Collaborative Comprehensive Needs Assessment for 2023-24 (CCNA)

Collaborative Comprehensive Needs Assessment for 2023-24 (CCNA)

March 20, 2023 | Charter Administration, Grants Management

While you were relaxing during Spring Break, you might have had thoughts about next year pop in your head, and hopefully you set them aside until this week! Now is the time to start writing down your ideas because it is almost time to start the needs assessment process that is required before you can apply for federal funds for 2023-24. The Texas Education Agency has developed a toolkit with training slides, forms, and templates to facilitate this process. The process is intended to combine program requirements for Title I A, Title I C (migrant), Title II, Title III, and Title IV. As a result, you will hear the term CCNA rather than the CNA. Thinking about your top needs for next year will also help you in your budget planning process.

Who should lead the CCNA process?

The CCNA is a comprehensive process and should be coordinated at your charter district by an individual with the time, organizational skills, leadership, and knowledge of improvement planning. The development of the CCNA will identify the needs to be addressed in your District Improvement Plans (DIP) and will direct the priorities for funding. Both the CCNA and the DIP are highly audited documents.

CSS provides support through the CCNA planning process for our clients at various levels from on-site facilitation to organizational support and document review.

Who should be involved in the CCNA process?

It is extremely important to have the appropriate stakeholders present at the CCNA meetings, and their attendance and meeting agendas must be documented. The stakeholder participation is the #1 requirement for random validations done by TEA. Meeting times should be arranged so that stakeholders can be present to participate. If not present, follow up action is required to garner their input, and this must also be documented (emails, phone calls, etc). Consider perhaps a virtual option for those who cannot attend in person.

The LEA (district) is required to meaningfully consult with the following groups of stakeholders as they plan for, implement, and evaluate their Title programs.

  • Teachers
  • Principals
  • Other school leaders*
  • Paraprofessionals (including organizations representing such individuals)
  • Specialized instructional support personnel**
  • Parents (more than one who is not an employee)
  • Community partners/Community-based organizations
  • Other organizations or partners with relevant and demonstrated expertise in programs and activities designed to meet the purpose of Title II, Part A (hiring, recruitment/retention, professional development)
  • Other organizations or partners with relevant and demonstrated expertise in programs and activities designed to meet the purpose of Title III (Bilingual/ESL programs)
  • Other organizations or partners with relevant and demonstrated expertise in programs and activities designed to meet the purpose of Title IV (technology integration, school safety/law enforcement, physical and mental health)
  • Indian tribes or tribal organizations, when applicable

* The term “school leader” means a principal, assistant principal, or other individual who is: 1. An employee or officer of an elementary school or secondary school, local educational agency, or other entity operating an elementary school or secondary school; AND 2. Responsible for the daily instructional leadership and managerial operations in the elementary school or secondary school building. For example, LEA central office staff meet the first part of the definition but may not meet the second part. As a result, they do not meet the definition of a ‘school leader’.

** The term “specialized instructional support personnel” refers to the following school employees: school counselors, school language pathologists, school librarians, school nurses, school psychologists, school social workers and other qualified professional personnel involved in providing assessment, diagnosis, counseling, educational, therapeutic, and other necessary services (including related services) as part of a comprehensive program to meet student needs.

Where do I find the CCNA Toolkit and Resources?

To locate the CCNA toolkit, go to this link:

https://www.esc20.net/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=2004194&type=d&pREC_ID=2246071

Please also see the CCNA Frequently Asked Questions slides:

https://tea.texas.gov/sites/default/files/gcaccnafaq.pdf

The goal of a CCNA is to identify needed areas of improvement based on multiple sources of data and to prioritize those needs. Standardized testing results should not be the only data reviewed. Attendance, discipline referrals, parent/staff/student surveys, TEA systems (such as RDA and Accountability), state and federal report cards and other sources that provide a complete picture of the district should be used. Please see the CCNA toolkit for a list of data sources and questions to consider when planning the meetings. Also, keep in mind that you will only have raw data for STAAR and EOC by the end of May. It is acceptable to do the CCNA in draft form and then update it in the fall, but you must have a solid draft to plan your grants based on data.

How often must a CCNA be done?

The CCNA process must be done annually PRIOR to the application for the ESSA funds mentioned above. Funds should be directed to the problems and needs identified in the CCNA and listed in the District Improvement Plan. The budgets in the grant application for the federal funds should be developed around the findings of the CCNA.

CSS would be remiss not to mention that using the TEA-provided forms in the CCNA toolkit is not required. The process, and documentation of the process, is required and subject to auditing and random validations. You must have written documentation of the process regardless of which forms you choose to use. Of course, the toolkit represents what TEA is “ideally” looking for when they collect documentation.

CSS has webinars on both the Comprehensive Needs Assessment and District Improvement Plan topics! Check out our webinars at https://charterschoolsuccess.com/training/

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