School Improvement Planning
Student Learning: Are
We Making a
Difference?
Spring, 2014
Why do we exist?
“The vitality of the Church is inextricably linked
to the health of its Catholic schools because
they provide the most effective way to
evangelize and form holy men and women who
make God known, loved, and served.”
Notre Dame Task Force on Catholic Education
Essential Questions for School
Improvement
2007-2009
Where are we now?
“How can anyone be sure that a particular set
of new inputs will produce better outputs if we
don’t at least study what happens inside?”
Paul Black and Dylan Wiliam
Inside the Black Box
Essential Questions for School
Improvement
2009-2010
How did we get where we are?
“Schools are perfectly designed to get the
results they are getting now. If schools want
different results, they must measure and then
change their processes to create the results
they want.”
Education for the Future
Essential Questions for School
Improvement
2010-2011
Where do we want to be?
“Courage is simply doing whatever is needed in
pursuit of the vision.”
Peter M. Senge
Essential Questions for School
Improvement
2011-2013
How are we going to get to where we
want to be?
“An essential factor in leadership is the capacity
to influence and organize meaning for the
members of the organization.”
Tom Peters
Essential Questions for School
Improvement
2013-14
Is what we are doing is making a
difference?
“If you are not monitoring and measuring
program implementation, the program
probably doesn’t exist.”
Education for the Future
Essential Elements of Group Work
Four Corners
Action
Structure
Vision-making
Community
Essential Elements of Group Work
Four Corners
Action people are apt to say, “Enough talk. Let’s get moving on this!”
Structure people often
ask when, how, who says,
how long, what time?
Vision-making people will
often inquire about why
something is being done,
what the purpose is, or if an
idea has implications that
have not been considered.
Community people often check to see if everyone is OK. They may speak up
when a break is needed because they are attuned to the physical/emotional needs of the group.
Essential Elements of Group Work
Discuss with others in your corner:
• What are the positive attributes that you
bring to a group?
• What challenges might you give to a group?
Essential Elements of Group Work
Four Corners
Action
Structure
Vision-making
Community
The Process of Using Data in
School Improvement
Planning
Where are we now?
Students
• What do we want students to learn?
• How will we know if they have learned it?
• What do students know now?
• What do we do if they already know it?
DataManager
• Comparing performance in Mathematics with
cognitive abilities performance
• Comparing performance in Reading with
cognitive abilities performance
• Mathematics Common Core domain analysis
• ELA Common Core domain analysis
Evidence for a well-supported finding:
Finding:
Students’ performance in reading is declining.
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Standardized Test Results
Scores have declined by 8% from last year’s reading total on the Iowa Assessments.
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MAP Test Scores
The RIT score for reading has declined by __________.
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Classroom Reading Assessments
Teachers cite students’ inability to read their textbooks as the top reason students perform poorly on classroom
tests and homework assignments.
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Teacher Observations
Teachers report that classroom assignments requiring reading are less likely to be completed than assignments
that do not require reading.
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Expert Input
The school librarian says teachers are asking for alternative resources for their students at a lower reading level.
Assessment Data: The survey says…
Your Assessment Survey provides:
Name of Assessment
Type of Assessment
Grades
Sub-Tests/Areas of Focus
Frequency of Assessment
Audience
Purpose
Assessment Survey Activity
• Review your assessment survey and see what
assessments are in place that provide
summative and formative data related to
your student learning goal.
• Is this data identified as measures in your
school improvement plan with a timeline
that allows for frequent review of student
progress?
Where are we now?
Teachers
• What strategies will get us to the desired
outcomes?
• Do we need professional learning and/or
other resources?
Reflection
The Shifting Landscape of Adult
Learning
What to measure…
Changes in educator practice that do not lead
to better learning for students aren’t
contributing to the ultimate goal.
Conversely, changes in student learning
without clearly defined changes in educator
practice offer no evidence of a link to
professional learning.
Cautions when linking educator and
student learning.
• Focus on outcomes
• Examine data frequently
• Acknowledge educators’ vulnerability
• Be prepared to revise practices
Professional Learning
Looking Back….
2013-14
Questions to consider:
• Did the professional learning lead to
achievement of the goals identified in the SIP?
• Were there other factors that you didn’t
anticipate?
• What is the overall effectiveness of the
professional learning?
• What changes will improve the results?
• Will you expand, continue, or stop the
professional learning?
Professional Learning
Looking Forward….
2014-15
How are we going to get where we
want to be?
• What is being implemented?
• Is what is being implemented working?
• How are students doing?
• How will teachers collaborate to problem
solve and incorporate new strategies?
It could look like this…
Evidence collected
Who collected
it?
How it was used?
1
Self-report on frequency of use of specific
strategies
Teachers
Scores were aggregated by
department and used to discuss
which strategies were used most
frequently and how content
influenced the use of the
strategies.
2
Peer and principal classroom visit and
learning walk-through notes
Teachers and principal
Aggregated school-wide data was
presented in tables and charts for
discussion in faculty meeting.
3
Teacher observation
Selected teachers
videotaped lessons
Staff observed two to three videos,
identified strategies used, and
cited evidence of the effect on
student learning.
4
Teacher self-observation
Teachers
Teachers reflected on their use of
specific instructional practices and
described their practices and effect
on student learning in their
learning communities, using
student work samples as evidence.
Is what we are doing making a
difference?
• How effective are our structures?
• How do we monitor and evaluate what we
are doing?
Evaluating the Process:
Is what we are doing working?
Grade Level Exit Expectations, Summative Assessments
Diagnostics
Curriculum, Instructional Strategies, Planning
Professional Learning and Resources
Walk-Throughs, Observations, Feedback
Monitoring and Evaluation: Reviewing Student Work,
Ongoing Assessment
Professional Learning Communities, Learning
Support Teams, Leadership Teams
Monitoring and Evaluation: Structure
Activity
Evaluating the Process:
Is what we are doing
working?
Don't Let This Happen To You
Common Pitfalls
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Neglecting to collect information.
Putting plans on the shelf.
Setting new goals every year.
Settling for good enough.
Forgetting to anticipate changes.
Privatizing practice.
Overlooking the engagement of stakeholders.
Missing the need to define quality.