1	2010-2011 Three-day Collaborative Benchmark Assessment Visit
2	Agreements Ask questions for your understanding and support Conduct discussions in a professional manner Agree to listen, honor and respect all perspectives Be mindful of the patterns of participation—give everyone an opportunity to speak—refrain from side conversations Use the parking lot Put cell phones on silent
3	Workshop Handouts 3-day Handbook Teaching and Learning Tool 3-day Protocols Reflection Form PowerPoint Guide for Restructuring (2 copies) Turning Around Low Performing Schools (2 copies)
4	Agenda Agenda & Background Restructuring – Focus 1 Teams Preparing for the Visit What Occurs on a Visit Teaching and Learning Tool – Focus 2 Summary Report Breakout Sessions Reflection
5	Benchmark Visits & Meetings One 3-Day Benchmark Visit Two 1-Day Benchmark Meetings
6	Purpose of Benchmark Visit Conduct a FOCUSED visit customized and tailored to the school needs—determined by the data Review the implementation of the NCLB unified plan, CAPA recommendations and restructuring plan in action—keeping to the fidelity of implementation Jointly (with the school and district) perform--data analysis, root cause analysis, problem solving, decision making and planning Focus on governance
7	Who receives a visit? Schools listed as “in need of improvement” in year three and above of school improvement status
8	Who receives a benchmark visit? Title I Schools with AYP Status of.. Year 5-hold Year 6 and above
9	Federal Requirements The federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) requires all states to establish standards for accountability for all schools and districts in their states. The foundation for the accountability system is based on a state’s academic content standards and aligned assessments. The accountability system looks at the degree to which students across schools and districts are mastering the state standards.
10	AYP Performance Benchmarks
11	School Improvement Continuum Chart
12	School Improvement Continuum Chart
13	School Improvement Status Summary: School Year 2010-2011
14	Adequate yearly Progress (AYP) Status Under NCLB Accountability Requirements: 2010
15	What is the focus of a 3-day Benchmark Visit? Focus #1
16	Focus #1 Implementation of conditionally approved restructuring plan Proposed governance changes
17	Restructuring Quiz Define restructuring What are acceptable governance changes? What are the NJ restructuring options? What entity leads the process, selects the restructuring option and develops the plan? What stakeholders must be involved in the development and oversight of the plan?
18	Restructuring Definition: A major reorganization of a school, making fundamental reforms, such as significant changes in the school’s staffing and governance. A Two-Year Process Year 1 – prepare restructuring plan; planning year Year 2 - implementation of the restructuring plan
19	Restructuring Options Option 1: Implement any major restructuring of the school’s governance that is consistent with the principles of restructuring as set forth in the No Child Left Behind Act. Option 2: Re-open the school as a public charter school as defined by and consistent with state statute and regulation (N.J.S.A. 18A:36A-1 et seq. and N.J.A.C. 6A). Option 3: Replace all or most of the school staff, which may include the principal, who are relevant to the school’s inability to make adequate progress (consistent with existing contractual provisions and applicable statutory protections in Title 18A).
20	Which option(s) were selected at your school? Option 1 Option 2 Option 3
21	Notification Requirements for Parents & Teachers Promptly inform parents and teachers of the school’s status Offer parents and teachers an opportunity to comment on the school’s status Invite parents and teachers to collaborate on the development of the school’s restructuring plan
22	District Responsibilities for Notification to School Community Once the plan is adopted and approved: Take action to address academic achievement issues District and state must help the school address its academic problems Continue to involve stakeholders in plan oversight
23	Restructuring Plans The Restructuring Plan should reorganize the school to make differences in the quality of teaching and learning in the schools (Redding, 2007). The reorganization should involve specific changes in how the school functions in key areas of practice.
24	Plan Components Form D – Proposed Restructuring Option Form E – Rationale for Selection & Process Form F – Governance Changes Form G – Restructuring Roles & Responsibilities Form H & I – Impact of Restructuring – LAL & Math Form J – Programmatic, Structural, Instructional Impact Form K – Community Involvement Form L – Changes in School Organization Form M – Changes in Instructional Staff Assigned Form N – Specific Strategies to Implement Plan Form O – Professional Development to Implement Plan—Staff Form P – Professional Development to Implement Plan—Leadership Action Plans
25	Key Questions Is the Restructuring Plan focused on key areas of need identified from the most recent CAPA visit? Are the improvement strategies aligned with the Restructuring Option? Is the Restructuring Plan being implemented as intended? What are the standards or expectations for success? Are the governance changes sufficient to impact achievement?
26	The 3-day visit is: A process involving an external team of educators and parents working in collaboration with school and district personnel to pinpoint obstacles to student achievement, identify needs and develop solutions to improve school performance.
27	Task-Oriented Team Development
28	High Performance Teams
29	Task-Oriented Team Development
30	Team Activity
31	Get ready teams… Use the materials given. Additional materials are available-Do not eat the materials As a team, build a tower in 20 minutes using the materials provided The team that builds the highest tower that stays upright for 10 seconds wins a prize Work in Stages: Plan Development (10 minutes) Peer review and feedback (5 minutes) Construction (20 minutes) Measurement and Evaluation ( 20 minutes)
32	Processing the Activity How did your team work together? How accurately was your plan implemented? Did plan make a difference? How did you make use of research? What was the benefit of peer review? How did you perform this time versus the last 4-day session? How many teams achieved high-performance? Observer feedback/reporting out
33	How will we work together to improve teaching & learning? CAPA Collaborative Teams
34	"Team Leader" Team Leader Principal Language Arts Literacy Specialist Mathematics Specialist Special Education Specialist ELL Specialist Parent/School Climate
35	Internal Benchmark Team District Liaison LAL Coach, Lead Teacher or Department Chair Math Coach, Lead Teacher or Department Chair Inclusion Coach, Lead Teacher or Department Chair ELL Lead Teacher or Department Chair Parent Liaison/School Culture Specialist Union Representative
36	Subteams
37	What should be done to prepare for a visit?
38	Team Leader Planning Day Team leaders are allocated one day to assist the school in preparation for the visit Principal and planning committee should determine how best to use this planning day Examples of assistance: development of schedule, selection of staff for focus groups, presentation to staff, explanation of administrative walkthrough or data analysis
39	Prior to the visit Explain the process to the school faculty Select school team members Establish a planning committee Involve the NCLB Planning Committee Involve building union representation
40	Document Review - Prior Internal and external team members should become familiar with the following documents prior to the visit: Restructuring Plan State assessment data by grade and cluster NCLB unified plan Other formative assessment data School Improvement Status Summary Adequate Yearly Progress Status One & Three-Year Trend Charts School climate survey
41	Typical three-day schedule
42	What occurs during a 3-day visit?
43	Interview Schedule I&RS Committee NCLB Committee, site-based management team or SLC Parents Students (randomly selected across grade levels—10% of student body) Teachers Child Study Team Administrators Guidance Staff
44	Team Needs Room for debriefing and document review Room for interviews & focus groups Computers, LCD projector, photocopying Emergency numbers
45	Team Folder School vision & mission Master schedule—individual staff schedules Staff roster Bell schedule Floor plan NCLB committee names Background information form
46	School Culture Survey Instructors Administrators URL Available from Team Leader
47	School Portfolio Examples Meeting Minutes Parent Information Meeting Agendas Curriculum Documents HQT Documents Curriculum Reports Code of Conduct Policy Restructuring Plan NCLB Unified Plan Suspension Reports 10 Report Cards 10 PDPs and evaluations Professional Development Plan School/ Community Survey Parent Involvement Policy
48	Classroom Portfolio Examples Lesson Plans Student Work Student Portfolios Student Projects Student Journals Student Assessments Grade Books
49	District Document Examples Curriculum Documents DINI Plan (if applicable) Strategic Plan Technology Plan Parent Involvement Policy NCLB & SES Communications & Reports Comprehensive Equity Plan
50	Administrative & Content Walkthroughs Content specific and administrative walkthroughs A random selection of classrooms will be visited Focus of walkthrough determined by subteam
51	Walkthrough Process Walkthroughs provide a school wide snapshot, over time, of classroom environments, learning experiences and student perspectives Walkthroughs are not part of the evaluation process Walkthroughs are a catalyst for reflective school wide discussion
52	Team Lead Follow Up Day Within one week of visit Work with internal team to refine action plans Review final summary report for accuracy Assistance with presentation to faculty
53	Interviews For staff can be either individual or small group (6-8 people) For the NCLB planning team or SLC should be whole group For parents should be scheduled in groups – as many as possible Interview 10% of student body—formally and informally
54	Interviews to be scheduled: Security Staff Nurse Social Worker NCLB Planning Committee Parents 10% of students (randomly selected across grade levels) Teachers Paraprofessionals Child Study Team Administrators Guidance Staff District Administrators
55	What is the focus during the 3-day benchmark visit? Focus #2
56	Focus #2 Implementation of CAPA Recommendations
57	Teaching & Learning Tool Used to help determine specifically where you are regarding goals and benchmarks for higher student achievement Also used to help determine what action steps the school and/or district need to take to meet benchmarks at the desired levels of success
58	Focus on Research-based Strategies Curriculum – where it exists and is good, is it what guides daily instruction? Instructional leadership – leaders who have an unrelenting focus on learning, therefore on instruction Teamwork and professional learning communities – opening up the teaching practice of individuals to their colleagues, so that they can learn from those who do it well.
59	Structure Structure of Teaching and Learning Tool A single tool for identifying best practices, collecting and analyzing documentation, interview results, begin formulating recommendations, recording strengths and challenges and providing a rating. Domains Standards Indicators Subindicators
60	Standards & Indicators Within each of the 7 Standards, there are 24 specific subsections labeled “indicators.” The team will write a “Finding” and assign a “Performance Level” rating for each indicator. Within each of the indicators is an essential question Within each of the indicators there are “sub-indicators.” See page 23 of Handbook for 17 selected indicators
61	Standards Curriculum Assessment & Evaluation Instruction School Climate & Culture Student, Family & Community Support Professional Learning, Growth & Development Leadership & Governance
62	Indicators Within each of the 7 Standards, there are 24 specific subsections labeled “indicators.” The team will write a “Finding” for each indicator. See page 23 for 17 selected indicators
63	Triangulation Seen in classrooms Read in documents Heard in interviews
64	Summary Report/Action Plan Summary and final approval of restructuring plan Background statement regarding each standard Notes strengths, challenges, root causes and recommendations Team determines most critical recommendations for district & school Incorporated into the school’s NCLB unified plan
65	Summary Report FINDINGS: Compilations of data about the school substantiated by TRIANGULATION (at least three sources of data such as an observation, an interview, or written documentation). RECOMMENDATIONS: Research-based strategies and best practices suggested by the team for each standard. Subteams determine 2-3 high priority recommendations. ACTION STEPS: The team prioritizes and develops a short plan for implementation of 3 recommendations.
66	Action Planning Action Steps what needs to be done to implement the recommendation – action steps for each action step what strategy will be used expected results measures time lines people responsible and accountable
67	Benchmark Meeting Process While the school is in improvement status: One-day follow-up with team member Purpose: To review the progress the school is making regarding student learning, instruction, climate and leadership by observing and discussing implementation of strategies from the NCLB Unified Plan & Action Plans
68	Breakout Sessions Leadership Parent Involvement & School Culture Language Arts Mathematics Special Education English Language Learners Be sure to complete the reflection handout so we can continue to improve our assistance
69	Thank You!