Targeted Support and Improvement

ESSA requires each state educational agency receiving federal funds to use the meaningful differentiation of schools in partnership with stakeholders, to develop and implement a school-level targeted support and improvement plan to improve student outcomes based on the indicators in the statewide accountability system. 

North Dakota selects schools for Targeted Support and Improvement (TSI) on an annual basis. Schools are identified from a pool of consistently* underperforming schools in the bottom 10%. Additionally, these schools must have one or more subgroups (from the list below) with achievement levels below the highest-performing comprehensive school based on all accountability factors within the state’s accountability system.

• Economically disadvantaged students
• Children with disabilities
• English learners
• White
• American Indian or Alaska Native
• African American
• Asian or Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander
• Hispanic or Latino

The following schools have been selected for Targeted Support and Improvement (TSI) for the 2024-2025 school year (based on 2023-2024 accountability data):

Supports and Interventions

Schools selected are awarded school improvement grants to support and sustain improvement efforts by targeting interventions for root causes or performance gaps in student subgroups.

TSI Grant Cycle and Allocation:

TSI Grant Funding Period: September 1, 2024 - December 31, 2025 (15 months)

Additionally, the NDDPI will provide support and interventions for schools selected using a multifaceted approach:

• All schools are provided guidance and support including training on requirements and opportunities, and a Coaching Liaison to provide technical assistance
• NDDPI partners with the North Dakota Regional Education Associations (NDREAs) to support schools
  • This partnership provides an opportunity for 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
  • Watch this three-minute video for an overview of the Improvement Science approach that North Dakota is implementing: Improvement Science: A Key to Success in Your Schools - YouTube
• Schools receive priority points for NDDPI-sponsored opportunities

Exit Criteria

A school may exit TSI status upon achieving one of the following:

• A school no longer meets the eligibility criteria for targeted support and improvement.

Schools identified as TSI that do not meet exit criteria after being identified for three consecutive years will be selected for Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI) beginning in the subsequent school year. These schools will then need to meet the established criteria for CSI schools.

*Disclaimer: Due to a USED waiver issued in March 2020 as a result of the pandemic, states were allowed to pause accountability and the use of 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 data for identification purposes. Therefore, North Dakota is unable to fulfill the part of its ESSA plan that requires “three years of consecutive underperformance” when selecting schools for TSI/CSI. However, the USED required states to resume accountability in 2021-2022, and states were instructed to run accountability to ensure that schools that are underperforming compared to other schools in the state receive the support and resources needed to make improvements. The NDDPI utilized data from 2021-2022, 2022-2023, and 2023-2024 to determine TSI identification and to rank schools based on three years of underperformance and with subgroups performing below the highest-performing CSI school. The NDDPI will be able to fully implement its ESSA plan as written in the fall of 2025 for both TSI and CSI schools.