1	4-Day CAPA Orientation Collaborative Assessment for Planning & Achievement
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 4-day Handbook Teaching and Learning Tool 4-day Protocols PowerPoint Reflection Form Workshop Flyer
4	Agenda Agenda & Background Preparing for the Visit What Occurs on a Visit CAPA Teaching and Learning Tool Classroom Walkthroughs Summary Report Follow Up Reflection
5	In this session, you will learn: What is CAPA? Who receives a CAPA Visit? How to prepare for a CAPA Visit? What occurs before, during and after a CAPA visit? Who to contact with questions about a CAPA visit?
6	CAPA is: A teaching and learning collaboration between the New Jersey Department of Education, districts, local educators and parents Designed to empower schools and districts to go beyond current efforts To improve student achievement.
7	Purpose To provide feedback that will assist the school in developing and committing to the execution of an action plan to further student advancement To jointly determine the root causes hindering student advancement
8	Who receives a visit? Schools listed as “in need of improvement” in year three and above of school improvement status
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	New Jersey Requirements Schools are evaluated using adequate yearly progress (AYP) indicators. Student achievement is determined by grade span and each content area. There are 40 indicators that must be met (including participation and proficiency rates) plus secondary indicators. A safe harbor calculation is applied to measure progress if AYP is missed When a school does not meet AYP, it may be designated as a school in need of improvement.
11	AYP Performance Benchmarks
12	School Improvement Continuum Chart
13	School Improvement Continuum Chart
14	NCLB Corrective Actions: In addition, the LEA must take at least one of the following corrective actions§1116(b)(7)(C); §200.42: Institute a new curriculum grounded in scientifically based research and provide appropriate professional development to support its implementation Extend the length of the school year or school day Replace the school staff who are deemed relevant to the school not making adequate progress
15	NCLB Corrective Actions: Significantly decrease management authority at the school Restructure the internal organization of the school Appoint one or more outside experts to advise the school (1) how to revise and strengthen the improvement plan it created while in school improvement status; and (2) how to address the specific issues underlying the school’s continued inability to make AYP
16	Student Subgroups Total White African-American Hispanic Asian/Pacific Islander Native American/Indian One or more Races (multiple category) Economically disadvantaged Students with disabilities Limited English proficient
17	IEP Students IEP exempt from Passing Used for Graduation requirement NCLB requires that all students be tested
18	School Improvement Status Summary
19	Adequate Yearly Progress Status Under NCLB
20	Three Year Student Performance Math
21	Three Year Student Performance - LAL
22	AYP 08-09 Chart - LAL
23	AYP 08-09 Chart - Math
24	95% Confidence Interval A confidence interval (CI) is a statistical method to minimize the risk of misclassifying schools. A confidence interval at 95% probability is applied to the actual proficiency results for the total population as well as each student subgroup for each content area.
25	Digging Deeper—LAL Clusters
26	Digging Deeper—Math Clusters
27	Special Education-Math
28	CAPA 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.
29	Task-Oriented Team Development
30	High Performance Teams
31	"YouTube - Let's build a..." YouTube - Let's build a filter
32	Team Activity
33	Get ready teams… Use only the materials given. Additional materials are available Do not eat the materials Lay out paper as a working surface 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
34	Processing the Activity What was the initial reaction of your team? What roles did people play? How did you solve the problem? What other situations (e.g., at school, home or work) are like the tower activity? Observer feedback/reporting out
35	We Know That:
36	We Know That:
37	How will we work together to improve teaching & learning? CAPA Collaborative Teams
38	"Team Leader" Team Leader Principal Language Arts Literacy Specialist Mathematics Specialist Special Education Specialist ELL Specialist Parent/School Climate
39	Internal CAPA 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
40	Subteams
41	What should b e done to prepare for a visit?
42	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
43	Prior to the visit Explain the process to the school faculty Select school team members Establish a CAPA planning committee Involve the NCLB Planning Committee Involve building union representation
44	Planning Committee
45	Document Review - Prior Internal and external team members should become familiar with the following documents prior to the visit: 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
46	What occurs during a CAPA visit?
47	Internal/External Team Schedule Planning Day One hour visit planning for district/school and external team External/internal team reviews data, NCLB unified plan and school portfolio Begin interviews and visits
48	Internal/External Team Schedule Days Two and Three Interviews Classroom visits Subteam debriefing of findings Debriefing of full group Begin writing findings
49	Internal/External Team Schedule Day Four Team debriefing for assigned indicators Writing and reviewing information Subteams present findings, recommendations, proposed action plans
50	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
51	What occurs during a CAPA visit?
52	Visit Schedule For staff--individual or small group (no more than 6-8) For the NCLB committee-whole group For parents--scheduled in groups – no fewer than 10 For students—representation of all grade levels & abilities—formally and informally
53	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
54	Team Needs Room for debriefing and document review Room for interviews & focus groups Computers, LCD projector, photocopying Emergency numbers
55	Team Folder School vision & mission Master schedule—individual staff schedules Staff roster Bell schedule Floor plan NCLB committee names Background information form
56	School Culture Survey Instructors Administrators URL Available from Team Leader
57	What is the school portfolio?
58	School Portfolio Examples Meeting Minutes Parent Information Meeting Agendas Curriculum Documents HQT Documents Curriculum Reports Code of Conduct Policy NCLB Unified Plan Suspension Reports 10 Report Cards 10 PDPs and evaluations Professional Development Plan School/ Community Survey Parent Involvement Policy
59	Classroom Portfolio Examples Lesson Plans Student Work Student Portfolios Student Projects Student Journals Student Assessments Grade Books
60	District Document Examples Curriculum Documents DINI Plan (if applicable) Strategic Plan Technology Plan Parent Involvement Policy NCLB & SES Communications & Reports Comprehensive Equity Plan
61	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
62	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
63	Administrative & Content Walkthroughs A random selection of classrooms will be visited The classrooms are chosen by the team leader The principal determines the classrooms visited for the administrative walkthrough Subteams determine classrooms to visit for content and
64	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
65	Rationale Promote a collaborative atmosphere for the visit Help gauge the overall school environment Help provide a shared language for teaching and learning Teams see the same data
66	What guides the visit?
67	CAPA 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
68	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.
69	Research Base CAPA Descriptors, 2006, NJ DOE Classroom Instruction that Works, Marzano, 2001, ASCD The Art and Science of Teaching, Marzano, 2007, ASCD Leadership for Learning, Carl Glickman, 2002, ASCD The Differentiated Classroom, Carol Tomlinson, 1999, ASCD Results Now, Schmoker, 2006, ASCD The Basic School, Boyer, 1995, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching The Learning Leader, Reeves, 2006, ASCD Turnaround Leadership, Michael Fullan, 2006, Jossey-Bass National Forum to Accelerate Middle Grades Reform: New Jersey Schools to Watch: Self-Study and Rating Rubric “Bridging the Gap between Standards and Achievement”, Richard F. Elmore, 2002, Albert Shanker Institute “The Leadership We Need”, Waters and Grubb, 2004, McREL: Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning “Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium (ISLLC) Standards: Education for the Future – the School Portfolio”, 2000, Council of Chief State School Officers “Planning Change for Restructuring Schools”, Mid-Atlantic Comprehensive Center, 12/2006 Arizona School Reform Tool The Great Maine Schools Project School Change Rubric, 2005 Pennsylvania Department of Education: 2006-2007 Review Criteria for “Getting Results!” SIP Framework, 2004
70	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
71	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.”
72	Standards Curriculum Assessment & Evaluation Instruction School Climate & Culture Student, Family & Community Support Professional Learning, Growth & Development Leadership & Governance
73	Indicators Within each of the 7 Standards, there are 24 specific subsections labeled “indicators.” The team will write a “Finding” for each indicator.
74	Essential Questions Do all teachers use the curriculum in planning instruction? How do students know what is expected and are they able to articulate expectations share their work and reflect on others’ work? To what extent are all students engaged in learning?
75	Using the Tool Standard 6 –The school provides for staff research-based, results-driven professional development opportunities that are consistent with the district’s professional development plan, and implements performance evaluation procedures in order to improve teaching and learning. (Objective) Indicator 6.1 - The school and district devote resources to content-rich professional development that is connected to reaching and sustaining the school vision and goals for increasing student achievement and is differentiated by teacher and student needs. (Strategy) Sub-indicators: Professional development is embedded, intensive, of high quality, ongoing, and relevant to various grade level education and provides opportunities for learning that increase knowledge and skills, challenge outmoded beliefs and practices, and provide support in the classroom. (Actions)
76	Triangulation Seen in classrooms Read in documents Heard in interviews
77	Teaching & Learning Tool Available at: http://www.nj.gov/education/capa/docs/ Click Teaching & Learning Tool
78	Summary Report/Action Plan Background statement regarding each standard using essential questions Notes strengths, challenges, root causes and recommendations Team determines most critical recommendations Separate school and district sections Incorporated into the school’s NCLB unified plan
79	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.
80	Recommendations Based on triangulated data Focused on key areas – academic performance, culture & climate, leadership Question for prioritizing: “If the school does this well, will it significantly advance student achievement?”
81	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
82	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
83	Breakout Sessions Leadership 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
84	A Parting Thought “Nothing, and we mean nothing, is more critical to the future of the world than rapidly and constantly improving systems of public schooling that serve all students.” Breakthrough, Michal Fullan, Peter Hill, Carmel Crevola