School Quality Reviews

Driving Higher Levels of Success

The League is committed to helping schools reach higher levels of student performance and overall operational success, an objective that can be achieved with a School Quality Review (SQR). This evidence-based, objective, and triangulated body of evidence is designed to drive systemic continuous improvement within each school’s unique model and mission. 

Spending three days onsite, our team of education professionals will utilize The Colorado Department of Education’s four domains of “Rapid School Improvement +2” as their primary assessment instruments. This includes (1) Leadership for Rapid Improvement; (2) Talent Management; (3) Instructional Transformation; (4) Culture and Climate Shift; (5) Board Governance; and (6) School Finance. Data is collected and triangulated through stakeholder interviews, classroom observations, and document review.

SQR deliverables include: (1) a fully completed assessment rubric with evidence; (2) an executive summary of strengths; and (3) recommended next steps for school improvement. After this body of evidence is presented, it can be partnered with student outcome data to build a precise and effective school improvement plan. Our team is also available to facilitate using the SQR to create and implement detailed and actionable school improvement plans to improve student performance.

Why a School Quality Review?

• Renewal. Many schools chose to complete a School Quality Review in preparation for their upcoming charter renewal, helping to evaluate current programming, processes and compliance documentation and ensuring schools are prepared for the renewal application and authorizer review. 
• School Performance Framework (SPF). Schools who are in Turnaround or Priority Improvement status can utilize the SQR process to create a plan for improving their state rating. Qualified schools can utilize EASI Grant funding to pay for an SQR. 
• Continuous Improvement. All schools engage in continuous school improvement through the Unified Improvement Planning (UIP) process, and an SQR supports the creation of a detailed, relevant, and usable UIP. 

A Four-Part Process 

Part 1: External Holistic Diagnostic Review. Specially trained team of experts provide a comprehensive evaluation of leadership practices, instruction including special services, school culture, human resources, school finance, board leadership, and more. 

The school review process includes an intensive site visit with instructional observations, document review, and stakeholder interviews followed by a detailed report based on the rubric with recommendations for research-based steps to improve school performance. The review concludes with a debrief to stakeholders.

Part 2: Stakeholder Engagement. A League expert will work with stakeholders— including building leadership, teachers, families, community members, board members—to ensure their engagement in the school improvement process.

Part 3: Improvement Planning. Building off of the school’s diagnostic review report, we will assist stakeholders in the completion of the improvement plan. This will include a review of student performance data, identification of trends and performance challenges, prioritization of performance challenges, root cause analysis, target setting, action planning, and planning for progress monitoring. We go one step further by working with the school to develop detailed project plans that ensure a successful implementation.

Part 4: Implementation Support.* After the creation of the UIP and detailed project plans, a we can provide implementation supports, including:

• Staff professional development
• Instructional coaching
• Leadership coaching
• Leadership team development
• Systems development and implementation
• Ongoing evaluation of implementation
• Customized supports based on review data
• Supports can include a combination of on-site and virtual platforms. 

* If applying for EASI Grant funding, implementation support can be included in Exploration Supports or District Designed and Led routes.