Montana Office of Public Instruction Linda McCulloch Superintendent www.opi.mt.gov

Aligning the State Performance Plan, Improvement Strategies, and Professional

Development

2006 Project Directors' Conference

July 31, 2006

Bob Runkel

Montana Office of Public Instruction Linda McCulloch Superintendent www.opi.mt.gov

Aligning the State Performance Plan, Improvement Strategies, and

Professional Development

• provide a state perspective on the development of measurable and rigorous targets for each of the monitoring indicators and the development of improvement strategies to address the state’s targets

Montana Office of Public Instruction Linda McCulloch Superintendent www.opi.mt.gov

Aligning the State Performance Plan, Improvement Strategies, and

Professional Development

• Personal perspective– Changes– Opportunity

• Responsibilities to children and families– State agency role– Project Directors

Montana Office of Public Instruction Linda McCulloch Superintendent www.opi.mt.gov

Aligning the State Performance Plan, Improvement Strategies, and

Professional Development

• Montana– Less than one student per square mile– 852 schools, 446 school districts– 47 of Montana, 56 counties meet the

definition of “the American frontier”– Median school district size of just over 100– Many one-room schoolhouses

Montana Office of Public Instruction Linda McCulloch Superintendent www.opi.mt.gov

Montana Background

SylvaniteElementary

8 Students1 Teacher

Lincoln County

Montana Office of Public Instruction Linda McCulloch Superintendent www.opi.mt.gov

Montana Background

• Hellgate High School– 1300 Students– 96 Teachers– Missoula County

Montana Office of Public Instruction Linda McCulloch Superintendent www.opi.mt.gov

Above a cirque in the Scapegoat Wilderness

Montana Office of Public Instruction Linda McCulloch Superintendent www.opi.mt.gov

Headwall of a glacier bowl, Bob Marshall Wilderness

Montana Office of Public Instruction Linda McCulloch Superintendent www.opi.mt.gov

Road to Benchmark, Rocky Mountain Front near Augusta

Montana Office of Public Instruction Linda McCulloch Superintendent www.opi.mt.gov

Aligning the State Performance Plan, Improvement Strategies, and

Professional Development

• Setting the stage for change– Trust– Communication– Relationships

• Setting the stage for sustainability– Gaining buy in– Integration with basic operations of special

education and general education

Montana Office of Public Instruction Linda McCulloch Superintendent www.opi.mt.gov

Gaining Buy In

• Engage all Division staff– Development of the State Performance Plan

– http://www.opi.mt.gov/SpecEd/index.html – Draft targets

• Engage stakeholders– Special Education Advisory Panel-setting targets– Comprehensive System of Personnel Development

State Council (CSPD)-establishing improvement strategies

Montana Office of Public Instruction Linda McCulloch Superintendent www.opi.mt.gov

Gaining Buy In

• Stakeholder representation via Advisory Panel– Facilitated process of target setting with

support from the Mountain Plains Regional Resource Center (MPRRC)

– Setting rigorous, reality based goals– Indicators reflecting sound statistical practices

Montana Office of Public Instruction Linda McCulloch Superintendent www.opi.mt.gov

Gaining Buy In

• Advisory Panel/CSPD Council facilitated meeting– Participation with OSEP facilitated by MPRRC– Establish a common vision for the role of the

State Performance Plan in the work of the state

– Commitment to the vision– Identifying strategies for improvement

Montana Office of Public Instruction Linda McCulloch Superintendent www.opi.mt.gov

Integration with basic operations

• Using professional development resources to target performance indicators– Tying statewide CSPD initiatives to

performance indicators– Tying CSPD initiatives in each of the five

CSPD regions to the performance indicators– Preparing teachers at the preservice level

• Higher Education Consortium

Montana Office of Public Instruction Linda McCulloch Superintendent www.opi.mt.gov

Integration with basic operations

• Investment in data– Wise use of resources– Public confidence

• Data quality– Statewide, student-record based Data

collection• Example: Indicator #7 (preschool outcomes)

– Fully integrated with general education

Montana Office of Public Instruction Linda McCulloch Superintendent www.opi.mt.gov

Integration with basic operations

• Data quality (continued)– Use of minimum “N”– Use of confidence intervals– On-site validation steps

Montana Office of Public Instruction Linda McCulloch Superintendent www.opi.mt.gov

Integration with basic operations

• Monitoring/focused intervention– School selection based on SPP indicators

• Impacting indicators statewide• Impacting indicators at the district level

– Resources set aside specifically for supporting schools to improve SPP performance indicators

Montana Office of Public Instruction Linda McCulloch Superintendent www.opi.mt.gov

Integration with basic operations

• Plans for reaching out to other general education operations– “Egrants” federal grants management system

that requires districts to identify activities that support their school improvement plan

– Coordinating with the statewide system of support under ESEA Title I Part A

– Public reporting of school district performance embedded in the school’s report card

Montana Office of Public Instruction Linda McCulloch Superintendent www.opi.mt.gov

Opportunities

• Shared priorities across divisions within the SEA• Satisfaction that comes with observed progress• Improved public confidence that comes with

accountability• Common School Improvement Plan with general

education• Moving toward a unified system of education• Improved outcomes for students

Montana Office of Public Instruction Linda McCulloch Superintendent www.opi.mt.gov

Silhouette of a ram near Big Sky

Montana Office of Public Instruction Linda McCulloch Superintendent www.opi.mt.gov