Monitoring Site Visits (MSVs) and Targeted Site Visits (TSVs)

Monitoring Site Visits (MSVs) are two-day visits of schools designated as underperforming and chronically underperforming (broad/comprehensive support schools), and of schools receiving competitive federal and state school improvement grant funding. The vendor approved to provide MSVs in these schools is the American Institutes for Research (AIR). AIR’s process yields critical information and feedback on the progress districts and schools are making in support of sustained improvement efforts through classroom observations (using the CLASS tool by Teachstone), instructional staff surveys, focus groups, and interviews. In SY 2018-2019, DESE and AIR developed a modified version of the traditional Turnaround Practices and Indicators Rubric for secondary schools. This revised rubric is intended to give schools serving grades 6-12 better formative feedback on their implementation of research-based best practices for sustained improvement efforts in secondary settings.

The MSV rubric and process guides used by AIR are provided here:

Targeted Site Visits (TSVs) are an abridged version of the MSV, with two vendors approved by DESE to use their own rubric and process to provide districts and schools with qualitative information on their implementation of the turnaround practices: American Institutes for Research (AIR) and SchoolWorks. AIR’s TSV is a one day, on-site visit for classroom observations (using the CLASS tool by Teachstone), and an instructional staff survey and phone interview with the school leader. SchoolWorks spends one day on-site conducting classroom observations, focus groups, and interviews, as well as an additional half-day on-site supporting the school through a prioritization process.

The rubrics, process guides, and one-page summaries for each vendor are provided here:

American Institutes for Research (AIR) Resources:

SchoolWorks Resources:

Last Updated: February 7, 2022