As the state education agency for the District of Columbia, the 乌鸦传媒 of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) is required by federal law to establish criteria, that are approved by the DC State Board of Education (SBOE), to measure public school performance and designate the lowest-performing schools for additional support and improvement. OSSE uses an accountability system to identify schools earning scores that place them in the lowest 5 percent of schools operating in DC.
OSSE satisfied the minimum requirements for school improvement through state oversight and federal compliance requirements to designate schools and provide federal funds as authorized under Section 1003 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, as amended (ESEA). After extensive school and community engagement, and reviewing years of data, OSSE developed Accelerate DC to support school transformation in our lowest performing schools to help ensure all DC students are equipped with the knowledge and skills needed to pursue and thrive on the life path of their choice.
So, you might be wondering, what is Accelerate DC? And how does it differ from the previous approach?
Accelerate DC is OSSE’s new approach to school improvement efforts in the District. OSSE supports its lowest performing schools with clear expectations, access to funding, tailored supports, and aligned resources. Accelerate DC is centered on five key domains. Through strong collaboration and partnership, schools implement improvement plans focused on these targeted domains, ultimately improving learning outcomes for all students. Based on extensive research from other state accountability systems and best practices in school improvement, these domains are intended to drive rapid improvement across the District’s lowest-performing schools and increase levels of accountability. The five key domains of school improvement are:
- Transformational leadership,
- Talent development,
- Instructional excellence,
- Strong school culture and climate, and
- Organizational health.
OSSE has partnered with the schools designated for improvement to provide a robust menu of supports centered around these five domains. Accelerate DC adapts these domains for the unique context of the District and centers student outcomes with the guiding principles of equity and continuous improvement.
How does the school improvement process work?
At the beginning of a three-year designation cycle, OSSE measures the performance of all schools and calculates their accountability score. OSSE identifies the lowest performing 5 percent of schools that are eligible to receive federal funding and school improvement support. These schools are designated based on their school needs and identified student achievement gaps.
After schools are designated, OSSE begins working with them directly. First, the school’s leadership team works with their school community to complete a needs assessment to identify the root causes of the school’s low performance. Once the school’s leadership team, in partnership with the school community, identifies the root causes of the school’s challenges, the team develops a School Improvement Plan (SIP) that addresses the school’s strategies and goals to improve the school’s performance. These strategies must be evidence-based, time-bound, and align with the Accelerate DC framework. Once OSSE reviews and approves the SIP, eligible schools apply to receive the Investment in Schools federal grant funding. This federal funding is set aside for school improvement activities under Section 1003 of the ESEA.
Finally, after eligible schools receive funding, OSSE provides schools with supports that align with their goals as outlined in their SIP. These supports may include: inclusive leadership workshops, chronic absenteeism communities of practice, professional learning offerings, high-impact tutoring partnerships, and structural supports. OSSE works across the agency to provide technical assistance and resources for all domains and identified areas of need for designated schools.
OSSE remains energized and enthusiastic about the potential of Accelerate DC to make a difference for our schools and, ultimately, our students. If you would like to learn more, check out the OSSE Accelerate DC website.