NCESD Helps Local Schools Navigate the School Improvement Process
School districts in Washington State are constantly reviewing and adjusting their systems to ensure they are providing the best education for all students. The Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) Office of Systems and School Improvement (OSSI) works with schools, districts, Educational Service Districts, and Continuous Improvement Partners to change school systems – not just practices – for long-term, sustained success.
School improvement has looked different over the years, explained Dr. Ashley Goetz, Associate Director of Student Success & Learning at North Central Educational Service District (NCESD).
“School improvement was very punitive with No Child Left Behind, and many school leaders still have fear and anxiety about the process,” Dr. Goetz added. “The process can be emotional, but we try to help school leaders look at school improvement through the lens of opportunity.”
The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), signed into law in 2015 by President Obama, replaced the previous education law called “No Child Left Behind”. Through a 3-year cycle process, OSPI identifies schools throughout Washington state that need support based on student performance and school quality, using Washington State Improvement Framework (WSIF) measures. These schools have access to additional support through ESDs and Continuous Improvement Partners, as well as potential grant funding to support the work.
System and School Improvement are tiered supports provided through state and federal accountability processes. The goal of System and School Improvement is to provide technical assistance, resources, and support, in collaboration with internal and external partners.
Schools are identified for support at one of three tiers. According to the OSPI website, the goal of Systems and School Improvement is to provide technical assistance, resources, and support, in collaboration with internal and external partners.
Once a school is identified, there can be a lot of confusion around the requirements and how to navigate the process, Dr. Goetz said. Educational Service Districts, like NCESD, help facilitate the process so that the school leader, like a principal, can be an active participant in the development of the improvement plan.
“NCESD staff do all of the planning and facilitation so that the principal can learn alongside their team,” Dr. Goetz explained. “The process is outlined for them and it begins a true cycle of continuous improvement rather than a one-time creation of a school improvement plan.”
Data Driven Decision-Making
A cornerstone of the school improvement process is making data-driven decisions. School improvement is based on a number of data points determined by OSPI and is analyzed on the three-year cycle.
NCESD staff help schools facilitate a series of meetings with very specific purposes. The first meeting acts as an orientation, providing the school team an opportunity to discuss the areas that are in need of additional support. The school team begins to review publicly available data, create learning questions, and make predictions about what they may learn once they begin to dig into the local data, Dr. Goetz explained.
The second meeting is an analysis of quantitative data. The team asks “what do you notice” and “what do you think”, and then creates a plan to collect qualitative data. The third meeting is an analysis of the qualitative data followed by goal setting and activities for implementation and progress monitoring.
“When the process incorporates strategies such as empathy interviews and student surveys, teachers and principals get to hear student and family experiences with their schools. It is often eye opening,” Dr. Goetz said. “Bringing the human-side of the data into the process truly motivates the teachers and principal to work that much harder because you can put faces to the statistics.”
NCESD staff facilitate discussion amongst teachers during professional learning event at local school district.
Empowering Educators
Another cornerstone of school improvement is to empower educators. Teachers are at the forefront of student learning experiences, and investing in their professional development is crucial to school and student success. By enhancing teaching practices and embracing innovative approaches to instruction, educators are better equipped to nurture the abilities of every student, Dr. Goetz said.
NCESD’s content specialist teams visit the schools to provide specialized support to staff based on their particular need. Support is often through professional learning experiences and ongoing support and coaching. Many days are spent in schools helping with school improvement planning, goal setting, implementation of activities, professional learning, and curriculum and standards alignment.
In the last school improvement identification cycle by OSPI, there were 39 schools in the NCESD region identified for improvement. During the 2023-2024 school year, NCESD’s team of content specialists will provide 116 days of customized coaching and support to these 39 schools. In addition, NCESD will provide more than 80 school improvement-related professional learning opportunities for anyone in the NCESD region to attend.
NCESD staff facilitate professional learning on STEM education best practices at local school district.
Equity and Access
Two fundamental principles of Washington State’s approach to school improvement are equity and access. It is recognized that systemic barriers hinder educational opportunities for marginalized communities, so the Systems and School Improvement process promotes equity and access for all students in Washington.
NCESD Early Learning Coach, Jan Dosh, looks at student supports with teacher at local school district.
Providing student support plays a role in the continuous improvement process. OSPI’s Whole Child initiative ensures students feel “safe, healthy, engaged, supported, and challenged”. One evidence-based strategy is to design relationship-centered learning environments.
Schools that are identified as needing Tier 2 Targeted Supports for System and School Improvement receive support that is targeted toward specific student groups. For example, according to the OSSI website, a school may request support from specialists in the content areas such as change management, data support, students with disabilities, and English Learners.
A District’s Experience
Manson School District is one of the districts in the NCESD region that had schools identified for improvement. With the need to increase supports for their multilingual population, Manson School District has spent the last few years looking at the data, asking tough questions, and implementing activities to improve student outcomes.
One of the hard questions district leadership had to ask was if the collective staff really knew how to help students develop English and what a reasonable expectation was, said Dr. Heather Ireland, the Manson Middle School Principal and District State and Federal Programs Director.
She reached out to NCESD for assistance. Nadya Bush, a Migrant Academic Support Specialist at NCESD, worked alongside the district to review their data and develop a systematic process to begin addressing the concerns they were seeing.
“I have relied heavily on Nadya’s expertise and examples,” Dr. Ireland said. “Our staff have felt supported during this process and have strategies they can implement. Developing our staff efficacy has been critical for change.”
The district was able to hire an English Language Development Specialist who works directly with teachers in their lesson/unit design to be mindful of their practices around language development. The district’s success in this work also comes down to the administrative support and expectations for teachers, Dr. Ireland explained.
“We are always keeping these conversations at the forefront of teaching and learning for our multilingual students,” she added. “We are very excited to see our data from 2024!”
Dr. Heather Ireland
Manson Middle School Principal and District State and Federal Programs Director
Advancing Student Success
Through the efforts of OSPI, educational service districts like NCESD, and Continuous Improvement Partners, schools in Washington are navigating the complexities of improvement with a clear focus on data-driven decisions, educator empowerment, and the principles of equity and access. The state’s Systems and School Improvement efforts focus on support, technical assistance, and collaborative effort.
As schools engage in the cyclical process of continuous improvement, the work ultimately benefits the students, who receive a more tailored, effective, and inclusive education. The initiatives, from engagement with student and family experiences to the professional development of teachers, highlight a comprehensive strategy aimed at elevating every aspect of the educational landscape. This holistic approach not only addresses immediate needs but also lays the groundwork for sustained success, ensuring that every student in Washington State has the opportunity to thrive.
NCESD Migrant Academic Support Specialist, Cathy Anderson, plays a math game with students during event at local school district.
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