CNA Gap Analysis Tool - esc13.netjukebox.esc13.net/sedldeveloper/sst/downloads/L2-4.pdfLsson 4700 Mueller Blvd. Austin, TX 78723 | 800-476-6861 | | txcc.sedl.org CNA Gap Analysis Tool

Lesson 2.4

4700 Mueller Blvd. Austin, TX 78723 | 800-476-6861 | www.sedl.org | txcc.sedl.org

CNA Gap Analysis Tool

This tool is designed to help members of the school leadership team compare conditions and practices in their school and district to those in high-performing school systems. The tool is divided into the eight areas of the comprehensive needs assessment, with one page dedicated to each area.

The Eight Areas of a Comprehensive Needs Assessment

Demographics refers to the characteristics or make-up of the school. Demographic data help in under-standing who the students are and how strategies, initiatives, programs, and services are implemented to meet their needs. These data also include the composition of the instructional, administrative, and other staff.

Student Achievement refers to the annual and longitudinal reviews of student performance from varied sources of formal and informal data. These data provide insights about the degree to which students are acquiring the knowledge and skills expected for each grade level and course of study. Often, school staff focus on analyzing student achievement data, but they fail to look at other aspects of the system that have an impact on the performance of the students and the system as a whole. It is important to broaden the perspective and focus the needs assessment on the big picture.

School Culture and Climate, while sometimes overlooked, is key to improvement. It refers to the values, beliefs, traditions, and customs which shape the personality and climate of the organization. It determines how parents, community, staff, and students feel about the school and affects how people interact within the system.

Staff Quality, Recruitment, and Retention refers to the school organization’s level of high-quality, highly effective staff, particularly in high-poverty schools. This area is also focused on assessing the effect of recruitment and retention strategies on staffing patterns. These three areas—quality, recruitment, and retention—have many implications for other aspects of the school, such as professional development, staff qualifications, and more.

Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment (CIA) reflect the heart of system—this is where it all happens. The curriculum/curricula collectively describes the teaching, learning, and assessment materials and resources available for a given course of study. These are aligned with the TEKS and other standards, incorporating instruction and assessment processes. For school improvement to occur, these three areas must work together and be aligned.

Family and Community Involvement, particularly family and parents, is heavily emphasized in NCLB. This includes ensuring that parents are informed, involved partners in their child’s education. This CNA area refers to how family and community stakeholders are informed, invested, and involved in supporting the school community with high expectations for the success of all students.

School Context and Organization is the broad category that captures how the school functions overall. It refers to the processes, structures, decision making, and leadership aspects of the organization, including how those elements address quality teaching and learning.

Technology refers to the networking, hardware, and software available for staff and students. It includes modeling and applying digital tools and resources for students, staff, and other stakeholders to advance teaching and learning and to connect with real-world experiences, including post-secondary opportunities.

Lesson 2.4



Instructions:• Examinetheindicatorsontheleft—whathigh-performingschoolsdo.

• Underline those elements that are well supported by the school and circle those elements that are not well supported by the school.

• Usecollecteddatatodescribethelevelofsupportprovided.Inthespaceprovided,citespecificexamples,wherepossible,forevidenceofhowtheschoolcompares.

Indicators from High-Performing Schools EvidenceofHowOurSchoolCompares

CNA Gap Analysis Tool—Demographics

• Theschool/districtstaffexamineanddiscussdisaggregateddatathatshowcurrenttrendsinstudentdemographics(e.g.,ethnicity,gender,socio-economicstatus,mobilityrate),enrollmentnumbers,at-riskstudents,andenrollmentinspecialprograms(e.g.,migrant,specialeducation,Englishasasecondlanguage,giftedandtalented).

• Theschool/districtstaffexamineanddiscussdisaggregateddatathatshowcurrenttrendsinstaffdemographics(e.g.,ethnicity,gender,yearsofexperienceinteachingandinassignedcontentarea,languageproficiencies,retentionrate,educationlevel,certificationareas)andinteacher/studentratios.

• Theschool/districtstaffexamineanddiscussthecurrentcontextofthecommunityinwhichtheschoolexists(e.g.,socio-economicfactors,employment,educationallevel,crimerate,familycharacteristics).

• Theschool/districtstaffexamineanddiscussdataonparticipationinspecialacademicprogramsandextracurricularactivitiesinrelationtodemographicfactors(e.g.,ethnicity,gender,socio-economicstatus,mobilityrate).

• Anearlywarningsysteminthedistrictandschoolprovidestimelyinformationaboutpotentialdropoutsandtheeffectivenessofinterventionsfordifferentdemographicgroups.

• Theschool/districtstaffcollect,disaggregate,anddiscussdataonstudentsaftergraduationtodeterminepercentagesincollege,work-preparationprograms,andthelaborforce.

• Theschool/districtstaffconsidertheracial/ethnicprofileofthestaffcomparedtothatofstudents.

• Theschool/districtstaffexamineandconsiderdemographicdatainmakingdecisionsrelatedtotheneedsofstudentsandtheirfamilies.

Lesson 2.4







CNA Gap Analysis Tool—Student Achievement

• Theschool/districtstaffcollectandanalyzemultiplesourcesofstudentachievementdata(e.g.,standardizedtests,norm/criterion-referencedtests,teacherobservations,andauthenticassessments).

• Theschool/districtstaffdisaggregateformativeandsummativestudentperformancedatabyethnicity,gender,socio-economicstatus,andmobilityratesincorecontentareastoidentifyacademicstrengthsandneedsaswellascollegeandcareerreadiness.

• Theschool/districtstaffcollectandanalyzecoursefailure,graderetention,absenteeism,suspension,dropout,andgraduationratesbyethnicity,gender,andsocio-economicstatustodeterminefactorsthatputstudentsatrisk.

• Theschool/districtstaffcollectandanalyzedatatodeterminetheparticipationinandeffectivenessofinterventionsforstudentswithbehavioralandacademicneeds.

• Theschool/districtstaffcollectandanalyzedisaggregatedlongitudinaldataacrossprograms,contentareas,andsubgroupstodeterminestudentprogress.

• Theschool/districtstaffcollectandexaminedisaggregateddatatodeterminedisproportionatelyrepresentedsubgroupsamonglowachievers.

• Theschool/districthasanearlywarningsystemthatprovidestimelyinformationaboutstudentswhoareacademicallyatrisk.

Lesson 2.4







CNA Gap Analysis Tool—School Culture and Climate

• Schoolstaffcreatewelcomingandequitablelearningenvironmentsfordiversestudentsandtheirfamilies.

• Policies,procedures,andpracticessupportasafeenvironmentcharacterizedbyhighexpectations,mutualrespect,andafocusonteachingandlearning.

• Teachersandleadershavehighexpectationsforoneanotherandarefocusedonwhatisbestforthestudentsandwhattheyarelearning.

• Teachersandleadersuseresearchtoinformtheirworkwithstudentsandwitheachother,andtheysupportthesharingofnewideasbymembersoftheschool.

• Teachersworktogethereffectivelyincollaborativeteamstodiscussinstructionalstrategiesandcurriculumissuesonaregularbasis.Theyshareprofessionalpracticesandusetheirtalentsandknowledgetohelpeachotherwithchallengesandneeds.

• Schoolstaffvaluecaring,celebration,andhumor.Thereisarichandrobusttraditionofritualsandcelebrations,includingholidays,specialevents,andrecognitionofgoalattainment.

• Honest,open,andfrequentcommunicationsexistamongstaffmembers.Staffandstudentstrustandhaveconfidenceineachother.

• Staff,students,andparentsseektoresolveproblems/issuesratherthanblameoneanother.

Lesson 2.4







CNA Gap Analysis Tool—Staff Quality, Recruitment, and Retention

• Theschool/districtstaffcollectandanalyzedatatodeterminewheresignificantteachershortagesoccurandofferrecruitmentincentivestoensurethattheschoolhashigh-qualityteachers.

• Theschool/districtactivelyrecruitsteachersfromdiversebackgrounds.

• Theschool/districtrequiresteacherapplicantstodemonstratecontentknowledge,aswellasproficiencyintheuseofarangeofpedagogicaltoolstoconveycontentandcurriculum.

• Theschool/districtdevelopsandimplementsahigh-qualityinductionandmentoringprograminformedbyresearch.

• Theschool/districtdeterminesthecapacityofthecurrentdatacollectionsystemtoinformtheadequacyandeffectivenessofinductionproceduresandprofessionaldevelopmentprograms.

• Theschool/districtdeterminesthetechnologycompetenciescentraltoteacherandprincipalpositionsandconsidersapplicants’competenciesinmakinghiringdecisions.

• Newteachersintheschoolaregivenamanageablenumberofclassesandareassignedclassesofreasonablesizes.

• Theschool/districtestablishesandimplementsafairandreliableteacherevaluationsystemthatprovidesongoingandtimelyoralandwrittenfeedbacktoteachersabouttheirperformance,basedonobjectivemeasuresconsistentwithstatestandardsforeffectiveteachingpractice.

• Theschool/districtplansandprovidesintensiveandsustainedprofessionaldevelopmentforteachersandprincipals,basedonneedsidentifiedthroughdataandusingavarietyofstrategiesthatfosteracultureofaprofessionallearningcommunity.

• Theschoolidentifies,trains,andprovidesincentivesforteacherstoserveinleadershiproles.

Lesson 2.4







CNA Gap Analysis Tool—Curriculum, Instruction, Assessment (CIA)

• Teachersuseacontent-areacurriculumandscope&sequencethatareclearlyalignedwithstatestandardsandstateassessments.

• Educatorsworkcollaborativelytoexamineandaligninstructiontodistrictcurriculumandstatestandardsandtostudystudentdatafromassessmentstodecideonappropriateadjustmentstolessons.

• Allteachersdemonstratehighexpectationsforeverystudentandtakepersonalresponsibilityforhelpingeachstudentperformproficientlybydesigningmeaningful,engaginginstructionalactivitiestomeettheindividualneedsofalllearners.

• Alleducatorsparticipateinongoingprofessionaldevelopmentthatenablestheinstructionalstafftoprovidehigh-quality,research-basedinstruction;designeffectiveassessments;andinterpretanduseassessmentdatatoguideinstruction.

• Allteachersengageinastrategicinstructionalplanningprocessanddeliverhigh-quality,rigorous,standards-basedinstructiontoensurecontinuousgrowthandhighlevelsofstudentachievement.

• Teachersuseavarietyofhigh-quality,formalandinformalassessmentstrategiestomonitorstudents’progress.

• Instructioninthecontentareaisfrequentlymonitoredtoensurealignmentwithcurriculum,aswellasuseofhigh-quality,research-basedstrategiesandeffectiveuseofassessmentdata.

• Datafromcontent-areaassessmentsareorganizedandarrayedinuser-friendlyformat,thensharedinatimelymannerwithteachersandotherstakeholders,includingparents.

Lesson 2.4







CNA Gap Analysis Tool—Family and Community Involvement

• Theschool/districtstaffbuildfamilyandcommunityengagementactivitiesthatlinkdirectlytostudentlearningandprovidestudentswithgreateracademicsupport.

• Theschool/districtleadersestablishhighexpectationsformeaningfulprogramsthatactivelyengagefamiliesandcontributetostudentsuccess.

• Theschool/districtstaffembraceacollaborativepartnershipapproachwithfamiliesandcommunitymembers,andtheydemonstrateawillingnesstosharepoweranddecisionmaking.

• Theschool/districtstaffcollectandanalyzestudentdata(e.g.,studentattendance,achievement,promotion/graduationrate)thatcanbeusedasacatalystforconnectinghome-schoolengagement.

• Theschool/districtstaffcoordinatestudentsupportwithcommunity-basedhealth,social,andacademicservices(e.g.,parentandfamilycenters,homeworkclasses,adultELLclasses).

• Theschool/districtstaffpromoteactiveparticipationoffamiliesandcommunitiesinshareddecision-makingprocessesattheschool.

• School/districtcommunicationisprovidedinlanguagesthatmeettheneedsofthefamilyandcommunitymembers.

• Theschool/districtstaffeffectivelyinformfamiliesaboutspecialprogramsandopportunitiesthatareavailabletosupportstudentsuccess.

Lesson 2.4







CNA Gap Analysis Tool—School Context and Organization

• Allimprovementstrategiesandinitiativesarealignedandeffectivelyguidedbyacomprehensiveandcoherentimprovementplan;theyaremonitoredregularlybyaschoolleadershipteam.

• Schoolleadersuseresearchonorganizationalchangetoplanandimplementimprovementstrategiesandinitiatives.

• Organizationalstructuressupportsharedleadershipandcollaborationamonginstructionalteams.

• Resources(funding,staff,materials,andtime)areallocatedwithaspecificfocusoninstructionalimprovementandincreasingstudentachievement.

• Timemanagementandschedulingpracticesareimplementedtoenhanceand/orextendlearningtimetomeettheneedsofstudents.

• Schoolwidestructuresandproceduressupporteffectiveclassroommanagementacrossallcontentareas.

• Organizationalstructuresprovideopportunitiestolearnthroughnontraditionaleducationalsettings.

• Teachersandstaffparticipateindecision-makingprocessesrelevanttoschoolimprovement.

Lesson 2.4







CNA Gap Analysis Tool—Technology

• Theschool/districtstaffhavethoroughlyassessedthecurrenttechnologyandaremakingtechnologyanintegralpartofacomprehensiveplanforimprovingstudentlearning.

• Technologyiswellsupportedbothintermsoffiscalresources(moneyallocatedtobuymaterialsandequipment)andhumanresources(peopleallocatedtosupportusersandequipment).

• Theschool/districtstaffcollectandanalyzemultiplesourcesofdatatodeterminethestaff’sprofessionaldevelopmentneedsintechnologyandprovidedifferentiatedlearningopportunitiestomeetthoseneeds.

• Theschool/districtstaffcollectandanalyzedataabouttheimpactoftechnologyprofessionaldevelopmentonteachersandstudents.

• Teachersaresufficientlycomfortablewithlearningandusingtechnologytools,andtheyusethesetoolsasanaturalandwelcomeextensionoftheirteaching.

• Theschool/districtprovideequitableandpracticalaccesstotechnologyforteachersandstudentsaccordingtoprovisionsontheacceptableusepolicy.

• Technologyresourcesareresponsiblyusedtothemaximumbenefitofstudentsaccordingtotheiridentifiedneeds.Studentsusetechnologytolearninformation-ageskills,buttechnologyisnotthefocusofinstruction.

• Theschool/districtuseanevaluationplanthatincludesatimelinetoassesstheeffectivenessoftechnologyinitiatives.

Lesson 2.4


Delightful Intermediate School: A Scenario Delightful Intermediate School is one of nine schools in ABC Independent School District, located in the great state of Texas. The district serves approximately 6000 children in an agriculture-based community that is about 40 miles from a large city. Delightful School currently has 832 students enrolled; the ethnic breakdown includes 48% Hispanic, 14% African American, and 38% Whites. The intermediate school is Title I schoolwide, as are about half of the schools in the district. In recent years, the school has seen an increase in the Hispanic population, especially from migrant families. Many of the parents in these families are young and have limited formal education. The children tend not to become involved in extracurricular activities, and they are not tracked when they leave the district. The district has a system that tracks failing grades and absenteeism to help identify students at risk. Although it is not set up to do so, this system could easily be adapted to include demographic data. The only data that have routinely been disaggregated are the TAKS results for AYP purposes. Delightful School has a mixed faculty of experienced and novice teachers that serves the children of the diverse community surrounding the school. A new program in the near-by college has provided incentives to new teachers who work in low-income schools, so student/teacher ratios have remained fairly stable; however, there is a decreasing percentage of teachers who are Hispanic. A recently hired ELL specialist spent a considerable amount of time in ABC District last year. However, she will be responsible for additional districts this year and will not be able to devote so much time to individual schools. Student Performance at Delightful School Delightful School emerged 3 years ago from stage 1 school improvement for both reading and math. Last year (2008–2009) it was one of three schools in the district that failed to make adequate yearly progress (AYP). Delightful’s students in special education did not meet the AYP target for reading performance. Students qualified as LEP did not meet AYP for reading in 2007–2008 but showed considerable improvement this past year. Even so, they were barely above the AYP target. Although most students performed adequately in 2009, there were across-the-board declines in academic achievement for reading compared to the previous year, except for the LEP group mentioned above. Math scores have been relatively constant for the past three years. Leadership at Delightful School The principal at Delightful is beginning her third year at the school, and she has hired approximately one-half of the current teachers. She also hired both a mathematics and a reading coach. When she hired the coaches, she explained to them her vision for the school and the role they would play. She emphasized that a large part of their work, in addition to working with teachers, would be to collect data in reading and mathematics.

Scenario for Delightful Intermediate School

TEXAS COMPREHENSIVE CENTER at SEDL | txcc.sedl.org 2

When she began working at Delightful, the principal made sure that all teachers had a copy of the district curriculum. However, last year the state adopted new ELA standards and the district curriculum has not yet been updated. Because of this, it is not possible to align literacy instruction to state standards using the curriculum on hand. The principal organized a campus leadership team last year. She schedules monthly meetings, although job duties occasionally prevent her from attending. On those occasions, she asks her assistant principal to fill in for her. Usually the principal calls the district to try to get their representation on the committee; several times, someone from the curriculum department has been able to attend. The agenda of the campus leadership team is often hastily created the day of the meeting and is based on the most immediate concerns. The reading and math coaches occasionally bring data for the team to review. The reading coach has noted that few teachers are implementing research-based literacy practices. The teachers and staff who serve on the campus leadership team change each year. In order to avoid showing favoritism, the principal asks that team members be elected by their peers. The principal has noticed that those elected are often the staff members newest to the school. Professional Development at Delightful School The district usually decides on the focus and content for about half of the professional development received by the staff of all schools in the district, as detailed in the district improvement plan (DIP). Professional development for Delightful’s staff has been ongoing, with a focus on cooperative learning, mathematics, reading, and science. Training has been provided by the district and their regional education service center (ESC) on topics such as accountable talk; higher order thinking skills; numerical fluency; guided math groups; examining student work; graphic organizers; inquiry-based science instruction; the 5E model; differentiation of instruction; rigor, relevance, and relationships; positive behavior systems; and professional learning communities. Teachers enjoy being able to self-select staff development, but this has resulted in numerous substitutes in classrooms each week. The principal and assistant principal have completed a few of the above trainings, as well as training in the current appraisal system. They have also been developing a schedule to visit every classroom at least once a week. Teachers report seeing the principal often, but they are unsure about the focus of these visits and how they will help them improve their teaching. Culture and Organization at Delightful School Delightful School students, parents, and staff completed a school survey in August. The results revealed that many students do not enjoy coming to school. The students felt that administrators and teachers showed a lack of respect for some students and were not very fair when handling discipline problems among Hispanic students. Teachers and administrators felt that parents and the community failed to understand the importance of supporting their children’s schooling.

Scenario for Delightful Intermediate School


Parents and teachers felt that the school provided little or no opportunity for them to share their ideas about decision making and school policies; they had minimal input into developing the school’s vision and planning goals. Parents—and the community as a whole—felt that they had very little support from the school in dealing with a recent increase of drug abuse in their community. Parents, teachers, and students agreed that technology had not been a high priority for the school. The teachers and students would benefit from a computer lab and individual computers in the classrooms to assist with teaching and learning. Also, more up-to-date software and hardware, as well as faster internet accessibility, would support high-quality instruction. Campus Improvement Plan at Delightful School The campus improvement plan (CIP) currently in place at the school was agreed upon by all school leaders. The plan was developed by conducting an analysis of the data collected by the mathematics and reading coaches to identify areas of need and establish measures of progress towards improving student achievement. It resembles the previous year’s plan, and all the required components of a comprehensive schoolwide plan are addressed. However, the principal and campus leadership team have difficulty identifying progress made towards meeting the plan’s desired outcomes when asked by district staff or community members. The district improvement plan was not reviewed when Delightful was creating their CIP. All staff have individual copies of the plan, but there has been no review of the plan since the final draft was completed at the end of the previous school year. What Actions Are Needed at Delightful? Everyone at Delightful works hard and wants their students to be successful. However, teachers are not able to determine why scores are dropping for most student groups. They also have difficulty describing specific campus initiatives that have been adopted to address the areas of need. Campus administrators work long hours but are unsure why the students are not performing better. District administrators review Delightful’s data and visit the school monthly, but they do not know what else they can do and they fear the school is heading once again into school improvement. ABC’s superintendent wants the TAKS scores to improve and told the school staff to do whatever is necessary to make this happen. They ask the ESC to provide a school support team to help them.

Lesson 2.4


Entering Data for the School Profile

1. Download the CNA Tool on the TEA Website: http://portal.esc20.net/portal/page/portal/NCLB/CNA.htm 2. The CNA tool has a row of tabs at the bottom of the page, with a tab for each CNA area. Clicking on a tab will reveal questions to be answered for that CNA area. For example, the tab for Demographics connects to the CNA demographic questions. 3. At the top of each CNA area page is a list of possible sources that might be used to answer the questions for that area (see image below). Under this section is a set of fields in which to enter the data sources that were actually used to answer the questions. This can be done either by each committee chair or by the team’s designee.

4. In the appropriate spaces (see image below) each committee chair (or the designee) will record all the strengths and needs that were revealed by the gap analysis for the specific CNA area. The Summary of Needs section, below the strengths and needs, is where the priority needs will be entered, listed from the highest to the lowest priority. The number of priority needs each committee lists will depend on how many critical needs were uncovered in the gap analysis. However, it is usually best to limit entries to three to five priority needs (preferably three, and NO MORE than five) for each of the eight CNA areas.

Entering Data for the School Profile


5. When the priority needs for a CNA area are entered in the Summary of Needs fields, the entries are automatically added to the summary page, which shows the priority needs for all of the committees (see image below).

Lesson 2.4


Summary of Process: Conducting a Gap Analysis

Preparation for Gap Analysis (process led by SST member)

1. Designate a member of the campus leadership team (CLT) to compile information from all CNA areas into the school profile.

2. Decide on the format for information to be given to the CLT designee. 3. Determine a date to submit information to the CLT designee. 4. Prepare CLT members to lead gap analysis process.

• Explain what a gap analysis is and how it helps build a school profile. o Compares the conditions and practices in a local system to those in high-

performing systems o Reveals the "gaps," which are the areas that are in need of improvement o Is organized by the eight areas of the CNA o Lists research-based indicators for each CNA area

• Demonstrate gap analysis process.

o Select one CNA area for demonstration. o Review the evidence-based indicators in the left column. o Compare current school/district conditions and practices with the

indicators for high-performing schools. o Individuals underline elements within each indicator that are well

supported by the school and circle elements that are not well supported. (Tip: Allow ample time—at least 20 minutes).

o Refer to collected school data or concrete examples to provide evidence. • Agree on timeline and expectations for conducting gap analysis in CNA

committees.

Conducting the Gap Analysis in CNA Committees (process led by committee heads)

5. Introduce the gap analysis process and the CNA Gap Analysis Tool. 6. Conduct the gap analysis for the CNA area in large or small groups.

Conducting a Gap Analysis


7. Discuss strengths and needs, and the evidence to support them. (Tip: Allow ample time—at least 20 minutes). Collect additional data, if necessary.

8. Reach consensus on strengths and needs and summarize evidence on a chart. 9. Post and share findings for all to see.

Prioritized Needs for School Profile

10. Prioritize needs by having each individual place check mark or sticky dot to “vote for” 1–3 needs.

11. Tally up the responses and create the final list of 3–5 priority needs for CNA

area. 12. Have committee chair or designee enter priority needs into the “Summary of

Needs” field for the CNA area on the school profile Preparation for Reporting Needs to Campus Leadership Team

13. Prepare list of data sources used by CNA committee, list of strengths and needs from gap analysis, and final list of 3-5 priority needs.

Documents

CNA Gap Analysis Tool - esc13.netjukebox.esc13.net/sedldeveloper/sst/downloads/L2-4.pdfLsson 4700 Mueller Blvd. Austin, TX 78723 | 800-476-6861 | | txcc.sedl.org CNA Gap Analysis Tool