Liaison Team - Alaska STEPP Users Communication & Support - Indistar Shepherd

1. KEYS TO SUCCESS*******ALASKA STEPP & OUR STATE EDUCATION AGENCYSteps Toward Educational Progress and Partnerships Liaison Team - Alaska STEPP Users Communication & Support - Indistar Shepherd

2. ALASKA STEPP AND THE NEW STATE ACCOUTABILITY SYSTEM • Transition of Alaska STEPP users from 27 districts using the tool to varying degrees, to all 1, 2, and 3 Star schools using it to submit School Improvement Plans • Created Department Liaisons to assist individual schools in transition • Departmental point-of-contact for assistance and clarification • Provide feedback (and approval) of STEPP plan • Emphasize healthy school-improvement-process • Differentiated support for differentiated users Shepherd’s support helped us understand the Indicators’ relationship to School Improvement Planning

3. SCHOOLS USING ALASKA STEPP 3 STAR SCHOOLS • District provides oversight of STEPP Plan 1 & 2 STAR SCHOOLS • Department provides process support and feedback(not approval) • Focused on planning and on depth of process Priority & Focus Schools • Must consider and address 7 Turnaround Principles • Crosswalked with 12 Indicators (KEY) • Department approves plans – process and content

4. LIAISON WEEKLY MEETING AGENDA Shepherd’s support helped us understand the tool. • Policy developments • Timeline for upcoming liaison work • Review of indicator “exemplar” – calibrating • School-level questions and feedback

5. COMMUNICATION & SUPPORT Webinars and Online Information • Returning users, new users, and district staff • Power Point – What is Alaska STEPP • Indicator Information • Manual Language • Draft Letters • Vocabulary – explicitly supportive, clarifying new regulations, focused on processes of school improvement • One-on-one phone calls to principals Shepherd’s support helped us understand the Indicators’ relationship to School Improvement Planning

6. COMMUNICATION & SUPPORT PROCESS & CONTENT RUBRICS • Modeled after processes on STEPP • Created draft revisions • Evaluated scoring norms • Added a table for Focus & Priority schools – 7 Turnaround Principles, Key Indicators, Comments

7. Process Rubric for 1 & 2 Star Schools

8. Content Rubric for Priority & Focus Schools

9. PROCESS AND CONTENT RUBRICS • 1 & 2 Star Schools • Provides feedback on processes • Shows Areas for strengthening • Ensures plan has been submitted • Priority& Focus Schools • Provides feedback on processes • Used to offer comments • Ensures plan meets approval

10. INDISTAR SHEPHERD Communication: phone calls, in person, audio conference, emails. • Unpack the Indicators • Brainstorm for the Rubrics • State of AK changes to the Tool • Flagging Indicators • Indistar updates to the Tool

11. ALASKA EED CONTACTS Brad Billings - School Recognition & Support, Administrator Phone: 907-465-8720 Email: brad.billings@alaska.gov Patricia Farren - School Recognition & Support, Education Specialist Phone: 907-465-2892 Email: patricia.farren@alaska.gov Sheila Box – School Recognition & Support, Education Specialist Phone: 907-465-8743 Email: sheila.box@alaska.gov For copies of exemplars, or other information contained in this presentation, please contact an EED representative.