FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
S
TATE BOARD OF EDUCATION
T. WILLARD FAIR,
Chairman
Members
PETER BOULWARE
AKSHAY DESAI
ROBERTO MARTÍNEZ
PHOEBE RAULERSON
KATHLEEN SHANAHAN
LINDA K. TAYLOR
Dr. Eric J. Smith
Commissioner of Education
DR. FRANCES HAITHCOCK
CHANCELLOR OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Contact Person:
Sandra Dilger
850-245-0824
sandra.dilger@fldoe.org
DPS: 2009-083
MEMORANDUM
TO:
District Superintendents
FROM:
Dr. Frances Haithcock
DATE:
May 15, 2009
SUBJECT:
ANNUAL ASSURANCE OF SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT PLANS AND
SCHOOL ADVISORY COUNCIL COMPOSITION
Each year, the Department of Education collects, via a Web-based report, assurances on school
improvement requirements. The purpose of this memo is to request your assurance that all
schools in your district have approved School Improvement Plans and the required School
Advisory Council composition. In compliance with Section 1008.345(6)(c), Florida Statutes,
“…the Department shall not release funds from the Educational Enhancement Trust Fund to any
district in which a school, including schools operating for the purpose of providing educational
services to youth in Department of Juvenile Justice programs, does not have an approved school
improvement plan, pursuant to s. 1001.42(18), after one full school year of planning and
development, or does not comply with school advisory council membership composition
requirements pursuant to s. 1001.452.”
The 2009 due date for assurance of compliance (during the 2008-2009 school year) is
June 30,
2009,
to ensure receiving district lottery funding in a timely manner. Please forward district
information via online reporting.
325 W. GAINES STREET • SUITE 514 • TALLAHASSEE, FL 32399-0400 • (850) 245-0509 • www.fldoe.org
District Superintendents
May 15, 2009
Page Two
This year, reports from each district will certify the following information:
•
Whether
ALL
schools in the district, as established in s. 1001.42(18)(a), F.S., have a new,
amended, or continuation School Improvement Plan in the process of revision approved by
the school board as of
June 30, 2009.
It is understood that many plans are revised due to
2009 school achievement data. It is also understood that some revisions will be required by
the State Board of Education and these revisions will need to be approved by district school
boards at a later date.
•
Whether
ALL
schools in the district have a School Advisory Council with a majority of its
members not employed by the school district, pursuant to s. 1001.452, F.S., as of
June 30,
2009.
•
Whether
ALL
schools in the district have a School Advisory Council (SAC) that is
comprised of the principal and an appropriately balanced number of teachers, education
support employees, students, parents, and other business and community citizens who are
representative of the ethnic, racial, and economic community served by the school, as
established in s. 1001.452, F.S. (If a charter school does not have a SAC, the Governing
Body should participate in the School Advisory Council’s stead.)
•
Whether
ALL
schools in the district operating for the purpose of providing educational
services to youth in Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) programs have an approved new,
amended or continuation individual School Improvement Plan or district plan that covers all
DJJ sites as of
June 30, 2009
,
as established in s. 1001.42(18)(a), F.S.
•
Whether
ALL
schools in the district have a School Improvement Plan designed to achieve
the state education priorities pursuant to s. 1000.03(5), F.S. and student proficiency on the
Sunshine State Standards pursuant to s. 1003.41, F.S. Each plan addresses student
achievement goals and strategies based on state and school district proficiency standards and
includes an accurate, data-based analysis of student achievement and other school
performance data pursuant to s. 1001.42(18)(a), F.S.
•
Whether each secondary school’s (grades 6 through 12) plan includes a redesign component
based on the ten guiding principles established in s. 1003.413(2)(a-j), F.S.
•
Whether each school in the district that earns a school grade of “C” or below, or is required
to have a school improvement plan under federal law, has a plan, pursuant to s.
1001.42(18)(a), F.S., that includes:
1. Professional development that supports enhanced and differentiated instructional
strategies to improve teaching and learning.
2. Continuous use of disaggregated student achievement data to determine effectiveness of
instructional strategies.
District Superintendents
May 15, 2009
Page Three
3. Ongoing informal and formal assessments to monitor individual student progress,
including progress toward mastery of the Sunshine State Standards, and to redesign
instruction if needed.
4. Alternative instructional delivery methods to support remediation, acceleration, and
enrichment strategies.
•
Whether each school that establishes a dropout prevention and academic intervention
program at that school site reflects that program in the School Improvement Plan, as
established in s. 1003.53(2)(b), F.S.
•
Whether each school district and high school develops strategies as a part of the School
Improvement Plan to improve student readiness for the public postsecondary level based on
annual analysis of the postsecondary feedback report data, as established in s. 1008.37(4),
F.S.
This year, reporting is to be done online at the following Web site:
http://www.flbsi.org/SIPAssurance/login.aspx.
Should any schools NOT be in compliance, you are to check those individual schools by name as
provided in the online district list. If any school or DJJ site needs to be reported but is not on the
list, you should list each missing school in the fields provided.
If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Sandra Dilger, Bureau of School Improvement, at
sandra.dilger@fldoe.org for assistance. In support of Florida’s education goal for Highest
Student Achievement and the implementation of the State Board of Education’s Next Generation
PreK-20 Strategic Plan, the Florida Department of Education appreciates your continued
commitment to enhancing the quality of education of all of Florida’s students.
FH/sdf
cc: District School Improvement Contacts
District Directors
of Charter Schools
District Juvenile Justice Contract Managers
District Educational Administrators for DJJ Programs
District Finance Officers
Linda Champion, Deputy Commissioner