Success in Sight helps Jefferson County School District streamline its processes

The Challenge

Jefferson County, Colorado, is home to the largest school district in the state, with nearly 86,000 students, 12,000 employees, and 154 schools. Located along the foothills of the Rocky Mountains just west of Denver, the county encompasses affluent mountain communities, middle-class suburbs, and high-poverty urban areas—all served by “Jeffco,” the Jefferson County School District. When Jeffco decided to focus on improving its lowest performing schools, its priority became to decrease the variability that stood in the way of effective, district-wide school improvement.  

Strategic Solution

The district identified nine struggling schools that needed intervention to move to “performing” status as defined by the state, and partnered with McREL to facilitate the Success in Sight® approach to comprehensive school improvement. The district was drawn to the continuous improvement model because it is systemic in its processes but also individualized to the needs of schools. McREL helped the schools break improvement down into 6- to 8-week “fractals” based on data analysis and constant monitoring that generate small, quick successes. As staff knowledge and skills grow, they then take on increasingly larger, more complex initiatives.   

Results

Since the original cohort of schools began work with Success in Sight, three more cohorts have been added, for a total of 26 schools. Data on 18 of the schools (from 2011 test scores) showed 17 schools had gains in the number of students scoring in the two highest performance levels, with 12 schools having double-digit gains. In addition, of the 38 fractals completed in 2009–2010 and 2010–2011 that were related to CSAP-measured goals, 74 percent of those fractals resulted in corresponding CSAP gains.   

Success in Sight streamlined district processes and structures that previously varied from school to school. For example, all fractals are aligned with the district’s curriculum and the Unified Improvement Plans required by the state. Also, the concept of shared leadership has transformed the school culture, bringing together teacher leaders, who focus on data, and principals, who focus on the improvement process. Now, said Chief Academic Officer Heather Beck, “We are all focused on the same goals and purpose—and know how to get there. The process is no longer a variable.”        

Next Steps

The first cohort completed two years of Success in Sight training with on-site support in 2012, and continues to receive follow-up support. The second and third cohorts are scheduled to complete their work with McREL in 2013. The district realizes true, sustainable change takes time, but it is encouraged by their results so far. District leaders will continue to build capacity at the school level and continue providing ongoing support to schools, which is something they’ve improved.