reconvene regular meeting: 7:00 pm - Irvine Unified School District

Item No. 15 e.
TOPIC
DESCRIPTION
ANNUAL REVIEW OF DISTRICT-WIDE CONTINUOUS
IMPROVEMENT EFFORTS FOR 2010-11
The district’s approach to continuous improvement efforts is based
on Deming’s concept of Total Quality Management (TQM).
Under this concept, every aspect of an organization is continuously
scrutinized for potential improvement, sometimes called
Continuous Performance Improvement (CPI).
While clearly there are tremendous advantages for the organization
in general to focus on a limited number of improvement efforts, we
know from experience that the most dynamic units in our
organization are working concurrently on multiple fronts to
improve their results. Some of those fronts engage all members of
the school staff, while others are pursued by smaller groups of
teachers within the school. To support this more effective
approach, the Curriculum Council identifies important directions
across a wide scope of school programs. Identifying key directions
in each area positions the district to encourage and be supportive of
multiple improvement efforts that occur on a school-by-school or
teacher-by-teacher basis.
The Curriculum Council convenes annually to review the status of
program improvement efforts, district-wide assessment data, and
emerging needs and opportunities. The Continuous Improvement
Efforts recommended by the Curriculum Council are arrayed in the
attached document. The Continuous Improvement Efforts are
expressions of directions in which all schools will be moving over
a 5-10 year period. Schools are asked to develop multi-year
improvement plans with an annual assessment of results that serve
to inform modifications to subsequent improvement activities.
SCHOOL LEVEL
TARGETS
The Continuous Improvement Efforts document is designed as a
roadmap, helping us “provide the highest quality educational
experience we can envision,” and is based on ten core premises.
This year the Curriculum Council reaffirmed the emphasis on
improved learning for each individual student. Schools are asked
to intentionally use evidence of learning to inform instruction,
evaluate programs, implement a supportive school climate, and
implement effective teaching strategies in order to prepare students
for their futures. As we look toward supporting all students in
achieving proficiency, we must also plan for all students to acquire
the competencies appropriate for their subsequent levels of
learning and successful transition beyond IUSD. Therefore,
schools are asked to plan instruction specifically to address the
Page 217