Yearly Progress determinations and District Improvement statu ses separately for each component. District Improvement Year 1: The district must develop a District Improvement Plan to cover a three year peri od within three months of being identified for District Improvement. The plan is created by amending the districts CCIP plan using the Web-based Planning Tool (f or more information, please reference the CCIP Planning Rating Tool at https://ccip.ode.state.oh.us/DocumentLibrary/ViewDocument.aspx?DocumentKe y=841) . The Planning Tool identifies the required components of the improvement plan in conformance with HB3 and the No Child Left Behind Act. All improvement plans wil l be reviewed by members of the Office of Federal Programs and the Office of Fie ld Relations. The improvement plan must, at a minimum: Incorporate scientifically based research strategies; Identify actions for improving the academic achievement of participating childre n; Address the professional development needs of the instructional staff and commit ting not less than 10 percent of the districts Title I allocation for professiona l development for each fiscal year; Specify measurable achievement goals for each of the student subgroups identifie d in disaggregated data; Address the fundamental teaching and learning needs in the schools and the speci fic academic problems of low-achieving students; Incorporate, as appropriate, activities before school, after school, during the summer, and during an extension of the school year; Specify the responsibilities of the district and the State, including technical assistance; and Include strategies to promote effective parental involvement. District Improvement Year 2: The district must continue to implement the Distric t Improvement Plan developed in DI Year 1. District Improvement Year 3 and beyond: The district is now considered to be in Corrective Action. The districts plan for Corrective Action must substantially and directly respond to the consistent aca demic failure that caused the State to take action, as well as to any underlying staffing, curricular, or other problems in the district. Corrective Action must be designed to meet the goal of having all students achieve at the proficient a

nd advanced student academic achievement levels. It must include at least one of the following actions: Deferring programmatic funds or reducing administrative funds; Instituting and fully implementing a new curriculum that is based on State and l ocal academic content and achievement standards. This includes providing appropriate professional development based on scientific ally based research for all relevant staff that offers substantial promise of im proving educational achievement for low-achieving students; Replacing the district personnel who are relevant to the failure to meet Adequat e Yearly Progress; Removing particular schools from the jurisdiction of the district and establishi ng alternative arrangements for public governance and supervision of the schools ; Appointing, through ODE, a receiver or trustee to administer the affairs of the district in place of the superintendent and school board; Abolishing or restructuring the district; Authorizing students to transfer from a school operated by the district to a hig her-performing public school operated by another district in accordance with sub sections (b)(1)(E) and (F) of NCLB, and providing the students transportation (o r the costs of transportation) to such schools consistent with subsection (b)(9) of NCLB, in conjunction with carrying out not less than one additional action d escribed above. What process must the State follow in identifying districts for improvement or c orrective action? In identifying a district for improvement or corrective action, the State must p rovide the district with an opportunity to review the data, including the academ ic assessment data on which the pre-determination is made. A district may provid e supporting documentation if it believes the data are in error. The State must consider any evidence presented but must make a final determinati on within 30 days of the time the data are first made available to the district. When a district is identified for improvement and/or corrective action, the Sta te must promptly provide to the parents of each student served by the district ( in a format and, to the extent practicable, in a language the parents can unders tand) the results of the review, the reason(s) for the identification, and sugge stions for how parents can participate in improving the performance of the distr ict. What technical assistance is available to help districts/schools improve? A district that is in DI and/or that has buildings in SI should work with its St ate Support Team (SST). Please see more information on SSTs on the ODE Web site at http://education.ohio.gov/GD/Templates/Pages/ODE/ODEPrimary.aspx?page=2 &TopicID =590&TopicRelationID=624. What financial assistance is available for districts/schools identified for impr ovement? Title I schools identified for School Improvement that are eligible for funding may be eligible for Title I SI funding when their district submits an approved b uilding plan using the Comprehensive Continuous Improvement Plan (CCIP) Planning Tool. Funding eligibility for districts with schools in School Improvement is determin

ed by such factors as: Number of non-proficient students in a district, Percentage of non-proficient students in a district, Number of buildings in School Improvement in a district, and A commitment letter of assurances submitted by the district.

District and building leadership teams should implement the Ohio Improvement Pro cess (OIP), using the Decision Framework to prioritize needs and develop target goals. Please see more information on the OIP and the Decision Framework on the ODE Web site at http://education.ohio.gov/GD/Templates/Pages/ODE/ODEDetail.aspx?page=3 &TopicRel ationID=590&ContentID=61276&Content=61875. Many of the requirements of NCLB can be supported with funds available through t he CCIP application by redirecting federal funds to the priority goals and strat egies. Districts/schools will need to make choices related to the findings from their review of scientifically based research. Keys to making good choices are developing a needs assessment based on data, ide ntifying goals and performance strategies based on the needs assessment, and emp loying approaches based on the research and directed toward meeting the stated g oals. What guidance is available for School/District Improvement, Public School Choice , and Supplemental Educational Services? United States Department of Education (USDOE) NCLB resources and guidance: http: //www.ed.gov/nclb/landing.jhtml USDOE guidance on Public School Choice: http://www.ed.gov/policy/elsec/guid/scho olchoiceguid.doc USDOE guidance on Supplemental Educational Services: http://www.ed.gov/policy/el sec/guid/suppsvcsguid.doc USDOE guidance on School Improvement: http://www.ed.gov/policy/elsec/guid/school improvementguid.pdf ODE resources and guidance: http://www.ode.state.oh.us/GD/Templates/Pages Next:THE PRINCIPLES OF THE IMPROVEMENT PROCESS Principles of the OIP The vision of ODE is higher achievement for all students. Each district and buildi ng is working toward that end, as well as toward ensuring equitable access to hi gh-quality instruction for all student groups in keeping with federal and state laws. Continuous improvement planning is the core process for improving instruct ional practice, leading to higher achievement for all students. To guide the wor k, planning principles have been established. These are as follows: 1. Align mission and goals. The continuous improvement planning process sho uld be guided by the mission of the district. The questions should be: Do the str ategies, actions, and resource allocations support our mission, and goals? and Are our behaviors and decisions congruent with our mission and goals? 2. Commit to a continuous process and use the plan as a dynamic document. D

istricts that are fully committed to high performance view continuous improvemen t as the core work of every level of the organization. 3. Move beyond preference and opinion by relying on quality data and data i nterpretation. An effective planning process is predicated on the ability of the district, building and classroom to collect, organize, analyze, and utilize dat a to identify its highest priority needs for improved student achievement. 4. Use a collaborative, collegial process. Every plan gets its strength fro m the people who are committed to it. To make sure the plan will yield positive results, engage many parts of the community in understanding the plan, helping t o make it stronger and ultimately becoming invested in making it work. Include b usiness and community representatives, students, parents, teachers, administrato rs, and district staff in the planning process, and make the draft plan availabl e for input from the entire community. Make sure the plan reflects the combined thinking and planning of a collaborative team who support plan implementation. 5. Communicate with those who are affected by the success of the district a t each stage. District priority needs and causes may be related to the issues co mmunities and schools are seeing, and their thoughts may help the planning team( s) better understand the situation. Multiple opportunities for communication and feedback should be included throughout the process. 6. Produce one focused plan that directs all district work and resources. H eretofore, districts have had many plans (e.g., technology, professional develop ment, Title I, Title II, special education, career and technical education) for many reasons (e.g., basis of funding applications, federal or state requirements ). Multiple plans diminish the districts ability to respond to the most critical needs. By developing one focused plan that responds to the most critical needs, the district will leverage resources to achieve lasting success. 7. Expect substantive changes in performance and behavior as a result of im plementing, monitoring, and evaluating the process and plan. The purpose of havi ng a well-conceived planning process is to produce a plan that, if implemented w ith fidelity, will change student and adult behaviors that lead to improved inst ructional practice and student performance. 8. Be responsive to district context. Each district is unique. Although the planning process stages and elements are defined, they may need to be adjusted for distinctive characteristics and individualized needs of each district. Documenting the Improvement Process After each stage, the district needs to document the process. The documentation can be divided into three sections: methodology, summary and considerations, and final statements. The following table provides guidance about what to document in each stage. This information should be maintained by the program assistant as signed to the process so that it is complete and accessible to anyone who may ne ed the information. In addition, the district should maintain a copy of the curr ent mission, planning policy and procedures, the leadership Coalition Group memb ers, and meeting agendas and minutes. The amount of documentation should be deta iled enough so that someone external to the district can understand the process. Ohio Improvement Process (OIP) The Ohio Department of Education (ODE) recognizes the value of planning in the c ontinuous improvement process and for the past decade has provided guidance and support to districts and schools in this process. Several recent developments ha ve caused the ODE to revisit its current guidance. Recent Developments 1) As technology has evolved and new learning has emerged about the effecti ve use of data in decision making and planning, ODE has identified and gathered data and created tools for organizing and analyzing data.

2) Research has provided more concrete knowledge about what works and how l eadership in districts and schools should be distributed to improve instructiona l practice and student performance. 3) Many federal and state initiatives have required a planning process some due to funding requirements, others due to the design of a project or program. Although each of these initiatives is a worthy project or program, the planning for each has fostered a design that is fragmented, often resulting in redundancy and duplication of effort. 4) After numerous attempts, the 126th General Assembly created a coordinate d, efficient regional educational service delivery system to support state and r egional improvement initiatives and to promote a simplified approach to regional service delivery. Substitute House Bill 115 clarified the roles and responsibil ities of regional service providers with an emphasis on assisting districts in i mproving student performance. Integrated, Research-Based Approach Based on these developments, the department recognized that a more integrated ap proach was needed that is consistently implemented throughout the state and refl ects development of a unified state system of support around a focused plan. This approach is the Ohio Improvement Process (OIP). OIP brings together all the data, resources, knowledge, and experience in planning and follows a four-stage cycle that will be guided by regional educational service system providers. Stage 1: Identify critical needs of districts and schools. Stage 2: Develop a focused plan. Stage 3: Implement and monitor the focused plan. Stage 4: Evaluate the improvement process. Within each stage, there is a set of well-defined elements that when completed l ead to the next stage. The OIP can be used at the district, school, or classroom level. For the purposes of this document, the stages will be described for dist rict-level use.

The OIP is based on the most recent research about what causes districts to impr ove. This research states that: To improve teaching and learning on a large scale, the whole district must be in volved, with strong lines of communication. The role of district and school administrators should be refocused, with the hig hest priority on improving teaching and learning where data are used as the vehi cle for changing conversations in ways that allow the most critical problems the district faces to be identified and addressed. It is important to give equal focus to the how as well as the what of improving hing and learning, continuously using a cycle of monitoring and evaluating progr ess in order to constantly improve achievement. District Expectations Based on this research, the Ohio Leadership Advisory Council (OLAC) established common expectations for districts in the planning process: Collaborative structures and community engagement Culture and expectation for the use of data in decision making One plan with focused goals for achievement and instruction Board alignment and support of district goals and district alignment and support of school goals Monitoring goals for achievement and instruction Use of resources to support achievement and instruction, intentionally allocated to the district plan

These common expectations are woven through the planning process described in th is document. Stages of the Ohio Improvement Process Stage 1: Identify Critical Needs of Districts and Schools uses state and distric t data to identify the most pressing needs faced by the district. This stage pri marily uses the Decision Framework to look at data from four levels: student per formance, instructional management, expectations and conditions, and resource ma nagement. Stage 2: Develop a Focused Plan is development of a focused plan. Stakeholders i ncluding the local school board are involved in specific areas that require thei r engagement and direction. During Stage 2, focus areas are turned into two to t hree goals in two areas: 1) student performance and 2) conditions and expectatio ns. Strategies that are grounded in research to achieve the goals are created fr om the causes of the most important and critical problems. Indicators for each strategy provide the yardstick by which success is measured. Actions are develop ed for each strategy and resources are aligned. Stage 3: Implement and Monitor the Focused Plan requires that all district emplo yees know their responsibilities for ensuring that the goals and strategies are achieved regardless of whether they have an accountability responsibility in the district plan or whether they have specific tasks to achieve certain actions. I n addition, this stage requires that each school has an action plan that has bee n approved by the district and is aligned to the district goals and strategies. Taken together, implementation of district and school plans results in goal acco mplishment. Stage 3 also requires that the district and buildings have a process for checkin g the implementation of each strategy and action taken toward reaching the goal. This can be accomplished in many ways, from key staff members submitting implem entation checksheets to district leaders conducting walk-through observations to see whether the actions are occurring. Although actions to reach a strategy and goal are reflected in what district employees will do, the effectiveness of tho se actions results in improved student performance. Effectiveness also is measur ed using the indicators that have been created for each strategy. Stage 4: Evaluate the Improvement Process seeks to examine the summative impact on student achievement, degree of implementation and indicators identified for e ach stage of the OIP. This is the point at which the district determines whethe r goals have been reached by assessing improvement (pre post) using data that wa s collected in Stage 1. The district and school should identify the purposes of the evaluation and questions that need to be addressed in the evaluation design early in the OIP so that the most appropriate methods and procedures are used. The OIP stages are recursive and, therefore, continually inform each other. As d istricts/buildings move through the four stages of continuous improvement, data will have a major role within each of the stages. As an integral part of the pla nning and implementation process, data have many purposes. District leadership t eams and work groups can use data collection at the beginning of the planning pr ocess when implementing a part of the plan, such as professional development, fo r updating a current plan, or for preparing formative and summative reports to b oards and communities. Superintendent The superintendent, in addition directing the leadership Coalition Group and par ticipating with other committees and teams has the responsibilities of ensuring the visions/missions are kept; overseeing with their designees the resource allo cations, and ensure the plans. The Superintendent also must assume the followin

g responsibilities: Oversee the OIP, establishing additional procedures if needed. Select district leadership team Set direction and expectations for other groups committees Engage staff and community in planning process. Create collaborative structure for plan development. Foster culture of continuous improvement. Approve a single, focused, data- and research-based plan. Budget the plan. Monitor plan development. Hold participants accountable for results. Communicate plan content, process, and results. The Superintendent can use the leadership Coalition Group as the identified repo rting structure for how individuals and groups will work together, including det ermining those decision-making as the authority of the Superintendent, how commu nication should flow, and how relationships are structured. Identification of ot her resources to support the process will be a responsibility of the Superintend ent. Decision Making: Regardless of the management structure that is used, there will be decisions to be made by either an individual such as the superintendent or b y groups such as the leadership Coalition Group work groups. It will be importan t that everyone knows which decisions they can and cannot make. The Chair Facili tators, in concert with the superintendent, should determine the types of decisi ons that can be made by each group or individual. The decision-making process depends on a) The number of people affected by the decision and by the impact the decisions outcome will have on the plan, b) How much energy and support people must contribute to make the decisions imple mentation a success, and c) How critical the decision is to the mission and success of the district. The type of decision-making process used rests on how clear and certain a course of action is. Decisions that clearly have only one correct answer require one t ype of decision-making process, whereas decisions with many viable choices requi re another type of process. Communication: There can never be enough communication. The superintendent will need to consider how, what, and whom to communicate about the OIP. As a part of the standard LCC agenda, it is suggested that a communication record or log be d eveloped. This document will assist in determining who needs to know what, when, and how. It also will serve as a log of what has occurred. Communication needs to be transparent and every layer of the system needs to be involved. Additional Resources: Equipment, including laptop computers, LCD projectors, and sound systems, as wel l as space for meetings available either through the district or the community w ill be needed. If the district does not have free access to these resources, the y will need to be budgeted. There are not many material or supply costs to the O IP. However, there are some items that need to be budgeted. These include the fo llowing: Refreshments for stakeholder forums Newsprint and markers Folders or binders for district leadership team Substitute costs for building-level teacher leaders participating on the DLT or work groups The leadership Coalition Group

Membership of the leadership Coalition Group should include individuals with key positions at the various levels of the organization, for example: o Superintendent, o Treasurer, o Building-level Administrators, o Teacher leaders, o Parents Leaders o Directors (e.g. director /supervisor of special education, curriculum di rector), school board members, o Groups such as teachers union representation will need to considered o 3rd and 4th Year Students o Stakeholders representing Diverse parents, local businesses, and communi ty organizations The leadership Coalition Group shifts the focus from an individual to a team tha t can function as purposeful communities. Those chosen for the team should be able to communicate effectively and influenc e others. The size and composition of the leadership Coalition Group is important to the s uccess of the process. The leadership Coalition Group should be small enough to enable efficient communication and coordination but large enough to represent al l areas of the district. In a large district, the team may include up to 20 peop le, whereas in a small district, the team may be as small as seven people. It is desirable to have the superintendent serve as an active participant and he /she may be the chair. The chairperson of the team, if not the superintendent, should be an individual who can represent the team to the superintendent and sho uld be in constant communication with the superintendent. The chairperson must b e able to articulate the work of the team, build consensus among team members, a nd serve as the primary liaison with the facilitator to adjust the process. The superintendent may choose to have a co chair. The benefit to having a co cha ir is that if one of the two is not available, there is a back-up. The downsides o f having co chairs are the needs for constant communication to ensure a consiste nt message and for giving both co chairs equal weight in decision making (one ca nnot overrule the other). A rotation cycle for the leadership Coalition Group should allow for a core memb ership group with others serving a specified term may be necessary. For example, it is unlikely that all building-level administrators or teacher leaders can se rve on the leadership Coalition Group. However, these individuals could rotate every other year to ensure a broader base of representation, as could teacher le aders and external stakeholders. It is suggested that individuals be asked to serve staggered terms of at least t hree years but no more than four years in order to have a balance of new and exp erienced members. In some cases, a rotation may not be required, particularly in small districts. The leadership Coalition Group needs to understand that this work continues afte r the plan is developed, the work of continuous improvement is ongoing and invol ves the this group in all four stages of the OIP. It is estimated that during a two- to three-month period for Stage 1, The leadership Coalition Group members will need to devote time to completing St age 1 of the OIP with additional time by the chairperson/co chairs to plan and c ommunicate with the facilitator, superintendent and team members. The same time estimate applies to Stage 2. Consistent attendance is important fo r continuity. If a member is frequently absent, the superintendent may need to s eek a replacement during the data review and planning process. Designees for The leadership Coalition Group should be allowed only in rare circumstances. A summ ary of the responsibilities of the leadership Coalition Group should be identifi ed in several areas of which are drawn from the Leadership Development Framework .

Implement planning policy Recommendations. Promote commitment to continuous improvement strategies. Maintain district-wide focus on high achievement for all students. Facilitate the efforts of work group(s). Charting improvements & Data Results Develop a single district improvement plan that focuses on a limited number of d istrict goals for instruction, cultural education, and academic achievement. Convey to schools and the community the districts mission for guiding the develop ment of the focused plan. Ensure that schools have focused building improvement plans that are aligned to the districts goals. Monitor the progress of the district plan, performance and indicators and make n ecessary adjustments based on data reviews & recommendations. Communicate to ensure coherence and continuity. Provide opportunities for meaningful input and feedback from internal and extern al stakeholders.(all must have a voice and input) Make decisions regarding financial and capital management aligned to district go als and strategies. School Board of Education There are several ways in which the local board of education should participate in the planning process and support of the leadership Coalition Group process as individuals or in past practices of two members representatives working with gr oups and committees. These include: Make planning a district priority, as evidenced through planning resources. Expect superior performance from all. Share the excitement. Be vocal with input, suggestions, and recommendations On controversy topics be neutral voicing NO opinions. Hold individuals and groups accountable for meeting their timelines and process. Ask for progress checks on plan development. Recognize the team for its hard work and commitment to the process. The specific responsibilities of the board members are: Create, adopt and approve recommended planning policies. Approve goals prior to full plan development. Adopt, suggest, and approve a focused plan/budget. Monitor planned data results, implemented deadlines and results (indicators). Communicate goals, progress, and expectations to community. Stakeholders Stakeholder forums occur at least twice during the OIP. Stakeholders are individ uals or representatives from organizations that are affected by the education sy stem. It is important to include stakeholders who provide a variety of perspecti ves. The same stakeholders will not necessarily participate in both forums. At t he beginning, stakeholders will be invited to comment on the mission in the cont ext of critical needs identified through the Decision Framework. The amount of t ime each invited stakeholder will be asked to devote depends on which type of fo rum the district chooses. The focus of the feedback during Stage 2 is to provide input into the districts plan. Stakeholders also will have the option of partici pating in the required public hearing about the entire plan. It is estimated tha t stakeholders will need to devote a 3 to 5 hours of their time. Facilitators Facilitation of the process cannot be underestimated. The facilitators role are to help manage the progression of the discussion and process. The district may c

hoose to use a facilitator external and internal to the district or a trusted em ployee who will be accepted by everyone as an internal facilitator. Those facil itator must: Serve as a critical friend and trusted partner of the leadership Coalition Group advocates for the success of the work, asks thought-provoking questions, and pr ovides focused constructive feedback and data reports . Manage and direct meeting processes using a range of facilitation strategies. Understand meetings and make decisions affecting meeting dynamics. Keep the group focused on outcomes. Ensure co-plan with leadership of the coalition and superintendent (Chair(s). Act as a critical friend to ensure all responses are open and honest. It is estimated that the facilitators will need an average of one day per week d uring Stages 1 and 2 of the process, or a total of about 30 days, to adequately do this job. The most expensive cost associated with the process may be the fac ilitator; however, often the systems of support can designate a person to perfor m this valuable service. Co-Chais & Assistans and Secretaryt It will be important to designate a these program assistant to undertake a varie ty of tasks, including arranging meetings, distributing agendas and materials, c ommunicating with members and section leaders, taking meeting minutes, and creat ing and formatting documents. It is suggested that at least a one-third time pos ition be devoted during Stages 1 and 2 of the process and less time during Stage s 3 and 4. These persons become responsible for inputting information and editin g the draft and final plan. Timeline Goals Membership of all working section groups will vary greatly by districts areas of services and support. Selected Groups may be used to collect, organize, and sum marize data during Stage 1. The goals will determine group membership during Stage 2. These groups may inclu de content (e.g., literacy or mathematics) or program specialists with interdisc iplinary perspectives, special student services, professional development cultur al inclusive skills of understanding cultural proficiency, teacher leaders from multiple levels, classified staff, parent and family representatives, public saf ety officers, public and private early learning representatives, student support services administrators, building-level administrators from multiple levels, sp ecial education designees, English language acquisition designees, assessment ad ministrators, pupil personnel services administrators, and building and grounds administrators. Individuals who will be affected by the plan should participate. The Goals of sections groups services are ensure primary functions for: Reviewing and recommending district goals with the data upon which the goals wer e developed. Review, develop, recommend and implement the strategies, indicators, and actions for goals result and improvements. Assist in the input and direction to ensure all goals are met through cross lear ning indices of instructions at all educational level of instructional achievem ents The section work groups will vary in size based on the goals identified by the l eadership Coalition Group. Some individuals may need to participate in multiple goal work groups. For example, if the district has goals and each includes profe ssional development, it may be necessary to have the districts professional devel opment specialist(s) participate in each group. In addition, the section work gr oups may need to call in others as appropriate to assist with working on a parti

cular strategy or set of actions. It is estimated that during a two- to three-mo nth period, the work groups will need to devote approximately 40 hours for Stage 2.