State Committee Project
In September of 2005, Lucille Davy was appointed Acting Commissioner of Education. Ms. Davy verbally communicated to MACC support for the formation of a state committee consisting of NJDOE and MACC staff. Since then, a group of Senior and Program staff began meeting as an informal State Committee, providing guidance and planning for the work of the NJ MACC team. The New Jersey State Committee (NJ SC) discussed the New Jersey Quality Single Accountability Continuum, School Restructuring and other initiatives that had been identified as priorities by the Commissioner or other NJDOE staff.
One of the challenges for the NJ SC was to enhance the level of collaboration among the key departments and programs to work together to plan and implement local and federal policies. Another challenge was to determine how to disseminate information to and gather feedback from other NJDOE staff, particularly concerning student populations (LEP, Special Education) and state-level initiatives (Abbott). MACC utilized strategies from research on effective SEAs to guide the work with the New Jersey State Committee.
The immediate goal of MACC’s work with the State Committee was to establish and maintain collaboration and shared decision-making across the programs and offices around NJQSAC and other current policies. The long-term goal was to build state capacity in the area of resource sharing and comprehensive planning across divisions for the purpose of meeting the technical assistance needs of schools and districts identified for improvement.
Supporting School Restructuring
According to the Accountability system outlined in NCLB, schools that fail to make adequate yearly progress for five consecutive years were identified for Restructuring. NJDOE had 67 schools in 27 districts that were in Year 1 of Restructuring. In Year 2 MACC assisted NJDOE in providing technical assistance to districts in (1) assessing schools’ needs using multiple forms of data, (2) identifying a restructuring strategy, (3) developing a restructuring plan and (4) implementing the strategies in the plan.
One of the challenges for NJDOE was to develop a process for assessing districts’ capacity for providing support to schools. The District Performance Reviews from the New Jersey Quality Single Accountability Continuum are important resources in assessing districts’ capacity. NJDOE had to identify research-based practices that could be used to address the needs of Restructuring schools. This project involved collaboration between the Commissioner’s Office, Title I, and the County and Regional Offices. MACC utilized resources from the work with restructuring schools in California and other states to guide the restructuring initiative in New Jersey. MACC conferred with the Innovation and Improvement Content Center to identify additional resources for supporting the work with Restructuring Schools in New Jersey.
The immediate goal was to increase state capacity in the area of using data to identify and differentiate the needs of districts identified for improvement so that appropriate assistance could be delivered to address these needs. The long-term goal of this project was to assist NJDOE in assessing and building the capacity of districts to support restructuring schools.
Supporting Corrective Action Districts
According to the Accountability system outlined in NCLB, districts that fail to make adequate yearly progress for four consecutive years were identified for Corrective Action. As of August 18, NJDOE projected that approximately 20 districts were eligible for Corrective Action based upon the final analysis of AYP data for the 2005-06 testing cycle. NJDOE asked MACC to assist with the development of policy for Corrective Action districts.
One of the challenges for NJDOE was to identify and develop a needs assessment process for the Corrective Action districts. One of the options was a modified version of the NJQSAC process. Another challenge was to align the state’s efforts with schools and districts in need of improvement to identify the level of intervention for each district and its schools. NJDOE also identified research-based practices that could be used to address the needs of Corrective Action districts. MACC identified and utilize resources from other states. MACC also conferred with the Innovation and Improvement Content Center to identify additional resources for supporting the work with New Jersey.
The immediate goal was to increase state capacity in the area of using data to identify and differentiate the needs of Corrective Action districts so that appropriate assistance can be delivered to address these needs. The long-term goal of this project was to assist NJDOE in assessing and building the capacity of districts.
Comprehensive Needs for Migrant Students
The U.S. Department of Education, Office of Migrant Education initiated a comprehensive needs assessment (CNA) process designed to assist states with improving the quantity and quality of data collection on their migrant students.
The Migrant Education Program State Director with the assistance of a Management Team and a MACC facilitator focused on collecting accurate data and developing new data sources in order to establish measurable benchmarks to track migrant student achievement. This Migrant Management Team provided information and updates to the New Jersey SEA senior leadership and the members of the Maryland State Committee when it was formed.
Implementing the New Jersey Quality Single Accountability Continuum Technical Assistance System (NJQSAC)
The NJQSAC initiative faced several challenges. First, NJDOE had to complete the revision of the NJQSAC District Performance Review, which included the indicators of district practice in the five areas, along with rubrics and a protocol for conducting the review. Next, NJDOE provided training and support for the districts who were participating in the NJQSAC pilot. Finally, NJDOE reviewed the NJQSAC DPR reports and prepared a summary for planning for the technical assistance system. This project involved the Commissioner’s Office, Title I, Abbott, and the County and Regional Offices. MACC utilized the research on effective SEA practices, including the Reaching Capacity study conducted by the Joyce Foundation, to guide this work.
MACC’s immediate goal was to assist NJDOE in establishing a process for assessing the needs of districts. The long-term goals for the project were to (1) create a system for providing technical assistance to districts that have been identified for improvement, and (2) monitor the implementation and impact of the technical assistance strategies.