State System of Support Alabama: The Roundtable

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State System of SupportAlabama The Roundtable

• Dr. Susan Hanes
• Dr. Tom Kerins
• Dr. Carole Perlman

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Sources of Information

• Two-day site visit with SEA
• 147-item interview protocol aligned with
  evidence-based framework
• Artifacts and worksheets from SEA
• Telephone interviews with superintendents and
  principals served by System of Support

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Evolution of System of Support

• Began a decade ago with Teachers of the Year
  serving as Special Services Teachers to assist
  districts and schools
• By 2001, separate support systems for Title 1 and
  non-Title 1 schools
• Lacked coordination, consistency, sustainability
• 2005 Accountability Roundtable
• Classroom Improvement (non-Title 1) and Title 1
  programs work together as one unit
• Other programs added under single umbrella
• 11 regions now coordinated in one system
• 2006 State Support Teams established

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Factors Contributing to School Improvement

• Leadership
• Professional Education Personnel Evaluation
• New Principals Academy
• Persistent Support
• Listening Posts
• Focus on Improvement Plans
• Data-Driven Decision Making
• Disaggregated data to principals
• New data warehouse next year

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Lessons Learned

• Planning is required
• Leadership experience needed on Roundtable
• Each initiative needs a Champion

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Providing Incentives for Change

• Public dissemination of assessment scores for
  districts and schools
• Competitive financial rewards for districts and
  schools making improvement
• Torchbearer schools recognizedhigh poverty, high
  performance
• Financial rewards to faculties getting results
• Considering rewards for principals and teachers
  choosing to serve low-performing schools

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Building Systemic Capacity

• Waivers for districts to hire school improvement
  specialists
• Training for turnaround specialists
• SEA agreement with pre-service institutions to
  prepare teachers for state initiatives
• Feedback to universities from Novice Teacher
  Evaluations and Evaluation of Teacher Preparation
  Programs
• Bi-monthly Table Talk newsletter
• Educational Research newsletter
• Grants to regions to train teachers for National
  Board Certification
• New Continuous Improvement Residency Program

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Building Local Capacity Structures and Roles

• State Education Agencythe Roundtable
• Intermediate Agencies11 Regional Inservice
  Centers
• External Partner OrganizationsSERVE, A Best
  Practices Center, Alabama Education Association,
  Hope Foundation, SECC
• Distinguished EducatorsPeer Mentors and Regional
  School Improvement Coaches
• School Support TeamsState Support Teams
• CoordinationDeann Stone is Accountability
  Roundtable Coordinator her roles is continuous
  coordination throughout the system

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Building Local Capacity Differentiated Support

• Determining Need State Assessments, Pyramid of
  Strategies, site visits
• Piloting an Instructional Review with Classroom
  Observations
• Point of Impact Unified systems of rewards and
  sanctions tied to performance at both district
  and school level
• Intensity and Duration Pyramid of Strategies
  determines intensity and duration of support

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Building Local CapacityDelivery of Services

• Districts categorized by a) generally low
  performance, b) low performance in specific
  student groups
• Plan based on Pyramid of Strategies
• Customized training and support for each district
• Peer Mentors at school level
• State Support Teams at district level
• Resource allocation tied to improvement plans

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Providing Opportunities for Change
District Improvement Checklist8 Points
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Evaluation of System of Support

• Evaluated within past year based on perceptions
  and processes
• Developing system to evaluate based on outcomes
• Learning posts are source of feedback

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Views from the Field

• Superintendents in districts receiving services
  from System of Support
• Principals in schools receiving services from
  System of Support

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Discussion Questions

• How effective is this outline, based on the
  framework from the evidence review, in profiling
  a State System of Support?
• How typical is Alabama in its transition from
  compliance to support in school improvement?
• What else would you like to know about a States
  System of Support?