Tool: School Plan Review

Tool: School Plan Review

Plan Review Date: Reviewer Name & Position:

School Name: Model(s) and Roles Implemented:

Instructions for School Coaches and/or District Leads:

Use this checklist to review each Opportunity Culture (OC) school’s plan for fidelity to the five Opportunity Culture Principlesand other factors important to outcomes in OC schools.The goal of OC is for all teachers to deliver excellent, high-growth instructionlike top teachers and to reach more students. Multi-Classroom Leadership of small teams is essential to meeting this goal, based on research about OC schools.

Any “No” checkmarks must be fixed before plan approval.

ReviewOC Principles #1—4 at these times:

winter of the design year prior to implementation, after schools complete their initial plans; and
each subsequent winter, after schools revise their OC plans.

Review OC Principle #5—plans specifying individual teachers’ roles—just before school begins each year.

Notes for tables below: “Reach” means teachers are accountable for more students as MCLs/team reach teachers, as noted.Y=Yes; N=No; TD=To do—check this column when more information is needed to determine Y/N; NA=Not applicable due to school level

Note 2: To analyze district-level OC, use the companion Opportunity Culture District Implementation Review.

Overall

Yes☐ / No☐ / I have no concerns about this school plan, based on information available to me.
Explain concerns if answering “no”:

OC Principle #1: Reach more students with excellent teachers and their teams.

Y / N / TD / NA / THE SCHOOL’S PLAN:
☐ / ☐ / ☐ / ☐ / Includes multi-year staffing plan showing when it will achieve district’s target percentage of students (80–100%) reached by excellent teachers in all 4 core subjects by the 3rd year of implementation, at latest.
☐ / ☐ / ☐ / ☐ / Meets the minimum reach by excellent teachers for each year:

In 1st year, excellent teachers will reach 80–100% students in at least 2 core subjects or grades.
By 2nd year, if school has high growth & small gaps: 80–100% reach in 3 grades or core subjects.
By 2nd year, if school has low or average growth, or big achievement gaps: 80–100% reach, 4 core subjects.
By 3rd year & later, excellent teachers will reach 80–100% of students in 4 core subjects, at least.

NOTE: May combine OC and typical roles for reach, e.g., in schools with high % excellent teachers.
☐ / ☐ / ☐ / ☐ / Clarifies that all OC teachers will continue to teach, at least part of the time. Note: MCLs may teach their own students and/or pull students for individual or small-group instruction.
☐ / ☐ / ☐ / ☐ / Has a written job description for each OC position clarifying the roles and responsibilities.
☐ / ☐ / ☐ / ☐ / Includes plans for all non-OC teachers to receive written communication of the OC teacher roles and responsibilities.
☐ / ☐ / ☐ / ☐ / Reaffirms that MCL (and Master Reach Team Teacher roles, if any)are reserved for teachers with a track record of excellent teaching, and clarifies ifother roles require that same track record.
☐ / ☐ / ☐ / ☐ / Uses model that gives teachers teacher & student loads that extend reach, but are manageable:

MCLs manage teams of 6 or fewer teachers; more only by choice & with previous high growth with 6 or fewer for two out of three past years and maintain high growth at larger span.
Team reach,middle or highschool: No more than 50% more than typical student load.
Team reach,elementary: No more than 40% more than typical student load (if using subject specialization, can be up to 300% more—ensure inclusion of extra planning time for wide reach).

Explain any “no” answers or other concerns:

OC Principles #2 and #3: Pay teachers more for extending their reach; Fund pay within regular budgets.

Y / N / TD / NA / THE SCHOOL’S PLAN:
☐ / ☐ / ☐ / ☐ / Follows the district’s pay and career path plan for each OC role.
☐ / ☐ / ☐ / ☐ / Is financially sustainable within the current school budget (exchanging positions or other budgeted school costs to fund OC pay supplements at the levels set by the district).
☐ / ☐ / ☐ / ☐ / Is financially sustainable for the long term, without any red flags,such as those listed below. If any issues exist, specify below, & flag them to be fixed before implementation:

The school’s financial sustainability calculator shows its model is “in the red” for any year.
Supplements are funded with district-level allocation, making funding vulnerable to district staff changes.
Pay depends on one-time position trades, such as a limited number of facilitators and coaches, that cannot be repeated to scale up the design schoolwide.
School can’t use traded position money until job is vacant, delaying number of OC roles each year—flag for district to address.
Position trades eliminate valued subjects from curriculum (such as arts).

Explain any “no” answers or issues in the five bullets above, or other concerns:

OC Principle #4: Provide protected in-school time and clarity about how to use it for planning, collaboration, and development.

Y / N / TD / NA / THE SCHOOL’S PLAN:
☐ / ☐ / ☐ / ☐ / Protects OC teachers’ scheduled time for teaching, planning, and leading (including below).
☐ / ☐ / ☐ / ☐ / Provides at least the district OC minimum (or several hours weekly) of common planning time for teaching teamsduring the school day.
☐ / ☐ / ☐ / ☐ / Provides at least the district OC minimum (or several hours weekly) of new planning time for secondary-level teachers extending reach directly.
☐ / ☐ / ☐ / ☐ / Provides consolidated daily planning time block of at least the district OC minimum (or 1.25 hours+ daily) for elementary teachers extending reach directly.
☐ / ☐ / ☐ / ☐ / Provides non-teaching time for MCLs to lead their teams at school (typically 30–60% of their time)
Note: MCLs should have time free to analyze data, meet with their teams, and meet with individuals.
☐ / ☐ / ☐ / ☐ / Provides paraprofessional support for reach teams and teachers to plan and reach more students.
☐ / ☐ / ☐ / ☐ / Places a feasible number of students with a paraprofessional at one time—schedules students in computer lab or classroom with right desk space, computers, and project/skills practice materials.
☐ / ☐ / ☐ / ☐ / Limits technology to age-appropriate amount (less than an hour a day for elementary level);uses technology to collect data and save time.

Explain any “no” answers or other concerns:

OC Principle #5: Match authority and accountability to each person’s responsibilities. Assessat start of school.

Y / N / TD / NA / THE SCHOOL’S PLAN:
☐ / ☐ / ☐ / ☐ / Specifies the subject(s), grade(s), classes/courses for which each OC teacher is accountable, including those they teach directly.
☐ / ☐ / ☐ / ☐ / Defines which teachers are on each MCL’s team—by grade(s) and/or subject(s) and/or classes/courses, and names. Specify any of the following problems in the notes space below:

MCLs managing a group of teachers without common grade(s), subjects, or other common goals.
MCLs serving teachers not on their team, such that not enough time to teach & lead own team.
MCLs managing teachers for only part of a year.
MCLs managing all low-performing teachers.

☐ / ☐ / ☐ / ☐ / Links OC teachers to specific students, specified in roster shared with district that shows:

student names, per subject, who will be linked to each teacher in the data system, and
the overall numbers of students per teacher in each OC role.

☐ / ☐ / ☐ / ☐ / Clarifies that OC teachers will have actual authority fitting their role descriptions.
☐ / ☐ / ☐ / ☐ / Clarifies that school leadership and teachers will have joint accountability for rapid student growth.

Explain any “no” answers, responses to issues in the bullets about MCL teams, or other concerns:

Additional Implementation Factors—While focusing on the five principles above, the School Plan ideally addresses the following items as well. These will be assessed during implementation, and are here phrased as they will be during implementation review.

Implementation Basics

Y / N / TD / NA / The school adheres to the OC School Design Map and includes Implementation Basics:
☐ / ☐ / ☐ / ☐ / Subjects and grades with MCLs and team reach each year reflect the school’s stated priorities.
☐ / ☐ / ☐ / ☐ / Implementation fits the conditions, as indicated in the OC School Design Map: teacher quality, recruiting location, etc.
☐ / ☐ / ☐ / ☐ / Schools with MCL model schoolwide form instructional team of leaders made up of MCLs reporting to principal (or instructional assistant principal in larger schools); team meets frequently to improve schoolwide.
☐ / ☐ / ☐ / ☐ / School made job offers in early spring and recruited a diverse teacher pool.
☐ / ☐ / ☐ / ☐ / Major student subgroups have at least one teacher or MCL who is a demographic match during their years in the school.
☐ / ☐ / ☐ / ☐ / Principal dismisses ineffective teachers whom colleagues determine not to be a good fit for a school focused on consistent, high-growth learning for all students.
☐ / ☐ / ☐ / ☐ / I have no other concerns about this school’s implementation, based on information available to me.

Explain any “no” answers or other concerns:

Detailed Review Tables—Use with the tables above for school visits & feedback/recommendations

Y / N / TD / NA / Instructional Excellence—actions from Instructional Excellence Summary; see for more detail
Instructional Planning
☐ / ☐ / ☐ / ☐ / School plans ahead to use high-standards curricula** in subjects covered by OC (four core, at least).
☐ / ☐ / ☐ / ☐ / Teachers plan ahead to ensure that lesson plans and interim assessments are fully aligned with the high-standards curriculum.
☐ / ☐ / ☐ / ☐ / MCLs coach team teachers to teach specific subject content with excellence, in advance of lessons.
Instructional Delivery—Always or nearly always…
☐ / ☐ / ☐ / ☐ / Teachers connect personally with students to motivate (observable actions include frequent eye contact, smiling, making positive statements about students’ capabilities & avoiding negative ones).
☐ / ☐ / ☐ / ☐ / Students help set own goals (without lower standards) and make choices about learning activities.
☐ / ☐ / ☐ / ☐ / Teachers deliver the lessons that were planned (see second row in Instructional Planning, above).
☐ / ☐ / ☐ / ☐ / Teachers differentiate levels and assignments as needed to achieve high growth for each student, regardless of starting point.
☐ / ☐ / ☐ / ☐ / Students are observably attentive and engaged in learning in the classroom (classroom leadership).
Instructional Improvement—Always or nearly always…
☐ / ☐ / ☐ / ☐ / Interim assessments are frequent (recommended minimum weekly; some top-growth OC schools assess daily).
☐ / ☐ / ☐ / ☐ / OC teachers/teams (with MCL) review student growth, proficiency, and other data at least weekly.
☐ / ☐ / ☐ / ☐ / Teachers change instruction/assignments based on data (regrouping, reteaching, advancement).

Explain any “no” answers or other concerns:

Y / N / TD / NA / Professional Learning & Support
☐ / ☐ / ☐ / ☐ / Multi-classroom leaders, principals, and assistant principals had leadership training beforeassuming roles.
☐ / ☐ / ☐ / ☐ / Multi-classroom leaders had teacher preparation or training to teach the specific subjectsthey will lead beforeassuming roles.
☐ / ☐ / ☐ / ☐ / OC teachers hadgeneral instructional excellence training with research-based elements ***
☐ / ☐ / ☐ / ☐ / OC teachers each have an assigned leader (MCL, MCL-coach, accountable team leader, etc.) to coach and provide on-the-job development specific to their role during the year.
☐ / ☐ / ☐ / ☐ / All OC teachers and MCLs get feedback that includes specific actions steps, every 2 weeks or more often, based on data & observation.
☐ / ☐ / ☐ / ☐ / OC teachers have periodic time (e.g., monthly) to meet with role peers for development.

Explain any “no” answers or other concerns:

** Standards as high as the National Assessment of Educational Progress or higher.

*** Covering at least: setting high standards, using lessons aligned with those standards, connecting positively with students and families, managing the classroom, differentiating instruction, monitoring student learning with data often, and adjusting instruction based on that data. See Instructional Excellence Summary.

Y / N / TD / NA / Communication
☐ / ☐ / ☐ / ☐ / School leadership generates regular spoken and written communications that share purpose, nature, and impact of OC roles.
☐ / ☐ / ☐ / ☐ / OC teachers understand their roles; other teachers express understanding of OC roles.

Explain any “no” answers or other concerns:

Y / N / TD / NA / Opportunity Culture Commitment
☐ / ☐ / ☐ / ☐ / School leadership, OC teachers, and other teachers consistently support OC and fidelity to OC Principles in written and spoken communications.
☐ / ☐ / ☐ / ☐ / School roles, processes, and behaviors support OC (and do not undermine) goals, teachers, or roles.

Explain any “no” answers or other concerns:

Explain any areas where district limits school action, or other concerns, including unknown facts: