Campus Improvement Plan or Charter Instructional Plan

Campus Improvement Plan or Charter Instructional Plan

May 17, 2023 | Grants Management

Would you travel to a destination without a plan or a road map? Probably not. And just like a road map, your Campus Improvement Plan or Charter Instructional Plan (CIP) provides your team with a pathway to define your goals, create evidence-based strategies to target the goals, and determine how they will be monitored and evaluated. Once you have completed your Comprehensive Needs Assessment (CNA) or “snapshot of what is,” your CIP will be your next step in providing your students with a clear path to academic success.

The CSS team works directly with clients to provide the guidance and resources needed to develop an effective CIP.

Campus Improvement Plan Defined

A campus with a Title I, Part A Schoolwide program must develop a Campus Improvement Plan (CIP) that addresses the needs identified in the Comprehensive Needs Assessment (CNA).  TEA states that “An effective CIP can bring focus and coherence to reform activities and help ensure unity of purpose, alignment, and clear accountability.”  According to state and federal statute, the CIP must be developed with the participation of parents and other members of the community along with those who would carry out the plan, including teachers, principals, and administrators along with other appropriate staff, as necessary.

Purpose of a Campus Improvement Plan

An eligible school operating a schoolwide program may use Title I, Part A funds for any activity that supports the needs of students in the school as identified through the comprehensive needs assessment and articulated in the schoolwide plan.

Elements of a Title I, Part A Schoolwide Program

Remember that under ESSA, every Title I, Part A Schoolwide Program must include the required Schoolwide Elements listed below:

  • Comprehensive Needs Assessment (CNA) (ESSA Section 1114(b)(6))
  • Schoolwide Program Plan/Campus Improvement Plan (CIP) (ESSA Section 1114(b))
  • Evaluation of Program Effectiveness (ESSA Section 1114(b)(3))

The Texas Education Agency (TEA) will be monitoring campuses and districts to ensure parents, staff and community have been provided access to these documents through use of the campus or district website. In addition, these same documents must be provided to parents in a language they can understand.

What is the recommended timeline for completing the CIP?

April – May

  • Review formative and summative data related to strategies in the current school-year’s CIP.
  • Review and adjust strengths and prioritized problems identified by the CNA team.
  • Develop draft of CIP.

June – August

  • Continue review and adjustment of CIP as student performance data is received.
  • NOTE: The CNA, DIP and CIP processes should be completed prior to the certification and submission of the 2023-2024 ESSA Consolidated Federal Grant Application. Ensure that the documented process is within the required timeline for compliance.

September or October

  • Present finalized goals and objectives to the Board of Trustees/Directors for approval. (Strategies and action steps may be presented for information purposes, but not required by law.)
  • Communicate finalized plan to all stakeholders including teachers, staff, parents, and community members.

September thru May

  • Continue to gather data and evaluate the effectiveness of strategies and action steps. Adjust as needed based on data gathered.

Have questions?