The New York State School The New York State School Improvement Grant InitiativeImprovement Grant Initiative

Five Years OnFive Years On

Office of Professional Research & Office of Professional Research & Development, Syracuse University, NYDevelopment, Syracuse University, NY

Data Collection: Student Outcomes & Performance Indicators

Root Cause Analysis, Strategic Planning & Goal Setting

Implementation of Activities

The Evaluation Logic Model

NYSED (VESID)

Surveys, focus groups, think tanks, and Surveys, focus groups, think tanks, and interviewsinterviews

WITH THE IHEWITH THE IHE Perceptions of status of Perceptions of status of

partnerships, their role partnerships, their role and change in districtsand change in districts

Changes in their Changes in their teacher preparation teacher preparation programs programs

Usefulness of Usefulness of assistance from the assistance from the HESCHESC

Promising practices Promising practices related to partnerships related to partnerships and teacher and teacher preparation programspreparation programs

WITH RECENT WITH RECENT GRADUATESGRADUATES

Perceptions of Perceptions of preparedness preparedness

Identification of high Identification of high impact activities and impact activities and strategies in teacher strategies in teacher preparation preparation programsprograms

Just the numbers….Just the numbers….

Scope of the effort:Scope of the effort:

Total SIG School Districts Year One – Total SIG School Districts Year One – Five: 66Five: 66

Year Five active districts: 31Year Five active districts: 31 Total IHE participation in Task Force: 68 Total IHE participation in Task Force: 68

of 120.of 120. Total IHEs Partnering With Schools: 44Total IHEs Partnering With Schools: 44 Total IHEs Participating in SIG: 65Total IHEs Participating in SIG: 65

Implementation & Implementation & ParticipationParticipation

School Year Five goals: ELA, math, School Year Five goals: ELA, math, classificationclassification, planning and , planning and analysis, analysis, parent involvement, LREparent involvement, LRE..

Activities aligned to goals and Activities aligned to goals and most activities carried out as most activities carried out as planned esp professional planned esp professional development & IHE Research.development & IHE Research.

Challenges implementing: policy, Challenges implementing: policy, parent training and meetings.parent training and meetings.

Changing Practice in Changing Practice in DistrictsDistricts

Key shifts:Key shifts: Embedding SIG work in district & Embedding SIG work in district &

regional planning.regional planning. Collaboration with SETRC/RSSC/VESID.Collaboration with SETRC/RSSC/VESID. Strengthened school district leadership.Strengthened school district leadership. Dev parent involvement programming.Dev parent involvement programming. Improved building culture.Improved building culture. Teachers embed SIG work in class.Teachers embed SIG work in class. Increased administrator engagement in Increased administrator engagement in

year five.year five.

School building changesSchool building changes

Top 5 Changes at building level:Top 5 Changes at building level: Discussions with colleagues.Discussions with colleagues. Changes in instructional practice.Changes in instructional practice. Implementation of workshops.Implementation of workshops. Identification of areas of need.Identification of areas of need. Increased use of data to make Increased use of data to make

decisions at classroom level.decisions at classroom level.

Changes in teacher Changes in teacher practicepractice

Increased teacher knowledge and Increased teacher knowledge and awareness of SIG issues.awareness of SIG issues.

Increased use of data to make Increased use of data to make decisions.decisions.

Greater awareness of differientiated Greater awareness of differientiated instruction.instruction.

Increased efforts to align curriculum.Increased efforts to align curriculum. Increased collaboration within Increased collaboration within

building.building.

HESC Support: HESC Support: HighlightsHighlights

Summer action grants, partnership Summer action grants, partnership enactment and enhancement, faculty enactment and enhancement, faculty fellowships, learning communities, study fellowships, learning communities, study groups.groups.

Facilitating regional links and work.Facilitating regional links and work. Informing on policy & curriculum changes Informing on policy & curriculum changes

– new state and federal requirements.– new state and federal requirements. Half participating IHE’s use to help make Half participating IHE’s use to help make

changes to pre-service programming.changes to pre-service programming. Significant development of HESC website Significant development of HESC website

to include regional and topical spaces.to include regional and topical spaces.

Partnership DevelopmentPartnership Development

More than half responding to surveys indicate More than half responding to surveys indicate their partnerships are ‘established’.their partnerships are ‘established’.

54% IHE’s noted lack of district follow through in 54% IHE’s noted lack of district follow through in year two.year two.

Year Five: IHEs now in schools more often, doing Year Five: IHEs now in schools more often, doing student and classroom observation, offering PD student and classroom observation, offering PD aligned to school goals, and teaching courses in aligned to school goals, and teaching courses in schools.schools.

Year five: one-third IHEs had formal agreement Year five: one-third IHEs had formal agreement with schools: most work on PD, least on IHE with schools: most work on PD, least on IHE research.research.

Shift in scope of inv with schools. Year five: Shift in scope of inv with schools. Year five: IHE’s as whole more likely to be involved than IHE’s as whole more likely to be involved than specific faculty member. 40% still not sure specific faculty member. 40% still not sure about sustainability.about sustainability.

Pre-service changesPre-service changes

Year Five - Three quarters made changes to Year Five - Three quarters made changes to existing courses and half created new courses: existing courses and half created new courses: inclusion. Almost all report better prepared inclusion. Almost all report better prepared teachers in this area.teachers in this area.

A third made similar changes in area of A third made similar changes in area of diversity and cultural competence in year five. diversity and cultural competence in year five. Three quarters report better prepared teachers Three quarters report better prepared teachers in this area.in this area.

Pre-service teachers want help working with Pre-service teachers want help working with parents and adults in their buildings. Exposure parents and adults in their buildings. Exposure to teachers in field is positive.to teachers in field is positive.

IHE’s report increased awareness amongst IHE’s report increased awareness amongst GED colleagues and non-SIG faculty. Want GED colleagues and non-SIG faculty. Want more training on inclusion for GED teachers.more training on inclusion for GED teachers.

Access to General Access to General Education CurriculumEducation Curriculum

11% have lower classification rates than 11% have lower classification rates than state averages and have decreased since state averages and have decreased since SIG.SIG.

26% have higher rates of LRE placement 26% have higher rates of LRE placement than state average and have increased than state average and have increased since SIG.since SIG.

31% have rates of placement in separate 31% have rates of placement in separate settings that are lower than state average settings that are lower than state average and have decreased since SIG.and have decreased since SIG.

No change in declassification noted.No change in declassification noted. N=35N=35

Reduce Gap in Reduce Gap in AchievementAchievement

46% survey respondents not change in 46% survey respondents not change in student achievement. Also note student achievement. Also note increased engagement of students, increased engagement of students, better classroom performance.better classroom performance.

13% closed gap in ELA 4 performance 13% closed gap in ELA 4 performance and outperformed similar districts.and outperformed similar districts.

33% closed gap in math 4 performance 33% closed gap in math 4 performance and outperformed similar districts.and outperformed similar districts.

See HESC website for Year Five See HESC website for Year Five evaluation report which lists schools evaluation report which lists schools making shifts in each of the above making shifts in each of the above areas.areas.

Reduce/EliminateReduce/EliminateDisproportionalityDisproportionality

Disproportionality not a target goal for many Disproportionality not a target goal for many districts, especially in first few years of SIG.districts, especially in first few years of SIG.

Shifts: growing awareness amongst school Shifts: growing awareness amongst school staff of issue, growing willingness to identify staff of issue, growing willingness to identify it as issue in their school, adoption of it as issue in their school, adoption of processes and practices designed to reduce processes and practices designed to reduce disproportionality by some schools (i.e. RTI, disproportionality by some schools (i.e. RTI, PBIS, less referrals to CSE).PBIS, less referrals to CSE).

Needs: more content in teacher preparation, Needs: more content in teacher preparation, address the issue in ongoing manner, address the issue in ongoing manner, encourage work on the personal level.encourage work on the personal level.

Beyond SIGBeyond SIG

Areas of need as we move forward:Areas of need as we move forward: Sustained and broad parent Sustained and broad parent

involvement/engagement.involvement/engagement. Identification of barriers to across the board Identification of barriers to across the board

improvement in student achievement.improvement in student achievement. Broader based buy-in & implementation of Broader based buy-in & implementation of

activities amongst staff at local and building activities amongst staff at local and building levels.levels.

Broad based follow through amongst Broad based follow through amongst administrators.administrators.

Focus on classification and disproportionality.Focus on classification and disproportionality. Focus on staff turnover and transition issues.Focus on staff turnover and transition issues.