School Leadership Team Conference West Virginia Department of Education Division of Educator Quality and System Support Bridgeport Conference Center October 18-20, 2010

Overview of October 18 WVDE goals for improving achievement in low performing schools Priorities and expectations Overview of the WV High Quality Standards for Schools Roles for members comprising the SSOS Effective team organization School culture

WVDE School Improvement Goals Goal 1: Build the capacity of the SEA and LEAs to drive transformative interventions in low-achieving schools Goal 2: Strengthen teacher and leader effectiveness in low-achieving schools in order to improve the quality of instruction Goal 3: Develop comprehensive systems of support in low-achieving schools

WVDE School Improvement Goals Engage external supporting partners Realign the current capacity of the state system of support structure Build strong teams to support struggling schools Design a Whole Child Early Warning System Utilize an evaluator to design a tool to report formative assessments and an evaluation of the initiatives Goal 1: Build the capacity of the SEA and LEAs to drive transformative interventions in low-achieving schools

WVDE School Improvement Goals Provide training and onsite support for the school improvement specialists Organize school staff into collaborative teams Provide professional development for school teams based on the High Quality Standards and the teacher and leadership standards Goal 2: Strengthen teacher and leader effectiveness in low-achieving schools in order to improve the quality of instruction

WVDE School Improvement Goals Establish WVDE SSOS Utilize a balanced assessment system Provide a schoolwide system of differentiated supports for struggling students and students with disabilities Establish school-based case management teams to identify non-academic issues for struggling students Goal 3: Develop comprehensive systems of support in low-achieving schools

Considerations Conduct an audit of all current programs and initiatives in the school Examine the student outcome (achievement gains) from the programs and initiatives against the school goals Determine what to continue and what to disband Obtain a commitment from staff to implement the agreed upon programs and initiatives consistently and pervasively

Expectations Prioritize strategic issues and focus efforts Develop a framework for addressing the issues Identify a sequence for accomplishing tasks to address the strategic issues Utilize data to make informed decisions Establish school goals Create collaborative teams Develop SMART collaborative team goals Identify individual actions/activities teachers agree to complete to support the team goals

Concluding Thoughts Begin the process of improvement by selecting “learning” rather than “teaching” as the fundamental purpose of your school. Understand that systemic change is a multi-year process. Recognize that the power of “starting assumptions” matter.

"Just A Little Bit More!"   When things get difficult, that's the time to give it your all! That's when you can make the greatest difference. It is when you reach the edge of your abilities, and you come face to face with your limitations, that you begin to grow. When you are forced to push yourself beyond the limit, you will raise yourself above the crowd.