The key elements of the CIS Model include:
1. CIS Site Team
The CIS site team is led by a CIS site coordinator responsible for planning and managing all CIS operations at the site. The site coordinator works closely with school administrators, staff and teachers in this effort. The remaining part of the team may include varied combinations of additional CIS staff, reassigned or repositioned staff, partners and volunteers, each with defined roles and responsibilities based on CIS site operations plans.
2. Annual Needs Assessment
Each year CIS identifies needs based on multiple sources of data. These may include data collected by school districts and schools as part of overall school improvement initiatives, surveys and discussions with staff, parents and students, and evaluation results from the previous year. Needs are prioritized in consultation with school administrators and are used as the foundation for site operations planning.
3. Annual Site Operations Planning
4. Delivery of Evidence-Based Services
According to the site operations plan, widely accessible Level One services are provided to help address identified school-wide needs or to build and reinforce student assets. Targeted and sustained Level Two services are provided for specific students who are identified as having the greatest risk of eventually dropping out of school. Level Two services are provided based on individualized assessments and plans. CIS Total Quality System standards define the frequency and saturation levels of services required for full implementation of the CIS Model.
5. Monitoring and Adjusting Services
According to the site operations plan, the CIS site team regularly monitors and adjusts services as needed to maximize effectiveness and impact. The team also provides regular progress reports to school and affiliate leadership.
6. Evaluating the Effectiveness of Services
According to the site operations plan and the affiliate’s uniform data collection system, the CIS site team implements a systematic data collection plan to evaluate the effectiveness of services on achieving school-wide goals and addressing the needs of individual students.
7. Annual Reporting
The CIS site team provides annual end-of-year reports to school and affiliate leadership. These reports are instrumental in planning site services for the following year, as well as contributing to affiliate level reports for partners, the state office (if appropriate) and the national office.
The CIS Model Works
Communities In Schools is an innovator in tackling the dropout problem in America. We work with those who are the most disenfranchised in our society to remove barriers to school success. We have honed the concept of school-based, integrated student support services by mobilizing resources that already exist in the community and bringing them into schools to address specific, identified needs such as academic enrichment, mentoring and parental involvement. Our model is the most effective, sustainable and scalable solution to the dropout problem that exists. For more information about our current CIS sites and developing sites please contact Jim Purcell in the CIS state office at 302-857-1744.
