School Improvement Plan: Practical Framework & Action Steps
Creating a school improvement plan (SIP) is necessary for schools that want consistent growth, high learning outcomes, and alignment with national frameworks like the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. A strong SIP gives your school direction, structure, and accountability, helping you move beyond isolated initiatives and towards measurable, long-term improvement.
This guide walks you step-by-step through how to design and implement an effective school improvement plan (SIP) tailored to your school’s needs.
Key Takeaways
- A school improvement plan (SIP) gives schools a structured, measurable, long-term roadmap to improve academics, culture, safety, infrastructure, and teaching quality.
- A strong SIP begins with a thorough baseline assessment, stakeholder input, and clearly defined SMART goals aligned with the school’s vision.
- Effective SIPs integrate NEP 2020 priorities such as foundational learning, experiential classrooms, multilingualism, digital literacy, and vocational exposure.
- Aligning with the Shaala Siddhi Framework helps Indian schools conduct evidence-based self-evaluation and track progress across seven key domains.
What is a School Improvement Plan (SIP)?
A school improvement plan (SIP) is a structured, evidence-based roadmap that outlines how a school will enhance its teaching practices, strengthen learning outcomes, improve infrastructure, and create a safer, more inclusive learning environment. It includes clear goals, timelines, responsibilities, evaluation criteria, and measurable indicators of progress.
An SIP ensures that improvement is neither random, nor reactive, nor dependent on individual leadership. It should be systematic, continuous, and school-wide.
School Improvement Plan (SIP) & Shaala Siddhi
While drafting an School Improvement Plan (SIP), Indian schools must consider the Shaala Siddhi Framework, an initiative under NIEPA (National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration) that sets national standards for school evaluation and improvement. We’ll cover the importance of this further in this blog.
Aligning Your SIP With NEP 2020: What Schools Must Not Miss
Your school improvement plan (SIP) should naturally align with the priorities outlined under the NEP 2020, especially as Indian education moves towards competency-based, technology-enabled, and inclusive learning.
NEP 2020 Integration Areas to Include in Your SIP:
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- Foundational Learning: Prioritise strong literacy, numeracy, and conceptual understanding in early grades.
Read More: Foundational Learning
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- Multilingualism/Mother Tongue Instruction: SIP goals should reflect early learning in local languages and a gradual shift to multilingual competence.
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- Experiential Learning: Encourage hands-on activities, real-world application, labs, sports, arts, and project-based learning.
Read More: Experiential Learning
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- Digital Literacy for All Students: Ensure every child gains access to technology, digital tools, and AI-enhanced learning resources.
- Vocational Integration: Include structured exposure to crafts, skills, entrepreneurship, and community-based learning.
Read More: Vocational Education
Adding these elements strengthens the SIP’s relevance and ensures alignment with national policy outcomes.
How to Create a School Improvement Plan (Step-by-Step)
Below is a complete process schools can follow to design an actionable, holistic School Improvement Plan (SIP).
Step 1: Conduct a Thorough School Assessment
Before writing any goal or plan, you need a baseline, a clear understanding of where the school currently stands.
Why Baseline Assessment Matters:
It helps you:
- Identify strengths and gaps.
- Prioritise improvement areas.
- Set realistic and measurable targets.
- Build a data-backed SIP rather than a guess-based one.
Use Multiple Assessment Tools:
A high-quality assessment includes:
- School audits (academic, safety, infrastructure, digital readiness)
- Surveys for teachers, parents, and students
- Classroom observations
- Infrastructure inspections
- Analysis of attendance, exam results, and student behaviour
- Review of community engagement practices
- Digital readiness and technology access checks
Your assessment must cover academics, infrastructure, safety, culture, teacher performance, leadership, and community involvement.
Step 2: Engage Stakeholders for Input & Support
A school improvement plan (SIP) succeeds only when everyone involved feels ownership. Make sure key stakeholders, like teachers, students, parents, administrators, and school management, participate in this process.
Why Stakeholder Participation Matters:
- It builds trust and transparency.
- You receive wider perspectives and on-ground insights.
- It increases community support during implementation.
How to Involve Them:
- Conduct focus groups with parents.
- Organise student council discussions.
- Hold teacher roundtables.
- Set up a digital suggestion box.
- Use forums and feedback cycles for proper communication and collaboration.
Step 3: Define Clear Goals & Measurable Objectives
After collecting the needed data and engaging with the necessary stakeholders, you need to translate your findings into SMART goals:
- Specific: Improve Class 3 reading levels.
- Measurable: Raise reading proficiency from 45% to 70%.
- Achievable: Align with available staff and resources.
- Relevant: Matches NEP priorities (foundational literacy).
- Time-Bound: Achieve by the end of the academic year.
Types of School Improvement Plan (SIP) Goals to Include:
- Short-term quick wins like repainting classrooms, reorganising timetables, and staff orientation.
- Long-term strategic goals like improving NEP-aligned pedagogies, upgrading labs, and boosting community participation.
Your action plan for the school improvement plan (SIP) should clearly outline the purpose, expected outcomes, and measurable targets.
Step 4: Develop Action Plans With Roles & Responsibilities
Once goals for your school improvement plan (SIP) are finalised, it’s time to convert them into actionable steps.
For this, each action plan step should include:
- What needs to be done
- Who is responsible
- Resources required
- Timeline
- Success indicators
- Reporting mechanism
Schools can maintain an SIP dashboard or spreadsheet to monitor tasks.
Step 5: Integrate Key Focus Areas Efficiently
Your school improvement plan (SIP) becomes strong when it addresses the most important pillars influencing school performance:
- School Culture: A positive school culture improves learning, behaviour, retention, and staff well-being.
Read More: How to Improve School Culture
- Infrastructure: Modern, safe infrastructure enhances teaching effectiveness and student engagement.
Read More: Key Requirements of School Infrastructure
- Student Safety: Include fire safety, transport audits, CCTV coverage, visitor logs, and mental well-being practices.
Read More: Student Safety Measures at School
- School Audits: Schedule annual or bi-annual audits to evaluate progress and identify new gaps.
Read More: School Audit
- Technology & Teaching Innovation: Integrate digital tools, blended learning, AI insights, personalised learning resources, and teacher upskilling.
Read More: School Improvement Ideas
Step 6: Align Your SIP With the Shaala Siddhi Framework
Shaala Siddhi ensures your school improvement plan (SIP) follows India’s national standards for school improvement.
Why This Step is Important:
- Encourages evidence-based improvement.
- Supports transparent reporting.
- Allows benchmarking with national indicators.
- Ideal for CBSE, state-board, rural, and private schools.
Seven Domains to Cover:
Shaala Siddhi provides a seven-domain framework that forms the backbone of structured school assessment:
| Shaala Siddhi Domain | What It Covers |
| Enabling Resources | Infrastructure, digital access, and facilities |
| Teaching-Learning & Assessment | Pedagogy, assessment quality, and classroom processes |
| Learners’ Progress | Academic outcomes and holistic development |
| Teacher Performance | Competence, training, and professional growth |
| Leadership & Management | School leadership, decision-making, and governance |
| Inclusion, Health & Safety | Safety and hygiene |
| Community Participation | Parent and community involvement |
Schools should use the e-Samiksha dashboard to conduct structured self-evaluation, upload evidence, track improvement milestones, and generate reports.
With Extramarks’ analytics dashboard, you can map student performance, assessments, attendance, teacher progress, and engagement data, and align your school improvement plan (SIP) with Shaala Siddhi’s domains to simplify SIP reporting and support data-driven decisions.
Step 7: Implement Monitoring & Evaluation Processes
A school improvement plan (SIP) is only effective if progress is tracked consistently. Below are the essential elements to monitor for the best results:
- Monthly review meetings
- Teacher progress reports
- Analysis of learning outcomes
- Student behaviour and attendance data
- Classroom observations
- Parent feedback loops
The Best Evaluation Practices:
- Use dashboards or simple tracking sheets.
- Share periodic updates with staff and parents.
- Adjust strategies based on progress and feedback.
- Celebrate improvements to keep teams motivated.
Step 8: Foster a Culture of Continuous Improvement
An SIP is not a one-time document. You have to make it a part of your framework for a smoother functioning of the school.
To sustain long-term success:
- Encourage experimentation with teaching techniques.
- Promote ongoing teacher training.
- Keep updating SIP goals based on new challenges.
- Prioritise NEP 2020-aligned pedagogical reforms.
- Celebrate milestones to keep morale high.
A culture of continuous improvement ensures your school improvement plan (SIP) doesn’t stay on paper but transforms everyday learning.
Conclusion
A strong school improvement plan (SIP) helps Indian schools achieve structured growth, measurable learning outcomes, and long-term consistency. By aligning SIP goals with NEP 2020, Shaala Siddhi, and evidence-based school audits, and by involving stakeholders, setting SMART goals, and leveraging technology, schools can build an environment where students, teachers, and communities thrive together.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is responsible for creating a school improvement plan?
School leadership typically leads the process of creating SIP, but teachers, parents, students, and community members must be actively involved to ensure relevance and collective ownership.
How often should a school improvement plan be reviewed?
SIPs should be reviewed quarterly and updated annually. Major goals may span 2 to 3 years, but progress must be evaluated regularly.
What are the main components of a school improvement plan?
The main components of an SIP in education are assessment, stakeholder engagement, SMART goals, action plans, key focus areas, Shaala Siddhi alignment, monitoring, and continuous improvement practices.
How can technology support school improvement?
Technology supports personalised learning, digital records, analytics dashboards, online assessments, and teacher upskilling, which strengthen SIP execution.
How does Extramarks help schools implement SIPs effectively?
Extramarks provides data dashboards, performance insights, digital learning tools, and classroom analytics that help schools track progress, align with Shaala Siddhi, and make evidence-based decisions.
Can small or rural schools also benefit from a school improvement plan?
Absolutely. SIPs help rural and small schools prioritise resources, improve teaching practices, align with NEP 2020, and enhance community involvement.
Last Updated on December 16, 2025
Reviewed by
Priya Kapoor | AVP - Academics
Priya Kapoor is an accomplished education professional with over 18 years of experience across diverse fields, including eLearning, digital and print publishing, instructional design, and content strategy. As the AVP – Academics at Extramarks, she leads academic teams in creating tailored educational solutions, ensuring alignment with varied curricula across national and international platforms...read more.
