Sec. 109. Local educational agency implementation of school improvement system
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A local educational agency that receives a subgrant under section 108 shall use subgrant funds to develop, lead, and implement a district-wide approach to high school improvement that meets the requirements of subsection
(b)and carry out the activities described in section 110. The local educational agency shall— identify the category of high school improvement, as described in section 105(b)(2), using data from the school performance indicators as prescribed by the State educational agency in accordance with section 105(b), for each high school served by such agency that does not make annual measurable growth for 2 consecutive years; and publicly identify such schools by school improvement category. The local educational agency shall convene a school improvement team for each high school served by such agency that is assigned to one of the school improvement categories described in section 105(b)(2). The school improvement team for a high school shall include— the school leader of the high school; if applicable, at least 1 teacher from the high school representing career and technical education; at least 2 teachers from the high school representing different grade levels or disciplines; local educational agency staff; a school counselor from the high school; and a local representative of the business community, with preference given to a member of a school’s business advisory council, if applicable. The school improvement team for a high school shall include at least one of the following: A parent of a student in the high school. A community representative, such as a representative of nonprofit organizations serving young people and the business community. A pupil service representative. In the case of a school in whole school reform or replacement, secondary school reform partners. The school improvement team for a high school may include State educational agency staff, if requested by the local educational agency or assigned by the State educational agency. The local educational agency shall ensure collaboration— of school improvement teams with personnel of middle grades schools served by the local educational agency whose students will attend high schools that are identified for one of the categories described in section 105(b)(2), to the extent appropriate; and among or between school improvement teams at schools assigned to one of the school improvement categories and school leadership and other personnel at schools served by the local educational agency that have made annual measurable growth. Consistent with the requirements of this section, the local educational agency shall use, at minimum, data on the following to inform the classification of high schools: School performance indicators described in section 105(b)(3). Indicators used to determine annual measurable growth. Information about incoming students in the initial grade of the high school. Information about the student population, including data provided through the early warning indicator system described in paragraph (6)(A). The schools’ capacity and needs, as described in paragraph (9). The school improvement team convened under paragraph
(2)for each school shall use the data described in paragraph (3), and other relevant data and knowledge regarding the school, to develop a multiyear school improvement plan. Such plan shall— identify the school annual growth targets for the State's school performance indicators described in section 105(b)(3) that meet or exceed the State's annual growth targets described in such section; define the evidence-based academic and nonacademic interventions and resources necessary to meet the school annual growth targets and make annual measurable growth; identify the roles of the State educational agency, the local educational agency, the school, and secondary school reform partners and other external partners, as appropriate, in providing such interventions and the resources necessary to meet the school annual growth targets and make annual measurable growth; provide for the involvement of business and community organizations and other entities, including parents and institutions of higher education, in the activities to be assisted under the subgrant; and describe and direct the use of— any additional funding to be provided by the State educational agency, the local educational agency, or other sources to support activities carried out under this title; and in the case of a high school identified for whole school reform or replacement, secondary school reform partners and external partners. The local educational agency shall use funds to— engage in a planning period of not longer than 180 days to prepare to implement the school improvement plan for each high school, including preparation activities such as— creating a skilled leadership team and providing professional development in best practice and successful school models that educate similar student populations; working with secondary school reform partners to identify roles and responsibilities to create a comprehensive approach and effort to implementing the school improvement plan for each school identified for targeted intervention, whole school improvement, or replacement; planning and providing professional development to high school teachers in instruction, use of data, and working in the identified schools; appropriately identifying teachers for each grade and course; establishing and implementing use of the early warning indicator system described in paragraph (6)(A); and establishing a school schedule that enables the implementation of the high school improvement plan; and ensure the implementation of the high school improvement plans for the high schools identified for one of the categories described in section 105(b)(2). The local educational agency shall support successful implementation of high school improvement plans and district-wide improvement through— establishing an early warning indicator system to identify students who are at risk of dropping out of high school and to guide preventive and recuperative school improvement strategies, including— identifying and analyzing the academic risk factors that most reliably predict dropouts, such as by using longitudinal data of past cohorts of students; identifying specific indicators of student progress and performance, such as attendance, academic performance in core courses, and credit accumulation, to guide decisionmaking; identifying or developing a mechanism for regularly collecting and analyzing data about the impact of interventions on the indicators of student progress and performance; and analyzing academic indicators to determine whether students are on track to graduate secondary school in the standard number of years; providing academically rigorous education options that lead to a secondary school diploma consistent with readiness for postsecondary education and the workforce, based on an analysis of data described in paragraph
(3)and other student-level data and designed to meet the students’ needs and interests, such as— effective research-based dropout prevention, credit and dropout recovery, and recuperative education programs for students who are not making sufficient progress to graduate high school in the standard number of years or have dropped out of high school; providing students with post-secondary learning opportunities, such as through access to a relevant curriculum or course of study that enables a student to earn a secondary school diploma and— an associate’s degree; an industry-recognized credential; or transferable credit toward a postsecondary degree or credential; combining rigorous academic education with career training, including training that leads to postsecondary or industry-recognized credentials, for students; increasing access to Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate courses and examinations; developing and utilizing innovative, high quality distance learning strategies to improve student academic achievement; or increasing access to work-based learning opportunities; providing targeted research-based interventions for middle schools that feed into the high schools identified by the local educational agency as needing whole school reform or replacement; identifying and implement strategies for pairing academic support with integrated student services and case-managed interventions for students requiring intensive supports, which may include partnership with other external partners; providing technical assistance to high schools identified for 1 of the categories described in section 105(b)(2) through— streamlining and prioritizing resources to organize support for schools in whole school reform or replacement, such as through identifying and developing categories or clusters of schools with similar school improvement needs; and assisting schools in identifying secondary school reform partners and other external partners; and supporting the use of data to improve teaching and learning, including— improving longitudinal student data systems; regularly analyzing and communicating data to educators, parents, and students that they can use; and building school leaders' and teachers' data and assessment literacy. The local educational agency shall ensure the continuous improvement of high schools by— evaluating the progress of each high school in making continuous and substantial progress based on the high school's annual growth targets identified under paragraph
(4)for the school; and determining the high school's progress and taking appropriate actions, as provided in subparagraphs
(B)and (C). Each high school that is meeting the school's annual growth targets identified in the high school improvement plan for the high school, shall continue to implement school improvement activities in accordance with the high school improvement plan. For each high school that is not meeting the high school's annual growth targets, the local educational agency shall— after the first year that the high school fails to meet the high school's annual growth targets, review the high school improvement plan and develop and implement a new plan; and after the high school fails to meet the high school's annual growth targets for 2 or more consecutive years, reclassify the school as a school in need of whole school reform or replacement, as appropriate based on the State educational agency's categorization system described in section 105(b)(2). For each high school that fails to meet the high school's annual growth targets for 2 or more consecutive years, the local educational agency may develop and submit to the State educational agency for review a new school improvement plan, as the local educational agency determines appropriate. The local educational agency shall ensure that high schools receiving additional students due to other high schools being replaced under subsection
(c)will have sufficient capacity, resources, and funding to deliver a high quality education to all students. Each school improvement team described in subsection (b)(2) and the local educational agency shall conduct a high school capacity and needs assessment for the high school served by the team that includes— a description and analysis of the high school’s capacity to implement the school improvement activities identified in the high school improvement plan, including an analysis of— the number, experience, training level, responsibilities, and stability of existing administrative, instructional, and noninstructional staff for the high school; and a review of the budget, including how Federal, State, and local funds are being spent, as of the time of the assessment, for instruction and operations at the school level for staff salaries, instructional materials, professional development, and student support services, in order to establish the extent to which existing resources need to and can be reallocated to support the needed school improvement activities; additional resources and staff necessary to implement the school improvement activities identified in the high school improvement plan; and an analysis of the local educational agency's capacity to provide technical assistance, additional staff, and resources to implement the high school improvement plan and to improve the high school's performance. A local educational agency shall use the information provided in the capacity and needs assessment for a high school, in coordination with the high school's school improvement plan and the understanding of the reform history of high schools, to— determine the level and direct the use of— the funds requested by the local educational agency for the high school under the subgrant under this section; and any additional funding to be provided by the State educational agency, the local educational agency, or other sources; and to determine the number and direct the use of secondary school reform partners and external partners. A local educational agency may request technical assistance from the State educational agency in preparing the plan and the capacity and needs assessment required under this paragraph. The State educational agency may intervene to develop or implement the high school improvement plans, or enter into contracts with secondary school reform partners to assist local educational agencies with the development and implementation of high school improvement plans, if the State educational agency determines that— a local educational agency serving a high school in whole school reform or replacement has not submitted an application described in section 108(b); or a local educational agency does not have the capacity to implement the school improvement activities described in the school improvement plan submitted under subsection (b)(4).