1. September 17, 2015 “Building Academic Excellence Through Coherence, Collaboration, High Expectations and Accountability” Vivian Ekchian, Local District Superintendent Local District Northwest Overview and Next Steps

2. CORE is a non-profit organization that includes ten California school district that work collaboratively to significantly improve student achievement Together CORE districts serve more than one million students and families (approximately 20% of all CA students) Number of Students CORE Districts, SY 2011-2012 Who is the California Office to Reform Education (CORE)?

3. The CORE waiver was approved on August 6, 2013 to allow participating districts to pursue a new robust and holistic accountability model for schools The CORE waiver is based on four foundational goals: 1.College- and career-ready expectations for all students 2.A focus on collective responsibility, accountability and action that emphasizes capacity-building over accountability 3.The development of intrinsic motivation for change through differentiated recognition, accountability and support for schools 4.Focused capacity-building for effective instruction and leadership

4. The CORE waiver is organized around three key principles

5. 5 New Metrics New Classifications for school New supports and required program activities CORE Waiver School Quality Improvement System

6. Key Differences Between the Old and New Systems 6 CategoryOld SystemNew System Program Improvement  PI status prompts actions  535 PI schools  No PI status and no PI schools  Schools are designated as Reward, Collaborative Partner, Support, Focus and Priority  School designation prompts actions SES and NCLB PSC Funds  No flexibility in use of funds; not targeted; unsure of impact  NCLB-PSC transportation - all families eligible who attend PI schools  SES programs are offered by state- approved vendors  Flexibility in use funds  Students accepted for transport this year will receive transportation  Funding for academic supports that focuses on building the capacity of teachers Accountability  Limited accountability system; based solely on academic measures only - AYP, API, CAHSEE, etc.  Robust accountability system that overtime values multiple measures of student success – Academic, Social- Emotional and School Culture/Climate

7. The School Quality Improvement Index all comes with new school classifications 7 Title I Schools At risk of Program Improvement Program Improvement Years 1-5+ Title I Schools (714) Priority (28) Low-Performing or SIG Cohort 2 Schools Focus (76) Achievement Gaps Support* (22) Collaborative Partner (19) Reward (42) High-Performing/High Progress Other Title I (527) *Support Schools are those that did not meet the API growth or graduation target and are in the bottom 30% - <721. OLD SYSTEM INTERVENTION School Pairing Possible Pairing School Driven NEW SYSTEM CoP Possible Pairing

8. The School Quality Improvement System Targets the following drivers for change: Capacity Building Group Work Instruction Systemic Solutions Recognizes the importance of factors beyond academic preparedness and values multiple measures of student success in social/emotional development as well as the school’s culture and climate Includes measures of disparity and disproportionality; pushes participating districts to focus on issues of equity and access THE NEW ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEM AT A GLANCE

9. School Quality Improvement Index Academic Domain 60% Achievement and Growth Graduation Rate Persistence Rate (8 th -10 th ) All Students and NCLB Subgroups (n=20) Social/Emotional Domain 20% Suspension/Expulsion Chronic Absenteeism Non-Cognitive Skills (i.e., intra- and inter-personal domain such as self-discipline, empathy, teamwork, curiosity, work ethic etc.) Culture/Climate Domain 20% Stakeholder Voice/Perceptions SPED Identification EL Entry/Exit THE SCHOOL QUALITY IMPROVEMENT INDEX (SQII)

10. LD Northwest CORE Waiver Schools Reward Schools Paired with Priority or Focus School to deliver assistance Hold meetings with Paired Priority School Receive Professional Development and technical Support from CORE, LD Northwest & FSEP Update SPSA Priority Schools Paired with Reward School Attend meetings with Reward School Implement 7 Turnaround Principles Implement School Quality Review/Needs Assessment Process Update the SPSA Focus Schools Attend Community of Practice (CoP) Meeting(s) Implement Community of Practice Implement School Quality Review/Needs Assessment Process Update the SPSA Partner with Reward School (Optional) Support Schools Attend Community of Practice (CoP) Meeting(s) Implement Community of Practice Implement School Quality Review/Needs Assessment Process Update the SPSA Reward-High Performance Mayall ES Vanalden ES San Jose ES Valley Alternative Magnet Collaborative Partner Kennedy HS Taft HS Northridge Academy HS Achievement Gap-Special Ed Cleveland HS Lawrence MS Low Achieving-Special Ed Alta California ES Hart ES Limerick ES Panorama City ES Tarzana ES Porter MS Woodland Hills Academy MS Monroe HS Low Achieving-English Learners Chatsworth HS Portola MS Missed API Target Canoga Park HS API Mullholland MS API

11. Implement a community of practice (CoP) is a group of people who share a common concern, a set of problems or interest in a topic and who come together to fulfill both individual and group goals. They provide a new model for connecting people in the spirit of learning, knowledge sharing, and collaboration as well as individual, group, and organizational development. Implement School Quality Review/Needs Assessment Process Update the Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA) 2015-16 Program Requirements for Support and Focus Schools

12. What happens within a Community of Practice? Identify and focus on a problem of practice that is rooted in data and aligned to the reason they were identified as a Focus or Support school Develop goals related to the problem of practice and track progress toward those goals Engage in the PLAN-DO-STUDY-ACT (PDSA) Cycle of Inquiry three times during the year Document activities throughout the cycle and collect evidence pertaining to the effectiveness of the work within the cycle Meet with other schools in the Community of Practice Share key learning and feedback from each cycle with the School Site Council (SSC), Staff and Instructional Leadership Team (ILT)

13. 2015-16 LD Northwest Frame of Focus Develop California State Standards aligned units with specific focus on English Learners and the needs of students with disabilities, through the development of Language Objectives with Linguistic support. Supporting Close Reading and Academic Vocabulary Across the Content Areas Developing common formative assessments aligned to SBAC to gain insight into student learning Promoting Rich Academic Discourse Across the Content Areas

14. PLAN - Define the problem(s) of practice - Engage in shared professional learning to explore possible solutions - Decide on intervention strategies - Plan for evidence collection DO - Implement the intervention strategies - Collect evidence STUDY - Reflect on implementation using the evidence collected - Share learnings with colleagues in the CoP ACT - Based upon the evidence collected decide which interventions worked, which did not and where there are gaps in the intervention strategies - Decide next steps What does the PLAN-DO-STUDY-ACT (PDSA) Cycle entail?

15. Overview of CoP Calendar for 2015-16 CoP Institute (Oct.) PDSA Cycle 1 Check-in #1 (Nov./Dec.) PDSA Cycle 2 Check-in #2 (Feb./Mar.) PDSA Cycle 3 Check-in #3 (May/June) SeptOctNovDecJanFebMarAprMayJun CoP Institute Check-in 1Check-in 2Check-in 3

16. Next Steps Prior to CoP Institute Kickoff Analyze baseline data (SBAC) to identify problem of practice Identify Instructional Leadership Team members; -Elementary: Grade-level chairs, special education representative, out of the classroom support personnel -Secondary: Content leads, special education representative, out of the classroom support personnel

17. Vivian Ekchian, Local District Superintendent Local District Northwest Questions?