North Carolina School Improvement Planning Implementation Guide

North Carolina School Improvement Planning Implementation Guide 2009-2010 Version 1.01 July 2009

STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION The guiding mission of the North Carolina State Board of Education is that every public school student will graduate from high school, globally competitive for work and postsecondary education and prepared for life in the 21st Century. WILLIAM C. HARRISON Chairman and Chief Executive Officer :: Fayetteville WAYNE MCDEVITT Vice Chair :: Asheville WALTER DALTON Lieutenant Governor :: Rutherfordton JANET COWELL State Treasurer :: Raleigh KATHY A. TAFT Greenville RAY DURHAM Jacksonville KEVIN D. HOWELL Raleigh SHIRLEY E. HARRIS Troy CHRISTINE J. GREENE High Point JOHN A. TATE III Charlotte ROBERT TOM SPEED Boone MELISSA E. BARTLETT Statesville PATRICIA N. WILLOUGHBY Raleigh NC DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION June St. Clair Atkinson, Ed.D., State Superintendent 301 N. Wilmington Street : : Raleigh, North Carolina 27601-2825 In compliance with federal law, NC Public Schools administers all state-operated educational programs, employment activities and admissions without discrimination because of race, religion, national or ethnic origin, color, age, military service, disability, or gender, except where exemption is appropriate and allowed by law. Inquiries or complaints regarding discrimination issues should be directed to: Dr. Rebecca Garland, Chief Academic Officer :: Academic Services and Instructional Support 6368 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-6368 :: Telephone: (919) 807-3200 :: Fax: (919) 807-4065 Visit us on the Web :: www.ncpublicschools.org M0509

North Carolina School Improvement Planning Implementation Guide How To Use This Guide...3 Section One Overview of School Improvement Planning...4 Introduction...4 Purpose of this Guide...4 Guide Development...4 Feedback...5 Section Two Legal Requirements for School Improvement Planning...6 Legislative Beginnings...6 School Improvement Team...6 Parent Representation...7 Principal's Role...7 Instructional and Support Staff Role...7 Role of Data in Developing School Improvement Plans...8 Required Strategies for Improving Student Performance...8 Local Board Acceptance...9 Plan Submission Requirements...9 Waivers...10 Allowable Waivers and Conditions...10 Waivers Not Permitted Under State Law...11 Action on Waiver Requests...11 Waiver Timelines...11 Amendments, Revisions, and Duration of School Improvement Plans...12 Safe Schools and At-risk Students...12 Section Three Guiding Principles for School Improvement...13 Introduction...13 Goal Alignment...13 Calendar Alignment...13 Professional Development Alignment...14 Structured Needs Assessment...14 Data-driven Decisions...15 Limited Focus...15 Distributed Leadership...16 Effective Measurement...16 Specify Targets, Indicators, and Milestones...16 Balance Leading and Lagging Measures...17 Execute with Fidelity...17 District-level Participation...17 Conclusion...18 Section Four Recommended School Improvement Planning Process...19 Introduction...19 The Plan Phase...19 Understand the School...20 Establish Priorities...20 Understand Root Causes and Set Goals...20 The Do Phase...21 Data Collection...21 1

Strategy Ownership...22 Professional Development...22 Funding Needs and Sources...22 The Check Phase...22 Gather Data and Measure Progress...22 Identify Changes...23 Meet to Discuss Results and Changes...23 The Act Phase...24 Conclusion...24 Appendix A Relevant Federal Guidelines...25 Introduction...25 Federal Guidance...25 Appendix B NC State Board of Education 21 st Century Goals...33 Introduction...33 Goal 1: Globally Competitive Students...33 Goal 2: 21 st Century Professionals...33 Goal 3: Healthy, Responsible Students...34 Goal 4: Leadership for Innovation...34 Goal 5: 21 st Century Systems...34 Appendix C NC Professional Development Standards-at-a-Glance...36 Appendix D NCDPI Comprehensive Needs Assessment School Level...37 Appendix E References...59 2

How To Use This Guide The North Carolina School Improvement Planning Implementation Guide is organized into five sections: Section One provides a brief introduction and offers background as well as contact information for providing feedback to the Local Education Agency (LEA)/Central Office Council. Section Two presents the legal foundations of school improvement planning in North Carolina, including the legal requirements for districts and schools. Section Three introduces the recommended guiding principles for school improvement planning from the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI). Schools and school districts are strongly encouraged to follow these best-practice principles when implementing their planning process. Section Four introduces the NCDPI planning model, aligned with the guiding principles outlined in Section Three. Section Five provides a series of appendices designed to give schools and districts additional information and assistance. Also included is a copy of the online school improvement plan template. An electronic version (Excel format) may be found online at: www.ncpublicschools.org/councils/lea/previous/templates/. Use this guide in conjunction with the template. The school improvement planning model presented in this guide is the NCDPI-recommended model. It is based upon generallyaccepted best practices and a continuous improvement approach to school improvement. The model aligns with the recentlyimplemented North Carolina Standards for School Executives, and has components relevant to each of the seven standard areas. This school improvement planning model is NOT a mandate from the NCDPI. Districts and schools should use the most effective planning approach that results in positive change for students. 3

Section One Overview of School Improvement Planning Introduction School improvement planning provides a mechanism for identifying needs and establishing a common approach to meeting those needs at the school level. Effective school improvement planning contributes to overall school performance by: Establishing an understanding of the big picture of a school's current state, including student achievement, school environment, teacher community, parent community, and administrative issues; Reaching consensus across the school community on which needs represent the highest priorities for action based upon the potential to improve overall student and school performance; and Identifying for implementation goals and strategies, including specific targets, indicators and milestones required to address the school priorities. Purpose of this Guide Guide Development The North Carolina School Improvement Planning Implementation Guide is intended to provide a best practices approach to the school improvement planning process. This guide (and the associated electronic school improvement plan template) offers schools and districts interested in re-focusing their planning efforts guidance and a model for conducting school improvement planning. While certain aspects such as the legal requirements for school improvement planning and the referenced teacher and executive standards are applicable regardless of a school or district's planning approach, the model presented in this guide is NOT a mandate from the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI). Schools or districts may continue using existing school improvement planning processes or templates if these best serve their current needs. This guide resulted from feedback from several school districts across North Carolina that identified problems with the school improvement planning process, such as a lack of guidance from the NCDPI, the volume of planning that occurs at the school and district level, and the frequent duplication of efforts. To address these problems, the LEA/Central Office Council 1 began work in May 2008 on the North Carolina School Improvement Planning Implementation Guide and an associated template for use by all districts. As part of this effort, Council personnel met with many district, 1 The LEA/Central Office Council is a cross-functional body made up of internal NCDPI staff. The Council operates as an internal consultancy and think-tank charged with addressing issues of concern specific to school districts across the state. 4

school, and NCDPI representatives to understand current practices and to collect recommendations for a comprehensive approach to school improvement planning. Areas researched and reviewed by the Council include the following: Legal requirements for school improvement planning; Current school/district practice, to include progressive, best practice approaches from districts in North Carolina; State-level school improvement planning guidance and School Improvement Planning (SIP) guidance from other states; Overall NCDPI direction with respect to serving schools and districts (i.e., district and school transformation processes currently underway in six districts throughout the state), Available student, school performance, and Teacher Working Conditions Survey data; District- and school-level data analysis needs identified through other current agency initiatives; and New teacher, principal, and superintendent evaluation requirements. While originally focused on plan consolidation, the Council reviewed an array of improvement plans from schools across the state, and found a wide disparity in plan format and content. In particular, some plans included a collection of short, focused set of goals and strategies for every school program, but failed to outline overall goals or justification for the programs and strategies. Consistent with the vision of the NCDPI Councils as student- and schoolfocused service organizations, the LEA Council expanded its view to include plan consolidation as well as a review of current school improvement planning best practices. Feedback The LEA Council encourages schools and districts to provide feedback on the North Carolina School Improvement Planning Implementation Guide and the associated electronic school improvement plan template. To provide your comments and improvement suggestions, please contact: Rob Hines, Director, LEA/Central Office Council Phone: (919) 807-3244 E-mail: rhines@dpi.state.nc.us 5

Section Two Legal Requirements for School Improvement Planning Legislative Beginnings In 1996, the North Carolina General Assembly established the School-Based Management and Accountability Program with the overall purpose of improving student performance (G.S. 115C- 105.20). All school districts in North Carolina are required to participate in the program (G.S. 115C-105.21 (a)). The law (G.S. 115C-105.27) specifies that each school shall develop a school improvement plan (SIP) that considers: the goals set out in the mission statement for the public schools adopted by the State Board of Education (SBE), and the annual performance goals for that school as established by the SBE under G.S. 115C-105.35, which states annual performance goals shall: Focus on student performance in the basics of reading, mathematics, and communications skills in elementary and middle schools, Focus on student performance in courses required for graduation and on other measures required by the State Board of Education in high schools. School Improvement Team G.S. 115C-47 (38) mandates the duty of local boards to ensure each principal establishes a school improvement team and that the composition of the team complies with G.S. 115C-105.27 (a). G.S. 115C-105.27 (a) also directs schools to establish a School Improvement Team (SIT) to develop a plan to improve student performance. School improvement teams shall consist of the following members: the principal of the school; representatives of the assistant principals; representatives of instructional personnel; representatives of instructional support personnel; representatives of teacher assistants assigned to the building; and representatives of parents of children enrolled in the school. Representatives of the assistant principals, instructional personnel, instructional support personnel, and teacher assistants shall be elected by their respective groups by secret ballot. Participation in the school improvement planning process by the personnel noted above is a legal requirement. 6

Parent Representation G.S. 115C-105.27 states that unless the local board of education has adopted an election policy, parents shall be elected by parents of children enrolled in the school in an election conducted by the parent and teacher organization of the school, or, if none exists, by the largest organization of parents formed for this purpose. Parents serving on school improvement teams shall reflect the racial and socioeconomic composition of the students enrolled in that school and shall not be members of the building-level staff. Parental involvement is a critical component of school success and positive student achievement. The law explicitly states it is the intent of the General Assembly that parents, along with teachers, have a substantial role in developing school improvement plans. To this end, school improvement team meetings shall be held at a convenient time to assure substantial parent participation. These are non-negotiable, legal requirements. Schools not following these mandates of the law may be subject to legal action. Principal's Role Instructional and Support Staff Role General Statute 115C-105.27(c), states that the principal of the school shall present the proposed school improvement plan to all of the principals, assistant principals, instructional personnel, instructional support personnel, and teacher assistants assigned to the school building for their review and vote. The vote shall be by secret ballot. The principal shall submit the school improvement plan to the local board of education only if the proposed school improvement plan has the approval of a majority of the staff who voted on the plan. Staff members tasked with plan implementation are essential to improving student performance through the school improvement plan. Building staff support is best accomplished through active participation of the staff representatives in researching and developing the plan. NCDPI-recommended guiding principles found in Section Three of this document provide additional information about the value of distributed leadership. Beyond participating in plan development, General Statute 115C-105.27(c), states that the assistant principals, instructional personnel, instructional support personnel, and teacher assistants assigned to the school building must review and vote to approve the plan. The staff representatives can support this process by building support among the rest of the staff through information sharing and by soliciting ideas and feedback from colleagues. 7

Role of Data in Developing School Improvement Plans Required Strategies for Improving Student Performance G.S. 115C-105.27 (a) focuses school improvement teams on understanding and using relevant data. Specifically, this section directs that school improvement plans shall be, to the greatest extent possible, data-driven. School improvement teams shall analyze student data to identify root causes for problems and to determine actions to address them. School improvement plan shall contain clear, unambiguous targets, explicit indicators and actual measures, and expeditious time frames for meeting the measurement standards. The NCDPI-recommended planning process identified later in this document and the corresponding template fully support and align with these legal requirements. Per G.S. 115C-105.27 (b), strategies for improving student performance: Shall include a plan for the use of staff development funds available to the school from the local board of education to implement the school improvement plan. The plan may provide that a portion of these funds is used for mentor training and for release time and substitute teachers while mentors and teachers mentored are meeting; Shall, if the school serves students in kindergarten or first grade, include a plan for preparing students to read at grade level by the time they enter second grade. The plan shall require kindergarten and first grade teachers to notify parents or guardians when their child is not reading at grade level and is at risk of not reading at grade level by the time the child enters second grade. The plan may include the use of assessments to monitor students progress in learning to read, strategies for teachers and parents to implement that will help students improve and expand their reading, and provide for the recognition of teachers and strategies that appear to be effective at preparing students to read at grade level; Shall include a plan to address school safety and discipline concerns in accordance with the safe school plan developed under Article 8C of this chapter (see G.S. 115C-105.45-47); May include a decision to use state funds in accordance with G.S. 115C-105.25 (Budget flexibility); Shall include a plan that specifies the effective instructional practices and methods to be used to improve the academic performance of students identified as at risk of academic failure or at risk of dropping out of school; 8

May include requests for waivers for state laws, rules, or policies for that school. A request for a waiver shall meet the requirements of G.S. 115C-105.26. Shall include a plan to provide a duty-free lunch period for every teacher on a daily basis or as otherwise approved by the school improvement team; and Shall include a plan to provide duty-free instructional planning time for every teacher under G.S. 115C-301.1, with the goal of providing an average of at least five hours of planning time per week. Local Board Acceptance Plan Submission Requirements Local boards of education must either accept or reject the school improvement plan for each school within its jurisdiction. (G.S. 115C- 105.27 (d)). The local board shall not make any substantive changes in any school improvement plan it accepts. If the local board rejects a school improvement plan, the local board must specify its reasons for rejecting the plan. The school improvement team may then prepare another plan, present it to the principal, assistant principals, instructional personnel, instructional support personnel, and teacher assistants assigned to the school building for a vote, and submit it to the local board once again. If the school improvement plan is not accepted within 60 days after initial submission to the local board, the school or the local board may ask to use the process to resolve disagreements recommended in the guidelines developed by the SBE under G.S. 115C-105.20 (b)(5). If this request is made, both the school and local board shall participate in the process to resolve disagreements. If there is no request to use this process, the local board may develop a school improvement plan for the school. The General Assembly urges the local board to utilize the school s proposed school improvement plan to the maximum extent possible when developing such a plan. Individual school improvement plans are not required to be submitted to the NCDPI. State of North Carolina legal requirements for SIP submission are met upon acceptance of a school's plan by the local board of education. This should not be confused with the requirement specified in General Statute 115C-105.37, which requires local education agencies to submit for State Board of Education review a district-level plan for addressing the needs of each low-performing school in their district. With respect to the district-level plans, preliminary plans for low-performing schools submitted to the local board must include how the superintendent and central office will assist with and monitor the progress of the school. Preliminary plans must be made available to the public, including each school s staff and parents. Staff and parents must 9

have the opportunity to submit written comments. The local board must approve the plans and then submit them for SBE review. Additionally, Title I and non-title I schools that do not make Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) in the same subject areas for two consecutive years must amend their school improvement plans to address their failure to make their targets in reading/language arts and/or math. After school-level planning procedures are completed for non-title I schools, the local superintendent and board chair must sign the designated form acknowledging awareness of the school improvement amendments and submit this form to the NCDPI. Federal requirements differ. School improvement plans for Title I schools go to Title I consultants at the NCDPI (NCLB policy). Excerpted Federal guidelines for school improvement planning are provided in Appendix A. Waivers General Statute 115C-105.26 permits local boards of education to request waivers of state laws, rules, or policies as part of a school improvement plan. Waiver requests shall be submitted to the State Board of Education (G.S. 115C-105.26 (a)). Waiver requests shall: Identify the school making the request; Identify the state laws, rules, or policies that inhibit the school s ability to improve student performance; Outline circumstances under which the waiver may be used; and Explain how the requested waiver will permit the school to improve student performance. Allowable Waivers and Conditions General Statute 115C-105.26 (a) mandates that the SBE shall grant waivers only for the specific schools for which they are requested and shall be used only under the specific circumstances for which they are requested. Further sections of G.S. 115C-105.26 specify that when requested as part of a school improvement plan, the State Board of Education may grant waivers of: State laws pertaining to class size and teacher certification; and other state rules and policies (note exceptions to this below) (G.S. 115C-105.26 (b)); State laws, rules, or policies that affect the organization, duties, and assignment of central office staff ( 115C-105.26 (c)); State laws, rules, or policies that require that each local school administrative unit provide at least one alternative 10

school or at least one alternative learning program 115C- 105.26 (c1)); and State laws, rules, or policies pertaining to the placement of principals on the State salary schedule for public school administrators in order to provide financial incentives to encourage principals to accept employment in a school that has been identified as low-performing under G.S. 115C- 105.37. The SBE shall act on requests at its first meeting following receipt of each request ( 115C-105.26 (e)). Waivers Not Permitted Under State Law Action on Waiver Requests General Statute 115C-105.26 also specifies state laws, rules and policies that may not be waived, including: Those pertaining to public school state salary schedules and employee benefits for school employees, the instructional program that must be offered under the Basic Education Program, the system of employment for public school teachers and administrators set out in G.S. 115C-287.1 and G.S. 115C-325, health and safety codes, compulsory attendance, the minimum lengths of the school day and year, and the Uniform Education Reporting System (G.S. 115C- 105.26 (b)(2)); The duties to be performed under G.S. 115C-436 [Duties of School Finance Officer] ( 115C-105.26 (c)); Those pertaining to G.S. 115C-12(16)b regarding the placement of State-allotted office support personnel, teacher assistants, and custodial personnel on the salary schedule adopted by the State Board (G.S. 115C-105.26 (d)). Except as provided in subsection (e) of G.S. 115C-105.26, the State Board shall act within 60 days of receipt of all requests for waivers (G.S. 115C-105.26 (f)). The State Board shall, on a regular basis, review all waivers it has granted to determine whether any rules should be repealed or modified or whether the Board should recommend to the General Assembly the repeal or modification of any laws (G.S. 115C-105.26 (g)). Waiver Timelines Approved school improvement plan waivers are valid for the duration of the relevant school improvement planning cycle (see below). For example, a waiver request submitted and approved in August 2008 for the 2008-2010 cycle will expire at the end of the 2009-2010 11

school year. A waiver request submitted in January 2010 also will expire at the end of the 2009-2010 school year and must be resubmitted during the next planning cycle if the conditions leading to the request have not changed. Several other waiver types exist (Cooperative Innovative program waivers and calendar waivers, for instance) and these follow a different timeline. A guiding document for all types of waivers, including school improvement plan waivers, is currently under development. Amendments, Revisions, and Duration of School Improvement Plans Safe Schools and At-risk Students School improvement plans shall remain in effect for no more than two years (G.S. 115C-105.27 (e)). However, the school improvement team may amend the plan as often as is necessary or appropriate. If, at any time, any part of a school improvement plan becomes unlawful or the local board finds that a school improvement plan is impeding student performance, the local board may vacate the relevant portion of the plan and direct the school to revise that portion. The procedures set out in this subsection shall apply to amendments and revisions to school improvement plans. School improvement teams are directed to consider any special conditions that exist at their school and incorporate into the school improvement plan any appropriate components of the district's plan for maintaining safe and orderly schools and addressing the needs of at-risk students. At-risk students include students in jeopardy of academic failure or who are disruptive or who meet both conditions. (G.S. 115C-105.47 (13)) The school improvement plan template provided with this guide includes a Safe Schools Plan template. 12

Section Three Guiding Principles for School Improvement Introduction A review of school improvement and strategic planning literature provides several guiding principles to establish a conceptual framework for school improvement in North Carolina. These principles are discussed below. The process model provided in Section Four aligns with these guiding principles. The guiding mission of the North Carolina State Board of Education is that every public school student will graduate from high school, globally competitive for work and post-secondary education and prepared for life in the 21 st Century. In September 2006, the State Board of Education adopted five goals for public education: North Carolina public schools will produce globally competitive students; North Carolina public schools will be led by 21 st Century professionals; North Carolina public school students will be healthy and responsible; Leadership will guide innovation in the North Carolina public schools; North Carolina public schools will be governed and supported by 21 st Century systems. Goal Alignment Calendar Alignment Local school boards should align district goals to the five SBE goals, and schools should align school improvement plans to their district goals. This process will help schools address all critical components of educational reform and focus on local school needs. School improvement teams should recognize this as a guiding principle that is, it should be followed unless there is a sound reason to diverge from it. For instance, if data analysis indicates a need to focus school-level goals in one area such as student instruction or teacher quality, then the team should do that. For detailed information regarding the State Board s goals, see Appendix B, or visit the NCDPI website at: http://www.ncpublicschools.org/organization/mission/. The NCDPI recommends that schools align the annual school improvement planning cycle with the school calendar to ensure the plan is finalized by the beginning of each new school year. This allows faculty and staff to focus on school goals for the entire year, maximizing instructional time devoted to improvement. Also, while legislation establishes a two-year planning cycle, the NCDPI 13

recommends that multi-year plans contain annual interim goals that provide progress indicators toward the multi-year outcomes. Each annual goal should have an associated review cycle. Reviews should occur at least semi-annually, however, the NCDPI recommends a quarterly review cycle as a best-practice. More frequent reviews ensure progress is tracked regularly and that data is used to inform instruction in the classroom before it is too late to impact student learning. Professional Development Alignment Structured Needs Assessment School improvement plans should drive professional development for teachers. Professional development plans should be a part of the school improvement planning discussion and should focus on skills teachers need to support improvement areas identified during the needs assessment and plan development. The North Carolina Professional Development Standards are a good resource. These are available in Appendix C, or at www.dpi.state.nc.us/docs//profdev/guidelines/toolkit/standards.pdf. The basis of any strong school improvement plan is a thorough, unrelenting assessment of the current state of the school. Often, the true impact of a school s efforts on student learning is diffused over time. A need-driven approach to school improvement planning requires a review that considers both internal and external factors associated with the school. All aspects of the review should focus on student learning and the impact of instruction rather than on the mechanics of how teachers are teaching or how adults are working. An objective, effective needs assessment incorporates both quantitative and qualitative data, carefully gathered and triangulated to ensure accuracy. The school improvement team should first assess internal factors and instructional practices to explicitly identify the school's strengths and weaknesses. This internal review should include: self-assessment, school data analysis, instructional review, and school processes/procedures review. 2 Next, the team should analyze external factors to identify opportunities and challenges that may impact what the school should focus on or can accomplish. For example, the team might consider hot topics in the local, state, or national education 2 This analysis should focus on the impact of school processes and procedures on student learning. For example, if a school has a procedure for handling tardiness that sends students to a study hall until the beginning of the next period, the impact of the lost instructional time should be considered in the needs assessment. 14

community; funding trends; new technologies that support student engagement and learning; and new or expected legal mandates. While this analysis might identify issues the team must address, the purpose of this process is to develop an understanding of the broader context in which the school operates and to identify issues that might affect the school in the future. Finally, the team should understand the school s weaknesses and identify possible solutions and growth opportunities. Identifying root causes of issues, such as low performance for a particular sub-group, allows the improvement team to address these causes rather than just the symptoms so they can solve the real problem. There are a variety of structured needs assessment systems available today. The NCDPI District and School Transformation Division uses a custom assessment process based on Cambridge Education's assessment model. The NCDPI recommends this approach, and the current rubric used for assessing schools as part of a Comprehensive Needs Assessment may be found in Appendix D. The rubric provides indicators to guide the needs assessment process. Data-driven Decisions Limited Focus Analyzing and understanding data allows school improvement teams to identify root causes for problems and take action to address them. All school improvement plans should be data-driven. When applying solutions, school improvement teams also should ensure appropriate measures are tracked to understand whether intervention is addressing the problem. Numerous data sources provide a sound basis for planning and are outlined in the electronic school improvement plan template offered for use in conjunction with this guide. Effective school improvement planning creates shared direction and generates a focus on priorities that drives action. The value of focus in school improvement planning is well-established (West 2000). Plans that focus on a limited set of priorities are better than exhaustive lists of initiatives and programs. Extensive program listings and projects dilute the energy school personnel can devote to critical tasks. While schools always have on-going initiatives and tasks, SIP goals and strategies should be limited to the school's top three to five priorities. These priorities must guide the efforts of teachers and administrators as they carry out the business of educating kids. Quarterly review cycles and annual plan revisions allow schools to introduce new objectives when original objectives are completed. 15

Distributed Leadership Effective Measurement Specify Targets, Indicators, and Milestones Implementing distributed leadership provides an opportunity to strengthen cooperative culture and increase buy-in for the SIP across the organization and legislative requirements directly reinforce the collaborative nature of the SIP process. Recent school improvement research (Harris, 2001; Spillane & Diamond, 2007) supports the concepts of distributed leadership and collaboration among a team to help drive improvement. For example, Improving Quality of Education for All (IQEA), is one of the most successful school improvement initiatives in the United Kingdom. (Harris 2001) This initiative focuses on creating conditions in schools that promote quality teaching and learning. Like school improvement teams, IQEA school improvement groups (SIGs) work together to understand school problems, to set priorities for improvement, and to select opportunities for making change. (Harris 2001) Additionally, Spillane and Diamond (2007) note that the school improvement planning process can be a valuable mechanism for creating collaboration within the school and developing a sense of shared purpose and collective reflection. Achieving this perspective among the leadership and faculty within a school is an NCDPIrecommended best practice. A collaborative environment creates an opportunity for diverse ideas, perspectives and experiences to surface from team members. Well-designed performance management systems achieve effectiveness through several generally-recognized attributes. Such systems define clear targets, explicit indicators, and milestones that specify a time frame or time limit for meeting the measurement standard. Targets should explicitly state the agreed upon standard, i.e. a 15% increase or a 5% reduction in the selected indicator. Indicators may be of several types input, output, or outcome. Input measures identify resources provided to a program dollars spent or raw materials used, for instance. Input indicators are helpful for understanding resource consumption or efficiency, but do not answer questions about effectiveness. Output indicators measure quantitative production of a program the number of tests given, teacher training sessions held, or hours of seat-time for students in a school all reflect output indicators. Output indicators provide valuable information, but do not address effectiveness. Outcome indicators are true goal-related measures; they assess program effectiveness against the desired results of an organization by measuring program impact on someone (such as a student). Outcomes are tougher to measure than either inputs or outputs; they often require longitudinal analysis to assess. However, some outcomes are relatively easy to identify within an educational context. For a high school, an outcome measure might be the 16

number of students accepted at and/or planning to attend college or university. On a longer timescale, one might determine the number of students who successfully completed their first year of college, or what percentage went on to graduate from college. Outcome measures such as these provide the best picture of how well an individual or organization is achieving desired results, but they typically require a larger investment to obtain. Balance Leading and Lagging Measures Execute with Fidelity District-level Participation Finally, school improvement teams should be cognizant of the balance of leading and lagging information they pursue. Leading indicators provide information in advance of final results. In an instructional environment, leading indicators might include formative assessments, classroom walkthroughs and observations, and in some cases benchmark assessments. Leading indicators are important because they allow teachers, to adjust to students learning needs before it is too late. Lagging indicators include endof-grade (EOG) and end-of-course (EOC) test scores. A school improvement plan stacked with lagging indicators is of little use until the following year. For each goal identified, school improvement teams should explicitly pursue an appropriate balance of leading and lagging indicators. A school improvement plan may be well-developed, built on relevant data, loaded with research-based strategies to improve learning, and focused on the school s critical needs but the plan is only as good as its execution. School improvement teams should include fidelity measures when planning strategies to ensure there is some way to measure the execution process and to make mid-course corrections when needed. The template provided with this guide reminds SIP teams of this need and provides a place to track fidelity measures. Central office staff should actively participate in school improvement efforts in their district to generate both practical and cultural improvements. First, if district-level staff understand school-level goals across the district, they can pinpoint areas where applying resources across the district may help. Second, regular participation can develop a symbiotic relationship. The School Improvement process ultimately benefits students, and resulting student- and school-level improvements help districts achieve their goals and meet state and federal performance requirements. 17

Conclusion Integrating each of these guiding principles into the school improvement planning process accomplishes several things. First, these principles help the team focus both on doing the right things and on doing things right. Second, the principles help secure necessary buy-in and the creation of a shared vision and direction. Finally, the principles build on strength of the shared knowledge and experience of the planning team. 18

Section Four Recommended School Improvement Planning Process Introduction The NCDPI-recommended school improvement planning process is a four-phase Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) model (alternatively known as a Plan-Do-Study-Act cycle, a Deming cycle, or a Shewhart cycle). This approach allows school personnel to develop plans based on data analysis (Plan), to implement solutions (Do), to understand the results or impact (Check), and to make adjustments based upon the outcomes of the strategy implementation (Act). Image 2008 by Karn G. Bulsuk. Used under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license. See http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/. The Plan Phase The Plan phase addresses the following guiding principles: goal alignment, structured needs assessment, limited focus, and datadriven decision-making. During the Plan phase, the school improvement team establishes a baseline that provides the foundation for understanding the school's strengths and weaknesses and serves as a basis for selecting research-based strategies and programs to improve student achievement. Determining this baseline requires both data analysis and an analysis of instruction within the school. The NCDPI's recommended best-practice for conducting this analysis includes the following school improvement team (SIT) activities: Understand the school (including vision, mission, and current state based on internal and external analysis); Establish highest-priority areas to address; Identify root causes; and Set goals and identify strategies. 19

Understand the School Several models of structured needs assessment are available to help a school improvement team understand the school. Both the North Carolina Association of Educators (NCAE) and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools offer assessment models. However, the NCDPI recommends using its District and School Transformation Comprehensive Needs Assessment (CNA). This procedure, based upon the Cambridge Assessment model and customized for North Carolina schools, includes self-assessment, data analysis, and instructional review. The primary strengths of this model are the objectivity provided by reviewers not directly connected to the school, the focus on student learning rather than on the mechanics of teaching, and the cause-and-effect style used to document school environment. The primary drawback of this model for individual schools is the resource-intensive nature of the review. The school-level rubric used for on North Carolina's customized model of the Cambridge assessment is provided in Appendix D, and you can learn more about the Cambridge Education Assessment at http://www.camb-ed-us.com. For the data analysis component of the needs assessment, a listing of potential data sources on the Data Sources tab of the electronic school improvement plan template. Use these sources along with instructional reviews and other relevant, locally-held data to establish a baseline picture of the school. Focus on student learning and success first, and how teaching does or does not support this. When conducting the analysis, use the guiding questions and the space provided on the Data Analysis and Summary tab in the template to document findings and to establish priorities. Establish Priorities Understand Root Causes and Set Goals After developing a comprehensive picture of the school, school improvement teams should prioritize areas for improvement and establish goals and strategies for the top three to five identified needs the most important problems to be addressed. Of course, a school may have more issues than these and may have multiple ongoing programs. However, the SIT should limit discussion to prioritize the problems needing focused action. Limiting the plan to a few issues allows principals, teachers, and paraprofessionals to focus their efforts on a manageable number of activities. Tackling too many goals spreads effort too thinly, resulting in a lack of progress. Additionally, using the school improvement plan to document a wide range of on-going activities makes it cumbersome and difficult to use effectively. When priorities are identified, pursue an understanding of root causes. Use techniques such as Ishakawa (cause-and-effect) diagrams, the 5 Whys technique, and others. Identifying root 20

causes allows the team to address more than the easily-identifiable symptoms and achieve a long-term solution. Established priorities should have clear goals. For example, if your school identifies attendance problems as a top priority, the school improvement team should state a goal having a clear target, indicator, and milestone (TIM). An example of an effective goal statement is as follows: Increase student attendance rates (indicator) to 95% per week (target) by the end of the first semester. (milestone) The goal statement provides clarity for the school community. Once the goal is defined in the plan, identify and document specific strategies for achieving the goal (see the NCDPI-recommended school improvement plan template). Strategies should be researchbased whenever possible, and may include, but are not limited to, specific programs, or even new ideas generated by the school improvement team or other teachers or administrators and based upon current research. Strategies should address the root cause(s) identified by the school improvement team. The Do Phase The Do phase addresses the following guiding principles: Data-driven decision-making, effective measurement, distributed leadership, professional development alignment, and calendar alignment. The Do phase implements strategies identified for each goal in the plan. The following activities are especially important at implementation: Ensure appropriate data collection; Ensure defined ownership; Understand funding needs and sources; and Understand and execute appropriate professional development. Data Collection First, ensure the data collection mechanisms needed to support the Check phase are in place. Recall the attendance example goal mentioned above: Increase student attendance rates to 95% per week by the end of the first semester. The school improvement team should ensure that weekly attendance rates (or the data needed to calculate them) are collected and stored. Simultaneously, identify and document the review frequency for the strategies and the associated data on the electronic template. A drop-down box on each goal tab in the electronic template allows users to select either a quarterly or semi- 21

annual review cycle, consistent with SIP guiding principles. Strategy Ownership Professional Development Funding Needs and Sources The Check Phase Second, define ownership of each strategy. This means specifying an individual or team responsible for implementing the strategies. Do not over-burden an individual or group with too many implementation responsibilities. Doing so will negatively impact implementation. The electronic template also provides space on each goal tab to document the responsible person(s). Third, identify professional development required prior to implementing a strategy or group of strategies, identify the appropriate audience for the training, and execute according to the defined requirements. Professional development should align tightly with plan goals and strategies, supporting skill development specific to identified improvement priorities. Additionally, a planning cycle aligned with the school calendar may facilitate a just-in-time approach, providing professional development during a timeframe that allows teachers and staff to apply their learning almost immediately. Finally, specify the funding needed to implement strategies for each goal, including funds needed for professional development. Identify funding sources and amounts using the strategy funding section near the bottom of each goal tab in the electronic template. The template provides a drop-down box to identify the funding source, and it calculates a total cost for each goal based upon the input provided by the school improvement team. The Check phase considers guiding principles: data-driven decision-making and district-level participation. Follow-up is absolutely necessary to determine to what degree selected strategies are helping to accomplish goals. The Check phase of the PDCA cycle provides this follow-up opportunity. The NCDPI recommends central office involvement in the following step-by-step Check phase process: Gather supporting data and measure progress; Identify potential changes based upon results, or lack of results; and Meet with the superintendent to review results and to agree on how best to proceed. Gather Data and Measure Progress To measure results, gather the raw data identified during the Plan and Do phases and assess progress toward the specific targets in 22

the plan. Look for movement that supports goal achievement. Again, consider the attendance rate example: Increase student attendance rates to 95% per week by the end of the first semester. Some questions to answer with the data might include: Is the attendance rate increasing each week? Are the gains steady or do they fluctuate with no discernible pattern? What is the overall trend upward or downward and is it possible to reach the goal if the current trend continues unaltered? By answering these questions and others, the principal and school improvement team can determine an appropriate course of action. Identify Changes Measured results may indicate progress toward the goal, a lack of change, or possibly even a worsening situation. Based upon the results, identify whether to stay the course or to change strategy. Adequate progress likely means no change is necessary. If progress is being made, but the rate of change is not adequate to ultimately meet the goal, a change in or addition to the strategy might be needed. It may also be true that the goal is unrealistic and needs to be adjusted. Principals and school improvement team members should discuss this possibility, but should not be too quick to make dramatic changes to a goal or strategy unless it can be clearly shown to be unrealistic. Another cycle of root cause analysis may help the team clarify why the strategy is not helping to correct the problem. In situations where a problem seems to be worsening, review the analysis and research to assess whether the team feels strongly that the strategy will help. The results actually may reflect an implementation dip, or a brief period when conditions worsen before a solution takes hold and conditions begin to improve. If an implementation dip is suspected, or is documented in relevant research, stay the course, paying close attention to progress, until the team can determine with certainty whether the strategy is working. Meet to Discuss Results and Changes When school-based teams complete their analysis of positive and negative results, the principal should meet with central office representatives, preferably the district superintendent, to review progress and discuss recommended adjustments. Regularlyscheduled discussions following each review cycle provide powerful 23

impetus for in-depth discussions about the school and a sharing of perspectives. These reviews also provide an opportunity for the principal and superintendent to discuss additional resource needs or specific issues for which district-level assistance is needed. Ultimately, these discussions offer superintendents important information about each school in the district, and they provide one of several inputs to principal evaluation. Districts using these frequent and structured review approaches confirm they are time-consuming for both principals and superintendents. Yet the discussions have a dramatic effect on focusing effort on student learning and achievement. Student learning is the business of our schools, and the NCDPI recommends this significant investment of time as a mechanism to achieve it. The Act Phase Conclusion Completion of the review cycle begins the Act phase. This phase is a continuation of the Do phase but reflects changes resulting from the Check phase review. The same Do phase principles apply, and efforts at the school focus on continuing what has been shown to work and on implementing agreed-upon adjustments. This phase refreshes the continuous improvement process, integrating new ideas with proven actions. These new ideas, in turn, will be reviewed and confirmed or refuted by future review cycles. For purposes of clarity, this planning process has been described as a series of separate steps. In practice, while the steps generally should be sequential, they will not necessarily always be so separate. There will be overlap between the phases and steps. As such, school improvement teams should not feel bound to strictly interpret this process. They should feel empowered to tweak the process to fit the specific needs of the district or school, using the guiding principles defined in Section Three of this guide to drive the process. Superintendents, district-level staff, principals, and school improvement teams also should recognize the evidentiary nature of the process. Systematic procedures for recording and storing information provide a basis for sound decision-making and support for action. Careful thought should go into designing these procedures. Finally, all district and school staff, and especially school improvement teams, should remember the purpose of the school improvement planning process: to focus effort on high-need areas, and to provide a plan of action that consistently reinforces student learning and achievement. 24

Appendix A: Federal Guidelines for School Improvement Planning Introduction The information provided here is excerpted from LEA and School Improvement Non-Regulatory Guidance, July 21, 2006, available on the Web at: www.ed.gov/policy/elsec/guid/schoolimprovementguid.pdf. While these guidelines are primarily intended to apply to schools not meeting AYP, they offer a good reference for a variety of school improvement planning concepts as well as information regarding scientifically-based research strategies. Federal Guidance C. School Improvement Plan C-1. What must the school do when it is identified for improvement? The process of school improvement begins with the school developing a required two-year plan that addresses the academic issues that caused it to be identified for school improvement. The school may develop a new plan or revise an existing one, but in either case it must be completed no later than three months after the school has been identified. 200.41 C-2. What is the purpose of the school improvement plan? The purpose of the school improvement plan is to improve the quality of teaching and learning in the school, so that greater numbers of students achieve proficiency in the core academic subjects of reading and mathematics. The school improvement plan provides a framework for analyzing problems, identifying underlying causes, and addressing instructional issues in a school that has not made sufficient progress in student achievement. C-3. What topics must the plan address? Together, the components of the school improvement plan should embody a design that is comprehensive, highly structured, specific, and focused primarily on the school s instructional program. Specifically, the plan must:! Incorporate strategies based on scientifically based research that will strengthen the core academic subjects in the school and address the specific academic issues that caused the school to be identified for school improvement;! Adopt policies and practices concerning the school s core academic subjects that have the greatest likelihood of ensuring that all groups of students specified in section 1111(b)(2)(C)(v) and enrolled in the school will meet the 25

State s proficiency level of achievement;! Directly addresses the academic achievement problem that caused the school to be identified for school improvement;!! Establish specific, annual, measurable objectives for continuous and substantial progress by each group of students specified in section 1111(b)(2)(C)(v) and enrolled in the school;! Specify the implementation responsibilities of the school, the LEA, and the SEA serving the school under the plan;! Include strategies to promote effective parental involvement in the school;! Incorporate, as appropriate, activities before school, after school, during the summer, and during the extension of the school year;! Incorporate strategies to promote high quality professional development; and,! Incorporate a teacher mentoring program. 1116(b)(3)(A); 200.41 C-4. How must the plan address the school s core academic subjects and instructional strategies? The school improvement plan must demonstrate that the school will implement policies and practices grounded in scientifically based research that are most likely to bring all groups of students to proficiency in reading and mathematics. Included among these strategies, as appropriate, would be additional learning activities for students that take place before school, after school, during the summer, and during any extension of the school year. For schools in need of improvement, scientifically based research provides a standard by which the principal and teachers can critically evaluate the many instructional strategies and programs that are available to them and choose those with the greatest likelihood of producing positive results. 1116(b)(3)(A); 200.41 C-5. What are examples of instructional strategies grounded in scientifically based research? Strategies grounded in scientifically based research are those that have demonstrated, over time and in varied settings, an effectiveness that is documented by high-quality educational research. High-quality scientifically based research employs an experimental or quasi-experimental design and produces replicable results, confirmed by peer review, that can be applied to the general population. For example, scientifically based research has shown that explicit instruction in (1) phonemic awareness, (2) phonics, (3) vocabulary development, (4) reading fluency, and (5) reading comprehension is effective in teaching reading to students in grades 26

K-3. Strategies that apply this research in a classroom setting would be grounded in scientifically based research. Scientifically based research uses rigorous and systematic procedures to obtain reliable and valid knowledge about what works. The application of systematic, empirical methods, rigorous data analyses, and an experimental design using randomized trials ensures a high degree of confidence in the results. A complete definition of scientifically based research can be found in section 9101(37) of the reauthorized ESEA. C-6. What are examples of policies and practices with the greatest likelihood of ensuring that all student groups achieve proficiency? Policies and practices with the greatest likelihood of ensuring that all students achieve proficiency are those that affect the school s teaching and learning program, both directly and indirectly. Policies and practices that have an impact on classrooms include those that build school infrastructures, such as regular data analysis, the involvement of teachers and parents in decision-making, and the allocation of resources to support core goals. Other policies and practices that have a more direct effect on student achievement include the choice of instructional programs and materials, the use of instructional time, and improved use of assessment results. Decisions about the specific policies and practices to be implemented should be based on a thoughtful review and analysis of the individual school s needs. C-7. Can a school identified for improvement implement a comprehensive school reform model as a part of its school improvement plan? In calling for the use of strategies grounded in scientifically based research, the ESEA specifically states that a school can implement a comprehensive school reform model as a part of its improvement plan. Adopting a comprehensive reform model can be an effective strategy, especially if the school in improvement is in search of an external structure and technical assistance that will help it identify and address organizational and instructional issues. However, a model alone cannot address all of the identified needs of a school and cannot substitute for a coherent plan for systemic change. The implementation of a comprehensive school reform model, or any other program, must be viewed as one strategy, albeit an important one, in a school s comprehensive plan for improvement. C-8. Why must the plan address professional development? The academic success of students correlates highly with the qualifications and skills of their teachers. Although by the end of the 27

2005-06 school year all teachers must be highly qualified, ongoing professional development is crucial to ensure their continuous improvement in the instructional skills needed to help all students meet or exceed proficiency targets on State academic assessments. C-9. What kinds of professional development should be provided? The professional development component of the school improvement plan should directly address the academic achievement problems that caused the school to be identified. In most cases, this professional training will focus on the teaching and learning process, such as increasing content knowledge, the use of scientifically based instructional strategies, especially in core academic subjects, and the alignment of classroom activities with academic content standards and assessments. Another example of useful professional development would be training teachers to analyze classroom and school-level data and use it to inform their instruction. The professional development detailed in the school improvement plan must be provided in a manner that affords increased opportunity for teachers to participate, and must incorporate teacher mentoring activities or programs. 1116(b)(3)(A)(iii)(III) and (x); 200.41 C-10. Why must the school improvement plan contain provisions for teacher mentoring? This requirement reflects statutory and regulatory support not only for recruiting and hiring highly qualified teachers, but also for strategies to retain them. Currently many teachers leave the profession within five years of beginning their teaching careers. Mentoring programs pair novice teachers with more experienced professionals who serve as role models and provide practical support and encouragement. High-quality, structured mentoring programs have a positive effect on the retention of qualified teachers. C-11. What is the source of funding for the professional development detailed in the school improvement plan? A school identified for improvement must spend not less than 10 percent of its allocation of Title I, Part A funds, for each fiscal year that the school is in improvement, for the purpose of providing highquality professional development to the school s teachers, principal and, as appropriate, other instructional staff. The school improvement plan must provide an assurance that this expenditure will take place. 1116(b)(3)(iii) C-12. What is high-quality professional development? High-quality professional development is professional development 28

as defined in section 9101(34) of the ESEA. In general, the definition recommends professional development that is sustained and classroom-focused. It must contribute to an increase both in teachers knowledge of the academic subjects they teach and in their use of effective, scientifically based instructional strategies with a diverse range of students. It must be provided over time and not take the form of one-day or short-term workshops. High-quality professional development is an integral part of effective improvement plans, at both the school and LEA levels. C-13. How must the school improvement plan address parental involvement? The school improvement plan must address parental involvement in two ways. First, it must describe how the school will provide the parents of each student enrolled with written notice about the school s identification for improvement. Second, the plan must specify the strategies that will be used to promote parental involvement. Effective strategies will engage parents as partners with teachers in educating their children and will involve them in meaningful decision-making at the school. 1116(b)(3)(A)(vi) and (viii) C-14. Why must a school improvement plan contain measurable goals? By establishing measurable goals, a school in improvement clearly articulates the purposes and intended outcomes of its improvement plan. In addition, the goals provide a means of tracking the school s progress over the two years of the plan. Since schools identified as in need of improvement already have a history of not meeting the academic needs of all of their students, it is especially important in this plan that their goals are clear and are tightly focused on the fundamental teaching and learning issues that have prevented the school from making adequate progress. The measurable goals must promote continuous and substantial progress to ensure that students in each subgroup enrolled in the school meet the State s annual measurable objectives. The ultimate purpose of setting and achieving measurable goals for the school is to improve its ability to teach all children and achieve annual academic performance targets. By achieving this purpose, the school is also removed from improvement status. 200.41(c)(4) C-15. If the school identified for improvement has an existing plan, must it create a new plan to meet the school improvement requirements? 29

No. A school with an existing plan may use the three months after it is identified to review and revise it to ensure that the plan incorporates the required statutory elements. However, for any plan to serve as a useful tool for improvement, it must address the specific needs of the school and its students, contain realistic goals and strategies, and reflect the commitment of staff, students, parents, and community to its implementation. If the existing plan has not served as a functional tool for improving student achievement, the school and its students might be better served by initiating a new planning process, assessing school and student needs, and creating a realistic plan that can and will be implemented and has a high likelihood of increasing student achievement. C-16. Who must be involved in developing the school improvement plan? In developing or revising its plan, the school must consult with parents, school staff, the LEA, and outside experts. Ideally these outside experts will serve as technical assistants and partners with the school throughout the plan s implementation. 200.41 C-17. What is the review process for the school improvement plan? Peer reviewers must consider a proposed plan for school improvement within 45 days of its submission, through a process established by the LEA. The LEA should involve as peer reviewers teachers and administrators from schools or districts similar to the one in improvement, but significantly more successful in meeting the learning needs of their students. Staff with demonstrated effectiveness and recognized expertise in school improvement will be able to evaluate the plan s quality and the likelihood of its successful implementation, and make suggestions for revisions. 1116(b)(3)(E) C-18. Under what timeline must the LEA approve the school improvement plan? Once the peer review of the proposed plan has been completed, the LEA must work with the school to make any necessary revisions and must approve the plan as soon as it satisfactorily meets the requirements detailed in the statute and regulations. It is essential that the school draft the plan, and the LEA review, suggest revisions if needed, and approve the plan, as expeditiously as possible since it provides the blueprint for changes designed to dramatically improve the academic achievement of all students. C-19. May the LEA condition its approval of a school improvement plan? 30

Yes. Once the LEA has conducted a peer review of the proposed school improvement plan, it may approve the plan with conditions it deems necessary to ensure the plan s successful implementation. For instance, the LEA may condition its approval on feedback on the plan from parents and community leaders. The LEA may also choose to approve the plan on the condition that the school undergoes one or more corrective actions. These corrective actions can include implementing a new curriculum with appropriate professional development, significantly decreasing school-level management authority, or changing the internal organization of the school. C-20. According to what timeline must the school improvement plan be implemented? In order to realize improvement as quickly as possible, a school must implement its new or revised school improvement plan as soon as the LEA approves it, preferably during the school year in which the identification was made and no later than the beginning of the school year following its identification for improvement. 31

Appendix B: NC State Board of Education 21 st Century Goals Introduction Goal 1: Globally Competitive Students Goal 2: 21 st Century Professionals Goal 3: Healthy, Responsible Students The guiding mission of the North Carolina State Board of Education is that every public school student will graduate from high school, globally competitive for work and post-secondary education and prepared for life in the 21st Century. To support this mission, the North Carolina State Board of Education approved the following goals on September 7, 2006. NC public schools will produce globally competitive students.! Every student excels in rigorous and relevant core curriculum that reflects what students need to know and demonstrate in a global 21st Century environment, including a mastery of languages, an appreciation of the arts, and competencies in the use of technology.! Every student s achievement is measured with an assessment system that informs instruction and evaluates knowledge, skills, performance, and dispositions needed in the 21st Century.! Every student will be enrolled in a course of study designed to prepare them to stay ahead of international competition.! Every student uses technology to access and demonstrate new knowledge and skills that will be needed as a life-long learner to be competitive in a constantly changing international environment.! Every student has the opportunity to graduate from high school with an Associates Degree or college transfer credit. NC public schools will be led by 21st Century professionals.! Every teacher will have the skills to deliver 21st Century content in a 21st Century context with 21st Century tools and technology that guarantees student learning.! Every teacher and administrator will use a 21st Century assessment system to inform instruction and measure 21st Century knowledge, skills, performance, and dispositions.! Every education professional will receive preparation in the interconnectedness of the world with knowledge and skills, including language study.! Every education professional will have 21st Century preparation and access to ongoing high quality professional development aligned with State Board of Education priorities.! Every educational professional uses data to inform decisions. NC public school students will be healthy and responsible.! Every learning environment will be inviting, respectful, supportive, inclusive, and flexible for student success.! Every school provides an environment in which each child has 32

positive, nurturing relationships with caring adults.! Every school promotes a healthy, active lifestyle where students are encouraged to make responsible choices.! Every school focuses on developing strong student character, personal responsibility, and community/world involvement.! Every school reflects a culture of learning that empowers and prepares students to be life-long learners. Goal 4: Leadership for Innovation Goal 5: 21 st Century Systems Leadership will guide innovation in NC public schools.! School professionals will collaborate with national and international partners to discover innovative transformational strategies that will facilitate change, remove barriers for 21st Century learning, and understand global connections.! School leaders will create a culture that embraces change and promotes dynamic continuous improvement.! Educational professionals will make decisions in collaboration with parents, students, businesses, education institutions, and faith-based and other community and civic organizations to impact student success.! The public school professionals will collaborate with community colleges and public and private universities and colleges to provide enhanced educational opportunities for students. NC public schools will be governed and supported by 21st Century systems.! Processes are in place for financial planning and budgeting that focus on resource attainment and alignment with priorities to maximize student achievement.! Twenty-first century technology and learning tools are available and are supported by school facilities that have the capacity for 21st Century learning.! Information and fiscal accountability systems are capable of collecting relevant data and reporting strategic and operational results.! Procedures are in place to support and sanction schools that are not meeting state standards for student achievement. 33

Appendix C North Carolina Professional Development STANDARDS-AT-A-GLANCE The North Carolina professional development standards begin with the premise that a primary goal of professional development is to help educators develop the knowledge, skills, behavior, and insights needed to become effective classroom teachers and school leaders. Based on research by the National Staff Development Council (NSDC), the State standards provide the vision and framework for making professional development more responsive to the learning needs of both educators and students. The standards clearly describe behaviors and attitudes that will lead to maximized teaching and learning. The Vision Classroom practice and school leadership in North Carolina will be improved through tailored, intensive professional development that includes follow-up, support, practice, feedback, and evaluation. It is a collaborative effort that provides every student access to a competent, caring, highly-qualified teacher. All fiscal and human resources within the educational community support classroom instruction and interactions that prepare students to thrive and contribute to a complex, dynamic, global, and multi-cultural society. Activities result in implementation of classroom practices that lead to improved student achievement. The Standards The standards are organized according to the context/process/content schema: CONTEXT STANDARDS: address the organization, system, and culture in which the new learning will be implemented PROCESS STANDARDS: refer to the how of professional development describing the learning processes used in the acquisition of new knowledge and skills and addressing the use of data, evaluation and research. CONTENT STANDARDS: refer to the what of professional development. CONTEXT PROCESS CONTENT Learning Communities: Professional development that improves the learning of all students organizes adults into learning communities whose goals are aligned with those of the school and district. Leadership: Professional development that improves the learning of all students requires skillful school and district leaders who guide continuous instructional improvement. Resources: Professional development that improves the learning of all students requires resources to support adult learning and collaboration. Data-Driven: Professional development that improves the learning of all students uses disaggregated student data to determine adult learning priorities, monitor progress, and help sustain continuous improvement. Evaluation: Professional development that improves the learning of all students uses multiple sources of information to guide improvement and demonstrate its impact. Research-Based: Professional development that improves the learning of all students prepares educators to apply research to decision making. Design: Professional development that improves the learning of all students uses learning strategies appropriate to the intended goal. Learning: Professional development that improves the learning of all students applies knowledge about human learning and change. Collaboration: Professional development that improves the learning of all students provides educators with the knowledge and skills to collaborate. Equity: Professional development that improves the learning of all students prepares educators to understand and appreciate all students, create safe, orderly and supportive learning environments, and hold high expectations for their academic achievement. Quality Teaching: Professional development that improves the learning of all students deepens educators content knowledge, provides them with research-based instructional strategies to assist students in meeting rigorous academic standards, and prepares them to use various types of classroom assessments appropriately. Family Involvement: Professional development that improves the learning of all students provides educators with knowledge and skills to involve families and other stakeholders appropriately. PUBLIC SCHOOLS OF NORTH CAROLINA State Board of Education Department of Public Instruction Jessie Dingle, Ed.D., Director, Professional Development :: (919) 807-4009 34

APPENDIX D NCDPI Comprehensive Needs Assessment School Level District and School Transformation Division North Carolina Department of Public Instruction Revised March 2009 35

OVERVIEW A comprehensive needs assessment is critical to the development of a high-quality school program. A systematic review of practices, processes, and systems within a school assists school leadership in determining needs, examining their nature and causes, and setting priorities for future action. The needs assessment consequently guides the development of a meaningful school plan and suggests benchmarks for evaluation. Research supports that schools that undergo a careful analysis of data and information make better decisions about what to change and how to institutionalize systemic change. SCHOOL DIMENSIONS The NCDPI Comprehensive Needs Assessment has been designed to analyze school level information framed by five over-arching dimensions. Guiding questions address 14 supporting sub-dimensions and are designed to facilitate the identification of root causes in areas where a school program may have identified needs. The dimensions and sub-dimensions are as follows: Dimension Sub-dimension A. Instructional Excellence and Alignment 1. High Expectations Communicated to All Teachers and Students Part I: Teaching and Learning 2. Curriculum and Instructional Alignment A. Instructional Excellence and Alignment 3. Data Analysis and Instructional Planning Part II: Support for Student Achievement 4. Student Support Services B. Leadership Capacity 5. Strategic Planning, Mission, and Vision 6. Distributed Leadership and Collaboration 7. Monitoring Instruction in School C. Professional Capacity 8. Teacher Quality and Experience 9. Quality of Professional Development 10. Talent Recruitment and Retention D. Planning and Operational Effectiveness 11. Resource Allocation 12. Facilities and Technology E. Families and Community 13. Family Engagement 14. Community Engagement PROCESS Detailed processes and procedures for Comprehensive Needs Assessment can be found in the Notes of Guidance. NCDPI Comprehensive Needs Assessment Rubric-School Level Revised March 2009 36

DIMENSION A: Instructional Excellence and Alignment Part I: Teaching and Learning A1. High Expectations Communicated to All Teachers and Students! How does the school administration model high expectations?! How does the school create a culture for both faculty and students in which high expectations can be met?! How does the school consistently maintain and communicate high expectations for students?! How do teachers help students understand the quality of work necessary to meet these high expectations?! How does the school ensure consistency within the school and subject/area departments on what constitutes high quality work?! How does the use of instructional time in the classroom reflect high expectations and curriculum alignment? Rubric Leading Developing Emerging Lacking! Exemplifies and models a culture of high expectations at all times.! Has developed, implemented, and consistently utilizes a plan that communicates clear goals with instructional strategies aligned to the NC Standard Course of Study! Benchmarks expectations for student work that consistently incorporates national and state standards.! Consistently develops and utilizes rubrics and exemplars of high quality student work to ensure teachers, students, and parents understand the expectations for assignments.! Fully utilizes instructional time for optimal learning opportunities.! Frequently exemplifies and models a culture of high expectations.! Has developed, implemented, and frequently utilizes a plan that communicates clear goals with instructional strategies aligned to the NC Standard Course of Study.! Benchmarks expectations for student work that frequently incorporates national and state standards.! Frequently utilizes rubrics and exemplars of high quality student work to ensure teachers and students understand the expectations for assignments.! Adequately utilizes instructional time for optimal learning opportunities.! Sometimes exemplifies and models a culture of high expectations.! Has developed, implemented, and inconsistently utilizes a plan that communicates clear goals with instructional strategies aligned to the NC Standard Course of Study.! Benchmarks expectations for student work that often incorporates national and state standards.! Uses rubrics for assessing student work.! Inconsistently utilizes instructional time for optimal learning opportunities.! Rarely exemplifies and models a culture of high expectations.! Has not developed, implemented, or utilized a plan that communicates clear goals with instructional strategies aligned to the NC Standard Course of Study.! Benchmarks expectations for student work that sometimes incorporates national and state standards for some students.! Uses few rubrics for assessing student work.! Rarely utilizes instructional time for optimal learning opportunities. NCDPI Comprehensive Needs Assessment Rubric-School Level Revised March 2009 37

DIMENSION A: Instructional Excellence and Alignment Part I: Teaching and Learning A2. Curriculum and Instructional Alignment! What practices ensure all students are taught a rigorous, relevant core curriculum enabling them to compete in the global community?! What practices are utilized to ensure the curriculum is appropriately implemented in the classroom?! What practices and training ensure the alignment of the written (NC Standard Course of Study), taught, and tested curriculum?! How is technology integrated into the delivery of instruction?! What programs are available to support continuous learning and career readiness of all students? Rubric Leading Developing Emerging Lacking! The school consistently provides opportunities and support for all students to engage in rigorous coursework to be prepared for the global community.! School leadership has regular, ongoing professional dialogue with teachers to ensure the curriculum is appropriately implemented.! School administration consistently provides opportunities for collaboration among teachers and other professional colleagues to align instruction and assessment to the North Carolina Standard Course of Study and district, state, and national standards.! Teachers consistently administer both summative and ongoing formative assessments aligned to instruction.! Teachers consistently integrate technology resources into classroom instruction for all students across the curriculum.! The school collaborates with the community to provide opportunities for all students to know and experience potential career choices.! The school provides opportunities and support for most students to engage in rigorous coursework to be prepared for the global community.! School leadership has frequent professional dialogue with teachers to ensure the curriculum is appropriately implemented.! School administration frequently assists teachers in alignment of instruction and assessment to the North Carolina Standard Course of Study and district, state, and national standards.! Teachers administer both summative and ongoing formative assessments aligned to instruction.! Teachers frequently integrate technology resources into classroom instruction across the curriculum.! The school collaborates with the community to provide opportunities for most students to know and experience potential career choices.! The school provides limited opportunities and support for some students to engage in rigorous coursework to be prepared for the global community.! School leadership has occasional professional dialogue with teachers to ensure the curriculum is appropriately implemented.! School administration occasionally assists teachers in alignment of instruction and assessment to available standards.! Teachers administer only summative assessments aligned to instruction.! Teachers integrate technology resources into classroom instruction only in limited curriculum areas or for selected students.! The school collaborates with the community to provide some opportunities for some students to learn about potential career choices.! The school provides limited opportunities for select students to engage in rigorous coursework to be prepared for the global community.! School leadership has rare professional dialogue with teachers to ensure the curriculum is appropriately implemented.! School administration rarely assists teachers in alignment of instruction and assessment.! Teachers administer summative assessments inconsistently aligned to instruction.! Teachers rarely use technology resources in the classroom, not necessarily linked to curriculum.! The school collaborates with the community to provide some opportunities for few students to learn about potential career choices. NCDPI Comprehensive Needs Assessment Rubric-School Level Revised March 2009 38

DIMENSION A: Instructional Excellence and Alignment Part II: Support for Student Achievement A3. Data Analysis and Instructional Planning: Collection and Dissemination of Data! What practices ensure that teachers receive data in a timely manner?! What systems are in place for collecting and using student test data and other formative data for the modification of instruction to improve student achievement? Subgroups! What are the most effective practices/programs the school has implemented to increase student achievement across subgroups?! Which subgroups are particular focuses for improvement at this time?! How are students identified who are experiencing difficulty meeting standards, and what is being done to assist them?! What processes are in place to identify underrepresented student groups in advanced classes (e.g., AIG, Honors, AP)?! What opportunities are available to meet the needs of high-achieving students (e.g., skipping grades, earning college transfer credits)? Attendance! How is student attendance monitored?! How are attendance patterns identified and how are problems addressed? Retention/Promotion/Graduation Rates! How are issues that keep students from advancing to the next grade level or graduating identified and addressed?! How does the promotion/graduation/retention rate vary across different student subgroups?! How is the responsibility for promotion and graduation shared among all core and non-core subject area teachers?! How is the school preparing students for the NC Graduation Project? (High School only) Rubric Collection and Dissemination of Data Leading Developing Emerging Lacking School leadership:! Shares and discusses data in an understandable format in a timely and effective manner.! Effectively manages a shared process for data collection, analysis, and planning for instruction.! Effectively facilitates a collaborative process for including all staff members in data analysis in a timely and effective manner. School leadership:! Disseminates data in a userfriendly format in a timely manner.! Manages a process for data collection and analysis.! Facilitates a collaborative process for including the school improvement team in data analysis in a timely manner. School leadership:! Disseminates data in a format that may not be easily understood. School leadership:! Disseminates minimal data.! Provides several types of data.! Has established no clear process for collection or analysis of data.! Facilitates a process for including the school improvement team in data analysis in a timely manner.! Includes few staff to no staff in data analysis to inform school improvement decisions. NCDPI Comprehensive Needs Assessment Rubric-School Level Revised March 2009 39

Subgroups! Consistently evaluates implemented practices /programs effectiveness in improving student achievement across all subgroups.! Consistently attends to the performance of all subgroups and accelerates the progress of all subgroups with responsive support plans.! Has an effective process is place to identify and provide extensive support to students experiencing difficulty meeting standards.! Consistently monitors the participation of underrepresented groups in advanced classes and aggressively recruits students.! Offers consistent high quality opportunities that extend learning for high performing students. Attendance! Regularly and systematically monitors attendance, dropout rates, and promotion/graduation rates.! Regularly and systematically facilitates the early identification of students with attendance problems and provides support for both parents and students.! Frequently evaluates implemented practices /programs effectiveness in improving student achievement across all subgroups.! Frequently attends to the performance of all subgroups and accelerates the progress of targeted subgroups with responsive support plans.! Has a process is place to identify and provides limited support to students experiencing difficulty meeting standards.! Frequently monitors the participation of underrepresented groups in advanced classes and deliberately recruits students.! Offers some opportunities that extend learning for high performing students.! Regularly monitors attendance, dropout rates, and promotion/graduation rates.! Facilitates the early identification of students with attendance problems and provides some support for both parents and students. NCDPI Comprehensive Needs Assessment Rubric-School Level Revised March 2009! Occasionally evaluates implemented practices /programs effectiveness in improving student achievement across targeted subgroups.! Provides some focused support for remediation of some subgroups.! Inconsistently identifies and provides limited targeted support to students experiencing difficulty meeting standards.! Monitors participation of underrepresented groups in advanced classes with limited student recruitment.! Offers limited opportunities that extend learning for high performing students.! Occasionally monitors attendance, dropout rates, and promotion/graduation rates.! Occasionally facilitates the early identification of students with attendance problems and rarely provides support for parents and students.! Seldom/never evaluates implemented practices /programs effectiveness in improving student achievement.! Provides little support for the performance of subgroups.! Has no formal process in place to identify and does not provide support to students experiencing difficulty meeting standards.! Monitors the participation of underrepresented groups in advanced classes.! Offers no opportunities that extend learning for high performing students.! Rarely or never monitors attendance, dropout rates, and promotion/graduation rates.! Rarely or never facilitates the early identification of students with attendance problems and provides no support for parents and students. 40

Promotion/Graduation Rates! Provides consistent and intensive intervention strategies before, during, and after school for students who are at-risk for not meeting grade level benchmarks or graduation requirements.! Consistently implements a comprehensive plan to assure that the needs of students of differing culture, abilities, and primary language are taken into account.! Regularly and systematically monitors promotion and graduation rates.! Implements a plan that includes all core and non-core teachers in supporting students at-risk of retention or not meeting graduation requirements.! Provides intervention strategies before, during, and after school for students who are at-risk for not meeting grade level benchmarks or graduation requirements.! Engages in strategies to assure that the needs of students of differing culture, abilities, and primary language are taken into account.! Regularly monitors promotion and graduation rates.! Has a plan that includes some teachers in supporting students at-risk of retention or not meeting graduation requirements. NCDPI Comprehensive Needs Assessment Rubric-School Level Revised March 2009! Provides some intervention strategies after school for students who are at- risk for not meeting grade level benchmarks or graduation requirements.! Has tracking practices that exist in the school yet efforts are in place to eliminate or reduce this practice.! Occasionally monitors promotion and graduation rates.! Has a plan that includes a few teachers in supporting students at-risk of retention or not meeting graduation requirements. The school :! Provides no interventions for students who are at-risk for not meeting grade level benchmarks or graduation requirements.! Has tracking practices that exist in the school and there are no efforts in place to eliminate or reduce them.! Rarely or never monitors promotion and graduation rates.! Has no defined plan for involving teachers in supporting students at-risk of retention or not meeting graduation requirements. 41

DIMENSION A: Instructional Excellence and Alignment Part II: Support for Student Achievement A4. Student Support Services Student Support Services! How does the school meet the social and emotional needs of students?! How is the school counselors time utilized at the school?! What process does the school have for academic advisement?! How does the school ensure student nutrition and health?! How is character education taught and reinforced?! What strategies exist for helping students make the transition from the preschool setting to the elementary setting, from grade to grade, and/or from grade span to grade span?! What strategies target instructional staff when transitioning students year to year?! What strategies target parents when transitioning students year to year?! What strategies support students transitions to higher education or careers? RUBRIC Leading Developing Emerging Lacking! Implements a consistently operating, effective, and developmentally appropriate program supporting the social and emotional needs of all students.! Consistently utilizes the time of counselors for appropriate direct work with all students.! Implements an effective, consistently operating process for academic advisement.! Supports student nutrition and health through effectively operating processes and programs.! Consistently utilizes an integrated process for teaching and reinforcing character education through curricular and extracurricular activities.! Implements an effective and developmentally appropriate program supporting the social and emotional needs of most students.! Generally utilizes the time of counselors for appropriate direct work with all students.! Implements a regular process for academic advisement.! Supports student nutrition and health through processes and programs.! Teaches and reinforces character education through curricular and extra-curricular activities.! Provides support for the social and emotional needs of some students.! Uses counselors in some roles that impact time for appropriate direct work with students.! Provides some academic advisement for students.! Offers some programs to support student nutrition and health.! Provides minimal teaching of character education.! Provides minimal support for the social and emotional needs of students.! Uses counselors in roles that minimize time for appropriate direct work with students.! Provides little academic advisement for students.! Offers limited support for student nutrition and health.! Does not directly teach character education. NCDPI Comprehensive Needs Assessment Rubric-School Level Revised March 2009 42

! Develops and implements consistent, intentional, on-going plans to support student transitions from grade to grade and level to level.! Develops and implements consistent, effective plans that facilitate vertical articulation and transitions.! Utilizes a consistent, on-going process to support parent understanding and involvement as students transition from grade to grade and level to level.! Develops and implements adequate plans to support student transitions from grade to grade and level to level.! Implements plans that facilitate vertical articulation and transitions.! Maintains an on-going process to support parent understanding and involvement as students transition from grade to grade and level to level.! Utilizes an effective process that supports students transition to higher education or careers.! Uses an established process that supports students transition to higher education or careers. NCDPI Comprehensive Needs Assessment Rubric-School Level Revised March 2009! Implements some plans to support student transitions from grade to grade and level to level.! Implements some plans that facilitate vertical articulation and transitions.! Provides some activities for parent understanding and involvement as students transition from grade to grade and level to level it, but is not carried out consistently.! Provides some support for students transition to higher education or careers, but it is not carried out consistently.! Implements inadequate plans to support student transitions from grade to grade and level to level.! Provides no clear plans to facilitate vertical articulation and transitions.! Provides no activities to support parent understanding and involvement as students transition from grade to grade and level to level.! Provides little to no support for students transition to higher education or careers. 43

DIMENSION B: Leadership Capacity B5. Strategic Planning, Mission, and Vision! Who participates in the development of the School Improvement Plan (SIP)?! What structures are in place to meet the diverse needs of students?! How does administrative and departmental/grade level leadership facilitate the collaborative development of annual school improvement plans to realize strategic goals and objectives?! What processes provide for periodic review and revision of the school s vision, mission, and strategic goals by all school stakeholders?! How does the school communicate its vision, goals, and priorities to appropriate stakeholders?! What processes are in place to evaluate the progress toward achieving these goals?! What strategies are in place to create a culture and climate conducive to learning?! What plans support the safety of all students and staff?! How does school leadership specifically address the issues raised by the NC Teacher Working Conditions survey? RUBRIC Leading Developing Emerging Lacking Leadership:! Effectively involves all stakeholders and uses all available data in developing the SIP.! Customizes structures and strategies to meet the needs of all diverse student populations. Leadership:! Involves some stakeholders in using data from several sources in developing the SIP.! Facilitates structures and strategies to meet the needs of most student populations. Leadership:! Involves select stakeholders in using data in developing the SIP.! Provides some oversight for structures and strategies to meet the needs of some student populations. Leadership:! Has a SIP that has not been regularly updated using data.! Provides little to no oversight for strategies implemented to address the needs of diverse student populations.! Consistently facilitates a successful process for the monitoring, revision, and execution of the School Improvement Plan with shared responsibilities for all staff.! Maintains a consistent process for ensuring that the school s vision and mission drive decisions and inform the culture of the school.! Facilitates a process for monitoring, revision, and execution of the school improvement plan with primary responsibility shared with the school improvement team.! Maintains a process for periodically reviewing the school s vision and mission to drive decisions.! Informs staff of necessary changes in the SIP with little collaboration to ensure support.! Maintains a process for periodically reviewing the school s vision and mission.! Provides no clear system for ensuring support for school changes as outlined in the SIP.! Has no process for reviewing the school s vision and mission. NCDPI Comprehensive Needs Assessment Rubric-School Level Revised March 2009 44

! Effectively engages staff and community in the change process in a manner that ensures continual support.! Effectively utilizes appropriate data for evaluating program effectiveness and informing school prioritized action plans.! Facilitates a comprehensive plan for building a school culture and climate conducive to learning based on collaboration, egalitarianism, and collegiality.! Consistently implements a thorough safety plan approved by the School Board and local safety units.! Has a clearly developed plan to address issues raised by the NCTWC survey and collaborates with all staff and other appropriate stakeholders to address them.! Engages school leadership team in the change process to ensure continual support.! Utilizes appropriate data for evaluating program effectiveness and informing school prioritized action plans.! Has developed a comprehensive plan for building a school culture and climate conducive to learning.! Implements an appropriate safety plan approved by the School Board.! Has developed a plan to address issues raised by the NCTWC survey and informs all staff and other appropriate stakeholders of plans and of their role in effectively implementing the plan. NCDPI Comprehensive Needs Assessment Rubric-School Level Revised March 2009! Provides periodic review and revision of the School Improvement Plan with shared responsibility for limited staff.! Utilizes some data for informing school action plans.! Has developed some plans for building a school culture and climate conducive to learning.! Implements a safety plan that addresses most school needs.! Develops a plan to address issues raised by the NCTWC survey with limited shared responsibility for staff and/or appropriate stakeholders.! Has no clear process for reviewing the School Improvement Plan.! Limits data sources and bases decisions primarily on state assessment outcomes.! Has no clear plan for building a school culture and climate conducive to learning.! Implements an inadequate safety plan.! Addresses issues raised by the NCTWC survey in an inconsistent or informal way. 45

DIMENSION B: Leadership Capacity B6. Distributed Leadership and Collaboration! How are the different roles and responsibilities of the school staff delineated and maintained?! What processes are implemented that encourage collaboration between the administration and faculty?! In what way is leadership developed and distributed in the school?! How does school leadership foster an atmosphere of trust and mutual respect within the school?! What strategies are in place to build a sense of efficacy, empowerment, and collaboration among all staff to develop the ability to meet educational challenges? RUBRIC Leading Developing Emerging Lacking! School administration provides a well-defined process for shared leadership among all staff for monitoring student achievement and aligning strategies and activities to meet student needs.! The principal has effective, ongoing processes for collaboration with the faculty.! The development and distribution of leadership is clearly understood, equitable, and transparent.! School administration consistently models expectations set for staff and students.! School administration monitors student achievement data along with selected school leadership and uses results to revise school strategies and initiatives.! The principal has processes for collaboration with the faculty.! The development and distribution of leadership is mostly understood, equitable, and transparent.! School administration occasionally models expectations set for staff and students.! School administration monitors student achievement results with limited shared responsibility for staff.! The principal has some processes for collaboration with the faculty.! The development and distribution of leadership is somewhat understood, equitable, and transparent.! School administration rarely models expectations set for staff and students.! School administration has no clearly defined process for monitoring student achievement data.! School administration has few processes for collaboration.! The development and distribution of leadership at the school is unclear.! School administration does not model expectations set for staff and students.! There is a well-developed and implemented plan to build a sense of efficacy, empowerment, and collaboration among staff.! There is a plan to build a sense of efficacy, empowerment, and collaboration for selected staff.! There is a plan to build a sense of efficacy, empowerment, and collaboration for a limited number of staff.! There is no defined plan to encourage collaboration or to empower staff. NCDPI Comprehensive Needs Assessment Rubric-School Level Revised March 2009 46

DIMENSION B: Leadership Capacity B7. Monitoring Instruction in School! What strategies ensure that leadership is visible in all classrooms, and how is that informal observation used to foster student and teacher growth?! What practices are in place to ensure classroom observations are used to support improved instruction?! What practices do administrative and departmental leadership use to support change?! How does administrative and departmental leadership model the importance of continued adult learning? RUBRIC Leading Developing Emerging Lacking Leadership:! Consistently maintains high visibility within the school and among school staff with a systematic process for feedback to improve teaching and learning.! Consistently implements an ongoing system of teacher observation that fosters dialogue about effective instructional practice.! Effectively communicates the need for change in an understandable and transparent way.! Consistently models continued learning on educational issues to improve job-related skills. Leadership:! Conducts both formal and informal classroom visits with a process for providing feedback to teachers.! Frequently implements an ongoing system of teacher observation that fosters dialogue about effective instructional practice.! Communicates the need for change so that it is mostly understandable and transparent.! Frequently models continued learning on educational issues to improve job-related skills. Leadership:! Occasionally visits classrooms for purposes beyond staff evaluation with inconsistent feedback to teachers.! Occasionally uses a system of teacher observation that fosters dialogue about effective instructional practice.! Communicates the need for change that is somewhat understandable.! Attends workshops and conferences on educational topics. Leadership:! Visits classrooms for evaluation of staff only.! Utilizes state or district mandated teacher observation practices.! Is unclear in communicating the need for change.! Attends mandatory professional development offerings. NCDPI Comprehensive Needs Assessment Rubric-School Level Revised March 2009 47

DIMENSION C: Professional Capacity C8. Teacher Quality and Experience! How are appropriately certified teachers selected and placed in every curricular area?! How are teachers selected?! In what areas (grade levels/subject areas) does the school lack effective teachers?! How are teacher weaknesses identified and addressed?! How do teachers demonstrate leadership by: o Establishing a respectful environment for a diverse population of students? o Knowing the content they teach? o Facilitating learning for their students? o Reflecting on their practice? RUBRIC Leading Developing Emerging Lacking Teachers:! Are certified at a rate of 100% and teaching in their curricular/grade area.! Are collaboratively involved in a systemic process for identifying ineffectiveness and developing plans for improvement. Teachers:! Are certified at a rate of 70-99% and certified staff are teaching in their curricular/grade area.! Engage in a systemic process for identifying ineffectiveness and plan for improvement is administratively decided. Teachers:! Are certified at a rate of 51-69% and those certified are teaching in their curricular/grade area.! Engage in process for identifying ineffectiveness with some consideration for improvement. Teachers:! Are certified at a rate of less than 50% with those that are certified teaching in their curricular area/grade level.! Engage in no clearly established process for identifying ineffectiveness or have no plan for improvement.! Consistently demonstrate respect for the diverse populations through modifying content and instruction for their students, according to student needs.! Demonstrate respect for the diverse populations through modifying content and instruction for their students, according to student needs.! Occasionally demonstrate respect for the diverse populations through modifying content and instruction for their students, according to student needs.! Seldom demonstrate respect for the diverse populations through modifying content and instruction for their students, according to student needs.! Consistently facilitate student learning of accurate and appropriate content.! Often facilitate student learning of accurate and appropriate content.! Occasionally facilitate student learning of accurate and appropriate content.! Rarely facilitate student learning of accurate and appropriate content.! Are engaged in a consistent process for reflecting on classroom practices and student achievement in an effort to improve their effectiveness.! Reflect on their classroom practices and student achievement in an effort to improve their effectiveness.! Occasionally reflect on their classroom practices and student achievement in an effort to improve their effectiveness.! Seldom reflect on their classroom practices and student achievement in an effort to improve their effectiveness. NCDPI Comprehensive Needs Assessment Rubric-School Level Revised March 2009 48

DIMENSION C: Professional Capacity C9. Quality of Professional Development! How are professional development programs and offerings differentiated based on student achievement data and school needs?! How is professional development for staff aligned to the school improvement plan?! How are professional development offerings aligned, selected, and sustained?! How are teachers supported in taking and implementing high quality professional development?! What professional development offerings prepare staff to support global education?! To what extent does professional development exemplify the NC Standards for Effective Professional Development?! How does the school ensure that the appropriate teachers are attending professional development?! What professional development has the principal participated in during the last 2 years? How was it selected? RUBRIC Leading Developing Emerging Lacking Professional development offerings:! Consistently model scientifically research-based curriculum, instruction, and assessment strategies to support student learning and respond to the identified needs in the school. Professional development offerings:! Frequently model scientifically research-based curriculum, instruction, and assessment strategies to support student learning and respond to the identified needs in the school. Professional development offerings:! Inconsistently model scientifically research-based curriculum, instruction, and assessment strategies to support student learning and respond to the identified needs in the school. Professional development offerings:! Do not reflect scientifically research-based curriculum, instruction, and assessment strategies to support student learning and respond to the identified needs in the school.! Are strategically and collaboratively selected, sustained, and monitored for fidelity of implementation aligned to the School Improvement Plan and Personal Growth Plans.! Are selected with or without input, and sometimes sustained and monitored for fidelity of implementation aligned to the School Improvement Plan and Personal Growth Plans.! Are selected by the administration and sometimes monitored for fidelity of implementation aligned to the School Improvement Plan and Personal Growth Plans.! Are generally selected by individuals with no clear alignment to the School Improvement Plan or Personal Growth Plans.! Are supported through processes and schedules that facilitate the collaborative design, sharing, and evaluation of professional growth opportunities.! Are supported through some processes and often has schedules that facilitate the collaborative design, sharing, and evaluation of professional growth opportunities.! Has no clear processes, but sometimes schedules facilitate the collaborative design, sharing, and evaluation of professional growth opportunities.! Has no processes and rarely or never provides schedules that facilitate the collaborative design, sharing, and evaluation of professional growth opportunities.! Consistently exemplify the NC Standards for Effective Professional Development.! Frequently exemplify the NC Standards for Effective Professional Development.! Minimally exemplify the NC Standards for Effective Professional Development.! Are not aligned with the NC Standards for Effective Professional Development. NCDPI Comprehensive Needs Assessment Rubric-School Level Revised March 2009 49

DIMENSION C: Professional Capacity C10. Talent Recruitment and Retention! What school recruitment strategies are in place to attract highly-qualified staff to the school?! How are high performing teachers recognized and rewarded?! What patterns emerge from teacher exit interviews?! What support is in place for newly hired, Initially Licensed (ILT), and lateral entry teachers?! How are teachers under action plans supported and coached?! What processes and support structures are in place for all teachers to improve performance (e.g. curricular coaching, study groups)?! What training and supports are in place to ensure effective professional learning communities at the school?! What is the teacher supplement? What other extra-pay structures are in place?! How does teacher turnover impact the school s instructional program? RUBRIC Leading Developing Emerging Lacking! Effectively seeks and utilizes both district and school resources to recruit, retain, and reward highlyqualified and effective staff.! Effectively utilizes both district and school resources to recruit, retain, and reward highlyqualified and effective staff.! Utilizes district resources and existing programs to recruit, retain, and reward highly-qualified and effective staff.! Utilizes only existing district resources to recruit, retain, and reward highly-qualified and effective staff.! Consistently guides and supports continuous improvement in curriculum and instruction for newly hired, Initially Licensed, and lateral entry teachers.! Regularly guides and supports continuous improvement in curriculum and instruction for newly hired, Initially Licensed, and lateral entry teachers.! Inconsistently guides and supports continuous improvement in curriculum and instruction for newly hired, Initially Licensed, and lateral entry teachers.! Lacks a process for guiding and supporting continuous improvement in curriculum and instruction for newly hired, Initially Licensed, and lateral entry teachers.! Utilizes highly effective processes to help all teachers improve effectiveness of teaching and learning.! Utilizes some processes in place to help teachers improve effectiveness of teaching and learning.! Has limited processes in place to help teachers improve effectiveness of teaching and learning.! Lacks necessary processes to help teachers improve effectiveness of teaching and learning.! Effectively engages all staff in professional learning communities.! Effectively engages some staff in professional learning communities.! Engages few staff in professional learning communities.! Does not engage staff in professional learning communities. NCDPI Comprehensive Needs Assessment Rubric-School Level Revised March 2009 50

DIMENSION D: Planning and Operational Effectiveness D11. Resource Allocation! How are budgeting decisions made, and who is involved in making those decisions?! What processes have been created to provide for an aligned operational budget for school programs and activities?! In what areas is the school experiencing shortages, and what actions have been taken to address the shortages?! What external sources of funding are available to the school (e.g., through booster clubs, grants, community/corporate partnerships)?! What processes are in place to determine how teachers are assigned to specific courses/classes?! How does the school ensure maximum instructional time for students?! What systems are in place for developing master schedules based on specific school needs? RUBRIC Leading Developing Emerging Lacking School leadership:! Consistently collaborates with appropriate stakeholders in making budgetary decisions. School leadership:! Frequently collaborates with appropriate stakeholders in making budgetary decisions. School leadership:! Occasionally collaborates with appropriate stakeholders in making budgetary decisions. School leadership:! Does not collaborate with stakeholders in making budgetary decisions.! Establishes systematic and transparent process for reviewing and allocating resources to most effectively support school needs.! Establishes systematic and transparent process for reviewing and allocating resources to support school needs.! Has a plan for reviewing and/or allocating resources but does not systematically utilize the plan to support school needs.! Has no clearly developed system for reviewing and allocating resources from year to year.! Coordinates and monitors spending of required and discretionary funds to align to identified student needs.! Coordinates spending of required and discretionary funds to align to identified student needs.! Coordinates spending of required funds to student needs.! Lacks coordination of required and discretionary funds to best meet student needs.! Aggressively seeks funding in addition to base local and state allocations.! Seeks funding in addition to base local and state allocations.! Occasionally seeks funding in addition to base and state allocations.! Does not actively seek funding beyond base local and state allocations.! Consistently allocates teachers based on changing student needs.! Allocates teachers based on current student needs.! Allocates teachers considering some but not all student needs.! Allocates teachers based on teacher preference as opposed to student needs.! Maximizes instructional time and quality instruction to support the mission of the school.! Aligns instructional time to student needs.! Aligns instructional time to student needs in some but not all grade levels or departments.! Lacks alignment of instructional time to student needs. NCDPI Comprehensive Needs Assessment Rubric-School Level Revised March 2009 51

! Utilizes comprehensive data analysis that is clearly reflected in all schedules and plans.! Utilizes data analysis that is reflected in schedules and plans. NCDPI Comprehensive Needs Assessment Rubric-School Level Revised March 2009! Lacks data analysis clearly reflected in all schedules and plans.! Lacks collection and analysis of data as basis of planning and scheduling. 52

DIMENSION D: Planning and Operational Effectiveness D12. Facilities and Technology! How is the physical condition of the school maintained?! How does the school ensure that teachers and students have sufficient access to instructional technology, including computers, printers, software, and internet access?! To what extent are the reliability and speed of internet connections in this school sufficient to support the integration of 21st century instructional practices?! What activities and training support teachers in fully utilizing and integrating instructional technology? RUBRIC Leading Developing Emerging Lacking School leadership:! Ensures that the school and grounds are exceptionally clean, wellmaintained, and safe.! Consistently implements a process to determine and to acquire necessary instructional technology to support 21 st century instructional practices. School leadership:! Ensures that the school and grounds are clean, well-maintained, and safe.! Determines and acquires adequate instructional technology to support 21 st century instructional practices. School leadership:! Ensures that some areas of the school and grounds are clean, wellmaintained, and safe.! Acquires some instructional technology to support 21 st century instructional practices. School leadership:! Does not ensure that the school and grounds are clean, well-maintained and safe.! Has no plan to acquire instructional technology to support 21 st century instructional practices.! Provides a system of sustained professional development for staff in the innovative application of technology for planning, instructional delivery, record keeping, and communications.! Provides professional development for staff in the application of technology for planning, instructional delivery, record keeping, and communications.! Provides professional development for staff in the basic applications of technology.! Provides little to no professional development for staff in the innovative application of technology. NCDPI Comprehensive Needs Assessment Rubric-School Level Revised March 2009 53

DIMENSION E: Families and Communities E13. Family Engagement! How does the school create an inviting and welcoming environment when parents visit the campus?! In what ways does the school establish and maintain positive collaborative relationships with parents and involve them in shared decision making?! How are clear expectations for school and student achievement communicated to parents? How does the school ensure that these are received and understood?! What specific strategies have been implemented to increase parental involvement, based on the identified areas of need?! How does the school measure the effectiveness of parent involvement efforts?! In what ways does the school establish and maintain positive relationships with businesses and non-profit organizations?! How are clear expectations for school and student achievement communicated to the community at large?! How does the school work with community partners to establish supplemental programming such as after-school programs or tutoring?! How does the school receive and use feedback from the community? RUBRIC Leading Developing Emerging Lacking! Creates a welcoming environment where all parents and visitors are greeted and assisted.! Creates an environment where most parents and visitors feel welcome.! Has a designated welcoming area for parents and visitors.! Has no welcoming area nor makes any effort to welcome parents or visitors.! Proactively requests and shares feedback with parents and incorporates feedback into school decisions.! Provides opportunities to collect parental feedback/input on school instruction and operations with some consideration for school decisions.! Provides parent engagement activities mostly limited to large school events, parent/teacher conferences, and teacher phone calls home.! Provides little to no parent engagement.! Provides a broad spectrum of communication to parents through school report cards, meetings, announcements, newsletters, and a consistently updated website.! Provides timely communication to parents through school report cards, newsletters, and a frequently updated website.! Communicates with parents by newsletters and an occasionally updated website.! Has no clear system to provide parents with required school report card information or other timely communication such as newsletters.! Maintains clear policies and processes for researching and applying best practice parental engagement strategies and activities.! Has developed policies and procedures for engaging parents.! Infrequently engages in discussions with parents regarding student academic performance and/or school operations.! Practices ad hoc planning of parental engagement programs/ workshops. NCDPI Comprehensive Needs Assessment Rubric-School Level Revised March 2009 54

DIMENSION E: Families and Communities E14. Community Engagement RUBRIC Leading Developing Emerging Lacking! Consistently engages in strategies, policies, and procedures for partnering with local businesses, community organizations, and other agencies to meet the needs of the school.! Engages in some strategies for partnering with local businesses, community organizations, and other agencies to meet the needs of the school.! Develops plan for increasing partnerships with local businesses, community organizations, and other agencies but inconsistently follows plan or not clearly aligned to the needs of the school.! Lacks established strategies, policies, and procedures for partnering with local businesses, community organizations, and other agencies to meet the needs of the school.! Provides a broad spectrum of communication opportunities to the community through newspaper, school report cards, meetings, announcements, and a consistently updated website.! Devotes appropriate financial resources and personnel to community partnership efforts.! Provides timely communication to the community through school report cards, announcements, and a frequently updated website.! Devotes financial resources and part-time personnel resources to community engagement efforts.! Communicates with the community through an occasionally updated website.! Devotes limited financial and no personnel resources to community engagement efforts.! Has no clear system for ongoing communication with the community.! Lacks devoted financial and/or human resources for community engagement efforts.! Continually monitors effectiveness of community engagement efforts and uses results to improve future school improvement efforts.! Monitors effectiveness of community engagement efforts with some results incorporated into school improvement efforts.! Informally monitors effectiveness of community engagement effort.! Has no process in place for collecting community feedback. NCDPI Comprehensive Needs Assessment Rubric-School Level Revised March 2009 55

Judgment Summary Dimension A: Instructional Excellence and Alignment Part I: Teaching and Learning A1 High Expectations Communicated to All Teachers and Students A2 Curriculum and Instructional Alignment Dimension A: Instructional Excellence and Alignment Part II: Support for Student Achievement A3 Data Analysis and Instructional Planning A4 Student Support Services Dimension B: Leadership Capacity B5 Strategic Planning, Mission, and Vision B6 Distributed Leadership and Collaboration B7 Monitoring Instruction in School Dimension C: Professional Capacity C8 Teacher Quality and Experience C9 Quality of Professional Development C10 Talent Recruitment and Retention Dimension D: Planning and Operational Effectiveness D11 Resource Allocation D12 Facilities and Technology Dimension E: Families and Community E13 Family Engagement E14 Community Engagement Key Leading LE Developing D Emerging E Lacking LA NCDPI Comprehensive Needs Assessment Rubric-School Level Revised March 2009 LE D E LA 2 56

Appendix E References Bossidy, L. and Charan, R. (2002). Execution: The Discipline of getting Things Done. New York: Crown Business. Harris, A. (2001). Building the capacity for school improvement. School Leadership & Management, 21, 3, 261-270. Spillane, J. P. and Diamond, J. B. (2007). Distributed Leadership in Practice. New York: Teachers College Press. West, M. (2000). Supporting school improvement: Observations on the inside, reflections from the outside. School Leadership & Management, 20, 1, 43-60. 57