Statewide Systems of Support Oregon School Improvement Facilitators Carol Larson, Willamette ESD Christina Reagle, Oregon Dept. of Education

Mandated by federal law NCLB - SEC SCHOOL SUPPORT AND RECOGNITION. (a) SYSTEM FOR SUPPORT.— (1) IN GENERAL.—Each State shall establish a statewide system of intensive and sustained support and improvement for local educational agencies and schools receiving funds under this part, in order to increase the opportunity for all students served by those agencies and schools to meet the State’s academic content standards and student academic achievement standards.

US Federal School Improvement Section 1003 Federal perspective: Improving schools is a joint responsibility for schools, local educational agencies (LEAs), and State educational agencies (SEAs).

Reinforced by Oregon Education Performance Standard #10 All districts will demonstrate progress towards closing achievement gap between high- and low-performing children, especially the achievement gaps between minority and non- minority students, and between disadvantaged children and their more advantaged peers, so that student performance cannot be predicted by ethnicity, gender, family income, disabling condition or other socio-economic classification.

HB 3184 mandates ESDs to provide “core” services Section 3 (1) An education service district shall provide regionalized core services to component school districts. The goals of these services are: (a) meeting the requirements of state and federal law (b) improve student learning (c) enhance quality of instruction (d) provide professional development (e) ensure equitable access to resources

How law and standards plays out across the schools Classroom teacher student Schools implement Districts decide ESDs state mandated to provide TA ODE federally mandated to provide TA

Providing a system of support for school improvement for all of Oregon’s schools Schools In Improvement status Schools that do not make AYP for two years Schools that make AYP

All students to standards, all districts/schools successful… “The most promising strategy for sustained, substantive, school improvement is building capacity of school personnel to function as a professional learning community.” Doug Reeves, The Learning Leader, 2006

What is the Oregon School Improvement Facilitators program? The Oregon School Improvement Facilitators program is a collaborative effort between Oregon Department of Education and Oregon Association of Education Service Districts to provide a statewide system of support to Title 1-A schools who do not meet AYP targets.

Oregon School Improvement Facilitators … …are highly trained, distinguished educators who offer a neutral third party perspective that is often necessary for hard discussions to happen and new ideas to flow.

Comments from the field… “We used to have a lot of ideas and we did lots of things that were good, but weren’t necessarily focused. Now, she is there to ask us if this really fits with our goals and our plan for reaching all students.” Charan Cline, Middle School Principal

Oregon School Improvement Facilitators... Possess a record of successful school improvement Facilitate school improvement activities Help develop, implement, and monitor school improvement plans Coach/mentor adults in the building to increase their effectiveness

The many roles an OSIF can plays Coach Consultant Facilitator Mentor Staff developer

More comments from the field… “He is helping us get organized so that our school has a structure for school improvement!” Cynthia Richardson, High School Principal

Oregon School Improvement Facilitators use… Data Analysis They help determine specific areas of need, potential strategies, and the impact of school improvement efforts They provide guidance for collecting, reviewing, and dissecting multiple sources of formative and summative data

Oregon School Improvement Facilitators use … Research-Based Practices They review information to identify proven strategies to address data-determined needs Action Planning They assist with prioritizing needs and developing specific strategies, action steps, timelines, and performance measures to meet each need

Oregon School Improvement Facilitators use … Implementation and Monitoring They assist with enacting the action plan, reviewing progress of implementation and impact, and adjusting the plan as needed Resource Management They assist with coordinating available funds, personnel, time, and equipment in a way that’s aligned with the plan

Oregon School Improvement Facilitators use … Professional Development They assist with providing high-quality, job- embedded information, technical assistance, and support aimed at increasing staff knowledge and improving student achievement

More comments from the field… “You wouldn’t believe the data that she prepared for our site council. We wanted to see how we were performing compared to schools that were like us, and she showed us exactly what we needed to see.” Liz Ryan, Middle School Principal

What the School Does… Implements the strategies outlined in their school improvement plan Takes ownership of the implementation, monitoring, refinement and evaluation Works closely with district staff to ensure school improvement efforts are coordinated with the goals of district improvement efforts Provides adequate time to meet with the Oregon School Improvement Facilitators

What the School Does cont… Understands and supports the effort needed to improve student learning and achievement. Agrees to collaborate with the School Improvement Facilitator and provide access to staff as appropriate.

What the District Does… Communicates the district’s NCLB responsibility to the school and assists in explaining the role and purpose of the Oregon School Improvement Facilitator to the school staff Participates in the school improvement efforts as a partner with the school Agrees to attend two required meetings a year

What the District Does cont… Addresses barriers to school efforts by examining practices that limit flexibility or the effective implementation of successful reform strategies Provides reasonable allocations of staff release time and other resources to carry out the agreed-upon improvement plan

What the District Does cont… Agrees to view educational improvement in the short, medium and a long term Provides adaptive leadership Commits available resources, assistance and support Provides a district liaison that has authority to provide resources to schools as needed

What the ESD does… Partners in providing guidance, problem solving, and coordinating services Provides school improvement resources to the schools as appropriate Provides payroll oversight for Oregon School Improvement Facilitator services

What ODE does… Works in partnership with the ESDs to approve an Oregon School Improvement Facilitator with input from the District and school Works in partnership with the ESDs to provide overall direction for the Oregon School Improvement Facilitator program Approves all professional development and overall project goals as well as monitors progress

What ODE does cont… Maintains on-going contact with the ESD and the District Ensures overall goals and programs meet the NCLB requirements and the program is being implemented with fidelity

What is the cost? Coordinators work on behalf of their school an average of 8-9 hours per week for 35 weeks of the school year Identifying funding sources

Who do I contact? Carol Larson of Willamette ESD (503) Christina Reagle of ODE (503)