The school/district develops, implements, and evaluates a comprehensive school improvement plan that communicates a clear purpose, direction, and action plan focused on teaching and learning.
Performance Expectations:
The school leader uses data to initiate and continue improvement in school and classroom practices and student achievement.
Indicators for this Standard:
9.1a - Collaborative process
There is evidence that a collaborative process was used to develop this vision, beliefs, mission, and goals that engaged the school community as a community of learners.
9.2a - Planning process involves collecting, managing, and analyzing, data
There is evidence the school/district planning process involves collecting, managing, and analyzing data.
9.2b - Uses data for school improvement planning
The school/district uses data for school improvement planning.
9.3a - Plans reflect research/expectations for learning and are reviewed by team
School and district plans reflect learning research and current local, state, and national expectations for student learning and are reviewed by the planning team.
9.3b - Staff analyzes student learning needs
The school/district analyzes their students' unique learning needs.
9.3c - Desired learning results are defined
The desired results for student learning are defined.
9.4a - Data used to determine strengths and limitations
Perceived strengths and limitations of the school/district instructional and organizational effectiveness are identified using the collected data.
9.4b - School goals are defined
The school/district goals for building and strengthening the capacity of the school/district instructional and organizational effectiveness are defined.
9.5a - School Improvement action steps aligned with goals and objectives
The action steps for school improvement are aligned with the school improvement goals and objectives.
9.5b - Plan identifies resources, timelines & person responsible
The plan identifies the resources, timelines, and persons responsible for carrying out each activity.
9.5c - Process to effectively evaluate plan
The means for evaluating the effectiveness of the improvement plan are established.
9.5d - Plan aligned with mission, beliefs, school profile, desired results
The improvement plan is aligned with the school's profile, beliefs, mission, desired results for student learning and analysis of instructional and organizational and effectiveness.
9.6a - Plan implemented as developed
The plan is implemented as developed.
9.6b - Evaluate degree of student learning set by plan
The school evaluates the degree to which it achieves the goals and objectives for student learning set by the plan.
9.6c - Evaluate student performance according to plan
The school evaluates the degree to which it achieves the expected impact on classroom practice and student performance specified in the plan.
9.6d - Evidence to sustain the commitment to continuous improvement
There is evidence of attempts to sustain the commitment to continuous improvement.
Key Relationships with Other Standards:
Kentucky's Standards and Indicators for School Improvement
Standard 7: Leadership - School/district instructional decisions focus on support for teaching and learning, organizational direction, high performance expectations, creating a learning culture, and developing leadership capacity.
Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium (ISLLC):
ISLLC Standard 1: A school administrator is an educational leader who promotes the success of all students by facilitating the development, articulation, implementation, and stewardship of a vision of learning that is shared and supported by the school community.
ISLLC Standard 3: A school administrator is an educational leader who promotes the success of all students by ensuring management of the organization, operations, and resources for a safe, efficient, and effective learning environment.
ISLLC Standard 6: A school administrator is an educational leader who promotes the success of all students by understanding, responding to, and influencing the larger political, social, economic, legal, and cultural context.
North Central Regional Technology in Education Consortium
National Technology Standards for School Administrators:
Standard III: Educational leaders apply technology to enhance their professional practice and to increase their own productivity and that of others.
Standard V: Educational leaders use technology to plan and implement comprehensive systems of effective assessment and evaluation.
Resources and Activities for this Standard:
Although there are many resources available for the individual school leader, the partners of this leadership initiative recommend that the following resources be explored:
Books:
Asking the Right Questions, by Edie L. Holcomb
The Dance of Change, by Peter Senge
Data Analysis for Comprehensive Schoolwide Improvement, by Victoria L. Bernhardt
Getting Excited about Data--How to Combine People, Passion, and Proof, by Edie L. Holcomb
Information Collection, the Key to Data-based Decision Making,
by Paula Short, Jay Short, and Kenneth Brinson, Jr.
Leading Change, by John Kotter
Principle-Centered Leadership, by Stephen R. Covey
Schools for the 21st Century, by Phillip Schlechty
KDE Resources:
KDE eSource
Examples of topics in this collection include: African American, Asian, Native American, and Latino History & Culture; Civil and Human Rights Materials; Gender and Cultural Sensitivity Information; Violence Prevention Information; Lesson Planning and Curriculum Tools, Implementation Strategies, and Techniques and Disability Information.
KDE Comprehensive School Improvement Planning Tools for Schools and Districts
The Kentucky Department of Education provides a variety of planning tools for schools and districts, including the Comprehensive Improvement Planning Guidebook and several sample planning formats that schools and districts can choose to use as is, or modify to fit their unique needs.
The Standards and Indicators for School Improvement (SISI)
The Standards and Indicators for School Improvement define the elements of whole school improvement that schools can put into effect at the elementary, middle and high school levels in order to produce desired learning results.
District Level Performance Descriptors and Glossary for Kentucky's Standards and Indicators for School Improvement (District Level SISI)
KDE Professional Development Statutes and Regulations
Statutes and regulations as related to professional development issues.
Student Performance Standards
In June, 2001, the Kentucky Board of Education accepted new performance standards that resulted from a comprehensive process involving more than 1,600 Kentucky teachers, various advisory groups, and which provided for public input. These new standards set the stage for the work that lies ahead of Kentucky's educators: To improve the academic achievement of all our students.
Contacts:
Kentucky Association for School Councils (KASC)
KASC Home Page
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD)
ASCD Home Page