Florida Administrative Code › 6 - DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION › 6A - State Board of Education › Chapter 6A-1 - FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION › Section 6A-1.099811 - School Improvement State System of Support for Deficient and Failing Schools

Current through Reg. 50, No. 138; July 16, 2024
(1) Purpose. The
				purpose of this rule is to set forth the School Improvement (SI) State System
				of Support for Deficient and Failing Schools pursuant to Section
				1008.33, F.S., by establishing
				differentiated intervention and support strategies for traditional public
				schools, delineating the responsibilities of the school, district and
				Department of Education (Department), setting timelines for intervention and
				support strategies, prescribing reporting requirements to review and monitor
				progress of schools, and setting forth submission and approval criteria for
				Turnaround Option Plans.
(2)
				Definitions. The following definitions, listed alphabetically, shall be used in
				this rule and incorporated documents:
(a)
				"Below effective" means a value-added model rating of Needs
				Improvement/Developing or Unsatisfactory.
(b) "Classroom walkthrough" means an
				observation of classroom activities by SI Regional Team members, district staff
				and school staff to gather data and provide feedback to instructional personnel
				and administrators to inform instructional practices for improved student
				achievement.
(c) "Coaching" means
				serving as an instructional resource in a school to generate improvement in
				student achievement by improving the quality of instruction through
				professional learning support to instructional personnel in their respective
				content areas, as needed, based on an analysis of student performance and
				observational data.
(d) "Common
				planning time" means the time provided to grade-level instructional personnel
				at the elementary level and subject-area instructional personnel at the
				secondary level to meet together, within and across grades and subjects, for
				data-based decision making, problem-solving and professional learning on
				Florida's state academic standards.
(e) "Community Assessment Team" or "CAT"
				means the team that reviews the school performance, identifies causes of low
				performance and makes recommendations for school improvement. The CAT shall
				include, but not be limited to, a Department representative, parents, business
				representatives, educators, the Regional Executive Director or designee,
				representatives of local government, and community activists, and shall
				represent the demographics of the community from which they are
				appointed.
(f) "Cycle of
				Turnaround" is the number of years a school has implemented a Turnaround Option
				Plan (TOP).
(g) "Direct
				instructional support" means support provided by a district curriculum or
				content area specialist who visits the school frequently to provide onsite,
				job-embedded professional learning and support to classroom instructional
				personnel.
(h) "District leadership
				team" means the team that includes the superintendent and district leadership.
				This may include those in charge of curriculum, general and exceptional student
				education, student services, human resources, professional learning, and other
				areas relevant to school improvement. The district-based leadership team shall
				develop and implement the district-managed turnaround option plan.
(i) "District Strategic Plan" means a
				district-level plan, which includes strategies for improving school performance
				and increasing student achievement and demonstrates how resources are aligned
				to ensure schools demonstrating the greatest need receive the highest
				percentage of resources.
(j) "Early
				warning system" or "EWS" is a system used in any school that serves students in
				kindergarten through grade eight used to identify students who need additional
				support to improve academic performance and stay engaged in school pursuant to
				Section 1001.42(18),
				F.S.
(k) "Educational emergency"
				exists in a school district if one or more of the schools in the district have
				a school grade of "D" or "F" pursuant to Section
				1001.42(21),
				F.S. A district with SI schools shall negotiate special provisions of its
				contract with the appropriate bargaining unit to free schools from contract
				restrictions that limit the schools ability to implement programs and
				strategies needed to improve student performance.
(l) "Graduation rate" means the percentage of
				students who earned a standard diploma within four (4) years of their first
				full year of enrollment in ninth grade in the state as determined by subsection
				6A-1.09981(4),
				F.A.C., School and District Accountability.
(m) "Increased learning time" means
				lengthening the school day, week, or year; providing before school, after
				school, Saturday or summer school programs to allow additional time for
				instruction in core academic subjects; providing enrichment activities that
				contribute to a well-rounded education; and allowing time for teacher
				collaboration, planning and professional learning.
(n) "Instructional coach" means a staff
				member with a proven record of effectiveness in a specific content area who has
				knowledge of adult learning to build capacity through coaching cycles in the
				development and modeling of effective lessons, use of instruments, analysis of
				assessment and anecdotal data, and providing professional learning and ongoing
				feedback.
(o) "Instructional
				Review" or "IR" means the continuous process used by the SI Regional Team, in
				collaboration with school and district leadership teams, to review a school's
				performance data trends, conduct classroom walkthroughs, assist with
				development of action plans and review school improvement plan(s) to address
				opportunities for improvement.
(p)
				"Memorandum of Understanding" or "MOU" means an agreement with the school
				district and bargaining unit pursuant to Section
				1001.42(21),
				F.S., to be negotiated that addresses the selection, placement and expectations
				of instructional personnel. The MOU must be provided to the Department by
				September 1, after the issuance of the SI school's grade, pursuant to Section
				1008.33(4)(a),
				F.S.
(q) "Multi-Tiered System of
				Supports" or "MTSS" means the system utilizing the problem-solving process to
				identify and support student needs based upon the available data. The data used
				in the process may include, but is not limited to, attendance,
				behavior/discipline, statewide assessment and progress monitoring assessment
				data.
(r) "Needs Assessment" means
				a systematic process that includes a thorough analysis of available state,
				district, and school-level trend data to determine priorities, address needs or
				gaps, and allocate resources between current conditions and desired
				state.
(s) "Planning and Problem
				Solving" refers to a cycle of continuous improvement that allows stakeholder
				groups to engage in the formation of a strategic goal(s) and then develop
				implementation and monitoring plans.
(t) "Progress monitoring" means the
				continuous review of assessments that inform educators about ongoing student
				progress for mastery of Florida's grade level standards in mathematics, English
				Language Arts (ELA), science, and social studies.
(u) "Quarterly Data Review" or "QDR" is a
				quarterly survey used to gather instructional personnel and student data to
				inform state, district, and school leaders about professional capacity and
				school climate as related to student achievement.
(v) "Regional Executive Director" or "RED"
				means the person who leads the SI Regional Team to support and monitor district
				and school improvement efforts.
(w)
				"School Advisory Council" or "SAC" means an advisory council for each school
				established by the district school board pursuant to Section
				1001.452, F.S.
(x) "School Improvement" or "SI" means the
				system set forth pursuant to Section
				1008.33, F.S., in which the
				state provides support and interventions of escalating intensity to
				low-performing schools in order to improve and sustain performance of all
				student subgroups, and holds districts accountable for improving the academic
				achievement of all students and turning around low-performing
				schools.
(y) "School Improvement
				Plan" or "Schoolwide Improvement Plan" or "SIP" means a fluid plan developed by
				school leadership and approved by the SAC and district to guide school
				improvement planning, problem solving and implementation processes by
				coordinating strategies and resources that will lead to increased student
				achievement.
(z) "School
				Improvement Regional Team" means the staff assigned by the Department to
				provide assistance to schools and districts located in geographic
				regions.
(aa) "School Improvement
				Schools" or "SI schools" means graded public schools identified for support and
				intervention by the Department because the schools earned a grade of "D, " a
				grade of "F" or produced a graduation rate of sixty-seven (67) percent or
				less.
(bb) "Turnaround Option Plan"
				or "TOP" means a district-level plan to implement one of four turnaround
				options in a school: District-managed turnaround, Reassignment/ Closure,
				Charter School and External Operator/Outside Entity as described in Section
				1008.33, F.S.
(cc) "Value-added model" or "VAM" means the
				individual student learning growth models based on the statewide standardized
				assessments authorized in Section
				1012.34(7),
				Florida Statutes, and further described by Rule
				6A-5.0411, F.A.C.
(dd) "VAM rating" means a rating of Highly
				Effective, Effective, Needs Improvement or Developing and Unsatisfactory as
				assigned using the methodology described in Rule
				6A-5.0411,
				F.A.C.