Using the Framework
This instrument is best used by the full governing team -- the school board and superintendent -- with guidance from a coach specifically certified in its application. After receiving an orientation to the framework, each individual school board member and the superintendent should give the school board a score for each practice area. When the score for each practice area is added together, this will reveal an overall score between 0 and 100, where a 0 indicates that the school board is ineffectively focusing on its goals for improving student outcomes and a 100 which indicates that the school board is highly effective at focusing on its goals for improving student outcomes. After each member of the governing team have scored the school board individually, then the coach will lead the governing team collectively through a process of scoring the school board for the first time. This will create the school board’s starting point data which, in addition to providing a measurable score, provides the school board with clarity about its strengths and weaknesses relative to being an effective school board.Once a starting point has been set, the school board should schedule time during a public meeting every three months to go through this process again as a means of self evaluating over time. Ideally each quarter the school board’s focus on improving student outcomes meaningfully increases. When using the instrument to conduct an evaluation, most indicators should be evaluated for the previous three month period unless indicated otherwise. Indicators that are about training and listening should generally be evaluated for the previous thirty-six month period unless indicated otherwise.
It is typical to go from a score of 0 to a score of 80+ over the course of two years, but only with the aid of a coach certified in this work. School boards that attempt this work without the support of a coach almost always fail; the adult behavior changes required are simply too great.
Student Outcomes Focused Governance (SOFG) Framework
| VISION & GOALS: The Board will, in collaboration with the Superintendent, adopt goals that are student outcomes focused. | |||
| Not Student Outcomes Focused (0) | Approaching Student Outcomes Focus (10) | Meeting Student Outcomes Focus (25) | Mastering Student Outcomes Focus (35) |
| The Board is Not Student Outcomes Focused if any of the following are true: | No items from the Not Student Outcomes Focused column, and: | All items from the Approaching Student Outcomes Focus column, and: | All items from the Meeting Student Outcomes Focus column, and: |
| The Board has not adopted goals. The Board has not consistently demonstrated the ability to distinguish between inputs, outputs, and outcomes. The Board has not hosted opportunities to listen to the vision of the community during the previous thirty-six month period. | The Board has adopted, in collaboration with the Superintendent, goals. The Board has adopted only SMART goals that include a specific measure, population, starting point, an ending point, a starting date, and an ending date. The Board has adopted no fewer than one and no more than five goals. Fewer goals allow for greater focus; more allow for less. The Superintendent has adopted, in collaboration with the Board, one to three interim goals to progress monitor each goal, and each interim goal is SMART. The status of each interim goal is able to be updated multiple times during each school year. The Board publicly posted the goals for public comment prior to adoption. | The Board’s goals all pertain to desired student outcomes. In addition to the goal ending points, the Board has adopted annual targets, goal ending points for each year leading up to the ending dates. The Superintendent has provided interim goal ending points for each year leading up to the ending date. All interim goals pertain to student outputs or student outcomes, not inputs or adult outputs. The Board included students, parents, staff, and community members in the goal development process. All Board goals last from three to five years; all interim goals last from one to three years. The goals and interim goals will challenge the organization and will require change in adult behaviors. | The Board used a process that included students, parents, staff, and community members in a way that leads them to express ownership of the adopted goals. All of the interim goals are predictive of their respective goals, and are influenceable by the Superintendent (and the Superintendent’s team). Predictive suggests that there is some evidence of a correlation between the interim goal and the goal. Influenceable suggests that the Superintendent -- and through them, the staff -- has authority over roughly 80% of the inputs the interim goal is measuring. The Board relied on a root cause analysis, comprehensive student needs assessment, and/or similar research-based tool to inform identification of and prioritization of potential goals. |
| VALUES & GUARDRAILS: The Board will, in collaboration with the Superintendent, adopt guardrails. | |||
| Not Student Outcomes Focused (0) | Approaching Student Outcomes Focus (10) | Meeting Student Outcomes Focus (25) | Mastering Student Outcomes Focus (35) |
| The Board is Not Student Outcomes Focused if any of the following are true: | No items from the Not Student Outcomes Focused column, and: | All items from the Approaching Student Outcomes Focus column, and: | All items from the Meeting Student Outcomes Focus column, and: |
| The Board has not adopted goals. The Board has not hosted opportunities to listen to the values of the community during the previous thirty-six month period. | The Board has adopted, in collaboration with the Superintendent, guardrails based on the community’s values and that do not hinder pursuit of the goals. Each guardrail describes a single operational action or class of actions the Superintendent may not use or allow in pursuit of the goals. The Board has adopted no fewer than one and no more than five guardrails. Fewer guardrails allow for more focus; more allow for less. The Superintendent has adopted, in collaboration with the Board, one to three interim guardrails for each guardrail, and each interim guardrail is SMART. The status of each interim guardrail is able to be updated multiple times during each school year. The Board publicly posted the guardrails for public comment prior to adoption. | The Superintendent has provided interim guardrail ending points for each year leading up to the ending date. All interim guardrails pertain to outputs or outcomes, not inputs. The Board included students, parents, staff, and community members in the guardrail development process. The Board has considered adoption of one or more theories of action to drive the school system’s overall strategic direction. If there is a permanent Superintendent, that person was included in the theory consideration process. All Board guardrails last from three to five years; all interim guardrails last from one to three years. The guardrails, interim guardrails, and theories of action will challenge the organization and require change in adult behaviors. | The Board used a process that included students, parents, staff, and community members in a way that leads them to express ownership of the adopted guardrails and, if applicable, theories of action. All of the interim guardrails are predictive of their respective guardrails, and are influenceable by the Superintendent (and the Superintendent’s team). Predictive suggests that there is some evidence of a correlation between the interim guardrail and the guardrail. Influenceable suggests that the Superintendent -- and through them, the staff -- has authority over roughly 80% of whatever the interim guardrail is measuring. In addition to the guardrails on the Superintendent's authority, the Board has adopted one to five guardrails on its own behavior and evaluates itself against them at least quarterly. |
| MONITORING & ACCOUNTABILITY: The Board will devote significant time monthly to monitoring progress toward the goals. | |||
| Not Student Outcomes Focused (0) | Approaching Student Outcomes Focus (10) | Meeting Student Outcomes Focus (25) | Mastering Student Outcomes Focus (35) |
| The Board is Not Student Outcomes Focused if any of the following are true: | No items from the Not Student Outcomes Focused column, and: | All items from the Approaching Student Outcomes Focus column, and: | All items from the Meeting Student Outcomes Focus column, and: |
| The Board has not adopted goals. The Board does not schedule each goal to be monitored at least four times per year. The Board does not schedule each guardrail to be monitored at least once per year. The Board has not adopted a monitoring calendar. The Board does not track its use of time in Board-authorized public meetings. The Board has not consistently demonstrated the ability to distinguish between customer service/issues and owner service/issues. The school system has not achieved any of its interim goals during the previous twelve month period. | The Board invests no less than 10% of its total Board-authorized public meeting minutes monitoring its goals. The Superintendent led the interim goals/guardrails and monitoring calendar development processes while working collaboratively with the Board. The Board has a Board-adopted monitoring calendar. The Board's monitoring calendar spans the length of the Board’s goals. A longer span allows for more focus; shorter allows for less. The Board has received monitoring reports in accordance with its monitoring calendar. The Superintendent is evaluated only on performance regarding the Board’s goals, guardrails, and interim goals/guardrails. The Board considers Superintendent performance to be indistinguishable from school system performance. | The Board invests no less than 25% of its total Board-authorized public meeting minutes monitoring its goals. No more than two goals are monitored per month. Every goal is monitored at least four times per year. Every guardrail is monitored at least once per year. The Board has been provided copies of -- but, unless required by law, did not vote to approve / disapprove -- the Superintendent's plan(s) for implementing the Board's goals and worked to ensure that the plan included both an implementation timeline and implementation instruments. The most recent annual Superintendent evaluation took place no more than twelve months ago. | The Board invests no less than 50% of its total Board-authorized public meeting minutes each month into effectively monitoring its goals. Only Board work was discussed and/or acted on during Board-authorized public meetings. The Board modifies its goals, guardrails, and monitoring calendar no more than once during the span of the Board’s adopted goals (unless they are met sooner). A longer period allows for more focus; shorter allows for less. The school system has achieved at least half of its interim goals during the previous twelve month period. If the Board approves an annual budget, it does so only after determining that the Board’s goals are the first priority for resource allocation. The majority of the Board’s monitoring sessions during the period were rated Effective or Highly Effective. |
| COMMUNICATION & COLLABORATION: The Board will lead transparently and include stakeholders in the pursuit of the goals. | |||
| Not Student Outcomes Focused (0) | Approaching Student Outcomes Focus (10) | Meeting Student Outcomes Focus (25) | Mastering Student Outcomes Focus (35) |
| The Board is Not Student Outcomes Focused if any of the following are true: | No items from the Not Student Outcomes Focused column, and: | All items from the Approaching Student Outcomes Focus column, and: | All items from the Meeting Student Outcomes Focus column, and: |
| The Board has not adopted goals. The Board did not receive the final version of materials to be voted on at least three calendar days before the Board-authorized public meeting during which the materials would be considered. There were more than six Board-authorized public meetings in a single month during the previous twelve month period (Board committees are counted in this total). Any meeting of the Board lasted more than eight hours during the previous twelve month period. The Board does not use a consent agenda. The Board has not hosted opportunities to listen to the vision and values of the community during the previous thirty-six month period. | All consent-eligible items were placed on the consent agenda and all but a few were voted on using a consent agenda. The Board tracks its use of time in Board-authorized public meetings, categorizing every minute used as one of the following: - Goal Setting: reviewing, discussing, and/or selecting goals - Goal Monitoring: reviewing, discussing, and/or approving/not approving goal monitoring reports - Guardrail Setting: reviewing, discussing, and/or selecting guardrails - Guardrail Monitoring: reviewing, discussing, and/or approving/not approving guardrail monitoring reports - Leadership Evaluation: Board self eval, Board time use eval, and Superintendent eval - Voting: debating and voting on any item (these activities are never a form of goal/guardrail monitoring) - Community Engagement: two-way communication between the Board and community members - Other | There are no more than four Board-authorized public meetings per month and none lasts more than three hours. The Board schedules no more than five topics for discussion during any one Board-authorized public meeting. The Board limits its adoption of Board policies regarding school system operations to matters that are 1) required by law or 2) an appropriate exercise of the Board's oversight authority as defined by the Board's adopted goals and/or guardrails. Existing policies that do not meet one of these criteria have been removed from the Board’s policy manual (though the Superintendent may retain them as administrative policy/regulation). The Board made no edits to the Board's regularly scheduled meeting agenda during the meeting and during the three business days before the meeting unless a state of emergency was declared. | There are no more than two Board-authorized public meetings per month and none lasts more than two hours. The Board schedules no more than three topics for discussion during any Board-authorized public meeting. The Board has adopted few enough policies that the full Board as a whole is able to review every policy at least once during every length of time equal to a Board Member’s term of office. The Board received the final version of materials to be voted on at least seven calendar days before the Board-authorized public meeting during which the materials would be considered. The Board used a process that included students, parents, staff, and community members in a way that led them to express ownership of the adopted goals and guardrails. |
| UNITY & TRUST: The Board will lead with one voice in its pursuit of the goals. | |||
| Not Student Outcomes Focused (0) | Approaching Student Outcomes Focus (10) | Meeting Student Outcomes Focus (25) | Mastering Student Outcomes Focus (35) |
| The Board is Not Student Outcomes Focused if any of the following are true: | No items from the Not Student Outcomes Focused column, and: | All items from the Approaching Student Outcomes Focus column, and: | All items from the Meeting Student Outcomes Focus column, and: |
| The Board has not adopted goals. The Board has not adopted policies that establish Board operating procedures. Any Board Member voted on an item on which they had a conflict of interest, as defined by law, during the previous three month period. Board Members serve on committees formed by the Superintendent or staff without approval of the Superintendent and a majority of the Board. | Attendance at all regularly scheduled Board meetings was over 80% during the previous three month period. The Board has adopted a policy or procedure requiring that information provided by the Superintendent to one Board Member is provided to all Board Members. The Board reviews all policies governing Board operating procedures at least once during every length of time equal to a Board Member’s term of office. The Board has adopted an Ethics & Conflicts of Interest Statement and all Board Members have signed the statement during their current term of office. All Board Members agree that if the Board has committees, their role is only to advise the Board, not to advise the staff. | The Board has included language in its Ethics & Conflicts of Interest Statement requiring that Board Members do not give operational advice or instructions to staff members. The Board has included language in its Ethics & Conflicts of Interest Statement requiring that Board Members are responsible for the outcomes of all students, not just students in their region of the school system. The Board has included language in its Ethics & Conflicts of Interest Statement requiring that Board Members fully recuse themselves from matters involving individuals or organizations who made campaign contributions to them or who appointed them. The Board unanimously agreed during the most recent self-evaluation that all Board Members have honored the three aforementioned ethical boundaries during the previous evaluation period. | The Board unanimously agreed during the most recent self-evaluation that all Board Members adhered to all policies governing Board operating procedures during the previous evaluation period. All Board Members and the Superintendent agreed during the most recent self-evaluation that none of the Board Members have given operational advice or instructions to staff members. All Board Members have memorized all of the Board’s goals and the current status of each. The Board conducted a quarterly self-evaluation during the previous three month period -- or annually if the most recent score was 80 or higher -- and unanimously voted to adopt the results. |
| CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT: The Board will invest time and resources toward improving its focus on the goals. | |||
| Not Student Outcomes Focused (0) | Approaching Student Outcomes Focus (10) | Meeting Student Outcomes Focus (25) | Mastering Student Outcomes Focus (35) |
| The Board is Not Student Outcomes Focused if any of the following are true: | No items from the Not Student Outcomes Focused column, and: | All items from the Approaching Student Outcomes Focus column, and: | All items from the Meeting Student Outcomes Focus column, and: |
| The Board has not adopted goals. The Board has not conducted a self-evaluation during the previous twelve month period. The Board has conducted a self-evaluation during the previous twelve month period but did not vote to adopt the results. The Board has not participated in a governance team training or retreat where all members of the governance team were present, during the previous twelve month period. | The Board tracks its use of time and reports monthly the percentage of Board-authorized public meeting time invested in monitoring the Board’s goals and interim goals. The Board tracks the estimated annual cost of staff time invested in governance during its annual self-evaluation. This includes the time of any staff members invested in preparing for, attending, and debriefing after meetings. This includes all Board-authorized public meetings as well as all closed sessions and all hearings. The Board has provided time during regularly scheduled Board-authorized public meetings to recognize the accomplishments of its students and staff regarding progress toward goals and interim goals. The most recent Board self-evaluation took place no more than 12 months ago using this instrument or a research-aligned instrument. | The most recent Board annual self-evaluation took place no more than 45 days before the most recent Superintendent evaluation. The Board has hosted and the Board Members have led or co-led at least one training session on Student Outcomes Focused Governance during the previous twelve month period. The Board has continuously updated the status and targets of all goals, guardrails, and interim goals/guardrails, and publicly displays them in the room in which the Board most frequently holds regularly scheduled Board meetings. The Board conducted the most recent self-evaluation and voted to adopt the results. |
There are no more than three Board-authorized public meetings per month and none lasts more than two hours.
The Board schedules no more than three topics for discussion during any Board-authorized public meeting. The Board received the final version of materials to be voted on at least seven to fourteen calendar days before the Board- authorized public meeting during which the materials would be considered. The Board used a process that included students, parents, staff, and community members in a way that led them to express ownership of the adopted goals and guardrails. |