Understanding Continuous Improvement: Goals, Objectives, Strategies and Activities

Rationale: The development of goals and objectives to be obtained through strategies and activities is an essential component of executing a continuous improvement plan. In short, the Needs Assessment completed during Phase II expresses the school or district’s CURRENT STATE, while goals, objectives, strategies and activities should succinctly plot the school or district’s course to their DESIRED STATE. Here are the operational definitions of each:

Goal: Long-term target based on Kentucky Board of Education Goals. Schools may supplement with individual or district goals.

Objective: Short-term target to be attained by the end of the current school year.

Strategy: Research-based approach based on the 6 Key Core Work Processes designed to systematically address the process, practice or condition that the school/district will focus its efforts upon in order to reach its goals/objectives.

Activity: The actionable steps used to deploy the chosen strategy.

Key Core Work Processes: A series of processes that involve the majority of an organization’s workforce and relate to its core competencies. These are the factors that determine an organization’s success and help it prioritize areas for growth.

Guidelines for Building an Improvement Plan

  • There are 5 required District Goals: Proficiency, Gap, Graduation rate, Growth, and Transition readiness.
  • There are 4 required school-level goals:
    For elementary/middle school: Proficiency, Gap, Growth, and Transition readiness.
    For high school: Proficiency, Gap, Graduation rate, and Transition readiness.
  • There can be multiple objectives for each goal.
  • There can be multiple strategies for each objective.
  • There can be multiple activities for each strategy.

1: Proficiency

State your ProficiencyGoal

Goal 1:Flat Lick Elementary will increase the combined reading and math proficiencyfrom 52.7 in 2016-2017 to 66.2 in 2019 as indicated by state assessment results.
Which Strategy will the school/district use to address this goal? (The Strategy can be based upon the six Key Core Work Processes listed below or another research-based approach. Provide justification and/or attach evidence for why the strategy was chosen.)
  • KCWP 1: Design and Deploy Standards
  • KCWP 2: Design and Deliver Instruction
  • KCWP 3: Design and Deliver Assessment Literacy
  • KCWP 4: Review, Analyze and Apply Data
  • KCWP 5: Design, Align and Deliver Support
  • KCWP 6: Establishing Learning Culture and Environment
/ Which Activities will the school/district deploy based on the strategy or strategies chosen? (The links to the Key Core Work Processes activity bank below may be a helpful resource. Provide a brief explanation or justification for the activity.
  • KCWP1: Design and Deploy Standards - Continuous Improvement Activities
  • KCWP2: Design and Deliver Instruction - Continuous Improvement Activities
  • KCWP3: Design and Deliver Assessment Literacy - Continuous Improvement Activities
  • KCWP4: Review, Analyze and Apply Data - Continuous Improvement Activities
  • KCWP5: Design, Align and Deliver Support - Continuous Improvement Activities
  • KCWP6: Establishing Learning Culture and Environment - Continuous Improvement Activities
/ Identify the timeline for the activity or activities, the person(s) responsible for ensuring the fidelity of the activity or activities, and necessary funding to execute the activity or activities.
Objective / Strategy / Activities to deploy strategy / Measure of Success / Progress Monitoring Date & Notes / Funding
Objective 1:
Flat Lick Elementary will increase the reading
proficient/distinguished scores
from 50.9% to 55.9% by 2018. / KCWP 1: Design and Deploy Standards
KCWP 2: Design and Deliver Instruction
KCWP 4: Review, Analyze and Apply Data / Ensure monitoring measures are in place to support high fidelity in teaching to the standards, by way of peer observations, formal and informal observations, classroom data/running records, and standards mastery checks. (Eleot Observation Tool) / Increase in Student Achievement: KPREP Results and
proficiency and growth
shown on district
assessments / TitleI, General Fund, SBDM
Ensure congruency is present between standards, learning targets, and assessment measures.(Progressions Documents are in use, Common Core Curriculum Place mats are utilized, PLC Work)
Assess with formative and summative assessments that are aligned to the
standards and learning targets. (GradeCam-Common Assessments) / TitleI, General Fund, SBDM
Ensure that curricular delivery and assessment measures provide for all pertinent information needs for students.(Reading Wonders and Pearson Envision Math). / TitleI, General Fund, SBDM
Objective 2:
Flat Lick Elementary will increase the math
proficient/distinguished scores
from 52.6% to 57.6% by 2018. / KCWP 1: Design and Deploy Standards
KCWP 2: Design and Deliver Instruction
KCWP 4: Review, Analyze and Apply Data / Ensure monitoring measures are in place to support high fidelity in teaching to the standards, by way of peer observations, formal and informal observations, classroom data/running records, and standards mastery checks. (Eleot Observation Tool) / Increase in Student Achievement: KPREP Results and
proficiency and growth
shown on district
assessments / TitleI, General Fund, SBDM
Ensure congruency is present between standards, learning targets, and assessment measures (Progressions Documents are in use, Common Core Curriculum Place mats are utilized, PLC Work)
Assess with formative and summative assessments that are aligned to the standards and learning targets. (Grade Cam-Common Assessments) / TitleI, General Fund, SBDM
Ensure that curricular delivery and assessment measures provide for all pertinent information needs for students(Reading Wonders and Pearson Envision Math). / TitleI, General Fund, SBDM

2: Gap

State your GapGoal

Goal 2:Flat Lick Elementary will increase the reading and math proficiency for all students in the non-duplicated gap group from 50.7 in 2016-2017 to 64.8 by 2019 as indicated by state assessment results.
Which Strategy will the school/district use to address this goal? (The Strategy can be based upon the six Key Core Work Processes listed below or another research-based approach. Provide justification and/or attach evidence for why the strategy was chosen.)
  • KCWP 1: Design and Deploy Standards
  • KCWP 2: Design and Deliver Instruction
  • KCWP 3: Design and Deliver Assessment Literacy
  • KCWP 4: Review, Analyze and Apply Data
  • KCWP 5: Design, Align and Deliver Support
  • KCWP 6: Establishing Learning Culture and Environment
/ Which Activities will the school/district deploy based on the strategy or strategies chosen? (The links to the Key Core Work Processes activity bank below may be a helpful resource. Provide a brief explanation or justification for the activity.
  • KCWP1: Design and Deploy Standards - Continuous Improvement Activities
  • KCWP2: Design and Deliver Instruction - Continuous Improvement Activities
  • KCWP3: Design and Deliver Assessment Literacy - Continuous Improvement Activities
  • KCWP4: Review, Analyze and Apply Data - Continuous Improvement Activities
  • KCWP5: Design, Align and Deliver Support - Continuous Improvement Activities
  • KCWP6: Establishing Learning Culture and Environment - Continuous Improvement Activities
/ Identify the timeline for the activity or activities, the person(s) responsible for ensuring the fidelity of the activity or activities, and necessary funding to execute the activity or activities.
Objective / Strategy / Activities to deploy strategy / Measure of Success / Progress Monitoring Date & Notes / Funding
Objective 1:
Flat Lick Elementary will increase the percent of students in the non-duplicated gap group scoring proficient/distinguished in reading from 51% to 56% by 2018. / KCWP 1: Design and Deploy Standards
KCWP 2: Design and Deliver Instruction
KCWP 4: Review, Analyze and Apply Data / Ensure ongoing professional development in the area of best practice/high yield instructional strategies to aid in curricular adjustments when students fail to meet mastery. (Professional Learning in the areas of questioning and feedback). / Increase in Student Achievement: KPREP Results and
proficiency and growth
shown on district
assessments / Title I, General Fund
Develop a system for student monitoring using data notebooks. / LINK Grant
Use assessment data to help students assess and adjust their own learning. (student data notebooks)
Ensure that all users of assessment data use information to benefit student learning. (Assessment Analysis Document)
Ensure that formative, interim, summative assessment results, as well as
universal screener data, are used appropriately to determine tiered
intervention needs (iReady) / Title I
Develop a clearly defined RtI schoolwide process with applicable
checklists and documentation tools utilizing programs such as: iReady, IXL, STAR, Reading Recovery, CIM, ESS, Sm Group Instruction, etc. / TitleI, General Fund, SBDM, LINK, Save the Children, Promise Neighborhood
Objective 2:
Flat Lick Elementary
will increase the percent of students in the non-duplicated gap group scoring proficient/distinguished in math from 52% to 57% by 2018. / KCWP 1: Design and Deploy Standards
KCWP 2: Design and Deliver Instruction
KCWP 4: Review, Analyze and Apply Data / Ensure ongoing professional development in the area of best practice/high yield instructional strategies to aid in curricular adjustments when students fail to meet mastery. (Professional Learning in the areas of questioning and feedback). / Increase in Student Achievement: KPREP Results and
proficiency and growth
shown on district
assessments / Title I, General Fund
Develop a system for student monitoring using data notebooks. / LINK
Use assessment data to help students assess and adjust their own learning. (student data notebooks) / LINK
Ensure that all users of assessment data use information to benefit student learning. (Assessment Analysis Document)
Ensure that formative, interim, summative assessment results, as well as
universal screener data, are used appropriately to determine tiered
intervention needs (iReady) / Title I
Develop a clearly defined RtI schoolwide process with applicable
checklists and documentation tools utilizing programs such as: iReady, IXL, STAR, Reading Recovery, CIM, ESS, Sm Group Instruction, etc. / Title I, General Fund, SBDM, LINK, Save the Children, Promise Neighborhood

3: Graduation rate

State your Graduation rateGoal

Goal 3:
Which Strategy will the school/district use to address this goal? (The Strategy can be based upon the six Key Core Work Processes listed below or another research-based approach. Provide justification and/or attach evidence for why the strategy was chosen.)
  • KCWP 1: Design and Deploy Standards
  • KCWP 2: Design and Deliver Instruction
  • KCWP 3: Design and Deliver Assessment Literacy
  • KCWP 4: Review, Analyze and Apply Data
  • KCWP 5: Design, Align and Deliver Support
  • KCWP 6: Establishing Learning Culture and Environment
/ Which Activities will the school/district deploy based on the strategy or strategies chosen? (The links to the Key Core Work Processes activity bank below may be a helpful resource. Provide a brief explanation or justification for the activity.
  • KCWP1: Design and Deploy Standards - Continuous Improvement Activities
  • KCWP2: Design and Deliver Instruction - Continuous Improvement Activities
  • KCWP3: Design and Deliver Assessment Literacy - Continuous Improvement Activities
  • KCWP4: Review, Analyze and Apply Data - Continuous Improvement Activities
  • KCWP5: Design, Align and Deliver Support - Continuous Improvement Activities
  • KCWP6: Establishing Learning Culture and Environment - Continuous Improvement Activities
/ Identify the timeline for the activity or activities, the person(s) responsible for ensuring the fidelity of the activity or activities, and necessary funding to execute the activity or activities.
Objective / Strategy / Activities to deploy strategy / Measure of Success / Progress Monitoring Date & Notes / Funding
Objective 1:
Objective 2:

4: Growth

State your GrowthGoal

Goal 4:Flat Lick Elementary will reduce the overall percentage of students scoring at the novice level in reading and math by 25% and increase the overall percentage of students scoring at the distinguished level in reading and math by 50% by 2020 as measured by the KPREP Model.
Which Strategy will the school/district use to address this goal? (The Strategy can be based upon the six Key Core Work Processes listed below or another research-based approach. Provide justification and/or attach evidence for why the strategy was chosen.)
  • KCWP 1: Design and Deploy Standards
  • KCWP 2: Design and Deliver Instruction
  • KCWP 3: Design and Deliver Assessment Literacy
  • KCWP 4: Review, Analyze and Apply Data
  • KCWP 5: Design, Align and Deliver Support
  • KCWP 6: Establishing Learning Culture and Environment
/ Which Activities will the school/district deploy based on the strategy or strategies chosen? (The links to the Key Core Work Processes activity bank below may be a helpful resource. Provide a brief explanation or justification for the activity.
  • KCWP1: Design and Deploy Standards - Continuous Improvement Activities
  • KCWP2: Design and Deliver Instruction - Continuous Improvement Activities
  • KCWP3: Design and Deliver Assessment Literacy - Continuous Improvement Activities
  • KCWP4: Review, Analyze and Apply Data - Continuous Improvement Activities
  • KCWP5: Design, Align and Deliver Support - Continuous Improvement Activities
  • KCWP6: Establishing Learning Culture and Environment - Continuous Improvement Activities
/ Identify the timeline for the activity or activities, the person(s) responsible for ensuring the fidelity of the activity or activities, and necessary funding to execute the activity or activities.
Objective / Strategy / Activities to deploy strategy / Measure of Success / Progress Monitoring Date & Notes / Funding
Objective 1:
Flat Lick Elementary will reduce their novice percentage from 19.3% to 16.9% in reading by 2018. / KCWP 4: Review, Analyze and Apply Data
KCWP 5: Design, Align and Deliver Support / Ensure that formative, interim, summative assessment results, as well as universal screener data, are used appropriately to determine tiered intervention needs.
(iReady, GradeCam) / Increase in Student Achievement: KPREP Results and
proficiency and growth
shown on district
assessments / TitleI, General Fund, SBDM
Develop a progress monitoring system to monitor standards mastery for each student. (Assessment Analysis after each Unit Assessment).
Ensure that all assessments evolve from high‐quality content standards. (Reading Wonders and Pearson Realize). / TitleI, General Fund, SBDM
Objective 2:
Flat Lick Elementary will reduce their novice percentage from 15.8% to 13.8% in math by 2018. / Create and monitor a “Watch (Cusp) List” for students performing below proficiency. (Hot List of students)
Ensure that grades effectively and accurately communicate student achievement. (PLC’s)
Ensure that formative, interim, summative assessment results, as well as universal screener data, are used appropriately
to determine tiered intervention needs (iReady, classroom assessments/data, teacher recommendations). / TitleI, General Fund, SBDM
Objective 1:
Flat Lick Elementary will increase their distinguished percentage from 10.5% to 13.1% in reading by 2018. / Incorporate professional knowledge of best practice and high yield strategies with knowledge of personalized student
needs to procure a unique match that will propel student achievement. (Professional Learning Opportunities). / TitleI, General Fund, SBDM
Objective 1:
Flat Lick Elementary will increase their distinguished percentage from 5.3% to 7.95% in reading by 2018. / Ensure proper data collection efforts are implemented in Running Record documentation (i.e. ELA – fluency,
Comprehension, articulation; Math‐numeracy).

5: Transition readiness

State your Transition readinessGoal

Goal 5: Flat Lick Elementary will increase the Brigance Kindergarten Readiness Screening scores from 20% in 2017 to 30% in 2019 to transition from preschool/head start to Kindergarten.
Which Strategy will the school/district use to address this goal? (The Strategy can be based upon the six Key Core Work Processes listed below or another research-based approach. Provide justification and/or attach evidence for why the strategy was chosen.)
  • KCWP 1: Design and Deploy Standards
  • KCWP 2: Design and Deliver Instruction
  • KCWP 3: Design and Deliver Assessment Literacy
  • KCWP 4: Review, Analyze and Apply Data
  • KCWP 5: Design, Align and Deliver Support
  • KCWP 6: Establishing Learning Culture and Environment
/ Which Activities will the school/district deploy based on the strategy or strategies chosen? (The links to the Key Core Work Processes activity bank below may be a helpful resource. Provide a brief explanation or justification for the activity.
  • KCWP1: Design and Deploy Standards - Continuous Improvement Activities
  • KCWP2: Design and Deliver Instruction - Continuous Improvement Activities
  • KCWP3: Design and Deliver Assessment Literacy - Continuous Improvement Activities
  • KCWP4: Review, Analyze and Apply Data - Continuous Improvement Activities
  • KCWP5: Design, Align and Deliver Support - Continuous Improvement Activities
  • KCWP6: Establishing Learning Culture and Environment - Continuous Improvement Activities
/ Identify the timeline for the activity or activities, the person(s) responsible for ensuring the fidelity of the activity or activities, and necessary funding to execute the activity or activities.
Objective / Strategy / Activities to deploy strategy / Measure of Success / Progress Monitoring Date & Notes / Funding
Objective 1:
5% more of incoming Kindergarten students will be Kindergarten ready by the 2018. / KCWP 1: Design and Deploy Standards
KCWP 5: Design, Align and Deliver Support / Increase collaboration in deconstructing standards and developing congruent learning targets (Include preschool teach in PLC’s with Kindergarten teacher). / Increase in Student Achievement: growth shown on incoming Kindergarteners on theBrigance Assessment.
Establish communication protocols for parents/guardians regarding placement and progress in intervention support
Systems (Parent orientation for Kindergarten: What is expected of your child when entering Kindergarten, KinderCamp prior to entering Kindergarten). / TitleI, General Fund, SBDM

6: Other (optional)

State your OtherGoal (optional)

Goal 6:
Which Strategy will the school/district use to address this goal? (The Strategy can be based upon the six Key Core Work Processes listed below or another research-based approach. Provide justification and/or attach evidence for why the strategy was chosen.)
  • KCWP 1: Design and Deploy Standards
  • KCWP 2: Design and Deliver Instruction
  • KCWP 3: Design and Deliver Assessment Literacy
  • KCWP 4: Review, Analyze and Apply Data
  • KCWP 5: Design, Align and Deliver Support
  • KCWP 6: Establishing Learning Culture and Environment
/ Which Activities will the school/district deploy based on the strategy or strategies chosen? (The links to the Key Core Work Processes activity bank below may be a helpful resource. Provide a brief explanation or justification for the activity.