Newark City School District
Bylaws & Policies
 

2605 - PROGRAM ACCOUNTABILITY AND EVALUATION

ACCOUNTABILITY FOR SCHOOL BUILDING RESULTS

The Newark City School District Board of Education, having developed and approved a strategic plan for the future of the District, acknowledges that the District, as an educational institution, cannot successfully achieve its goals without the strategic improvement of each of its school buildings as individual units.

To ensure the forwarded movement of each school building in the District toward fulfillment of its goals, the District's Strategic Plan and Continuous Improvement Plan ("CIP"), the Board authorizes the Superintendent to take the following measures, as s/he finds appropriate, to stimulate and encourage growth/performance if a school building fails to demonstrate improvement for two (2) or more consecutive school years:

 A.replace the principal;
 B.close the building and reassign the students;
 C.grant priority to students who apply for a transfer to a new building in the District;
 D.consider curriculum alteration at the individual site;
 E.take another comparable action approved by the Ohio Department of Education;

 F.redesign/reorganize the building;
 G.require the school to contact with public or private colleges' education departments, their county educational service center, or the Ohio Department of Education to run the building.

In the event the Superintendent takes action to improve the performance in one (1) or more school buildings in a school year, s/he shall be authorized to select another option from the list, above, if a building fails to improve, even after the initial effort to improve performance.

CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTIONAL PROGRAM EVALUATION

Systematic program evaluation serves three (3) purposes:

 A.To determine if the curriculum meets District standards;
 B.To determine if student achievement of the curriculum objectives/indicators meets or exceeds District expectations; and
 C.To determine if the instructional program is effective in meeting curriculum objectives/indicators.

In conducting program evaluation, two (2) components must be considered: curriculum and instruction. Curriculum is defined the formal written academic content standards, benchmarks, grade level indicators, or performance and instructional objectives.

Curriculum program evaluation focuses on the student learning and objectives specified for all subject areas, grades pre-K-12. Corresponding assessment tools will be used at each grade level and in each subject area.

Instructional program evaluation focuses on the manner in which student achievement of the objectives is met. The instructional program includes such variables as the amount of instructional time, the instructional materials and resources utilized, methods of teaching the content or skills, and supplemental support services and programs.

Program evaluation will take as needed.

 A.Curriculum Program Evaluation Criteria

The curriculum program defines the written course of study and curriculum guide the teacher uses to plan his/her daily lessons and units of instruction.

Level 1: Curriculum Completeness

On an annual basis, the entire curriculum will be reviewed to determine if all needed subject areas are included, and if instructional time allocations are appropriate. Subjects will be added or deleted, and time allocations will be modified as a result of this evaluation.


To evaluate curriculum completeness, these items need to be considered:

  1.A course of study has been outlined for all curriculum subject areas considered necessary for students' present and future success in school and functioning in society.
  2.The amount of instructional time allowed to each subject area correspond to priorities expressed in the District's mission, objectives, and strategies.

Level 2: Subject Area Completeness
 

Each curriculum subject area will be evaluated on an ongoing basis. Modifications will be made if the evaluation criteria are not met.
 

To evaluate subject area completeness, these items need to be considered:

  1.All strands/standards (subscale areas identified by the Statewide testing or standards of the discipline) have been identified within the course of study.
  2.Strands/standards have been weighed in terms of relative importance.
  3.Weighting of strands/standards corresponds to students' academic needs and societal expectations.

Level 3: Subject Area Quality
 

Content and placement of objectives/indicators within each subject and strand/standard will be evaluated an as-needed basis.
 

To evaluate subject area quality, these items need to be considered:

  1.Students' needs and/or interests are reflected in the objectives.
  2.Competencies needed to be successful in school and function in society are included in the objectives/indicators.
  3.Recent research and best practices related to the content of the subject/strand/standard are reflected in the objectives.
  4.Objectives/indicators are consistent with the District's mission statement, objectives, and strategies.
  5.The sequence of objectives/indicators and assignment to grade levels are aligned with grade level indicators.

Level 4: Student Achievement of Subject/Strand Learnings
 

Evaluations will be conducted using an established time frame to determine if students at each grade level have acquired the knowledge and skills identified in the course of study. In the academic areas, evaluations will be conducted annually. In all other subject/strand/standard areas, evaluations will take place as needed.

To evaluate student achievement of subject/strand/standard learnings, these items need to be considered:

  1.Measures of student achievement of curriculum objectives/indicators are appropriate and mirror the Statewide assessment for that grade level.
   a.Teacher-made tests include an adequate number of objectives.
   b.Test items measure learning outcomes described in curriculum objectives/indicators and include types of questions which are included on the Statewide assessment for that grade level.
   c.Authentic assessment of learning is appropriate.
  2.A majority of students enrolled in the District achieve mastery of identified grade level objectives.
   a.At each grade level at least seventy-five percent (75%) of students in the District will master the tested curriculum objectives/indicators in a given standard.
   b.Demographic characteristics of students not meeting grade level mastery criteria reflect the same demographic characteristics as the total school population.
  3.A majority of students in the District meet national achievement standards at grade levels where norm-referenced tests are given.
   a.At least one-half of the total number of students in the District rank at or above the 50th percentile on nationally norm-referenced tests.
   b.No more than one (1) quarter of the total number of students in the District rank at or below the 15th percentile on nationally norm-referenced tests.
 B.Instructional Program Evaluation Criteria

The instructional program defines the means by which students will acquire the knowledge and skills specified in the curriculum.

Level 1: Instructional Program Quality

In evaluating the quality of the instructional program, the major question being addressed is whether or not personnel at the District and school level are providing an adequate instructional program.

To evaluate instructional program quality, these items need to be considered:

District-level

1. Courses of study are provided to each teacher for each curriculum area s/he is responsible to teacher. The courses of study meet or exceed the standards of the rubric in the Board's Curriculum Development policy.

  2.Adequate staff members are provided for each school.
  3.Adequate resources are provided for instructional materials.
  4.Instructional support services are provided.
  5.Staff training needs are assessed and necessary training is provided.
  6.The principal provides the necessary instructional leadership to the teachers for them to implement the course of study.

School/classroom level

1. Teachers are teaching the objectives/indicators delineated in the course of study in the manner which is specified in the course of study.

  2.Teachers are following recommendations for instructional time allocations.
  3.Instructional materials and resources are available and are used appropriately according to learning outcomes/indicators specified in the objectives.
  4.Teachers frequently assess student performance related to specified objectives and use evaluation data to plan instruction.
  5.Teachers utilize principles of effective instruction.
  6.Student performance is routinely monitored and records are kept.
  7.Remediation is provided when needed.
  8.Instructional interventions are evaluated to determine if student achievement is improved.
  9.A plan for use of support services is developed and is operational.

Level 2: Instructional Program Effectiveness
 

The primary measure of effectiveness is student achievement. If standards and expectations are not being met at both the District and school levels, intervention should be planned which corresponds to the outcomes of the instructional program, Level 1.

R.C. 3301.13, 3301.132
A.C. 3301-35-02(E), 3301-35-07