LEADERSHIP ASSESSMENT
In March 2010, the U.S. Department of Education issued final guidance related to federal School Improvement Grants (SIGs) for fiscal year 2009.
Under Section 1003(g) of the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), SIGs are designed to improve student achievement in Title I schools identified for improvement, corrective action or restructuring, as well as schools that are eligible for, but don’t receive, Title I funding and who have been identified as persistently low-achieving (see House Bill 176 below). The goal of the program is to enable those schools to make adequate yearly progress (AYP) and exit improvement status.
In order for Kentucky to receive SIG funds, the state submitted a plan outlining the definition of “persistently low-performing schools,” the process by which those schools and respective districts would be assessed and the options for improvement available to the schools.
Kentucky’s definitions, processes and options for improvement are based on the language contained in House Bill 176 (HB 176), legislation related to persistently low-performing schools that was passed by the 2010 General Assembly and signed into law by Gov. Steve Beshear in January 2010. Implementation details for HB 176 are clarified by state regulation 703 KAR 5:180, which was approved by the Kentucky Board of Education, also in January 2010.
With the availability of SIG funds and based on the requirements outlined in federal guidance, Kentucky identified 10 schools that would participate in a leadership assessment activity in spring 2010 as part of the process for funding. The 10 schools are:
· Caverna High, Caverna Independent
· Fern Creek Traditional High, Jefferson County
· Lawrence County High
· Leslie County High
· Metcalfe County High
· Robert Frost Middle, Jefferson County
· Shawnee High Magnet Career Academy, Jefferson County
· Valley Traditional High, Jefferson County
· Western Middle, Jefferson County
· Western MST Magnet High, Jefferson County
The leadership assessments for these 10 schools and five districts were administered by teams of current and former educators, parents and others trained in the process. The assessments used the Standards and Indicators for School Improvement to gauge school effectiveness, reviewing academic performance, learning environment and efficiency within each school.
The assessments for each school and district have been completed and are posted below.
For details on the requirements for the federal School Improvement Grants, see the FAQ documents posted at http://www2.ed.gov/programs/sif/faq.html.