Standard 7. Commitment to Continuous Improvement
STANDARD: The system establishes, implements, and monitors a continuous process of improvement that focuses on student performance.
Impact Statement: A system is successful in meeting this standard when it implements a collaborative and ongoing process for improvement that aligns the functions of the system with the expectations for student learning. Improvement efforts are sustained and the system and its schools demonstrate progress in improving student performance. New improvement efforts are informed by the results of earlier efforts through analysis of student performance, system effectiveness, and assessment of the improvement process.
Indicators Rubric: Please indicate the degree to which the noted practices/processes are in place in the school system. The responses to the rubric should help the school system identify areas of strength and opportunities for improvement as well as guide and inform the school system's responses to the focus questions.
Indicators Evidence: For each Indicator, click the (Add Evidence) link to provide examples of evidence that support the rubric response.
Definitions of Indicators Rubric
Not Evident - Little or no evidence exists
Emerging - Evidence indicates early or preliminary stages of implementation of practice
Operational - Evidence indicates practices and procedures are actively implemented
Highly Functional - Evidence indicates practices and procedures are fully integrated and effectively and consistently implemented
INDICATORS: In fulfillment of this standard, the system:
7.1 Engages in a continuous process of improvement that articulates the vision and purpose the system is pursuing (Vision); maintains a rich and current description of students, their performance, system effectiveness, and the community (Profile); employs goals and interventions to improve student performance (Plan); and documents and uses the results to inform future improvement efforts (Results):
Operational
Evidence Provided: Continuous Improvement Plan - district and individual schools; Specific program initiatives to support continuous improvement; Information/Data system; Record of student performance improvement efforts; State/Federal Accountability Plan; Professional Development Plan: agenda, topics; Stakeholder survey (satisfaction) data; Graduation and retention rates; District staff affirm their involvement in continuous improvement committees; District staff affirm their involvement in a specific program that supports continuous improvement; Other: Balanced Scorecard
7.2 Engages stakeholders in the processes of continuous improvement:
Operational
Evidence Provided: Stakeholder survey data demonstrating stakeholder involvement in district and school improvement; Calendar, agendas, minutes, sign-in sheets demonstrating stakeholder involvement in district and school improvement; Policies, procedures for district and school improvement committee work; District and School Improvement plan indicating membership of committees; Parent compact
7.3 Ensures that each school's plan for continuous improvement is aligned with the system's vision and expectations for student learning:
Operational
Evidence Provided: School improvement plans demonstrate alignment with district vision, purpose; Vision, purpose posted in district-wide facilities; Data: student performance, stakeholder opinion are used in development of school improvement plan; Student performance targets are communicated to all stakeholders; Calendar, agendas, minutes of school improvement meetings; Staff, students affirm their understanding of student performance targets; District staff demonstrate capacity for providing methodologies to increase student performance
7.4 Ensures that each school's plan for continuous improvement includes a focus on increasing learning for all students and closing gaps between current and expected student performance levels:
Highly Functional
Evidence Provided: School improvement plans demonstrate evaluation of goals, objectives, and strategies impact on student growth; District guidelines and professional learning provide strategies for effective instruction for closing achievement gaps; District staff affirm their involvement in evaluating the impact of instruction on student growth; District staff affirm that they regularly use data to inform their practices; District staff meetings regularly use data to inform their discussions and decisions
7.5 Provides research-based professional development for system and school personnel to help them achieve improvement goals:
Operational
Evidence Provided: Professional Development Plan: agenda, topics; Personnel Policies that outline staff evaluation process; Continuous Improvement Plan - district and individual schools; District staff affirm their involvement in professional learning
7.6 Monitors and communicates the results of improvement efforts to stakeholders:
Operational
Evidence Provided: Annual Report; Newsletters, brochures; Parent-Teacher conferences; Information/Data system; Staffing assignments support monitoring and reporting of continuous improvement efforts; Stakeholders affirm receipt of district communication regarding improvement efforts; District staff and stakeholders affirm the use of performance data during Parent-Teacher conferences; Other:Website has links soliciting input on improvement process; Other: School Council Meetings
7.7 Evaluates and documents the effectiveness and impact of its continuous process of improvement:
Emerging
Evidence Provided: Evaluation of effectiveness of continuous improvement plan and process; District and School Improvement Committee meetings: calendar, agenda, minutes, dispositions
7.8 Allocates and protects time for planning and engaging in continuous improvement efforts system-wide:
Operational
Evidence Provided: Policies and procedures for engaging in district-wide and individual school improvement planning, implementation, and monitoring; District and School Improvement Committee meetings: calendar, agenda, minutes, dispositions; District staff affirm that time is allocated for improvement planning, implementation, and monitoring
7.9 Provides direction and assistance to its schools and operational units to support their continuous improvement efforts:
Operational
Evidence Provided: District expectations and guidelines for all schools and departments to engage in a continuous improvement process; District and School Improvement Committee meetings: calendar, agenda, minutes, dispositions; District staff affirm their knowledge of the district's expectations and guidelines for supporting student performance
Focus Questions:
1. Describe the process for continuous improvement used by the school system and its schools and the impact of this process on student learning and system effectiveness.
The school system has adopted an aligned process implementing a “Plan, Do, Check, Act” cycle of continuous improvement. This aligned system began at the system level leadership team where an extensive review of multiple data sources was conducted. Following this, a SWOT analysis was done to determine Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats to success. The most serious areas of concern were identified and root-cause analyses were conducted to ensure solutions and interventions would be appropriately targeted. This work was shared with board members and input solicited. Five strategic goal areas were identified:
1. Student Achievement
2. Student Support
3. Teaching & Learning
4. Student, Staff, Parent, and Community Engagement
5. Operational Support
These five strategic goal areas set the foundation for the system’s Strategic Improvement Plan. Baseline data were identified within all goal areas and three year projected targets for improvement established. Once preliminary data were gathered and disaggregated, goal areas identified, an initial SWOT analysis was conducted and root cause analyses were done by the system’s leadership team, school leadership teams, and external stakeholders, further data were gathered to confirm identified needs through surveys and examination of leading and lagging student achievement indicators. The system conducted voluntary Georgia Assessment of Performance on School Standards (GAPSS) analyses at each school within the system. Within each of the five strategic goal areas, improvement initiatives and action steps were developed.
This process was cascaded to the school level and School Improvement Plans were written and aligned to the system’s Strategic Improvement Plan. The process was further cascaded through school-based professional learning led by academic coaches, who developed and implemented needs-based, job-embedded professional learning initiatives based on priorities most relevant to their grade or department. Outside trainers were also utilized for professional learning when appropriate. Within this system are embedded, ongoing means of measuring impact. Data rooms provide a visual representation for trend data and goal setting. Benchmark tests and progress monitoring allow for frequent adjustments to instruction based on mastery of standards and continuous rescheduling of students for tutoring and remedial support both within the school day and after school. Students are able to recover grades or credits throughout the year in these remediation segments. This data-driven needs-based remediation process has only been fully implemented in the last two years for the school improvement process. The hope is that recent achievement gains can be sustainable through its pervasive use.
Each school holds monthly School Leadership Team meetings to monitor and analyze the effectiveness of the School Improvement Plan and student performance. These meetings include representatives from different grade levels, content areas, administration and sometimes RESA or GADOE staff. Short Term Action Plans (STAP) are developed with specific actions and timelines to focus on the work and decision points for analysis during the next month’s meetings. Standards-based classroom practices along with a focus on a rigorous curriculum, higher order thinking skills, and differentiated instruction are system-wide initiatives, and many of the action steps relate to these initiatives. Low discipline referrals and absentee rates are goals for the system and are directly correlated to time in the classroom and passing scores on the CRCT. Through a root cause analysis process, data were examined in 2009-10 that showed that students that are absent more than 15 days were twice as likely to “not meet” on the CRCT; therefore discipline and attendance are closely monitored and reported by the schools to the system. Appropriate interventions are then implemented to support students who are having difficulty with attendance or discipline. Monthly reports on school discipline and student attendance are reviewed by the building administrative teams and quarterly by system personnel through the Strategic Work Aligned to Teaching (SWAT) notebooks. Additionally, the SWAT meetings allow the system personnel to monitor and discuss the implementation of each school’s improvement plan. Reports are provided after the first and second semester to the Superintendent, Board of Education, and the community at regularly scheduled board meetings in January and June.
Data from monthly and quarterly reports, student performance data, and needs assessment data are used to direct professional learning for the staff and used for planning instruction to meet the needs of all students. Annually, data from these various sources are collected and analyzed during the July Communities of Learning & Achievement (COLA) meetings when planning for the next school year. A system template is provided for local School Improvement Plans with strategic goal areas that are aligned to the system Strategic Improvement Plan. System-level personnel provide support and data for writing the school improvement plans.
An example of the superintendent and Board of Education’s focus on continuous improvement includes becoming a standards based board, collaboratively developing a superintendent evaluation instrument that is goals-based, and going through a board self-assessment. The superintendent and board worked closely with Georgia School Board Association (GSBA) on these continuous improvement activities. Their commitment and effort was recognized on December 2, 2010 at the GSBA Annual Conference in Atlanta when Haralson County’s superintendent and board were recognized as a Board of Distinction. Haralson County was one of only 10 school boards that won the award this year.
2. What process is used to ensure that the improvement goals reflect student learning needs and are aligned with the vision and purpose of the school system and its schools?
Careful analysis of leading and lagging data, ongoing assessment of students, continual adjustments made to instruction and interventions, and the pervasive use of teacher teams for professional learning to build capacity ensures that internal and external stakeholders are working to “be recognized as leaders in student achievement for ALL students.” Implementation of this “Plan, Do, Check, Act” cycle of continuous improvement creates an environment whereby students receive support and remediation immediately when standards are not mastered. The system Strategic Improvement Plan was developed by local school and system level leadership, teachers, board members, parents, and community members through several committees that examined data, provided input, and developed goal areas, performance objectives, and initiatives. The Balanced Scorecard is posted on eBoard and provides data related to each goal area and progress toward meeting targets. Adjustments to targets are made as data are examined and analyzed.
Leadership teams at the system and school levels provide oversight and serve as monitors for effective implementation of instructional practices. System and school improvement plans are reviewed frequently and adjustments made as needed. By taking an approach that is individualized to student needs as well as staff needs, a process of accountability for success is fostered.
The following processes help in monitoring the alignment of the improvement goals with the vision and purpose of the system and its schools:
1. Strategic Work Aligned to Teaching (SWAT) process and data notebooks
2. School based data rooms
3. Classroom level data notebooks
4. Core Focus Walks by system and school administration and academic coaches
5. Informal classroom walkthroughs (Awareness Walks) by building administrative teams
6. Formal evaluations (GTEP) and informal observations using the Standards-based Observation Checklist during Awareness Walks
7. Monthly monitoring and evaluation of the school improvement plans by the school leadership teams and short term action plans (STAP)
8. Monthly department and/or grade level meetings to examine student performance and plan curriculum according to the GPS
9. Collaborative planning periods for core subject teams/grade levels every day
10. Continuous professional learning activities guided by academic coaches and based on both student and teacher data (assessments, walkthroughs, and surveys)
11. Ongoing formative assessment through AIMSweb, system benchmark assessments, and common unit assessments
12. Monthly RTI meetings to address the needs of students who are not meeting expectations
13. Bi-monthly School Council Meetings
14. Semi-Annual reports to the Superintendent, Board of Education and the community
3. What process is used to ensure that system and school personnel are provided professional development and technical assistance to implement interventions and achieve improvement goals?
Professional learning is critical to the success of the continuous improvement process. System and school leaders work to ensure opportunities which support system and school initiatives are available for groups of instructional personnel as well as individuals. Professional learning decisions are based on results from data analysis, GAPSS analyses, and staff surveys. As new technology becomes available to support initiatives, training is provided to ensure effective use, and ongoing technology support is provided through technology support specialists. Similarly, as innovative instructional strategies and practices are implemented, or new rules, policies or requirements are put into place, training is provided, and academic coaches and other appropriate personnel provide ongoing support.
The scheduling of common collaborative planning time allows teachers to share concerns and learn from each other. Data and student performance are examined by the grade/content level teams and guided by the academic coach, department chair, or administrator as to the next steps to take to support those students not meeting expectations. Needs expressed during these meetings are shared by Leadership Team representatives at school or system leadership team meetings. Additional support plans may be initiated at an individual, school, or system level to provide professional learning to target weaknesses.
Strong partnerships with Northwest Georgia RESA and the Georgia DOE have been created. Many subject area specialists from these organizations spend a great deal of time collaborating and training building administrators, academic coaches, special education facilitators, lead teachers, and department heads within the system so they can model, implement, and monitor effective strategies in classrooms, and provide job-embedded feedback regarding implementation. The newest addition of real-time submission of classroom observations submitted through iPads to a central database for administrators and coaches has provided the ability to immediately examine and analyze classroom observations and provide information for on-going professional learning. These observation tools are used in conjunction with the Practices of Excellence document which outlines specific expectations for all system staff and the Teacher Efficacy Protocol which provides the specific steps to examine classroom data and provide immediate support for struggling teachers.
The System supports a multi-disciplinary team approach for the Response to Intervention (RTI) process. Each school has an RTI coordinator who schedules meetings, processes paperwork for students in need of additional supports, and monitors the overall process. Through the RTI process, research-based interventions are modeled and implemented in classrooms based on individual student data. The Coordinator of School Psychological Services oversees the RTI process at the system level, and in collaboration with the Teaching and Learning Department, ensures that team members from all schools and the system are provided with many professional learning opportunities related to research-based interventions. Professional learning is provided through workshops, webinars, videos through PD360, and redelivery of strategies at the school level. The RTI process ensures that any students who are struggling to meet standards are identified quickly through continuous examination of classroom and assessment data. Interventions are then provided to support identified weaknesses.
4. How does the leadership ensure that the improvement plan is implemented, monitored, achieved, and communicated to stakeholders?
System and school level leadership teams oversee implementation of improvement plans and monitor to ensure initiatives are effective and appropriate. This regular review of improvement plans by school leadership teams allow for timely revisions as needed. The structure of teams within the system is critical to ensure that progress and needs are communicated in a timely manner. Each grade level, content area, or program has a team member who attends the school leadership team meetings to report on progress in their grade level, content area, or program and take information back to their colleagues. Then representatives from each School Leadership Team report on progress from their specific leadership team meetings and take information back to the District Leadership Team. Administrators and other school leaders serve on the District Leadership Team and report school level progress and concerns in this forum. This process of distributed leadership provides an avenue for clear, two-way communication among system level leadership teams, school level leadership teams and grade, content or program areas.
The system personnel and school administration teams “inspect what we expect” regarding standards-based classroom instruction as it relates to goals for student achievement, student attendance, and professional learning activities. Monthly faculty meetings are held to ensure that the faculty are kept informed of progress towards the school and system goals and are asked to provide input to the continuous improvement process. The system and school level administrators attend department meetings, hall/grade level meetings, collaborative planning meetings, and conferences with individual staff members to ensure the School Improvement Plans are living documents and used as the guideline for all instructional activities. These activities and initiatives are communicated to stakeholders by system and school leadership in a variety of ways. Some of these include:
1. The Balanced Scorecard, School Improvement Plans, system Strategic Improvement Plan, and system and school data available on the system’s web site.
2. School Councils are involved in the decision making processes and share in this information.
3. Information is reported at various parent meetings, both in individual conferences as well as large group forums.
4. The superintendent reports progress and needs to the Board of Education regularly.
5. Each school publishes various newsletters and brochures and shares information regarding improvement plans and other school initiatives and programs on individual webpages.
Haralson County School System is committed to high-quality educational opportunities for all students. By engaging in a continuous improvement process, staff members demonstrate a high-level of commitment to this process every day. Throughout the system efforts are aligned, results are examined, and people are valued as the staff works toward a shared vision for our students: “Haralson County will be recognized as a leader in student achievement for ALL students.”
Overall Assessment:
Operational: The school district implements a collaborative and ongoing process for improvement that aligns most functions of the district and its schools with the expectations for student learning. Improvement efforts are sustained and the district demonstrates progress in improving student performance, district and school effectiveness. New improvement efforts are informed by the results of earlier efforts through reflection and assessment of the improvement process.