The implementation of Professional Learning Communities within BIS is the recommended
path to ensure that all students are learning and that intervention is occurring on a regular and
embedded basis. Specialized training in the above areas can be incorporated into the
framework of the Professional Learning Community, and it is recommended that there is a
training emphasis on teacher leaders and building administration to ensure sustainability of
improvement.
2
LEA APPLICATION
I. SCHOOLS TO BE SERVED: List each Tier III school the LEA commits to serve and provide
principal information.
Tier III Schools:
School Name/
NCES ID#
Bluefield Intermediate School
540084001101
II.
Principal
Email Address
Mrs. Cathy Daniels
ctdaniel@access.k12.wv.us
DESCRIPTIVE INFORMATION: Address the following subsections.
A. The needs assessment and capacity index were previously provided in the letter of intent to apply.
The letter of intent to apply has been evaluated according to the established criteria and if it was
deemed to have met the standard, no further action is required. If revisions were required,
attach a copy of the revised letter of intent with changes highlighted.
The data analysis will be revisited in the fall of 2011 as part of the building assessment by
Solution Tree. The schools strategic plan will also be updated to address the contents of this plan.
B1. For each Tier III school the LEA will serve, develop measurable summative and growth
goals that will be used by the LEA to monitor progress of student achievement on the
State’s assessments in both reading/language arts and mathematics. Annual growth goal
example: “The percentage of students who exhibit typical growth in grades 6-8 in
mathematics will increase annually as measured by the WESTEST 2.”
School Name: Bluefield Intermediate School
Annual Summative Achievement Goal for Reading/Language Arts:
The percentage of students in the ALL, BLACK, as well as, LOW SES subgroups experiencing
growth of achievement in Reading/LA will increase by 10% on the WESTEST 2.
Annual Growth Goal for Reading/Language Arts:
The percentage of students who exhibit typical growth in grades 3-5 in Reading/LA will increase
annually as measured by the WESTEST 2.
3
Annual Summative Achievement Goal for Mathematics:
The percentage of students in the ALL, BLACK, ,as well as LOW SES subgroups experiencing
growth of achievement in Mathematics will increase by 10% on the WESTEST 2.
Annual Growth Goal for Mathematics:
The percentage of students in the ALL, BLACK, ,as well as LOW SES subgroups experiencing
growth of achievement in Mathematics will increase by 10% on the WESTEST 2.
Respond to the following:
 How were these goals determined?
Based on the above annual summative and annual growth goals, BIS and the
individual school’s staff reviewed the WESTEST 2 results. Once the WESTEST 2
results were received, BIS held meetings with all teachers to review the results. The
Superintendent and Director of Federal Programs met with the BIS staff to discuss
AYP and where the school stands with the results. The Principal, Director of Federal
Program, Title I Supervisor and staff analyzed the results by team. Each team then
analyzed the results by student. Acuity has been utilized to track progress throughout
the year to meet the annual goals.

What interim assessment activities will be used throughout the school year by the school
staff to track progress toward meeting the annual goals?
Bluefield Intermediate staff will analyze the student matrix report through Acuity to
determine what Content Standards and Objectives that have not been met by mastery.
During this time, the staff will determine which instructional and test taking strategies
that need to be incorporated to improve student achievement. The principal will
continue to monitor goal attainment by completing observations, walkthroughs and
conducting professional development sessions to enhance student achievement.
B2. Describe below how the summative and growth goals will be utilized by the LEA to evaluate
the school’s academic progress.
The Title I Supervisor monitors the Acuity benchmark results and collaborates with
the BIS staff to inform teachers on ways to maximize student engagement and
understanding through the CSOs. Walkthroughs, observations and feedback are provided
on a regular basis throughout the school year and professional development is provided
as needed.
4
III.
TIER III ACTIVITIES: Identify activities and establish timelines for implementation
consistent with the final requirements as directed below. LEAs should address
applicable areas in subsections A-E. LEAs are required to complete subsection F and
Sections IV-VII.
A. Comprehensive instructional reform programs. Identify any activities that will be completed
as ‘pre-implementation’ (see APPENDIX A, if applicable).
1. Describe how the school staff will use data to identify and implement an instructional
program that is research-based and vertically aligned from one grade to the next as well
as aligned with State academic standards.
Data is gathered from a variety of assessments, including summative tests such as the
annual WESTEST 2 achievement tests as well as the more frequent formative indicators such
as the DIBELS and Quick Phonics Screeners (QPS) in order to identify specific weaknesses
in the students’ academic preparation. Tiered interventions are then planned and executed for
each student. These needs are to be identified and monitored through the use of data gathered
from Acuity and DIBELS. The school leadership team will work in conjunction with their
Solution Tree partners to set up a school-wide assessment calendar to schedule the regular
application of diagnostic assessments and to have teachers meet to address the data from
these assessments in order to direct instruction toward student academic needs. The calendar
should show assessments at least monthly and meetings of relevant staff members to address
the outcomes of the assessment data.
In the case of aligning instruction, both vertically and to standards, we examined the work
of the Center on Instruction (COI) and adopted the following action steps for improvement
in this area:
Action Principles
For District
1. Equip teachers with the competencies to apply evidenced-based practices in differentiating
instruction and classroom management.
2. Provide training for school leaders in providing instructional leadership and supporting
teachers with disciplinary matters.
3. Maintain safe, clean, adequately-resourced school buildings, with particular attention to
providing sufficiently small class sizes and support staff, so as to enable effective classroom
organization and behavior management.
4. Provide teachers with opportunities for differentiated career tracks and opportunities for
growth.
5. Establish reliable, valid, and fair evaluation systems that have the capacity to differentiate
among teachers based on specialized roles and are linked with provisions and opportunity for
strong professional growth and development.
6. Provide new teachers with formal high quality, data-driven induction that starts prior to the
beginning of the academic year and responsive, multi-year mentoring supports aimed at
enhancing new teachers’ instructional practice.
5
7. Collaborate with higher education on effective, responsive professional development.
8. Maintain accurate personnel and retention data. Collect and analyze data to support efforts
to improve retention.
For School
1. Create a school atmosphere that features trust, professionalism, and shared leadership.
2. Foster a positive, collaborative, and team-oriented school culture.
3. Consistently apply the school’s or district’s evaluation protocol.
4. Differentiate administrative support for teachers based on experience level and individual
needs.
5. Provide adequate planning time for teachers. Structured, collaborative time for teachers in
co-teaching roles should be established.
References and Resources
Billingsley, B. (2007). Recognizing and Supporting the Critical Roles of Teachers in Special
Education Leadership.
Exceptionality, 15(3), 163-176.
Clotfelter, C., Ladd, H., Vigdor, J., & Wheeler, J. (2006). High-poverty schools and the
distribution of teachers and principals.
CALDER Working Paper. Retrieved from
http://www.caldercenter.org/PDF/1001057_High_Poverty.pdf
Coggshall, J., & Laine, S. (2009). Innovations in staffing: Toward the structural
transformation of schools. Retrieved from
http://www.learningpt.org/whatsnew/InnovationsInStaffing.php
Imazeki, J., & Goe, L. (2009). The distribution of highly qualified, experienced teachers:
Challenges and opportunities (TQ
Research & Policy Brief). Washington, DC: National Comprehensive Center for Teacher
Quality. Retrieved from http://
www.tqsource.org/publications/August2009Brief.pdf
Johnson, S. M., Kardos, S. M., Kauffman, D., Liu, E., & Donaldson, M. L. (2004). The
support gap: New teachers’ early experiences
in high-income and low-income schools. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 12(61).
Retrieved from http://epaa.asu.
edu/epaa/v12n61/v12n61.pdf
Kowal, J., Rosch, J. L., Hassel, E. A., & Hassel, B. (2009). Performance-based dismissals:
Cross-sector lessons for school turnarounds.
Lincoln, IL: Center on Innovation & Improvement. Retrieved from
http://www.centerii.org/survey/
Luekens, M. T., Lyter, D. M., Fox, E. E., & Chandler, K. (2004). Teacher attrition and
mobility: Results from the teacher followup
survey, 2000-01. Washington, D.C.: National Center for Education Statistics.
National Comprehensive Center for Teacher Quality. (2009). Tips & tools, key issue:
Increasing teacher retention to facilitate
the equitable distribution of effective teachers. Retrieved from
http://www.tqsource.org/publications/KeyIssue_
6
TeacherRetention.pdf
National Comprehensive Center for Teacher Quality. (2007). America’s challenge: Effective
teachers for at-risk schools and
students. Retrieved from http://www.tqsource.org/publications/NCCTQBiennialReport.php
(see in particular, Chapter 5:
Emerging Strategies and Practices to Improve Teacher Quality in At-Risk and Hard-to-Staff
Schools and Subject Areas).
Silva, E. (2009). Teachers at work: Improving teacher quality through school design.
Washington, DC: Education Sector.
Retrieved from http://www.educationsector.org/usr_doc/Teachers_at_Work.pdf
2. Describe how the school staff will promote the continuous use of student data to inform
and differentiate instruction.
Differentiated instruction is a philosophy of teaching that creates a personalized
and responsive classroom, maximizes student growth and individual success while
honoring the unique qualities of each student. Differentiated instruction offers a variety
of learning options within a student- centered classroom, small group and
individualized instruction utilizing a standards-based instruction. A key principle of
Differentiation is ongoing assessment and student/teacher collaboration for learning.
Bluefield Intermediate School will make student assessment data the driving
force for increasing student achievement, and scheduling Tier I and Tier II reading ,
and RTI math instruction to differentiate instruction. The school’s Professional
Learning Community will also be an integral part of the process. While data from the
entire group of students can be utilized to identify and support the implementation of
research-based instructional programs, individual student or class brings into focus the
progress of instructional changes that are incorporated to address the learning needs of
individual students.
Using the reading and math curriculum and instructional strategies of Response
to Intervention (RTI) and Differentiated Instruction (DI), Bluefield Intermediate will
utilize data as follows: Response to Intervention, which is a multi-level instructional
framework, which includes the use of the different screenings for all students as well as
the core program.
Data collected from WESTEST2, DIBELS, Benchmark intervals, progress
monitoring, Quick Phonics Screener, and Number Worlds assessments is used to
identify which students are academically proficient and which ones need extra help to
reach achievement goals. Students who are identified as intensive and demonstrating a
need for support will receive increasingly intensive interventions and ongoing progress
monitoring. Math and Reading instruction will be differentiated to meet and
accommodate the individual students’ learning styles and needs.
Reading instruction during Tier I and Tier II will be differentiated to meet the
needs of the students. Small groups of students and leveled readers will differentiate the
7
instruction. Walk to Intervention during Tier II will differentiate and target all students’
individual needs. RTI Math is also differentiated within the classroom to provide the
students an additional thirty minutes to increase student achievement. Data collected
from benchmarks and teacher observations, ongoing progress monitoring will be
analyzed continuously to drive instruction.
3. Describe other permissible activities, as defined in the regulations, the school staff will
implement as comprehensive instructional reform programs (if applicable).
N/A
B. Increasing learning time and creating community-oriented schools. Identify any activities that
will be completed as ‘pre-implementation’ (see APPENDIX A, if applicable).
1. Describe how the school staff will establish schedules and strategies that provide increased
learning time and create community-oriented schools. An additional 300 hours per year is
recommended by ED.
N/A
2. Describe how the school staff will provide ongoing mechanisms for family and community
engagement.
N/A
3. Describe other permissible activities, as defined in the regulations the school staff will
implement to increase learning time and create community-oriented schools (if
applicable).
N/A
C. Provide operating flexibility and sustained support.
1. Describe the operational flexibility (e.g., staffing, calendar, time, and budget) the school
staff will be given in order to fully implement a comprehensive approach to substantially
improve student achievement outcomes and increase the graduation rate.
N/A
8
2. LEA Technical Assistance: Provide a description of the ongoing, intensive technical
assistance and related support the LEA staff will provide to the school.
The Mercer County Schools Improvement Team, composed of the county level supervisor
and school leaders, will continue to monitor instructional practices at Bluefield Intermediate
School. Walkthroughs, observations, conferencing, monitoring, Benchmark assessments will
provide resources and guidance for meeting achievement goals.
Collaborations twice a month and conferencing with the school leadership team which will
be scheduled once a month will afford the staff the opportunity as a collaborative effort to discuss
individual needs of the students and to analyze data to improve student achievement.
The Director of the Title I program will collaborate with Bluefield Intermediate’s
principal on regular visits to review progress in all components of the school improvement process
and provide technical assistance in the area of scheduling, guidance, walkthroughs, and other
aspects of leadership roles and duties.
The Professional Learning Communities of Bluefield Intermediate and the two feeder
schools, Memorial and Whitethorn will meet at the beginning of the 2010-2011 school year to
analyze WESTEST2 data, CSO deficiencies, writing assessment, DIBELS data, student tardies,
attendance, and discipline Ongoing professional development and collaboration will be a continued
process to enhance student achievement with all three schools.
3. Describe the intensive technical assistance and related support for the school staff will
be provided by a designated external lead partnership organization, if applicable.
Initial communication with our chosen external partner, The Solution Tree, has been initiated.
Information relating to the root cause analysis conducted for this grant proposal has been shared with
the planning team from the external partner. Though a provisional training program has been
outlined, it is understood that this plan will be reassessed and modified as needed in order to meet the
identified needs of the school, as documented by the ongoing needs assessments conducted by the
Solution Tree.
The Solution Tree is recognized as a leader in providing directed improvement support to
schools. They feature the work of many of the leading authorities on improvement such as the
DuFours and Robert Marzano.
The professional development plan designed for Bluefield Intermediate School improvement
efforts by the Solution Tree takes into account the direction provided by our external lead partner.
The Solution Tree organization has worked in conjunction with Mercer County Schools to develop a
plan to enhance teaching and learning at BIS. First, the professional development plan will focus
upon the Professional Learning Community model. Following a series of initial conversations and
data analysis to determine the current status of the school in regards to the reform effort by means of
an assessment tool designed and administered by Solution Tree. This will serve as a means of
benchmarking progress and determining and celebrating growth throughout the year.
An onsite orientation will follow, in which the Solution Tree will work with the staff of BIS
to establish common language and to create a collaborative culture that supports focus on learning
and drives a results orientation. The orientation will focus upon a common system involving
assessments, effective teaching and identification of learning needs specific to the school’s
population.
9
Training will then be provided for administrators and the central office focused on creating a
foundation of knowledge of how to lead a PLC through the creation of a collaborative structure of
support for all educators in the building. Emphasis will be placed on aligned curriculum, effective
instruction and a building-wide plan for assessment. The skills necessary for collaborative leadership
will be of primary importance in this reform effort. The goal will be to change the culture of the
school into one focused more on learning.
Subsequently, training will be delivered to teachers regarding serving as a leader in a
collaborative environment. The participants will be trained on and practice the tasks that high
performing collaborative teams do in order to see results and participate in strategies that will assist
them with developing key leadership skills. Not only will they be able to identify and utilize the tasks
that are necessary to conceptualize increased student achievement and success, but they will also gain
understanding of the process necessary to create and sustain productive PLCs.
The final plans for years 2 and 3 will be determined after a review of the end-of-year building
level needs assessment and thorough review of progress monitoring of year 1. That being the case,
during year 2 we plan to have the Solution Tree partners provide specific staff development and
collaboration during 7 onsite training days focusing on continued improvement of the PLC process as
well as effective instruction and collaborative leadership. Year 3 will focus primarily on supporting
the changes already made as well as formative assessment and standards based instructional
strategies.
By focusing the school’s efforts on instruction based upon student data and supported by fully
trained and embedded Professional Learning Communities, the training and support provided by our
external partners, the Solution Tree will be able to carry on in the school for many years to come.
4. Describe other permissible activities the school staff will implement to provide operating
flexibility and sustained support.
N/A
D. Describe the strategies the district staff will utilize to recruit, place and retain staff in the
schools served by the 1003(g) grants (if applicable).
N/A
E. Describe other permissible activities, as defined in the regulations, the district staff chooses
to implement in each school to develop teacher and school leader effectiveness.
N/A
F. Describe how high quality, job-embedded professional development will be provided.
Identify any activities that will be completed as ‘pre-implementation’, if applicable.
1.
All schools that receive a Title I 1003(g) school improvement grant will be required to
have PLCs as a means for providing job-embedded, sustained professional development
that will lead to lasting change. Describe the format for the professional learning
communities in the district and further delineate where the individual schools differ, if
applicable. The description must address the following items:
 Structure (e.g., grade level, content area, facilitators)
10



Frequency of meetings
Major areas of focus for the work of the PLCs
Monitoring the effectiveness of the PLCs
Based on communication with Dr. Filipek regarding the needs of Bluefield
Intermediate School (BIS), Solution Tree is pleased to offer the following training and
professional development plan for staff at BIS as well as within the Mercer County
Administration Office. We believe that leadership at all levels should be intimately involved
in the training so that they can understand their roles in school improvement and can also
understand the work being implemented at the school level within each classroom.
Solution Tree sees training need in these areas (inclusive of but not limited to):
-
Professional Learning Communities at Work™
Leadership training at both central office and building level
Culture and Climate
Responding to subgroups and using culturally responsive teaching
Behavior, discipline, and attendance issues (positive behavior interventions)
Response to Intervention
Parent support and training
Reaching AYP in reading and math for certain subgroups
Utilizing highly effective teaching and assessment strategies
The implementation of Professional Learning Communities within BIS is the
recommended path to ensure that all students are learning and that intervention is occurring
on a regular and embedded basis. Specialized training in the above areas can be incorporated
into the framework of the Professional Learning Community, and it is recommended that
there is a training emphasis on teacher leaders and building administration to ensure
sustainability of improvement.
Year One
_____
SBDM Team = Site-Based Decision-Making Team
Initial Planning Meeting:
Date TBD
This meeting is to include a Solution Tree Associate, key stakeholders from the participating
school, along with district representation. The meeting is designed to initialize the work for
the year. It will include: defining the key components of the work, identifying potential
11
resources for the building, identifying contact personnel and current structures of support.
The customization of the work will come after the Building Level Needs Assessment is
completed and analyzed in order to align the professional development to meet the unique
needs of the school.
Additionally, the Solution Tree Associate will examine the school schedule to ensure that
teachers have adequate collaborative time and recommendations for adjustments will be
made. If major reconstruction of the schedule needs to be done, the Lead Associate could be
scheduled for a full day of consultation to work on scheduling issues.
PERSON(S) RESPONSIBLE: School Stakeholders, Solution Tree Associate, SBDM
team
Building Level Needs Assessment:
Date TBD
At the beginning of the school year, a needs assessment will be completed with an on-site
Lead Associate visit, combined with the above planning meeting. This assessment will utilize
a variety of data. The school’s progress in regard to the reform effort will be determined
through an assessment tool. The on-site work with a Solution Tree associate will allow for
the collection of data in regard to school procedures and teacher and student perceptions.
Lastly, student achievement data will be reviewed. This will allow for more focused work
throughout the year and create benchmarks for progress monitoring and celebration of
growth.
Audience: Building specific faculty and staff
PERSON(S) RESPONSIBLE: School Stakeholders, Lead Associate, SBDM team
On-site Orientation for faculty and staff (focus on collaboration / PLC’s):
Date TBD
In order to ensure a base knowledge level of understanding and to begin defining some
common language for educators, an orientation for the faculty and staff will be held prior to
the start of the school year. The emphasis of this orientation will be on creating a
collaborative culture that supports a focus on learning and drives a results orientation. The
orientation will also include the need for a common system around assessments, strong,
effective classroom instruction and the identification of learning needs specific to the schools
population. Other content will be included as it supports the unique needs of the building
identified through the Building Level Needs Assessment.
Audience: Building Specific faculty and staff
12
Resources:
PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITIES TOOLKIT (1 per school)
LEARNING BY DOING $34.95 per copy
PERSON(S) RESPONSIBLE: All staff, other school stakeholders, Lead Associate
PLC Overview – 1 day
Administrative Leadership Training (focus on collaboration / PLC’s):
Date TBD
Administrative Leadership Training – 1 Day
This 1-day training is for principals, assistant principals and central office level leaders
participating in the project. The training will center on creating a foundational knowledge
base of how to lead a Professional Learning Community through the creation of a
collaborative structure of support for all educators. Specifically addressed will be the need
for aligned curriculum, effective instruction, and a building-wide system of assessment.
Participants will understand collaborative leadership and be able to identify and utilize
strategies for changing the culture in a school to one that focuses on learning.
Audience: Administrators at all levels
Resource: THE COLLABORATIVE ADMINISTRATOR (1 per participant) $29.95 per
copy
PERSON(S) RESPONSIBLE: Lead Associate, Site Administrators
PLC Associate – 1 day
Teacher-Leader Training – 3 Days
This 3-day training is for teachers leading collaborative teams. These teacher leaders will
increase their understanding in regard to being a leader in a collaborative environment.
Participants will learn and practice the tasks that high performing collaborative teams do in
order to see results and participate in strategies that will assist them with developing key
leadership skills. They will be able to identify and utilize the tasks that are necessary to
conceptualize increased student achievement and success. They will understand the process
necessary to create and sustain a Professional Learning Community.
Audience: Teacher leaders
PERSON(S) RESPONSIBLE: Teacher-Leaders, Lead Associate, Specialist
13
PLC Associate – 3 days (may or may not be consecutive)
Continuous On-Site Data Analysis and Progress Monitoring Support (focus on
intervention techniques)
Dates TBD
The needs assessment and subsequent trainings will be followed by 3 more on-site associate
visits throughout the year. Each visit will be used to assess progress of pre-determined goals,
both process and achievement and to examine options and implement interventions if
predetermined benchmarks for growth are not attained. Specific attention will be
concentrated on the discipline framework, assessing where changes still need to be made and
continuing the education of teachers on appropriate behavior interventions. Each day could
also include: monitoring of team activities and successes; mini-coaching for teachers in
regard to a necessary area of growth or a defined deficit area of knowledge; and/or focus
group meetings with individuals in support of the process. In this way, growth can be
assessed, monitored and include timely changes, if necessary.
PERSON(S) RESPONSIBLE: Lead Associate, Site Administrator, SBDM team
PLC Associate – 3 days
Year 2
Training for Year 2 Work
Dates TBD
The content for training as recommended below will be more specifically determined at an
end-of-year building level needs assessment and through continued progress monitoring
during Year 1. However, the following plan for training in Year 2 would help the school to
continue on a rigorous path of school improvement. Years 2 and 3 could delve into the areas
of high quality instructional practices, common, formative assessments, and standards-based
grading, along with a continued focus on collaborative efforts in the areas of culture, climate,
discipline, and teacher/student motivation.
This plan provides for five work sessions over defined topics that are determined during a
planning session at the end of Year 1 or the beginning of Year 2. Topics to be considered
could include but are not limited to:
-
Instructional Practices: Implementing Instructional Practices That Work
PLC Working with Individual Teams and Monitoring Product
Instructional Practices: Modeling and Monitoring Implementation / Instructional
Rounds
14
- Student Engagement
Year 3
Training for Year 3 Work
Dates TBD
The content for training as recommended below will be more specifically determined at an
end-of-year building level needs assessment and through continued progress monitoring
during Year 2. Training in Year 3 might include a focus on assessment and standards-based
grading, designing quality classroom assessments, using common, formative assessments,
and continued on-site coaching and monitoring.
2. Provide an overall description of the professional development plan for the school staff
describing the focus of the PD and how it will fundamentally change teaching and
learning in the school.
The professional development plan for the Bluefield Intermediate School improvement
efforts will take into account the direction provided by our external lead partner. The
Solution Tree Organization has worked in conjunction Mercer County Schools to develop a
plan to enhance teaching and learning at BIS. First, the professional development plan will
focus upon the Professional Learning Community model. Following a series of initial
conversations and data analysis to determine the current status of the school in regards to
the reform effort by means of an assessment tool designed and administered by Solution
Tree. This will serve as a means of benchmarking progress and determining and celebrating
growth throughout the year.
An onsite orientation will follow, in which the Solution Tree will work with the staff
of BIS to establish common language and to create a collaborative culture that supports
focus on learning and drives a results orientation. The orientation will focus upon a
common system involving assessments, effective teaching and identification of learning
needs specific to the school’s population. Our planning group has already determined that
the staff will participate in a book study of DuFour’s Revisiting Professional Learning
Communities at Work to help set the stage for success with PLCs at BIS. The school
leadership team will receive intensive training throughout the school year to build capacity
for school improvement.
Training will then be provided for administrators and the central office focused on
creating a foundation of knowledge of how to lead a PLC through the creation of a
collaborative structure of support for all educators in the building. Emphasis will be placed
on aligned curriculum, effective instruction and a building-wide plan for assessment. The
skills necessary for collaborative leadership will be of primary importance in this reform
effort. The goal will be to change the culture of the school into one focused more on
learning.
Subsequently, training will be delivered to teachers regarding serving as a leader in a
collaborative environment. The participants will be trained on and practice the tasks that
15
high performing collaborative teams do in order to see results and participate in strategies
that will assist them with developing key leadership skills. Not only will they be able to
identify and utilize the tasks that are necessary to conceptualize increased student
achievement and success, but they will also gain understanding of the process necessary to
create and sustain productive PLCs.
The final plans for years 2 and 3 will be determined after a review of the end-of-year
building level needs assessment and thorough review of progress monitoring of year 1.
That being the case, during year 2 we plan to have the Solution Tree partners provide
specific staff development and collaboration during 7 onsite training days focusing on
continued improvement of the PLC process as well as effective instruction and
collaborative leadership. Year 3 will focus primarily on supporting the changes already
made as well as formative assessment and standards based instructional strategies.
Discussions with Solution Tree have led to the scheduling of a need assessment for the
school and this plan will be revisited in order to address specific areas of need as well as
progress monitoring and other timelines to ensure progress thought the course of the 3 year
grant plan.
3. In addition, provide a specific description of professional development activities by year
in the chart below. Note: All professional development must be both research-based and
sustainable.
‘Pre-Implementation’ (see APPENDIX A): June 2011 - August 2011
Date
Topic
N/A
Year One: September 2011 - August 2012
Date
Topic
September
Planning and Strategizing Meeting
2011
September
Level Needs Assessment
2011
September
2011
September
2011
September
2011
Onsite Orientation for Faculty and Staff
Resource: Learning By Doing
Administrative Leadership Training
Resource: Collaborative Administrator
Teacher Leader Training
Resources: Revisiting Professional Learning Communities
Presenter(s)
Presenter(s)
Consultant
(1 day)
Consultant
(1 day)
Consultant
(1 day)
Consultant
(1 day)
Consultant
(3 days)
16
November –
March 2012
at Work and Collaborative Teaching
Continuous Onsite Data Analysis and Progress Monitoring
Support
Resource: Pyramid Response to Intervention
Year Two: September 2012 - August 2013
Date
Topic
(month)
Work Sessions over 5 days throughout the course of the year
Ongoing
– topics to be defined at the end of year 1
TBA
Transitional Planning Meeting
Consultant
(3 days)
Presenter(s)
Consultant
(5 days)
Consultant
(1 day)
Year Three: September 2013 - August 2014
Date
Topic
(month)
TBA
Administrative Leadership Training for Year 3 Work
TBA
Teacher Leader Training
TBA
Continuous Onsite Data Analysis and Progress Monitoring
Support
TBA
Work Sessions Over Defined Topics
IV.
Presenter(s)
Consultant (1 day)
Consultant
(2 days)
Consultant
(3 days)
Consultant
(5 days)
BUDGET: Include a budget and narrative indicating the amount of school
improvement funds the LEA will allocate per year.
An LEA’s proposed budget will span a three-year period, (SY 11-12; SY 12-13; SY 13-14), as the
SEA has applied for a waiver to extend the period of availability of funds. The overall LEA budget
must indicate how it will allocate school improvement funds, over a three-year period, as well as any
‘pre-implementation’ activities, among the Tier III schools it commits to serve.
Submit budget spreadsheets and narrative as specified below:
1. LEA Budget Detail
a. Budget Spreadsheet: Complete the LEA budget spreadsheet and detail how the
requested funds will be used at the LEA level to support the school improvement
models in Tier III schools.
b. The budget narrative shall include the following items:
 An overview of the activities included in the budget
17


A description of how other federal, state, and local funds will be leveraged to
further support school improvement plans
A description of any broad items in the budget (e.g., personnel, contracted
services, professional development, equipment, travel expenses)
2. School-Level Detail
a. Budget Spreadsheet: The LEA will complete a separate budget spreadsheet for each
eligible school receiving school improvement funds.
b. The budget narrative shall include the following items:
 An overview of the activities included in the budget
 A description of how other federal, state, and local funds will be leveraged to
further support school improvement plans
 A description of any broad items in the budget (e.g., personnel, contracted
services, professional development, equipment, travel expenses)
Align other resources with the intervention as detailed in the budget and the budget narrative for each
school.
 The detailed budget narrative will provide evidence of how other sources (regular school
Title I; Title I 1003(a); Title II, Part A; Title III, Part A; state/local commitment and
community resources) are aligned with the selected interventions.
 The LEA will provide a narrative description of how other resources (e.g., personnel,
materials, services) to support the selected intervention model in the grant application.
18
VI. ASSURANCES: The LEA must include the following assurances in its application for a
school improvement grant. Check the applicable boxes.
The LEA assures it will adhere to the following actions:
√Establish annual goals (summative and growth) for student achievement on the State’s assessments
in both reading/language arts and mathematics and measure progress on the leading indicators in
Section III of the final requirements in order to monitor each Tier III school.
√Organize the school staff into PLCs and provide high quality job-embedded professional
development.
√ Participate in the SEA on-site monitoring and technical assistance.
√Comply with all state statutes and federal laws related to the Title I Part A, 1003(g) program.
Appropriate records will be provided to the State Educational Agency (SEA) as needed for fiscal
audit and program evaluation.
√Assure that funds made available through this statute will be used to supplement and not supplant
funds from non-federal sources.
√Maintain accurate program records which document progress in implementing the plans approved
in this application.
√Report to the SEA the school-level data required under Section III of the final requirements upon
request.
VII. WAIVERS: The SEA has obtained waivers of requirements applicable to the LEA’s School
Improvement Grant. The LEA must check the box below if it intends to enact the waiver.
√Extending the period of availability of school improvement funds.
The LEA that chooses to implement one or more of these waivers will comply with section I.A.7 of
the final requirements.
The LEA assures that it will implement the waiver(s) only if the LEA receives a school improvement
grant and requests to implement the waiver(s) in its application. As such, the LEA will only
implement the waivers(s) in Tier III schools, as applicable, included in this application.
19
APPENDIX A
Pre-Implementation: As soon as it receives the funds, an LEA may use part of its first year
allocation (2011-2012) during the (2010-2011 school year) for SIG-related “pre-implementation”
activities. These pre-implementation activities shall be budgeted separately (see budget sheet). Preimplementation activities must (1) support the full and effective implementation of the intervention
model selected by the LEA, (2) address the needs identified by the LEA, (3) be reasonable and
necessary for full implementation, and (4) help improve student achievement. Possible activities that
an LEA may carry out during the spring or summer prior to full implementation may include the
topics listed below. This list should not be considered as exhaustive or required.
Preparation for Accountability Measures:
 Analyze data on leading baseline indicators.
 Develop and adopt interim assessments for use in SIG-funded schools.
Professional Development and Support:
 Train staff on the implementation of new or revised instructional programs and policies
aligned with the school’s comprehensive instructional plan and the school’s intervention
model.
 Provide instructional support for returning staff members, such as classroom coaching,
structured common planning time, mentoring, consultation with outside experts, and
observations of classroom practice, that is aligned with the school’s comprehensive
instructional plan and the school’s intervention model.
Instructional Programs:
 Provide remediation and enrichment to students in schools that will implement an
intervention model at the start of the 2011-2012 school year through programs with
evidence of raising student achievement (e.g., summer school for in-coming freshmen,
summer school programs designed to prepare low achieving students to participate
successfully in advanced coursework, such as Honors, AP or IB).
 Identify and purchase instructional materials that are research-based, aligned with State
academic standards, and have data-based evidence of raising student achievement.
 Compensate staff for instructional planning, such as examining student data, developing a
curriculum that is aligned to State standards and aligned vertically from one grade level
to another, collaborating within and across disciplines, and devising student assessments.
Family and Community Engagement:
 Hold community meetings to review school performance.
 Discuss the school intervention model to be implemented.
 Develop school improvement plans in line with the intervention model selected.
 Survey students and parents to gauge needs of students, families, and the community.
 Communicate with parents and the community about school status, improvement plans,
and local service providers for health, nutrition, or social services through press releases,
newsletters, newspaper announcements, parent outreach coordinators, hotline, and direct
mail.
20