Planning with a Comprehensive Needs Assessment

1. Planning with a Comprehensive Needs Assessment 2016 ESEA Directors Institute August 24, 2016

2. Renee PalakovicDirector of PlanningDivision of Consolidated Planning & MonitoringRenee.Palakovic@tn.gov(615) 253-3786

3. Objectives

4. Objectives • 2016-17 school planning deadlines and changes • What does a comprehensive needs assessment look like? • Identifying and prioritizing needs • Creation of goals, strategies, and action steps • Required school-wide plan components • Required targeted assistance plan components • Important planning contacts

5. 2016-17 Planning Deadlines & Changes

6. 2016-17 Planning Deadlines • Sept. 30 • LEAs submit LEA plans in ePlan • Oct. 31 • LEA plans reviewed and approved by CORE • Nov. 15 • Schools submit school plans in ePlan • All schools must enter a school plan in ePlan • Dec. 15 • School plans reviewed and approved by LEA • All school plans must be approved by the LEA in ePlan

7. Changes to School Planning Tool 2016-17 • New data available • Human capital • Chronic absenteeism • Embedded data • Entire reports in LEA Document Library • New questions • RTI2 implementation • Technology access and use • Professional development • Family and community engagement • Needs assessment is no longer public information • Sections updated, streamlined, and clarified

8. Comprehensive Needs Assessment

9. What is a needs assessment? • First, what is a need? • A discrepancy or gap between “what is” and “what should be” • A needs assessment is a systematic set of procedures used to determine needs, examine the nature and root causes, and set priorities for action.

10. Comprehensive Needs Assessment • An assessment that takes into account all parts of the whole, not just one targeted aspect or group • Data analysis includes: • Student academic performance • Staff characteristics • School climate and culture • Family and community engagement • Centerpiece of the planning process • Conducted by a school planning team • Broad representation among team members • Reveals the priority needs in which the plan will focus and where resources will be allocated

11. Determining Prioritized Needs • Things to consider when determining the 3-5 priority needs to be addressed by the plan: • Magnitude of difference between “what is” and “what should be” • Causes and contributing factors to the need • Degree of difficulty in addressing the need • Consequences of not addressing the need immediately • Effects on other areas if the need is not met • Cost of implementing strategies to address the need

12. Determining Prioritized Needs • Planning team must clearly understand why the need exists in order to address it. • What factors contribute to the need? • What stands in the way of meeting the need? • Priority needs should be things that can be reasonably addressed in the coming year.

13. Goals, Strategies, & Action Steps

14. Goals, Strategies, and Action Steps • The goals are based on “What should be.” • Should be SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timely) • Break down the need into smaller chunks • Aim high, but don’t set yourself up for failure • Strategies are the solutions that the planning team believes will best address the prioritized needs. • Need represents the gap between “what is” and “what should be” • Strategy is a plan of action designed to achieve the goal • Game plan, grand design, master plan

15. Goals, Strategies, & Action Steps • Action steps are the “verb” in the plan: • Concrete • Causes change • Can be measured

16. Goals, Strategies, & Action Steps in ePlan • In order to align LEA and school plans: • Schools inherit goals and strategies from the LEA. • Schools can extend LEA goals and strategies to allow a connection to school-specific needs. • Goals and strategies can be marked “Not Applicable.” • Action steps require: • Description that supports the strategy • Benchmark(s) indicators • Person responsible • Estimated completion date • Action steps can be linked to: • Funding source(s) • Plan component(s)

17. Required School-wide Plan Components

18. Ten School-wide Plan Components • Comprehensive needs assessment • School reform strategies • Instruction by highly effective teachers • Professional development • Strategies to attract highly effective teachers • Strategies to increase parent engagement/involvement • Strategies for transition to elementary school • Teachers included in assessment decisions • Effective, timely assistance to students experiencing difficulty attaining proficiency • Coordination of federal, state, and local services

19. School-wide Reform Strategies • Effective practices that strengthen the core academic program and address learning needs of all students: • RTI2 • Extended learning time • Flexible grouping • Increasing the length of the school day/year • Technology as a learning tool • Pre-K programs • Curriculum mapping to align to academic standards

20. Instruction by Effective Teachers • Highly qualified teacher requirements are no longer required by federal law in 2016-17. • TDOE will develop its definition of a highly effective teacher as part of the consolidated state plan required by ESSA. • School plans should still address: • Incentives for continuing education • Teacher mentoring programs • Frequent teacher observations • Master teachers • New teacher induction programs • Policies and procedures to ensure equity of assignment of new and low performing teachers

21. Professional Development • Professional development must be sustained, high-quality, and ongoing: • Professional development calendar • Built in time for regular teacher collaboration and planning • Book study groups, PLCs • Allow attendance at relevant conferences and workshops • Rotating substitutes to allow teachers to attend meetings • Monitoring for implementation of strategies in classrooms • Must address the priority needs identified through the needs assessment • Extends, as appropriate, to principals, paraprofessionals, and parents

22. Attracting Highly Effective Teachers • Plans must describe the strategies to be implemented to attract and retain highly effectiveteachers: • Broad range of advertisement when teachers are needed • Partnership(s) with colleges and universities • Mentoring programs • Salary incentives • Hard to staff positions • Teaching at low-performing schools • Additional certifications • Attendance at job fairs • Support to teachers to complete graduate coursework

23. Family & Community Engagement/Involvement • Family and community engagement/involvement is regular, two-way, meaningful communication regarding student academic learning and school activities: • Regular communication home to parents in a language and format easily understood • Inclusion of parents in planning teams • Face-to-face parent/teacher interactions • Meetings at times convenient for parents and families • Information to parents regarding effective ways to promote learning at home • Parent involvement policies and parent compacts

24. Transition Strategies • Plans and strategies to assist preschool students in the successful transition from early childhood programs to elementary programs: • Aligning preschool programs with elementary curriculum • Supporting parents in providing learning experiences at home • Coordination of preschool and elementary professional development • Classroom visits for teachers between preschool and elementary • Communication regarding student needs and sharing of portfolios with future kindergarten teachers

25. Teacher Inclusion in Assessment Decisions • Schools should include teachers in decisions regarding the use of academic assessments in order to improve instruction: • Opportunities for teachers to work together to develop student assessments • Regular time for teacher collaboration and evaluation of student assessments • Professional development for teachers regarding effective assessment and data analysis • Teachers as active members of school-wide planning team and other data teams

26. Students Experiencing Difficulty • Timely assistance must be provided to students who have difficulty attaining proficient and advanced levels of academic achievement: • RTI2 (tiered interventions) • Extended learning activities • Computer assisted learning programs • School counseling services • Small group instruction • Flexible grouping • Professional development for effective strategies • Parent assistance for obtaining outside services (counseling, mentoring programs, etc.)

27. Coordination/Integration of Services • Effective school-wide programs utilize the flexibility available to integrate services and programs to upgrade the entire educational program to help ALL students be successful: • Consolidation of funds into a single pool (blending of funds) • Braiding of funds to ensure coordination of services • Evidence of communication and collaboration across programs within the school: • Title programs • Nutrition programs • Homeless liaison • Parent engagement coordinator • Preschool programs

28. Required Targeted Assistance Plan Components

29. Eight Targeted Assistance Plan Components • Use Title I resources to assist participating children to meet academic achievement standards. • Incorporate planning for targeted students into existing school planning process. • Use effective methods and instructional strategies that: • provide extended learning time; • provide accelerated, high-quality curriculum; and • minimize removal of children from regular classroom.

30. Eight Targeted Assistance Plan Components • Coordinate with and support regular education program, which may include transition services for preschool children. • Provide instruction by highly effectivestaff. • Provide opportunities for professional development with Title I funds. • Incorporate strategies to increase parent involvement. • Coordination of federal, state, and local services.

31. Important Planning Contacts • School Plan Process Questions • Renee.Palakovic@tn.gov • Eve.Carney@tn.gov • Technical Assistance for School Plans • Janet.Mansfield@tn.gov (Northwest) • Bridgett.Carwile@tn.gov (Upper Cumberland) • Henry.Lafollette@tn.gov (First Tennessee) • Shalonda.Meeks@tn.gov (South Central) • Deborah.Thompson@tn.gov (East) • Renee.Palakovic@tn.gov (Southwest) • ePlan Help • Linda.Stachera@tn.gov

32. Questions

34. FRAUD, WASTE, or ABUSE Citizens and agencies are encouraged to report fraud, waste, or abuse in State and Local government. NOTICE: This agency is a recipient of taxpayer funding. If you observe an agency director or employee engaging in any activity which you consider to be illegal, improper or wasteful, please call the state Comptroller’s toll-free Hotline: 1-800-232-5454 Notifications can also be submitted electronically at: http://www.comptroller.tn.gov/hotline