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Are you ready for a Research-Based Continuous School

Improvement Process?

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Mobilize stakeholders

• Share information• Gather stakeholder input• Facilitate Involvement

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Determine Data Skills

Basic Data User• Knowledgeable and positive attitudes about data• Skills in using data in the classroom• Resources and support systems for using dataSchool Improvement User• Understands data adequately to make decisions using data• Understandings and interprets systematic data collected at the

school wide levelData Coach• Skilled at organizing, summarizing, displaying and interpreting

school wide data• Can explain both classroom and school wide data to staff in order to

help them understand and use data in their job roles

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Are you prepared to use data?

• What is the attitude about using data?• How knowledgeable are you about data?• How skillful are you in using data?

In the Classroom

School wide• What resources and support systems do

we have for using data?

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Communicating and Using Results for Further Improvement

• Enlist support from stakeholders• Create a network of communicators• Use data relevant to each stakeholder

group• Communicate results to each stakeholder

group• Use the results from your present School

Improvement Plan to further results

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AdvancED Standards for Quality SchoolsResearch Base

Three core tasks that impact student achievement

• Ensure Desired Results• Improve Teaching and Learning• Foster a Culture of Improvement

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AdvancED Standards for Quality Schools

Five conditions that contribute to student achievement

• Quality teachers• Effective leadership• Quality information• Policies and procedures• Resources and support systems

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School Improvement Process – Sustainable and Systemic

SustainableStudent performance results continue over

a period of time rather than being one-time or episodic gains

SystematicIndependent functions within a school that

work together to improve results

that work together to improve results

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Vision

Research tells us that School Improvement can only occur when it is built on a solid foundation. A vision based on grounded beliefs and developed through a collaborative process is the foundation for improvement process that compels people to action.

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Vision

An expression of the ideal or desired state…provides purpose and sets direction…inspires action…aligned with student expectations for learning

How is vision developed and used?• Stakeholders examine their beliefs and values through

collaboration and community engagement• School uses vision to derive expectations for student

learning

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VisioningVision is…

A motivating, challenging and compelling picture of the desired future

EX: At the end of the exiting grade, our students will…

Beliefs are…Shared values that unify stakeholders, provide direction, and

guide behaviorEx: Parents, teachers, school staff, and local

business people comprise a community that is necessary for a school to achieve its goal of educating children

Mission is…A concise action statement that defines the school’s purpose

Ex: Teachers, students, and parents, working together, will provide each student the opportunity to achieve his/her highest academic potential in a positive and nurturing environment.

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Profile

Provides a rich and accurate description of the school’s current reality…influences the school’s decisions, efforts, and actions

How is the profile developed and used?• School stakeholders collect information/data on

students and their performances, school effectiveness, and the school and community contexts for learning

• School uses profile to target areas for improvement

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Profile

• The school profile is a critical component in developing a school improvement plan.

• The profile assists the school stakeholders in developing an understanding of the environment in which the school operates.

• The profile records the performance levels of the students, the perceptions and expectations of parents and community members and important factors that impact teaching and learning.

• The school profile is a concise stand-alone document developed to summarize information that describes the students within a specific school.

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The Profile – A Living Document

• Provides data to identify and validate strengths and improvement priorities

• Supplies information to deepen understanding about areas targeted for improvement

• Warehouses information collected during implementation while monitoring progress

• Documents/records results which become new reality

• Illustrates patterns and trends as they emerge over time

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Profile Content

Describes and Analyzes…Student Performance (testing data,

observations)Stakeholder Perceptions (surveys, focus

groups)Instructional and Organizational Capacity

(surveys, discussion groups)Student and Community DemographicsSchool CharacteristicsExternal Conditions that Impact Learning

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The School Staff Needs Help

• To become knowledgeable of purpose and familiar with content

• To interpret and make meaning of the data• To analyze information and identify gaps

between vision and reality• To identify strengths and improvement areas• To establish criteria to select targets• To select and validate targets for improvement

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Data

• Data or issues are better understood when information is gathered from a variety of sources (Triangulation)

• Types of data includes: Achievement, observations, participation, perceptions, transition

• Looks to the root cause for solutions in order to succeed

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AnalyzeQuality of the Students’ Work and the Work of the School

List the strengths/improvement areas and emerging issues related to – student performance, – issues related to school, student, and community demographics, – information related to perception surveys,– school, state, school board, diocese, federal mandated areas– professional development opportunities– resources– curriculum– stakeholder involvement– school climate– policies and procedures– leadership– communications

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Rank Order and Priorities

Rank order the identified strengthsRank order the identified need of improvement (weaknesses, limitations, challenges)

List 3 to 5 priority areas for improvement of student performance based on the strengths and areas in need of improvement and that have the potential to impact student performance

List 3 to 5 priority goals for the organizational improvement of the school which would ultimately impact student performance

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The School Profile

• Is a stand alone document which summarizes the findings of the data collected

• Provides an appropriate analysis of the data• Provides a picture of what is taking place in the

school, both in terms of learning and teaching• Is a collection of indicators• Should be considered as working drafts and

school change as new information is available• Should not be seen as a “deficit only report”• Guides decisions

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Plan and Implementation

Identifies what is to be improved, how improvement efforts will be implemented, and how success will be measured

How are plans developed, implemented, and used?• Stakeholders identify improvement goal areas along with

appropriate interventions, strategies, and/or activities designed to support growth and success

• Interventions (or strategies) are monitored throughout implementation and adjustments are made as needed

• Formative assessment provide insights regarding potential impact of plan

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Planning—Focus, Assess, ActFocus• What is the goal? • What does exemplary performance look like?• What level do we want to reach?Assess• What is the current level of performance? (Baseline data)• How will progress be measured, monitored and evaluated?

(Formative and Summative)Act• What interventions will be implemented to cause improvement?

(Strategies, programs, activities, professional development, family involvement)

• What types of support, assistance, and resources are needed? (monetary, time, human, materials, software, technology, and equipment)

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Focus

What Priority or Area of Focus needs improvement? (e.g. reading, writing, communication)

What is the Goal to be achieved for the priority or area of focus? (e.g. student utilize, evaluate, and refine the use of multiple strategies to solve a variety of problems.)

What Performance Indicator(s) describes what proficiency must be demonstrated to achieve the goal? or What will a student do? (e.g. Fine Arts: Students articulate and justify personal aesthetic criteria for evaluating their work and the work of others.)

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Assess

What is the Current Level of Performance related to the Goal? (e.g. Last year 68% of students were at or above proficiency on the writing section of our standardized test.)

What Benchmark or Results are to be achieved each year? (e.g. 72% of students will be at or above proficiency on the writing section of our standardized test)

What Assessment Instruments or Tools will be administered to monitor and evaluate the extent to which the goal is achieved? (e.g. criteria reference test, norm reference test, student writing portfolios)

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Act• What actions will be taken to improve proficiency for the

performance indicators? or What will a teacher do to help a student demonstrate the desired proficiency? (e.g. Teachers will introduce and implement a weekly writer’s workshop with a focus on the curriculum objectives for the week.)

• What resources, including training, are needed to implement the strategies effectively? (e.g. All teachers will participate in the Writer’s Workshop Seminar for Young Children prior to the start of the school year.)

• What monitoring system will be established and implemented to evaluate the effectiveness of the strategy? (e.g. Teachers and students will complete and submit monthly feedback forms on the effectiveness of the writer’s workshop.)

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Basic School Improvement TemplateBaseline Data:

Action Steps Timeline Estimated Resources

Person(s) Responsible

MethodOf Evaluation

Strategy How long?

Who, what,How much will it cost?

Who is responsible

How strategy Is evaluated

Strategy How long?

Who, what, how much will it cost?

Who is responsible

How strategy Is evaluated

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School-level Change

First Order Changes-Specific classroom and school-wide practices: Changes in

efficiency, organization, specific practices, “change without difference”

Second Order Changes-Philosophy, focus and ownership: Systemic change,

fundamental ethos, philosophy, beliefs driving practice “restructuring”

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First Order Changes• Group projects• Cooperative learning• School within a school• Block Scheduling• Recognition programs• Interdisciplinary teaming• Teacher teams• Interdisciplinary curriculum• Higher order thinking skills• Multi-aged grouping• Heterogeneous grouping for instruction• Alternative assessment procedures

No first order change is a predictor of student achievement

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First and Second Order Change

First Order Change Second Order Change

Smaller classes …………………………. Changing relationships and teaching strategies

Site-based councils……………………… Collaboration and ownership

Ninety-minute teaching blocks…………. Extended teaching and learning strategies and opportunities

Schools within schools………………….. New interactions and relationships

Teaching teams with common…………. Coordinated focusedPlanning curriculum

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Success Factors

When choosing an intervention, ask these questions.• Is it focused on the identified cause of student

performance problems?• Does it incorporate research-based practices that

improve student performance?• Has it improved student performance in similar schools?• Has it been successful with different subgroups of

students?• Is it consistent with your school’s beliefs and vision for

student learning?

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Research States

• Effective changes in teaching methods and materials are focused, school-wide and represent a philosophical shift.

• Improving schools operate as teams, with student, parents, and community taking responsibility for improvement.

• Professional development time is used strategically.

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Implementation

Implementation is an action component, not a section of the report

• Set the plan into action• Develop readiness for the plan and

communicate it to stakeholders• Implement and monitor the plan• Adjust the interventions, dates, etc., as

necessary

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Results

A determination of how successful current improvement efforts have been…provides beginning place for future improvement efforts

How are results collected and used?• School collects and analyzes data to determine

impact of improvement efforts• School communicates results to stakeholders

and uses information to determine next steps for continuous improvement

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Results

• Monitor the ongoing measures to determine results (Who will monitor? How will you monitor?)

• Analyze and document student performance results

• Evaluate the success of interventions (“Autopsy” the plan with stakeholders)

• Communicate a yearly summary to stakeholders• Use results for further improvement

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School Improvement

• School improvement is a seamless process.

• There is a beginning to the process, but never an end.

• The improvement path will not always be straight, but good data analysis will always show you the way to improved student performance.

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Continuous Improvement

• An accredited school makes a commitment and demonstrates the capacity to engage in ongoing improvement

• Educators possess a “can do” attitude• Educators build their capacity to improve

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AdvancED Resources

www.advanc-ed.orgGo on line and check out the pamphlets,

books, surveys, on-line training, peer-to-peer practices and best practices that would help you in your school improvement effort

dreschoettle@bellsouth.netElizabeth L. Schoettle Ed.D., AdvancED

Field Consultant for Louisiana