School Improvement - Louisiana Department of Education

BACKGROUND AND INFORMATION/DEFINITION:
A Distinguished Educator (DE) is assigned, as available, to Academically Unacceptable schools in School
Improvement 3 in Districts that have entered into a partnership with the LDE. The DE, in collaboration
with other assistance partners and the SIT, serves in an advisory capacity to help the schools improve
student performance. Other responsibilities may include implementing plans for school choice and
reconstitution and conducting Scholastic Audits.
A District Assistance Team (DAT) is an external team composed of specially trained district and university
personnel who serve as an invaluable resource for a school in School Improvement that needs additional
assistance and support in its efforts to improve student achievement. The DAT functions throughout the
improvement process—planning, implementing, and evaluating. The DAT is responsible not only for
leading the needs assessment, but also for interfacing and collaborating with the SIT in implementing
and evaluating improvement activities.
The Degree of Implementation Guide (DIG) is a tool used to guide the District Assistance Team in
Conducting an evaluation of the school’s implementation of its School Improvement Plan.
A Highly Skilled Educator (HSE) is a district person who assists schools in School Improvement. This
educator, who has received training beyond that of a DAT member, assists in the school improvement
process and is responsible for helping with the school’s quarterly reports and annual evaluations
submitted to the Louisiana Department of Education.
The Louisiana Needs Analysis (LANA) is a needs assessment designed by the Louisiana Department of
Education. It is a framework to evaluate those resources and process factors used in student learning in
a school setting.
The School Improvement Plan (SIP) is a document that results from a collaborative effort of school
stakeholders and sets forth measures to ensure change in student achievement. The plan is based on
school data, and its strategies and activities align with what research indicates will improve student
learning.
The School Improvement Team (SIT) is a school’s internal assistive team responsible for planning,
implementing, and evaluating the school’s improvement process. However, the SIT can take advantage
of objective, supportive, and external assistance, especially in conducting needs assessments and in
validating the SIT’s interpretation of data. A District Assistance Team can serve in this capacity.
A School Support Team (SST) is the state‐level team composed of School Improvement staff, Regional
Service Center staff, Initiative staff, institutions of higher learning and any other group of individuals
whose primary role is to support the improvement efforts of a school.
Stakeholders are the administration, faculty, staff, parents, community leaders, and students of a
school. Their representatives serve on the SIT. A middle and high school SIT must include students and
parents, but the parents must not be on the school’s staff.
Struggling Schools are schools with the following characteristics:
stagnant growth,
schools in decline, and
schools identified in AUS status.
Systemic Change is a cyclical process in which the impact of change on all parts of the whole and their
relationships to one another are taken into consideration.
2