AAV of Item 01 Attachment 4

This page is the Accessible Alternative Version (AAV) of Item 01 Attachment 4 from the California State Board of Education (SBE) Meeting Agenda for March 2017. The original Attachment 4: State Systemic Improvement Plan Theory of Action in Item 01 (DOC) is considered to be the official version.

State Systemic Improvement Plan Theory of Action

California's Theory of Action section is a graphic representation of how the various elements of California’s state and local education structures coordinate to implement an effective system that supports high-quality instruction and support for students with disabilities (SWD), and provide the means to increase the state’s capacity to achieve improved teaching and learning in California’s schools.

The following acronyms are used in the Theory of Action graphic:

• “SWD” means students with disabilities
• “ELs” are English Learners
• “LEAs” are local educational agencies
• “RDA” is Results-driven Accountability, the new federal policy concerning special education
• “SIMR” is State Identified Measureable Result, the federal measure for special education progress
• “LRE” is Least Restrictive Environment, the federal requirement to serve students with disabilities in the most inclusive environment possible for meeting the student’s academic needs
• “MTSS” is Multi-tiered System of Supports, the concept of providing varying levels of service to meet the individual’s or organization’s support requirements
• “CA CCSS” is California Common Core State Standards
• “SEA” is State Education Agency

California’s State Systemic Improvement Plan – Theory of Action

If California...

• Reprioritizes state education resources and efforts to address high-needs students: SWD, ELs, foster youth, and socio- economically disadvantaged (Local Control Funding Formula [LCFF])
• Requires each LEA to establish a comprehensive improvement plan (Local Control Accountability Plan [LCAP])
• Implements its general supervision system, providing oversight and assistance to LEAs to ensure that SWD receive the education and services to which they are entitled

Then the SEA will...

• Provide base funding, plus supplemental funding for all high-needs students, and concentration grants for LEAs serving large numbers of high-needs students
• Develop instructions for LCAP and accountability structure to ensure plans include appropriate improvement activities and goals
• Facilitate use of federally funded support activities (Title 1, RDA) in state improvement activities
• Provide data (SIMR, etc.) to identify LEA improvement areas
• Create a tiered system supporting LEA improvement plans, including:
  • Identifying effective educational practices and resources for all LEAs
  • Providing expertise in LEA improvement plan execution
  • Identifying and intervening with direct support when goals are not met

Then each LEA will...

• Use enhanced resources to target factors impeding academic progress for all students, ensuring improved academic results of high-needs students
• Create LEA plans, as well as plans for SWD, with improvement efforts targeting high-needs students, establishing clear, aligned efforts to improve LEA performance
• Implement locally-developed improvement plans, using state resources as needed
  • LEAs meeting targets implement planned improvement activities
  • LEAs failing to meet targets use state expertise to reevaluate strategies and goals, producing effective plans to improve student academic performance
  • LEAs continually missing targets receive direct state intervention to revise improvement strategies and effectively implement plans to improve student performance

Process Outcomes

• LEAs optimize their use of resources by developing and implementing LEA improvement plans for SWD aligned with LEA LCAPs, resulting in improved student, school, LEA, and state academic performance
• Improvement activities and goals for SWD and their families focus on:
  • Improved access to effective instruction:
    • Placement (LRE, MTSS)
    • Enhanced instruction (CA CCSS)
    • More instructional time (reduced truancy, suspension, and expulsion)
  • Improved performance:
    • Increased achievement on statewide assessments

Student Outcomes

Through well-developed, aligned or integrated LEA improvement plans, implemented effectively, that include evidence-based strategies and goals targeted to improve SWD access to instruction and their academic performance, SWD will benefit from increased instructional opportunities and improved academic outcomes, as measured by their improved performance on statewide assessments.