The purpose of the annual strategic support plan is to guide LEAs through the process of prioritizing areas for improvement and developing a plan to improve outcomes for students with disabilities. 

The purpose of the SSP is to guide LEAs through the process of prioritizing RDA indicators contributing to low performance. The SSP is not a substitute to fulfill requirements of the Effective Schools Framework (ESF) determined by accountability nor any targeted improvement plan required through the ESF process. 

The SSP is designed to assist the LEA's area(s) of growth to improve outcomes identified within the RDA performance indicators. The SSP is a tool used annually as part of the LEA's continuous improvement process to prioritize essential program elements, timelines, milestones, metrics, and task owners. When implemented with fidelity, the SSP assists in identifying district goals to support root causes of low performance related to RDA determination levels. 

The process of developing the Strategic Support Plan has eight (8) steps:

1. Review Sources of Data

2. Identify Priority Areas

3. Develop Problem Statement(s)

4. Conduct Root Cause Analysis

5. Define Annual Goal(s)

6. Develop Strategies for Implementation

7. Define Implementation Activities

8. Monitor and Report Progress

• Strategic Support Plan Overview

• ASCEND Texas SSP Process

• ASCEND Texas Application Access

• Continuous Improvement Guide