School Improvement Grants (SIG) Orientation for District Leadership Teams July 26, 2011 Office of School Recovery Dr. Kim S. Benton, Bureau Manager Mississippi Department of Education

2 SIG Orientation for District Leadership Teams Agenda SIG Implementation in Mississippi School Improvement Grant 1003 (g) Core Elements – Federal Guidance & Requirements – Performance Based Compensation Report – Grant Management / Procurement – Performance Frameworks Office of School Recovery: Resources and Responsibilities – Technical Assistance – Monitoring – Accountability Next Steps – Planning as District Teams 2

At the end of the session… Know What Know How Know You Can 3 Successfully Implement your School Improvement Model / Plan

4 School Improvement Grants 1003(g) 4 The School Improvement Grant 1003 (g) (SIG) program provides unprecedented federal funds to local schools for the purpose of implementing intensive school improvement interventions.

Conditions for Funding School districts must initiate bold school reform by implementing one of three intervention models Turnaround Transformation Closure Continuation of funding is contingent upon a school’s performance in meeting annual benchmarks 5

6 School Improvement Grants in Mississippi 6 Mississippi distributed $33 million in competitive School Improvement Grants in ClarksdaleW A Higgins MiddleIITransformation HazlehurstHazlehurst MiddleIITransformation HazlehurstHazlehurst HighITransformation Claiborne County Port Gibson HighIITransformation Leflore CountyLeflore County HighIITransformation JacksonWingfield HighITransformation IndianolaGentry HighIITransformation North PanolaNorth Panola HighIITransformation DistrictSchoolTierModel

7 School Improvement Grants in Mississippi 7 This year, , Mississippi received an additional $7.4 million dollars when combined with previous award’s carryover, $19 million is available to award to eligible schools. Two phases of competition held for this year’s grants. Applications received for this year’s competition: Round 1 – 14 applications, 6 proceeded to interview stage Round applications, 8 proceeded to interview stage

Approved by the State Board of Education in May DistrictSchoolTierModel ClarksdaleClarksdale High School IITransformation HollandaleSanders ElementaryITransformation IndianolaCarver Upper Elementary ITransformation SunflowerRuleville Middle School ITurnaround Tate CountyColdwater Attendance Center IITransformation Round One Awards

Approved by the State Board of Education in July DistrictSchoolTierModel HollandaleSimmons High SchoolIITransformation Holmes County Williams Sullivan Elementary ITurnaround Kemper County West Kemper Elementary ITransformation OkolonaOkolona High SchoolIITransformation West Bolivar County West Bolivar Middle School ITransformation Round One Awards

TurnaroundRestart Closure Transformati on School Change Strategies

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

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

13 Financial Incentives / Performance Based Compensation 13 Sample Board Policies and Resources to Support the Implementation of Financial Incentives that are based on Student Performance Outcomes Scott Lewis, IMPACT Mississippi Education Consulting, LLC. LLC 5211 Old Highway 11 Hattiesburg, MS (601)

14 Grant Management, Procurement, & SIG Amendments 14 Linda Reeves, CPA Bureau Director for SIG Finance Office of School Recovery

Annual Grant Renewal While all grants are funded for three full years, there is an annual grant renewal process with continued funding contingent upon each school meeting established goals or on a trajectory to do so, as they implement rigorous interventions. School personnel are required to engage in continuous data analysis to drive their school improvement efforts. 15

16 Performance Metrics Leading 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. 16

17 Performance Metrics 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 17

QDI125 – At Risk of Failing AYP StatusMet Highly Qualified Teachers85% Average Daily Attendance th Grade Language43% Proficient or Above 5 th Grade Math51% Proficient or Above ACT18.5 % Graduation Rate (4 Year) Data Paints a Picture of a School What does this data tell you? Source: Blair Land, Meridian Public Schools

What Picture Does this Data Paint? QDI115 – At Risk of Failing125 – At Risk of Failing AYP StatusNot MetMet Highly Qualified Teachers81%85% Average Daily Attendance th Grade Language37% Proficient or Above48% Proficient or Above 5 th Grade Math53% Proficient or Above51% Proficient or Above ACT18.5 %18.1 % Graduation Rate (4 Year) Source: Blair Land, Meridian Public Schools

Know What Know How Know You Can 20 To Successfully Implement your School Improvement Model / Plan

Role of the Mississippi Department of Education in the Implementation Process 21 Technical Assistance Monitoring Accountability

Technical Assistance Enhanced Technical Assistance : With an emphasis on capacity building, we provide districts access to resources to support high-quality implementation, on-site technical assistance by educators experienced in school improvement, and training opportunities that promote collaboration with other SIG schools. Specific TA includes: – Monthly site visits by Implementation Specialists to provide differentiated assistance to support implementation of the intervention model and the school’s specific School Improvement Plan – Professional Development Institutes in response to LEA requests: Instructional Coaching, Performance Based Compensation, Grant Management, and Students with Disabilities Institutes 22

Technical Assistance Implementation Tools – Implementation Guidelines / Examples of Implementation Evidence – External Provider Questionnaires – Performance Metric Tools – Electronic updates and communications – Research reports focused on school improvement – Meeting templates, media presentations, and activities to replicate with LEA stakeholder groups and/or in professional learning communities – Ongoing collaboration with national / regional/local educational organizations – USDE sponsored SIG On-line Collaboratively Learning – Participation in USDE sponsored training sessions – Website Resources

Working as a district team, review the Guidelines for Implementation.  Can you identify all of the federal requirements for your specific intervention model within the document?  How will you use this document as a technical assistance and/or monitoring resource at the district level and the school level? 24 Guidelines for Implementation

Monitoring Rigorous Monitoring by MDE: Gauging school and district progress in implementing the transformational model by: – Informational Meetings / Implementation Checks with External Partners – Monthly site visits by MDE Implementation Specialists to monitor implementation fidelity of the intervention model and individual school’s School Improvement Plan – Quarterly monitoring of expenditures/ ARRA reporting – Semi-annual on-line implementation reports to MDE ( ) – Annual SIG Monitoring visits by an external team – Increased emphasis on effectiveness of implementation- increased learning, professional development, summer programs, technology resources, school climate, data driven focus, instruction, use of grant funds / amendment requests 26

Accountability Greater Transparency and Accountability: Schools are expected to communicate School Improvement goals, SIG transformation requirements, and progress in meeting goals to all stakeholders – staff, parents, students, and community members throughout the implementation process. Other methods for ensuring transparency: – Posting of SIG plan on district and MDE websites – Posting of Request for Proposals (RFP) for services over $25,000 to encourage competition – Monthly updates are provided to MS State Board of Education – Annual Grant Renewal – Participation in a national research study conducted by USDE and external research agencies ( ) – Formal MDE Monitoring of all schools Spring

28  How will the district provide consistent, high quality technical assistance to the principal and school leadership team?  How will the district continuously monitor the school’s implementation of the SIG plan?  What data will be collected and used to monitor progress? When will it be collected and reviewed? Collected and reviewed by whom?  How will the district evaluate the effectiveness of implementation?  What are the roles and responsibilities of the district leadership team, school leadership team, principal, and district school improvement specialist ? Technical Assistance / Monitoring by District and School Leadership Teams

You Have the Grant Now What... Create a culture of high expectations and collegiality within the building – I Believe … that school should teach... A good school is one that... A successful student should be able to... An effective classroom is one where... An effective central office team is one that... An effective school faculty is one that... An effective grade level/ department is one that... A quality instructional program includes... – Capturing the School’s Culture in a Song What song describes our school’s culture? “Don’t Fence Me In”, “Yesterday”, “I Will Survive”, “We Are the Champions”, “Hard Day’s Night”, “I Heard it Through the Grapevine”, “Respect”, “It Don’t Come Easy”, “Living La Vida Loco”, “Moving on Up a Little Higher”, “ I Believe”, “ Bad to the Bone”, “We are Family”, “9 to 5”, “Anticipation”, “I Can’t Get No Satisfaction”, “Wind Beneath Our Wings”, “Lean on Me”, “Ain’t No Stopping Us Now”, “The Hero is in You”, “The Long and Winding Road”, “Eight Days a Week” If the staff comes up with mostly negative songs, discuss songs/ themes they would like to represent the school’s culture. How do WE change it?

You Have the Grant Now... Know your SIG plan and grant renewal application “Know What”, “Know How”, “Know that it is Done” Share the plan and promote ownership with everyone Form a strong leadership team and let them assist in the change process Establish a formal, non-negotiable system for monitoring implementation of improvement initiatives, instructional programs, and effective instruction (resources, programs, increased learning, external provider services, PLCs, family/community engagement) Participate in school and district leadership meetings to ensure that support and internal monitoring systems are functioning effectively Look for evidence of implementation; positive changes in school climate and instruction 30

You Have the Grant Now... Assist when you identify implementation deficiencies Own your data and develop a monitoring system for all SIG reporting metrics(interim assessments, data analysis) Hire highly qualified personnel to support school improvement / quality instruction Issue purchases / RFPs in a timely manner Develop a formal process for communicating, monitoring, and evaluating external provider services (e.g. “Round Tables”, criteria for effectiveness, follow-up of reports) Follow-up with reports from external providers and MDE Implementation Specialists 31

You Have the Grant Now... Utilize MDE provided resources (website, federal guidance, supplemental materials, training materials) Collaborate with one another and with Office of School Recovery staff Address all federal and state SIG requirements in accordance with timelines Complete and submit reports to MDE as requested Address any findings from the MDE monitoring report Implement your plan and instructional programs with fidelity - not a shelf document, but a “living “ SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT PLAN Don’t let the things the matter the most be sacrificed for the things that matter the least. When considering bold, relentless school improvement, what should matter the most? what should matter the most? 32

Know What Know How Know You Can 33 Successfully Implement your School Improvement Model / Plan

34 “I came to Washington because I believe in education. I know that change is possible. I know we have the talent and the ideas to succeed. The only question is whether we have the courage to do what’s right for kids. We’ve seen what happens when caution trumps courage. Nothing changes and kids lose. But we’ve also seen the opposite – where bold leaders have fought the status quo.” Arne Duncan, United States Secretary of Education, 6/22/09

Where are our Schools in the Implementation Process? Indicators of Progress: – Sense of Urgency and Accountability for Results is becoming increasingly evident – External Service Providers/Partners have been selected through competitive practices – Intensive job-embedded professional development and coaching to build the capacity of teachers and administrators – Increased collaboration within grade levels and content areas – Increased learning time for students and teachers(extended days and/or year and summer institutes) – Instruction is more focused, rigorous, and aligned to standards – Staff members are becoming more confident with data driven decision making 35

School Improvement Grants … Staying the Course to Make SIGnificant Improvements in Mississippi Schools! 36 Dr. Kim S. Benton, Bureau Manager Office of School Recovery Mississippi Department of Education