Senate Bill 2254 (SB 2254), signed into law on April 24, 2023, mandates a rigorous and robust intervention process aimed at supporting North Dakota's consistently lowest-performing schools. This bill specifically targets schools previously identified as Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI) schools, ensuring they receive enhanced support to improve performance. The bill’s policy provisions are scheduled to go into effect in September 2025. The bill outlines three potential interventions in identified schools, including:
- “Funds to be held in escrow for the school or school district or spent as designated by the superintendent of public instruction.
- Changes to curriculum, training, instruction, assessment, or the school calendar in the school or school district.
- Reassignment or hiring of school or school district staff to fill roles associated with school or school district needs.”
In June of 2023, the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction (NDDPI) began collecting feedback from public school staff, community members, and other relevant education partners across the state. This consultation process was not required by the legislation itself but helped inform the design of a statewide intervention process to support schools in their second cycle of CSI. The fundamental tenets of NDDPI’s proposed intervention process were to ensure that districts with low-performing schools:
- engage in purposeful school renewal processes,
- address school- and district-level systemic improvement, and
- engage multiple stakeholders or “partners” in the school renewal process.
The system of support established under SB 2254 to perform these tenets is called North Dakota Fostering Improvement Results for School Transformation (ND FIRST). ND FIRST is positioned within the broader school improvement infrastructure that supports ND public schools. Schools in their second cycle of CSI will enter ND FIRST, through which they receive an additional layer of oversight and support not offered to schools under Targeted Support and Improvement (TSI) or the first year of Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI). Although these are additional supports, ND FIRST allows schools and districts to build on their school improvement work that began in their original TSI/CSI designations. Throughout the multi-year process, schools undergo continuous evaluations with the goals of tracking progress, adapting strategies, and eventually exiting ND FIRST designation based on success metrics co-developed between the school or district and NDDPI.
The materials below are being shared with all stakeholders in the spirit of transparency. All documents are in draft form and are subject to revisions. Of particular note, timelines and legal language will be vetted and adjusted as needed, with the final determinations made by the State Superintendent.
Drafts and information will continually be updated and posted here.
ND FIRST addresses the specific circumstances of schools previously designated for CSI within the state's accountability framework. In North Dakota, schools undergo periodic assessments and reviews, with CSI designation occurring every three years for severe challenges and annually for less critical issues. The most recent identification of schools requiring CSI intervention was in September 2022, with the next evaluation scheduled for September 2025.
Vision
Q. What is the goal of ND FIRST?
A. The primary goal of ND FIRST is to provide a comprehensive system of support for second-cycle CSI schools and to improve outcomes for all students. To accomplish this mission, NDDPI is committed to achieving the following objectives:
- Collaborate with ND FIRST schools and districts using best practices and highly customize supports.
- Design, deploy, and implement a system for disbursing and evaluating the use of federal funds that support ND FIRST schools and districts.
- Develop resources and technical assistance programs, services, and guidance that are utilized by ND FIRST schools and districts.
- Develop a multi-faceted evaluation system that will reliably and validly measure the effectiveness of ND FIRST.
- Develop and implement methods, tools, and mechanisms for determining district and school-level readiness for implementation of evidence-based practices and research-based policies.
- Design, deploy, and implement a leadership coaching contractor pool that builds capacity for ND FIRST schools and districts.
- Ensure transparent and appropriate communication and consultation with families.
- Recognize and prioritize the local beliefs, values, and behaviors of ND FIRST schools and districts.
Q. How does ND FIRST fit in with the established school improvement process?
A. NDDPI is taking a multifaceted, tiered approach to school improvement, beginning with general support. NDDPI believes that all schools are in a continuous state of improvement, beginning with general support, which includes providing transparency and public reporting of key performance and improvement indicators, identifying when and where desired results are not being achieved, and prioritizing and allocating resources and support services, increasing oversight and engagement, and elevating accountability. The school communicates this work and thinking to NDDPI yearly via the School Strategy Map.
North Dakota selects schools within the next layer of support, Targeted Support and Improvement (TSI), on an annual basis. All TSI schools are provided guidance and support, including training on requirements and opportunities, and an NDREA Coaching Liaison to provide technical assistance. This partnership allows identified schools to receive assistance with federal requirements, which includes coaching, professional development, evidence-based instructional strategies, data-based decision-making, and ongoing support to meet improvement goals using the School Renewal Guide.
The next layer is Comprehensive School Improvement (CSI). North Dakota selects schools with the highest proportion of struggling students every three years. CSI schools are also provided guidance and support, including training on requirements and opportunities, and an NDREA Coaching Liaison to provide technical assistance and support in meeting improvement goals.
ND FIRST was established to be the next layer of support for a CSI school that is unable to exit CSI status after its first cycle. Overall, ND FIRST complements the existing process outlined by NDDPI by providing a legal framework for intervention and improvement in chronically low-performing schools and districts, thereby contributing to the broader goal of continuous improvement in North Dakota's education system.
Q. What are the roles of the school, community, and State in the ND FIRST process? Is the intent to reduce local control?
A. The intent of this bill is not to reduce local control but to increase oversight of the school improvement plan, according to the language of SB 2254. The process aims to create an even stronger partnership between the state and local agencies and build a shared understanding of the current academic standing of the local school to improve student academic outcomes for all students. Together, local school boards, school leaders, regional, and state personnel will create and implement an improvement plan with built-in checkpoints and directives to ensure that all students are making growth and strides toward academic excellence. In the process outlined by the bill, the roles of the school, community, and state are as follows:
- School:
- The school is responsible for implementing any directives or changes required by the State as part of the improvement plan.
- The school must participate in a school board leadership program as required by the department of public instruction.
- The school administration, teachers, and staff are expected to collaborate and work towards improving the educational outcomes and overall performance of the school.
- The school is responsible for implementing any directives or changes required by the State as part of the improvement plan.
- Community:
- The community surrounding the school or district plays a crucial role in supporting the improvement efforts. This support may include involvement in school board meetings, volunteering, providing resources or assistance, and participating in discussions about the school's future.
- Community members, including parents, guardians, tribal partners, and local organizations, may also engage in work that meets the needs of the school and its students, ensuring their voices are heard in the improvement process.
- The community surrounding the school or district plays a crucial role in supporting the improvement efforts. This support may include involvement in school board meetings, volunteering, providing resources or assistance, and participating in discussions about the school's future.
- State:
- The State, represented by the superintendent of public instruction and other state agency personnel as needed, takes on a leadership role in identifying and addressing issues within chronically low-performing schools and districts.
- The superintendent of public instruction is empowered to intervene directly in these schools and districts, conducting assessments, developing improvement plans, and implementing necessary changes.
- The State also provides oversight, support, and resources to assist schools and districts in their improvement efforts.
- Reporting requirements ensure transparency and accountability, with the superintendent of public instruction reporting annually to legislative committees regarding the implementation of the intervention process and other educational entities as necessary.
- Overall, the roles of the school, community, and State are interconnected, with collaboration and cooperation among all stakeholders being essential for successful intervention and academic improvement in chronically low-performing schools and districts.
- The State, represented by the superintendent of public instruction and other state agency personnel as needed, takes on a leadership role in identifying and addressing issues within chronically low-performing schools and districts.
Process
Q. Who conducts the external reviews of ND FIRST schools? Will current organizations be utilized, given their existing involvement with ND schools?
A. No final decisions have been made about who will conduct external reviews. This will be determined in the next phase of this work. However, the NDDPI plans to review existing structures and partnerships and release an RFP for external support.
Q. What data will be used in the trend analysis in the first step of the ND FIRST process?
A. This will include data collected through the current CSI process, accountability metrics, and other data points already reported to the State.
Q. Are ND FIRST schools expected to make more significant changes because their level of need is high, or work on small changes that they scale up? How does ND FIRST account for variables that are out of a school’s control, like historical trauma and cultural resilience?
A. The ND FIRST initiative focuses on student outcomes while acknowledging that schools must take a broad community approach to problem-solving. However, a school must acknowledge that academic performance and achievement are the primary roles of education.
Q. Who would mediate if a school and the ND FIRST team are unable to come to an agreement on the Collaborative Partnership Agreement/Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)?
A. NDDPI hopes that creating these agreements will be highly collaborative and give schools the power to voice their opinion on what should be included. Every effort will be made to acknowledge the local context, ensure expectations are attainable, and propose reasonable solutions. Legal experts can and will be consulted if there are questions about the law, as the NDDPI is not an investigative body. Local school decision-makers have the authority to make strategic decisions about whether it is appropriate to follow the expectations set forth in ND FIRST or forego state and federal funds as a public school entity.
Q. What happens to schools after their third year of ND FIRST status?
A. Schools that have attained the outcomes highlighted in the Collaborative Partnership Agreement/Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) established at the beginning of the ND FIRST process will exit ND FIRST status. See the language within the MOU document for more information.
Q. Has this model been used in other states, or is North Dakota the first?
A. Components of this model are utilized in other states. However, from the beginning stages of development, the design of the ND FIRST model has sought to reflect the context of North Dakota public schools.
Engagement & Partnerships
Q. How are Tribal entities involved in the ND FIRST process beyond Tribal Consultations? Are all tribes represented?
A. One of NDDPI’s top priorities is ensuring that community stakeholders, including tribal members, are involved in the ND FIRST process. More information about the intents and purposes of the Tribal Consultation process can be found here: North Dakota ESSA Tribal Stakeholder and Tribal Consultation.
Q. How are families and community stakeholders involved in the ND FIRST process?
A. Families and community members are indispensable stakeholders in the ND FIRST process. As NDDPI develops the plan to support ND FIRST schools, it continues to consider how to leverage its expertise in the needs of its students, schools, and communities. NDDPI solicited feedback on the ND FIRST process plan throughout its development. Then, as the plan is implemented, there will be expectations of continued community outreach and engagement with families from school teams.
Q. How have schools been involved in the creation of customized and consistent expectations?
A. Consistent and customized expectations have been developed based on the results from the feedback sessions, public comment periods, and workgroups. Specifically, on March 27, 2024, an update and feedback session aimed to gather insights from educators and the public to inform the development of the initiative to support low-performing schools. Participants were urged to contribute their perspectives to explore strategies for improving student outcomes. Review the Slide Deck and Session Recording for more information.
Q. Can stakeholders still provide feedback on this process, and for how long?
A. NDDPI has always valued the continuous improvement process for any of its programs. Therefore, NDDPI will continue to seek feedback on ND FIRST even after it is implemented to make changes that best fit the needs of North Dakota students and schools. All questions, comments, or feedback can be sent to amandapeterson@nd.gov.