School Improvement Grant (SIG)School Improvement Grant (SIG)

& SFUSD Options

What is the School Improvement What is the School Improvement Grant (SIG) Program?Grant (SIG) Program?

The CA Dept. of Ed. was required to submit the list of the 5% “persistently Lowest performing

schools” in the state by March 15th, 2010 to be eligible for this federal funding.

The School Improvement Grant Program is a federally funded competitive grant.

(Award range $50,000 - $2 million per year for 3 years)

Participation in SIG is a state law SBX5 1

How How were were

schools schools selected?selected?

The state used CST data (grades 2-8) in English Language Arts & Mathematics and CA High School Exit Exam over a period of three years.

Schools were ranked by their percentage of students scoring at “proficient” and “advanced”. The state then selected the lowest performing 5% for grant eligibility.

Schools were removed from the list if any of the following criteria applied:

• less than 100 valid test scores for any of the 3 years.• a net growth of 50 points or more on API in

the last 5 years.• an API of over 800 in Spring 2009.

Schools Schools EligibleEligible

forforSIGSIGinin

SFUSDSFUSD

Bryant

G. W. Carver

Cesar Chavez

John Muir

Willie Brown 4-8

Paul Revere K-8

Everett Middle

Horace Mann Middle

Mission High

John O’Connell High

  Schools

CST ELA & Math

Combined 3-Yrs Average

Proficiency RateAPI2009

APINet Gain

Over 5-Year

456 Bryant ES 26.7 667 35

625 Carver ES 27.7 667 -11

603 Chavez ES 26.5 656 -13

650 Muir ES 21.0 592 -44

529 Everett MS 20.1 647 22

618 Mann MS 17.7 623 9

725 Mission HS 29.3 555 37

651 O'Connell HS 22.3 550 -16

858 Brown CP Acdy 11.0 536 -11

760 Revere ES 23.1 623 12

School Data

SchoolSchoolReformReform

AlternativesAlternativesviaviaSIGSIG

1. Turnaround

2. Restart

3. School Closure

4. Transformation

Turnaround ModelTurnaround Model

Replace principal (if at school for more than two years)

Change at least 50% of the staffImplement new governance structureEnsure high quality Professional

DevelopmentInstitute research-based & vertically

aligned instructional program

Restart ModelRestart Model

Convert a school or close and reopen it under a charter school operator, a charter management organization, or an education management organization.

School ClosureSchool Closure

Close the school and enroll the students who attended that school in other schools in the LEA that are higher achieving.

Closure MUST occur by the end of the 2010/2011 school year.

Will not result in additional funding for receiving school.

Transformational ModelTransformational Model

Replace principal (if at school for more than two years)

Institute comprehensive instructional reform

Use data to identify curriculum and monitor student learning to improve instruction

Increase learning time

What have we heard What have we heard from the state (CDE)?from the state (CDE)?

Priority will be given to districts that include ALL of it’s eligible schools with a model of improvement

during the first year.

If an LEA has more than 9 schools, the Transformational Model can only be used in half the schools.

There WILL NOT be enough money for ALL the schools eligible for SIG in California.

Research on School Improvement Research on School Improvement and “Turnaround” effortsand “Turnaround” efforts

SFUSD central office leadership has investigated the school improvement efforts of many school districts

including, but not limited to the following:

New YorkSacramento

Montgomery CountyBostonChicago

SFUSD’s Strategic Design for Quality SchoolsSFUSD’s Strategic Design for Quality SchoolsIndicators of School SuccessIndicators of School Success

• School Leadership

• Parent-Community Ties

• Professional Capacity

• Student-Centered Learning Climate

• Instructional Guidance

1. School Leadership

• Leadership as the Driver for Change

• THREE Dimensions of Leadership

Managerial: run the office efficiently, the most basic aspect of school leadership.

Instructional: the leadership directly impacts the dynamics of student engagement and learning.

Inclusive-Facilitative: nurture individual agency and builds capacity to support fundamental change.

2. Parent-Community Ties

• Enhance parent-teacher trust

• Understand students’ backgrounds

• Strengthen parent’s skills

• Communicate with parents to reinforce habits/expectations

• Engage parents/students in learning at home

• Employ 4 elements of trust: Respect, Personal Regard, Competence, & Integrity

3. Professional Capacity

The school’s ability to recruit and retain knowledgeable and skillful staff

QUALITY OF HUMAN RESOURCES

The school’s efficacy in utilizing its own performance feedback and individual PD programs

QUALITY OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

The staff’s capacity to form a viable collective that shares responsibility for student learning.

NORMATIVE DISPOSITIONS

The staff’s tendency to support one another in continuous improvement(i.e. ECPLC’s)

PROFESSIONALCOMMUNITY

4. Student-Centered Learning Climate

• Anchor school behaviors through beliefs, values, and work habits (Restorative Justice)

• Promote/Provide an orderly and safe learning environment

• Institutionalize a “Continuous Improvement Process”: teachers engage in critical dialogue, identify common problems, and consider solutions.

• Social Justice: ensuring access and equity for ALL students.

5. Instructional Guidance

THREE elements:1. Arrangement of subject matter content and

pacing over time and grades, and across classrooms. *Creation of Core Curriculum guides

2. The intellectual depth expected of students as they engage in the subject matter and reflected in the learning tasks assigned and assessments used.* Benchmark assessments

3. The pedagogical strategies, materials, and tools made available to teachers.*ECPLC’s at every school

Characteristics of Effective SchoolsCharacteristics of Effective Schools

• A clear sense of purpose

• Core standards within a rigorous curriculum

• High Expectations

• Commitment to educate all students

• A safe and orderly learning environment

• Strong partnerships with parents

• A problem-solving attitude

EngagingEngagingthe the

CommunityCommunityObjectives:

• Build understanding of the 5 indicators of school success that is guiding our work.• Gather feedback and specific examples about what’s working and not working in these areas• Gather specific ideas to inform the SIG

EngagingEngagingthe the

CommunityCommunityThe Process:1.ALL SIG schools have had discussion with their school supervisor about their school’s options.2.We have scheduled community meetings to elicit input from stakeholders.3.Central Office staff begin to draft the actual grant with strategic input from SIG school stakeholders.

NEXTNEXTSTEPS…STEPS…

• Define the level of participation of SFUSD district-wide

• Identify which option will be used for each individual school

• Address staffing issues, if necessary

• Define accountability for district and school site – what will be the level of support provided by the district and what are the expectations of the schools.