Cohort 2 Focus School Technical Assistance Webinar

Session 1

October 21, 2013

Yvonne A. Holloman, Ph.D.Associate Director

Office of School ImprovementVirginia Department of Education

Purpose

• Review the process for assessing indicators; • Model the process for using the Wise Ways® research briefs; and• Model the process for maintaining meeting agendas and minutes.

1. Where are the state educational agency’s focus schools in their preparations to implement interventions in the first semester?

2. What processes, such as needs analyses, are local educational agencies and schools using to determine what interventions will be implemented?

3. How is the state educational agency ensuring that its local educational agencies implement interventions aligned with the reason for the school’s identification as a focus school?

4. What resources and supports are the state educational agency providing to those local educational agencies as they develop their plans for interventions?

5. What process does the state educational agency have in place to ensure that all focus schools will begin implementing interventions in the first semester? For example, do local educational agencies have a plan or report that they must submit?

6. How is the state educational agency planning to hold local educational agencies accountable for improving school and student performance?

7. How and when does the state educational agency plan to monitor local educational agency implementation of interventions in priority and focus schools?

U.S. Department of Education’s ESEA Flexibility Waiver Monitoring Key Questions Regarding Focus Schools

The division- and school-level plans will be the key to monitoring each local educational agency’s compliance with the ESEA flexibility waiver provisions. Both plans will be submitted via the Indistar® dashboard on:• February 14, 2014• April 30, 2014• June 30, 2014

Indistar® (www.indistar.org)Six-Step Improvement Planning Process

• A web-based tool for assessing, planning, implementing, and monitoring progress toward the rapid improvement indicators.Step 1 – Register schoolStep 2 – Provide school informationStep 3 – Form school teamStep 4 – Assess school indicatorsStep 5 – Create school planStep 6 – Monitor school plan

Teams: The cornerstone of Indistar®

• Instructional Planning• Differentiation of Instruction• Teacher-Directed Whole-Class or Small Group Instruction• Computer-Based Instruction• Classroom Management• Team Structures• Principal’s Role• Formative Assessment• Targeted Interventions

Rapid Improvement School IndicatorsCategories

Targeted Interventions

TA01The school uses an identification process (including ongoing conversations with instructional leadership teams and data points to be used) for all students at risk of failing or in need of targeted interventions.

TA02

The school uses a tiered, differentiated intervention process to assign research-based interventions aligned with the individual needs of identified students (the process includes a description of how interventions are selected and assigned to students as well as the frequency and duration of interventions for Tier 2 and Tier 3 students).

TA03

The school uses a monitoring process (including a multidisciplinary team that meets regularly to review student intervention outcome data and identifies “triggers” and next steps for unsuccessful interventions) for targeted intervention students to ensure fidelity and effectiveness.

Required Improvement Indicators for All Schools

School leadership teams must assess and include the three targeted interventions indicators below in their improvement plans.

The following indicators must be assessed by all schools

IE08 The principal spends at least 50% of his/her time working directly with teachers to improve instruction, including classroom observations.

IF08 The principal ensures professional development for the whole faculty includes assessment of strengths and areas in need of improvement from classroom observations of indicators of effective teaching.

ID10 The school’s Leadership Team regularly looks at school performance data and aggregated classroom observation data and uses that data to make decisions about school improvement and professional development needs.

IID11 Instructional Teams review the results of unit pre-/post-tests to make decisions about the curriculum and instructional plans and to "red flag" students in need of intervention (both students in need of tutoring or extra help and students needing enhanced learning opportunities because of their early mastery of objectives).

VA10 Teachers create effective classroom discussions, questions, and learning tasks that elicit evidence of learning. These include strategies for gathering information such as on-the-fly, planned, and curriculum embedded assessments.

VC01 Teachers use evidence of student learning as feedback to adapt and differentiate instruction to meet the needs of the different students.

VC02 Teachers use feedback to respond quickly to students’ learning needs. This includes on the spot changes during a lesson (when it is obvious students are not understanding), as well as anticipating where students might struggle and planning ahead to address those needs.

Assess – Plan - Monitor

Focus Questions: (Assess school indicators)

• How will the school improvement team involve the entire staff in the selection of rapid improvement indicators that address the needs of the school?

• What data were used to determine the needs of the school? • How will the required VDOE-approved adaptive reading assessment program

be used as part of the assessment of indicator TA01?• How will the required Algebra Readiness Diagnostic Test (ARDT) or other

VDOE- approved mathematics assessment be used as part of the assessment of indicator TA01?

• How was consensus reached regarding the indicators that were ultimately selected?

Selecting Indicators to Assess

Selecting Indicators to AssessSchool teams must assess the required 10 indicators and any additional indicators selected based on their needs.

Use the Wise Ways® research brief to determine the level of

implementation

Notice the Wise Ways link?

Wise Ways Is a Built-In Reference Tool that Provides a Synthesis of the Research that Supports the Indicator AND Provides Real, How-to, High-leverage Strategies for Attaining It

Using the Wise Ways Research Briefs

Step 1: Provide copies of the appropriate Wise Ways® research briefs to the team members.

Step 2: Read and highlight important information included in the research brief.Step 3: Discuss whether the school is implementing the indicator as described in the research brief.Step 4: Complete the Assess Component of Indistar ® for the selected indicators.

• The division leadership team is responsible for monitoring the improvement plan for each focus school. • One person from the division leadership team must be assigned to serve as a member of the school improvement team for each focus school. This information should be noted in the “district team” component of Indistar®.• Monitoring activities include reviewing status comments, agendas, and meeting minutes.

Division Leadership Team

Title I

Instruction

Special Education

EnglishLanguage Learners

Division Improvement Planning

• Per the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) flexibility waiver provisions, division leadership teams are required to develop a division improvement plan using the Indistar® district improvement indicators.

• The district indicators are divided into three categories:• District context and support for school improvement• District and the change process• District-school expectations

• After the focus schools select their final indicators, the division leadership team will select aligned district improvement indicators. This topic will be discussed during Technical Assistance Session 2.

List of District Improvement Indicators

Agendas and Meeting Minutes

• School- and division-level teams are required to enter meeting agendas and minutes on a monthly basis using Indistar.• Meeting minutes should contain a summary of topics discussed during the meeting.• When reporting actions/decisions, meeting minutes should not include the names of specific individuals.• Minimum components:

• Indicators and tasks discussed• Student data reviewed• Decisions made as a result of reviewing improvement plan tasks and student data

• Meeting minutes do not serve as a substitute for entering status comments into the monitoring section of a school improvement plan.• Agendas and meeting minutes are subject to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).

Agendas and Meeting Minutes Reminders

Meeting agendas and meeting minutes will be maintained in Indistar® using the tools provided for planning and entering information.

Next Steps

School Team

• The school staff should assess a maximum of 20 indicators (10 required indicators and up to 10 optional indicators).

• The school leadership team should discuss the results of the assessment of indicators with the member of the division leadership team that is assigned to the school.

• The school leadership team should conduct a meeting and enter the agenda and meeting minutes into the Indistar® planning tool.

• The school principal will upload a copy of the parent notification letter into the Indistar® Document Upload located on the dashboard by November 1, 2013.

• The school leadership team will view the Session 2 and the Targeted Interventions videos posted on the Indistar® webpage on the VDOE website.

Division Team

• The division leadership team should conduct a meeting regarding the focus schools and enter the agenda and meeting minutes into the Indistar® planning tool.

• The assigned member of the division leadership team will review the assessment of indicators with the school improvement team.

• The division leadership team will view the Session 2 and the Targeted Interventions videos posted on the Indistar® webpage on the VDOE website.

Next webinar: Session 2 – November 14, 2013

Thank you. You’ve been a great audience.

For technical assistance please contact:Dr. Yvonne A. Holloman at 804-225-2064 or

yvonne.holloman@doe.virginia.gov