Oak Park Elementary School District 97

Transcription

1 Oak Park Elementary School District 97 School Improvement Team Handbook Revised September 2009 Dr. Constance R. Collins Superintendent

2 Table of Contents Purpose of this Handbook... 3 Mission Statement... 3 Overview of the SIT Process... 3 Overview of SIT Activities and Products....4 SIT Member Guidelines, Commitment, and Attendance... 6 Roles and Duties... 7 Recruitment... 8 SIT Meetings... 9 Setting School Strategies and Activities Budget Summary Report Implementing Strategies Successful Collaboration Communicating the Work of the SIT Appendices Appendix A Strategies /Activities Template Appendix B Sample SIT Member Evaluation Form School Improvement Handbook Page 2

3 Purpose of this Handbook District 97 offers the School Improvement Team (SIT) Handbook to all SIT members - parents, staff, and principals in the district and to school community stakeholders upon request. The purpose of the handbook is to describe the SIT process and to promote consistency among the workings of the teams. In order to do this, the handbook reflects the SIT process that was developed in District 97 from 1999 to 2002, and was in revision October 2005 through February While SITs are by definition specific to each school and their practices may differ, this handbook provides general guidance, suggestions, and tools that teams may use to guide their work. This handbook contains common procedures for approaching the work of the team, and descriptions of the roles, responsibilities, and function of the team. Mission Statement School Improvement Teams (SITs) in District 97 share a common mission of supporting national, state, and local interests as defined by the strategic plan and goals of the Oak Park District 97 Board of Education and administration. The primary objective of the mission is to create schools that work toward continuous improvement, ensure that all students meet individual goals for progress, and improve school climate and culture. Overview of the SIT Process The SIT exists in each District 97 school as a forum for collaboration among each school community s adult stakeholders-- its certified, administrative, and support staff and its parents -- in service of its primary stakeholders: the children in the school community. The strength of this model is that it builds upon the varied talents and experiences of parents, staff, and principals as they work collaboratively to achieve a common mission. The purpose of the collaboration is for the stakeholders at each school: 1) To understand and commit to the strategic plan and board goals; 2) To develop a shared understanding of what aids and impedes the school s academic success relating to the strategic plan and the board goals; 3) To examine critical issues specific to the particular school that affect the school s success as they relate to the strategic plan and the board goals; 4) To identify priorities for attention relating to the strategic plan and the board goals; 5) To plan strategies and activities to advance the identified priorities, consistent with the strategic plan and the board goals; 6) To provide a mechanism for implementing these strategies and activities; 7) To monitor the success of the strategies and activities implemented. In addition to providing the opportunity to promote school specific ideas and strategies designed to address the board goals, SITs are valuable to the school community because they involve parents, staff, and principals at the beginning of the improvement process. As a result, SITs can develop broader support in the larger school community for the board goals. In addition, because parents, staff, and principals are involved, SITs can effectively represent the school community at large. District 97 recognizes that each stakeholder group involved in the SIT plays a distinct, yet interdependent, role in the success of its school. School Improvement Handbook Page 3

4 Principals are the instructional leaders at each school. They provide expertise and experience in teaching and learning. They are fully versed in the district s mission, board goals, curricula and best practices developed and endorsed by the district. They are a pivotal communication link between the district s lead administrators and their school community. In their leadership capacity at our schools, principals are responsible for ensuring that the district s schools achieve district goals and meet state standards, especially as they relate to student learning, school culture, and climate. Specific administrative functions, duties, responsibilities, and work assigned to the principal by the superintendent and the Board of Education may not become tasks of the SIT. Teachers and other staff provide professional expertise in teaching and learning and child development. They bring critically important insights into the ways curricula, practices, procedures, and interpersonal dynamics come together in the classrooms and broader school community to impact student learning and experiences. Parents provide critical insights into the ways in which their children experience the curricula, practices, and procedures at each of our schools. The hopes and aspirations they hold for their children are critically important as each school defines its strategies to achieve district goals. Many parents also bring professional expertise and/or experience that benefit the work of the SITs and can support the staff and principal as they work to achieve district goals. The Board of Education of District 97, the state of Illinois, and the president of the United States have set goals for schools. These goals are documented in the form of state goals, board and principal goals, and acts such as NCLB and IDEA. In District 97, these goals are articulated by the school board in its goals and reflected in principal s goals and the board s agreement with the Oak Park Teachers Association. The SIT process defined by the district sets: The board goals as the primary mission of the SIT Basic requirements on the membership of the SIT The minimum number of SIT meetings The scope of communications of the SIT The level and structure of the collaboration between parents, staff, and principals The general structure of SIT meetings The forms to be used by the SIT to identify the strategies and activities and yearly progress of the SIT. Overview of SIT Activities and Products The primary duty of each School Improvement Team is to work on behalf of and be responsible to its school community. The SIT in each school in District 97 is unique and functions independently of the SITs in other schools. However, the activities that each SIT engages in are similar. SITs work in cooperation with PTOs to ensure efficient allocation of resources and avoid duplicate efforts. School Improvement Handbook Page 4

5 Main Activities The main SIT activities are: Collaborating to develop a shared understanding of what aids and impedes the school s success in achieving the board goals Collaborating to develop strategies and activities to advance the board goals Promoting, overseeing, and monitoring the implementation of the identified strategies and activities Communicating the strategies and activities, including the process used to create them and the progress of their implementation, to parents, teachers, students, the school board and District 97 administration Collaborating to assess the school s level of success in achieving the board goals and to assess the effectiveness of the strategies and activities implemented Approving or disapproving changes in the strategies implemented. Written Products SITs will produce the following written products: Statements that briefly state the background rationale, the objectives, and the strategies and activities to address the board goals Communications to parents and teachers - throughout the SIT process, the SIT will report and publicize its activities in school newsletters, on school and district websites, and/or through mailings to parents and staff Summary Report to the Board of Education the report of SIT progress each year. Proposed Calendar The SIT calendar follows the school calendar, with SITs meeting at least monthly during the school year. The following is a suggested calendar for SIT activities: Time Activity Spring Review progress of current SIT plan: strengths, weaknesses, highlights Continue implementation of current SIT plan Initiate discussion of priority areas for next year s SIT plan Review and understand changes in board goals for upcoming year Review time table for strategic initiatives and determine which are appropriate for SIT Solicit input from parents and teachers Continue implementation of current SIT plan Recruit and orient new SIT members for upcoming year Begin discussion of issues to look at for upcoming year Identify objectives and action plans Begin to revise SIT plan for upcoming year Continue implementation of current SIT plan Send draft of upcoming SIT plan for vetting by stakeholders Write final draft of sit plan for upcoming year Begin to prepare year-end summaries Summer Complete year-end summaries for current SIT plan Upcoming SIT plans are shared with board School Improvement Handbook Page 5

6 Fall Begin implementation of phase one of current SIT plan Seek and review input from parents and teachers First SIT plan update submitted to superintendent, shared with board Winter Make adjustments to current SIT plan as needed Continue implementation of current SIT plan Mid year review and corrections to current SIT plan Continue implementation of current SIT plan Second SIT plan update submitted to superintendent, shared with board Interaction with Other School Entities Each SIT is responsible for sending one or two of its SIT members to the SIT Council, a body of representatives from each of the ten District 97 schools, as the SIT Council is a source of support for the mission of the SITs. The SITs send to the Board of Education of District 97 their Summary Reports. The Board s role is to review these written products of the SITs to assess the degree to which these products worked toward achieving the district goals. The central office administration of District 97 also supports the SITs by making data on student achievement, curriculum, and other areas available to the SITs. Finally, to ensure the highest level of articulation, collaboration, and collegiality, a member of the SIT will attend the monthly PTO meeting and a PTO member will attend the monthly SIT meeting. SIT Member Guidelines, Commitment, and Attendance Membership Guidelines This SIT Handbook establishes requirements for the membership of SITs. Adherence to these guidelines ensures that the SIT represents the school community and provides the basis for effective collaboration. It is strongly recommended that the SIT seek diverse membership: Have 12 to 18 members (please note: the co-chairs of any school SIT with fewer than 12 members or more than 18 members must provide a written explanation to the Superintendent as to the reason for an SIT below 12 or above 18 members and receive approval for such.) Strive for a balance between parent members and staff members It is strongly recommended that the SIT seek diverse membership including but not limited to parents/community members representing minorities, low income, special education, parent organizations, etc. Other parent and staff membership should reflect school demographics and consider the following: o grade level o core-teams (at the middle schools) o elective subjects o special areas Member Commitment The term for SIT members is a minimum of one school year with a maximum of three years. However, the SIT may wish to request that members serve a two-year term because of the amount of time required to learn about the issues that face a school and to establish a School Improvement Handbook Page 6

7 collaborative relationship with other team members. Ideally, each year some new members would join the SIT while some members from the previous year serve the second year of their term. Participation in the SIT requires a significant time commitment. SIT members can expect to spend a minimum of 18 to 25 hours preparing for and attending SIT meetings during the school year. This time commitment includes monthly SIT meetings (and subcommittee meetings as necessary). In addition, each SIT member is a representative to the larger school community and should expect to spend some time soliciting input for the SIT process, serving as a liaison to other school groups, and communicating results of the SIT process to the school community. These additional SIT duties will require an additional time commitment of 18 to 25 hours. Regular attendance and participation are required and will be documented throughout the year. Roles and Duties The SIT is a ready-made and knowledgeable focus group. It is a body that brainstorms, prioritizes, and filters input for future district school goals, strategies, and activities. To perform these roles, members of the SIT serve in various roles: co-chair, secretary, and member at large. The SIT determines how it wishes to assign members to these roles: consensus, election, volunteer, etc. The roles identified in this handbook are suggestions, and the SIT may determine the best allocation of its membership to duties of this nature in the particular school. Leadership To ensure the broadest articulation between the school s stakeholders, the SIT should have three co-chairs: School principal Certified teacher Parent /community member The suggested roles and duties divided amongst the co-chairs include: Create agenda for SIT meetings Conduct SIT meetings Attend PTO meetings Serve as communications coordinator Request data and other materials from school and district Lead compilation of strategies and activities to address board goals Compile or delegate compilation of Summary Report for the board Recruit new SIT members and document recruiting strategies Lead the implementation of the strategies and activities, and evaluation of the effectiveness of same. Special Role of the Principal The principal s special understanding of school issues, the district, and the school community means that the principal must have a significant role as the co-chair of the SIT along with a parent and certified teacher as co-chairs. The principal contributes to the SIT by: School Improvement Handbook Page 7

8 Recruiting teachers and parents for the SIT Assisting the SIT to gather input for the evaluation and creation of strategies Setting the tone for and fostering collaboration between parents and staff Assisting the SIT review of the board goals with staff and parents Leading implementation of strategies and activities identified by the SIT to achieve the board goals Working with the co-chairs and the entire SIT to resolve issues, problems, or conflicts that come before the SIT. Secretary The suggested roles and duties for the secretary include: Write and distribute minutes of SIT meetings to members and to district SIT website Prepare, distribute, and maintain contact list of SIT members. Other Members The suggested roles and duties for the other members include: Review board goals Recommend data and other materials needed to achieve the board goals Review data and other inputs Assist with soliciting parent and staff input Assist with developing strategies and activities to achieve the board goals Serve as an ambassador to communicate to staff and parents Assist with development of Summary Report for the board Assist with recruitment of new SIT members Assist as needed with the implementation of the strategies and activities, and with the evaluation of the effectiveness of same. Removal of a Member A member may be removed from the SIT upon the consensus of the team due to: Lack of regular attendance Inability to work collaboratively. Recruitment Member Identification One of the most challenging and most important tasks facing the SIT is recruiting members who: Mirror the demographics of the school, including grade levels and the diversity of the student population. In addition, middle school SITs are encouraged to have parent representatives from each feeder school Are committed to representing the entire school community Represent the school community, its strengths, and its needs as opposed to a preconceived personal agenda. School Improvement Handbook Page 8

9 Recruitment Approaches The SIT can use several approaches to recruit members by: Making sure that everyone in the school community knows about the SIT and its need for new members. As per the SIT calendar, the SIT will send to the homes of District 97 parents of incoming students in grades K-5 or 6-8 in its school community materials information about the SIT. At staff meetings, the principal and teachers can speak about the benefits of participation on the SIT; during the school year, they can communicate regularly about the SIT through channels that reach all members of the school community Knowing the school s constituencies and approaching each with information. To the extent possible, the SIT should solicit participation from each grade-level and core team as well as elective areas and special education Using personal contacts and targeted outreach to approach individuals who might be interested in serving on the SIT As the SIT solicits new members, the co-chairs keep track of what was done to inform the school community about the SIT and its need for new members. The Summary Report given to the Board of Education at the end of the school year requires that each SIT report on its recruitment methods. Selecting the Team Many SITs will have more prospective members than available openings and will need to select members from among those that have expressed interest. Possible Selection Questions Questions for the selection of new members may include: 1. Why are you interested in the SIT? 2. Would you be willing and able to serve on the SIT for two years with a time commitment of approximately 50 hours per year? 3. What do you think is required to make the SIT effective? 4. Are there specific issues you would like to see the SIT address in addition to board goals? 5. What previous committee experience do you have? 6. What experiences or skills do you have that would be helpful to the SIT? 7. How can you contribute to the demographic requirements of the SIT? Selection Process Once a list of prospective members is compiled, SIT members will be chosen using the following process: Staff members will be chosen by the principal, the current certified teacher co-chair, and the staff Parent members will be chosen by a committee composed of the current SIT co-chairs and other persons as deemed necessary by the aforementioned co-chairs SIT Meetings School Improvement Teams (SITs) have much to accomplish during the year. Planning and conducting effective meetings is important to completing the work of the SIT. Below are some hints for effective meetings: School Improvement Handbook Page 9

10 Set convenient meeting times, varying meeting times if necessary because the SIT includes members with different work schedules, varying the meeting times allows most of the members to attend most meetings. Choices of meeting times are mornings before school, immediately after school, evenings, or occasionally on the weekend Publish the meeting agenda and goals ahead of time since most SIT meetings are monthly it is easy for members to forget what needs to be done at the next meeting. Knowing what will be covered at the meeting encourages members to prepare for the meeting and be focused when they arrive. By publishing the agenda ahead of time, the co-chairs can leave time for members to suggest additional agenda items. In this way, the co-chairs can control the agenda so that the meeting does not exceed the allotted time. Stating goals for meetings and then achieving those goals during the meeting gives SIT members a sense of accomplishment Publish and review minutes of the previous meeting the SIT secretary writes and distributes minutes of SIT meetings. Approving these minutes at the start of the next meeting helps bring back to everyone s mind what was accomplished at the previous meeting Keep to the meeting agenda and keep the meeting to a reasonable length SIT participation requires a significant time commitment so it is important to keep a reasonable pace at SIT meetings. Co-chairs can use a variety of techniques to keep discussion to agenda items while valuing each member s contribution. For example, comments and ideas that are not directly pertinent to the agenda item can be written on a flip chart labeled Parking Lot. At the end of the meeting, the co-chairs can ask members to discard Parking Lot items (proposed ideas, strategies suggested) or assign them to future agendas Use a facilitator or outside speaker at times, the SIT may benefit from meetings led by a professional facilitator or an expert on a topic related to SIT strategies. A facilitator or expert can help the SIT reach consensus on tough issues or shed new light on specific issues. Setting School Strategies and Activities The SIT develops strategies and activities that will make the school more successful. The SIT does this by understanding what success means in the school and what is needed to achieve success. District 97 initiatives, board goals, and principal s goals offer a framework that the SIT can use to develop those strategies. SIT strategies and action plans must comply with District 97 policy, contractual agreements, and adopted budget. SITs must take a comprehensive, multi-year view of the needs of their school. The strategies implemented to achieve the board goals established for one year will likely not be completed that year. Each year, the SIT reviews progress on those strategies that are adopted for implementation. Because of the review, the SIT removes strategies and activities that have been accomplished, modifies the strategies and activities of those partially accomplished, and develops new strategies for consideration and implementation. Some examples of the strategies established by past SITs to achieve the strategic plan and board goals were: Integrating technology into the instructional program School Improvement Handbook Page 10

11 Building positive, supportive student-teacher-parent relationships to enhance minority student achievement Increasing parental involvement in school through activities and workshops Enhancing student achievement of all children by building a better foundation for homeschool relationships Facilitating a seamless transition from K-5 to middle school Auditing challenge and differentiated instruction in the school as a basis for future planning Improving academic achievement in reading and math. Six Step Process The process of developing and implementing strategies and activities to achieve the board goals can be summarized in five steps: 1. Determine focus and topics for the year 2. Narrow topics to areas that are directly related to the board goals 3. Review background data, supportive data, and assessments 4. Develop and refine strategies for implementation through brainstorming and examining budget implications 5. Implement strategies and activities including evaluation measures to achieve the strategic plan and board goals 6. Review the effectiveness of strategies and activities implemented and revising them as needed. Inputs to Setting Strategies and Activities Inputs to setting strategies to achieve the strategic plan and board goals include progress on previously set strategies, feedback from the school community, and conclusions from examining data on achievement, school culture, etc. When establishing strategies and activities for the upcoming school year, SITs review progress that has been made toward achieving previously set priority objectives. Measures of progress can be qualitative or quantitative. The measures are the expected outcomes that were specified when each strategy was written. Each year, the SIT solicits input for setting strategies and activities from the parents and teachers in the school. Each SIT determines how to collect this input. Surveys, informational meetings, , and school newsletter articles are some of the ways to solicit parent and teacher views on what the school s strategies and activities should be. The SIT should determine for itself the best ways to solicit input from stakeholders in the school. Examining data about academic achievement and other aspects of school success is critical to the SIT s setting of strategies. SITs examine data to ensure that the strategies and activities reflect the specifics of what is going on in the school and to support the selection of particular strategies and activities over others. In addition, a collaborative review of data enables the community to understand together the successes and challenges of the school while deepening its understanding of the wealth of data that is available to describe various aspects of the school. School Improvement Handbook Page 11

12 Types of data that are available for review include: Test scores Number of students and families involved in programs and activities Special studies and consultants survey results and other presentations School budgets Documentation of Strategies The SIT documents each strategy using the Strategies/Activities Template. The strategies template includes the following components: Statement of specific strategy, how each strategy serves some aspects of the board goals, and what is desired in that area. Background rationales that motivated the SIT to set certain strategies and activities Activities steps to be taken to achieve the objective. For example, if the objective is communication, a suitable strategy to support the objective might be the creation of a newsletter. Expected outcomes measurable indicators that progress is being made toward achieving the strategy. When documenting the strategies, the SIT should determine concrete activities that can be implemented, and set forth clearly the person(s) responsible for carrying out the activities. In determining the strategies and activities to be implemented, the SIT should focus on activities that are: Specific Measurable Attainable Realistic Tangible Review Process After the strategies and activities have been drafted, the SIT distributes the strategies to all stakeholders for feedback and buy-in. The review process is critical as a way to communicate the strategies to the wider school community and to ensure that everyone agrees on how the school should use time and resources for school improvement. In some cases, the SIT may wish to obtain feedback from future stakeholders as well, for example, middle school SITs can obtain feedback from parents of their feeder schools. Methods for obtaining feedback on the strategies include using a feedback form, holding focus groups with parent and staff constituencies, and publishing the strategies in the school newsletter. Once feedback is obtained, the SIT should review the proposed strategies and activities, modify them in light of the feedback, and approve the strategies and activities for implementation. As the instructional leader of the school, the principal has the final responsibility for school improvement and should be working with others to build consensus around strategies and activities that are doable and relevant. Budget Each school building receives dollars annually for school improvement activities. Funds needed for SIT initiatives will be pulled from those funds. Additional funding for specific projects School Improvement Handbook Page 12

13 beyond school improvement dollars must be proposed and presented to the superintendent and approved by the board. Summary Report In June of each school year, the SITs should complete the Summary Report Form and forward it to the district office for inclusion in board packets. These reports allow the board to review the progress of all SITs on the board goals. The summaries are also posted on the individual school Web sites where they can be reviewed by other SITs and community members. These summaries are posted until replaced by the new plan. Implementing Strategies The extent to which the SIT is involved in implementing the strategies and activities depends in part on the strategies and activities themselves and in part on the nature of the collaboration between stakeholders. If strategies and activities are specific, actionable, and have been thoroughly reviewed by all stakeholders, and when collaboration among stakeholders is strong and deep, the school community will know what is expected and necessary to carry them out. Normally, grade-level teams administrators working with the SIT and other school constituencies (such as PTO, SEA, and APPLE) can take the lead in carrying out strategies and activities identified by the SIT. The SIT will then continue as the steward of the progress and be responsible for promoting and monitoring the progress of the implementation, assessing the effectiveness of the activities, and recommending changes if necessary. SITs that follow this process fulfill their mission of achieving school improvement in ways that are specific to their school community. Successful Collaboration SITs succeed by fostering collaboration between parents, staff, and the principal. Collaboration is the process by which parties, who may have different views on how to create strategies and activities to achieve an element of the board goals, can constructively explore their differences and arrive at solutions that are more effective than they could have come up with on their own. Collaboration takes strong leadership, trust, and commitment to be effective. Over time, as the community becomes better at collaborating, its capacity to solve problems and be successful increases. Principles of Successful Collaboration Here are some principles that SITs can follow to nurture a successful collaboration: Start with a unifying purpose address a specific facet of the board goals that all stakeholders can identify with and be sure that all participants understand each other s stake in the issue. Sometimes, however, the issue may need to be broadly stated to bring enough people into the collaboration. To resolve this apparent conflict between broad and specific views of the issues, the SIT can form subcommittees to focus on narrow aspects while the entire SIT considers the broader view. Set strategies all SIT members need to know what the collaboration will accomplish both over the school year and at each meeting. Select strong leaders and representatives the SIT parent and staff co-chairs and SIT members must be committed to a broad vision rather than a single perspective. School Improvement Handbook Page 13

14 Organize and coordinate meeting details and logistics SIT leadership should be prepared and able to take care of the details of meeting space, materials, communications, and behavior. Being in control of these details sets a business-like tone for SIT work and shows members that their participation is valued. Be respectful, open-minded, and willing to work together - members of the SIT report that the most rewarding part of their experience is the opportunity to listen and be heard. SIT members show that they respect and value the participation of all members by being on time to meetings and respecting the opinions of others. Make decisions by consensus consensus building resolves conflict and creates workable solutions. Decisions made by consensus will represent the views of most, but not necessarily all, SIT members. Build relationships school community members are linked by a network of relationships. Allow time in the SIT schedule for participants to discover or build relationships. Warm-up activities, sharing contact information, and socializing at SIT meetings fosters such relationships. Inviting members into each other s worlds is another way to develop relationships. For example, SIT parents may be invited to attend teacher in-service workshops. Take responsibility and give credit each SIT member has a responsibility to work conscientiously on the problems chosen by the SIT, including any homework or communication required between meetings. The SIT as a whole celebrates the accomplishments of the members and the successes of the SIT. An end-of-year party can be a great way to generate enthusiasm and ideas for the following year. Get feedback from the school community in order to sustain the collaboration, it is essential that the work of the SIT be communicated to the entire school community and that input is received and incorporated into the strategies. The Decision Making Process In all likelihood, SITs that follow the process suggested in the successful collaboration section will develop strategies and action plans that have the support of the SIT as a whole. However, it is the principal s responsibility to help the team understand if a certain activity must be implemented, even if the activity is not initially supported by the SIT. The principal may call in central office administrators to assist in this effort. In the event that consensus cannot be reached, the principal, as the educational leader of the school, will have the authority to make the final decision for the SIT on the particular matter at hand. In a situation where the principal must make an unpopular decision, any of the SIT co-chairs has the right to request a meeting of all cochairs and the superintendent to discuss the matter. Communicating the Work of the SIT School Improvement Teams are made up of parents and teachers, along with the school principal, who collaborate on behalf of the entire school community. Communication from the SIT to the parent and teacher constituencies that make up the larger school community is essential to the success of the SIT. Communication begins when the SIT recruits new members and continues when soliciting input for school improvement and evaluating progress on strategies. A key opportunity for communication between the SIT and the school community is distribution and review of the new and revised strategies. School Improvement Handbook Page 14

15 Each SIT determines the communications channels it will use and informs its members of the channels. Below are suggested channels for the SITs to communicate to the school community and each constituency. Communicating with the School Community Suggested ways for the SIT to communicate with the school community include: SIT hosts an informational meeting for prospective members SIT meeting minutes are posted on school website and district SIT website SIT meetings are summarized in the school newsletter SIT meetings appear on the school calendar that is published in the school newsletter and on the school website SIT receives acknowledgement on announcements for programs or activities that are tied to the strategies developed by the SIT. Communicating with Parents Suggested ways for the SIT to communicate with parents include: The SIT should develop a plan to have SIT representation at PTO, SEA, and APPLE meetings Information about the SIT should be distributed at parent-teacher conferences SIT should sends flyers home in registration packets and during the school year SIT should sends announcement to the parents addresses using lists maintained by the school or PTO. Communicating with Staff Suggested ways for the SIT to communicate with staff include: SIT representatives talk about SIT activities regularly at school staff meetings SIT items are brought up and worked on in staff teams SIT items are brought up and worked on during in-service times SIT sends meeting summaries to the staff lists SIT announcements are posted in the school office or teachers lounge SIT items are mentioned in the Principal s Daily Bulletins. Communicating with the District SIT representative attends SIT Council meetings The SIT submits the Summary Report to the board. School Improvement Handbook Page 15

16 Appendix A Objectives and Action Plans Template Objective Action Step Progress to Date (Color Code According to Legend) Notes Objective 1. Action Step 1.1 Action Step 1.2 Action Step 1.3 Objective 2 Action Step 2.1 Action Step 2.2 Action Step 2.3 Objective 3 Action Step 3.1 Action Step 3.2 Action Step 3.3 Action Step 3.4 School Improvement Handbook Page 16

17 Appendix B Sample SIT Member Evaluation Form (Optional) School Name(optional) Please check the appropriate box: Parent Teacher How would you rate your overall SIT experience? Very satisfying Satisfying Disappointing Very Disappointing How would you rate the collegiality of your SIT? Very satisfying Satisfying Disappointing Very Disappointing How would you rate the leadership of your SIT Co-chairs? Very effective Effective Ineffective Very ineffective How would you rate your SIT s overall effectiveness? Very effective Effective Ineffective Very ineffective If you were unsatisfied with the effectiveness of your SIT, what would you suggest to make next year s SIT more effective? What were the most significant accomplishments of your SIT? If you have any other comments, suggestions, etc. to share with the Co-chairs, please use the back of this form. Thank you. School Improvement Handbook Page 17