School Improvement Process

The TDSB School Improvement Planning Framework

School improvement at the TDSB is a continuous process. It is anchored in the belief that all students can achieve when the school culture, instructional practice, and classroom conditions are designed to meet a student’s diverse needs and experiences. The School Improvement Process (SIP) refers to a cyclical change process that promotes shared leadership with staff, students, parents/caregivers, and the community in developing a plan.

Our Multi-Year Strategic Plan

The TDSB’s renewed Multi-Year Strategic Plan Inspiring Minds and Shaping Futures, sets the direction and identifies system goals for the next four years (2024-2028). The MYSP is built on the foundation of equity and a commitment to implementing the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Calls to Action.

There are five strategic directions within the MYSP:

Truth and Reconciliation: a commitment to implementing the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Calls to Action
Belong: all students belong, are engaged, and valued in an inclusive environment.
Achieve: all students reach high levels of achievement, success, and personal development.
Thrive: all students graduate with the confidence, skills, and knowledge to thrive.
Revitalize: all students and staff learn and work in inclusive, safe, and modern environments.

How will schools achieve the five strategic directions in the MYSP?

Schools will use the TDSB School Improvement Process (SIP) Action Plans, which focus on each of the five MYSP strategic directions.

Schools will use their local data to inform the implementation of the actions within the five phases of the School Improvement Process.

School_Improvement_1

Throughout each phase of the School Improvement Process, the framework below will help you engage in a mini-cycle of continuous improvement in each SIP phase.

Diagram of the TDSB’s school improvement process

The TDSB's School Improvement Planning Framework Timeline

PRE-WORK

Setting up your SIP team

Who should be involved?
Students
Families
Staff
- How will you create the conditions for the team to work collaboratively?
- When designing a FOS Professional Learning/Meeting, the focus should correspond with the framework.

SEPTEMBER – EARLY OCTOBER

PHASE 1: Gathering and analyzing data specific to focus areas:

Needs assessment (data gathering, analysis, etc.)
Collaboration with staff students, and parents/community.
Moving from system data analysis to local data gathering.
Problem finding work/identifying issues within data gathered collaboratively, including all SIP team members leading to areas of improvement (focus related to SIP Action Plan).

EARLY OCTOBER – EARLY DECEMBER

PHASE 2: Taking action (part A): through team-based collaboration, individual educator instructional and assessment practices.

Taking specific actions using the TDSB School Improvement Action Plans (e.g., identifying what do we need to learn?), create local professional learning plan and critical collaborative inquiry.
Ongoing, planned classroom and team-based work on core areas.
Gathering of monitoring formative assessment information or data e.g., Pedagogical documentation, student action research, student and parent focus groups/consultations, etc.

DECEMBER – LATE JANUARY

PHASE 3: Reflecting and resetting: adjusting, revising and adopting areas of focus/goals, core activities and actions.

Team-based meetings, reflection and assessment of work
Use of critical friends and expertise e.g., FOS SO, colleagues, critical friends in the field.
What have we learned? How do we know we have learned it? (e.g., what is our evidence and where is it documented?) What adjustments do we need to make in our collective actions?

FEBRUARY – APRIL

PHASE 4: Taking action (part B): through team-based collaboration, instructional and assessment practices.

Taking specific actions using TDSB School Improvement Action Plans (identifying what do we need to learn?) and reviewing/refreshing local professional learning plan(s).
Ongoing, planned classroom and team-based work on core areas.
Gathering of monitoring formative assessment information or data e.g., Pedagogical documentation, student action research, student and parent focus groups/consultations, etc.

MAY – JUNE

PHASE 5: Wrapping it up: reflecting, assessing, evaluating, and planning for actions next year. The work in May/June sets the stage for the beginning of School Improvement Work in September.

Reflection and data analysis – What have we learned? What do we need to do next as a result of that learning?
Team-based collaborative evaluation.
Student and parent/community consultations.
New learning, emergent problems and challenges, brainstorming ideas, consideration of data collection capacity (using both system and local data in the work).