The Regional System of District and School Support (RSDSS) is a part of the statewide system of school support that was established to meet state and federal requirements. The support system, working within county offices of education (COEs), offers intensive and sustained assistance to local educational agencies (LEAs) and schools receiving Title I funds to increase the opportunity for all students to meet the state’s academic content standards. California uses a regional approach to address the needs of students because of the vast number of schools and districts in the state. This support system delivers and brokers resources to districts and schools in need of improvement.
Purpose of Work
Region 5 actively supports and provides assistance to LEAs and schools identified for Program Improvement (PI) based on the requirements of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001. Region 5 offers services to all PI districts in the region by providing support for developing and implementing action plans to improve student achievement. The Region 5 director and coordinators work collaboratively to develop, support, and implement the work plan. Priority of these services is based on the following criteria:
- Districts having 50 percent or more PI schools
- PI districts whose identification was due to student subgroups that did not meet adequate yearly progress (AYP) percent proficient targets in language arts and mathematics
- Districts that are at risk of PI designation
- Districts with a large number/percentage of Title I schools in deciles 1-3
The goals are as follows:
- PI LEAs with large numbers or percentages of PI schools will have the capacity to engage in a process of inquiry (using state-developed tools), resulting in a revised LEA plan that supports student achievement and addresses identified needs.
- LEAs with schools in PI years 3, 4, and 5 will make informed decisions regarding mandated responsibilities specified in NCLB.
- Region 5 staff in the four counties will be familiar with the latest research-based LEA/school -improvement strategies and regional and statewide resources. These strategies and resources will be brokered to meet the identified needs of PI LEAs and LEAs with large numbers of PI schools.
Regional Demographics
Region 5 consists of four counties located in the central coast area of California: Monterey, San Benito, Santa Clara, and Santa Cruz. The region encompasses the large urban area of the city of San Jose, additional cities and towns, and rural and agricultural areas.
Context of Work
Region 5 provides the following services:
- Assist LEA staff in the development of District/School Liaison Teams (DSLTs) to work with LEA and school staff members as district and school staff utilize the state-developed tools.
- Train and facilitate LEA staff in a decision-making process regarding mandated responsibilities to schools in PI.
- Provide trainings to build LEAs’ capacity to assist PI schools to comply with NCLB.
- Collaborate with regional partners to ensure that research-based resources are brokered to meet the needs of PI districts and schools: the California Technology Assistance Program; the program for Advancement Via Individual Determination; the California Subject Matter Projects (CSMP); the Regional Assessment Network; the Gates Foundation for Leadership; the High School Learning Collaborative; and the Vocabulary Forum.
- Provide technical assistance to increase district capacity through a wide variety of professional development trainings and planning assistance for districts and school sites.
- Provide school site administrators and teachers with County Achievement Team snapshot observations, analysis, and presentation of results, including pre- and post-observation data.
- Provide support to District/School Liaison Teams in the areas of data analysis, Single Plan for Student Achievement, and School Accountability Report Card.
- Build capacity for PI schools participating in the Teams Assisting Student Success (TASS) process to collect and analyze student data, examine research-based practices, and modify their school action plan based on needs assessments.
- Provide support for research-based best practices through a Model Schools Project serving PI schools.
- Collaborate with the CSMP to provide professional development in language arts and mathematics targeting the needs of PI schools.
- Pilot a data management system to track RSDSS services.
- Collaborate with COEs to ensure effective utilization of funds throughout Region 5 to align with regional goals.
Contact Information
Each COE has a Coordinator that serves as a liaison to the RSDSS. The Region 5 office is located at the Santa Clara COE, 1290 Ridder Park Drive, San Jose, CA 95131. Contact Frank Wells, Director, by phone at 408-453-6753 or by e-mail at frank_wells@sccoe.org. To obtain a complete listing of current and future technical activities, visit the Region 5 RSDSS Web site
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