Title I School Restructuring Meeting NH Department of Education April 14, :00am-12:00pm

What does it mean to be in restructuring?  Your school has missed its annual achievement targets for five years.  You will take a year to develop a school restructuring plan.  You will continue: Parent notification School choice Supplemental Education Services (SES) Title I, Part A set asides for professional development Implementation of SINI improvement plan

Restructuring Timeline  – Restructuring School in planning phase  – Restructuring School implementing plan

Big Picture Issues  Intensive and far-reaching interventions to revamp completely the operation and governance of the school  Must be substantial enough to transform and sustain change  A major reorganization of a school’s governance structure arrangement by the LEA.  Include fundamental reforms to improve student academic achievement in the school.  Must have substantial promise to improve student academic achievement

Notification Requirements  Provide both teachers and parents notice of school status;  Provide both groups with an opportunity to comment before you take any restructuring action (i.e. developing and implementing the plan); and  Invite both teachers and parents to participate in the development of the school’s restructuring plan.

Alternative Governance Options A restructuring plan must include one of the following “alternative governance” arrangements for the school:  Reopen the school as a public charter school;  Replace all or most of the school staff, which may include the principal, who are relevant to the school’s inability to make AYP;  Enter into a contract with an entity, with a demonstrated record of effectiveness to operate the school as a public school; or  Implement any other major restructuring of the school’s governance arrangement that is consistent with NCLB principles of restructuring. *There is another option under the US ED guidance that allows a State to take over the operation of the school, but this is not permitted under NH State law

What does “Other Major Restructuring of the School” mean?  This option provides the LEA the flexibility to choose additional reform solutions that best meet the needs of students in the school and community. Examples may include: Diminishing school-based management and decision making. Increasing control, monitoring and oversight of the school’s operations and educational programs by the LEA; Reopening the school as a focus or theme school with new staff or staff skilled in the focus area. Reconstitute the school into smaller autonomous learning communities (e.g. school-within-a-school model)

Choosing the best restructuring option  It must best address the identified needs of the school and school community.  It needs to be tailored to what the school has already been working on and the success or failure of previous efforts.  A change in governance cannot be seen as replacing/stopping all ongoing improvement efforts.

Making all the pieces fit together  The school’s improvement effort must still consider such issues as staff development, curriculum and instruction, use of technology, assessment and other factors that are essential to the school’s ability to have all children meet state standards.

Phase 1 Requirements  Due date: October 15, 2010  Include at a minimum: Cover Page-restructuring contact Restructuring Team Membership Two page narrative:  district’s role in the restructuring process;  process and timeline established  steps taken to provide opportunities for comment prior to starting the plan; and  process and timeline established for communicating the plan’s goals and strategies with stakeholders Memorandum of Understanding Parent/Teacher letter

Phase 2 – Plan Development  Due date: May 13, 2011 Include at a minimum: Restructuring option chosen with rationale District support to implement the plan Process for keeping stakeholders informed throughout the process Action steps-address school governance and decision-making processes and how it all connects to curriculum, instruction and assessment

Resources Each school must have a School Based Planning Team who will develop the plan and monitor implementation. Resources available: NHDOE Restructuring Handbook-currently being revised for the school year-but you can refer to last year’s version as a guide for now (Includes Phase I and II plan templates): ts/title_i_res_sch_hdbk.doc ts/title_i_res_sch_hdbk.doc Coaching support Assistance from the Center for Innovation and Improvement (CII)  Resources to consider: Restructuring Facilitator Principal Mentor

Frequently Asked Questions  If we begin to restructure during the school year (planning phase), can that be considered part of our plan for (implementation year)? Yes, your plan can include interventions/strategies that you have recently implemented  What happens if we plan during , but make AYP in the Spring of 2011? You do not have to implement your plan in since you remain at SINI Year 4-Restructuring Planning Year.

Frequently Asked Questions (cont.)  What happens if during this restructure, we are identified for restructuring in another area? You would need to adjust your plan to include goals related to the other identified area as well. You will not need two separate plans.  Do I still have to submit a SINI plan for ? What about for ? Yes, you must submit a SINI progress report for , but the restructuring plan will take place of the progress report for

Frequently Asked Questions (cont.)  What funds are available for restructuring schools? For , schools in the restructuring planning year (SINI Year 4) have access to $15,000 through the SINI progress reporting process. Funding for will not be determined until the Spring of 2011.

Frequently Asked Questions (cont.)  Will all restructuring schools be eligible for the Title I School Improvement Grant (SIG)? Eligibility for the SIG is based separate criteria, please see eligible list of schools and criteria. This grant is optional, but actions taken under SIG can be included as part of the school’s restructuring plan.

The NH Parent Information and Resource Center (NH State PIRC) is a US Department of Education-funded program aimed at improving student academic performance by increasing parental involvement in children’s education. The NH State PIRC promotes parent involvement in education through information, products, trainings, workshops, publications, toolkits, and technical assistance to parents, schools, school districts, PTAs, and community organizations.

The NH State PIRC focuses on 4 primary areas: 1. School-Based Family-School-Community Partnerships 2. Parental Involvement in Education 3. Early Childhood Reading and Language Development, including School Readiness 4. No Child Left Behind education law The aim is to assist parents, schools, parent-teacher groups, community organizations and businesses to take a more proactive role in promoting parents' involvement in their children's education.

Parent Involvement Support for Restructuring Schools, SINIs and DINIs:  Solid Foundation, Research-Based Parent Involvement Program PIA Analysis Solid Foundation, Path 1, Path 2, or Path 3  NH State PIRC Workshops, Trainings, Products, Publications, & Technical Assistance Support

A parent engagement process within a web-based structure to assess, plan, implement, and monitor parent involvement at the school level Solid Foundation

Step by Step Approach Web-Based Monitoring Flexible OptionsSite-Based Decision MakingSelf-Sustaining MethodsQuality ResourcesExternal Partner (Support) Features of the web based structure

Program monitoring at a glance Solid Foundation Delivers

1. School Team Meets with External Partner for Orientation Meeting 2. Principal Completes School Information Form 3. Gather Key Documents 4. External Partner Completes Policy Analysis 5. School Team Meets with External Partner to Review School Community Index 6. Principal Downloads and Prints Resource Manual 7. Team Completes Needs Assessment 8. Team Creates Action Plan with External Partner 9. Team Implements Action Plan 10. Team and External Partner Monitor and Evaluate

OPEN NH  Cost effective high quality professional development at $100 per course.  7 weeks of discussion based courses for 30 hours of professional development.  Convenient asynchronous delivery using Moodle course management system.  Part of 10 state e-Learning for Educators Initiative.  Deals available for district cohorts.  Optional graduate credits available.  More details on the web at

Contact Information Stephanie Lafreniere Title I State Director