Modules
Purpose
The OPEPP District Action Planning Process (APP) supports districts to be intentional and strategic about moving forward systemwide to improve high-quality instruction for all.
Overview
The OPEPP District APP provides a way for districts to match their aspirations for improved use of paraprofessional educators to district improvement goals. The OPEPP District APP has two parts.
Part 1, the District Needs Assessment, helps districts examine their practices and identify how they reflect the district’s overall values related to inclusion and collaborative teaming. OPEPP teams use the District Needs Assessment to self-evaluate across multiple domains, identify whether each domain is important for the district, and select one or two of the most critical needs on which to focus for the year.
Part 2, the Strategic Action Plan, helps district teams create specific action steps to achieve their goal. Efforts that start with the District Needs Assessment and then follow up with agreed-upon actions in the Strategic Action Plan contribute to improved use of staff and improved use of inclusive instructional practices.
To work effectively, the OPEPP District APP should reflect the most overarching and powerful goals for the district, those with most influence across domains and likelihood to be embraced and sustained.
The OPEPP District APP ties directly to the OPEPP work that the district will do. Goals derived from the APP will direct the focus of the work of the OPEPP team for at least one year. These goals also help the team choose OPEPP learning pathways (e.g., learning workshops and modules, research briefs, book and case studies) most appropriate for their personnel and district.
OPEPP District APP Also Helps Districts to:
- Identify benchmark measures and measure progress over time;
- Identify areas in which the district is doing well and areas for improvement focus;
- Focus actions on changing a district’s current practices;
- Inform discussions of district priorities for goal setting and action steps;
- Structure discussions of paraeducators’ training and develop support programs within the district; and,
- Inform the community about the value of inclusive education and the role of paraeducators in supporting high-quality education.
Guidelines for Completion
- All members of the OPEPP District Team should collaborate to complete the OPEPP District APP.
- Teams should complete Part 1: District Needs Assessment prior to beginning on Part 2: Strategic Action Plan.
- Districts in their first year should complete the APP and submit all documentation via email to their OPEPP Consultant and the OPEPP Coordinator at the SDI Center by January 15 of the school year.
- Districts in their second or third year should complete and submit their APP materials by November 1 of the school year.
- Should a team need additional time to complete the OPEPP District APP, please inform the OPEPP Consultant and provide an estimated timeframe for OPEPP District APP completion.
