School Improvement Grant Information for Board Members January 22, 2014 Linda C. Reeves Bureau Director Office of School Recovery.

School Improvement Grant Information for Board Members

January 22, 2014

Linda C. ReevesBureau Director

Office of School Recovery

MS Department of Education Office of School Recovery

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School Improvement Grant (1003g) Overview

The School Improvement Grants (SIG) program is authorized by section 1003(g) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA). States are to provide sub-grants to local educational agencies for the purpose of providing assistance for school improvement.

An SEA must ―give priority to the local educational agencies with the lowest-achieving schools that demonstrate:

A. the greatest need for such funds; and B. the strongest commitment to ensuring that funds are used to

substantially raise student achievement and meet the goals.

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Transforming Our

Schools

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Schools Eligible To Apply

All FY 2012-13 Priority Are Eligible To Apply• A. W. James E.S.-Sunflower Co.• Ashland E.S.-Benton• B. E. Woolfolk M.S.-Yazoo City• Coahoma A.H.S.• Coldwater Att. Center-Tate Co.• D. M. Smith M.S.-Cleveland• Dexter H.S.–Walthall Co.• Forest Hill H.S.-J.P.S• Gentry H.S.-Indianola• Green E.S.-J.P.S• Hazlehurst H.S.-Hazlehurst• Hazlehurst M.S.-Hazlehurst• Hinds County A.H.S.• Jefferson Upper E.S.-Jefferson• Leflore Co. E.S.-Leflore Co.• Leflore Co. H.S.-Leflore Co.• Leland School Park-Leland

• Nailor E.S.-Cleveland• North Panola H.S.-North Panola• O. M. McNair E.S.-Humphreys Co.• Okolona E.S.-Okolona• Okolona H.S.-Okolona• Port Gibson M.S.- Claiborne Co.• Provine H.S.-J.P.S.• Rosa Fort H.S.-Tunica Co.• Shannon H.S.-Lee Co.• Tylertown Primary-Walthall Co.• Velma Jackson H.S.-Madison Co.• West Bolivar M.S.-West Bolivar• West Oktibbeha H.S.-Oktibbeha Co.• West Point H.S.-West Point• Wingfield H.S.-J.P.S• Yazoo City H.S.-Yazoo City


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Who Will Receive The Grants?

• Awards to Schools with the Greatest Need and Greatest Commitment for Change

• LEA that agrees to implement one of four rigorous interventions models and demonstrates the capacity to fully implement

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How much?

• Identified schools can qualify for $50,000 - $2,000,000 per year per school

• Grants allocation is renewable for up to two (2) additional years

• Between 2 and 8 schools will receive grants

• Grant period ends September 2017January 22, 2014


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Annual Grant Renewal

Funding for years 2 and 3 is contingent upon each school meeting established goals or on a clear trajectory to do so.

School personnel must engage in continuous data analysis to drive their school improvement efforts.

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Recognizing the Sense of Urgency, the District Must Take Bold Steps

• Core district leaders and the school board must decide on an improvement effort that will lead to rapid gains and transform the school.

MS Department of Education Office of School RecoveryJanuary 22, 2014

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Recognizing the Sense of Urgency, the District Must Take Bold Steps

• District expectations and the core message is clearly communicated multiple times and in multiple formats.

• Who should “Drive” the transformation?• The driving force behind school improvement

will be the School Board, Superintendent, Principals, School Improvement Officer with support from district level leaders and departments.


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Rapidly Improving Districts and Schools Have….

• Strategically allocated human and fiscal resources to support teaching and learning.

• Restructured district and/or school functions, policies and procedures to support district and school improvement efforts.

• Communicated a vision for school improvement with specific measurable goals.

• Established a focus on equity, equal access, and shared responsibility.


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• Established a system to coordinate and monitor all school improvement initiatives to determine program effectiveness.

• Aligned pacing guides, assessments and lesson plans with state curriculum frameworks and grade level proficiency standards.

• Data collection and analysis processes in place that drive all instructional decisions.


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• Taken advantage of internal and external expertise to build the staff’s capacity to deliver quality instruction through job embedded professional development and instructional coaching opportunities.

• Engaged teachers and principals in continuous problem solving related to teaching and learning / instructional improvement (SHARED DECISION MAKING).

• Focused on improving relationships among adults and among adults and students.


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• Fostered an environment that builds positive attitudes, trust, respect, open dialogue, and a willingness to change.

• Kept the focus on “First Things First” – whatever it takes to improve and for our children to ATTAIN proficiency.

• Developed a school culture where shared responsibility and accountability for results permeate the school.– Business as Usual has been redefinedMS Department of Education

Office of School RecoveryJanuary 22, 2014

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The Bottom Line for the District

• clear, transparent, timely, and unwavering.Communication about serious school reform

must be:

• unified• equipped to explain the brutal facts as well as a clear

vision of what will be better for students

District leaders and boards must be:

Communication with the media must be:

Communication with stakeholders must

include:

• systematic and intentional•proactive•well-executed

•multiple, face-to-face contacts with many people

Source : NNSSIL by Center on Innovation & Improvement and Council of Chief State School Officers

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THE four Intervention

Models

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Transformation Model

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TRANSFORMATION THEORY OF ACTION


Existing configuration of leadership and instructional personnel has not created a learning environment in which students are succeeding…

To dramatically change the environment for the benefit of the children currently enrolled in the school, the adults must change…

Under transformation, change entails literal change of leadership as well as behavioral change by instructional personnel

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Teachers and Leaders

• Replace principal• Implement new

evaluation system• Developed with

staff• Uses student

growth as a significant factor

• Identify and reward staff who are increasing student outcomes; support and then remove those who are not

• Implement strategies to recruit, place and retain staff

Instructional and Support Strategies

• Select and implement an instructional model based on student needs

• Provide job-embedded professional development designed to build capacity and support staff

• Ensure continuous use of data to inform and differentiate instruction

Time and Support

• Provide increased learning time• Staff and students

• Provide ongoing mechanism for community and family engagement

• Partner to provide social-emotional and community-oriented services and supports

Governance

• Provide sufficient operating flexibility to implement reform

• Ensure ongoing technical assistance

TRANSFORMATION MODEL


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COMPETENCIES OF A TRANSFORMATION LEADER/ PRINCIPAL

Driving for Results – the transformation leader’s strong desire to achieve outstanding results and the task-oriented actions required for success.

Influencing for Results – motivating others and influencing their thinking and behavior to obtain results. Transformation leaders cannot accomplish change alone, but instead must rely on the work of others.

Problem Solving – including analysis of data to inform decisions; making clear, logical plans that people can follow; and ensuring a strong connection between school learning goals and classroom activity.

Showing Confidence to Lead – staying visibly focused, committed, and self-assured despite the barrage of personal and professional attacks common during turnarounds.

Source: Public Impact (2008). School Turnaround Leaders: Competencies for Success.


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If you try to change a school without understanding it, you will fail.

Source: NNSSIL by Center on Innovation & Improvement and Council of Chief State School Officers

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The Right Turnaround Leader Will

Communicate an honest, compelling vision of where we are and where we can and will be

Drive for Results

• Vivid picture of what success will look like• What the changes will mean for students• Set specific learning goals rather than vague promises• Monitor student performance and program implementation using with

multiple, disaggregated data sources

“Being very specific about required steps and the necessary actions to carry them out helps capable staff members make the change, and puts those who do not change on notice” (Kowal, Rosch, Hassel, & Hassel, 2009, p. 19).


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The school leader must embody the vision as well as dedication to the

work that will ensure a better education for students.

“Walk the Talk”


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The Vision is Non-Negotiable

Support the vision with sound data

Engage everyone in a “culture of candor”

Make objective decisions about personnel with:• Clear expectations• Data about each person’s demonstration of effective practice• Data about learning outcomes for students

“Being very specific about required steps and the necessary actions to carry them out helps capable staff members make the change, and puts those who do not change on notice” (Kowal, Rosch, Hassel, & Hassel, 2009, p. 19).Source: NNSSIL by Center on Innovation & Improvement and Council of Chief State School Officers

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25January 22, 2014 MS Department of Education Office of School Recovery

“One of the leader’s most important initial

actions in a turnaround is to clarify for all employees what ‘success’ will be and what is needed to get there” (Kowal et al., 2009, p. 12).

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Turnaround Model

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Teachers and Leaders

• Replace principal• Use locally adopted

“turnaround” competencies to review and select staff for school (rehire no more than 50% of existing staff)

• Implement strategies to recruit, place and retain staff

Instructional and Support Strategies

• Select and implement an instructional model based on student needs

• Provide job-embedded PD designed to build capacity and support staff

• Ensure continuous use of data to inform and differentiate instruction

Time and Support

• Provide increased learning time• Staff and students

• Provide ongoing mechanism for community and family engagement

• Partner to provide social-emotional and community-oriented services and supports

Governance

• New governance structure

• Grant operating flexibility to school leader

• Ensure ongoing technical assistance

TURNAROUND MODEL


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Restart Model

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Restart

Restart model is one in which an LEA converts a school or closes and reopens

a school under a charter school operator, a charter management

organization (CMO), or an education management organization (EMO) that has been selected through a rigorous

review process.

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Restart

• A restart model must enroll, within the grades it serves, any former student who wishes to attend the school.

• A rigorous review process could take such things into consideration as an applicant’s team, track record, instructional program, model’s theory of action, sustainability.

• As part of this model, a state must review the process the LEA will use/has used to select the partner.

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Closure Model

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School Closure Model

School closure occurs when an LEA closes a school and enrolls the

students who attended that school in other schools in the LEA that are

higher achieving.

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School Closure Model

• These other schools should be within reasonable proximity to the closed school and may include, but are not limited to, charter schools or new schools for which achievement data are not yet available.

• Office for Civil Rights Technical Assistance Module—Struggling Schools and School Closure Issues: An Overview of Civil Rights Considerations

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Performance MeasuresLeading Indicators• Number of minutes within the school year and school day;• Student participation rate on State assessments in reading/language arts

and in mathematics, by student subgroup; • Dropout rate;• Student attendance rate;• Number and percentage of students completing advanced coursework

(e.g., AP/IB), early-college high schools, or dual enrollment classes;• Discipline incidents;• Truants;• Distribution of teachers by performance level on an LEA’s teacher

evaluation system; and• Teacher attendance rate.

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Performance Measures

Achievement Indicators (Lagging Indicators)• Percentage of students at or above proficiency level on State assessments in

reading/language arts and mathematics, by both grade level , and by student subgroup;

• Average scale score on State assessments in reading/language arts and mathematics, by grade, for the “all students” group, for each achievement quartile, and for each subgroup;

• Percentage of limited English proficient students who attain English language proficiency;

• School improvement status and AYP targets met and missed; • College enrollment rates; and • Graduation rate.

Continuous Analysis of Benchmarks of Progress by Schools and Districts

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Expectations

• Fully and completely implement the chosen intervention model

• Implementation of sustainable initiatives• DO WHAT IS RIGHT FOR CHILDREN

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Are you ready to embrace the challenge?

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Support and encourage your LEA to Apply for the SIG

Grant

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The Children of your community are counting on you

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Contact

Mississippi Department of EducationOffice of School Recovery

601-359-1003 Phone 601-576-3515 Fax

Dr. Laura B. Jones, Bureau Manager [email protected]

Linda C. Reeves, Bureau Director [email protected]

Chris Norwood, Staff Officer [email protected]

January 22, 2014

mailto:[email protected]



School Improvement Grant Information for Board Members January 22, 2014 Linda C. Reeves Bureau Director Office of School Recovery.

Documents

school board

school personnel

school improvement efforts

school grants allocation

hazlehurst hazlehurst

s hazlehurst

okolona okolona

schools eligible