Supporting Schools in Need of Improvement

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Supporting Schools in Need of Improvement Virgini
as System of Support Dr. Kathleen M. Smith,
Director Office of School Improvement
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Capacity Building Program of the Virginia
Department of Education
Based on indicators in CIIs Handbook on
Restructuring and Substantial School
Improvement Collaboration Partners
included Appalachia Regional Comprehensive
Center Virginia Department of Education Virginia
Educational Leadership Foundation Center on
Innovation Improvement
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Why was the support needed?

• Concern that divisions with conditionally
  accredited schools in the process of implementing
  reconstitution plans approved by the State Board
  of Education would not be able to self-correct.
• Recognition that more schoolsand more
  divisionsmight face the prospect of developing
  and implementing reconstitution plans.
• VDOE needed to address these concerns within
  limitations of staff time and other resources.

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How did it happen?

• U.S. Department of Education repurposed the
  Regional Comprehensive Centers to build state
  capacity.
• ARCC was looking for a way to help VDOE.
• CII published the Handbook on Restructuring and
  Substantial School Improvement and was looking
  for a place to test its efficacy.

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How did it happen? (continued)

• VDOE was looking for a way to expand an already
  comprehensive approach to assist chronically
  low-performing schools.
• VFEL wanted to expand its role in building
  leadership capacity.

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Elements of the initiative

• Emphasis on division support for school
  improvement.
• Use of the research base on what worksCIIs
  Handbook on Restructuring and Substantial School
  Improvement
• The Web Conference program.
• An online tool to support improvement planning.
• Integration with VDOE supports, already in place,
  for schools and divisions.

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What VDOE supports were in place in 2007-2008?

• Coaching model based on the Partnership for
  Achieving Successful Schools (PASS) initiative.
• Coaches or auditors were assigned to the school
  two days per month to monitor the implementation
  of the schools corrective action plan.
• Coaches or auditors met monthly as a group to
  share ideas and discuss the progress of the
  schools in which they are assigned.
• Coaches or auditors submitted regular monthly
  reports to the district and the SEA.
• Coaches assisted in acquiring extra resources
  when needed for the school from the division or
  the LEA.
• Coaches were assigned when the division requests
  voluntary participation in the PASS initiative.
  Auditors were assigned when the school was
  conditionally accredited and was not a PASS
  school. In some cases, auditors were requested
  by the division.
• http//www.doe.virginia.gov/VDOE/SchoolImprovement
  /pass.html

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Required Shared Governance Model

• Each school conditionally accredited or in year 4
  and beyond of school improvement was required to
  have a shared governance team in place and was
  assigned a coach or auditor to monitor that
  governance model.
• This team met monthly and focused on the schools
  corrective action plan or school improvement
  plan.
• The team included at least one district team
  member, the coach or auditor, an outside
  representative that could provide support in the
  area in which the school was having difficulty,
  the principal, and core content leaders within
  the schools structure.
• For schools in year 4 and beyond of school
  improvement, the outside representative served as
  the chair and was paid for with school
  improvement funds.

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The VDOE Web Conference Program in 2007-2008

• The focus was on learning/using a process for
  division and school improvement.
• In 2007-08, seven classes with instruction were
  provided over the Web and telephone to teams from
  20 school divisions.
• Divisions were assigned to small groups, each
  taught by two faculty members supported by
  Kathleen Smith, Director of the Office of School
  Improvement.
• Faculty members were practicing and retired
  educators with central office/school
  administrative experience who were also working
  as faculty in higher education programs across
  the state.

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The VDOE Web Conference Program(continued)

• PowerPoint presentations prepared by CII staff
  provided a common curriculum across the groups.
• Content focused on 20 indicators of effective
  district practices selected by the planning
  committee.
• Scripts were supplemented by faculty members
  and VDOE staff, with intentional and aggressive
  efforts made to encourage discussion and input
  from division personnel.
• The VDOE Web site was developed as an additional
  support.

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How was the research-based model customized to
meet Virginias needs?

• The 160 indicators were reduced to 20
  indicators.
• Materials and scripts were developed around those
  20 indicators.
• The online tool was modified to meet the needs of
  VA school divisions and VDOE.
• The modifications were based on feedback
  collected and reported by ARCC evaluators and all
  the collaborators.

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Navigating the system PPS

• The Performance Positioning System worked like
  a GPS. The district teams determined
• where they were in relation to the Success
  Indicators (reference points), and
• how to creatively navigate among them to reach
  their destination of improved student learning.

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Success IndicatorsGetting the Details Right

• Evidence-based practices for classrooms, schools,
  and districts
• Culled, analyzed, and organized in Handbook on
  Restructuring and Successful School Improvement
• Handbook named outstanding publication of the
  year by Division H of AERA at 2008 convention in
  New York City

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Categories and Examples of District Indicators

• District context and support
• Indicator The district sets district, school,
  and student subgroup achievement targets.
• District and change process
• Indicator The district operates with district
• level and school-level improvement teams.
• District-school expectations
• Indicator The school reports and documents
• its progress monthly to the superintendent,
• and the superintendent reports the schools
• progress to the school board.

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Results for 2007-2008

• Of the nineteen districts that used the
  district improvement process for 30 schools, only
  eight divisions remained with only 10 schools
  (two alternative schools, seven middle schools,
  and one elementary school). Student achievement
  increased in all 30 schools.

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Moving ahead to 2008-2009

• The Web Conference process was used with
  additional divisions AND with schools.
• Indicators were again vetted to focus on rapid
  improvement strategies.
• A school-level version of the online tool to
  support improvement efforts was developed.
• Schools identified by VDOE as in need of rapid
  improvement were a primary focus. This included
  PASS schools and chronically low-performing
  schools.
• Some PASS schools were only in Year 1 or 2 of
  improvement, while others were in Year 5 and
  beyond.
• Quarterly reports were required.

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Four Teacher Trainings

• The principal and two lead teachers were required
  to attend teacher training provided by three
  expert instructional trainers from the Center on
  Innovation and Improvement.
• Three PASS coaches also attended this training
  for the purpose of scaling-up for more schools
  without the services of the Center on Innovation
  and Improvement the following year.

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Purpose of Teacher Training

• Examine strategies for successful teamwork.
• Identify an effective framework for instructional
  planning (including unit planning and
  differentiation of instruction for learning and
  assessment for learning).
• Develop an Instructional Team profile for
  examining student learning data.
• Determine a process of collegial coaching that
  supports instructional practices.

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Aligned Instruction
National Standards national expectations by
subject and grade range usually developed by
subject area associations or institutes
State Standards state expectations by subject and
grade-level range or grade level
Benchmarks state and/or district expectations by
specific grade level or clusters of grade levels
Curriculum scope and sequence of objectives
/skills
Aligned Unit of Instruction written curriculum
aligned to tested curriculum and
instruction provides teachers with organizational
framework for planning
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Results to Date

• Coaches, auditors and principals have been using
  the on-line tool. They report that it provides
  not just a plan, but a process for improvement.
  It has been somewhat difficult to move the paper
  plan to the on-line tool however, in doing this,
  the principal and coach are able to monitor the
  implementation of a school improvement plan with
  action steps related to core research-based
  strategies.
• Coaches, auditors and principals reported that
  the training was on target in terms of meeting
  the needs of the school.

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Next Year Scale up to include all Title I
schools in Improvement1003(g) Funding
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Division Requirements
Division representative will develop a division
support team to include division staff members
from Title I Instruction Special Education ESL
and/or other relevant instructional area (if
needed)
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Division Requirements(continued)
Division support team will
Attend 7 division-level web conferences
during the year
Develop and implement a division plan to
support schools in improvement using the CII tool
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Division Requirements(continued)
Division team member attending the summer
Coaches Institute will
Meet with the schools in improvement planning
team at least monthly
Serve as the liaison between the central office
and the schools in improvement
Note A ratio of one division liaison per three
schools is required.
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School Requirements
Principal and coach will develop a school
support team to include assigned division team
member and school staff members from Title I
Instruction Special Education ESL and/or other
relevant instructional area (if needed)
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School Requirements
(continued)
School support team will
Develop and implement a school plan to support
schools in improvement using the CII tool
Submit quarterly reports to the Virginia
Department of Education
Meet at least monthly with the division
representative and will maintain minutes of the
meetings using the CII tool
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School Requirements
(continued)
Principal will
Attend Breaking Ranks in the Middle training
offered by VASSP ________________________________
_ Grant funds can be used to pay for this
training. Training will be offered regionally.
Attend 7 school-level web conferences
during the year _________________________________
Coach and other team members should attend if
possible.
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School and DivisionTeacher Training

• Coach and division contact will
• Attend three additional meetings to be trained
  by VFEL as teacher training leaders
• Be grouped by VDOE (according to proximity and
  likeness) to provide teacher trainings to
  principals and at least two teachers from each
  school in the group four times during the year
• Note Teachers selected for training sessions
  must be good at what they do and capable of
  serving in a leadership capacity at the school.

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Coach and Division Contact Attend Four Teacher
Leader Trainings One at the Coaches Institute
and three others held in November, January, and
March
Coach and Division Contact join division groups
pre-determined by VDOE
Teacher Training 1
Teacher Training 2
Teacher Training 3
Teacher Training 4
VDOE Staff deployed to assist training
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Keys to success

• Strong, active leadership within the VDOE was
  essential.
• VDOE staff had to have time and resources
  dedicated to the improvement of low-performing
  schools to make this initiative work.
• VDOE leadership recognized that a systemic
  approach was required.
• ARCC and CII had to be able to adapt the plan to
  assist VDOE with building systemic capacity.
• ARCC was able to bring key partners and
  collaborators into the capacity-building effort.

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Keys to success (continued)

• Intensive planning was necessary, and ongoing
  communication made it possible to adjust and
  improve the work.
• The use of the WebEx training and Web-based PPS
  was quickly embraced by all users.
• The language of the CII indicators and lead
  teacher training, the use of the PPS, the SREB
  module training, and VFEL Breaking Ranks training
  had to be woven into this improvement process.
• Divisions knew that the data and information
  collected through the PPS were reported to the
  Virginia Board of Education.

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Demonstration of SSI System

• Contact
• Sam Redding sredding_at_adi.org
• Marilyn Murphy mmurphy_at_centerii.org
• Visit their web site at www.centerii.org

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• The contents of this presentation were developed
  under a grant from the U.S. Department of
  Education. However, those contents do not
  necessarily represent the policy of the
  Department of Education, and you should not
  assume endorsement by the federal government.