ISAC OVERVIEW

Improving Student Achievement through Collaboration

Improving Student Achievement through Collaboration (ISAC) is a middle school model of continuous school improvement that developed upon evaluation of the BIG Accommodation Model. ISAC promotes building a professional development system to positively impact student and teacher learning. The purpose of ISAC is to improve student outcomes school-wide through comprehensive, systemic professional development based on student needs identified through multiple sources of school and classroom data. This model follows a school reform process including the following components:

• Collaborative Leadership facilitates educators in the development and implementation of effective school characteristics which will result in improved student achievement;
  
• Data-Based Decision-Making provides the necessary information about student performance for school-wide planning and improvement processes;
  
• Professional Development enhances teacher knowledge and skills to meet the instructional needs of the students especially related to analyzed school data;
  
• Research-Based Instruction addresses the identified instructional needs of all students.

Project CENTRAL supports ISAC pilot sites through ongoing professional development focusing on the components of the school reform process. Formats of professional development include Summer Institutes, Leadership Updates, On-site Professional Development, and Professional Resources.