CAPACITY ASSESSMENT INSTRUMENT

The purpose of this instrument is to help schools identify areas for improvement that will increase the probability of the success of the school improvement plan. It is not suggested that this instrument is a valid and reliable instrument; rather it is a starting point for schools to use in assessing their readiness to engage in a school improvement process. The term "school" in this assessment refers to an individual school, a school district, or a system of schools.

Directions: Read statement 1 and respond to it before going to statement 2. Some items will seem repetitive; it is critical that you carefully read and respond to each item in order. Respond to all items.

	1.	The school is engaged in an organized continuous improvement process.
	2.	The school has an organized steering committee.
	3.	The school has developed a profile.
	4.	The school has developed a school improvement plan.
	5.	Some of the faculty members are committed to the school improvement plan and are implementing it in their classrooms.
	6.	The school maintains an information system.
	7.	The school collects data from more than one source.
	8.	The school provides one or more staff development days.
	9.	The school uses standardized or local assessments to measure student performance.
	10.	The guidance and counseling program involves some of the teachers.
	11.	Faculty members engage in research.
	12.	The school develops and maintains a well-articulated curriculum.
	13.	The teaching and learning program focuses on established learning goals.
	14.	School programs provide equitable educational opportunities for all students.
	15.	The school has developed a mission statement.
	16.	The school has assessed its current system.
	17.	The school has exhibited a readiness for change.
	18.	The school leadership is supportive of the school improvement process.
	19.	The school has a positive relationship with the larger educational community.
	20.	School resources are available to support school improvement.
	21.	The school is engaged in an organized, continuous improvement process that focuses on learning.
	22.	The school has an organized steering committee and other goal committees that meet on a regular basis and provide leadership in school improvement.
	23.	The school has developed a profile that uses multiple assessments to support student goals.
	24.	The school has developed a school improvement plan that contains some student performance goals and research-based interventions.
	25.	Most faculty members are committed to the school improvement plan and are implementing it in their classrooms.
	26.	The school maintains a student information system and uses the data to guide decisions.
	27.	The school regularly collects and analyzes aggregate data from multiple sources.
	28.	The school provides one or more staff development days with activities linked to the school improvement process.
	29.	The school uses both standardized and local assessments to measure student performance.
	30.	The guidance and counseling program involves most of the teachers.
	31.	Faculty members engage in research to select interventions related to goals.
	32.	The school develops and maintains a well-articulated curriculum that is reflective of the school's mission and goals.
	33.	The teaching and learning program focuses on established learning goals and continually presses students to higher levels of achievement and development.
	34.	School programs provide equitable educational opportunities for all students and value diversity among students.
	35.	The school has developed a mission statement with input from stakeholders.
	36.	The school has assessed its current systems, created a shared vision for the future, and compared them.
	37.	The school possesses a readiness for change and has developed a shared understanding for the need for change.
	38.	The school leadership is supportive of and involved in the school improvement process.
	39.	The school has a positive relationship with the larger educational community and reports frequently regarding the school improvement process.
	40.	The school has committed resources to support school improvement.
	41.	The school is engaged in an organized, continuous improvement process that focuses on enhanced learning for all students.
	42.	The school has an organized steering committee and other goal committees that meet on a regular basis and provide the faculty with an assessment of student performance in selected goal areas.
	43.	The school has developed a profile using disaggregated data that triangulate multiple assessments to select student goals.
	44.	The school has developed a school improvement plan that contains only student performance goals and multiple research-based interventions for subgroups of students.
	45.	Most of the faculty members are committed to the school improvement plan and are implementing it across the curriculum or in all grade levels.
	46.	The school maintains a student information system that contains multiple sources of student performance data and uses that data to guide decisions.
	47.	The school regularly collects and analyzes aggregate data from multiple sources and reports results to faculty and other stakeholders.
	48.	The school provides sufficient staff development time to process and implement specific interventions from the school improvement plan that will enhance student success.
	49.	The school personnel use both standardized and local assessments to measure student academic performance; and they report results to faculty and other stakeholders.
	50.	Guidance, counseling, career awareness, and exploration activities are included in many curricular areas.
	51.	Faculty members engage in research to select interventions that are related to the goals and that will enhance student performance.
	52.	The school develops and maintains a well-articulated curriculum that is reflective of the school's mission and goals; the curriculum is aligned with standardized and local assessments.
	53.	The teaching and learning program focuses on established learning goals, continually presses students to higher levels of achievement and development, and emphasizes the interrelationship among curricular areas.
	54.	School programs provide equitable educational opportunities for all students, value diversity among students, and build on diversity to enrich the school.
	55.	The school has developed a mission statement, with input from stakeholders, which is used to guide decisions and clarify the purpose of the school.
	56.	The school has assessed its current systems, created a shared vision for the future, compared the systems, developed a strategic plan, and communicated the plan to all stakeholders.
	57.	The school possesses a readiness for change, has developed a shared understanding of the need for change, and actively supports a climate for change.
	58.	The school leadership is supportive of, involved in, and demonstrates a commitment to the school improvement process.
	59.	The school has a positive relationship with the larger educational community, reports frequently regarding the school improvement process, and has planned a functioning program whereby community resources are identified and utilized for the enhancement of student learning.
	60.	The school has dedicated sufficient resources to provide space, people, time, materials, and instructional programs to ensure academic success of all students.
	61.	The school is engaged in an organized, continuous improvement process that focuses on enhanced learning based on individual student needs.
	62.	The school has an organized steering committee and a goal committee that meet on a regular basis to provide the faculty with assessments on student performance in the selected goal area and has an articulation committee that shares information with sending and receiving schools.
	63.	The school has developed a profile using disaggregated data that triangulates multiple assessments to select student goals and has a method of reporting data on each individual student's progress.
	64.	The school has developed a school improvement plan that contains only student performance goals and multiple research-based interventions based on individual student needs.
	65.	All faculty members are committed to the school improvement plan and are implementing it across the curriculum or in all grade levels.
	66.	The school maintains a student information system that contains multiple sources of student performance data on individual students and uses that data to guide decisions.
	67.	The school regularly collects and analyzes aggregate and individual student data for credentialing from multiple sources and reports results to the faculty and other stakeholders.
	68.	The school provides sufficient staff development time to process and implement specific interventions from the school improvement plan that will enhance student success and other opportunities for professional growth.
	69.	The school uses both standardized and local assessments to measure student academic performance, career awareness, and employability skills and reports results to all stakeholders in standard units.
	70.	Guidance, counseling, and career awareness and exploration activities are well integrated throughout the curriculum.
	71.	Faculty members engage in research to select interventions related to the goals that will enhance student academic performance, career awareness, and employability skill development.
	72.	The school develops, regularly evaluates, and maintains a well-articulated curriculum that is reflective of the school's mission and goals and is aligned with standardized and local assessments.
	73.	The teaching and learning program focuses on established learning goals, continually presses students to higher levels of achievement and development, emphasizes the interrelationship among curricular areas, and enhances career awareness and employability skills.
	74.	School programs provide equitable educational opportunities for all students, value diversity among students, build on diversity to enrich the school, and prepare all students for success.
	75.	The school has developed a mission statement with input from stakeholders that is used to guide decisions, clarify the purpose of the school, and support successful transitions of students.
	76.	The school has assessed its current systems, created a shared vision for the future, compared the systems, developed a strategic plan, communicated the plan to all stakeholders, and begun implementing the plan to reach its vision.
	77.	The school possesses a readiness for change, has developed a shared understanding of the need for change, actively supports a climate of change, and has institutionalized change as a regular method of operation.
	78.	The school leadership is supportive of, involved in, demonstrates commitment to, and encourages participation of all staff in the school improvement process.
	79.	The school provides students with opportunities to apply newly acquired academic skills and knowledge in real-life learning experiences within the larger educational community.
	80.	The school has dedicated sufficient resources to provide space, time, people, materials, and instructional programs to maximize the potential for all students to make successful life transitions.