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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) If you have a question that is not answered here, please contact us at schoolsmovingup@wested.org. SchoolsMovingUp What is SchoolsMovingUp? See How We Can Help for a full explanation. How can I learn more about the site and its features? View our Online Site Tour for an in-depth orientation of the site. Does it cost anything to become a member of SchoolsMovingUp? Membership to SchoolsMovingUp is free. Please see our Membership Page to learn more about the benefits of membership. What do I do if I can't remember my password? Please go to the Lost Password Help Page and enter your email address; then a new password will be sent to you. Once you receive your new password, please login with that and then go to your "profile" to change the password to something more meaningful to you. How do I sign up for an Online Event? In order to sign up for a SchoolsMovingUp Online Event, you need to become a registered user of SchoolsMovingUp. Registration is free, easy, and requires no obligation. Join now at our Registration Page. Once you have registered, you will need to sign up for whichever event you are interested in by selecting a event in our Online Events Page. Choose option A for the webcast version, and option B for the teleconference. For the latter, the slides are available to download the day before the event, and you will receive e-mail notification when they are posted. For more information, go to How to Participate in Our Online Events. May I reproduce information I find on the SchoolsMovingUp Web site? SchoolsMovingUp, a WestEd initiative, invites you to use our resources in your work. For uses that involve reproduction of more than one copy of the resource, please submit WestEd's online permission request form. We will reply immediately once we know your intended reproduction needs. All reproductions must include a full citation of the WestEd copyright. For permission to reproduce materials on other organizations' sites for which we provide links, please contact the author or publisher of those resources. How do I submit items for consideration? We encourage you to share your stories, tools, ideas and questions. Our review committee will consider all submissions and apply criteria for inclusion. Simply email us at schoolsmovingup@wested.org. I have a specific need and I can't seem to find it here, can you help me? If you are looking for specific information, a tool or an article, please don't hesitate to ask us to help. Email us at schoolsmovingup@wested.org and one of our staff will respond as soon as possible. No Child Left Behind (NCLB) What is the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001? The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB), signed into law by President Bush in January 2002, reauthorizes the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), which was adopted in 1966. The sweeping reforms of NCLB are intended to reduce the number of experimental programs created under the ESEA and re-focus educational dollars on proven, research-based approaches that will help most children to learn. For more information about NCLB see http://www.nclb.gov What is the What Works Clearinghouse? The What Works Clearinghouse will provide educators and policymakers with an easily accessible online database of information on what teaching methodologies have been proven to be effective in educating students. The What Works Clearinghouse will not certify specific educational products and services. State Education Agencies (SEAs) will be responsible for determining which educational products and services meet NCLB mandates. For more information about the What Works Clearinghouse see http://www.w-w-c.org. Comprehensive School Reform (CSR) What is the Comprehensive School Reform program? The Comprehensive School Reform (CSR) Program is a federally-funded school reform initiative that offers schools and districts the opportunity to implement schoolwide research-based reform strategies to increase student achievement. Formerly known as the Comprehensive School Reform Demonstration Program (CSRD), the program was renamed with the passage of the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. What are the components of the CSR? According to the US Department of Education Program Guidance, a comprehensive school reform program addresses each of the following eleven components. 1. Effective, research-based methods and strategies: A comprehensive school reform program employs innovative strategies and proven methods for student learning, teaching, and school management that are based on reliable research and effective practices, and have been replicated successfully in schools with diverse characteristics. 2. Comprehensive design with aligned components: The program has a comprehensive design for effective school functioning, including instruction, assessment, classroom management, professional development, parental involvement, and school management, that aligns the school's curriculum, technology, and professional development into a schoolwide reform plan designed to enable all students -- including children from low-income families, children with limited English proficiency, and children with disabilities -- to meet challenging State content and performance standards and addresses needs identified through a school needs assessment. 3. Professional development: The program provides high-quality and continuous teacher and staff professional development and training. 4. Measurable goals and benchmarks: A comprehensive school reform program has measurable goals for student performance tied to the State's challenging content and student performance standards, as those standards are implemented, and benchmarks for meeting the goals. 5. Support within the school: The program is supported by school faculty, administrators, and staff. 6. Support for school staff: The program provides support to teachers, administrators and other staff within the school. 7. Parental and community involvement: The program provides for the meaningful involvement of parents and the local community in planning and implementing school improvement activities. 8. External technical support and assistance: A comprehensive reform program utilizes high-quality external support and assistance from a comprehensive school reform entity with experience or expertise in schoolwide reform and improvement. 9. Evaluation strategies: The program includes a plan for the annual evaluation of the implementation of school reforms and the student results achieved. 10. Coordination of resources: The program identifies how other resources (Federal, State, local, and private) available to the school will be utilized to coordinate services to support and sustain the school reform. 11. Strong evidence of increasing student academic achievement: The program has been found to significantly improve the academic achievement of students or demonstrates strong evidence that it will improve the academic achievement of students. What is the purpose of the CSR program? The purpose of the program is to provide financial incentives for schools that need to substantially improve student achievement, particularly Title I schools, to implement comprehensive school reform programs that are based on reliable research and effective practices, and include an emphasis on basic academics and parental involvement. These programs are intended to stimulate school-wide change covering virtually all aspects of school operations, rather than a piecemeal, fragmented approach to reform. According to the Program Guidance from the US Department of Education, the purpose of the CSR program is to "improve student achievement by supporting the implementation of comprehensive school reforms based on scientifically-based resarch and effective practices so that all children, especially those in low-performing, high-poverty schools, can meet challenging State content and academic achievement standards." |
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