The Standards Management Systems are part of a cohesive and targeted effort by the San Diego County Office of Education to accelerate student achievement and close the achievement gap between high and low achieving schools with similar populations.

Six effective practices of equitable, successful schools were distilled from a review of research on high performing business and education environments. The integration of these six effective practices supports a systemwide approach to implementing and monitoring progress with the California content standards.

To assist schools and districts in closing the achievement gap, the San Diego County Office of Education offers a range of skills and expertise to accommodate the specific intervention and need of the site. These services include: Principal coaching, support in School Leadership Team Development, Program Improvement, and Categorical Programs and Leadership.

Such work with schools may include assistance with:

1. Aligning board, district, and site Instructional Leadership. Effective schools demonstrate alignment among the Board of Education, district, and site leadership. They provide the necessary resources, research-based models, and strategies for successful implementation of coherent initiatives that improve student achievement.
2. Assuring quality, standards-based Teaching and Learning. Effective schools provide instructional planning, monitoring tools, and other resources to support the successful implementation of standards-based instructional programs.
3. Establishing collaborative Community Partnerships for helping students achieve. Effective schools include partnerships and collaborations with parents, community members, organizations, and other stakeholders who contribute to student achievement.
4. Building effective Culture and Communication. Effective schools provide a structure and support for collegial collaborations aimed at informing best practices needed for closing the achievement gap.
5. Offering high quality Professional Development. Effective schools provide research-based professional development focused on planning and implementing standards-based curriculum and instruction with opportunities for networking and job-embedded learning.
6. Providing cohesive Accountability and Assessment systems. Effective schools plan a cohesive set of assessments that support monitoring progress for all students, provide an understanding of how to use student data to inform instruction, and meet local and state accountability requirements. Planned, consistent, reliable assessment makes achievement possible.

Annotated Bibliography for Six Effective Practices - PDF