Source: https://www.stfrancis.k12.mn.us/page.cfm?p=1124
Timestamp: 2019-04-26 02:32:56
Document Index: 430951920

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 123', '§ 122', '§ 120', '§ 120', '§ 120', '§ 123']

ISD 15, St. Francis: 316 School District System Accountability
School Board > Policies > Series 300: Education Programs > 316 School District System Accountability
The purpose of this policy is to focus public education strategies on a process which promotes higher academic achievement for all students and ensures broad-based community participation in decisions regarding the implementation of the Minnesota Academic Standards and the Every Student Succeeds Act.
Implementation of the Minnesota Academic Standards and Every Student Succeeds Act will require a new level of accountability for the school district. The school district will establish a system to transition to the graduation requirements of the Minnesota Academic Standards. The school district also will establish a system to review and improve instruction, curriculum, and assessment which will include substantial input by students, parents or guardians, and local community members. The school district will be accountable to the public and the state through annual reporting.
A. “Credit” means a student’s successful completion of an academic year of study or a student’s mastery of the applicable subject matter, as determined by the school district.
B. “Graduation Standards” means the credit requirements and locally adopted content standards or Minnesota Academic Standards that school districts must offer and certify that students complete to be eligible for a high school diploma.
C. “World’s best workforce” means striving to: meet school readiness goals; have all third grade students achieve grade-level literacy; close the academic achievement gap among all racial and ethnic groups of students and between students living in poverty and students not living in poverty; have all students attain career and college readiness before graduating from high school; and have all students graduate from high school.
IV. ESTABLISHMENT OF GOALS; IMPLEMENTATION; EVALUATION AND REPORTING
A. School District Goals
The school board has established school district-wide goals which provide broad direction for the school district. Incorporated in these goals are the graduation and education standards contained in the Minnesota Academic Standards and the Every Student Succeeds Act. The broad goals shall be reviewed annually and approved by the school board. The school board shall adopt annual goals based on the recommendations of the Assessment, Curriculum and Teaching (ACT) Committee for Comprehensive Continuous Improvement of Student Achievement.
The improvement goals should address recommendations identified through the ACT Committee process. The school district’s goal setting process will include consideration of individual site goals. School district goals may be developed through an education effectiveness program, an evaluation of student progress committee, or through some other locally determined process.
B. System for Reviewing All Instruction and Curriculum
Incorporated in the process will be analysis of the school district’s progress toward implementation of the Minnesota Academic Standards. Instruction and curriculum shall be reviewed and evaluated by taking into account strategies and best practices, student outcomes, principal evaluations under Minn. Stat. § 123B.147, Subd. 3, and teacher evaluations under Minn. Stat. § 122A.40, Subd. 8, or 122A.41, Subd. 5.
C. Implementation of Graduation Requirements
The school board shall appoint a Graduation Standards Implementation Committee which shall advise the school board on implementation of the state and local graduation requirements, including K-12 curriculum, assessment, student learning opportunities, and other related issues. Recommendations of this committee shall be published annually to the community. The school board shall receive public input and comment and shall adopt or update this policy at least annually. The Graduation Standards Implementation Committee will be comprised of the ACT Committee.
The school board shall annually review and determine if student achievement levels at each school site meet federal expectations. If the school board determines that student achievement levels at a school site do not meet federal expectations and the site has not made adequate yearly progress for two consecutive school years, the Graduation Standards Implementation Committee shall work with the school site to adopt a plan to raise student achievement levels to meet federal expectations. The Graduation Standards Implementation Committee may seek assistance from the Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) (Commissioner) in developing a plan which must include parental involvement components.
The educational assessment system component utilized by the school board to measure individual students’ educational progress must be based, to the extent annual tests are administered, on indicators of achievement growth that show an individual student’s prior achievement. Indicators of achievement and prior achievement must be based on highly reliable statewide or districtwide assessments. The school board will utilize models developed by the Commissioner for measuring individual student progress. The school board must coordinate with MDE in evaluating school sites and continuous improvement plans, consistent with best practices.
D. ACT Committee
By October 15 of each year, the ACT Committee will meet to advise and assist the school district in the implementation of the school district system accountability and comprehensive continuous improvement process.
The ACT Committee, working in cooperation with other committees of the school district, will provide active community participation in:
a. Reviewing the school district instructional and curriculum plan, with emphasis on implementing the Minnesota Graduation Standards;
b. Identifying annual instruction and curriculum improvement goals that align with districtwide goals for recommendation to the school board;
c. Making recommendations regarding the evaluation process that will be used to measure school district progress toward its goals;
d. Advising the school board about development of the annual budget.
The ACT Committee shall meet the following criteria:
a. The ACT Committee shall ensure active community participation in all planning for instruction and curriculum affecting Graduation Standards.
b. The ACT Committee shall make recommendations to the school board on school district-wide standards, assessments, and program evaluation.
c. Building teams may be established as subcommittees to develop and implement an education effectiveness plan and to carry out methods to improve instruction, curriculum, and assessments as well as methods to use technology in meeting the school district improvement plan.
d. A local plan to evaluate student progress, using a local process, shall be used for developing a plan for assessment of student progress toward the Graduation Standards, as well as program evaluation data for use by the ACT Committee in the instruction and curriculum review process. This plan shall annually be approved by the school board.
The ACT Committee shall, when possible, be comprised of two-thirds community representatives and shall reflect the diversity of the community. Included in its membership should be:
a. The Director of Curriculum and Instruction
c. School Board Member
d. Student Representative
e. One teacher from each building or instructional level
f. Two parents from each building or instructional level
g. Two residents without school-aged children, non-representative of local business or industry
h. Two residents representative of local business or industry
i. Assistant Principal, Curriculum and Instruction
Translation services should be provided to the extent appropriate and practicable.
The Act Committee shall present recommendations regarding academic standards, student achievement goals, and measure to the school board for its input and approval each year.
E. Evaluation of Student Progress
Curriculum and instruction staff shall develop a plan for assessment of student progress toward the Graduation Standards, as well as program evaluation data for use by the ACT Committee to review instruction and curriculum, cultural competencies, including cultural awareness and cross-cultural communication, and student achievement at the school site. This plan shall annually be approved by the school board.
Consistent with Minn. Stat. § 120B.36, Subd. 1, the school board shall publish a report in the local newspaper with the largest circulation in the district, by mail, or by electronic means on the school district website. The school board shall hold an annual public meeting to review and revise, where appropriate, student achievement goals, local assessment outcomes, plans, strategies, and practices for improving curriculum and instruction and cultural competency, and to review school district success in realizing the previously adopted student achievement goals and related benchmarks and the improvement plans leading to the world’s best workforce. The school board must transmit an electronic summary of its report to the Commissioner in the form and manner the Commissioner determines. The school district shall periodically survey affected constituencies in their native languages, where appropriate and practicable, about their connection to and level of satisfaction with school. The school district shall include the results of this evaluation in its published reports and in its summary report to the Commissioner.
Minn. Stat. § 120B.35 (Student Achievement Levels)
Minn. Stat. § 120B.36 (School Accountability; Appeals Process)
Minn. Stat. § 123B.04 (Site Decision Making Agreement)
ISD 15 Policy 315 (State Mandated Testing Accommodations, Modifications, and Exemptions for IEP, Section 504 Accommodation and LEP Students)
MSBA/MASA Model Policy 617 (School District Ensurance of Preparatory and High School Standards)
ISD 15 Policy 319 (Staff Development for Standards)
ISD 15 Policy 320 (Credit for Learning)