The School Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA) is a strategic plan that maximizes the school's resources while minimizing duplication of effort. The ultimate goal is to increase student achievement. SPSA development should align with and inform the Local Control and Accountability Plan process.

In an effort to reduce redundancies at the local level, the templates for the Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) and the School Plan for Student Achievement (School Plan) have been designed to work together. The LCAP is a local educational agency (LEA) level planning document with a three-year timeline, while the School Plan is specific to a school with a one-year term. Despite these differences, the nature of each plan is similar by design. As a result, an LEA and its schools can benefit from the use of a shared vocabulary and planning process that is embedded in a context of continuous improvement.

The approach to planning described here is a continuous improvement model framed around the sections of the LCAP and School Plan. Figure 1 illustrates a suggested sequence of planning stages, which begins with identifying resource inequities, as applicable, and a review of past performance as addressed in the Analysis sections of each plan.