1. Putting the pieces together
State of Turnaround
Putting the pieces together

2. Putting the Pieces Together
Assess
Create and Implement
Monitor and Adjust
Theory of Action for Improving Schools and Districts

3. Creating a System If not, what are we going to do about it?
What are we trying to do?
Theory of Action
How are we planning to do it (Including Who)?
Assess
Create and Implement
At any given point, how do we know whether we are on track?
Monitor and Adjust
If not, what are we going to do about it?

4. Key Questions Helps identify most critical barriers?
Tough questions asked?
Creative problem-solving?
Encourages learning?
Clear area of focus?
Shared view of performance?
Focus on most important aspects
Buy-in to purpose and preparedness?
Clear roles and responsibilities?
Participants come prepared?
High-quality materials?
Well facilitated?
Clear next steps?
Happens regularly enough?
Right people present?

5. The How: Establishing and Differentiating a System
Goal 1. Foster relationships, resource sharing, and comprehensive planning across divisions and levels for the purpose of creating a shared vision for meeting technical assistance needs of districts and schools identified for improvement.
Goal 2.Use data to identify and differentiate the needs of districts and schools identified for improvement so that appropriate assistance can be delivered to address these needs.
Goal 3. Design and use ongoing job-embedded, professional development that helps district leaders build effective practice in schools identified for improvement
Goal 4. Make ongoing decisions based on learning and implementation to inform the system and continuous feedback

6. Cross Agency Support
Foster relationships, resource sharing, and comprehensive planning across divisions
Identify the right people across levels
Create regularity and routines
Well facilitated meetings w/high-quality material
Participants come prepared
Clear next steps, clear roles and responsibilities

7. Data Driven Decision Making
Establish and implement routines for providing feedback and making decisions
Assign and calibrate data – leading and lagging indicators
Establish routines for gathering and analyzing available data
Collaborate on assessment and planning Opportunities (i.e. Needs Assessment/District Readiness)
Use data to identify and differentiate the needs of districts and schools identified for improvement

8. Professional Learning
Design and use ongoing job-embedded, professional development that helps district/school leaders:
Identify competencies
Access training
Practice-related tools

9. State Example
Across the system

10. Improved Outcomes for ALL Students
Our Current Context
EBPs/EIIs
Complex environment
Improved Outcomes for ALL Students
GOAL

11. Cascading Theory of Change
State
REAs
Districts
Schools
Classrooms
Students
What will this look like in Washington and who will be included?
To build a statewide system that deliberately and consistently implements effective K-12 education practices to improve student outcomes our state is improving upon the existing communication and workflow system from the State leadership team to regional ESD teams to districts teams into school building teams to ensure that every classroom teacher has the support to provide effective and high quality instructional practices with each of their students.
While our state excels at providing each student with instructional practices that aid in their learning, our system is vulnerable to change—both to change in initiatives reforms and charges and to changes in staffing. These changes complicate how this educational services delivery model works to provide each student with what they need to succeed.
It’s about building capacity at every “level” to improve implementation infrastructure to achieve and sustain student outcomes.
Build on strengths and current resources – no new groups, teams, or workgroups if current structures will support new functions
Learning relationship – always a work in progress
Not linear but iterative
Tolerate ambiguity – ‘get started – get better’
Use data to inform decision-making whenever possible
We all thrive on feedback – all data and all feedback are good for us!

12. Implementation Capacity Development
Example:
Implementation Capacity Development
State Goal: To build a statewide system that deliberately and consistently implements effective K-12 education practices to improve student outcomes 
The system’s process is maintained even if the players or charge changes.
Initial Focus: Early Literacy Initiative (K-4 ELA)
Students with Disabilities and IEPs
Districts and Buildings in School Turnaround
Discuss how – how we entered into this work State through Exploration work

13. SYSTEM CHANGE
Purpose
Bring initiatives together to develop common approach to implementation
Helps defragment systems
Facilitates efficient and effective initiatives ‘
What:
Facilitate the blending of implementation functions across initiatives
Identify gaps in infrastructure at system levels and engage in problem solving
Create, support, and continually improve implementation capacity of Regional Implementation Teams
Promote aligned data collection systems for decision making
Operationalize practice to policy and policy to practice feedback loops at the state and regional levels
Regularly communicate to and with stakeholder groups

14. Examples of State Context
Loss of ESEA Waiver
Review of Current Legislation
SEA Learning Standards Implementation
New Assessments
New Teacher and Principal Evaluation Process
State Systemic Improvement Plan (SSIP)
etc.
Bill 5946:
Comprehensive system of instruction and services in reading and early literacy to K-4th grade students that is based on the degree of student need for additional support.
Progress Reporting requirements
Beginning in the 2015–16 school year school districts must implement an intensive reading and literacy improvement strategy from a state menu for any student who scored basic or below basic in the previous year on the third grade statewide English language arts assessment. These systems must include: Annual use of screening assessments.
Research-based family involvement and engagement strategies.
McCleary Vs State of Washington – Supreme court ruled that the state was not adequately funding “basic education” - districts and schools rely on local levies. Quality insurance council plan for fully funding basic education by 2018 –
• Phase I: Full state funding of transportation; maintenance, supplies and operating costs; full- day kindergarten; and lower class size in grades K–3 (maximum 17 students per teacher)
• Phase II: Full state funding of the salaries of current educational staff
• Phase III: State funding for enhanced levels of educational staff and enhanced salaries

15. SEA Level State Management Team Leadership & Support
State Transformation Specialists Capacity Development
Analysis of SEA Practices & Processes: Turnaround, Literacy, & Special Education
State Capacity Assessment (SCA)
State Design Team Capacity Development
Creation and support of Regional Implementation capacity development
Since August 2013
(c) Dean Fixsen and Karen Blase, 2013

16. Transformation Zone State Management Team SISEP & STS Support
State Transformation Specialists
State
Design
Team
Repurpose Roles, Functions, & Structures to Maximize Outcomes
SISEP & STS Support
Regional Implementation Team
Transformation
Zone
District Implementation Team
District Implementation Team
District Implementation Team
The model for implementing this work focuses on one initiative and starts with two transformation zones (TZ). Each year the TZs build capacity for scaling-up activities so that in three to five years our state grows to full implementation (80% of districts within our states are implementing the innovation with high fidelity).
The Association of Educational Service Districts participated in the Mutual Exploration Process and through this process our state has identified two Transformation Zones. NEWESD 101 as one Transformation Zone and PSESD 121 has partnered with Capitol ESD 113 to create the second Transformation Zones in our state.
Now that Washington is partnering with regions and beginning active implementation we are receiving “Intensive Technical Support” from SISEP. This “intensive” SISEP support includes training and coaching from SISEP’s Transformation Specialist to support our state in using free and nationally vetted assessment tools to drive action planning,
These national-level Transformation Specialists provide active modeling, on-going coaching and training to State Transformation Specialists and all Implementation teams in the first transformation zones to build capacity so that our state can scale-up the system.
State Transformation Specialist will work with the state management team, state design team members and Regional Implementation Teams to build capacity within each TZ. This includes working with Implementation teams from the Regional level, to the District- and School Building-level to ensure the infrastructure supports implementation in each classroom.
Building Implementation Teams
Building Implementation Teams
Building Implementation Teams
Building Implementation Teams
Building Implementation Teams
Building Implementation Teams
Building Implementation Teams
Building Implementation Teams
Building Implementation Teams
(c) Dean Fixsen and Karen Blase, 2004
(c) Dean Fixsen, Karen Blase, Robert Horner, George Sugai, 2008 16 16

17. Currently: Transformation Zones
ESD
District
School
Currently:
Regional Implementation Team Capacity Development
Exploration with Districts
Assess potential match of needs, resources and readiness to participate
Mutual Selection
Formation and Development of District Implementation Teams
Where are we going next?
We are partnering with the ESDs to Build Regional Implementation Teams and plan to move into the Exploration Stage with Districts this fall.
We have moved into the installation stage with our ESDs’ in both TZs and as we begin the implementation stage we will be starting the exploration stage with a few school districts in each zones and then repeat that process with District Implementation Teams to identify a few buildings within each district.

18. Assessment and Action Planning Tools
State Capacity Assessment (SCA)
Administered Twice a Year (Fall & Spring)
Drives State Action Planning
Regional Capacity Assessment (RCA)
Drives Regional/ESD-level Action Planning
District Capacity Assessment (DCA)
Drives District action Planning
Building Drivers Assessment &
Observation Tool for Instructional Supports and Systems (OTISS)
Building Implementation Team Assessment
Observation of Instruction (10 min walkthrough)
Drives Building Level Action Planning
SISEP & STS Support
These assessments direct the action planning by systematically receiving data in a formative and summative manner that drives improvement cycles related to creating a sustainable system that actively builds capacity for scaling up work to reach more districts, schools and students each year. In three to five years state-wide capacity (80% or greater) is achieved—this means the practice is implemented with high fidelity across the state.

19. Our Way of Work
Build on strengths and current resources – no new groups, teams, or workgroups if current structures will support new functions
Integration with current work
Learning relationship – always a work in progress
Not linear but iterative
Tolerate ambiguity – ‘get started – get better’
Use data to inform action planning and decision-making whenever possible

20. The 4 Domains of Rapid School Improvement

21. Workbook