Focused Monitoring: The District Improvement Plan Process-- Tips for Improvement Planning Lessons Learned from the 2007-2009 District Improvement Plans.

Focused Monitoring: The District Improvement Plan Process--Tips for Improvement PlanningLessons Learned from the 2007-2009 District Improvement Plans

July 2008Special Education Directors’ Conference

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Review Sections I and II of the sample plan• Do the strategies and

activities of the action plan flow logically from the data and analysis?

• If you were a teacher in this district, would you know your role in this plan?

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Updated Resources for 2008

For the latest resources includingplanning guidessample planspresentations

See http://www.isbe.net/sos/htmls/improvement_process.htm

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Let’s Celebrate!

• Feedback for all who submitted plans for 2007!

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Targeted Feedback

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Tools for a specific endLess Red Tape and More Learning

What’s the impact of a system of support—with school and district plans as central documents with

Minimized hoop-jumping

Focused planning on – the key audience and– the overall “good sense” the plan

Will these improvement plans lead to improved student achievement?

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Harsh Realities

1. “Perfect” plans ≠ improved student

achievement

2. Plans are required by NCLB and state law

3. Clear and critical need to focus on learning

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““Winning”Winning” Plans

• Measurable• Implemented with fidelity• Monitored

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You may be asking yourself: “Am I required to submit a plan NOW?”

Yes, you need to submit a revised plan if both the following are true.

My school/district is in academic status.

I do not have a locally board approved plan submitted in the template for 2007 at the Interactive Illinois Report Card site.

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When must the plan based on 2008 data be submitted?

For plans in response to Academic Status

District Improvement 90 days

School Improvement 135 days

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For plans required as part of the Title III grant application(This may be the same plan as in

response to academic status.)

Current district improvement plans are required with Title III grant applications June 30 every year. ISBE can not approve these grants without the district improvement plans.

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For plans required in response to special education compliance monitoring

You may modify your existing improvement plan

Revisions to the plan must be made in consultation with special education monitoring staff.

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How?

All plans submitted via the Interactive Illinois Report Card

http://iirc.niu.edu

Your area RESPRO, Title III, or special education consultant can assist in completing these plans.

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E-Plans User Names and Passwords

They are not changed annually

Need yours? email gbuoy@isbe.net.

Still not getting in? You may need to back out of the browser and reenter the username and password.

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Sample login screen

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On-line resources at the Interactive Illinois Report Card (IIRC)

Guides –description of required content. Templates—interactive screens with the

language of the guide and directionsMonitoring prompts—ISBE’s checklist for

feedback

Schools access school plans at the school dashboard.

Districts access all types of plans at the district main menu.

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Lessons Learned from the Best PlansThe best plans foster little doubt that the plan

will be implemented

• Strong relationship between the data, strategies/activities, and monitoring process

• Detailed roles, responsibilities, expectations

• Critical changes in classroom practice

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The Huge Assumption-plan implementation

What do users of the plan have to know to be able to implement the plan with fidelity and monitor progress?

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Tip 1: Write for the Right Audience

The primary audience for the plan is the user—those who will implement this plan.

Other audiences--PlannersReviewersWider community

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Tip 2: Look Beyond AYP

Report Card and other data are more than AYP deficiencies

See the monitoring prompt

Strengths and weaknesses

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Tip 3: Take Care to Consider the Factors Contributing to Achievement

What’s contributing to your progress?

Are these factors internal or external?

Are you blaming the kids?

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What’sCoarse and fine grain Coarse and fine grain

internal factorsinternal factors

What’s preventing students from learning?

school culture doesn’t foster shared responsibility for all kids’ learning

Supplemental support is weak or not rigorous

Failure to use the intended curriculum by all staff for all kids

Teachers do not have adequate coaching or support to implement strategies

“mile wide and inch deep curriculum”Teachers aren’t

clear about what’s expected in classrooms

Instruction doesn’t span cognitive levels

Insufficient teacher learning/team time

School culture doesn’t reflect “rigor, relevance, relationship”

Kids don’t have equitable access to the curriculum

Kids aren’t in the least restrictive educational environment

Teachers need ELL training

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Tip 4: Be Specific and Thorough

Is the plan specific enough? Does the action plan

sufficiently address the areas where improvement is needed?

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Tip 5: Focus and Coordinate Strategies and ActivitiesObjective Statements

Measurable Minimally in terms of AYPMay be global

Use the objective page to outline strategies, if you’d like.

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While the current achievement in math for students with disabilities subgroup is 24.5% meeting/exceeding for ISAT, this subgroup will make AYP of at least 62.5% in 2008 and 70% in 2009 or Safe Harbor.

Strategies:1 double block math instruction2 coaching for math staff3 student and staff review of student

work4 beef up test taking skills5 progress monitoring to drive

instruction

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Tip 6: Focus on Student Learning

Strategies for students necessary to meet the objective– necessary for staff– necessary for parents– Effecting change at the classroom

What about on-going strategies and activities?or strategies for global objectives?

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Improvement Planning—ongoing work

• Working towards improvement

• Coordinating efforts• Measuring progress• Keeping the big picture in

sight

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Note from the field…

Has the planning process been “hoop jumping?”

“It is definitely not an administrative hoop. It has given me a much clearer focus and I have already used the document at my Curriculum Committee Meetings to try to keep my staff focused on the big picture….”

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Sample Plans

While no plan is perfect, planners can learn lots from models and we have good plans to share.

Time will tell how good

See sample 2007 plans at: http://www.isbe.net/sos/htmls/improvement_process.htm

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Section II – Objective addressing deficiencies and an action plan that spans two years (2008-2010)

Section III – All itemsSection IV – Board Approval - Submitted to IIRC

“SHOW STOPPERS”

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For assistanceContact your area RESPROhttp://www.isbe.net/sos/pdf/respro_contacts.pdf

ISBE Agency Directory http://webprod1.isbe.net/isbedir/default.aspx

The Interactive Illinois Report Cardeplans@niu.edu(815) 753-0978

Julie Evans Carol Diedrichsenjevans@isbe.net cdiedric@isbe.net