Comprehensive Support & Improvement

What does comprehensive support mean for a school?

Montana's system of differentiation under ESSA uses four federally required indicators plus Montana's own fifth indicator to identify schools as either Comprehensive, Targeted, or Universal. This system focuses on providing supports where they are most needed.

Montana ESSA Accountability

1-4 Federally Required Indicators

Academic Achievement on Statewide Assessments: ELA/Reading & Math
Academic Growth on Statewide Assessments ELA/Reading & Math (K-8 Only)
English Learner Progress
Graduation Rates (HS only)

5^th Indicator for Montana Flexibility

Attendance
College & Career Ready (HS Only)
Science Assessment (Grades 5 & 8)

Schools identified for Comprehensive Support and Improvement meet one or more of the following criteria:

are in the lowest performing 5% of all Title I schools in the state;
have a high school graduation rate of less than 67%; and/or
have consistently underperforming subgroups.

Every three years, the OPI will identify schools for comprehensive support and improvement beginning with the 2018-2019 school year. The OPI will use data from the 2016-2017 school year in order to notify schools during the spring of 2018.

How are comprehensive schools being supported?

Schools identified for comprehensive support are working in partnership with the schools, district, and the OPI to conduct a comprehensive needs assessment of both operational (i.e., school board efficiency, school climate, and student engagement) and instructional components (i.e., leadership, professional development, and curriculum and standards).

All schools identified for comprehensive support and improvement are developing and implementing a Continuous School Improvement Plan based on the comprehensive needs assessment.

Specific strategies include:

Building community capacity to support kindergarten transitions;
Building school board efficiency through a school board coach;
Providing wraparound services to students and their families (e.g., mental and physical health services, mentoring);
Engaging students in school improvement through youth voice and advocacy work;
Supporting culturally responsive practices, particularly for American Indian communities;
Implementing systemic literacy and math improvements through specialized instructional personnel including a variety of educators, as well as library media and digital literacy and math specialists; and
Use of the Montana Early Warning System to identify students at risk of dropping out of school, apply targeted interventions based on student needs, and track interventions over time to determine if the interventions are working.

Which schools are identified as comprehensive?

Contact Information

Lindsay Mahoney, Director of School Improvement Unit, Department of School Innovation & Improvement, 406-444-4438.

Lindsay.Mahoney@mt.gov

CSI Regional Map - School Improvement Team Regional Leads

Upcoming Events

Join us for regular Virtual Summit meetings throughout the 24-25 school year.

The purpose of ongoing summits is to foster communication and connections between stakeholders at CSI schools. This is also a way to give Tier 2 instruction and guidance while fostering regional relationships.

The January Virtual Summit will be held on Tuesday, January 14th, from 10:00-12:00. Please REGISTER HERE by Friday, January 10th.

When: Tuesday, January 14 from 10:00-12:00
Where: Teams Link
Who: Administrative team, Curriculum Director, DLT, Teachers, School Board
What: Accreditation
Why/ What your team will gain from this work session:

- Graduate Profile
- ISAP Next Steps
- Reading your report
- Answer questions

Recordings and other resources shared for the 24-25 school year can be found here.

Please see this document for a complete list of the 23-24 recordings & resources that were shared.

Please reach out to your School Improvement Regional Lead with any questions.

Additional Upcoming Events can be found here.

Upcoming Event Highlights: