Campus Improvement Plan or Charter Instructional Plan (CIP)

Campus Improvement Plan or Charter Instructional Plan (CIP)

April 23, 2026 | Grants Management

It is often said, “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” Every school needs direction, and this is where leadership takes shape. Just like a road map, your Campus Improvement Plan or Charter Instructional Plan (CIP) provides your team with a written document to define your goals, create evidence-based strategies to achieve the goals, and determine how they will be monitored and evaluated. Once you have completed your Comprehensive Needs Assessment (CNA), the next step is taking your priority needs and developing a written plan with goals and strategies to put your school on the path to improvement!

The CSS team works directly with our partner schools to provide the guidance and resources needed to develop an effective (and compliant) CIP. On-campus support is available at reasonable pricing!

What is a Campus Improvement Plan?

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.  Additionally, all ISDs and Charters who receive Compensatory Education funds must have both District and Campus level plans in place (DIP/CIP can be combined in single-campus charters). School systems with multiple campuses must have separate written plans for the district level and each campus.

What is the compliance piece of a CIP?

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.  For schools using comp ed funds, the CIP is the primary supporting document for expenditures. The written plan justifies the funding and ensures the money is being directed to documented student needs based on a collaborative process.

What Title I elements must be in the CIP?

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 according to your LEA’s written translation procedure.

The DIP/CIPs are highly audited documents in random Title I validations including the sign-ins, agenda, and minutes from the collaborative development meetings.

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 through the needs assessment team process.
  • Develop draft of CIP for the upcoming year.

June – August

  • Continue review and adjustment of CIP as student performance data is received.
  • NOTE: The CNA, DIP and CIP processes MUST be completed prior to the certification and submission of the 2025-26 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 they are 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.
  • TEA expects the DIP/CIP committees to meet and plans to be monitored and reviewed at least three times a year (beginning, middle, and end). Quarterly monitoring and review meetings are highly preferred.
  • Communicate, communicate, communicate to drive the focus on achieving the goals throughout the year!

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