School Improvement Specialist

In 2002, President George Bush signed Public Law 107-110, the   No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB). This law required schools to gather specific, objective data using tests aligned to state standards; to identify achievement gaps among students in six subgroups; and to develop strategies for closing those achievement gaps. NCLB holds schools accountable under the state accountability system for making adequate yearly progress (AYP) in closing achievement gaps.

The role of the School Improvement Specialist is to facilitate continuous school improvement in all schools, with focused assistance to those schools not making AYP. In collaboration with the principal, the School Improvement Specialist and the LEA Accountability Roundtable Committee guides the School Leadership Team in monitoring student progress, planning for improvement, and sharing the craft of successful teaching.

Continuous Improvement Plan

 The purpose of the Continuous Improvement Plan is to improve the quality of teaching and learning in the school, so that greater numbers of students achieve proficiency in the core academic subjects of reading and mathematics. The CIP provides a framework for analyzing problems, identifying underlying causes, and addressing instructional issues in a school that has not made sufficient progress in student achievement.

 The School Role in the Continuous Improvement Process:

•  Involve the Building Leadership Team, faculty/staff, students, parents, and other stakeholders
• Collect and analyze various data (student learning, demographic, school process, and perception data)
• Use research-based strategies and action steps (who, what, and when)
• Collect, discuss, and use data to drive classroom instruction
• Utilize Best Practices on a daily basis
• Provide ongoing formative assessment daily
• Progress monitor students often
• Provide differentiated instruction to meet individual student needs
• Reteach and retest as needed
• Provide professional development tied to the Needs Assessment and to the strategies and action steps
• Monitor instructional practices (walk-throughs/classroom observation)
• Conduct meaningful and effective monthly data meetings

Teachers should collect daily information about where students are in relationship to what is being taught. The Building Leadership Team (BLT) should collect documentation for the CIP monthly and file artifacts in the Documentation Box/Notebook.

 The School Improvement Specialist will assist the schools to analyze the data, monitor student progress, and plan for improvement.

The Local Education Agency (LEA) Accountability Roundtable will conduct walk-throughs at assigned schools and provide feedback from the data collected.