Los Angeles County Office of EducationDivision for School Improvement

School Site Council(SSC)

TrainingSeptember 9th 2008

Anna CarrascoFrom presentation by

Sandy Sidwell, NCLB Consultant

Sidwell_sandy@lacoe.edu

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School Governance 101:

Judicial Role- Localgoverning boardinterprets policy andapproves planLegislative Role-School Site Councilwrites plan/budget

Executive Role-Principal/school staffimplements school plan

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Organizing the SSC

Elementary Composition

Secondary Composition

(Guide Page 4-6)

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Elementary School SSC

Teachers

Other StaffParents

Principal

Elementary School Site Council Composition

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Secondary School Site Council Composition

Teachers

Other StaffParents

Students

Principal

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SSC “Other” Staff

Assistant Principal School Nurse Counselor Clerical Staff Paraprofessional Custodial Staff Food Service staff Resource teacher

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Selection of SSC Members

Board Policy or SSC bylaws should specify:1. Means of selecting members and

officers2. Terms of office of members and officers3. Notice of elections for each peer group4. Responsibilities of the council5. A policy of non-discrimination

(Guide Page 7)

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SSC Bylaws

While SSC Bylaws are not required in the statute, bylaws guide the council beyond the Greene Act Requirements.

(Guide Page 8, 30-33)

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Greene Act

1. Meetings must be open to the public2. The public may address the council3. Meeting notice posted 72 hours in

advance4. Notice must specify date, time and place5. Council action limited by the posted

agenda6. Questions or information need not be on

the agenda7. Violations require the item to be

reconsidered at the next meeting after public input

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Officers

The council will need officers, including:

1. Chairperson2. Vice-Chairperson3. Secretary4. Parliamentarian5. Other officers as needed

(Guide Page 7)

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The School Principal

1. Is a voting member of the council2. Provides information and

leadership3. Administers the approved plan

Note: The principal may not veto council decisions or change the approved plan.

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Committees

The council may appoint committees to:

1. Gather and analyze information2. Propose strategies for improving

instruction3. Examine materials, staffing, or

funding4. Draft portions of the school plan

for council consideration

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Records

The council needs to maintain records of:1. Elections2. Official correspondence3. Agendas and minutes of meetings4. Evidence of advisory committee(s)

input5. Prior year school plan copies

(Guide Page 8)

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Review Roles and Functions

Role and bylaws of the SSC Function of committees appointed by

SSC Role of advisory groups (ELAC, SAC, etc) Role of school and district

administrators Role and policies of the local governing

board Legal requirements of funded programs

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SSC Responsibilities

Plan, monitor and evaluate the activities and expenditures for Consolidated Application programs operated at the school to improve student achievement.

(Education Code Section 64001)

Role of the Consolidated Application

• The Consolidated Application (Con App) is an agreement between each LEA governing board and the State Board of Education on the use of categorical funds.

- Once submitted and approved by the local governing board and State Board, the Con App is the document that auditors and compliance review personnel use to determine supplement-supplant issues.

Role of the Consolidated Application

•Two part document for application and disbursal of state and federal funds

– Con App Part I: LEA’s intent to apply for funds (due June 30th of each year)– Con App Part II: LEA’s distribution of funds to school sites (due January 31st of each year)–The School Site Single Plan budget pages must match the Con App, Part II school site allocation pages.

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District Office Responsibilities:

General administration of schools Leadership and training for SSC’s Assessment data Information on standards and

curriculum Staffing, purchasing and accounting Guidance and assistance in the

development of the plan

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District Governing Board Responsibilities

Approve or disapprove the Single Plan for Student Achievement and its subsequent revisions

Certify that school plans are consistent with local improvement plans required for federal funding

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County Office Responsibilities

May provide information and training for administrators and SSC’s, and may operate consolidated programs cooperatives.

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Senate Bill 374Single Plan for Student Achievement

• Requires each school to consolidate all plans required by Consolidated Application Programs into a Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA)

• Align content of single plan with school goals

• Base school goals on Academic Performance Index (API), Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) and the California English Language Development Test (CELDT)

(Education Code sections 64001(d),(f))

School Plan Template

The CDE Template includes the contents for all Consolidated Programs including NCLB and SBCP. If the Template is not used, see chart of required contents at www.cde.ca.gov/ta/cr/cp/

Essential InformationThe council needs information:

• Input from advisory groups

• School allocations from Consolidated Application

• Local board policies

• State and federal requirements

• Sources of information on programs

• Student performance data

• The school’s program of instruction

Developing the PlanThe SSC takes the following 12 steps in developing the Single Plan for Student Achievement

1. Obtain Input

The SSC is responsible for the contents of plan, with the review, advice and certification of all applicable advisory committees.

The council should seek the widest communication with students, parents, staff and community to ensure success of the plan.

(Guide Page 10)

2. Review School Characteristics

School Vision and Mission School Profile School Demographics School Accountability Report Card

(Guide Page 12)

3. Analyze Local Practices Alignment of instruction to standards Regular and categorical programs Use of assessments and student work Locus of low performance School and community barriers Limitations of the current program

(Guide Page 12)

4. Analyze Student Data Academic Performance Index (API) Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) California Standards Test Reports California English Language Development Test (CELDT) Local Measures Student work by all student groups Title I Progress Attendance Grades

(Guide Page 13)

5. Establish School Goals

The SSC must: Establish school goals for improving student achievement, based on their analysis of state and local academic performance data; Establish expected gains for under- performing student groups; Align activities with school goals.

(Guide Page 13)

6. Review Available Resources

School allocations as given in the Consolidated Application Other school programs the SSC chooses to include Resources provided by the district Community resources

(Guide Page 14)

7. Select Specific Improvements

The council must:

Align content of the Single Plan with school goals for improving student achievement.

Determine how funds will be used to improve academic performance of all students to the level of school performance goals.

–For details on specific program requirements, refer to the CDE Template for the Single Plan at

www.cde.ca.gov/ta/cr/cp/(Guide Page 16)

8. Consider Centralized Services

The central office may be better equipped to perform some project services.

This service or activity may be funded by a school allocation such as:

–Professional development for multiple schools

–Shared costs of staff members shared by more than one school

(Guide Page 16)

9. Recommend Plan to Local Governing Board

The SSC must recommend the plan, expenditures and revisions to the Governing Board for approval Consolidated Programs may not be operated without Governing Board approval.

(Guide Page 16)

10. Monitor Progress

The SSC must monitor implementation of the approved plan, and amend it as needed to insure targeted gains in student academic performance.

(Guide Page 17)

11. Evaluate Effectiveness of

Planned ActivitiesThe plan must:

Establish the means of evaluating progress towards the school goals.

Identify how state and federal law will be implemented[Education Code Section 64001(g)]

(Guide Page 17)

12. Modify the PlanThe Single Plan must be:

Reviewed and updated at least annually with proposed expenditures

Reviewed and approved by the local governing board whenever material changes are made to the plan

(Guide Page 18)

Certification of Advisory Committee Input

The SSC may wish to document the following actions:

Request for advice from advisory committee(s)

Consideration of advice at SSC meeting

Sharing draft plan with advisory committee(s)

Consideration of additional advisory input

Sharing final draft with advisory committees(s)

Recommendation of plan to local governing board

Note: if advisory committee refuses to certify input, the local governing board decides whether to approve or send plan back to SSC for revision.

Resources

LAUSD Bul-1231-Advisory Committees and School Site Councils: http://www.lausd.net Public Schools Accountability Act:http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/ac/pa State Testing and Reporting data:http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/sr Categorical Programs:http://www.cde.ca.gov/fg/aa/ca California Education Code:http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/calaw.html

School Site Council Training

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