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QUALITY ASSURANCE FRAMEWORK APPENDIX

3-Tier Reading Model - The 3-Tier Reading Model is a K-5 conceptual framework designed to be a prevention model that provides a process for delivering reading instruction.  This model emphasizes the use of scientifically-based reading research programs, tiered instruction, assessment, and ongoing professional development. 
21st Century Course of Study – The 21st Century Course of Study is a rigorous four-year high school academic plan in which students take a fourth year of mathematics and a third year of science, beyond the requirements of the standard diploma, to better prepare themselves for an increasingly competitive world of work and higher education.  This course of study is in alignment with the new requirements of the Millennium Scholarship.
Advancement via Individual Determination (AVID) – Advancement via Individual Determination is a program that offers students an academic elective that helps them learn to master rigorous coursework through a variety of collaborative and inquiry-based learning activities.  The AVID elective prepares students in the academic middle to be successful in honors and Advanced Placement courses.  It includes access to a site team of core teachers and college-educated tutors trained in research-based instructional strategies.  Upon graduation from high school, students are prepared for college or university enrollment.
Annual Guaranteed Levels of Service - The Annual Guaranteed Level of Service (AGLS) is a component of the Clark County School District’s K – 12 Comprehensive Guidance and Counseling Program.  Provided to all counselors as the framework for guidance activities, the AGLS is designed to ensure district-wide consistency while in alignment with identified guidance goals in the academic, career and personal/social domains.  The AGLS is reviewed and revised each year by all K -12 counselors to include current CCSD initiatives and goals.
Attendance Incentive Programs – Attendance incentive programs are specific strategies designed to encourage and promote regular attendance in school.  Research indicates that regular attendance is correlated to improved academic performance and, as such, these programs explore methods by which students are encouraged to attend class on a daily basis.
Backward Assessment Model (BAM) – The Backward Assessment Model (BAM) focuses professional development on what teachers teach, how they teach it, student performance, assessment, specific content strategies and resources as well as strategies that address special populations; special education, poverty, and English Language Learners that lead to increased student achievement.
Balanced Literacy Frameworks – The Balanced Literacy Frameworks are curriculum documents that define the components of literacy.  There are three frameworks: secondary, elementary, and kindergarten.  The components of literacy are word knowledge, comprehension and fluency, and writing.  The secondary framework focuses on content area literacy.
Block Scheduling – The 4x4, A/B Block schedule allows students to take a total of eight classes per year.  This schedule is designed to allow additional class offerings to provide credit retrieval and enrichment offerings during the day, to increase graduation rates, and to decrease the drop-out rates.
Career & Technical Academy (CTA) – A Career and Technical Academy school offers students an opportunity to select a career and technical area of emphasis for their four years of high school.  Programs of study reflect industry standards and prepare students with rigorous coursework to pursue future education in post-secondary institutions, apprenticeships, or the military.  Students have access to state-of-the-art technology and have hands-on experiences through internships, clinical, or other work-based learning activities. 
Character Education - The Clark County School District emphasizes and integrates character education within instructional content areas. CCSD staff members strive to reflect these characteristics in all phases of school life and students are afforded opportunities to participate in programs and extracurricular activities that support and assist in developing these traits. The domains of character education incorporated into the instructional program are:

• Responsibility
• Respect
• Integrity
• Justice
• Citizenship
• Honor
• Courage
• Empathy

Collaborative Scoring - Collaborative Scoring is a process used to assess student writing and increase teachers’ understanding of the Nevada proficiency examination scoring process.
College Board Plan of Action - CCSD developed the College Board Plan of Action as a mechanism to organize and support the goals and programs that support student college readiness.  The Plan of Action is sequential, and provides a measure of accountability by denoting delivery strand and target audience.  CCSD schools must document completion and implementation of the Plan of Action at the conclusion of each school year.
College Counselor Training - CCSD provides training opportunities for College and Scholarship Counselors throughout the school year in order to increase student college readiness skills.    Information, materials, resources, and workshops are provided to counselors regarding in-state and out-of-state college/university admissions; local, state, and national scholarships; and institutional, state, and federal financial aid programs.
College Going Culture, Northeast Region - In 2001, Marsha Irvin, Northeast Region Superintendent, developed the College Culture Initiative as a vehicle to increase the graduation rate and decrease the dropout rate.  In 2007, the initiative was revised to the Postsecondary Education Expectations so that not only college, but all forms of postsecondary education would be included.  The K-12 Postsecondary Education Expectations create an educational culture with the expectation that every student will pursue postsecondary studies.  These expectations begin at the onset of a student’s educational experience and provide a framework for students to understand the value of education and to develop goals beyond graduation from high school.
Community Partnerships – Community partnerships are an alliance of relationships between the Clark County School District and various business and social organizations whose sole desire is to improve student performance and increase community involvement in our children’s education.  Examples include partnerships with the City of Henderson, Harrah’s, etc.
Co-Teaching Model -Co-Teaching is a powerful teaching model which permits the teaming of a special educator and general educator, referred to by Marilyn Friend, national authority in the model, as “The Power of Two.”  When the general educator as the content specialist team teaches with the special educator as the learning strategist, the results can be significant since two teachers are available to provide intensive and direct instruction in small and whole groups to all students.  Diverse learners, including students with disabilities and ELL learners, are more readily “reached” via the model.  The model has five teaching formats, ranging from “one-teach, one-support” to “station teaching”, and as mentioned, “team teaching.”  However, school staffs need to be cautioned to use the ISP Master Scheduling Model, since not all students with disabilities should be co-taught; students with IEPs should receive service based upon their level of need.
DIBELS - The Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) are individual standardized assessments designed to assess and monitor a student's development of critical literacy skills.  There are five one-minute assessments that measure, phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. 
Differentiated Instruction - Differentiated instruction is an instructional methodology for which the needs of diverse learners are met in the today's classroom of varied learners, versus the less efficacious method of "teach to the middle". Through flexible grouping techniques, instructional and assessment activities are differentiated by students' learning styles, talents and interests, as well as ability levels. CCSD readily recognizes the need to effectively teach all students, including the disaggregated populations prescribed by No Child Left Behind. As a result, training for teachers in differentiation is offered through a variety of venues:  Inclusive Schools' Practices, English Language Learner Highly Qualified Sheltered Instruction (HQSI), Curriculum and Professional Development, Gifted and Talented Education, and region-based initiatives.
Dual Credit Program - CCSD developed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the College of Southern Nevada (CSN), Nevada State College (NSC), and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) to offer 100-level or lower and 200-level college courses that qualify for both high school and college credit.  The intent of the program is to provide rigorous college-level coursework at a reduced cost on the student’s high school campus.  CCSD juniors and seniors may take a dual credit course taught by an approved high school instructor on their high school campus for a cost of $25 per course.  
Early Reading First - Early Reading First is a federal initiative that promotes early language and literacy for preschool students and aligns the curriculum, strategies, professional development, and assessments established by the District’s Reading First initiative.  The grant funds provide an extended year program (August – June) including systematic and explicit instruction in oral language, phonemic awareness, vocabulary, and alphabetic principle. 
Elementary Standards Based Report Cards – (SBRC – ES) - The Clark County School District elementary grades' Standards Based Report Card (SBRC) was developed to report student progress toward meeting the Nevada Content Standards.  These standards outline essential student learning standards for each grade level and core course.  The Nevada Content Standards are used by classroom teachers as the curricular scope for planning and delivering instruction and for monitoring student learning and progress.  Benchmarks, reflecting the Nevada Content Standards, distribute the learning into twelve-week periods known as trimesters.  The Clark County School District’s SBRC is issued to parents at the end of each trimester, three times a year.
Focus on Standards Model - There are five components to the Focus on Standards (FOS) school improvement model:  Power Standards, a representation of the most critical skill requirements at each grade level as defined by what students are held accountable for knowing on the Nevada High School Proficiency Exam (NHSPE), and the prerequisite skills necessary to be successful at the next grade level; Classroom Instruction, a road map of what is taught and approximately when it is taught, delivering high quality instruction based upon best practices, ensuring that there is no gap in instruction when students move from school to school; District-wide Interim Assessments, formative assessments that are used to measure students' level of mastery of the benchmarked Power Standards as they are taught, providing teachers and students with information on student performance, guides to future instruction, and designs for academic interventions for students to show increased progress; Structured Teacher Planning Time (STPT), regularly scheduled meetings for teachers to collaboratively review and analyze Interim Assessment data, determine students' level of mastery of the standards, unwrap or deconstruct standards, establish clear learning targets, and plan academic interventions; Intervention, an instructional plan devised during STPT that provides support through teaching, re-teaching, and reviewing Power Standards based on the specific needs of each student.

 

Focus on Student Learning (FOSL) – Focus on Student Learning is a classroom observation protocol which allows administrators and staff to gather and examine trend data directly related to student learning in a collaborative format.  Collected through brief and ongoing visits to the classroom, the main focus is on student engagement as noted through the representations of assignments, assessments, activities, Bloom’s Taxonomy, instructional strategies, and standards in the classroom during visits.  Data is collectively organized and reported to staff by department, by subject or by whole group for reflection, discussion to guide instruction.
FOSS – Full Option Science System by Delta - FOSS kits provide students with hand-on experience with science.  The curriculum is aligned with the Nevada State Standards and is developed to take students through developmental sequences related to the cognitive stages.

• Ninety-two (92) schools are currently participating in the District’s FOSS kit replenishment program.
• The K-5 science textbook adoption took place during the 2006-07 school year.
• Delta Science Readers were purchased for elementary schools in order to enhance literacy through science curricula.
• A full-day FOSS Science Symposium will be held in February 2008 to provide professional development for elementary science teachers.

Freshman Academies - Freshman academies are a unique small learning community of 9th graders in the high school environment.  This special organizational structure allows high schools to focus on the transition from middle school to high school, with special emphasis on the academic, social, and extra-curricular opportunities available for educational success.
Gaining Early Awareness & Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) – Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs is a federally funded initiative to prepare disadvantaged youth for post-secondary education.  It provides resources that promote greater parent involvement, smaller class sizes, tutorial support, mentoring, and other instructional resources to enhance student mastery of a college prep curriculum.  Documented students who pass the Nevada High School Proficiency Exam and graduate with a grade point average that matches or exceeds the entrance requirements for colleges and universities in the Nevada System of Higher Education may earn a $10,000 scholarship. 

 

High Quality Sheltered Instruction (HQSI) - HQSI is a research-based approach to instruction proven effective for teaching specific academic content while promoting English language development.  This model takes into account the special language development needs of English language learners which distinguishes it from high quality non-sheltered teaching

The eight components include the following:
·        Lesson Preparation
·        Building Background
·        Comprehensible Input
·        Strategies
·        Interaction
·        Practice/Application
·        Lesson Delivery
·         Review/Assessment
Inclusive Schools Practices (ISP) - Inclusive Schools Practices (ISP) is a formalized systems change initiative for which over one hundred CCSD schools are currently participants.  When correctly programmed, inclusion is regarded by researchers and authorities as a means to boost achievement for IEP students; therefore, ISP has received strong emphasis in CCSD. Critical components of ISP include: varied menu of professional development opportunities for school teams and staff, online modules, master schedule training, on-site technical assistance, coach development, district advisory, community advisory (called Nevada PIE, "Partners in Inclusive Education), standards of excellence rubric, end-of-year recognition dinner for teachers, and CCSD Research and School Improvement research project.
Instructional Data Management System - IDMS® is a Web-based application that assists K-12 educators in creating/administering tests and managing/using data to inform instructional practices, improve student achievement and optimize learning results.  The IDMS application supports a standards-based instructional approach that brings data directly to the desktop computers of classroom teachers and school administrators. It allows educators to pace instruction, create formative assessments, and generate district, school, class, and student reports that target instruction and document learning.
Keep Your Eye on the Cap – Keep Your Eye on the Cap is a dynamic initiative developed by CCSD Superintendent Walt Rulffes.  CAP is an acronym for three key components in achieving success in the Clark County School District – Climate, Academics, and Participation.  The Superintendent’s emphasis is that regardless of the number of hats that one may wear in their lifetime, none is as important as the cap you will wear for graduation. 
Language Acquisition Models - In the CCSD, English Language Learners are instructed in English through content-based ESL with myriad supports to assist their learning while acquiring the English language.  Techniques utilized in schools across CCSD and supported by the English Language Learner program include but are not limited to: instruction by teachers who are endorsed to teach second language students through use of specific strategies in the classroom; teacher professional development in HQSI (Highly Qualified Sheltered Instruction) or Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (SIOP), which increases teacher ability to utilize proven research-based strategies that support learning of instruction and language simultaneously; Dual Language Schools.  Dual Language Schools, now part of Superintendent's Schools, are schools that provide instruction in English and Spanish to all learners, enhancing student cognitive capability while providing an opportunity for students to acquire bilingual and bi-literate skills in school-aged years.
Language Immersion Schools - Language Immersion Schools were created to provide all students enrolled at the schools with the opportunity to graduate from high school proficient in multiple languages, as well as to support students who are English Language Learners.  Language immersion provides students with the powerful learning opportunity to become bi-literate in Spanish and English by 5th grade, the potential to acquire one or more language credits in middle school, and the chance to learn multiple languages in high school.
Literacy Specialists - The literacy specialist is a literacy leader, a coach for the classroom teacher, and an onsite expert in reading instruction and assessment.  The Curriculum and Professional Development Division, Literacy Department, supports these roles by offering trainings such as Reading Academy, Coaching Academy, Coaching Cohort, and Effective Writing Instruction.
NCIS - The Nevada Career Information System (NCIS) is an Internet-based system that combines current, comprehensive information on careers, education and educational planning, assessment tools, and the labor market.  Secondary counselors are provided professional development training in the NCIS program each year by representatives of the Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation. In the Clark County School District, all sixth grade students are introduced to the NCIS as a career exploration tool in their Computer Literacy 6 course, while access to the NCIS is promoted throughout secondary school to include career, college, scholarship and post-graduate planning.
Newcomer Program - The Newcomer Program is a grade 3 -12, language acquisition instructional model specifically designed for ELL students who have been in the United States for two years or less and who are not proficient in the English language.  The program's entry criteria are based on results from the language proficiency assessment, LAS Placement Assessment and the Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA) which is administered in both English and Spanish. 
New Teacher Mentors – The New Teacher Mentor program is designed to aid in the recruitment and retention of new teachers.  The core of the program is personal contact and support from experienced educators who mentor new teachers in the areas of academics, discipline, and professional development.  The goal is to increase retention, performance, and job satisfaction.
ParentLink – ParentLink is a computerized parent communication tool designed to ensure that families are able to regularly access general information about the school and the progress of their student via the computer or telephone.  In addition to providing attendance and grade information, this tool is able to contact parents in case of emergency and provide notification of school events and activities.
Premier Suite - Premiere Accessibility Suite is a "bundle" of online software products for teachers, parents and students that support reading, writing and information transfer needs of individuals challenged by reading and language barriers.  Since the suite is available online, the supports are available to students and parents in the home and library settings, permitting text to be read aloud and/or translated from any computer with internet capability. Additionally, talking word processors, translators, dictionaries and word prediction tools enable users to better express themselves in writing. Some of the technologies include:  text to audio tool, scan and read pro, talking dictionary, word prediction, talking word processor, electronic book library, talking calculator, universal reader which translates to 8 languages.
Proficiency Preparation Funds – Proficiency preparation funds are financial resources allocated for the purpose of providing students opportunities for more intensive development of necessary skills required to successfully complete the required high school proficiency examinations.  Monies are commonly allocated for intense math camps, small group tutoring, supplemental preparation materials, and strategy development skills.
Proficiency Tutoring – Proficiency tutoring (funded through a state grant) is available at each high school and participating public libraries three weeks prior to each administration of the proficiency examination in mathematics and reading. During the 2006-07 school year, 1,462 students participated in mathematics tutoring and 177 teachers participated in tutor training.  Students who participated scored approximately 20 points higher than their previous scores and had a higher pass rate on the exam than the total student population.

• Tutoring will be made available in science prior to the March administration of the proficiency exam. 
• Tutor training and content-specific resources will be provided to math, reading, special education, English language learners, and science teachers.
• Homework Hotline mathematics proficiency segments will be offered on Channels 96 and 111 and available through Vegas PBS Video Streaming.
• Approximately 10,000 (9,299) students utilized www.supermathtutor.com during the 2006-07 school year.
• Science Item-Writing Training will be offered in February 2008, followed by the development of practice assessments by teacher task forces.

PSAT Administration - CCSD entered into a Partnership with College Board to provide the Preliminary Scholastic Achievement Test (PSAT) to all on-target 10th grade students at no cost to the student.  Following the assessment, CCSD receives the following reports/programs to increase student college readiness skills:  Summary of Answers and Skills (SOAS) Reports, AP Potential, MyRoad and MyCollegeQuickStart, Student/School Score Reports, and District/Region/School Integrated Summary Reports.
RPDP/CPD Professional Development - The mission of the Curriculum and Professional Development Division (CPDD) is to support increased student achievement by: 1) providing relevant curriculum materials and training for teachers and administrators, 2) offering academic services for parents and community members, 3) coordinating and promoting leadership and extracurricular activities for students.  The recent projects that CPD, RPDP, and the Testing Department have worked on together include revision and alignment of the Interim Assessments and Common Semester Exams in Pre-Algebra, Algebra, Algebra IH, Geometry, Geometry IH, Algebra II and Algebra IIH.
Read 180 - READ 180 is an intensive reading intervention program that confronts the problem of adolescent illiteracy on multiple fronts, using technology, print, and professional development. READ 180 is proven to meet the needs of students whose reading achievement is below proficient level.  The program directly addresses individual needs through adaptive and instructional software, high-interest literature, and direct instruction in reading, writing, and vocabulary skills.
Reading First - Reading First is a federal initiative to enable all K-3 students to become successful readers.  Reading First includes a comprehensive reading program, comprehensive assessment system, intervention for struggling readers, and professional development. Nevada was awarded a Reading First grant in April 2003.  There are currently 14 CCSD schools involved in the program.
Recruiting Kiosk Program – Recruiting kiosks are centralized locations in CCSD high schools providing a regular presence and information to all students about post-secondary educational options in the state of Nevada.  Kiosks provide information ranging from admission requirements, to course offerings, to educational options.  The kiosks have been developed in partnership with the Nevada System of Higher Education and the Clark County School District.  This program will be available at 14 total high schools sites in the near future.
Response to Intervention (RTI) - Response to Intervention (RTI) is an alternative to the Severe Discrepancy assessment approach for the determination of learning disabilities (LD).  Instead of evaluating the discrepancy between a student’s IQ and achievement to infer LD, RTI evaluates student response to appropriate intervention.  LD is inferred when an otherwise normal student fails to adequately respond to appropriate general education intervention.  In such a situation failure would be generally unexpected and largely unexplainable.  This phenomenon of unexpected and unexplainable underachievement is well-documented in the research literature and is the original, but almost forgotten, operational definition of LD.  It is the primary core concept underlying the assessment approach of the CCSD model of RTI.
SB 404/185 – As a state funding source, Senate Bill 404 completed its funding cycle on June 30, 2007.  The Nevada Department of Education's Commission on Educational Excellence awarded Clark County 212 schools funding for Innovation and Prevention of Remediation Activities and/or Programs under Senate Bill 185. The total amount awarded to Clark County from August 15, 2007 to June 30, 2009 totaled $32,247,087.16. Schools were awarded funds for programs designed to improve the achievement of pupils.

STPT, PLC - Structured Teacher Planning Time (STPT) and Professional Learning Communities (PLC) are regularly scheduled meetings for teachers to collaboratively review and analyze interim and classroom assessment data, determine students' level of mastery of the standards and curriculum, unwrap or deconstruct standards, establish clear learning targets, and plan academic interventions.
School Improvement Plans - In compliance with NRS 385, School Improvement Plans are strategic and continuous site-based plans that focus on providing quality education and high levels of student achievement.  This is achieved through meaningful teamwork, clear and measurable goals, and the regular collection and analysis of performance data to best identify goals and areas of improvement.
Silver State Advanced Placement (AP) Summer Institute - The 2nd SSAPSI was held June 25-28, 2007.  This institute targets professional development of AP teachers.  Three hundred ninety-four (394) educators (246 from the Clark County School District) attended one of 29 different professional development content sessions. Funding was supported by State grants, the Instruction Unit, the Curriculum and Professional Development (CPD) Division, and the Southern Nevada Regional Professional Development Program (RPDP).
State Advanced Placement (AP) Grant - Funding is available to support the SSAPSI and one-day College Board workshops.  Funding is available to students for AP Fee Waivers.  Pre-AP Summer Scholars Program at Mojave HS was funded to support students’ increased participation in AP courses.
Step Up - The Student to Teacher Enlistment Project Undergraduate Program is a four-pronged partnership between the Clark County School District, Clark County Education Association Community Foundation, College of Southern Nevada, and Nevada State College.  The program is designed to increase the number of local teachers trained and retained in Clark County.  There are over 320 students currently enrolled in the program.
Step Up to Writing - Step Up to Writing is a commercial, step-by-step guide to writing a basic essay.  It has been purchased by individual school sites in grades K-8.
Title I Staff Development Funding – Title I Staff Development Funding is composed of federal dollars supplied to the district and allocated to regions for the purpose of providing professional development of educators in core content areas. 
Virtual HS Classes - Virtual HS is providing unique experiences for students to take distance education classes during and outside of the normal school day. Classes are offered online with students accessing content either from their home or from a unique school program at their home schools.
Voyager Passport - Voyager Passport is a K-8 Tier II reading intervention for students who encounter reading difficulty and are performing below grade level.  The lessons focus on phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. 
Voyager Universal Literacy - Voyager Universal Literacy System® is a Tier I, scientifically research-based, comprehensive K-3 reading program.
Writing Across the Curriculum - Writing Across the Curriculum is a pedagogical movement that maintains the theory that writing is a valuable learning tool that can help students synthesize, analyze, and apply course content.  Approaches to writing across the curriculum include Writing to Learn and Writing in the Disciplines. 
Writing Traits (Six-trait Writing) - Six-Trait Writing is a model that provides consistent language for assessing writing.  Trait-based writing instruction supports the process-based approach to writing instruction incorporated in the Nevada English Language Arts Content Standards.