Highly Qualified Teachers and School Improvement

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Highly Qualified Teachers and School Improvement

• Division of School Improvement
• Georgia Department of Education

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What makes a teacher highly qualified?
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Professional Development

• Cited in no less than
• 159 sections of
• No Child Left Behind

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Variance in Student Achievement

• Home and Family 49
• Teacher Qualifications 43
• Class Size 8
• Darling-Hammond (1997) Doing what matters most
  Investing in quality teaching.

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The Research . . .
What Works in Schools Translating Research Into
Action Dr. Robert Marzano, ASCD 2003

• School
• Guaranteed and viable curriculum
• Challenging and effective feedback
• Parent and community involvement
• Safe and orderly environment
• Collegiality and professionalism
• Teacher
• Instructional Strategies
• Classroom Management
• Classroom curriculum design
• Student
• Home atmosphere
• Learned intelligence and background knowledge
• Motivation

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Top Priority for School Factors

• Curriculum
• Essential content can be addressed in time
  provided
• Goals and Feedback
• Specific achievement goals are set for individual
  students
• Parent and Community Involvement
• Opportunities exist for parent and community
  involvement in school governance
• Safe Environment
• A system is implemented for early detection of
  students with violent and extreme behavior
• Collegiality and Professionalism
• Governance structures are established for teacher
  involvement in decision making

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Top Priority for Student Factors

• Home Environment
• Training and support provided to parents about
  communication and supervision of children
• Intelligence and Background Knowledge
• Students are involved in programs to increase
  number and quality of experiences
• Student Motivation
• Students are provided with motivational training

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Top Priority for Teacher Factors

• Instruction
• Teachers ask students to keep track of their own
  performance on learning goals
• Classroom Management
• Teachers make students feel that their concerns
  are being considered
• Classroom Curriculum
• In planning, teachers ensure that students will
  have complex projects

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NCLB School Improvement Plan

• 10 of Title I Funds for High Quality
  Professional Development
• Directly addressing academic achievement problem
• Providing increased opportunity to participate
• Specifying how funds will be used for improvement

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School Improvement Plan

• Grade Level / Department Goals
• Action Steps
• Staff Development Resources / Estimated Costs
• Persons Responsible
• Means of Evaluation

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Insert SI Plan Graphic . . .
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Key Elements of Restructuring

• Policies and Practices
• Leadership
• Teacher Qualifications
• System Support
• Decision-Making Model
• Allocation of Resources
• Need for Change

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Teacher Qualifications

• Teacher qualifications are considered when making
  assignments and action steps are taken to assure
  all staff are highly qualified.
• Are all teachers highly qualified?
• If not, what steps should be taken to ensure all
  staff members have certification requirements
  met?
• How do the results of student assessment reflect
  quality instruction in all classrooms?
• If not, what steps should be taken to improve
  instructional quality?
• What professional learning is needed and for
  whom?

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Context Standards

• Learning Communities
• Leadership
• Resources

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Process Standards

• Data-Driven
• Evaluation
• Research-Based
• Design
• Learning
• Collaboration

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Content Standards

• Equity
• Quality Teaching
• Family Involvement

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Professional Learning Plan

• Should be coherent and comprehensive and include
  or make provisions for
• structures for learning
• resources needed
• formal and informal learning opportunities
• focus on day-to-day classroom work

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NCLB Funding

• Title IIA local uses . . .
• Recruitment and retention of highly qualified
  teachers and administrators
• Professional Development Activities
• Improvement of quality of teacher workforce
• Leadership Development
• Alternative preparation programs
• Teacher advancement initiatives

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Continuum of Services . . .
Analysis and Planning
Professional Learning
Collaborative Implementation
Quality Assurance

• Tools for Collecting and Analyzing Qualitative
  and Quantitative Data
• Guidance for Analyzing Causes and Establishing
  Priorities
• Model for Action Planning and Matching Needs to
  Resources

• Coordination of Programs to Build System /
  School Capacity
• Focused Leadership Development
• Broker Services to Facilitate Training
• Implement National Standards

• Online Resource Guide of Research-Based
  Programs and Strategies
• Broker Programs and Interventions to Facilitate
  Goal Attainment
• Technical Assistance with Implementation

• Disaggregate and Analyze Outcomes
• Report Impact on Student Achievement
• Guidelines for Program Evaluation
• Policy Analysis and Action

Regional/State Support DOE/RESA/Others
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Regional Support TeamsDOE Analysis and
PlanningDOE Professional LearningDOE
Collaborative ImplementationRESA School
Improvement Specialist(one per RESA)Title I
Regional SupportGLRS 2 representatives per
regionCollege and University SupportLeadership
Facilitators
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In higher achieving schools professional learning
. . .

• Focused on improving student performance and the
  classroom
• Had strong leadership support
• Involved all staff in decisions and
  implementation
• Weathersby/Harkreader Study

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In higher achieving schools professional learning
strategies are effective and include . . .

• Study groups
• Peer coaching
• Follow-up and support
• Weathersby/Harkreader Study

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Tools and Resources . . .

• Guidance for NCLB Requirements
• 10 Regional Trainings
• Online Research-Based Survey
• www.gadoe.org
• GLISI/SREB Leadership Training
• RESA Collaboration
• Regional Support Teams
• Coordination with DOE Divisions

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Building Capacity to Make Research-Based
PracticeCommon Practicein Georgia
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The Need . . .

• 36 or 732 schools did not make AYP in 2003
• 358 are Title I Schools
• 374 are Non-Title I Schools

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Title I AYP Data 2003
SI Plan School Improvement Plan
Choice Public
School Choice
SS Supplemental
Services
CA Corrective Action

Plan R Plan for Restructuring
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AYP Report 2003 All Schools and Title I Schools
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