Springboard Schools

Springboard Schools  

Beginning in the 2025-2026 school year, The USBE will designate a school as a Springboard school based on school accountability results from the same school year. A Springboard school is not a Title I school; and when ranked according to the percentage of possible points averaged over three school years is: one of the five lowest performing elementary, middle, or junior high schools statewide; or one of the two lowest performing high schools statewide for a total of seven schools. Springboard schools will be designated every four years. 

What are Springboard Schools? 

  • A district or charter school that has been designated a Springboard school by the USBE because the school: 
    • Is a non-Title I school; and  
    • When ranked according to the percentage of possible points the state awards averaged over three (3) years is:  
      • One of the five (5) lowest performing elementary, middle, or junior high schools statewide OR is:  
      • One of the two (2) lowest performing high schools statewide. 

What is the Timeline for Springboard Designation and support? 

  • SY 2025-2026 will be the identification of Springboard schools. 
  • SY 2026-2027 is the first year of implementation.  
  • SY 2027-2028 is year two (2) of implementation with an exit opportunity. 
  • SY 2028-2029 is year three (3) of implementation with a second exit opportunity.  

What is the cycle for identification of Springboard Schools? 

  • The cycle for Springboard designation is every four (4) years beginning in SY 2025-2026. 
  • The next designation for Springboard schools will be in SY 2029-2030  

What are the expectations for Springboard schools? 

  • Springboard are required to: 
    • Conduct a Needs Assessment and Root Cause Analysis  
    • Create a School Improvement Plan 
    • Create a School Improvement Committee 
    • Partner with a Continuous Improvement Expert 
      • Requires a proposal and subsequent approval by USBE. 
    • Meet required monitoring and reporting timelines. 

Who should be on the School Improvement Committee? 

  • For school districts, the required school improvement committee members include but are not limited to: 
    • the local school board member who represents the voting district where the school is located. 
    • the school principal. 
    • three parents of students appointed by the chair of the school community council. 
    • one teacher at the school appointed by the principal. 
    • one teacher at the school appointed by the school district superintendent: and 
    • one school district administrator. 

  • For Charters, the required school improvement committee members include but are not limited to: 
    • a member of the charter school governing board, appointed by the chair of the charter school governing board. 
    • the school principal. 
    • three parents of students enrolled in the school appointed by the chair of the charter school governing board: and 
    • two teachers at the school, appointed by the school principal. 

What is required in the School Improvement Plan? 

  • School Improvement Plans must include: 
    • How the school/charter will address root causes of low performance identified in the needs assessment. 
    • Include recommendations regarding changes to: 
      • School/Charter personnel 
      • Culture 
      • Curriculum 
      • Assessments 
      • Instructional practices 
      • Governance 
      • Leadership 
      • Finances 
      • Policies 
      • Other areas necessary to implement the improvement plan. 
  • Measurable student achievement goals, objectives, and benchmarks to measure progress. 
  • Professional development plan that identifies strategies to address problems with instructional practice. 
  • Detailed budget specifying how the school improvement plan will be funded including: 
      • A plan to assess and monitor progress. 
      • A plan to communicate and report data on progress to stakeholders. 
      • A timeline for implementation 

Are there LEA/Charter requirements for their Springboard schools? 

  • Yes. They are: 
    • Prioritize school district funding and resources for Springboard schools. 
    • Grant Springboard schools streamlined authority over staff, schedule, policies, budget, and academic programs to implement the school improvement plan. 
    • Assist the continuous improvement expert with the development of the school improvement plan. 
    • Provide initial and annual notice of status, goals, benchmarks, and timetable in the school improvement plan. 
      • progress toward goals, 
      •  benchmarks, 
      •  timetable, and  
      • how the community may provide support to the school and students at the school inside and outside the classroom and 
      • to the parents of students enrolled in the school using the same form of communication used to communicate with parents, governing council, and the mayor of the municipality in which the school is located. 

Is there required action for a Springboard charter school?  

  • Yes. In accordance with deadlines established by the state board, a charter school authorizer of a springboard school shall initiate a review to determine whether the charter school is in compliance with the school's charter agreement including the school's established minimum standards for student achievement. 

Are there required reporting timelines? 

  • Yes. On or before June 1 of the initial remedial year, the school improvement committee must submit the school improvement plan to the local school board for approval. 
  • On or before July 1, of the initial remedial year, the local school board will submit to USBE their Springboard school improvement plan for approval. 
  • Annually, a school board or designee shall report to USBE progress towards the goals, benchmarks, and timetable in the school improvement plan.  

Are there exit criteria for Springboard Schools? 

  • Yes. 

To exit the Springboard school program, a school shall demonstrate, in the third or fourth year after which the school was identified as a Springboard school, that the school: 

1. meets individualized exit criteria that is calculated by reducing the gap for all designated TSI student groups by one-third in performance between the student group(s) baseline performance and 55% of all points possible, (if the school is an elementary, middle school, or junior high school), and 57% of all points possible, (if the school is a high school), using the accountability indicators found in the Utah ESSA State Plan.   

AND  

2. each designated targeted student group exceeds the lowest 5% of Title I Schools from the year they were identified. This methodology provides clear targets for schools to set goals for improvement and aligns exit criteria with how schools are identified.  

What are the implications for failing to improve? 

If a District Springboard school does not meet exit criteria after the school's final remedial year or the last school year of the extension period, the state board may intervene by: 

  1. Restructuring a district school, which may include: 
    • contract management; or 
    • conversion to a charter school. 

What are the implications for a Charter school that fails to improve? 

If a Springboard Charter school does not meet exit criteria after the school's final remedial year or the last school year of the extension period, the state board may intervene by 

  1. Restructuring a charter school by: 
    • terminating a school's charter agreement; 
    • closing a charter school; or 
    • transferring operation and control of the charter school to: 
      • a high performing charter school; or 
      • the school district in which the charter school is located; or 
      • other appropriate action as determined by the state board.

Contact

Dr. Gregory Firn
School Improvement Educational Specialist
Phone: (801) 538-7846 | E-mail