Unified Improvement Planning Sponsored by The Colorado Department of Education Version 1.4 Summer 2010

1. Unified Improvement Planning Sponsored by The Colorado Department of Education Version 1.4 Summer 2010

2. The New Planning Paradigm: Clarifying the legislatively defined planning terminology and the new Unified Improvement Planning Template for schools. Planning Processes and Tools: Engaging in collaborative inquiry to analyze data, identify needs, and identify root causes. State Review of Planning: Understand how school plans will be reviewed and review timelines. Overview

3. Materials

4. Agenda Changes in Improvement Planning Requirements Reviewing Current Status Gathering Data to support planning Data Analysis and Root Cause Identification Developing Action Plans State Review of Plans

5. Purposes of Improvement Planning • Facilitate school and district Performance Management -- anchor for Accountability 2.0 • Support school and district use of performance data to improve system effectiveness and student learning. • Provide a mechanism for external stakeholders to learn about how schools and districts are making improvements. • Meet state and federal accountability requirements (regardless of plan type assignment).

6. What School Planning Requirements will the Unified Improvement Plan Meet? • State accountability • Title I • Improvement Plan for schools on improvement, corrective action or restructuring • Targeted Assistance Plan* • Portions of Schoolwide Plan* • Some requirements may need to be included as addendums for Targeted Assistance and Schoolwide Plans.

7. Why Use the Unified Improvement Planning Template for Title I TA or SW Plans? • Reduce the number of plans • Align and focus your improvement efforts • Increase likelihood of more effective use of funds • Transition from planning as an “event” to “continuous improvement”

8. Which Schools Must Use the Unified Planning Template? • All schools are highly encouraged to use the template for 2010-2011. • For state accountability, schools that need to complete a “priority improvement” or “turnaround” plan must use the template. • For ESEA, Title I schools on Improvement, Corrective Action or Restructuring must use the template. • By 2011-2012 ALL schools must use the template.

9. Timeline • As a team, consider the timeline in the District Accountability Handbook for: • School Accreditation and Plan Submission • When will schools engage in improvement planning?

10. Planning Terminology • Consider the Appendix A: Colorado Educational Accountability System Terminology in the District Accountability Handbook (p. 23) • For each of the terms on this slide, prepare to explain the term to a colleague. • Terms: • Performance Indicator • Measure • Metric • Root Cause • Action Step • Interim Measure • Implementation Benchmark

11. Colorado Unified Planning Template for Schools Major Sections: • Summary Information about the school • Improvement Plan Information • Narrative on Data Analysis and Root Cause Identification • Action Plan(s)

12. Basic Steps in School Improvement Planning • Summary Information about the school II. Additional Information III. Narrative on Data Analysis and Root Cause Identification IV. Action Planning

13. Agenda Changes in Improvement Planning Requirements Reviewing Current Status Gathering Data to support planning Data Analysis and Root Cause Identification Developing Action Plans State Review of Plans

14. Performance Indicators Education Accountability Act of 2009 • Student Achievement • Student Academic Growth • Growth Gaps • Post-Secondary and Workforce Readiness In addition, ESEA (Title I) includes • Achievement Gaps by Disaggregated Groups • Participation

15. I. Summary Information about the school • Individually read: Review performance indicators, measures, and targets. • Consider the “Summary Information about the School” in the Colorado Improvement Planning Template. • Mark both using this legend: • ! = I got it, this makes sense. • ? = I could use some further clarification.

16. Where are the SMART Goals? Team discussion: • Consider the structure of performance indicators, measures, metrics and targets. • How is this similar to SMART Goals? • How is this different?

17. SMART Goals Performance Management Performance Indicators (Areas for Improvement) Measures (What we will use) Metrics (How we will use the measure) Targets (Answers when and defines good enough) • Strategic • Measurable • Attainable • Research-Based • Time-Bound

18. Where did you NOT meet expectations? • Consider each of the performance indicator areas for one or your schools. • Were there any performance indicators for which your school did not at least “meet” state expectations? • These areas would be identified on your pre-populated school improvement planning template.

19. Consider an example • School Performance Framework (high school example) • Section I of the corresponding school improvement planning template (pre-populated) Consider: • Where did this high school not meet state expectations? Federal Expectations? • How do these two documents work together?

20. II. Improvement Plan Information • Provides reviewers (and public) with additional context • Provides contact information if any questions arise

21. Agenda Changes in Improvement Planning Requirements Reviewing Current Status Gathering Data to support planning Data Analysis and Root Cause Identification Developing Action Plans State Review of Plans

22. Section III: Narrative on Data Analysis and Root Cause Identification Four Steps: • Gather and Organize Relevant Data • Analyze Trends in the Data and Identify Priority Needs • Root Cause Analysis • Create the Data Narrative • Data Analysis Worksheet (table) • Data Narrative for School (text box)

23. Multiple measures must be considered and used to understand the multifaceted world of learning from the perspective of everyone involved.-Victoria Bernhardt

24. To answer questions about performance: How has the school performed (trends and priority needs)? Why is school performance what it is (root causes)? To monitor school progress towards our targets (interim measures). To monitor implementation of improvement strategies (implementation benchmarks). For what do you use multiple data sources?

25. Section III, Step One: Gather and Organize Relevant Data • Individually read “Gather and Organize Relevant data”. • Consider the “Required reports.” and “Suggested data sources” • Do you know how to access the required reports? • Consider the Suggested data sources table. Highlight any data you currently collect within the district.

26. Agenda Changes in Improvement Planning Requirements Reviewing Current Status Gathering Data to support planning Data Analysis and Root Cause Identification Developing Action Plans State Review of Plans

27. Section III, Step Two: Analyze Trends and Identify Needs • Individually read Step 2: Analyze trends and identify needs. • Do a “whip around” at your table about the most important aspects of this step in the planning process.

28. Moving up the Data Continuum Brieter & Light, Light, Wexlar, Heinze, 2004

29. Clarify how good was good enough for each performance indicator (SPF). Interact with the data (measures) Highlight Create graphical representations Reorganize Look for patterns, things that pop out (trends). Brainstorm a list of facts (make observations) Prioritize observations. Turn observations into priority needs. Steps in Analyzing Data

30. How good is good enough? • State Performance Indicators: • School and District Performance Frameworks • State expectations defined for each performance indicator • Federal Performance Indicators: • Annual AYP Targets • See, “AYP Proficiency Targets and Safe Harbor”

31. Trends and Priority Needs • Trends must include at least 3 years of past data. • Priority needs must be identified for at least every performance indicator for which school performance did not meet state or federal expectations.

32. Section III, Step Three: Determine Root Causes • Read Step Three: Root Cause Analysis (in Basic Steps in the Improvement Planning Processes) • As a team/table group, consider the following questions: • Why is it important to identify root causes? • How will you know when you have identified a root cause?

33. Generating explanations (brainstorm) Categorize/ classify explanations Narrow (eliminate explanations over which you have no control) Prioritize Get to root cause Validate with other data Steps in Root Cause Analysis

34. Tools to Support Root Cause Analysis Steps in Root Cause Analysis: Tools to use for different steps: Potential questions to probe for Root Causes NA Narrowing Explanations Prioritizing Need Areas The Five Why’s Validate with Other Data • Generating explanations (brainstorm) • Categorize/ classify explanations • Narrow (eliminate explanations over which you have no control) • Prioritize • Get to root cause • Validate with other data

35. Ask the key questions for identifying whether a cause is a root cause: Would the problem have occurred if the cause had not been present? Will the problem reoccur if the cause is corrected or dissolved? Will correction of dissolution of the cause lead to similar events? Did we get to root causes?

36. Non-examples of Root Causes • What is NOT a root cause? • Student attributes (poverty level) • Student motivation • Brainstorm a few ideas with your table team of explanations that might appear to be root causes but don’t qualify. • Share three with whole group

37. Section III, Part 4 • Data Narrative • Narrative Description of: • Trend Analysis and Priority Needs • Root Cause Analysis • Verification of Root Cause • Tell the story of your data.

38. Agenda Changes in Improvement Planning Requirements Reviewing Current Status Gathering Data to support planning Data Analysis and Root Cause Identification Developing Action Plans State Review of Plans

39. Two Concurrent Planning Steps • Ensuring future activities are headed in the proper direction: • Clarifying annual targets • Identifying interim measures and associated targets. • Identifying Major Improvement Strategies • Action steps • Timeline • Resources • Implementation Benchmarks

40. Action Planning • Consider the Action Planning section of the Basic Steps in Improvement Planning. Form a triad, assign A, B, C • Read your section: • A = School Goals Worksheet: Establish Annual Targets and Interim Measures • B = Identify Major Improvement Strategies and Implementation Benchmarks • C= Monitor Progress • Share: major ideas, local connections

41. Clarify Annual Targets • In ESEA performance indicator areas, annual targets have been set (See AYP Proficiency Targets and Safe Harbor). • Schools and districts will need to set annual targets for the Education Accountability Act of 2009 performance indicator areas (considering state expectations). • Annual targets should reflect current trends/needs as well as the desired end-point.

42. Interim Measures • Interim measures must also be identified in each performance indicator area for which improvement is needed. • Interim measures allow you to track your progress during the year.

43. Identifying Interim Measures Consider your local data sources: • What data do you have available that will allow you to track progress towards your annual targets in each performance indicator area? • When will it be available? How will school stakeholders use it? • What additional data is needed to monitor progress towards your targets?

44. Major Improvement Strategies • Respond to root causes of the problems you are attempting to remedy. • Action steps are smaller activities that fit within larger major improvement strategies. • Strategies and Action Steps must be associated with resources (people, time, money).

45. Implementation Benchmarks • What is the difference between interim measures and implementation benchmarks? • How will you know your major improvements strategies (and aligned action steps) have been implemented? • What will you monitor? • Consider your local data sources • Set a calendar for when you will look at the implementation benchmarks.

46. Agenda Changes in Improvement Planning Requirements Reviewing Current Status Gathering Data to support planning Data Analysis and Root Cause Identification Developing Action Plans State Review of Plans

47. What School Plans will be reviewed by the State? • The state will NOT review all school plans. • Based on SB09-163, the state will review: • Priority Improvement Plans • Turnaround Plans • Based on ESEA, the state will: • Monitor districts to determine if school plans are in place (e.g., desk review, onsite visits) • This includes schoolwide plans, targeted assistance plans and school improvement/corrective action/ restructuring plans.

48. Who Will Review School Plans? • Districts are expected to review all school plans. Local school boards must adopt priority improvement and turnaround plans.  The principal and superintendent (or his designee) must adopt school performance and improvement plans.  • A state review panel appointed by the commissioner will review all state required turnaround plans. • The state review panel MAY review priority improvement plans. • District must use peer review if school is on Title I Improvement, Corrective Action or Restructuring within 45 days of submittal.

49. What criteria will be used to review plans? • Checklist for State Accountability • Checklist for Title I Schoolwide Programs • Checklist for Title I Targeted Assistance Programs • Checklist of ESEA Requirements for School Improvement, Corrective Action and Restructuring Plans

50. How will school plans be reviewed? • Consider the “Process for Reviewing School Priority Improvement and Turnaround Plans” • Consider the Title I requirements, including checklists for TA and SW programs. • With your team/table group discuss: • What are the critical steps in this review process? • Do we have any clarifying questions about how this review process will work?