The purpose of this posting is to provide additional guidance for the needs assessment section of the School Plan for Student Achievement. As you know, the Identified Needs section of the School Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA) is where schools summarize the outcomes of their Comprehensive Needs Assessment. This section describes the reason for establishing each goal. As such, each goal should be based upon an analysis of verifiable state data, including local and state indicator data from the California School Dashboard (CA Dashboard) and data from the School Accountability Report Card, including local data voluntarily collected by our district to measure student achievement. Ideally, this section demonstrates how, the site team’s use of Multi-Tiered System of Support protocols including data analysis and the problem-solving process, serve as the basis of the SPSA’s goal development. 
Data Management Systems such as the Early Identification and Intervention System, Attendance, Behavior and Course Performance (ABC) Reports and the Performance and Targeted Action Index provide vital information necessary for a Comprehensive Needs Assessment.

The data you collect should help you:

• Understand the subjects and skills for which teaching and learning need to be improved
• Identify the specific academic needs of students and groups of students who are not yet achieving academic standards
• Establish goals for improvement
• Understand the barriers to reaching goals
• Evaluate the effectiveness of the services and support provided