Following is a suggested timeline to guide the annual planning process. Although this is similar to what we have been doing in many ways, it will likely take some time to gear up in order to meet the requirements of the new school improvement and accreditation/accountability process. The cycle of improvement is schoolwide, collaborative, and results-oriented.

An effective school planning process is ongoing. It ranges from regular reviews of individual student progress during teacher evaluation planning conferences, to reviews of class/grade level progress during staff development days, to a continuous review of measurable goals to address achievement.

The suggested planning timeline below looks specifically at an eleven-month planning cycle. Multi-year plans are generally implemented for a three-year time period. The 4th year is a revision or re-planning year. Year five (5) becomes the year one (1) implementation of the revised plan.

*  It is expected that this year's EOY & SIP will build upon previous year's reports/plans and that this year will be a transition year in moving forward with the new State Accreditation Indicators, published August 2001.

August - September

• Evaluate impact of the school improvement plan, the intended strategies, and the progress made in accomplishing the measurable goals.
• Review progress and adjust school plans after the year-end student performance data is received.
• Collect, organize, interpret body of evidence on prior year school achievement and equity goals.
• Analyze Snapshot data. Disaggregate student achievement data by subgroups.
• Begin administrator evaluation cycle.

October 15

• Provide results to the District. Complete all sections of EOY for accreditation review.
• Submit the EOY and SIP for review annually onOctober 15. Invite site reviews every 5 years.
• Describe the progress made in implementing the strategies identified in prior year EOY/SIP.
• Show any changes in strategies in revised SIP.
• Set targets for improvement in collaboration with school staff and school improvement teams, utilizing the data to establish the target. Principals review targets and address achievement gap in consultation with Assistant Superintendents.
• Begin teacher evaluation cycle.

October - November

• Recommit to a common focus, vision and mission. Identify core problems: Why are we getting these results? What is the problem that, if solved, will leverage the most for equity and achievement?
• Engage the entire school community including parents, teachers, administrators, students and community in developing the common focus.
• Ground the work in the school's vision while continually comparing practice with results and intentions, e.g. "Is this what we planned? Are we achieving what we had hoped?"
• Address issues regarding change and the change process.
• Define role of parents and teachers in the school improvement process.
• Affirm or develop an organizational framework for the planning process.

December - January

• Engage in data-based inquiry. Celebrate progress and identify continued and/or new challenges.
• Involve parents and community members in ongoing assessment of needs.
• Consider changes in demographic characteristics that relate directly to needs/goals. Consider survey data including prevalence of student risk factors.
• Collect, organize, and interpret multiple data sets on students' academic performance and behavioral needs.

February - March

• Principals review mid-year progress on targets with Assistant Superintendents. Budget hearings for schools begin.
• Develop solutions. Ask, "How will we get improved results? How will we address changing needs? How will we build a vision for continuous improvement?"
• Select strategies that best meet needs for improved teaching that will help raise student achievement in the core academic subjects and make reasonable progress on achievement goals.
• Engage staff/parents in dialogue to shape and refine new practices and to examine student work and pose alternative actions.
• Monitor and evaluate performance. Implement and monitor incentive structures.

April - May

• Organize professional development plan for subsequent year. Ensure that the professional development plan is of sufficient intensity and duration to have a positive and lasting effect on teaching and learning.
• Research effective approaches to address identified needs, including organizational structural changes and adoption of research-based strategies and best practices.
• Complete teacher evaluation cycle, finalize principal evaluations, review progress with Assistant Superintendents.

June 21