Comprehensive Improvement Planning
- District Administrators, School Administrators
This section provides resources to help facilitate the comprehensive district and school improvement planning process. Implementing a data driven continuous improvement process is critical to providing a highly effective teaching and learning environment that supports student success.
SCDE District Strategic and School Renewal Plan Guidance
The SCDE provides guidance and templates for developing and submitting District Strategic Plans and School Renewal Plans.
South Carolina Department of Education: South Carolina School Improvement Framework Version 2.0
This document provides the plan and process adopted by the South Carolina Department of Education to ensure high-level learning for all students at all schools in South Carolina.
A Rubric for Assessing Schools’ Plans for Rapid Improvement
This resource is provided by the Center on School Turn Around at WestEd to assist districts and schools in reviewing existing school improvement plans and to use as a guide in developing new plans.
Best Practices for School Improvement Planning
Hanover Research outlines best practices for school and continuous improvement planning, focusing on organizational components and methods for assessment and measurement. In addition, Hanover identifies and describes four effective models for school improvement.
As you begin a new initiative or initiate your strategic planning process it is essential to engage your community intentionally to glean their priorities, pain points and questions. Engaging your stakeholders early is key to ensuring their voice throughout the plan.
SCDE Office of School Transformation Continuous Improvement Process Guide
This document provides an overview of an evidence-based school improvement planning process and helpful tools to use during each phase of the needs assessment and planning process.
CCSSO Using Needs Assessment for School and District Improvement
This tactical guide is designed to support state education agencies (SEAs), local education agencies (LEAs), and schools as they design and complete needs assessments for various purposes.
The State Support Network provides this guidebook to assist districts and schools with the development and implementation of a needs assessment process.
Root Cause Analysis: Understanding Community Need
This resource from the National Implementation Research Network at UNC Chapel Hill provides an overview of root cause analysis and tools to assist with conducting root cause analysis.
Many districts and schools are accredited by Cognia (formerly AdvancEd and Measured Progress) and may also use their continuous school improvement services.
Data Literacy for Instructional Leaders
The SCDE Office of Educator Effectiveness’ Data Literacy for Instructional Leaders series is designed to help principals and instructional leaders develop their own data literacy, but also coach their teachers effectively in order to improve their use of data to make game-changing instructional decisions.
The Science of Setting and Achieving SMART Goals
This article provides an overview of the history and science behind SMART goal setting as well as describing how setting specific and challenging goals can lead to higher performance outcomes.
How to Create SMART Goals in Project Management
This video provides an overview of SMART Goals and how to write them and use them to achieve desired outcomes.
How to Create an Effective Action Plan
A Return on Investment in Education: A System Strategy Approach
This resource provides tools and strategies to evaluate the impact and return on investment of school improvement efforts. When utilizing a strategic planning process, it is important to evaluate the impact of the implementation of the changes. Return-On-Investment analysis is a tool for improving resource efficiency.
South Carolina School Improvement Council (SC-SIC) at University of South Carolina
The SC-SIC provides member training, technical assistance, statutory accountability, and other resources vital to the continued success of community-based School Improvement Councils in each of the state’s 1,100-plus K-12 public schools.
Disclaimer: These links are provided as a convenience and do not constitute endorsement by the South Carolina Department of Education.