Medium

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 may 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

*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 and 2022-2023 to determine identification and to rank schools based on one or two years of underperformance and/or several 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.

The following schools have been selected for Targeted Support and Improvement (TSI) for the 2023-2024 school year (based on 2022-2023 accountability data):

 School  District  Grade Span  Enrollment
 Turtle Mountain Community High School  Belcourt 7  9-12  560
 Beulah Middle School  Beulah 27  5-8  236
 Central Middle School  Devils Lake 1  5-8  518
 Eight Mile Elementary School  Eight Mile 6  K-8  232
 Elgin-New Leipzig Elementary School  Elgin-New Leipzig 49  PK-6  105
 ED Clapp Elementary School  Fargo 1  K-5  452
 Fargo K-8 Virtual Academy  Fargo 1  K-8  32
 Flasher High School  Flasher 39  7-12  120
 South Middle School  Grand Forks 1  6-8  549
 Wilder Elementary School  Grand Forks 1  K-5  177
 Kidder County High School  Kidder County 1  7-12  152
 Mandan Middle School  Mandan 1  6-8  928
 Watford City Middle School  McKenzie Co 1  6-8  455
 Minnewaukan Elementary School  Minnewaukan 5  K-8  219
 Washington Elementary School  Minot 1  K-5  299
 New Town Middle School  New Town 1  7-8  158
 Parshall Elementary School  Parshall 3  PK-5  141
 Parshall High School  Parshall 3  6-12  145
 Sawyer Elementary School  Sawyer 16  PK-8  56
 Solen High School  Solen 3  7-12  82
 Liberty Middle School  West Fargo 6  6-8  1102
 Cheney Middle School  West Fargo 6  6-8  1012
 Heritage Middle School  West Fargo 6  6-8  665
 White Shield Elementary School  White Shield 85  K-8  137
 Williston High School  Williston Basin 7  9-12  1363
 Williston Middle School Central Campus  Williston Basin 7  5-8  866

 

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:

School Improvement Grant Cycle and Allocations

TSI Grant Funding Period: September 1, 2023 - December 30, 2024 (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:

  1. No longer consistently underperforming based on the state's accountability system
  2. Success in meeting established interim goals in the identified subgroups is making progress on its own

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.

Additional Information