Low-Performing Schools and School Improvement

Every state/jurisdiction in the region is now responsible for formulating systematic approaches to intervening in schools that have not achieved Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) for five years or have otherwise been categorized as chronically underperforming. States and districts both need information about how districts can support state-directed school improvement and about how to work on their own with “near to failing” schools to keep them off state lists. REL-NEI provides focused, evidence-based guidance to inform stakeholders as they make decisions that are critical to the rehabilitation of underperforming schools.

How Eight State Education Agencies (SEAs) in the Northeast and Islands Region Identify and Support Low-Performing Schools and Districts
This report describes and analyzes how eight state education agencies in the Northeast and Islands Region—those of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York State, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, and Vermont—identify and support low-performing schools and districts under the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB). Focusing on direct state supports and interventions, the report finds that the eight agencies have created supports and rationales to put federally defined accountability principles into practice in response to their specific contexts, local needs, and capacities. (Posted 3/2/09)

• View detailed state profiles and additional supplemental materials.

How State Education Agencies in the Northeast and Islands Region Support Data-Driven Decision-Making in Districts and Schools
Data-driven decision-making (DDDM) has received a growing amount of attention from the education community because of federal and state accountability requirements and increased understanding of the importance of DDDM in improving instruction and student achievement. Officials at state education agencies (SEAs) in the Northeast and Islands Region requested information on how jurisdictions in the region support systematic DDDM in districts and schools. This report documents the way eight SEAs in the region support DDDM in districts and schools. It also describes some of the service providers that work with these SEAs to support educators in their DDDM practices. (Posted 5/18/09)

Features of State Response to Intervention (RTI) Initiatives in Northeast and Islands Region States

The report analyzes the RTI-related initiatives, policies, regulations, and structures for support in all nine REL-NEI jurisdictions. Researchers scanned the state education agency (SEA) websites of the nine jurisdictions using a common set of keywords to collect policies, regulations, and guidance documents related to RTI. The report finds that the six New England states and New York support RTI as an overall school instructional improvement approach or an approach to determing special education eligibility. It also finds that RTI documents in the seven jurisdictions address the eight core features of RTI as defined by the National Research Center on Learning Disabilities. (Posted 11/30/09)