Targeted Improvement Plan

School Improvement Theory of Action & Change Leadership Model

In connection with the School Improvement Theory of Action, the targeted improvement plan helps prioritize gaps in our school systems and practices, aligned to the aspirational framework of the ESF. Further, the targeted improvement plan aligns to Phase 2 of the Change Leadership Model, Plan and Initiate Change. Campus and district leaders will build a strategic plan designed to achieve campus vision and begin the initial implementation of the strategic plan.

Purpose

When developing a school improvement plan, the campus and district will:

• Identify and focus on which gaps need to be closed.
• Prioritize and sequence the scope of the improvement efforts.
• Create a blueprint that clearly identifies the system and capacity that needs to be addressed.

A campus’ Targeted Improvement Plan serves as the method for submitting their planning efforts for ongoing feedback and support from their TEA Specialist and ESC School Improvement case manager.

Summary of Intervention Requirements - State Accountability

• For campuses that are not engaging in School Improvement intervention via ESF-Focused Support Grant or there Title I, 1003 School Improvement grant maintain their TIP locally and are not required to have a web-based TIP through Plan4Learning.
• Campuses engaging in School Improvement interventions through the ESF-Focused support grant or SIG are required to have a web-based TIP thorough Plan4Learning for progress monitoring.

Detailed information around submission dates and support/check-ins with campus principals as outlined in the DCSI Job Description/Basics section.

The campus will submit their TIP via a web-based platform, PLan4Learning. TIPs are accessed and submitted through ISAM. ISAM is the portal for LEAs to submit campus TIP and TAP to the agency.

TIP Rubric

Initial TIP Submission Checklist

Progress 1 TIP Submission Checklist

Progress 2 TIP Submission Checklist

In this section, the campus will determine the 2-3 Essential Actions that will be their focus for the year. These essential actions will remain their focus throughout the year, therefore it is important on how these focus essential actions are chosen. Campuses will consider the results from their campus self-assessment or most recent ESF diagnostic. Further, they will need to reflect on the implementation level of each EA. For each selected EA, the campus must provide a rationale for the emphasis on each EA and how prioritizing that essential action will support school improvement efforts.

Success Criteria:

• Use your self-assessment, previous diagnostic results to help you determine which 2-3 Essential Actions your campus should prioritize this year
• Ensure the VIPs you selected to align to the prioritized EAs (if applicable)
• Consider adjustments to the ESF since your last diagnostic, self-assessment and make adjustments accordingly
• Describe the rationale for why the campus will focus on each prioritized essential action (using reflections from above)
• As a district/campus leader, you have the autonomy to adjust prioritized EAs to best match the needs of your campus

Coaching Stems/Prompts: Supporting Development and Implementation

• What are the current implementation levels of each of the Essential Actions?
• Do these selected Essential Actions highlight what the campus needs to focus on and align to your focus areas?
• How will prioritizing the following Essential Actions will support your school improvement efforts?

In this section, the campus will describe how they will build capacity around the selected Essential Actions. Further, campuses will need to describe how their selected partner will help them, what new practices, policies or systems will they focus on implementing and what skills will they focus on improving. Campuses will indicate which VIP/TIL cohort they are working with for each Essential Action. If they are not working with a VIP or TIL, they will need to select Other and specifically describe who that partner is and how they will support the campus in building capacity.

Success Criteria:

• Indicate what vetted program/TIL cohort/aligned partner you will work with to build capacity on your campus
• Describe the key practices this partner will support you with.
• Describe the way in which your capacity builder will support your campus.
• Describe how capacity will be built on your campus.

Coaching Stems/Prompts: Supporting Development and Implementation

• What systems, processes, practices will be further developed by engaging with this partner?
• What does their cadence of support look like?
• What specific skills will your campus leaders gain?
  

In this section, the campus will describe how they will communicate their priorities to all stakeholders and how they will create and maintain buy-in from them. Stakeholders include staff, students, families, and the community.

Success Criteria:

• Addresses how you will communicate priorities with a variety of stakeholders
• Be sure to address how to communicate with each stakeholder group (staff, students, families, community)
• Describes the specific strategies that will be used to create and maintain buy-in
• Is specific to each Essential Action

Coaching Stems/Prompts: Supporting TIP Development and Implementation

• How will your various stakeholders (not just staff and teachers) will be made aware of the campus’ priorities?
• What specific steps will you take to create and maintain buy-in for all stakeholders?
• How does your communication plan address each Essential Action?
  

In this section the campus will need to determine an end of the year goal for each prioritized Essential Action. The goal will need to describe what the implementation of each Essential Action will look like at the end of the year. The Desired Annual Outcome should be aligned to the key practices and success criteria of their prioritized focus area. It should be specific and clearly state the outcome they are striving to achieve at the end of the year. It should also be measurable so that they are able to know of their goal was accomplished at the end of the year.

Success Criteria:

• Is aligned to the appropriate Essential Action (and key practices)
• Is a SMART Goal (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and timely)
• Specific: Describes what implementation of the Essential Action will look like at the end of this year. Should be clear and concise.
• Measurable: Indicates what will be measured and how it will be measured (the goal should be quantifiable, but not based on student outcomes)
• Achievable: A meaningful goal that we have the resources to achieve
• Relevant: Aligns to the campus’ improvement efforts and grounded in adult-behaviors that will sustain improvement
• Time-Bound: The goal is a year-long goal, and can be achieved in one year

Coaching Stems/Prompts: Supporting TIP Development and Implementation

• How does the DAO align to the key practices of this essential action?
• Is your DAO a SMART goal?
• What will the implementation of this specific EA will look like on the campus at the end of the year?

In this section, the campus will describe how the district will support the campus in ensuring the necessary tools and structures are in place to allow for improvement efforts. This is written in an “If, Then” statement, describing what will happen if the district upholds the commitment. The District Commitment Theory of Action should be drawn from district commitments pager for that lever.

Success Criteria:

• Refers to district commitments in the ESF from the Lever for each Prioritized Essential Action
• Is specific to the campus’ Desired Annual Outcome for that Essential Action
• Is written in an If, then format

Coaching Stems/Prompts: Supporting TIP Development and Implementation

• What adult lead systems will your 90-day outcomes support?
• How will your 90-outcomes address actions taken by the campus’ instructional leadership team?

In this section, the campus will describe the specific actions the district will take in each cycle to support the campus’ improvement plan. The District Actions should come from the District Commitment Theory of Action developed for each Essential Action which is pulled from the Effective Schools Framework. The campus should describe and outline how the DCSI will support the campus in achieving its 90-day outcome.

Success Criteria:

• District Actions are aligned to the correct Prioritized Essential Action and the appropriate 90-Day Outcome
• District actions align to the District Commitment Theory of Action
• District Actions listed are comprehensive and clearly describe the actions the district will take to support the campus in implementation of this Essential Action this cycle
• District actions will change each cycle.

Coaching Stems/Prompts: Supporting TIP Development and Implementation

• What are some specific resources you will need to successfully meet your 90-day outcome?
• How can your district/DCSI support you in overcoming potential challenges that may arise in each 90-day cycle?
• In order for you to achieve the cycle-1 90-day outcome, what will you need your DCSI to provide? Consider the following, coaching opportunities, time for calibration walks, training specific to district resources, etc.

In this section, the campus will outline and list the critical actions that a campus must take to ensure they make progress toward their 90-day outcome. Action Steps are created for each 90-day cycle aligned to the Essential Action. Campuses should consider training needs, protocols, processes, or systems that need to be put in place. When creating action steps, campuses should be considering those actions that are related to planning, implementation, and monitoring.

Success Criteria:

• Action steps are aligned to the correct Essential Action and include necessary details:
• Evidence Used to Determine Progress, Person(s) Responsible, Resources Needed, Address an Identified Challenge, and Start Date/Frequency/Evidence Collection Date.
• Action steps align to the key practices of the Essential Action
• Action steps demonstrate meaningful progress toward 90-day outcomes (include planning, execution, and monitoring action steps)
• Action steps are meant for that specific cycle
• There is clear alignment between district actions and action steps for each cycle
• Action steps are comprehensive and consider training, tools, protocols and systems that need to be created
• Each Essential Action should have at least 3 action steps

Coaching Stems/Prompts: Supporting TIP Development and Implementation

• What are some critical actions that need to occur in this cycle to help you reach your 90-day outcome?
• Does your ILT need to develop new skills?
• What system/routines/protocols need to be developed in order to meet your 90-day outcome?

In this section, the campus will proactively consider challenges that will arise and potentially prevent the campus from achieving its goals. Challenges that are outlined are within the locus of control and can be addressed and overcome with planning. Challenges should be related to mindsets, talent, and resources. Campuses should consider the challenges that might prevent the team from achieving their outlined action steps. To further support achieving their 90-day outcome, the campus will need to consider how they will overcome each challenge. Campuses will need to review their action steps and indicate which action steps address each outlined challenge.

Success Criteria:

• Ensure you have thought through challenges that may prevent you from achieving action steps or 90-day outcomes (resources, skills, mindsets)
• These challenges should be within your locus of control
• Challenges should be specific to each Essential Action, and to each cycle
• Create new action steps to address each challenge; each challenge should have at least one action step that will address it
• Indicate which challenges are addressed by which action steps.

Coaching Stems/Prompts: Supporting TIP Development and Implementation

• What are some potential skill gaps your ILT or teachers may have that are aligned to your action steps?
• Are there any gaps that could be related to resources, consider, time, access to technology, calendaring observations, and/or meetings?
• What is the current mindset of your teachers around this new learning/initiative?

In this section campuses will need to set benchmark goals for each cycle. These goals are built off of the goals set in the Data Analysis portion of the TIP. Goals will be set for Domains 1 and 3. Campuses will use the approaches/meets/masters results to set goals for each subject area. Then using EOY goals set in the Data Analysis section, campuses will backwards plan and set smaller goals for each cycle that are both ambitious and achievable and will lead to the achievement of their end of year goals.

Success Criteria: Domain 1

• Set goals for all STAAR tested courses (you can choose to add goals for each subject overall or for each individual grade-level)
• 2019 data will auto-populate (you will need your 2021 data and participation rates for reference)
• Set appropriate, achievable goals for Approaches/Meets/Masters for Cycle 1, Cycle 2 and STAAR at the start of the year
• Cycle goals should progress from cycle to cycle and move you closer to your summative goal
• Goals should align to your EOY domain goals
• Indicate what assessments you will use for Cycle 1 and Cycle 2 (interim, District-created benchmarks, released STAAR exams, etc.)

Success Criteria: Domain 3

• Choose 2-4 focus groups based on your Domain 3 Data
  • Prioritize TELPAS if applicable for your campus

  Coaching Stems/Prompts: Supporting TIP Development and Implementation

  • Do the goals that are set, realistically reflect how much growth your campus typically makes from interim assessment to interim assessment?
  • What assessments will you use to monitor progress toward your goals?
  End of Cycle Reflections

  After each cycle and for each Progress Submission, campuses are asked to reflect on the implementation of their Targeted Improvement Plan. Updates are made to the student data portion, reflections on whether the 90-day outcome for each essential action was achieved, and providing a rationale to why or why not, indicating progress toward achieving each Action Step, (no progress, some progress, significant progress or met). For action steps that have not been met, adjustment/next steps should be outlined and include challenges that limited progress toward achieving that action step.

  Need more information?

  For more information about the Effective Schools Framework, Effective District Framework, DCSI Executive Leadership Cohort, or any of our tools and resources please feel free to contact us.

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