Policy 0420 - School Plans/Site Councils

School Plans/Site Councils

The Board of Education believes that comprehensive planning that is aligned with the district's local control and accountability plan (LCAP) is necessary at each school, in order to focus school improvement efforts on student academic achievement and facilitate the effective use of available resources. The Superintendent or designee shall ensure that school plans provide clear direction and identify cohesive strategies aligned with school and district goals.

Each district school shall establish a school site council in accordance with Education Code 52852 and the accompanying administrative regulation to develop, review, and approve school plans.

For any school that participates in specified state and/or federal categorical programs, the school site council or other schoolwide advisory committee shall consolidate the plans required for those categorical programs into a single plan for student achievement (SPSA).

As appropriate, a school may incorporate any other school program into the SPSA.

The Superintendent or designee shall review each school's SPSA to ensure that it meets the content requirements for all programs included, is based on an analysis of current practices and student academic performance, and reasonably links improvement strategies to identified needs of the school and its students. He/she shall also ensure that specific actions included in the district's LCAP are consistent with the strategies identified in each school's SPSA.

The Board shall, at a regularly scheduled Board meeting, review and approve each school's SPSA and any subsequent material revisions affecting the academic programs for students participating in the categorical programs addressed in the SPSA. The Board shall certify that, to the extent allowable under federal law, the SPSA is consistent with district local improvement plans required as a condition of receiving federal funding.

Whenever the Board does not approve a school's SPSA, it shall communicate its specific reasons for disapproval of the plan to the school site council or committee. The school site council or committee shall then revise and resubmit the SPSA to the Board for its approval.

The Superintendent or designee shall ensure that school administrators and school site council members receive training on the roles and responsibilities of the site council.

Single Plan for Student Achievement

Any district school that shall participate in any state or federal categorical program specified in Education Code 64000 on an ongoing basis shall have a school site council which shall approve and annually review and update a single plan for student achievement (SPSA). If the school does not have a school site council, these responsibilities shall be fulfilled by a schoolwide advisory group or school support group conforming to the composition requirements of the school site council listed in the section "School Site Councils" above.

The SPSA shall be developed with the review, advice, and certification of any applicable school advisory committees.

Such groups may include, but are not limited to, a parent advisory committee established to review and comment on the district's local control and accountability plan (LCAP); advisory committees established for English learner and special education programs; Western Association of Schools and Colleges leadership teams; district or school liaison teams for schools identified for program improvement; and other committees established by the school or district.

The SPSA shall be aligned with the district's LCAP and school goals for improving student achievement. School goals shall be based on an analysis of verifiable state data identified pursuant to law, and may consider any other data developed by the district to measure student achievement. (Education Code 52062, 64001)

The SPSA shall, at a minimum:

1. Address how funds provided to the school through specified categorical programs will be used to improve the academic performance of all students to the level of the performance goals established by law.
2. Identify the means of evaluating the school's progress toward accomplishing those goals.
3. Identify how state and federal law governing the categorical programs will be implemented.

In addition to meeting the requirements common to all applicable school plans, the SPSA shall address any content required by law for each individual categorical program in which the school participates.

In developing or revising the SPSA, the school site council or other schoolwide advisory group or school support group shall:

1. Analyze student achievement data. Using measures of student academic performance, the school shall identify significant patterns of low performance in particular content areas, student groups, and/or individual students and determine which data summaries to include in the plan as most informative and relevant to school goals.
2. Assess the effectiveness of the school's instructional program in relation to the analysis of student data.
3. Identify a limited number of achievement goals and key improvement strategies to achieve the goals. School goals shall reflect the needs identified at the school site while aligning with goals identified in federally required district plans. The school shall specify the student group(s) on which each goal is focused, the methods or practices that will be used to reach the goal, and the criteria that will be used to determine if the goal is achieved.
4. Define timelines, personnel responsible, proposed expenditures, and funding sources to implement the SPSA.

The school site council or other schoolwide group shall approve the proposed SPSA at a meeting for which public notice has been posted and then submit the SPSA to the Governing Board for approval. (Education Code 35147, 64001).

The school site council or other schoolwide group shall regularly monitor the implementation and effectiveness of the SPSA and modify any activities that prove ineffective. At least once per year, the principal or designee shall evaluate results of improvement efforts and report to the Board, school site council, advisory committees, and other interested parties regarding progress toward school goals.

The school site council or other schoolwide group may amend the SPSA at any time. Any revisions that would substantively change the academic programs funded through the consolidated application shall be submitted to the Board for approval.