Tips for Improvement Planning

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Tips for Improvement Planning

• Lessons Learned from the 2006-2008 District and
  School Plans
• February 2008
• NCLB

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Review Sections I and II of the sample plan

• Do the strategies and activities of the action
  plan flow logically from the data and analysis?
• If you were a teacher in this school, would you
  know your role in this plan?

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Updated Resources for 2007

• For the latest resources including
• planning guides
• sample plans
• presentations
• See http//www.isbe.net/sos/htmls/improvement_proc
  ess.htm

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Lets Celebrate!

• Late data
• Challenges with the template
• Lemons to lemonade

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Targeted Feedback
ISBE Monitoring
Action Plan
Data and Analysis
Key Factors
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Tools for a specific end

• Less Red Tape and More Learning
• Whats the impact of a system of supportwith
  school and district plans as central documents
  with
• Minimized hoop-jumping
• Focused planning on
• the key audience and
• the overall good sense the plan
• Will these improvement plans lead to improved
  student achievement?

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Harsh Realities

• 1. Perfect plans ? improved student
  achievement
• 2. Plans are required by NCLB
• and state law
• 3. Clear and critical need
• to focus on learning

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Winning Plans

• Measurable
• Implemented with fidelity
• Monitored

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You may be asking yourself Am I required to
submit a plan NOW?

• Yes, you need to submit a revised plan if both
  the following are true.
• My school/district is in academic status.
• I do not have a locally board approved plan
  submitted in the template for 2006 at the
  Interactive Illinois Report Card site.

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When must the plan based on 2007 data be
submitted?

• For plans in response to
• Academic Status
• District Improvement 90 days
• January 29, 2008
• School Improvement 135 days
• March 14, 2008

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For plans required as part of the Title III grant
application

• (This may be the same plan as in response to
  academic status.)
• Current district improvement plans are required
  with Title III grant applications June 30 every
  year. ISBE can not approve these grants without
  the district improvement plans.

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For plans required in response to special
education compliance monitoring

• You may modify your existing improvement plan
• Revisions to the plan must be made in
  consultation with special education monitoring
  staff.

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How?

• All plans submitted via the Interactive Illinois
  Report Card
• http//iirc.niu.edu
• Your area RESPRO, Title III, or special education
  consultant can assist in completing these plans.

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E-Plans User Names and Passwords

• They are case sensitive and not changed annually
• Need yours?
• email gbuoy_at_isbe.net.
• Still not getting in? You may need to back out of
  the browser and reenter the username and
  password.

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Sample login screen
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On-line resources at the Interactive Illinois
Report Card (IIRC)

• Guides description of required content.
• Templatesinteractive screens with the language
  of the guide and directions
• Monitoring promptsISBEs checklist for feedback
• Schools access school plans at the
• school dashboard.
• Districts access all types of plans at the
  district main menu.

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District Involvement in School Planning

MAXIMUM RESPONSIBILITY
Increasing assistance with planning as school
does not make AYP
RESTRUCTURING
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Lessons Learned from the Best Plans

• The best plans foster little doubt that the plan
  will be implemented
• Strong relationship between the data,
  strategies/activities, and monitoring process
• Detailed roles, responsibilities, expectations
• Critical changes in classroom practice

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The Huge Assumption-plan implementation

• What do users of the plan have to know to be able
  to implement the plan with fidelity and monitor
  progress?

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Tip 1 Write for the Right Audience

• The primary audience for the plan is the
  userthose who will implement this plan.
• Other audiences--
• Planners
• Reviewers
• Wider community

Dont write the plan primarily for these other
audiences.
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Tip 2 Look Beyond AYP

• Report Card and other data are more than AYP
  deficiencies
• See the monitoring prompt
• Strengths and weaknesses

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Tip 3 Take Care to Consider the Factors
Contributing to Achievement

• Whats contributing to your progress?
• Are these factors internal or external?
• Are you blaming the kids?

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Whats
Whats preventing students from learning?
How do you know?
school culture doesnt foster shared
responsibility for all kids learning
Supplemental support is weak or not rigorous
Teachers need ELL training
Failure to use the intended curriculum by all
staff for all kids
School culture doesnt reflect rigor, relevance,
relationship
Coarse and fine grain internal factors
Insufficient teacher learning/team time
Teachers do not have adequate coaching or support
to implement strategies
Instruction doesnt span cognitive levels
mile wide and inch deep curriculum
Teachers arent clear about whats expected in
classrooms
Kids dont have equitable access to the curriculum
Kids arent in the least restrictive educational
environment
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Tip 4 Be Specific and Thorough

• Is the plan specific enough?
• Does the action plan sufficiently address the
  areas where improvement is needed?

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Tip 5 Focus and Coordinate Strategies and
Activities

• Objective Statements Measurable
• Minimally in terms of AYP
• May be global
• Use the objective page to outline strategies, if
  youd like.

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• While the current achievement in math for
  students with disabilities subgroup is 24.5
  meeting/exceeding for ISAT, this subgroup will
  make AYP of at least 62.5 in 2008 and 70 in
  2009 or Safe Harbor.
• Strategies
• 1 double block math instruction
• 2 coaching for math staff
• 3 student and staff review of student work
• 4 beef up test taking skills

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Tip 6 Focus on Student Learning

• Strategies for students necessary to meet the
  objective
• necessary for staff
• necessary for parents
• Effecting change at the classroom
• What about
• on-going strategies and activities?
• or strategies for global objectives?

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Improvement Planningongoing work

• Working towards improvement
• Coordinating efforts
• Measuring progress
• Keeping the big picture in sight

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Note from the field

• Has the planning process been hoop jumping?
• It is definitely not an administrative hoop. It
  has given me a much clearer focus and I have
  already used the document at my Curriculum
  Committee Meetings to try to keep my staff
  focused on the big picture.

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Sample Plans

• While no plan is perfect, planners can learn lots
  from models and we have good plans to share.
• Time will tell how good
• See sample 2006 plans at http//www.isbe.net/sos/
  htmls/improvement_process.htm

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For assistance

• Contact your area RESPRO
• http//www.isbe.net/sos/pdf/respro_contacts.pdf
• ISBE Agency Directory
• http//webprod1.isbe.net/isbedir/default.aspx
• The Interactive Illinois Report Card
• eplans_at_niu.edu
• [phone]