33-320. CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT PLANS AND TRAINING. (1) Each school district and public charter school in Idaho shall develop an annual plan that is part of a continuous focus on improving the student performance of the district or public charter school. A public charter school may use its performance certificate in lieu of a separate continuous improvement plan.
(2) (a) The board of trustees and the superintendent shall collaborate on the plan and engage students, parents, educators and the community as appropriate. The board of directors and the administrator of a public charter school shall collaborate on the plan and engage students, parents, educators and the community as appropriate. All continuous improvement plans must be approved by the local governing board.
(b) The annual continuous improvement plan shall:
(i) Be data driven, specifically in student outcomes, and shall include, but not be limited to, analyses of demographic data, student achievement and growth data, graduation rates, and college and career readiness;
(ii) Set clear and measurable targets based on student outcomes;
(iii) Include a clearly developed and articulated vision and mission;
(iv) Include key indicators for monitoring performance;
(v) Include student literacy proficiency goals and targets and how progress toward those outcomes will be measured;
(vi) Include, as applicable to the grade ranges served, trajectory growth targets toward literacy proficiency;
(vii) Include, as applicable to the grade ranges served, college and career advising and mentoring goals and how progress toward those outcomes will be measured;
(viii) Include the individual staff performance on each of the performance criteria as defined in section 33-1001, Idaho Code, including measurable student achievement and student success indicator targets and the percentage of students meeting those targets. Data will be aggregated at the grade range, subject, or performance indicator, as determined by the commission and allowed pursuant to section 33-133, Idaho Code;
(ix) Include, at a minimum, the student achievement and growth metrics for the state accountability framework. Student achievement and growth will be reported on each school and district’s report card as required by the state board of education and published by the state department of education; and
(x) Include a report of progress toward the previous year’s improvement goals.
(c) The annual continuous improvement plan must be reviewed and updated annually no later than October 1 each year.
(d) The board of trustees or the board of directors shall continuously monitor progress toward the goals by utilizing relevant data to measure growth. The progress shall be included in evaluations of the district superintendent or administrator of a public charter school.
(3) The plan must be made available to the public and shall be posted on the school district or charter school website.
(4) Of the moneys appropriated in the public schools educational support program, up to six thousand six hundred dollars ($6,600) shall be distributed to each school district and public charter school to be expended for training purposes for district superintendents and boards of trustees, public charter school administrators and boards of directors. Funds shall be distributed on a reimbursement basis based on a process prescribed by the superintendent of public instruction. Qualified training shall include training for continuous improvement processes and planning, strategic planning, finance, superintendent evaluations, public charter administrator evaluations, ethics and governance.
(5) The state board of education shall be granted rulemaking authority to establish appropriate procedures, qualifications and guidelines for qualified training providers and shall prepare a list of qualified training providers within the state of Idaho.
(6)(a) There is hereby established in the office of the state board of education a state commission for education excellence, the purpose of which will be to study and discuss continuous improvement plans established pursuant to this section and measurable student achievement and student success indicators described in section 33-1001, Idaho Code, that have been submitted to the state. The members of the commission shall include:
(i) One (1) representative of the state board of education, appointed by such board;
(ii) One (1) representative of the state department of education, appointed by such department;
(iii) One (1) representative of the office of the governor, appointed by the governor;
(iv) One (1) representative of business and industry, appointed by the division of career technical education;
(v) Two (2) members of the majority caucus and one (1) member of the minority caucus in the senate, appointed by the president pro tempore of the senate;
(vi) Two (2) members of the majority caucus and one (1) member of the minority caucus in the house of representatives, appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives;
(vii) One (1) parent of a public school student, appointed by the governor;
(viii) One (1) person who has been recognized as the Idaho teacher of the year, appointed by the governor;
(ix) One (1) representative of the Idaho school boards association, appointed by such association; and
(x) One (1) representative of the Idaho association of school administrators, appointed by such association.
(b) The commission shall be staffed by the office of the state board of education. Additional staff support from the legislative services office may be provided as needed.
(c) It is the intent of the legislature that the state commission for education excellence analyze the measurable student achievement data and continuous improvement plans in the various districts and public charter schools in Idaho and then discuss and consider changes in statute or rule that could enhance outcomes. The commission shall determine some high-performing schools and districts, work to leverage their best practices to the rest of the state, and listen to ideas regarding defining and celebrating successes in student achievement. The commission shall meet at least twice annually. One (1) meeting shall be held in the fall for the purpose of studying and discussing the continuous improvement plans’ performance measures and benchmarks, and one (1) meeting shall be held in the summer, after data for the prior academic year have been compiled and submitted to the commission, to review reports on statewide student success indicator achievement metrics submitted to the commission by the state department of education and to discuss possible ways to improve desired student outcomes. All such data and related statewide reports shall also be provided to all legislators in Idaho not serving on the commission. A school district’s or public charter school’s continuous improvement plan shall show how the measurable student achievement and student success indicator targets are aligned with the continuous improvement plan described in this section. The continuous improvement plan shall be submitted to the state board of education or the board’s designee no later than October 1 of each year.
History:
[33-320, added 2014, ch. 112, sec. 1, p. 321; am. 2015, ch. 69, sec. 1, p. 187; am. 2016, ch. 239, sec. 1, p. 635; am. 2019, ch. 265, sec. 1, p. 777; am. 2021, ch. 207, sec. 2, p. 562.]