Technical Assistance Webinar for Schools in Year I of Title I School Improvement September 14, 2010 Presenters: Rebecca

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2. Purpose To review the requirements for schools entering Title I School Improvement To introduce the Indistar™ web-based planning tool

4. The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) The federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), also referred to as the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB), requires states to set annual measurable objectives (AMOs) for increasing student achievement. Schools, school divisions, and states that meet these objectives make what federal law refers to as Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP). ESEA requires: Annual assessments of students in grades 3-8 and at least one assessment in high school to measure student progress in reading and mathematics. The law also requires states to test all students in science at least once in elementary school, once in middle school, and once in high school; Schools, school divisions, and states to meet annual AYP targets for student performance on statewide assessments in reading and mathematics; The identification of states, schools, and school divisions making and not making AYP; and All students to be proficient in reading and mathematics by 2013-2014.

5. For a school, a school division, or the state to make AYP, it must meet or exceed 29 benchmarks for student achievement and participation in statewide assessment. Missing a single benchmark may result in a school, a school division, or the state not making AYP.

6. NCLB Sanctions for Schools in Year 1 of Title I School Improvement Public School Choice (PSC) A Title I school that does not make AYP for two consecutive years in the same subject area is identified for improvement and must notify parents of its status at least 14 days prior to the beginning of the school year. The school must offer all students the opportunity to transfer to a school within the division that is not identified for improvement. Lowest-achieving students from low-income families receive priority in the granting of transfers. The school must also develop and implement a school improvement plan. Supplemental Educational Services (SES) If the school division has no PSC options it should to the extent practicable, enter into cooperative agreement with other school divisions in the area that are willing to accept its students as transfers. If other school divisions are unwilling to enter into a cooperative agreement , the school division may wish to offer SES in Year 1 of school improvement to low-income students. If funds are insufficient to provide SES to all students whose parents request tutoring, school divisions must give priority to the lowest-achieving eligible students. Virginia has participated in the USED SES/PSC pilot reversal since 2005-2006. Schools that elected to participate in the pilot will offer SES in Year 1 of improvement instead of PSC. The school will be required to offer PSC and SES if it enters Year 2 of improvement in the next year.

7. School Improvement Planning Requirements

8. School Improvement Planning Requirements NCLB Section 1116(b)(3) 4. Specify how the funds. . . will be used to remove the school from school improvement status; 5. Establish specific annual, measurable objectives for continuous and substantial progress by each group of students; 6. Describe how the school will provide written notice about the identification to parents; 7. Specify the responsibilities of the school, the local educational agency, and the State educational agency. . . including specifying the technical assistance to be provided by the local educational agency; 8. Include strategies to promote effective parental involvement in the school; Incorporate, as appropriate, activities before school, after school, during the summer, and during an extension of the school year; and 10. Incorporate a teacher mentoring program.

9. Required School Improvement Planning The Office of School Improvement will require schools in Title I School Improvement to develop an improvement plan using the Center on Innovation and improvement’s (CII) web-based planning tool – Indistar™. CII is a national content center supported by the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (Award #S283B050057) that supports regional centers in their work with states to provide districts, schools, and families, with the opportunity, information, and skills to make wise decisions on behalf of students. In 2007, CII released its Handbook on Restructuring and Substantial School Improvement for use by regional comprehensive centers in their work with states.

10. Indistar™Six-Step Improvement Plan CII has developed a web-based planning tool, Indistar™, to assist schools with developing improvement plans based on the rapid improvement school indicators. Step 1 – Register school Step 2 – Provide school information Step 3 – Form school team Step 4 – Assess school indicators Step 5 – Create school plan Step 6 – Monitor school plan

11. The Continuous Improvement Cycle Indistar is not an annual planning process. It is a continuous improvement process. It does not start and end each year. The school-based team continues to assess current practice relative to the indicators, plan their improvement, implement their plans, monitor their progress, and make adjustments in course.Indistar is not an annual planning process. It is a continuous improvement process. It does not start and end each year. The school-based team continues to assess current practice relative to the indicators, plan their improvement, implement their plans, monitor their progress, and make adjustments in course.

12. Indistar™’s Three Lenses Indistar looks at the school through three lenses: How are decisions made (principal, teams)? How is instruction planned, managed, and delivered? How are people associated with the school connected and in communication for the benefit of students?Indistar looks at the school through three lenses: How are decisions made (principal, teams)? How is instruction planned, managed, and delivered? How are people associated with the school connected and in communication for the benefit of students?

13. What are Rapid Improvement School Indicators? 82 research-based indicators that have been proven to improve student performance in low-performing schools by focusing on the “quick wins”. Title I schools that are in improvement per NCLB Schools that are not Fully Accredited per the Regulations Establishing Standards for Accrediting Public Schools in Virginia (SOA)

14. Rapid Improvement School Indicators - Categories Team Structure Principal’s Role Professional Development Aligned Instruction Classroom Assessment Differentiated Instruction Periodic Assessment Instruction – Preparation, Teacher-Directed, Interaction, Student-Directed, and Computer-Based Parent Communication/Homework Classroom Management Display the list of rapid improvement school indicatorsDisplay the list of rapid improvement school indicators

17. Where are we now? Where do we want to go? How will we get there? How will we know we are there? How can we keep it going? Indistar™ Correlation to Edie Holcomb’s Five Essential Questions

18. Reinforcing Effort and Providing Recognition Homework and Practice Nonlinquistic Representations Setting Objectives and Providing Feedback Generating and Testing Hypotheses Cues, Questions, and Advanced Organizers

19. The Correlates of Effective Schools as identified by Lezotte, Edmonds, and Brookover 

21. Display copy of the crosswalk for participants to viewDisplay copy of the crosswalk for participants to view

22. Introduce the Virginia Dashboard and log-onIntroduce the Virginia Dashboard and log-on

25. Focus Questions: Step 2 (Provide school information) How and when did the school organize to collect the needs assessment data? What data need to be analyzed by the school improvement team? Why? What plan is in place for continuous updating of the data, as needed? What additional data may be needed?

29. Focus Questions: Step 3 (Form a School Team) How and when did the school select the appropriate team members to serve on the school improvement team? How will the school improvement team inform all staff members of decisions made during the meetings? Is there a schedule of meetings for the school improvement team? How will the school improvement team garner input from staff members?

31. Focus Questions: Step 4 (Assess school indicators) How will the school improvement team involve the entire staff in the selection of rapid improvement indicators that address the needs of the school? What data were used to determine the needs of the school? Are the data included in Step 2? How was consensus reached regarding the 5-6 indicators that were ultimately selected?

32. Selecting Indicators to Assess

33. Selecting Indicators to Assess

42. Next Steps All schools and divisions have been registered on Indistar™. Dr. Holloman will send password and log-in to Title I contact persons by September 17, 2010. School improvement teams will complete steps 2-4 by October 4, 2010. Please do not begin working on Step 5 before the next webinar – the system will not save the work. School principal and Title I contact person will participate in a follow-up webinar on October 5, 2010 to discuss procedures for developing a series of tasks for selected indicators.

43. Data Analysis Quarterly Report Webinar training session will be conducted on Thursday, September 16, 2010. Newly identified schools in improvement (Year 1) are not required to complete the report during the 2010-2011 school year. However, the Part I questions will be included in the application for funding through1003a. Part II will be required after funding has been allocated.

44. Contact Information Dr. Yvonne A. Holloman Division Level Support Coordinator Office of School Improvement (804) 225-2064 Yvonne.holloman@doe.virginia.gov Rebecca Marable Title I Coordinator Office of Program Administration and Accountability (804) 371-0044 Rebecca.marable@doe.virginia.gov