School Improvement: Creating High Performing Schools

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School Improvement Creating High Performing
Schools

• This presentation is intended to accompany the
  Georgia School Council Institute GuideBook

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Progress in Georgia Schools since 2000

• Many schools in Georgia have shown remarkable
  progress in student achievement since the A
  Reform Act of 2000 and the No Child Left Behind
  Act of 2001.
• What are these schools doing to be successful?
• Is there a common set of behaviors at these
  schools that can be replicated elsewhere?

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Effective Practices School Study

• 47 schools were selected by the Georgia School
  Council Institute (GSCI) based on performance
  and/or gains over a 3 year period.
• Selection was based on an analysis of test scores
  in all grades, subjects, and demographic
  subgroups.
• Similar school analysis was based on student
  demographics.

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What Kinds of Schools?

• Rural, suburban, and inner city
• Wealthy communities to very poor communities
• Small schools (190 students) to large schools
  (2500 students)
• Old schools (built in 1936), new schools, and
  schools with half the population in portable
  classrooms
• Community schools and district-wide schools
• Three high schools, four middle schools, forty
  elementary schools (ranging from K-2 to K-8 and
  everything in between)

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The Process after Selection

• Contacted the Superintendent
• Requested additional data
• Conducted a full day visit
• Visited classrooms
• Toured the school and grounds
• Face-to-face interviews with a variety of
  stakeholders

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Topics Discussed

• School improvement plan
• School leadership
• Staffing
• Curriculum
• Staff development
• Staff leadership roles
• School council role
• Staff-parent interaction and communication
• School atmosphere
• Student, parent, and staff expectations
• School priorities and goals for the future

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Findings Five Common Characteristics

• Effective Leadership
• Effective Teaching
• Effective Use of Data
• Effective Discipline
• Effective Engagement of Community

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Effective Leadership I

• Superintendent is key to providing an environment
  that allows the principal to be successful.
• Leadership comes from the principal.
• Principal is allowed to assess the needs of the
  school and make changes.
• Principal is willing and able to make tough or
  unpopular decisions.
• Principal is totally involved with instruction.

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Effective Leadership II

• Principal is very visible and visits classrooms
  on a regular basis.
• Principal provides verbal and written feedback on
  classroom visits.
• Principal understands and can articulate the
  curriculum.
• Principal attends teacher training and staff
  development.
• Principal can determine if student work is
  meeting the standard.

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Effective Leadership III

• Principal can model quality classroom
  instruction.
• Principal conducts staff meetings as a learning
  opportunity for staff.
• Principal uses regular memos and e-mails instead
  of staff meetings to relay information to staff.
• Principal attends grade-level and
  cross-grade-level meetings.
• Principal communicates with parents on a regular
  basis.

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Effective Leadership IV

• Principal encourages parents to visit the school.
• Principal develops programs, processes, and
  events to involve parents.
• Principal values parent and community
  involvement.
• Principal plans for regular communication with
  parents.
• Principal is an encourager and motivator.
• Principal has high expectations of all students
  and staff.

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5 Common Characteristics

• Effective Leadership
• Effective Teaching
• Effective Use of Data
• Effective Discipline
• Effective Engagement of Community

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Effective Teaching I

• Teachers understand the curriculum.
• Horizontal and vertical alignment of curriculum
  is evident.
• Grade-level planning
• Cross-grade-level planning and communication
• Examining curriculum at the previous and
  subsequent grade-levels
• Teachers use curriculum as the basis for
  instruction and textbooks as a resource.

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Effective Teaching II

• Teachers instruct, evaluate, remediate, and
  enhance.
• Teachers value time on task.
• Teachers communicate regularly with parents.
• Students are provided additional and alternative
  opportunities to learn after school, Saturday
  school, summer school, intercessions, and
  tutoring.

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Effective Teaching III

• Teachers share best practices and have common
  planning times.
• Teachers have comprehensive, planned, meaningful
  staff development.
• Teachers are trained on effective strategies and
  use varied teaching techniques.
• Teachers use activities that motivate and engage
  students.

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5 Common Characteristics

• Effective Leadership
• Effective Teaching
• Effective Use of Data
• Effective Discipline
• Effective Engagement of Community

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Effective Use of Data I

• Data is analyzed at multiple levels
• Student level test analysis allows for targeted
  assistance for students.
• Classroom level test analysis allows for targeted
  staff development.
• Grade level test analysis allows for targeted
  grade level staff development.
• School level test analysis allows for school-
  wide staff development.

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Effective Use of Data II

• Staff is not threatened by data.
• Staff is fully trained in data analysis.
• Staff understands the importance of data.
• Staff supports data analysis.
• School has planned approach to use data.
• School analyzes many kinds of data, not just
  achievement-related data.

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5 Common Characteristics

• Effective Leadership
• Effective Teaching
• Effective Use of Data
• Effective Discipline
• Effective Engagement of Community

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Effective Discipline I

• All students are the responsibility of all staff.
• Staff demonstrate on a daily basis that they care
  for the students.
• Staff knows and communicates regularly with
  students and parents.
• School is student-centered.
• Staff, students and parents take pride in and
  responsibility for the school.
• Sense of community exists.

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Effective Discipline II

• A school-wide discipline plan exists.
• Entire staff supports and follows discipline
  plan.
• Parents and students understand and support
  discipline plan.
• Expectations are posted in each classroom.
• Students are expected to respect adults.
• Adults are expected to respect students.
• Teachers handle the majority of discipline.

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5 Common Characteristics

• Effective Leadership
• Effective Teaching
• Effective Use of Data
• Effective Discipline
• Effective Engagement of Community

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Effective Engagement of the Community I

• Communication is planned and frequent.
• Multiple ways are used to communicate.
• Parents feel comfortable communicating with the
  school.
• Two-way communication with teachers is prompt and
  readily available.

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Effective Engagement of the Community II

• Active, involved and visible school councils and
  parent organizations exist.
• Parents understand what their children are
  learning and how they can help.
• Parents are regularly invited to school for a
  variety of activities.
• The community supports the school with business
  partners and volunteers.

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3 Primary Areas of Focus

• The building blocks for student achievement are
• Curriculum
• Instruction
• Assessment

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3 Primary Areas of Focus
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Curriculum

• Common characteristics found in these schools
• Focus on academic achievement
• Clear curriculum choices have been made
• Frequent assessment of student progress with
  multiple opportunities for improvement
• Emphasis on writing

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Curriculum

• Common characteristics found in these schools
• External evaluation
• Curriculum is a separate document from the
  textbook
• Textbooks are a resource, not the curriculum
• Assessments measure students knowledge of
  standards, not the content of the textbooks

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What to look for at your school

• Are curriculum standards posted in the classroom?
• Can students state what is being learned?
• What curriculum resources are being used?
• How is implementation of the curriculum
  monitored?
• How is new curriculum being implemented?
• What professional development do teachers receive?

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Instruction

• Common characteristics found in these schools
• Teachers create instructional groups within the
  classroom to fit students academic needs.
• Teachers make efficient use of time.
• Teachers carefully orient students to lessons.
• Teachers provide clear and focused instruction.
• Teachers regularly provide students with feedback
  and reinforcement regarding their performance.

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Instruction

• Common characteristics found in these schools
• Teachers review and re-teach as necessary to help
  all students master learning the material.
• Teachers use strategies to help build students
  critical thinking skills.
• Teachers use effective questioning techniques to
  build basic and higher level skills.
• Teachers give high-needs students the extra time
  and instruction they need to succeed.
• Teachers monitor student progress closely.

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What to look for at your school

• Do teachers use a variety of instructional
  strategies?
• Do teachers receive staff development on
  instructional strategies?
• Do teachers have time for planning?
• Do teachers meet regularly for cross-grade-level
  planning?
• Do teachers participate in collaborative
  planning?
• How do teachers evaluate instruction?

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Assessment

• Common characteristics found in these schools
• Teachers assess student progress regularly.
• Teachers use alternative assessments as well as
  traditional tests to evaluate individual student
  strengths and weaknesses.
• Results of assessments are used to guide
  instruction.
• The purpose of assessments is understood.
• Results of assessments are posted

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Assessment

• Common characteristics found in these schools
• Parents understand assessment results.
• Parents understand required testing
• Criterion Referenced Competency Tests (CRCTs)
• Georgia High School Graduation Tests (GHSGTs)
• End of Course Tests (EOCTs)
• National Assessment of Educational Progress
  (NAEP)
• Norm Referenced Tests (NRTs)

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What to look for at your school

• Are periodic assessments given rather than just a
  final test?
• Are pre and post tests used? How are assessment
  results used?
• Is instruction adjusted based on test results?
• What evidence do you see of the results?

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Effective Practices Summary

• Effective leadership supports effective teaching.
• Effective teaching leads to higher levels of
  student achievement.
• There is no magic bullet- just hard work.
• The building blocks of effective schools are
  curriculum, instruction and assessment.
• The focus is mastering, not covering, the
  curriculum.
• The focus is on what students learn, not on what
  teachers taught.
• The focus is on using the data, not on testing.

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Effective Practices Summary

• When students are engaged in learning, discipline
  is not a problem.
• Parents want to help their children succeed in
  school but often do not know how.
• Parents need to be engaged in the school
  improvement process in order for it to be
  sustainable.
• Communities support schools they think are
  working hard to improve student learning.

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FYI State Curriculum

• The State Board of Education is required by law
  to develop a statewide basic curriculum including
  the competencies that all students must master
  before completion of high school.
• Local boards of education must adopt the state
  curriculum or one that exceeds the state
  standards.

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Georgias New Curriculum

• Georgia Performance Standards (GPS) is the
  revised curriculum currently being phased in over
  the next several years.
• Performance standards state what a student is
  expected to know and how well a student must
  perform.
• The curriculum being phased out (QCC) was based
  solely on what a student is expected to know.

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Georgias New Curriculum

• There is a two-year implementation period for
  each subject and grade.
• In Year 1, systems receive training on the new
  curriculum.
• In Year 2, systems implement and will be assessed
  on the new curriculum through the CRCTs, End of
  Course tests, and High School Graduation Test.

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Georgias New Curriculum

• Timeline
• In 2005-2006, it is Implementation Year 1 for
  Math in grades K-2 and 7, and Science in grades
  3-5.
• It is Implementation Year 2 for English Language
  Arts in grades K-12, Math in grade 6, and Science
  in grades 6, 7, 9-12.
• The complete Phase in Plan for GPS is available
  at www.gadoe.org.

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FYI Textbooks

• The state of Georgia maintains an approved list
  of textbooks.
• Local school systems select textbooks from the
  approved state list.
• There is a budget cycle for purchasing textbooks
  usually every 7 years.
• State assessments measure students knowledge of
  the state curriculum, not the content of the
  textbooks.

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Discuss

• What does your community need to know about
  curriculum, instruction, and assessments to
  understand and support the schools efforts?
• Who is responsible for making sure parents are
  offered this information?
• What can the school council do to facilitate this
  process?

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FYI The School Improvement Plan
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Role of the School Council

• The school principal shalldevelop the school
  improvement plan and school operation plan and
  submit the plans to the school council for its
  review, comments, recommendations, and approval.
  O.C.G.A. 20-2-86 (r)(4)

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New in 2005 Legislation

• As part of its review of a school improvement
  plan, the school council at each school is
  authorized to request and receive data from the
  school relative to the schools utilization of an
  academic coach and whether such use of an
  academic coach has led to increased academic
  performance. O.C.G.A. 20-2-215(e)

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The School Improvement Plan

• School improvement plans are usually written to
  cover a three-to-five year period.
• The plans should be reviewed and updated
  annually.
• All stakeholders should understand the goals of
  the school improvement plan, what progress is
  being made, and how they can support it.

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Pop Quiz

• What are three goals of your schools improvement
  plan?
• Did the school meet those goals in 2004-2005?
  2003-2004?

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Answers

• If you knew the answers, congratulations! Few
  people can answer without doing research.

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School Improvement Process

• Where are we?
• Analyze data
• Where are we going?
• Set goals
• How are we going to get there?
• Select strategies
• Are we there yet?
• Monitor progress

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• Setting goals and selecting strategies requires
  specific, research-based information.

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What kind of specific information?

• Start by looking at the demographics.
• What changes are occurring?
• What implications do those changes have for
  student achievement?
• Does the school improvement plan reflect these
  changes?

Consider these three questions as you view the
next four slides.
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Demographics of Georgia Public Schools 2000-2004
  2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 5 Year Change
Total K-12 1,391,579 1,412,665 1,437,294 1,496,012 1,486,125 94,546
Asian 2 2 2 2 3 1
Black 38 38 38 38 38 0
Hispanic 4 5 5 6 7 3
White 55 54 53 52 51 -4
FRL 43 43 44 45 46 3
LEP No Data 4 4 4 4 0
Special Ed 11 12 12 12 12 1
FRL Free and Reduced Lunch LEP Limited
English Proficient
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Demographic Trends 2000-2004
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Increase in Minority Students 1994-2004
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Increase in Students Receiving Free and Reduced
Lunch
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Discuss

• What possible impact might these population
  changes have on test scores?
• What changes have taken place in your school?
• Are demographic trends considered in your
  improvement plans?

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What other information should be considered?

• Look at standardized test scores and see how
  different student groups perform.
• Is attendance or tardiness an issue at your
  school?
• What are the discipline issues?
• How many students are in upper level classes?
• What are the demographics of special education,
  gifted, honors, and advanced placement classes?

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• What should a school council consider when
  reviewing and approving the school improvement
  plan?

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Goals

• Goals specifically define the targeted
  improvement.
• What do you want to accomplish in terms of
  student outcomes, by when, and how will progress
  be monitored?
• Data-based research should be the basis for each
  goal.

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Goal Criteria

• Is the goal measurable?
• Is the goal clear and specific?
• Does it relate directly to student achievement?
• Is the goal linked to a year-end assessment or
  other standards-based assessment?
• Is it annually updated to reflect an increase
  over the previous year?
• Is it written in simple, understandable language?

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Exercise

• Below are two sample goals. Evaluate them
  against the criteria. Are they appropriate for
  a school improvement plan?
• Increase the percentage of students passing the
  Georgia High School Science Test by 10 percentage
  points in 2006.
• Students will demonstrate effective problem
  solving skills.
• 100 of parents will attend parent-teacher
  conferences.

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Strategies

• Strategies are selected to meet each school
  improvement goal.
• The goal is the destination, and the strategies
  are the vehicles to get there.
• When selecting strategies, consider the resources
  needed, including funding, staff development, and
  evaluations.
• An excellent strategy that can not be fully
  implemented is more likely to cause frustration
  than to create positive change.

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Evaluating Strategies

• These are the questions to ask as a plan is being
  developed. Once the plan is in place, strategies
  do not need to be re-evaluated if the goals are
  being met.
• Are the specified actions different from the
  current way things are being done?
• Do the strategies specify actions to be taken?
• Are there any barriers to implementing the
  strategies?

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Evaluating Strategies

• Do the strategies directly address the goal of
  increasing student achievement?
• Do the strategies focus on curriculum,
  instruction, assessment, and school organization
  that will directly impact student achievement?
• When implemented, will the strategies directly
  impact student learning?

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Exercise

• Bellamy High School has set the following school
  improvement goal
• By spring 2006, increase the percentage of
  students passing the Georgia High School Writing
  Test by 12 percentage points.
• 2 strategies have been suggested. Evaluate these
  strategies against the criteria
• Implement writing across the curriculum.
• Increase the number of times students write per
  week in every class to two times.

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Plan how to include the community

• Use communication channels to build community
  awareness of and support for the schools goals.
  
• All the stakeholders should understand the goals
  of the school improvement plan, what progress is
  being made, and how they can support it.

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Discuss

• How many parents at your school could name a goal
  in your school improvement plan?
• How can the school council help communicate the
  schools improvement plans and progress?
• Has your school council approved the school
  improvement plan?
• Does your school council monitor the progress of
  the plan?

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Monitoring Progress

• If the goals are being met and the goals are
  still appropriate, then no changes are needed.
• When making changes consider the intended and
  unintended results.
• Who will be affected?
• Can those affected be made a part of the planning
  process?
• Any change to the plan should be as well thought
  out as the original plan.

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Additional Information

• The Georgia School Council GuideBook has more
  detailed information on reviewing the school
  improvement plan and includes a goal review
  worksheet and a checklist for monitoring
  progress. See Pages 1.5-1.9.

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Examples of school council recommendations

• Precede parent-teacher conferences with a
  workshops for parents.
• Hold Science and Math Nights with activities for
  each grade level across subjects.
• Have a Read In for families in media center for
  reading and educational games.
• Communicate to all parents the importance of
  daily on-time attendance.

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School Improvement Creating High Performing
Schools

• This presentation is intended to accompany the
  Georgia School Council Institute GuideBook