September 17, 2015

“Building Academic Excellence Through Coherence, Collaboration, High Expectations and Accountability”

Vivian Ekchian, Local District Superintendent

Local District Northwest

Overview and Next Steps

CORE is a non-profit organization that

includes ten California school district that

work collaboratively to significantly improve student achievement

Together CORE districts serve more than one million students and

families (approximately 20% of all CA students) 0

20

40

60

80

100%

California

COREDistricts

Restof California

6.3M

COREDistricts

SantaAnaSanFrancisco

Fresno

LosAngeles

LongBeach

ClovisGarden Grove

SacramentoOakland

1.1M

Sanger

Number of StudentsCORE Districts, SY 2011-2012

Who is the California Office to Reform Education (CORE)?

The CORE waiver was approved on August 6, 2013 to allow participating districts to pursue a new robust and holistic accountability model for schools

The CORE waiver is based on four foundational goals:

1. College- and career-ready expectations for all students 2. A focus on collective responsibility, accountability and action that emphasizes

capacity-building over accountability 3. The development of intrinsic motivation for change through differentiated

recognition, accountability and support for schools

4. Focused capacity-building for effective instruction and leadership

The CORE waiver is organized around three key principles

5

New MetricsNew

Classifications for school

New supports and required

program activities

CORE Waiver School Quality Improvement System

6

Key Differences Between the Old and New Systems

Category Old System New System

Program Improvement

PI status prompts actions

535 PI schools

No PI status and no PI schools

Schools are designated as Reward, Collaborative Partner, Support, Focus and Priority

School designation prompts actions

SES and NCLB PSC Funds

No flexibility in use of funds; not targeted; unsure of impact

NCLB-PSC transportation - all families eligible who attend PI schools

SES programs are offered by state- approved vendors

Flexibility in use funds

Students accepted for transport this year will receive transportation

Funding for academic supports that focuses on building the capacity of teachers

Accountability

Limited accountability system; based solely on academic measures only - AYP, API, CAHSEE, etc.

Robust accountability system that overtime values multiple measures of student success – Academic, Social-Emotional and School Culture/Climate

The School Quality Improvement Index all comes with new school classifications

7

Title I Schools

At risk of Program

Improvement

Program Improvement Years 1-5+

Title I Schools (714)

Priority (28)Low-Performing or SIG Cohort 2

Schools

Focus (76)Achievement Gaps

Support* (22)

Collaborative Partner (19)

Reward (42)High-Performing/High Progress

Other Title I (527)*Support Schools are those that did not meet the API growth or graduation target and are in the bottom 30% - <721.

OLD SYSTEM INTERVENTION

School Pairing

Possible Pairing

School Driven

NEW SYSTEM

CoP

CoP

Possible Pairing

The School Quality Improvement System

Targets the following drivers for change:• Capacity Building• Group Work• Instruction• Systemic Solutions

Recognizes the importance of factors beyond academic preparedness and values multiple measures of student success in social/emotional development as well as the school’s culture and climate

Includes measures of disparity and disproportionality; pushes participating districts to focus on issues of equity and access

THE NEW ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEM AT A GLANCE

School Quality Improvement Index

Academic Domain60%

Achievement and Growth

Graduation RatePersistence

Rate (8th-10th)

All Students and NCLB

Subgroups (n=20)

Social/Emotional Domain

20%

Suspension/ExpulsionChronic

AbsenteeismNon-Cognitive Skills (i.e., intra- and inter-personal

domain such as self-discipline, empathy, teamwork, curiosity,

work ethic etc.)

Culture/Climate Domain

20%Stakeholder

Voice/Perceptions

SPED IdentificationEL Entry/Exit

THE SCHOOL QUALITY IMPROVEMENT INDEX (SQII)

LD Northwest CORE Waiver Schools

Reward Schools

• Paired with Priority or Focus School to deliver assistance

• Hold meetings with Paired Priority School

• Receive Professional Development and technical Support from CORE, LD Northwest & FSEP

• Update SPSA

Priority Schools

• Paired with Reward School

• Attend meetings with Reward School

• Implement 7 Turnaround Principles

• Implement School Quality Review/Needs Assessment Process

• Update the SPSA

Focus Schools

• Attend Community of Practice (CoP) Meeting(s)

• Implement Community of Practice

• Implement School Quality Review/Needs Assessment Process

• Update the SPSA• Partner with Reward

School (Optional)

Support Schools

• Attend Community of Practice (CoP) Meeting(s)

• Implement Community of Practice

• Implement School Quality Review/Needs Assessment Process

• Update the SPSA

Reward-High PerformanceMayall ESVanalden ESSan Jose ESValley Alternative Magnet

Collaborative Partner Kennedy HSTaft HSNorthridge Academy HS

Achievement Gap-Special EdCleveland HSLawrence MS

Low Achieving-Special EdAlta California ESHart ESLimerick ESPanorama City ESTarzana ESPorter MS Woodland Hills Academy MSMonroe HS

Low Achieving-English LearnersChatsworth HS Portola MS

Missed API TargetCanoga Park HS APIMullholland MS API

• Implement a community of practice (CoP) is a group of people who share a common concern, a set of problems or interest in a topic and who come together to fulfill both individual and group goals. They provide a new model for connecting people in the spirit of learning, knowledge sharing, and collaboration as well as individual, group, and organizational development.

• Implement School Quality Review/Needs Assessment Process

• Update the Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA)

2015-16 Program Requirements for Support and Focus Schools

What happens within a Community of Practice?

• Identify and focus on a problem of practice that is rooted in data and aligned to the reason they were identified as a Focus or Support school

• Develop goals related to the problem of practice and track progress toward those goals

• Engage in the PLAN-DO-STUDY-ACT (PDSA) Cycle of Inquiry three times during the year

• Document activities throughout the cycle and collect evidence pertaining to the effectiveness of the work within the cycle

• Meet with other schools in the Community of Practice

• Share key learning and feedback from each cycle with the School Site Council (SSC), Staff and Instructional Leadership Team (ILT)

2015-16 LD Northwest Frame of Focus

Develop California State Standards aligned units with specific focus on English Learners and the needs of students with disabilities, through the development of Language Objectives with Linguistic support.• Supporting Close Reading and Academic Vocabulary

Across the Content Areas• Developing common formative assessments aligned

to SBAC to gain insight into student learning• Promoting Rich Academic Discourse Across the

Content Areas

PLAN- Define the

problem(s) of practice- Engage in shared

professional learning to explore possible

solutions- Decide on

intervention strategies- Plan for evidence

collection

DO- Implement the

intervention strategies- Collect evidence

STUDY- Reflect on

implementation using the evidence

collected- Share learnings with colleagues in

the CoP

What does the PLAN-DO-STUDY-ACT (PDSA) Cycle entail?

Overview of CoP Calendar for 2015-16

PDSA Cycle

1

Check-in #1

(Nov./Dec.)

PDSA Cycle

2

Check-in #2

(Feb./Mar.)

PDSA Cycle

3

Check-in #3

(May/June)

Sept Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun

CoP

Institute

Check-in 1

Check-in 2

Check-in 3

Next Steps Prior to CoP Institute Kickoff

• Analyze baseline data (SBAC) to identify problem of practice

• Identify Instructional Leadership Team members; -Elementary: Grade-level chairs, special education representative, out of the classroom support personnel -Secondary: Content leads, special education representative, out of the classroom support personnel

Vivian Ekchian, Local District Superintendent

Local District Northwest

Questions?