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July 15, 2011

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Topics for Discussion

− Triaging the Lowest Performing Schools – Dr. Morcease Beasley

− Accountability Training for Principals – Trenton Arnold

− School Operations Steps-up Accountability – Robert Moseley

− Title I Recalibrates to Impact Success – Dr. Audria Berry

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Teaching and Learning Triage for Low Performing Schools

1. Triage the Lowest Performing Schools:

− The Principal will identify each below grade level student’s gaps in reading and math no later than August 26th.

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Teaching and Learning Triage for Low Performing Schools

− Parents of struggling students will be invited to participate inconferences to discuss their student's Individual Plan (Level 1 -below grade level) for remediation and support to improve. Student progress on the plan will be communicated and strategies for parental assistance will be provided by September 9th. The following will be shared with parents during the conference:

• Individual Student Score Reports for below grade level students will be analyzed and used to determine performance gaps (CRCT, CRCT-M, GAA, EOCT and GHSGT)

• Diagnostic assessments in the district-provided resources

• The student’s Individual Plan to accelerate, differentiate, and receive additional instruction to improve performance

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Teaching and Learning Triage for Low Performing Schools

− Coordinators from Special Education, Educational Media, Professional Learning, Title I, Career Tech, English Language Learners, etc., have been assigned to each school to provide direct monitoring and support of school’s actions to implement appropriate interventions for all level 1 students each week.

− Coordinators have been grouped into teams to conduct Focused Walks at the school to assist in the school’s implementation of the curriculum. Focused Walks will occur monthly with priorities forthe year as follows:

� Ensure the teaching of the written curriculum and use of instructional resources as provided by the district

� Appropriate student engagement and differentiation

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Teaching and Learning Triage for Low Performing Schools

− Coordinators have been grouped into teams to conduct random Teaching and Learning Inventories monthly with a focus on intervention.

− Results from Focused Walks and Teaching and Learning Inventories will be reported to the Interim Superintendent, Deputy Chief for School Operations, Interim Deputy for Teaching and Learning, and Area Assistant Superintendents.

− Reports will be discussed and challenges addressed during regular meetings for the Division of Teaching and Learning and the Division of School Operations.

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Teaching and Learning Triage for Low Performing Schools

2. A Teaching and Learning Advisory Council has been developed to serve as a coalition of administrators and teacher leaders to guide the work of teaching and learning in DCSS. Monthly meetings willserve as a forum to prioritize the work and to strategize to overcome the challenges.

3. The role of Title I Instructional Coaches has been expanded to include support for teachers in all core content areas by providing professional development to teachers daily except for one day a month of professional learning and content training.

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Teaching and Learning Triage for Low Performing Schools

4. The Deputy Superintendent will continue to report on student progress monitoring (e.g. Early STAR Literacy, STAR Reading, STAR Math, Compass Learning, READ 180, and district benchmarks) with reports compiled and shared monthly with Principals and Area Assistant Superintendents to address underutilization and lack of student progress. The coordinators will provide additional support as the reports reflect underutilization and lack of student progress.

5. The Deputy Superintendent will continue to share reports on student failure rates, teacher attendance rates, classroom observation data, Focused Walks, and Teaching and Learning Inventories with Area Assistant Superintendents to address concerns with Principals.

Note: a district-wide protocol will be developed for addressing high failure rates.

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Teaching and Learning Triage for Low Performing Schools

6. The Deputy Superintendent will provide monthly Teaching and Learning reports starting in September to the BOE as a component of the Supt's Report on the following:

− Utilization of resources and summary of student progress monitoring data (e.g. STAR Early Literacy, STAR Reading, STAR Math, READ 180, Compass Learning, and district benchmarks)

− Failure rates, teacher attendance rates, classroom observations, Focused Walks, and Teaching and Learning Inventories

7. Teaching and Learning has reprioritized to eliminate district-level mandates that have been perceived as busywork that reduced the time Principals spend in the classroom and teachers spend teaching.

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Making Time for Leading and Teaching� Principals’ time away from the building, as requested by the Division of Teaching &

Learning, will be minimized to support the Principals’ role as instructional leader.� To maintain campus visibility, Teaching & Learning Breakout Sessions for building

level administrators will occur primarily via webinar. Archived webinar sessions will be available for review.

� Reduced reporting links from 16 to 1 (benchmark verification only remaining requirement: 6, 12, 24, 30 week periods).

� Request for Support link remains as an option.� Principals should submit CCGPS verification of redeliveries (to comply with Race to

the Top mandates).� Principals will only submit CSIPs to the Office of School Improvement for review of

compliance with federal mandates.� Principals will determine and monitor participation in system-wide professional

learning to ensure the integrity of the school-based instructional program.� Lesson plan uploads to FirstClass will be a site-based decision. The Lesson Plan icon

located in the red schoolhouse will remain as an option.� Creation and use of student classroom profiles, Multiple Intelligences, and the like,

will be a site-based decision.

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Accountability Training for Principals

8. All principals will receive training during district-wide Administrative Meetings and other scheduled times on the AYP accountability modules as developed by the Department of Assessment and Accountability.

− Module 1: Introduction to Adequate Yearly Progress

− Module 2: Creation of Assessment Notebooks

− Module 3: Data Room Creation

− Module 4: Best Practices for State Mandated Student Assessment

− Module 5: GA DOE Portal Access

− Module 6: Test Talks with Students

− Module 7: Adequate Yearly Progress Review

− Module 8: Portal Navigation Guidance and Tips

− Module 9: AYP Certification and Results

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School Operations Steps Up Accountability

9. The Area Assistant Superintendents, in collaboration with Teaching and Learning have identified performance criteria and evidence to be utilized in the Principal evaluation.

− Implementation of the Accountability Plan− Implementation of teaching and learning− Student achievement progress

10. A checklist will be developed for Area Assistant Superintendents to use to monitor Principals implementation of the Accountability Plan and Teaching and Learning Framework

− Evidence of Implementation of Accountability Plan (Accountability Modules)� Data Room� Assessment notebooks� Test Talks with students� Stakeholder engagement with Accountability Plan� Student Achievement Progress monitoring

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School Operations Steps Up Accountability

11. The Division of Teaching and Learning and Area Assistant Superintendents will meet monthly to discuss and address challenges related to Teaching and Learning and to review:

− Focused Walk outcomes

− Teaching and Learning Inventories

− Student progress monitoring data sets and reports

− Effective use of resources

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Title I Recalibrates Towards Success

12. The Title I Department has overhauled select processes to ensureschools obtain the maximal benefit from use of Title I funds

− Strongly encourage Title I schools to maximize their human resources with Title I funds.

− Improve transparency by adding a Title I link to all Title I school websites to include:

� The school’s Title I Budget Plan� Parent Involvement Policy� Compact� Survey� Title I Plan (CSIP)� School Improvement Plan (if applicable)

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Title I Recalibrates Towards Success

− Reorganize Title I Coordinators to have one coordinator to support Title I NI-4 plus schools and one coordinator to support NI-1 through NI-3 schools. The remaining coordinators will support regional teams.

− Analyze the budgets of the lowest performing schools to determine if they are effectively utilizing their Title I funds.

− Require schools to demonstrate the efficacy of requests to purchase a program or service.

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Title I Recalibrates Towards Success

− Require Title I Instructional Coaches to be in the classroom 95-98% of the instructional day providing professional learning support toteachers.

− Increase principal training on Title I allowability

• Regional meetings

• Pre-Administrative meetings

− Identify and increase monitoring of Title I schools that have failed to exhaust Title I funds in the previous year and that have failed to follow the Title I process and procedures. Develop a High Risk list to be shared with the Interim Superintendent and Area Assistant Superintendents for monitoring.

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