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Georgia Department of Education. 1

Indicators of Implementation – Office of School Turnaround

The purpose of this document is to provide schools and districts a framework for implementation of their school improvement plan. It serves as a guide to inform the monitoring and support activities conducted by the Georgia Department of Education. The key components of the document reflect a comprehensive review and alignment with federal regulations, Teacher and Leader Keys Evaluation system, and school improvement/turnaround resources. Examples of evidence of implementation at the school-level and at the district-level are provided. Required examples are listed in red. Otherwise, implementation examples are intended as a “guide” and should not be considered a restricted list. Finally, federal requirements are highlighted in bold.

A. Organizational Structures

Examples of Evidence Interview Questions

1. LEA and school conducted needs assessment to inform the SIG implementation plan and/or RT3 scope of work

Copy of how LEA determined which one of the 4 transformation models would be utilized at the school

2. LEA organization structure is organized and personnel is assigned to support schools in their SIG/RT3 implementation

Documentation describing how LEA is organized to support/implement SIG/RT3 LAS, such as organizational charts and job descriptions

Composition of team, schedule of meeting dates, meeting agendas/minutes

Defined process for LEA monitoring SIG and/or RT3/LAS implementation

(LEA specific) How has the LEA made any structural changes to support the implementation of the intervention model? Please be specific.

Indicators and Evidence




Documentation of visits and technical assistance to schools

3. LEA modified policies and practices (if necessary) to support full and effective implementation

Documentation describing modifications to policies/practices (could also be a statement indicating N/A if no changes were necessary)

4. LEA provides the necessary operational flexibility (such as staffing, calendars/time, and budgeting) to implement fully a comprehensive approach to substantially improve student achievement outcomes and increase high school graduation rates.

Specific examples of staffing, resource allocation (e.g., human, fiscal, scheduling, calendar) to support that principal encounters no obstacles from LEA that prohibit SIG/RT3 LAS implementation

(LEA Specific) How does the LEA provide operational flexibility to the school leader? Please be specific.

o If you have not provided operational flexibility to the school leader, please tell me why not.

5. LEA and school recruits, screens, and selects external partners (if applicable)

Current documentation describing how school selected external partners (could also be a statement indicating N/A if no changes were necessary)

(LEA and School) How has the LEA and school selected the external partners/vendors?

(LEA and School) How are you ensuring that you are receiving quality services from your provider?





6. LEA and school clearly specifies expectations of external partners in contracts and continuously evaluates their performance

Contracts/agreements LEA has entered into with external partners with goals, deliverables, and benchmarks of progress

Documented process for following up on professional development activities

Documented process for evaluating services of the external provider

(LEA and School) Have you seen any initial data that would suggest that the provider has been effective?

7. All teachers meet for at least 60 minutes a week for common planning time with clear expectations for collaborative instructional planning.

Instructional planning time schedules, minutes from meetings

Peer observations, team meetings, cross-discipline/grade level meetings

(Teachers) How do you plan? What do you do during collaborative planning time?

8. LEA/school has a minimum of 300 hours of Increased Learning Time (240 hours to include teacher collaborative planning, enrichment and remediation). LEA/School has defined 60 hours of ILT for all students.

Number of minutes in the school year

Master schedule for all students

Evidence of how additional learning time is created for subsets of students based on their identified individual needs that happens bore or after the expanded school day, and/or during summer, vacations/intercessions, and Saturday programs





9. At least twice a year, the LEA/school evaluates the effectiveness of increased/extended learning time.

Student participation, measures of student academic progress and other student outcomes, reports from classroom observations

Professional development for teachers targeted specifically at implementing effective extended learning strategies

B. Leadership Examples of Evidence

1. Principal fosters the success of all students by facilitating the development, communication, implementation, and evaluation of a shared vision of teaching and learning that leads to school improvement

Interview with Principal’s Evaluator/LEA staff regarding progress on LKES Performance Standard #1

(LEA Specific) How has the school leader been doing towards promoting the shared vision of teaching and learning within the school?

2. The Principal promotes the success of all students by developing, advocating, and sustaining an academically rigorous, positive, and safe school climate for all

Interview with Principal’s Evaluator/LEA staff on progress regarding LKES Performance Standard #2

(LEA specific) How has the school leader been doing towards promoting an academically rigorous, positive, and safe school?

(Students) Do you feel safe at school? Why or why not?



B. Leadership Examples of Evidence

stakeholders (Teachers) Do you feel safe at the school? Why or why not?

3. School leadership team meets a minimum of twice a month, and discusses (at a minimum) how to best support, monitor and evaluate SIG and/or RT3/LAS implementation

Composition of team, schedule of meeting dates, meeting agendas/minutes/sign-in sheets

Timelines for implementation of SIG programs/activities

4. School leadership team continuously and effectively gathers, analyzes, uses, and shares a variety of data to drive school improvement planning and decision making consistent with established guidelines, policies, and procedures

Examples of instructional changes that have occurred as a result of data analysis (impact of data analysis on student achievement and implementation of instructional strategies)

Meeting minutes that indicate school performance data and aggregated classroom observation data were used to make decisions



C. Personnel & Professional Development

Examples of Evidence

1. Principal demonstrates the competencies of a transformation leader

Interviews with LEA staff, members of school staff, and students – Multiple stakeholders can provide various specific examples of how they feel the current principal is turning around the school.

Track record of success as a turnaround principal in the past

(Teachers) Please give an example or two of how you feel the school principal is moving the school forward.

(Students) Do you feel like the principal has high expectations for you? How do you know?

2. The Principal fosters the success of all students by supporting, managing, and overseeing the school’s organization, operation, and use of resources to ensure a dramatic improvement of school climate

Interview with Principal’s Evaluator /LEA staff on progress regarding LKES Performance Standard #4(

Positive behavior supports, bullying prevention programs/activities, safe and orderly schools, character education programs,

(LEA specific) How do you feel the principal is overseeing the organization and operation of the school’s resources?

3. LEA and school has a process in place for recruiting, placing, grooming, and retaining school teachers and leaders with the skills needed for school transformation

Evidence in turnaround model of screening existing staff and rehiring no more than 50%

Process for screening and interviewing candidates

Job announcements for positions with SIG/RT3 LAS school

Board policies that outline recruitment and retention procedures





4. School implements Teacher Keys Evaluation System and Leader Keys Evaluation System

Training schedule for teachers and administrators on TKES and LKES evaluation system

Publication of evaluation process / documents in faculty handbooks

5. LEA and school has a system of rewards for school staff who in implementing the transformation/turnaround model, increase student achievement and graduation rates

Faculty handbook, memoranda, policies, and/or staff contract laying out system of rewards

Evidence of distribution of rewards (i.e. staff receiving awards, board meeting minutes)

Board policy for distributing performance based incentives using data to support that performance goals were met

6. Principal fairly and consistently evaluates school staff who are struggling and removes staff who fail to improve their professional practice

Synthesis for how many staff members are on professional growth/development plans at various (at least quarterly) times of the year

Faculty handbook, memoranda, and/or staff contract laying out system of consequences and multiple exit points for employees (voluntary departure, resignation, termination)

(Principal) How many teachers are on professional development plans? Are you noting any themes?

7. LEA and school provides all staff with high-quality, job-embedded, differentiated professional learning to

Professional development calendar for current school year

Professional development opportunities aligned with





support the school’s comprehensive instructional program

teacher evaluations and student performance and subgroup needs (e.g., limited proficient students, students with disabilities)

Learning opportunities aligned with state curriculum standards, and supports the implementation of instructional initiatives

8. LEA and school monitors and evaluates the extent that professional learning impacts teacher practice

Classroom observation reports on implementation of instructional changes

(If applicable) Implementation/impact reports from external providers

Instructional coaching schedules, walk-through observation notes



D. Curriculum and Instruction


1. LEA and school establish and evaluate annual goals for student achievement in all core areas

Copies of goals and evaluation of goals for each school in core content areas

2. LEA and school have a process for the selection of research-based instructional programs/strategies

Current written documentation outlining the LEA’s criteria and evaluation process for screening and selecting new instructional programs/strategies

3. All teachers systematically gather, analyze and use relevant data to measure student progress to inform instructional content and delivery methods, and to provide timely and constructive feedback to both students and parents.

Annual aggregate rating on Teacher Keys Performance Standard #6 (collected within GA DOE)

Meeting notes/minutes from teacher meetings examining student work for understanding (e.g., class work, class tests, projects, homework)

Comprehensive formative assessment/common assessments

(Instructional Coaches/Teachers) How comfortable are teachers/you with analyzing data to inform instruction?

4. All teachers challenge students by providing appropriate content and developing skills which address individual learning differences

Annual aggregate rating on Teacher Keys Performance Standard #4(collected within GA DOE)

Differentiating instruction (e.g., lesson plans indicating different levels/concepts of instruction based on individual student needs, learning style profiles, individual learning plans, varying instructional

(Instructional Coaches/Teachers) What type of professional learning have you been involved in regarding differentiated instruction?





resources)

5. LEA and schools provide students with opportunities to enroll in and master rigorous coursework for college and career-readiness

Record of participation in advanced coursework (dual enrollment, Advanced Placement, IB Programs, etc.)

Documentation from graduation coaches, counselors, and/or social workers (Individual graduation plans - advisement programs/process)

6. All teachers promote student learning by using research –based instructional strategies relevant to the content area to engage all students in active learning and to promote key skills

Annual aggregate rating on Teacher Keys Performance Standard #3(collected within GA DOE)

Synthesis of observation notes (from administrators, coaches, etc.) from classroom walk-throughs (i.e., cooperative learning techniques, making lessons relevant to student experiences, differentiation of instruction, evidence of instructional frameworks being implemented with fidelity, use of specific strategies/tools such as Thinking Maps, activating strategies, essential questions, formative assessments, etc.)





7. All teachers communicate effectively with students, parents or guardians, district and school personnel, and other stakeholders in ways that enhance student learning

Annual aggregate rating on Teacher Keys Performance Standard #10 for staff (collected within GA DOE)

Observations from classroom walk-throughs (i.e., students respond promptly, teachers check for student understanding)

Multiple strategies are consistently used to communicate skills/concepts

8. All school staff establish and maintain a school culture of high expectations.

Interview data from students as collected by Lead SIS regarding student perception of high expectations within the school

(Students) What are the three best things about your school?

(Students) Are there any things you don’t like about your school? If so, what are they? Why?

(Students) Do your teachers have high expectations of you in your classes? How do you know?



E. Support Systems/Strategies


1. LEA provides intensive, ongoing assistance to support school improvement

(At minimum) monthly meetings with SIG/RT3 LAS leadership team to facilitate school improvement

Research-based, current school improvement information disseminated to school staff

(LEA) How are the monitoring meetings progressing?

(Leadership Team) How is the District monitoring meeting progressing?

2. LEA and school ensure that internal (School Improvement Specialist and instructional coaches) and external providers deliver intensive, ongoing assistance to support school reform strategies

Evidence of evaluation of services provided to school

(If applicable) documentation of instructional coaching

Quarterly documentation from roundtables with external providers and district/school leadership teams

3. LEA and school align allocation of resources (money, time, personnel) to school improvement goals

School budgets and expenditures aligned with school goals

Documentation of comprehensive budget planning designed to align funding streams

Documentation of timely procurement and implementation of resources

(Leadership team) How are you using SIG/RT3 funds to support implementation of the intervention model in your school?

(LEA) How are you ensuring timely drawdown of funds?





4 School and teachers provide ongoing mechanism for family and community engagement

Regular and varied communication about learning standards, the progress of their child, and the parents’ roles in supporting their child’s success in school.

Communication with parents through newsletters, emails, telephone calls, individual conferences, school events/activities

Access to parent centers/training at various times and locations

Include parents in decision making roles for school improvement

Documents of an active school council

Evidence that demonstrates coordination with local social and health service providers to help meet family needs and/or parent education classes (including GED, adult literacy, and ESL programs)

5. School engages community members in partnerships that benefit students

Communicates with community in variety of formats (e.g., public service announcements, forums, newsletters, open-house) regarding school and school improvement efforts

Community provides internships, job-shadowing for college/career readiness

Community members on advisory councils, school leadership teams, guest instructors from community





Health and wellness services which may be provided by community agencies for students (e.g., social workers, mental health facilities, department of human services, health clinics)

34 Quality Indicators