Task 4: Review the Plan for Quality

District’s Role

The district is often charged with reviewing school EOPs and, therefore, plays a primary role in Task 4. We recommend that districts develop a framework for reviewing and approving plans. This framework should identify who from the district will review plans, how plans will be reviewed, and what criteria will be used to review plans. There are many different criteria that the district may use when reviewing school EOPs. For example, the district should check the written plan for compliance with applicable laws and for its usefulness in practice. Commonly used criteria can help determine the effectiveness and efficiency of all school EOPs within the district.

Criteria for Evaluating a School EOP

• ✔ The plan is adequate if it
  • Identifies and addresses critical courses of action;
  • Accomplishes the assigned function; and
  • Includes valid assumptions.
• ✔ The plan is feasible if the school can accomplish the assigned function and critical tasks.
• ✔ The plan is acceptable if it
  • Meets the requirements driven by a threat or hazard;
  • Meets cost and time limitations; and
  • Is consistent with the law.
• ✔ A plan is complete if it
  • Incorporates all needed courses of action;
  • Integrates the needs of the whole school community;
  • Provides a complete picture of what should happen, when, and at whose direction;
  • Estimates times for achieving objectives;
  • Identifies success criteria; and
  • Conforms to the planning principles outlined here.
• ✔ A plan is compliant if it adheres to applicable state and local laws.

The district should consider the following when developing policies and procedures:

• How the district will provide training to each school core planning team on the characteristics of high-quality plans
• What the process is for reviewing school EOPs
• When the district will review school EOPs
• Who from the district will review school EOPs
• Which community partners will review and evaluate school EOPs
• The role of community partners who will participate in the review and evaluation of school EOPs
• What criteria the district will use to review school EOPs, and the extent to which certain criteria will be used
• The extent to which the district will use any tools, rubrics, or assessments to review school EOPs
• What applicable Federal, state, and local laws must be considered when reviewing the school EOPs

School’s Role

Based on the policies and procedures established by the district, the school core planning team should have a reviewed draft of the school EOP.