Section 193-H:4 Local Education Improvement Plan; Strategic Responses.
I. (a) A school or school district shall have one year from the date that a school or school district has been designated as in need of improvement pursuant to RSA 193-H:3 to take action to remedy identified problems at the local level. The school or school district shall create a plan that identifies actions that it intends to correct the areas of concern. This plan shall be submitted to the state board within 90 days of the date that the school or school district was designated as in need of improvement. If the plan does not sufficiently address the areas of concern, the state board shall disapprove the plan within 30 days. If the state board disapproves the plan, the state board's designee shall work with the school or school district to amend the plan so that it meets state board approval. One year following the designation, if the school or school district is not making satisfactory progress in implementing its plan, the commissioner of education shall issue a notice to the school or school district and shall initiate a process for providing assistance pursuant to paragraph II; or
(b) If a school or school district has been designated as in need of improvement, then the school or school district may request assistance from the department of education. The department shall provide technical assistance to those schools that request assistance under this section.
(c) On or before the one year anniversary of being designated as a school or school district in need of improvement, the commissioner shall designate a progress review team to evaluate the implementation of the improvement plans and the progress toward state performance targets. The progress review team shall deliver a report to the state board. This report shall include evidence of satisfactory implementation and progress towards state performance targets or lack thereof and recommendations regarding future actions pursuant to subparagraph II(b).
II. The department of education and the state board of education shall work cooperatively with the school or school district to provide assistance as follows:
(a) Within 30 days of a school district's request for assistance pursuant to subparagraph I(b), the commissioner of education may appoint a peer review team to review the educational programming and effectiveness of the school or school district. In cooperation with local officials, the team shall prepare and present a report at a regularly scheduled public meeting of the local school board and to the state board. This report shall be issued within 30 days of the team's appointment. Based on this report, the school or school district and superintendent shall, within 90 days of the issuance of the report, prepare a corrective action plan and submit it to the state board for approval. If the plan is not approved, the school or school district may revise the plan and resubmit it to the state board. The school or school district may decide to implement the corrective action plan on its own, through the use of a technical assistance advisor, or through the use of a peer review team. Any such decision shall be included in the corrective action plan.
(b) If the state board does not approve a corrective action plan in accordance with subparagraphs I(a) or II(a), or upon the state board's adoption of a progress review team recommendations, the commissioner of education shall work with the school or school district to revise the corrective action plan. If the school or school district does not revise the corrective action plan within 60 days or the state board does not approve the revised corrective action plan, then the commissioner of education shall submit in a timely manner a corrective action plan, including methods for implementing it, to the state board for approval. The state board shall direct the school board to implement the plan pursuant to RSA 186:5.
III. At a minimum, the corrective action plan filed by the commissioner shall:
(a) Identify the area in which the school failed to meet the annual statewide performance targets established under RSA 193-H:2.
(b) Identify and describe the strategy the school intends to implement to improve its performance.
(c) Establish and explain a strategy designed to promote family and community involvement.
(d) Detail how the school district budget reflects the goals of the local education improvement plan.
IV. In addition to the provisions of paragraph III, each plan filed by the commissioner may include the following elements:
(a) The school's curriculum including curricular priorities and instructional materials.
(b) Instructional models that incorporate research-based practices that have been proven to be effective in improving student achievement.
(c) Formal and informal opportunities to assess and monitor each child's progress.
(d) Evidence of data-based decisions.
(e) Structural reform strategies that may include schedule, organization, support mechanisms, and resources.
(f) Shared leadership structure to support school improvement.
(g) Professional development that is aligned with school improvement goals.
(h) External support and resources based on their effectiveness and alignment with the school improvement plan.
(i) Extended learning activities for students.
Source. 2003, 314:6, eff. July 22, 2003.