Office of School Improvement for New York City
The Office of School Improvement for New York City currently has major
responsibility for the coordination and implementation of school improvement
services and technical assistance to the New York City public, private,
and charter schools. The Office of School Improvement also assists in the
development of plans for intervention in New York City schools that have
not demonstrated adequate progress in meeting New York State performance
targets.
Additional responsibilities:
The United States Department of Education has approved a proposal to allow New York State to transform the way in which the State supports schools and districts in their efforts to raise student performance and close achievement gaps. The new system integrates the State accountability system with the NCLB accountability system. It focuses on the root causes of identification for improvement, in addition to the length of time that a school is on the improvement continuum, in order to distinguish the level and degree of intervention. The supports and interventions proposed in the Differentiated Accountability Program are specific to each phase of the improvement process and the school’s category of need. Differentiated Accountability is scheduled for implementation in the 2009-2010 school year. Included in the interventions are the following:
- School Quality Review Teams- School Quality Review (SQR) Teams assist schools in improvement status. Self-assessment paper reviews, as well as on-site reviews, are conducted as part of this intervention strategy. The teams are responsible for assessing the educational program in the school, providing findings and recommendations and assisting the district in the development of improvement plans. An SED staff person is a member of each assigned SQR Team.
- Joint School Intervention Teams- The Joint Intervention Team (JIT) assists any school in restructuring or Schools Under Registration Review (SURR) status that has failed to demonstrate progress as specified in a corrective action plan or comprehensive educational plan. A Distinguished Educator may be part of the team. The JIT assists the district in developing, reviewing and recommending plans for reorganizing or reconfiguring Restructuring or SURR schools. Teams will be assigned during school year 2009-2010. An SED staff person will be a member of each assigned JIT.
- Distinguished Educator- This program includes former or current superintendents of schools, principals, teachers and other individuals with demonstrated educational expertise to work with a district when the district or school within a district has failed to achieve adequate yearly progress for four or more years. The distinguished educator serves as a member of a Joint School Intervention Team.
For additional information, click here.
Districts, public schools and charter schools are held accountable for
the performance of their students according to the federal No Child
Left Behind (NCLB) and State regulations. See: http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/irts/
When a school is identified for improvement, corrective action
or restructuring, they must meet the various requirements of NCLB for school
improvement. See: http://www.ed.gov/policy/elsec/guid/schoolimprovementguid.doc
The districts and schools are also provided the following technical assistance
and support:
- Title I School Improvement Grants - The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001 requires that State Education Agencies allocate funds to districts to support identified schools in need of improvement to meet the progress goals in their school improvement, corrective action and/or restructuring plans and thereby improve student performance. Districts that have Title I schools in need of improvement that are identified receive funding based upon the number of schools in each category as follows:
- Schools in Need of Improvement (SINI) Year 1 and Year 2
- Corrective Action Schools (CA) Year 1 and Year 2
- Restructured Schools Years 1 - 5
Districts submit an application to SED in order to receive funds. The
funds are allocated to schools in need of improvement within a District. However,
a District may choose to direct its allocation only to some of its SINI,
CA and or Restructured schools based on need. Districts must state
the reason(s) for reducing or eliminating any allocation to a school in
their application.
Schools must target funds toward the area(s) of identification
and toward the particular subgroup(s) identified for improvement in the
school year. The funds must support the goals for school improvement
outlined in the school's Comprehensive Educational Plan (CEP) or Restructuring
Plan. SED staff review and approve grant narratives and budgets for over
300 schools to ensure that Title I funding targets the area of identification
as well as the subgroup(s) that in not making Adequate Yearly Progress.
For further information regarding school improvement schools, see: http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/irts/accountability/sini/
For information regarding the Title I School Improvement grants,
see:
http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/funding/2009schimpnyc.html
Intervention strategies and activities provided by the NYC RSSC to targeted schools and districts include:
- supporting the implementation of District Comprehensive Educational Plans (DCEPs);
- technical assistance in the implementation of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act;
- school improvement planning based on data analysis;
- causal analysis and implementation of services to address these root causes;
- professional development, planning and implementation;
- building and supporting school and district leadership to improve student performance in ELA and mathematics;
- adult education and family literacy programming as it relates to improved student performance in ELA and mathematics;
- building and supporting parent involvement;
- supporting State Education Department direction in the improvement of middle level education;
- supporting reading and mathematics initiatives, both State and federal; and
- supporting effective school community use of the NYSED virtual learning space (VLS).
- Titles IA and D;
- Title IIA;
- Title III/Commissioner’s Regulations, Part 154;
- Title VA;
- Highly Qualified Teacher and Paraprofessional Requirements under NCLB;
- Supplemental Educational Services (SES) and Choice;
- Academic Intervention Services (AIS);
- services to students with disabilities as required under NCLB; and
- Pre-K / Early Childhood; and
- Reading First.
SED program staff from the each program area listed above participates, as necessary. In addition, on-site visits to nonpublic schools that receive Title I services through the NYCDOE Bureau of Nonpublic Schools, are conducted.
- Contract for Excellence (C4E) Monitoring
- Regents Security Checks
- Implementation of NCLB Requirements for Highly Qualified Teachers and Paraprofessionals
- Grant Management Process
- Title I, Part A – Improving Academic Achievement for the Disadvantaged
- Title I, Part D – Prevention and Intervention Programs for Children and Youth who are Neglected, Delinquent, or At-Risk
- Title II, Part A – Teacher and Principal Recruitment and Training
- Title V, Part A – Innovative Programs ( FY 09 only)
- Academic Intervention Services.
- School-Based Planning and Shared Decision Making Plans; and
- Contracts For Excellence.
Districts receiving Contract for Excellence (C4E) funds, under Chapter 57 of the Laws of 2007, are fiscally and programmatically accountable for expending Contract funds in accordance with their approved plans. SED monitors C4E Plans to ensure that allocated funds support allowable programs that predominately benefit students with the greatest educational needs, including limited English proficient students, students in poverty and students with disabilities. For additional information on Contract For Excellence, see; http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/mgtserv/C4E/.
Each year in January and June, SED staff conduct on-site visits to a sampling of NYC public and private schools to ensure that schools are following the procedures for administering the Regents examinations. Early in the school year, SED staff also visit schools requesting SED approval to store Regents examinations to ensure that their storage vaults meet the established security specifications. For procedures for administering the Regents examinations, see: http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/osa/hsgen.html
NCLB requires State Educational Agencies to ensure that 1) highly qualified
teachers are teaching all classes in core academic subjects; and 2) low
income and minority children have the same access as all other children
to appropriately certified, highly qualified and experienced teachers.
The Law also requires SED and school districts to develop a Teacher Quality
Plan to reach the mandated 100 percent teacher quality goal. Teachers who
are not highly qualified in fall 2008 must be making progress towards becoming
highly qualified as soon as possible to ensure that highly qualified teachers
are teaching in 100 percent of core classes. Paraprofessionals must also
be highly qualified. SED staff provides technical assistance through monthly
meetings with DOE staff and monitors compliance with this regulation by
reviewing district plans to meet this requirement as part of the Titles
IA and IIA review of the District Comprehensive Educational Plans (DCEPs)/Consolidated
Applications.
For additional information, see:
http://emsc.nysed.gov/nclb/dcep/
http://www.highered.nysed.gov/nclb032008.htm
The Office of School Improvement (NYC) is responsible for the programmatic and fiscal review and approval for all NYC districts and charter schools that receive funding for the following federal programs under the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001:
The Office is also responsible for the programmatic and/or fiscal review and approval of the following State Programs required by Commissioners Regulations: