SLOs: Structuring for Success Increasing Student Achievement, Advancing Teacher Practice

About this document: This document provides sample structures for principals to employ at

their sites to facilitate the SLO process. While the three common types of school levels are

used, these examples are intentionally illustrative to spark innovative ways to make the SLO

process work for any school configuration. A commonality across the structures we have found

effective is to have the principal directly involved with a group of teachers throughout the SLO

process. This helps maintain an important awareness monitor and inform the overall

leadership of SLO implementation.

About the Community Training and Assistance Center (CTAC): CTAC is a national nonprofit

organization with a demonstrated 36-year record of success in the fields of education and

community development. Working at local, state, and national levels, CTAC achieves

significant, long-term improvements in areas such as student achievement, teacher and

principal effectiveness, school and district turnaround, and organizational capacity. CTAC

introduced Student Learning Objectives nationally through a groundbreaking partnership with

the Denver Public Schools and Denver Classroom Teachers Association. SLOs are now being

implemented in more than 30 states across thousands of school districts in the United States.

CTAC has more than 16 years of national leadership experience providing technical assistance,

informing practice and policy, and evaluating SLOs.

30 Winter Street • Boston, MA 02108

T: 617.423.1444 • E: ctac@ctacusa.com • www.ctacusa.com

Principal

ELACoach

AssistantPrincipal

Math Coach

Grade K

Grade 1

Grade 2

Grade 3

Grade 4

Grade 5

Content Specialists

Music Visual Arts Health/PE

Support Staff

Special Ed ESL Gifted Library Technology

Sample Structure: Elementary SchoolBelow is a sample structure for a K‐5 elementary school. Note while leadership of the process has been largely distributed to the assistant principal and the two coaches, the principal maintains the final supervisory role while also working directly with a group of teachers. A sample variation to this structure might have the principal more directly involved in half the grade levels' SLOs (e.g., K‐2), and the assistant principal more directly involved in the other half (e.g., 3‐5).

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SLOs: STRUCTURING FOR SUCCESS

Principal

Instructional Lead

*School Library Media Specialist will have a team SLO with the 8th Grade ELA Department.

6th Grade Math

6th Grade ELA

6th GradeScience

6th Grade Social Studies

7th Grade Math

7th Grade ELA

7th GradeScience

7th Grade Social Studies

8th Grade Math

8th Grade ELA*

8th GradeScience

8th Grade Social Studies

Special Education

ESL

Gifted

Visual Arts

Music Health/PE

World Languages

Technology

Below is a sample structure for a 6‐8 middle school. Note in this structure each of the three leaders (principal, assistant principal, and instructional lead) work with a grade level and specialty group of teachers. A sample variation to this structure might have the leaders assigned by content (e.g., principal takes science and social studies, the assistant principal takes math, and the instructional lead takes ELA) rather than by grade level.

Sample Structure: Middle School

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 Dance

 

Assistant Principal

 

SLOs: STRUCTURING FOR SUCCESS

Fine Arts, Health, and PE

Dance and Visual Arts

AssistantPrincipal

Health

PE

Media

Humanities

ELA

Social Studies

JROTC

World Lang.

Assistant Principal

CTE, STEM, and Media

Science

Math

CTE 

Assistant Principal

Special Populations

ESL Teachers

Inclusion Teachers

Resource Teachers

AP, IB Teachers

Principal

Academic Coach 1

Academic Coach 2

Note: Each Department Chair serves as primary contact for communication and first round quality control.

© 2015, Community Training and Assistance Center

Below is a sample structure for a 9‐12 comprehensive high school. Note in this approach, departments are clustered into four groups, with an administrator facilitating the departments within a group, and the coaches each supporting two of the four groups directly. A sample variation to this structure might include alternative arrangements of departments, such as embedding the teachers of special populations with a content‐specific group of departments. 

Sample Structure: High School

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Band, Chorus & Theater

 

SLOs: STRUCTURING FOR SUCCESS

Principal/Superintendent

Grade LevelChair Team

Grade K

Grade 1

Grade 2

Grade 3

Grade 4

Grade 5

Sample Structure: Small Elementary School

Below is a sample structure for a small K‐5 elementary school. In this approach, the six grade level chairpersons form a team that review the SLOs vertically to help ensure alignment, comparability, and rigor. A sample variation to this structure might have each grade level chairperson review just his/her own grade level’s SLOs, with the principal/superintendent ensuring the alignment, comparability, and rigor for each grade level individually. 

© 2015, Community Training and Assistance Center

SLOs: STRUCTURING FOR SUCCESS

Note: Teachers of special education, English language learners, or single subjects each team with a grade level.

Principal/Superintendent

Lead Teacher Team

Primary Grades

Grade KGrade 1Grade 2

Sample Structure: Small K-12 School

Below is a sample structure for a small K‐12 school. In this approach, the teachers are grouped at the elementary level by grade, and at the secondary level by content area. Each of the four teams has a lead teacher that serves on the Lead Teacher Team. A sample variation to this structure might have each lead teacher review just his/her own team’s SLOs individually.

© 2015, Community Training and Assistance Center

SLOs: STRUCTURING FOR SUCCESS

Note: Teachers of special education and English language learners integrate with a teacher or team listed above.

Intermediate Grades

Grade 3Grade 4Grade 5

Secondary Humanities

6-12 Arts6-12 English

6-12 Social Studies6-12 World Languages

Secondary STEM/PE

6-12 CTE6-12 Health/PE

6-12 Math6-12 Science