Frequent Asked Questions
What types of schools should choose the CUNY SSO?
Schools choosing the CUNY School Support Organization (SSO) should share a commitment to preparing middle, high, and early college school students for success in college.
More specifically, schools should aim to enable students to earn scores on Regents exams and/or SATs that are high enough to enable students to immediately begin a full program of college-level study (rather than less productive remedial courses). It also means schools that appreciate the importance of students completing college-level work before high school graduation—through College Now, affiliated schools, early college schools or AP courses.
At the same time, CUNY wants to support schools that have student populations that are representative of the city's public school population and it welcomes schools with large numbers of students with special needs (including students with IEPs and English Language Learners).
What is the CUNY SSO's track record?
Through our work with principals and teachers, we have spearheaded instructional and curricula improvements that have had direct and sustained effects on the school community. Here is a snapshot of our accomplishments:
- 82% of Progress Report Scores were either A or B in 2007-08
- 41% of Progress Report Scores improved by 1 or more letter grades from 2006-07 to 2007-08
- 91% of Principals received a rating of "Exceeds" or "Substantially Exceeds" on their 2007-08 PPR
- 38% of Principals received CSA bonuses for 2007-08
- CUNY rated #1 Support Organization in terms of student outcomes and overall performance!
What services does the CUNY SSO provide?
All support activities are developed and implemented in the context of an agreed upon plan with each school. The services are individualized based on the school's specific needs. In addition, there are network-wide initiatives that all schools are invited to participate in. Examples of network-wide initiatives are:
- CUNY Writing Initiative in collaboration with NYC Writing Project
- Special Education Council
- Math Council
- College Readiness Advisory Group
- SRA Corrective Reading
- Atlas-Rubicon Curriculum Mapping
- Creative Arts Team Shakespeare Residency
What support does the CUNY SSO provide for our school's special needs population?
Special education is primarily supported through the Special Education Council (SEC). The goal of the SEC is to improve instruction for all students who have been identified as having special needs. Council members include special and general education teachers, school counselors, paraprofessionals, social workers, and administrators.
SEC members meet monthly and collaboratively complete case scenarios. Through this process, members develop pedagogical skills and learn effective strategies to implement in the classroom. SEC members also participate in inter-visitations to share best practices. Also, additional support is provided by on-site consultation with CUNY facilitators.
Who are the core staff members?
A School Support Coordinator: facilitates a professional development model that empowers school leaders and helps to build a professional learning community around the use of accountability tools.
The Operations Specialist: provides direct support in the following areas: human resources, budgets and purchasing, student recruitment and enrollment, pupil accounting, student data and accountability, school safety, and compliance issues.
The Research and Data Manager: synthesizes school data designed to promote a deep understanding of student performance in each school.
The University Resource Manager: develops partnerships between network schools and the faculty, programs and centers throughout CUNY's 17 local campuses.
Who will be a school's primary point of contact?
The School Support Coordinator is the primary point of contact for a group of 7 to 10 schools, providing onsite support and coaching at least twice a month. The Coordinators spend approximately 80% of their time in the field visiting schools for planning and follow-up services.
Each Coordinator is provided with a BlackBerry and is accessible by all principals and other SSO team members throughout the school year. Coordinators monitor their communications regularly to ensure responsiveness to school needs outside the regular work day.
How do CUNY faculty members work with schools?
CUNY faculty members work with schools in a variety of ways. Principals often consult with CUNY SSO team members on specific challenges in their schools. The University Resource Manager, identifies needs, provides information, and coordinates university-based CUNY partnerships. Assistance is currently provided in curriculum and instruction, services for special needs populations, youth development, school organization, and leadership. The University Resource Manager also maintains information about current and in development partnerships available to the network.
Does my school have to pay extra for these CUNY partnerships?
The CUNY SSO is a gateway to University-based resources and expertise. Many of these resources include award-winning centers and nationally recognized experts in their fields of study. On their own, accessing these resources can be complex and expensive.
With the CUNY SSO, access is seamlessly provided at a discounted cost. All schools in the network have money available for use on CUNY partnerships. These CUNY "dollars" offer flexibility for schools and an opportunity to receive high quality services while minimizing the financial impact.
How are principals involved?
Principals are currently involved in a professional community that meets monthly. They also have the opportunity to contribute agenda items and define priority issues for meetings. During these meetings, principals share best practices and work through school challenges collaboratively. Meetings are also a forum for principals to raise advocacy issues that affect their schools.
What are the benefits to teachers in the network?
The CUNY SSO offers a menu of support and growth opportunities for teachers, including professional and curriculum development. Some of the individual professional development offerings include: providing strategies for differentiation; supporting Inquiry Team work; and developing interdisciplinary lessons. Some of the school-wide professional development offerings include: classroom management strategies; Progress Report interpretation; learning walks; and goal setting (linking school-wide goals to classroom and student goals).
The centerpiece of our curriculum development offerings is the Atlas-Rubicon Curriculum mapping program. It is a customizable, web-based application that allows for collaboration and continual access to curriculum data. In addition to curriculum mapping training, teachers can also participate in Understanding by Design, the backwards design methodology developed by Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe.
Because the CUNY SSO emphasizes the importance of preparing students for college-level work, we also offer all schools access to a custom-developed College Readiness Advisory Curriculum. The curriculum is rooted in David Conley's facets of college-readiness that seek to align students' high school experience with college life.
How can CUNY SSO staff answer all of my school's questions about DOE regulations and procedures?
We recognize that numerous operational issues arise in the regular day-to-day work of a school. The Operations Specialist liaises directly with Integrated Support Centers and schools and is provided with a BlackBerry for responsive service beyond the regular school day. In addition, the Operations Specialist provides reminders on DOE deadlines and one-on-one assistance with compliance challenges.
What kind of support does CUNY provide in regard to data?
The Research and Data Manager analyzes individual schools' data using ARIS, ATS, and HSST systems to ensure that all principals and school staff understand important aspects of the DOE accountability measures. Reports are generated from these data systems based on specific needs at schools, and the data is presented in a manner that is accessible and digestible to school faculty.
Our support goes far beyond the typical focus on "test preparation." School Support Coordinators work with schools to better understanding the instructional issues that are implied by different types of tests and the resulting scores.
What kind of support does CUNY provide in regard to the Quality Review and school accountability?
Using prior Quality Reviews as a baseline, School Support Coordinators and principals develop a plan at the beginning of the school year to highlight specific areas requiring attention and incremental support. In addition, School Support Coordinators "peel apart" the aggregate Quality Review criteria to target instructional improvements.
School Support Coordinators assist in preparation for Quality Reviews by coordinating data presentations with the Research and Data Manager. In addition, mock Quality Reviews are performed with Senior Accountability Facilitators (SAFs) at the school.
Our school already has a partnership with a CUNY college; how will choosing the CUNY SSO affect that relationship?
All existing collaborations (College Now, Middle Grades Initiative, affiliated schools, early college schools, Teacher Academy host schools) will be maintained—no matter which choice of a support organization a school makes. The CUNY SSO will work to support and coordinate relationships between and among schools and their partner colleges. This coordination work may include:
- convening regular meetings of school and college representatives/liaisons;
- tracking student performance in both high school and college and sharing performance data with partners so that schools and colleges may develop more effective practices to promote student success.
What will the CUNY Support Organization cost?
The cost of CUNY School Support Organization's services varies by school size. Please refer to the table for a price based on the schools' projected enrollment for 2007–08.
| School Size | Price |
|---|---|
| 100–1,000 | $36,502 |
| 1,001–1,700 | $38,502 |
| 1,701–2,500+ | $42,394 |
