Planning

In order for Tennessee to reach its goals that all students have the knowledge and skills to successfully embark upon their chosen path in life, it is important that schools, districts, and the state develop strong plans for improvement that aim to incrementally move towards those long term goals. Therefore, all districts and schools in Tennessee are required to create a comprehensive improvement plan that is developed annually by a diverse group of stakeholders to drive prioritization of the work and associated funding decisions to improve educational opportunities for all students. During the planning process, stakeholders are challenged to review various data points to identify the current needs of the district or school. Once the needs are identified, the planning team creates aligned goals, strategies, and action steps that align with the prioritized needs. All plans should be monitored regularly and revised based on students’ needs throughout the school year with input from the planning team.  

Additionally, ESSA requires Targeted Assistance and School wide Title I schools’ plans to contain additional components. Targeted Assistance school plans are required to have six components: 1) well-rounded education, 2) strengthening academics, 3) regular education coordination, 4) professional development, 5) parent and family engagement, and 6) other programs/coordination.

School wide plans must contain five specific components:1) opportunities for all students, 2) strengthening academics, 3) quality learning, 4) well-rounded education, and 5) at-risk students.

District and school planning takes place within InformTN with improved data visualizations, increased opportunities for collaboration, and a streamlined planning process.

CORE offices will provide district plan support to districts to:

  • Analyze data
  • Identify priority needs
  • Develop goals, strategies, and action steps

 Resources

5 Whys Protocol

ESSA Tiers of Evidence Guidance Document

ESSA Evidence PowerPoint

ESSA Guidance: Using Evidence to Strengthen Education Investments

Reflect to Plan Guidance

InformTN Access Instructions

InformTN District Plan Approvals   

InformTN Data Sources Overview and Summary

InformTN Data Sources

School Plan Rubric

District Plan Rubric

Walking through InformTN

InformTN Business Rules

School Planning Resources for District Leaders

School Plan Rubric

A Guide to District Support for School Planning

InformTN Webinar Series

Week 1- Access and Overall Walkthrough

Week 2- Landing Page, Explore Data, and Analyze Needs

Week 3- Prepare to Plan, Upload Documents, Reflect on Plan

Week 4- Review and Submit Plans, Reviewing School Plans

InformTN Technical User Guide

The InformTN Technical User Guide is intended to provide information regarding InformTN, a component of the ePlan suite of tools for sharing data and guiding annual district and school planning. It provides key information on the contents and functionality of the component and technical guidance for navigating through the tool.This document was last updated March 2024.