About the Self-Assessment and Action Plan (SAAP)
Each year, all public and public charter schools within the District of Columbia are required to complete and submit a Healthy Schools Act School Health Profile (SHP). In March 2024, the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) received and verified the 2023-24 SHP data reported by all schools. Schools out of compliance with the health education, physical education and/or physical activity requirements set forth in the Healthy Schools Act of 2010 (HSA) and Healthy Schools Amendment Act of 2018 must complete and submit to OSSE a Self-Assessment and Action Plan (SAAP) (DC Official Code § 38–824.02). The purpose of the SAAP is to self-identify and address challenges with meeting the minutes requirements and to develop an action plan to increase the minutes of instruction in school year 2024-25. The SAAP supports schools in developing strategies that will lead to compliance in meeting the minutes requirements for health education, physical education and physical activity.

2023-24 SAAP Process and Deadlines
By Friday, April 19, 2024, OSSE will email the school and local education (LEA) SHP Points of Contact (POCs) for each school out of compliance and requiring a SAAP with further instructions. The SAAP platform will open in the School Health Profile Application on Monday, April 22. Schools must submit their SAAP in the School Health Profile Application by 11:59 p.m. on Friday, May 31, and school principals must complete the assurances once the plan is approved by OSSE, no later than 11:59 p.m. on Friday, June 28. For questions or additional information, please contact [email protected].

SAAP Instructions
Access the School Health Profile Application and click on the Self-Assessment and Action Plan icon. Refer to the access instructions for more information. The SAAP page will display your school’s area(s) of noncompliance as individual tabs.

To review your submitted responses in the 2023-24 School Health Profile (SHP), navigate to the School Health Profile Application and click on the icon for School Health Profile for Current School Year, or you may access your school’s PDF report on OSSE’s website. Each SHP section includes and introduction that cites the health education, physical education and/or physical activity requirements set forth in the Healthy Schools Act of 2010 (HSA) and Healthy Schools Amendment Act of 2018. This allows schools to reference their submitted responses against the legislative requirements.

Guidance for Developing a High-Quality SAAP
OSSE reviews all submitted action plans. Once an action plan has been submitted, the plan may be approved as submitted or returned to the school for revisions and/or additional information. Use the below guidance to create a strong action plan the first time around.

Focus on Minutes

• Clearly and explicitly focus on meeting the minutes requirements. While your school may wish to set other goals around health education, physical education and physical activity, these are not required for the SAAP.
• Briefly state the impact of identified challenges on compliance with the requirements set forth in HSA and HSAA. Schools should acknowledge how the self-identified challenges affected compliance with meeting the minutes requirements this school year.

Engage in Team Planning

• Schools must include, at minimum, the school principal and appropriate instructional staff in the SAAP process. Once your action plan has been reviewed and approved by OSSE, the school principal must complete assurances, attesting to this team-based approach and to the implementation of the action plan in the 2024-25 school year.
• Plan for 2024-25 school year. Some identified challenges, such as those associated with facilities, may be more difficult to remedy by next school year. While schools may choose to describe in their action plan the long-term activities planned to address identified challenges, the action plan must include at least one step the school will take in the 2024-25 school year.

Plan Strategically and Effectively

• Identify programmatic changes. Identify one or more shifts in programming that you can commit to implementing that can help your school move toward compliance.
• Address the root causes. Ensure your action plan strategies are clearly aligned with and address the challenges you identified in your self-assessment.
• Keep it realistic. Start small with reasonable and achievable changes than can lead to compliance with the minutes requirements. For example, if lack of space is a barrier to meeting the physical activity requirements, then capital projects for new facility space may not the best action step to include in your plan. Instead, commit to a smaller change like incorporating more physical activity into instruction by having students pass a ball to each other as they answer math questions aloud.
• Get SMART. A clear goal is a high-quality goal. With the SMART goal method, your goal is clearly defined and attainable. Set Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-bound goals for a solid action plan. Action plans should be written as a SMART goal.

For a downloadable copy of the SAAP guidance, click here.

For SAAP support, please contact [email protected].