School Improvement - Louisiana Department of Education

PLANNING
GUIDANCE IN THE SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT PLAN PROCESS
• Includes all stakeholders of the school. The School Improvement Plan (SIP) is a printable report of the
measures the school will undertake to reach goals that will improve student achievement.
• Clarifies the school’s focus and establishes priorities as a community of learners.
• Requires commitment from stakeholders to devote the time and energy to put the plan into practice.
• Results in a written plan on a standardized template that
→ Addresses school‐wide efforts and programs that will target improving student achievement.
→ Includes all funding sources whose monies are dedicated to those research‐based strategies and
its indicators of implementation to improve student learning. (Funding sources include but are
not limited to Title I, II, III, IV, V, IDEA, School Choice, Education Excellence Fund (EEF), School
Improvement Fund, K‐3 Reading/Math Initiative, etc.).
→ Includes information addressed in other separate plans; only one plan is needed to set forth
school improvement. Schools that are in school improvement must use the Louisiana
Department of Education’s SIP template. Schools not in SI using the format from Southern
Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) may submit their plans on the SACS form.
→ Can also be used as the core for funding requests (i.e., grants) and programmatic submissions
(e.g., Title I) to the LDE.
IMPLEMENTING THE PLAN
With the written/revised School Improvement Plan and the faculty’s commitment to implement its Action Plan,
the work of school improvement begins by changing individual personal visions into the school’s collective shared
vision and mission. Competency, capabilities and expertise to make the desired changes must expand, and the
attendant discomfort worked through. Commitment to implementing the plan must be encouraged, built, and
sustained. Reaching goals and achieving objectives through the use of research‐based strategies and its indicators
of implementation indicates the plan is in effect. Occasionally an “implementation dip” may occur when not all of
the stakeholders are performing their roles in the plan. However, with sustained action and continued
commitment, the implementation of the SIP is likely to be successful.
EVALUATING SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT
Evaluation is the means whereby schools and their staff measure the progress of implementing the strategies and
activities set forth in the School Improvement Plan. Unless evaluations are planned and applied systematically and
consistently at strategic times (e.g., six weeks, quarters, semesters, annually), no reliable means exist for the
school to measure objectively its progress in meeting its desired objectives or to see whether the improvement
activities are having the desired effect. Evaluation works best when it is part of both planning and
implementation; it is at the heart of implementation checks.
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