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Schoolwide Programs
A schoolwide program is a comprehensive reform strategy designed to upgrade the entire educational program in a Title I school. Whereas Title I targeted assistance programs only provide educational services to identified academically at-risk students, schoolwide programs allow staff in schools with high concentrations of students from low-income families to redesign their entire educational program to serve all students. The emphasis in schoolwide program schools is on serving all students, improving all structures that support student learning, and combining all resources, as allowed, to meet or exceed State academic standards. A schoolwide program has three (3) core elements: the comprehensive needs assessment; the comprehensive annual plan; and the annual evaluation of the schoolwide program. Note: For New Jersey LEAs, the Annual School Plan (ASP) is the comprehensive annual plan. Adopting this type of reform strategy should result in an ongoing, comprehensive plan for school improvement that is owned by the entire school community and tailored to its unique needs.
This schoolwide reform strategy requires that a school complete the following:
- Create a planning committee;
- Conduct a comprehensive needs assessment;
- Identify and commit to specific goals and strategies that address the identified needs;
- Create a comprehensive plan; and
- Conduct an annual evaluation to measure the effectiveness of the implemented evidence-based interventions and strategies, as outlined in the Annual School Plan (ASP), and revise the plan, as necessary.