Department Overview
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The Office of School Improvement supports the systemic improvement of the lowest-performing schools in the ÐÓ°É Public School District. These schools are identified as Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI), Target Support and Improvement (TSI), Additional Support and Improvement (ATSI), and Schools at Risk (SAR). This support includes professional development, leadership coaching, fund allocation, plan development, and assistance in meeting the school’s transformation goals. The aim of this work is to ensure that the identified schools that need the most assistance for their students to have the same opportunities for growth and success that exists for students in other schools.
The Office of School Improvement assists our identified schools’ efforts to invest in proven strategies that have an evidence-base for effectiveness toward improving outcomes for children in our schools.
Evidence-Based Defined
The term, ‘evidence-based,’ when used with respect to a state, local educational agency, or school activity, means an activity, strategy, or intervention that either—
A. Demonstrated a statistically significant effect on improving student outcomes or other relevant outcomes–
- Strong evidence from at least one well-designed and well-implemented experimental study; OR
- Moderate evidence from at least one well-designed and well-implemented quasi-experimental study; OR
- Promising evidence from at least one well-designed and well-implemented correctional study with statistical controls for selection bias; OR
B. Demonstrates a rationale based on high-quality research findings or positive evaluation that such activity, strategy, or intervention is likely to improve student outcomes or other relevant outcomes; AND includes ongoing efforts to examine the effects of such activity, strategy, or intervention.
(Section 8101(21) (A) of the ESEA)
The Every Student Succeeds Act defines four tiers of evidence, directing grantees to spend funds on practices with higher levels of evidence where the evidence base is strong while allowing grantees to spend funds on all levels where the evidence base is developing.