Expanded Learning Time (ELT) Site Visit Protocol

Revised September, 2015

Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

75 Pleasant Street, Malden, MA 02148-4906

Phone 781-338-3000 TTY: N.E.T. Relay 800-439-2370

www.doe.mass.edu

Table of Contents

Overview 3

ELT Site Visit Components 5

Findings, Observations, and Ratings 7

Preparing for the Site Visit 8

Site Visit Structure 9

Site Visit Schedule 11

ELT Site Visit Standards 12

Performance Agreement Goals, Objectives, and Measures 16

Sample Interview Topics 17

Developing Report Findings and Ratings Using High-Quality Evidence 19

ELT Site Visit Work Flow and Timelines 20

ELT Site Visit Preparation 21

Appendix A Required School Documents 22

Appendix B Focus Group Descriptions 24

Appendix C Staff Roster Template 26

Appendix D Site Visit Code of Conduct 27

Overview

Purpose of ELT Site Visits

In conducting site visits, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (ESE) is carrying out its oversight responsibilities with respect to the authorizing legislation for Expanded Learning Time (ELT) implementation grants as outlined in the state budget (line item 7061- 9412). Site visits are among the means by which ESE documents each ELT school’s performance and progress over time, corroborating and augmenting the information reported each year in the school’s reapplication within the context of the ELT Performance Agreement process.

ESE conducts two types of site visits at ELT schools: a full site visit and a check-in meeting. Full site visits will typically be completed in one and one-half days, but may be modified due to the size, location, or specific conditions of a particular school. They will be conducted according to this protocol, which articulates guidelines for document review, classroom observations, and stakeholder focus groups and other interviews. Observational findings made during a full site visit will be documented in a site visit report. Check-in meetings will be shorter in duration (typically, a half-day) and more informal in nature. ESE will endeavor to conduct either a full site visit or a check-in visit annually at most ELT schools, but reserves the right to make fewer or more visits as appropriate.

This protocol draws on Expanded Learning Time Expectations for Implementation[1] (Expectations), a document that was co-developed by Massachusetts 2020 and ESE to guide ELT implementation. The ELT expectations and accompanying indicators expand upon the three areas of school redesign outlined for ELT schools by the legislature, which requires the addition of at least 300 more hours per year to a school’s schedule in order to:

·  provide students with more core instructional opportunity in mathematics, literacy, science, and other core subjects to support student achievement;

·  integrate enrichment and applied learning opportunities into the school day; and

·  provide educators with increased opportunity for collaborative time and professional development.

Site visits and subsequent site visit reports are intended to gather and document evidence about the school’s performance and implementation of ELT for grant accountability purposes and to provide observational findings and information to districts and schools to help improve instruction and operations.

Additional site visits may be scheduled as needed by ESE. The length and type of site visit and required elements will ultimately be determined by ESE. ESE will provide adequate notice to all schools of any scheduled visits.

Please note, this protocol is a guide to the typical site visits conducted by ESE, and not the check-in meetings.

Check-in Visits

As mentioned above, ESE will not conduct a full site visit at all ELT schools each year. For schools that do not receive a full site visit, ESE may conduct half-day check-in meeting designed to gather some observational and qualitative evidence regarding the school’s implementation of its ELT redesign.

Typically, one or two ESE staff members will conduct each check-in meeting. The meeting will be arranged with the principal at least one week in advance. A limited number of documents (such as an updated school schedule or updates on progress toward meeting Performance Agreement objectives) may be requested prior to the meeting.

These check-in meetings will usually consist of three main activities, though the activities may be modified depending on the particular circumstances of the school:

1.  A focus group interview with the school’s principal, ELT coordinator or staff member(s) most involved in the implementation of the ELT school redesign, and members of the school’s Instructional Leadership Team (ILT).

2.  A focus group interview with teachers who are not members of the ILT.

3.  Informal classroom observations.

The ESE staff member(s) participating in the check-in meeting will send a brief memorandum containing general observations from the meeting to the ELT school, typically within one or two weeks after the meeting.

ELT Site Visit Components

Pre-Visit Planning and Preparation

Schools receiving ELT site visits will be notified of their selection in the beginning of the school year in which the site visit will take place. ESE will send notification letters to the district superintendent, school principal, and district ELT coordinator. By late fall, the school confirms the proposed visit dates or proposes alternate dates for the site visit.

ESE assumes that the school principal will act as the coordinator of and liaison for the site visit; however, the principal has the option of designating another school-based person to take on this role. ESE works with the school’s coordinator to ensure that key documents are provided. Appendix A lists the documents to be submitted by the school to ESE before the site visit as well as the documents to be made available to the team on site. ESE collects and compiles submitted information as well as any other pertinent documents and distributes it to each site visit team member prior to the site visit. In addition, prior to the site visit the school gathers the documents also identified in Appendix A for use by the team during the site visit.

Site Visit Team Members

All site visit teams are led by an ESE staff member. The team leader facilitates the activities for the day and coordinates the efforts of additional team members who may be other ESE staff members, external consultants, practitioners from other ELT schools and/or districts, or other volunteers from the field of education. All team members are subject to a Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) check.

On-Site Visit

On-site, team members conduct focus groups, interviews, observe classrooms, conduct a document review, and meet to form preliminary findings and ratings. Areas of inquiry are guided by the ELT Expectations for Implementation. Classroom observations are guided by the school leader’s oral and written description of teaching and learning at the school and an ESE observation form.

Creation of Findings and Ratings

The site visit team is charged with gathering evidence and data that capture the school’s progress toward meeting its ELT Performance Agreement goals and the indicators set out in the ELT Expectations for Implementation. In the afternoon of the visit’s final day, the team reflects on the evidence and data collected and develops preliminary findings. These findings will be used to rate the school on its performance relative to the Expectations for Implementation All findings and ratings will be contained in the written report.

End of Visit Report-Out

At the conclusion of the visit, a limited report-out of the team’s initial findings is delivered by the team leader. School leaders may invite additional staff to attend the report-out. Statements made during the report-out are not intended to provide technical assistance. The findings are based upon the evidence collected throughout the visit and are preliminary and not all of the Expectations will be addressed. During the site visit report writing process the team leader will conduct additional analysis of available evidence. Please note: Findings reported on site are subject to change after the site visit team returns to the ESE and more thoroughly reviews the compiled evidence, as well as any additional evidence requested by the site visit leader.

Site Visit Report

After the visit, ESE prepares a written report that includes the team’s findings and the evidence to support those findings. Site visit team members review the report to ensure that it is factually accurate and reflects the collective findings of the team on the day of the visit. The team leader incorporates any corrections and suggestions for improvement offered by the team and issues a draft report to the school. The school then has the opportunity to report factual inaccuracies, if any, to ESE. Corrections that are factual in nature are incorporated into a final report, which is issued to the school. If the school chooses, a response to the site visit report may be submitted in writing to ESE. The site visit report and any written response become part of the documentation that ESE will use in making future funding determinations.

Findings, Observations, and Ratings

The ELT Expectations for Implementation are presented in eight (8) areas of accountability:

I. ELT design is driven by focused schoowide priorities,

II. Data is used to drive continuous improvement and strengthen instruction,

III. Additional time for academics is used for core instruction and differentiated support,

IV. Additional time for enrichment is used to deepen student engagement in learning,

V. Additional time for teacher collaboration is used to strengthen instruction and improve achievement, VI. Additional time is used to enhance school culture,

VII .School leadership is focused and collaborative, and,

VIII. District leadership supports ELT.

These expectations, aligned with the Conditions for School Effectiveness[2], guide the gathering and analysis of evidence obtained during the site visit. While on site, the site visit team will gather evidence and create findings that represent the school’s performance for each of the Expectations.

Findings are statements that describe the school’s performance in terms of the Expectations. Findings synthesize the site visit team’s analyses of evidence collected from multiple sources prior to and during (and in rare instances after) the visit. As mentioned previously, at the conclusion of the visit, a limited report-out will be delivered by the team leader structured around the three most easily and consistently observable of the ELT Expectations for Implementation: Expectation I – ELT design is driven by focused schoolwide priorities; Expectation VI – Additional time is used to enhance school culture; and Expectation VII – School leadership is focused and collaborative. During the site visit report writing process, the team leader will conduct additional analysis of available evidence in collaboration with the principal author of the report if the team leader does not write the report.

In order to communicate clearly, ESE uses a rating scale to summarize an ELT school’s performance against the Expectations. Ratings will capture school performance at the time of the site visit. Each Expectation, I through VIII, will be accompanied by a finding as well as a rating in the final report. The scale used to assign ratings is as follows:

Rating / Description
Exemplary / The school fully and consistently meets the expectation and is a potential exemplar in this area.
Meets Expectation / The school generally meets the expectation with no more than minor concern(s) noted.
Some Improvement Needed / The school meets some aspects of the expectation but not others with no more than moderate concern(s) noted.
Major Improvement Needed / The school falls far below the expectation and/or significant concern(s) are noted.

While the site visit team will generate initial findings for all Expectations during team work time, and will present a sub-set of those findings during the report-out, ratings will be communicated in the written report only.

Preparing for the Site Visit

Each year, the ESE visits ELT schools as part of its grant oversight responsibilities. There are many actions that the school, ESE, and site visitors should take to effectively prepare for the site visit.

Site Visit Structure

Site Visit Schedule

The following table shows a sample schedule that includes all key components of the site visit. The site visit team leader will use the scheduling information submitted by the school to create a similar schedule that meets the needs of the school and the site visit team. The team leader, while responsible for ensuring that all key components are covered, will make every effort to be flexible in planning prior to and on the days of the site visit.

Site visit team members may meet with members of the school community not listed below, as necessary. The team leader will remain in contact with school leaders during the day, providing updates on the team’s schedule and whether additional meetings, classroom observations, or follow-up sessions are needed.

Time / Team member A
Team leader / Team member B / Team member C / Team member D / Team member E
Day 1 (1/2 day)
11:45 -12:30 / Team meeting and orientation to the process
12:15-12:30 / School leaders provide orientation to site visit team
12:30-1:30 / Meet with school administration / Classroom observations / Classroom observations / Classroom observations
1:30-2:30 / Meet with district Administration* / Classroom observations / Classroom observations / Observe collaborative planning time
2:30-3:30 / Classroom observations / Classroom observations / Meet with enrichment providers / Classroom observations
3:30-4:30 / Initial team discussion/Team work time
Day 2 (full day)
7:15-7:30 / Arrival and brief team meeting
7:30-8:30 / Classroom observations / Classroom observations / Family focus group
8:30-9:30 / Meet with special education staff/administrator/ELL coordinator / Document review / Classroom observations / Classroom observations
9:30-10:30 / Meet with non-ILT teachers / Classroom observations / Classroom observations / Classroom observations
10:30-11:30 / Classroom observations / Classroom observations / Meet with Instructional Leadership Team
11:30-12:30 / Meet with students / Classroom observations
12:30-1:00 / Team discussion and lunch
1:00-3:45 / Team work time, additional fact-finding, and classroom observations
3:45-4:00 / Presentation of initial findings on select Expectations to school leaders
*For districts with more than one ELT school, this focus group may be scheduled at another time to accommodate schedules of district personnel and eliminate duplication of effort.

ELT Site Visit Standards