Indicators of Effective Practices
Leaders make it a priority to elevate performance, and they communicate the urgent need for improvement so that all students receive the high-quality education they deserve. Leaders catalyze and organize the coordinated work of the staff to improve schools, harnessing their efforts and drawing them to a shared vision of success. Leaders understand their role in ensuring improvement; they develop and execute data-informed plans and they accept responsibility for results.
School improvement requires competent and committed personnel. Policies and procedures to identify, select, place, retain, and sustain these personnel, especially teachers and school-level leaders, are a precursor to school turnaround, and staffing of teachers and leaders for turnaround schools should be approached with equity in mind.
Improvement in student learning outcomes depends on system-wide support for change in the classroom instruction. Effective instructional practice, including strong standards-based instruction, data-based planning, differentiation and individualization, research-based pedagogical approaches, and classroom management must be identified and supported at the school and district level. Schools cultivate an environment of both high expectations and support for students’ academic accomplishment.
School improvement depends on many people working together to achieve extraordinary results. Attaining the necessary level of commitment to achieve these results requires a dramatic culture shift toward both high academic expectations and concerted effort. Leadership establishes the structures and opportunities for faculty and staff to work together around common goals, engendering a culture of mutual respect, shared responsibility, and focused attention on student learning. A strong school community attends to the culture both inside and outside the school, gathering input from stakeholders and gauging perceptions about the school and the turnaround effort. Students are challenged and supported to aim higher, work harder, and realize the satisfaction of accomplishment. A positive school climate reflects a supportive and fulfilling environment, learning conditions that meet the needs of all students, people sure of their roles and relationships in student learning, and a culture that values trust, respect, and high expectations.
School leadership sets the strategic direction for the school and establishes clear policies and expectations for teachers and staff to work toward ambitious improvement goals. They articulate a commitment to improving the school and advocate fiercely across audiences for the school. School leadership closely monitors, discusses, reports, and acts on the school’s improvement progress.
Select indicators of this effective practice below:
1A.1 Set a Clear Direction
1A.2 Provide Clear Communication
1A.3 Communicate Expectations
1A.4 Working Directly with Teachers
1A.5 School Improvement Team Meet Regularly
1A.6 Teacher Instructional Teams
1A.7 School Leaders Communication with Instructional Teams
1A.8 Partnerships to Address Mental and Physical Needs
1A.9 Written Referral Process for Appropriate Services
1A.10 Documenting Satisfaction of Services Received
Improvement targets are informed by assessment data and review of evidence-based practices. They are set as annual targets for improved student learning and action objectives for improved practice. Milestones, timelines, and actions pace how to achieve the objectives. Regular feedback on progress is reviewed and timely changes are made in the 90-Day Actions to get on track in meeting objectives and achieving student learning outcomes.
Select indicators of this effective practice below:
1B.1 School Improvement Team Monitors Implementation
1B.2 School Improvement Team Provides Feedback
1B.3 School Leaders Evaluation Process
The school provides customized, targeted, and timely supports for improvement efforts. Support is aligned to ensure coherence and integration with other necessary initiatives and the elimination of unnecessary initiatives. Progress is regularly monitored to identify support needs and then the school acts quickly and competently to address those needs.
Select indicators of this effective practice below:
1C.1 School Improvement Team Improvement Strategies
1C.2 School Leaders Attentive to Staff Support
1C.3 Using Data for Strategies
1C.4 Three-Tied Support Framework
The school collaborates with the Complex Area and HIDOE to develop a school-specific model for teachers to determine which skills and practices should be prioritized in the teacher-selection process in this school. School leaders use the hiring, evaluation, and professional development processes in place to ensure teachers demonstrate skills and practices needed for improving student learning and school performance.
Select indicator of this effective practice below:
2A.1 Retaining Qualified Personnel
The school provides opportunities for leaders and teachers to learn side by side and share how their own ongoing growth impacts their individual practice as instructional and organizational leaders. Learning experiences are differentiated, purposeful, targeted, employed in rapid response to identified needs, reflective of what is known about effective adult learning, and clearly connected to the school’s action-plan priorities.
Select indicators of this effective practice below:
2B.1 Managing Resources
2B.2 Leaders and Teachers Learning Together
2B.3 Promoting Collaboration and Collegiality
2B.4 Ongoing Teacher Training and Support
2B.5 Professional Development for Working with Families
2B.6 Evaluation of Professional Development
Teachers regularly examine individual student data, carried out in team meetings, professional learning communities (PLCs), or in other planning sessions as part of teachers’ regular work and expectations. School leaders and teachers creatively use fluid instructional groupings rather than year-long assignments that may not meet students’ (and teachers’) needs. For example, when students struggle with a certain concept, they could be assigned temporarily to a teacher whose data demonstrate that he or she teaches it well or differently from the students’ current teacher(s), placed in a small group for reteaching, or given individualized instruction. Teachers are given time within the school day to conduct such analysis and develop plans to address identified needs. Teachers are also held accountable for doing so and for carrying out the plans they develop for students.
Select indicators of this effective practice below:
3A.1 Reviewing Implementation Data
3A.2 Reviewing Student Data
3A.3 Using Data to Respond to Student Needs
3A.4 Reviewing Tests and Formative Assessments for Student Needs
3A.5 Teachers Create Instructional Plans in Response
3A.6 Teachers Engage All Students
School leadership and teachers conduct a curriculum analysis and map lesson plans against standards to ensure the plans adequately represent the standards. They determine whether adjustments and supports are needed to ensure all students have access to the curricula. In each instructional mode utilized—whether whole class, small group, independent work, technology-based, or homework—teachers routinely utilize the best evidence-based instructional practices for that mode and school leaders support their development of those practices.
Select indicators of this effective practice below:
3B.1 Developing Standard-Based Curriculum
3B.2 Aligned Standards for Teachers
3B.3 Weekly Lesson Plans
3B.4 Differentiated Instructional Strategies
3B.5 Modifications in Lessons
3B.6 Cooperative Learning Methods
3B.7 Reinforcing Classroom Rules
3B.8 Building Metacognitive Skills
3B.9 Finding Value in New Topics
3B.10 Teachers Guided by Evidence-Based Strategies
3B.11 Strong Emphasis on Reading Skills
3B.12 Strong Emphasis on Reading to Learn
3B.13 Vocabulary Development
The school exalts a community of learners and supports each student’s personal development by removing barriers, providing opportunities, and building skills. School leaders and teachers track student progress and help students regain lost ground through academic supports (e.g., tutoring, co-curricular activities, tiered interventions), extended learning opportunities (e.g., summer bridge programs, after-school and supplemental educational services, Saturday academies, enrichment programs), credit-recovery programs, and virtual courses. Students demonstrating sufficient prior mastery are given access to higher-level assignments and courses. The school networks with nearby organizations in the community to identify available supports or to generate new supports for students.
Consider having medical and dental services available on site on a regular basis. Provide on-site laundry service for families in need. Provide food for students during extended learning sessions and other periods when they are at school outside of regular school hours.
Select indicators of this effective practice below:
3C.1 Extended Learning Opportunities
3C.2 Rigorous Coursework Opportunities
3C.3 Nontraditional Education Opportunities
3C.4 Online, Hybrid, or Blended Learning
3C.5 Social/Emotional Competencies
3C.6 Being Attentive to Students' Emotions
3C.7 Students' Personal Stories
3C.8 Valuing Cultures
3C.9 Understanding Hawai'ian History and Culture
3C.10 Scaffolded Experiences for Career Exploration
The school has established systems (i.e., structures, policies, procedures, and routines) for collaborative work focused on practice; to recognize student effort and academic mastery; to recognize job satisfaction and camaraderie among staff. The school maintains a positive, encouraging classroom and school culture for students where students feel safe and supported to share their needs, struggles, and concerns. Each incremental achievement is recognized, but there remains a focus on ultimate results at the student, teacher, and school levels. Team accomplishments are celebrated and offer recognition for hard work and improvement. Frequent and open reviews and discussions of progress on student learning outcomes and professional practice routinely occur with stakeholders to collaboratively problem solve and reach established goals.
Select indicators of this effective practice below:
4A.1 School-Home Relationships
4A.2 Celebrating Achievements
4A.3 Communicating Expectations to Families
4A.4 Two-Way Communication
The school learns what constituents think by conducting surveys, forums, focus groups, and suggestion boxes. Action is taken based on stakeholder input and feedback. Constituent input is considered when making programmatic decisions. All voices are heard as evidenced by the communication, engagement, collaboration, and feedback with and from the school community.
Select indicators of this effective practice below:
4B.1 School Community Report
4B.2 School Improvement Team Shares Progress with School Community
4B.3 Discussing Results with Families and School Personnel
The school builds students’ skills in setting learning goals, managing their learning, and pursuing their goals by charting progress on coursework and towards their postsecondary goals. Families are kept informed and engaged in planning and supporting their students’ education goals. Students and their families are provided with a full explanation of assessment results and interest inventories to help them make the best learning decisions. Community resources and expertise are used to expand students’ understanding of potential careers and education options.
Select indicators of this effective practice below:
4C.1 Teachers Meet with Families
4C.2 Growth Mindset
4C.3 Academic Support for Students