ODE School Improvement 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Under Ohio's tiered system of support, which designation indicates a school has the most severe and persistent performance deficiencies?
- Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI) (Correct answer)
- Targeted Support and Improvement (TSI)
- Additional Targeted Support (ATS)
- Focus School
Correct answer: Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI)
CSI is Ohio's highest-need designation, applied to the lowest-performing 5% of schools and those with consistently underperforming student groups.
Question 2: Which Ohio legislation framework most directly governs school accountability and improvement planning under ESSA?
- Ohio's ESSA State Plan (Correct answer)
- No Child Left Behind Act
- Race to the Top Grant
- Ohio HB 153
Correct answer: Ohio's ESSA State Plan
Ohio's ESSA State Plan, approved by the U.S. Department of Education, establishes the accountability system and improvement requirements for Ohio schools.
Question 3: A school identified for Targeted Support and Improvement must focus its improvement efforts primarily on which group?
- A consistently underperforming subgroup of students (Correct answer)
- The entire student population
- Only students in tested grades
- Teachers rated Developing or lower
Correct answer: A consistently underperforming subgroup of students
TSI schools must target the specific subgroup(s) — such as students with disabilities or English learners — whose performance triggered the identification.
Question 4: What is the primary role of an Ohio School Improvement Coach assigned to a CSI school?
- To provide on-site, job-embedded professional support to school leadership and staff (Correct answer)
- To replace the principal during the improvement period
- To audit school finances and report to the state
- To administer state assessments independently
Correct answer: To provide on-site, job-embedded professional support to school leadership and staff
An Ohio School Improvement Coach works directly with school leaders and teachers to build capacity and implement evidence-based improvement strategies.
Question 5: Which data component is LEAST commonly used as a leading indicator in Ohio school improvement plans?
- Staff parking lot usage rates (Correct answer)
- Chronic absenteeism rates
- Interim assessment results
- Classroom observation data
Correct answer: Staff parking lot usage rates
Parking lot usage is not an educational indicator; Ohio improvement plans rely on attendance, assessment, and instructional quality data as leading indicators.
Question 6: Ohio's evidence-based improvement interventions are tiered by research strength. Which tier reflects the highest level of evidence?
- Tier 1 — Strong evidence from well-designed experimental studies (Correct answer)
- Tier 2 — Moderate evidence from quasi-experimental studies
- Tier 3 — Promising evidence from correlational studies
- Tier 4 — Demonstrates a rationale based on high-quality research
Correct answer: Tier 1 — Strong evidence from well-designed experimental studies
Tier 1 evidence requires strong experimental or quasi-experimental studies with significant positive effects, representing the highest confidence in an intervention's effectiveness.
Question 7: When a district fails to support a CSI school in meeting exit criteria, what action may ODE take?
- Impose more rigorous state-directed interventions on the district (Correct answer)
- Automatically close the school
- Transfer all students to neighboring districts
- Reduce the school's per-pupil funding by 50%
Correct answer: Impose more rigorous state-directed interventions on the district
ODE may escalate oversight and require more intensive district-level interventions when a district is unable to support a CSI school's improvement adequately.
ODE School Improvement 2
Under Ohio's tiered system of support, which designation indicates a school has the most severe and persistent performance deficiencies?