What are Systems and Structures?
What Are Systems and Structures?
For sustainable and effective improvement planning and implementation, the school must assess its current state with respect to foundational systems and structures.
In the context of developing and implementing a Continuation Plan,
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Systems are defined as a set of interrelated components working together for a common purpose or function (“the what”).
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Structures are defined as the way components are arranged, organized, or built to support the systems (“the how”, i.e., weekly common planning time to perform data cycles).
In this sense, systems are the processes or framework that drive results and ensure the work gets done. Structures provide the parts, routines, and supports necessary for systems to function.
Strong systems & structures ensure that effective practices and standards aligned instruction are consistent across the school. clear to all staff, and sustained even as leadership or initiatives change.
Systems and Structures Resource for Improvement Planning
The followinglist of systems and structures will serve as a resource for improvement planning, noting that lead strategies selected to guide improvement will need to be implemented through a structure.
| Systems and Structures | Guiding Question | |
|---|---|---|
|
Clear, shared expectations for high-quality Tier 1 instruction |
A schoolwide framework for high-quality, grade level standards aligned instruction grounded in learning science that the leadership team and instructional staff regularly review, refine and reinforce. | To what extent do all educators consistently understand, implement, and reinforce our shared expectations for high-quality, grade-level instruction grounded in standards and learning science? |
|
Curriculum Monitoring Routines |
Consistent processes for adopting, adapting, reviewing and monitoring curriculum use, including pacing, task quality, and alignment to identify variation, inconsistency and opportunities to strengthen rigor. | How effectively and consistently is our curriculum being implemented across classrooms, and what does monitoring reveal about pacing, task quality, and opportunities to strengthen rigor and alignment? |
| Collaborative Teacher Teams that Drive Rigorous Instruction | Normed teacher-team routines (e.g., lesson study, PLCs, instructional rounds), including analysis of student work, task selection, and planning upcoming lessons, to assess whether teacher teams are maintaining rigor and coherence across classrooms occurring weekly or biweekly. | How well are teacher teams using structured protocols to analyze student work, plan upcoming lessons, and ensure rigorous, coherent instruction across classrooms? |
| Schoolwide Inquiry Cycles | Leadership and teacher led inquiry routines that study evidence of implementation, analyze trends across classrooms, refine instructional practices, track the impact of strategies and inform professional learning, coaching and resource allocation. | What trends emerge from our implementation evidence, and how are we using these insights to refine practice, allocate resources, and drive continuous professional learning? |
| District and School Practices to Ensure Equitable Access to Rigorous Learning | Transparent, equity-focused routines for student placement, scheduling, staffing, grouping, and monitoring of task quality across settings to guarantee all students have access to grade-level, challenging learning opportunities. | How do our placement, scheduling, staffing, and grouping decisions ensure every student has equitable access to grade-level, challenging tasks across all learning settings? |
| Multi-Tiered Systems of Support for Instructional Capacity-Building (MTSS-I) |
A coherent MTSS-I framework that supports Tier 1 instructional improvement, facilitates systems change and establishes sustainable cycles of continuous improvement for all learners including adults. |
How effectively does our MTSS-I framework build Tier 1 instructional capacity, support systems change, and sustain continuous improvement for all learners—students and adults? |
| Balanced “Just in Time” Assessment Systems | A clearly defined assessment system that uses formative feedback, interim and common assessments (each have an explicit purpose and use) to provide timely, actionable data that drive instructional adjustments and support student learning. | How well does our assessment system provide timely, actionable information that meaningfully informs instructional adjustments and supports student learning? |
| Leadership Team Monitoring and Coherence | Normed leadership routines, including walkthroughs, feedback, communication structures, and tracking systems, that assess implementation, reduce conflicting initiatives, maintain coherence, and keep staff focused on core instructional priorities. | How effectively do our leadership monitoring routines (walkthroughs, feedback, communication, tracking) maintain coherence, reduce competing initiatives, and keep the focus on core instructional priorities? |
| Coordinated Feedback and Responsiveness Cycles | Structures that integrate student voice, teacher feedback, observation data, and implementation evidence to refine instructional supports, strengthen alignment, ensure timely, actionable feedback connected to priorities and professional learning. | How are we integrating student voice, teacher feedback, and observational evidence to refine instructional supports and ensure feedback cycles are timely, actionable, and aligned to priorities? |
| Community Engagement Team | The community engagement team (CET) shall be comprised of community stakeholders with direct ties to the school including, but not limited to, the school principal, parents of or persons in parental relation to students attending the school, teachers and other school staff assigned to the school, and students attending the school. The central function of the CET is to develop recommendations for improvement of the school and to solicit input through public engagement. | How will you leverage the CET’s input and perspectives, as community liaisons to the school, to increase the quality and effectiveness of family and community partnerships in order to better support student success? |