A New School Improvement Model
Jan Vesely, Ed.D, Vice President, School Achievement Services,
Pearson
Walt Gibson, General Manager, School Achievement Services, Pearson
Building SIM – What the research says about school
turnaround:

Turning a school around requires a comprehensive approach

Turnaround requires an external Lead Partner who deeply embeds
support within the school (MassInsight Report, Calkins et al., 2007)

One size does NOT fit all! – Strategies must be comprehensive,
flexible, adaptable, and sustainable (Brookings Institute, 2002; Century,
(MassInsight Turnaround Report, Calkins et al., 2007; Bryk et al.2010)
2009; Center on Education Policy, 2009)

Turnaround requires dramatic academic and non academic change
(MassInsight Turnaround Report, Calkins et al., 2007)


Fidelity of Implementation matters (Borman et al., 2003)
Districts must support the change with system-wide commitment,
effective professional development, and a plan for sustainability.
(Supovitz, 2007)
Pearson
Schoolwide
Improvement
Model (SIM)

Comprehensive

Flexible

Evidence-based

Affordable

Sustainable
SIMply results

Prepare your students to be college and career
ready

Help your students achieve the Common Core

Provide high quality instruction for all students

Reach every student, every subject, every year

Implement a data-driven approach

Provide academic support beyond the school day
In literacy, the Common Core State
Standards:

Dramatically increase text complexity at every grade level –
“The ability to read and comprehend complex text is the
best predictor of college success.”

Emphasize informational text at ever-increasing levels
across the grades

Require increasingly complex academic vocabulary

Are measured by students’ ability to reason and justify an
argument

Will assess students’ literacy in both science and social
studies

Are aligned to the expectations for entering college or the
workforce without remediation
In math, the Common Core State
Standards:

Are organized, K to 12, around key topics in mathematics

Emphasize focus and coherence
•
Focus on key topics at each grade level.
•
Define coherent progressions across grade levels.

Balance concepts and skills

Require both conceptual understanding and procedural
fluency

Foster reasoning and sense-making in mathematics.

Are aligned to the expectations for entering college or the
workforce without remediation
Schoolwide Improvement Model (SIM)
Why will it work in Hawaii?
The Pearson Schoolwide Improvement Model:
Can stand on its own as an effective and comprehensive
solution
• Is custom-designed for each grade span
• Can bring a schoolwide focus to disparate programs and
initiatives
• Can serve as a single school model — does not depend on a
cohort
• Does not depend on having coaches
• Is repeatable so it can be researched
• Is not dependent on on-site professional development
•
SIM may be flexed in two ways:
• Through optional additions, such as math and literacy
interventions
• By varying the intensity of support for implementation
Schoolwide Instructional Focus
Professional Development for all teachers
Emphasis on

Academic Language

Reasoning and Justification

Collaboration

Independent Learning
Content Area Concentrations
English language arts
Mathematics
Implementation Elements
 Highly focused Leadership Team with distributed
responsibilities
 Leadership Team responsible for:
 Driving implementation process, including workgroup
facilitation; building tight linkages among settings
 Assuring school organization and support for
implementation goals
 Systematic monitoring of implementation and adjusting
plans and strategies to address improvement needs
Component 3: Data-Driven Culture
Implementation Elements

Ties Standards-Aligned Curriculum, Instruction, and
Assessment together with High Performance Leadership,
Management, and Organization

Systematic development of foundations for establishing
school as data-driven culture, linking leadership,
departments, classrooms, counseling & guidance
•
Student achievement data
•
Non-academic student data
•
Schoolwide systems data
•
Classroom observation data
Component 4: High Achievement and Engagement
Implementation Elements

Ties Aligned Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment together with High
Performance Leadership, Management, and Organization

Focus on:
•
Engaging community in supporting high expectations
•
Connecting classroom culture of engagement to school culture of
high expectations and support for achievement
•
Instituting early warning system connected to tiered supports for
students’ social and emotional development

Student Services staff (including deans, counselors, social workers)
form High Achievement and Engagement Workgroup for maintain
continuing focus
Component 5: Building Capacity for Sustainability
Implementation Elements

Coherent school-wide approach to curriculum, instruction and
assessment

Development of instructional leadership and distributed leadership
with tight linkages to Aligned Instruction

Systems development
•
Data-driven culture
•
Early warning system with guidance on connected tiered supports

Connected system of Professional Development and Technical
Assistance with support from Learning Teams

Monitoring and feedback protocols and resources coupled with
systematic processes for monitoring and adjusting plans

School drives implementation from the beginning with:

Scaffolded support provided by the design of the Model

On site technical assistance by Pearson Field Specialists
Pearson Schoolwide Improvement Model
Deliverables for Hawaii
Experienced, Embedded Local Team







60 days of on-site leadership, literacy, and mathematics
assistance from highly-qualified and certified Pearson field
specialists
10 days of Common Core professional development focused
on:
Tier 1 instructional practices (Schoolwide Instructional Focus)
Leadership training,
Learning Teams training, and
CCSS curriculum alignment
Ongoing implementation support from Pearson’s National
College for professional development and research
Pearson Schoolwide Improvement Model
Deliverables for Hawaii
Robust tools for teachers, students, and parents








Galileo K-12 Online Comprehensive Assessment
Teacher Compass and Principal Compass
Cloud based teacher and principal enlightenment tools delivered
via web or iPad
Developed at Johns Hopkins University to collect and aggregate
observation data, track schoolwide trends, and support self
assessment and professional learning
Built in feedback systems, social collaboration platform, and
extensive library of 3,000+ professional development videos
At-Risk/Drop-out Prevention online monitoring tool
SmartThinking 24/7 online tutoring for students
Optional Digital and print tools available for student
interventions
Pearson Schoolwide Improvement Model
Deliverables for Hawaii
A Solid Research-Based Model

Aligns curriculum, instruction, and assessment

Prepares teachers and students for transition to the common core

Provides an instructional focus emphasizing academic language and
independent learner competencies

Promotes Tier 1 instruction in every classroom through



Systematic teacher development,
Skilled technical assistance, and
Coaching from embedded Pearson staff

Expands classroom engagement to a culture of high expectations

Incorporates Learning Teams to establish regular settings for
process-driven instructional collaboration and a data-driven
approach to improvement

Includes SIOP support for ELL’s and additional support for special
education students
Headlines of the SIM
1
Quality first instruction
for all
Schoolwide
instructional focus on
college & career
readiness
Complementary focus
on students’ social &
emotional readiness
Practical strategies for
aligning curriculum &
instruction to
standards &
assessments
Tight linkages between
development settings
— leadership,
departments,
classrooms, counseling
& guidance
Capacity building for
sustainability from Day
One
Job-embedded
professional
development with
online support
Onsite support from
certified Field
Specialists as needed
Model can be flexed to
meet school needs
Customer Engagement
ProcessProcess
Customer
Engagement
Pre-Contract
Engagement
Qualification
Sales
Sales
Requirements
Conference
Sales
Sales
GM
GM
Field Designee
Field Designee
SIM
Implementation
Planning
Conference
Sales
Sales
GM
GM
Field
Designee
Field Designee
Field
Field Specialist
Specialist
Principal
Principal
Assoc.
Assoc.
Principals
Principals
Deans
Deans
& small
group
&
small group
including
the
including
the
scheduler and
scheduler
and
counselor
counselor
Launch
Institute
Continuing
Implementation
•Pearson General
General Manager,
Manager, West
•Pearson
West
•Assigned Project Manager
•Assigned Project Manager
•Content Area Field Specialists
•Content Area Field Specialists
•National Training Staff
•National Training Staff
• Principal. AP’s and Deans
• Principal. AP’s and Deans
•School Leadership Team
•School Leadership Team
•Key Content Area leaders
•Key Content Area leaders
•School Support Staff
•School Support Staff
SIMply results.
SIMply results.
Pearson’s Schoolwide Improvement Model (SIM)
is an innovative standards-based system
of comprehensive school improvement.
Forged in collaborative partnerships
with more than a thousand schools,
SIM represents the culmination of two decades worth
of verifiable third-party research, experience and…simply…results.
Flexible and affordable, SIM meets
the unique needs of any individual school or group of schools,
helping you help all students become college and career ready.
Through a data-driven, technology-supported, customizable process,
SIM helps you turn the complexities of school improvement
into sustainable results.
www.pearsonschoolimprovement.com