HIGH QUALITY INSTRUCTION

1. IMPLEMENT FAIR GRADING PRACTICES 

  • PROVIDE TRAINING ON THE IMPACT OF DISCOURSE ON RESULTS
    Train staff on how to recognize and shift discourse that creates harm (i.e. how things are talked about when teacher teams problem-solve, plan their work, create policy, and explain things to one another). 
  • PROVIDE ONGOING TRAINING ON BUILDING AND SUSTAINING STUDENT-EDUCATOR TRUST AND FAMILY-EDUCATOR TRUST
    Provide ongoing training and collaboration around how to build trusting relationships with culturally and academically diverse students. 

2. DEVELOP LEARNING-CENTERED PROFESSIONAL COMMUNITIES 

  • OPERATIONALIZE KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS
    Define clear and data-driven thresholds for each tier for Grades, Attendance and Behavior. 
  • TRAIN STAFF ON TIERED STRUCTURES AND SYSTEMS
  • ARTICULATE CLEAR REFERRAL PROCESSES AND PROTOCOLS
    Develop a data-informed, clear referral processes for Tier 2 and Tier 3 supports. 
  • UTILIZE DATA TO MONITOR AND ADJUST INTERVENTIONS AS NEEDED
    Use student-level quantitative (KPI) and qualitative indicators to monitor, evaluate and make adjustments to interventions. 
  • TRACK STUDENT MOVEMENT BETWEEN TIERS AT REGULARLY SCHEDULED INTERVALS AS A KEY MEASURE OF EFFICACY 
    Track movement between tiers to monitor the impact of team interventions and to inform necessary adjustments. 
  • ESTABLISH A TIER 3 TEAM
    Assemble a team of adults who will meet at least twice monthly to identify, plan, implement, and evaluate outcomes-based supports for students in need of Tier 3 interventions. 
  • REFLECT ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TIER 1 GAPS AND TIER 2 INTERVENTIONS
    Analyze and respond to the Tier 1 gaps that are creating and sustaining Tier 2 support needs. 
  • IDENTIFY AND RESPOND TO ROOT CAUSES
    Conduct a root cause analysis of student and trend level issues and focus interventions on identified root causes. 

3. DEVELOP STUDENT-CENTERED LEARNING COMMUNITIES 

  • PROVIDE COMPETENCY-BASED CREDIT RETRIEVAL OPPORTUNITIES
    Provide credit retrieval as part of a comprehensive system in which credit retrieval links to essential standards of a unit and students are required only to show proficiency in the those standards. 
  • AMPLIFY STUDENT VOICE THROUGH EMPATHY INTERVIEWS AND STUDENT SURVEYS
    Create surveys that gather information on students’ strengths, interests, needs, and perceptions on a range of issues related to students academic and socio-emotional well-being. 
  • PROVIDE EXPLICIT INSTRUCTION AND ONGOING SUPPORTS TO 9TH GRADERS ON HOW TO “DO SCHOOL” WELL
    Provide interventions that build student capacity to do school better over time. 
  • SYSTEMATIZE REGULAR CHECK-INS WITH STUDENTS
    Pair struggling 9th graders with a school-based adult mentors to work with students year-round to track their attendance, behavior and academic progress. 
  • IMPLEMENT RESTORATIVE PRACTICES 
  • PROVIDE HIGH DOSAGE TUTORING TO IDENTIFIED STUDENTS
    Implement high dosage tutoring for academically at-risk students. High Dosage Tutoring by definition is tutoring that takes place in small groups of 6 or fewer, that meet at least four times per week. 
  • PROVIDE FOCUSED INSTRUCTION ON CORE SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING COMPETENCIES
    Explicitly teach and support student development of evidence-based, high-leverage interpersonal and intra-personal skills.