USBE seeks feedback on Chapter 4: draft school improvement criteria and timelines

Sarah Webke, director of the Center for Continuous School Improvement, walked attendees through the proposed organization and content of a revised Chapter 4 of the Utah accountability technical manual. The draft structures each designation with a short definition followed by step‑by‑step entry and exit criteria and includes a consolidated timeline table for review.

Webke outlined the federal improvement designations—Targeted Support and Improvement (TSI), Additional Targeted Support and Improvement (ATSI), and Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI)—and explained CSI contains three distinct entry pathways: low performance, low graduation rate, and low‑performing student groups. Webke said the draft presents parallel entry/exit criteria and suggested feedback focus on clarity and usability for LEA staff.

On state designations, Webke described 'Elevate' as an opt‑in program (participation by application) and 'Springboard' as a newer state designation that staff are still defining; attendees were invited to comment on those sections. Webke noted the APAC committee will see PEAP updates, reading studies and science performance assessment work in upcoming meetings.

Staff asked participants to use Nearpod collaborative boards to provide targeted feedback by section so the team can handle each piece during revision. Webke also flagged that the finance committee and the full board will consider whether to prioritize any new legislative requests (for example, a statewide SIS) in the coming months.

The presentation closed with an invitation for LEAs to suggest organizational changes to the draft, particularly around how and where timeline information appears, and to submit overall feedback to the team for consideration before the draft returns to board committees.