Resource Check: CA Results: Individual Summary
| Assessment |
Needs Most Improvement
|
Needs Improvement
|
Close to Best Practices
|
Best Practice
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standards and Instruction | ||||
| Teaching | ||||
| School Design | ||||
| Leadership | ||||
| School Support | ||||
| Funding | ||||
| Partners | ||||
HOW DO I INTERPRET MY RESULTS?
Your results show how your responses compare to "best practice." Our definition of "best practice" is based on nearly 10 years of work with large urban districts, as well as deep study of the research into what makes high-performing school systems succeed.
You can read more about our vision for urban school system transformation in One Vision, Seven Strategies or in the School System 20/20 section of our website.
These results are not an evaluation of your district—they are the beginning of a strategic conversation. We hope they spark crucial discussions with your colleagues, and point to where more research and data may be needed. You can see a detailed report of your answers below.
A note about "Don’t Know": "Don’t Know" answers may lower your overall score in a particular section. If you marked "Don’t Know" for every statement in a section, that bar will not appear at all. Check your detailed report below for your "Don’t Know" count.
WHAT'S NEXT?
Once you have analyzed areas of challenge, you can use this information to develop your strategy and inform your LCAP report. Example: If your district scored relatively low on Teaching, look at the detailed results to understand which aspects drove the score. Perhaps you discovered that teachers have little time for collaboration with peers, or that they have time, but it is not focused on student data and/or supported by teacher leaders or coaches. In this case, you might consider having a Goal (LCAP Section 2) of “improved teaching and student performance” with a related Action (LCAP Section 3) of “invest in teacher collaboration with appropriate support.”
Learn What Your Peers Think: Resource Check is most useful when used in a group. For example, an entire leadership team can take the self-assessment as a part of the budgeting and strategic planning process. Each person’s answers are kept private, while the group result is visible to all. Learn more about setting up a group »
Go deeper: Though not tailored to California, you can assess your district more specifically with Resource Check in the areas ofTeaching, School Design, Funding, and Turnaround.
Understand the big picture: Learn more about our vision for transforming school systems through:
- The School System 20/20 infographic
- The One Vision, Seven Strategies paper
- The School System 20/20 site which is filled with publications, case studies, videos, and step-by-step worksheets to help you better understand how your district organizes people, time, and money currently, and to learn best practices for using your resources to meet students’ needs.
More on California:
Standards and Instruction
Your Score:
| Assessment |
Needs Most Improvement
|
Needs Improvement
|
Close to Best Practices
|
Best Practice
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessments | ||||
| Curriculum | ||||
| Professional Development | ||||
Assessments
1
Teachers frequently assess student progress and use the results to refine their instruction.
- Priority 8: Other pupil outcomes
2
A significant percentage of school leaders and teachers are trained and proficient in using data to inform school improvement and classroom practice.
- Priority 8: Other pupil outcomes
3
The district adjusts practice or resource allocation based on pupil achievement as measured by standardized tests and other benchmarks.
- Priority 4: Pupil achievement
Curriculum
4
The district publishes topics of study and approved curriculum for all grade levels in all applicable languages that is aligned to California Common Core State Standards.
- Priority 1: Basic-- teacher appropriate assignment
- Priority 2: Implementation of state standards
- Priority 3: Parental involvement
5
The district publishes topics of study and approved ELD curriculum for English learners in all applicable languages that is aligned to the common core and other state performance standards.
- Priority 1: Basic-- teacher appropriate assignment
- Priority 2: Implementation of state standards
- Priority 3: Parental involvement
Professional Development
6
The district has a system for identifying teacher professional development areas in need of improvement within each school.
- Priority 1: Basic-- teacher appropriate assignment
7
The district has a process established to support and train teachers in the transition to Common Core State Standards and Next Generation Science Standards.
- Priority 2: Implementation of state standards
8
The district assists schools in developing a multiyear professional development plan.
- Priority 1: Basic-- teacher appropriate assignment
9
Professional development resources are allocated based on each school’s needs, especially around support for English learners, students from low income backgrounds, and foster youth.
- Priority 1: Basic-- teacher appropriate assignment
10
The district encourages schools to provide job embedded professional development, such as common planning time led by expert coaches or teacher leaders, rather than off-site course based PD.
- Priority 1: Basic-- teacher appropriate assignment
Teaching
Your Score:
| Assessment |
Needs Most Improvement
|
Needs Improvement
|
Close to Best Practices
|
Best Practice
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Career Pathways | ||||
| Collaboration | ||||
| Evaluation | ||||
| Hiring and Assignment | ||||
| Individual Development | ||||
Career Pathways
1
There are a variety of opportunities for high-performing teachers to take on increased responsibility, both inside and outside the classroom, for increased pay.
- Priority 1: Basic-- teacher appropriate assignment
- Priority 6: School climate
2
Compensation increases are based on performance and/or leadership contribution, rather than simply on years of experience and educational attainment.
- Priority 1: Basic-- teacher appropriate assignment
- Priority 6: School climate
Collaboration
3
All core teachers participate in at least 90 minutes per week of collaborative planning time.
- Priority 1: Basic-- teacher appropriate assignment
- Priority 6: School climate
4
Teacher collaborative time is focused on using student assessment data to adjust instruction.
- Priority 1: Basic-- teacher appropriate assignment
- Priority 6: School climate
5
Teacher collaborative time is supported by trained teacher leaders/coaches to ensure time is used well.
- Priority 1: Basic-- teacher appropriate assignment
- Priority 6: School climate
Evaluation
6
All teachers in the district receive accurate and rigorous evaluations each year based on clear standards for teaching effectiveness and student performance.
- Priority 1: Basic-- teacher appropriate assignment
Hiring and Assignment
7
New hires are deliberately selected to fill missing capabilities based on a rigorous interview process and hired in a timely manner.
- Priority 1: Basic-- teacher appropriate assignment
8
The district has policies to deliberately assign its best teachers to its neediest students, or to avoid high concentrations of lower performing or new teachers to some schools. The district identifies schools with a high concentration of lower performing/new teachers and ensures additional support.
- Priority 1: Basic-- teacher appropriate assignment
Individual Development
9
Professional development is primarily job-embedded rather than course-based.
- Priority 6: School climate
10
Professional development is individualized based on teacher performance and learning needs.
- Priority 6: School climate
11
The district bases tenure decisions on rigorous evaluation, promotes only those who are proficient, and efficiently exits consistently low performers.
- Priority 1: Basic-- teacher appropriate assignment
- Priority 6: School climate
School Design
Your Score:
| Assessment |
Needs Most Improvement
|
Needs Improvement
|
Close to Best Practices
|
Best Practice
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| School Portfolio | ||||
| Strategic School Design | ||||
School Portfolio
1
The district actively plans school sizes, themed-schools, and grade configurations, balancing student needs for effective programs with available staff, facility and funding resources.
- Priority 7: Course access
2
The district has a clear plan for cost-effectively staffing small (<350) schools and making full use of existing facilities to avoid having under-filled schools.
- Priority 1: Basic-- teacher appropriate assignment
- Priority 7: Course access
3
The district deliberately manages the assignment of special education and English learner programs to balance quality instruction and the need for inclusion with scale and cost considerations.
- Priority 7: Course access
4
School plans allow equitable access to programs across neighborhoods.
- Priority 7: Course access
Strategic School Design
5
The district offers a “menu” of innovative school design options for schedule, staffing, and intervention so that each school can choose the best plan for its size, priorities and instructional model.
- Priority 1: Basic-- teacher appropriate assignment
6
Schools have the flexibility to increase or reduce individual class sizes (not exceeding a school average of 24:1 in K-3 -- unless collectively bargained otherwise) based on unique content area and student needs.
- Priority 1: Basic-- teacher appropriate assignment
7
Schools are encouraged to create teacher teams with diverse experience to fully leverage combined skills and expertise.
- Priority 1: Basic-- teacher appropriate assignment
- Priority 6: School climate
8
The district helps schools maximize academic time for core subjects and extend learning time for students who need it, especially for English language learners, students from low income backgrounds, and foster youth.
- Priority 1: Basic-- teacher appropriate assignment
- Priority 6: School climate
9
Schools implement cost-effective early intervention and response models for at-risk children.
- Priority 7: Course access
Leadership
Your Score:
| Assessment |
Needs Most Improvement
|
Needs Improvement
|
Close to Best Practices
|
Best Practice
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Development | ||||
| Evaluation | ||||
Development
1
The district uses a leadership building strategy that provides intensive school leadership training, strategically places leaders in schools where they can have the biggest impact and professional growth, and provide leaders with appropriate instructional PD and significant operational support throughout the school year.
- Priority 1: Basic-- teacher appropriate assignment
Evaluation
2
The district evaluates principals on clear and rigorous standards of performance and uses these evaluations to determine appropriate levels of support, compensation, and changes in job responsibility.
- Priority 1: Basic-- teacher appropriate assignment
3
The district uses principal evaluations to determine assignments, strategically placing its best leaders in the toughest assignments (i.e., lowest performing/neediest schools).
- Priority 1: Basic-- teacher appropriate assignment
- Priority 6: School climate
School Support
Your Score:
| Assessment |
Needs Most Improvement
|
Needs Improvement
|
Close to Best Practices
|
Best Practice
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Efficiency | ||||
| Individualized School Support | ||||
| Integrated Data | ||||
| School Evaluation | ||||
| Turnaround Strategy | ||||
Efficiency
1
The district tracks the costs and service quality for each central department and the district manages its spending in response to changes in key cost drivers (e.g., enrollment or funding streams).
- Priority 1: Basic-- teacher appropriate assignment
2
The district periodically reviews all of its spending to ensure new programs added on are consistent in mission with existing programs and that all efforts are coordinated.
- Priority 1: Basic-- teacher appropriate assignment
Individualized School Support
3
The district central office has a culture of support rather than a focus on compliance.
- Priority 1: Basic-- teacher appropriate assignment
- Priority 4: Pupil achievement
- Priority 7: Course access
- Priority 8: Other pupil outcomes
4
Support and resource allocations are based on each school’s academic performance, practice, and leadership capacity (as opposed to all schools getting similar support).
- Priority 1: Basic-- teacher appropriate assignment
- Priority 4: Pupil achievement
- Priority 7: Course access
- Priority 8: Other pupil outcomes
Integrated Data
5
Data (financial, performance, etc.) is integrated using a system that is easy for administrators, teachers, and central office staff to access and use, and data is used to drive resource allocation and other decisions.
- Priority 1: Basic-- teacher appropriate assignment
- Priority 4: Pupil achievement
- Priority 6: School climate
- Priority 8: Other pupil outcomes
School Evaluation
6
The district’s performance targets are easy to understand and broadly communicated.
- Priority 2: Implementation of state standards
- Priority 3: Parental involvement
- Priority 4: Pupil achievement
- Priority 8: Other pupil outcomes
7
The district’s performance targets are used to drive instruction in the schools.
- Priority 2: Implementation of state standards
Turnaround Strategy
8
The district has a deliberate turnaround strategy for persistently low performing schools. This would include:
- Diagnosing each school’s needs and resource levels
- Ensuring transformational leadership
- Assembling expert teacher teams
- Providing sufficient expert instructional support and planning time
- Providing targeted support for student in need of extra time or tutoring
- Additional problem-solving, support and monitoring from the central office
- Priority 1: Basic-- teacher appropriate assignment
- Priority 6: School climate
- Priority 8: Other pupil outcomes
Funding
Your Score:
| Assessment |
Needs Most Improvement
|
Needs Improvement
|
Close to Best Practices
|
Best Practice
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Equity | ||||
| Flexibility | ||||
| Transparency | ||||
Equity
1
The district allocates funds across schools such that students with similar needs receive the same level of resources regardless of which school they attend. The district determine school budgets by:
- Allocating staffing and dollars through per-pupil formulas.
- Adjusting up and down based on actual enrollment.
- Ensuring small schools (<350) have sufficient, but not excessive, resources by deliberately considering school size in budget allocation formulas.
- Providing additional resources to support students with greater learning needs (e.g., Special Education, ELL, low proficiency). Note: Districts below the target concentration threshold are required to distribute funds in the LCFF-specified amount based on their % EL, low income or foster youth.
- Priority 1: Basic-- teacher appropriate assignment
- Priority 4: Pupil achievement
- Priority 7: Course access
- Priority 8: Other pupil outcomes
Flexibility
2
Principals are empowered to make decisions on hiring, adjusting schedules, trading resources, etc., without requiring a full faculty vote or having staff they would not have selected placed in their building.
- Priority 1: Basic-- teacher appropriate assignment
Transparency
3
District budgets are reported transparently, in a format that is easy to understand and compare across schools and includes all funding sources.
- Priority 1: Basic-- teacher appropriate assignment
4
The district clearly publishes and consistently adheres to rules for how positions and dollars are allocated to schools.
- Priority 1: Basic-- teacher appropriate assignment
5
Budgets and other key district documents are available in all relevant languages.
- Priority 3: Parental involvement
Partners
Your Score:
| Assessment |
Needs Most Improvement
|
Needs Improvement
|
Close to Best Practices
|
Best Practice
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engage Community Stakeholders | ||||
| Engage Families | ||||
| Maximize Community Resources | ||||
Engage Community Stakeholders
1
The district communicates progress of LCAP development to the broader community.
- Priority 3: Parental involvement
Engage Families
2
The district encourages and supports schools to partner with parents around meeting student learning goals.
Note: This is separate from the district’s responsibility to engage stakeholders through Parent Advisory Councils (PACs), including an English learner PAC if the district exceeds 15% ELL, regarding feedback for the LCAP.
- Priority 3: Parental involvement
Maximize Community Resources
3
The district partners with community providers to offer enrichment and social service support.
- Priority 6: School climate
- Priority 7: Course access