Quiz: 5 Steps for Conducting a CNA - esc13.netjukebox.esc13.net/sedldeveloper/sst/downloads/L2-2.pdf · Quiz: 5 Steps for Conducting a CNA ... 3. What do the data indicate when disaggregated

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

Lesson 2.2

Quiz: 5 Steps for Conducting a CNA

Instructions: Please match the step numbers to the correct descriptions. You can draw a line to the right answer. Step # Description

1. Establish committees for each of the CNA.

2. Connect the CNA to the district/campus improvement plan development and review process 3. Review the purpose and outcomes for conducting the

CNA

4. Determine areas of priority and summarize needs

5. Determine which types of data will be collected and analyzed by the committee to develop the school profile

Lesson 2.2


Questions for School Profile— Student Achievement

1. How are student achievement data disaggregated? 2. How do student achievement data compare from one data source to another? 3. What do the data indicate when disaggregated by ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic status,

special program, or other category? 4. In which areas are we showing growth? At what rate? Compared to which standard of

achievement? 5. Which students are making progress? Why? 6. What impact are intervention programs having on student achievement? Which students

are benefiting and which are not? Why? 7. What do the longitudinal student achievement data indicate? 8. What do the data reflect within and among content areas? 9. What do the data indicate when disaggregated at various levels of depth? 10. Which students are making annual progress? Which ones are making projected growth?

Who are these students? 11. How do these data compare across programs, content areas, subgroups, etc.?

Lesson 2.2


Questions for School Profile— Demographics

1. What do student enrollment numbers indicate? 2. What is the breakdown by ethnicity, gender, or other category? 3. How has the enrollment changed over the past three years? 4. What is the number of students in each special program? How do these program numbers

look broken up by ethnicity, gender, or other category? Are certain groups over- or underrepresented? Why?

5. What are the data for special programs over time? 6. What do the data reflect regarding students who exit from special programs? How many?

Who are they? What trend or pattern do we see? 7. Who are our at-risk students? What is their at-risk category? 8. Who are our migrant students? 9. What is the mobility rate for this campus? What is the stability rate? How are these

numbers represented for migrant students? 10. From what area of the community do these students come? 11. What are the staff demographics? 12. What are the teacher/student ratios? How do these ratios correlate to performance?

Lesson 2.2


Questions for School Profile— School Culture and Climate

1. What evidence is there that students and staff are collectively aligned with the vision and

mission of the school? 2. How do students describe the school climate? How does this compare to staff descriptions? 3. How do students and staff describe attitudes, respect, relationships, belonging, support,

etc.? How do these data compare across groups? Which groups respond in which manner? 4. What do the data reflect regarding student behaviors, discipline, etc.? 5. To what degree do students and staff feel physically safe? 6. What do students and staff indicate about expectations: academic, behavioral, social,

extracurricular, etc.? 7. Which students are most satisfied with the school's culture and climate? How does this

compare to the students' attendance, tardies, and other behaviors? 8. What do the data indicate regarding classroom management and organization? How does

this compare to classroom student achievement data? 9. What do the data reflect regarding gang activity, substance abuse, weapons, and other

safety issues? Who are the students involved in these activities? What do we know about these students? What services have these students received?

10. What students are involved in extracurricular activities, clubs, and other areas? Who are these students? What does student achievement reflect about these students versus others who are not involved?

11. What are the students' and staff's perceptions of facilities and the physical environments?

What is the impact of the facilities on culture and climate?

Lesson 2.2


Questions for School Profile—

Staff Quality, Recruitment, and Retention 1. What are the teacher qualifications, certifications, etc.? Paraprofessionals? 2. What do the general data reflect regarding teacher quality on the campus? 3. How are follow-up data regarding teacher performance provided to teachers? 4. How are we recruiting highly qualified and effective staff? 5. What is our staff attendance rate? What is the retention rate? The turnover rate? 6. How is highly effective staff assigned to work with the highest need students? 7. What is the impact/effect of our teacher mentor program? 8. How are new staff supported? What feedback do they provide? 9. What systems are in place to build capacity and support continuous improvement? 10. How are data being using to determine professional development for staff? 11. How are collective and individual decisions regarding professional development

determined? 12. What types of professional development has staff attended? How is implementation

monitored? What impact has it had on performance? What is the follow-up?

Lesson 2.2


Questions for School Profile— Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment

1. What evidence exists to determine that the curriculum is clearly linked to the TEKS and

other standards for student learning? 2. How are data used to inform curriculum, instruction, and assessment decisions? 3. What do the data reflect about the alignment of curriculum, instruction, and assessment?

How are they focused on supporting and challenging all students? 4. How are curriculum, instruction, and assessment aligned with 21st Century Learning

Skills? 5. What evidence is there that a process exists for monitoring, evaluating, and revising the

curriculum to meet the needs of all learners? 6. How are instructional strategies and activities aligned with student learning needs and

expected outcomes for achievement? How consistent is this across the district/ school? What is the impact on specific student groups?

7. What evidence supports the implementation of high-impact/ high-yield additional

interventions for students who need assistance beyond general classroom instruction? Which students need this type of instruction? What has the effect been over time?

8. How does instructional design and delivery maximize student engagement, a positive

learning climate, higher order thinking skills, problem solving, critical thinking, etc.? 9. Is there evidence that assessments are aligned with clearly specified and appropriate

achievement expectations? How are assessments developed and linked to measure the effect of curriculum and instruction?

10. How do we know assessments are designed, developed, and used in a fair and equitable

manner that eliminates biases? How do students perceive these assessments? 11. How does the scope of assessments provide a comprehensive and representative

sampling of student performance that allows for confident conclusions about achievement?

Lesson 2.2


Questions for School Profile— Family and Community Involvement

1. What evidence exists that families and community members are involved in meaningful

activities that support students' learning? What are the activities? 2. Which parents and community members are involved? What trends and patterns can be

observed? 3. How are families and the community members involved in school decisions? 4. What types of services are available to support families, community members, and

students to encourage healthy family relationships? 5. If families speak languages other than English, what are these languages? How does the

school communicate in those languages? 6. What types of services are available to support students in special programs? What are the

results? 7. What types of community partnerships exist to support families and students?

Lesson 2.2


Questions for School Profile— School Context and Organization

1. To what degree does the district/school support the organization and how? 2. What do the data reflect about classes, schedules, and student/staff teams? 3. How is adequate time allotted to subjects in which students perform poorly? 4. How do teachers have a voice in decision making and school policies? 5. What role do teachers have in deciding what assessments will be used to evaluate

individual students or the program as a whole? 6. Do school committees and decision-making bodies make it easy for teachers, parents,

paraprofessionals, support staff, and students to be heard and, in turn, for all groups to be part of solutions to identified problems?

7. What are the students', parents' and community's perceptions of the school? 8. What do school expectations reveal?

Lesson 2.2


Questions for School Profile— Technology

1. What technology do we have? 2. What is the technology proficiency of staff and students? 3. What are staff attitudes toward technology? 4. What are some barriers that potentially prevent effective use of technology? 5. When the use of technology is working, why is that so? When it's not working, why not? 6. What types of technology professional development have we provided? What was the

impact for staff and students? 7. In which content areas are we using technology and how? What is the effect? 8. How does the design of the network provide for the users it supports? 9. How is technology used to support the integration and implementation of curriculum,

instruction, and assessment?

Lesson 2.2

Shirley Beckwith

Used by SEDL with permission

Shirley Beckwith


Lesson 2.2

Existing Data in Schools

Instructions: Examples of each of Victoria Bernhardt’s four measures of data are provided below. Categorize data that schools currently collect in one or more of the four measures. Then, think about how you would help a school team collect additional data in categories that have limited data. How might they use the data they are already collecting in an intersection with another measure of data? Demographics Enrollment, attendance, drop-out rate, ethnicity, gender and grade level. Perceptions Perceptions of learning environment, values and beliefs, attitudes, and observations. Student Learning Standardized tests, norm/criterion-referenced tests, teacher observation of abilities, and authentic assessments. School Processes Description of school programs and processes.

Lesson 2.2


Conversation Guide for Interviews and Focus Groups

Date: Time:

Conversation participant(s): Interviewer: Thank you for taking the time to talk with me. I’m aware that you’re a very busy person [very busy people], so our conversation should take no more than 30 minutes. The purpose of this conversation is to get an idea of the current status of your district and school in regard to several areas that will be important in the improvement work. From time to time, I may jot down a few notes about some points you’re bringing out. Let me assure you that there are no right or wrong answers to the questions I’ll be asking, and your responses

won’t be identified as coming from you or anyone else with whom I talk. I will be putting together an informal summary that will incorporate the answers from conversations with several school and district leaders. This report will help in creating the school profile so we can target our work to increase student learning. Before we start, are there any questions you’d like to ask?

Question Notes

1. First, tell me about the students in your district and school.

(Probe for expectations, a sense of belonging, safety,

and behavior)

2. Describe how, if at all, the demographics in your school have changed over the past 3–5 years. (Probe for emerging issues related to language,

ethnicity/race, SES, and special needs)

3. Tell me how the students in this school perform on state and local tests. (Probe for levels of proficiency attained by sub-groups,

SES, attendance or graduation rates, and content areas

in need of improvement)

4. Describe the instructional staff at this school in terms of experience, qualifications and reasons they stay or leave. (Probe for incentives offered by the district and school, work environment, and staff relationships)

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

Question Notes

5. What types of professional development are offered to teachers and administrators? (Probe for the different forms of PD, how PD is

determined, who attends, how PD implementation is

monitored)

6. Describe any work done in your district and school during the past 3 years to align curriculum, instruction, and assessments to the state standards. (Probe for how recently this work was done, who was

involved, how successful it was)

7. What types of data do teachers and administrators examine to determine the effectiveness of the curriculum and instruction in your district and school?

(Probe for how often data are collected and analyzed,

who is made aware of the data, how data are used for continuous improvement)

8. Describe the parental involvement in this

school, the communication process used with parents, and how parents are involved in decision-making. (Probe for evidence of a parental involvement plan and

its effectiveness; amount and frequency of information

communicated with parents; and multiple language

communication, if needed)

9. Describe any teams that are organized around planning and implementing improvement. (Probe for focus on priorities, use of data, shared

decision making)

10. Describe how teachers use technology to

increase student achievement. (Probe for availability state-of-the-art technology,

software, and hardware for serving the needs of students

and teachers)

Lesson 2.2


Themes from Conversations with Leaders and Focus Groups—Example

Date:

Question Themes from Leaders Themes from Focus Groups 1. First, tell me about the students in the district and school. (Probe for expectations, a sense of belonging, safety, and behavior)

• Nearly half of the students are Hispanic

• High % of students in special ed • Many students’ home language

impacts academic success • Many students are not motivated to

learn • High dropout rate, especially among

Hispanic students • Many students are unable to

participate in afterschool support programs due to family commitments and support

• Disadvantaged backgrounds & dysfunctional homes

• Most working below grade level • Lack discipline • Parents not involved with school • Most show little respect and

can’t be trusted • Increased drug abuse in the

community impacts student interest and motivation to learn

2. Describe how, if at all, the demographics in your school have changed over the past 3–5 years. (Probe for emerging issues related to language, ethnicity/race, SES, and special needs)

• Increase in Hispanic and migrant students is impacting achievement

• Many of the students are English language learners

• A large number of the Hispanic students have been over identified in special education classes

• The LEP population did not meet AYP in reading and needs more support

• Increase in the Hispanic student population, especially migrant families

• Often difficult to communicate with students and their parents now

• Additional ELL teachers are needed to address the large non-English student population

Lesson 2.2


Working Systemically Content Area Survey

Please answer the following questions to the best of your ability. Your identity will remain anonymous and your responses will only be reported in summary form, combined with other responses. 1) In which region is your district located? ___________________________________ 2) Please enter your district/school name. ___________________________________ 3) If you are a school staff member, please enter your school's name.

___________________________________________________________________ 4) Please select the option that most closely represents your role. __Administrator __Teacher __Other If you selected other, please specify

________________________________________ If you indicated a role other than "Teacher," skip questions five and six and go directly to question seven. 5) You indicated you are a teacher. What is your content area? __Reading/language arts __Mathematics __Other If you selected other, please specify:

_______________________________________ 6) Are you certified in the area of your current teaching assignment? __Yes __No 7) How many years have you been at this district? __3 years or less __4–10 years __11 or more years 8) If you are school staff, how many years have you been at this school? __3 years or less __4–10 years __11 years or more



9) Please select one of the options below for each of the following statements. 9.1) Leaders in this district communicate to all school staff that the number one

district priority is that all students become proficient in the state standards for the content area. __Very true of us __Somewhat true of us __Not true of us __Don’t know

9.2) Teachers in this district communicate to students and parents that the number

one priority is that all students will become proficient in the state standards for the content area. __Very true of us __Somewhat true of us __Not true of us __Don’t know

9.3) Leaders in this district communicate clear expectations that all classroom

teachers work collaboratively to ensure alignment of curriculum, instruction, and assessments to state standards in the content area. __Very true of us __Somewhat true of us __Not true of us __Don’t know

9.4) Teachers work collaboratively to develop curriculum, instructional strategies,

and assessments aligned to state standards in the content area. __Very true of us __Somewhat true of us __Not true of us __Don’t know

9.5) Leaders in this district collect, interpret, and use data related to student

achievement in the content area to guide decision making. __Very true of us __Somewhat true of us __Not true of us __Don’t know

9.6) Teachers in this district collect, interpret, and use data related to student

achievement in the content area to guide decision making. __Very true of us __Somewhat true of us __Not true of us __Don’t know

9.7) Leaders in this district discuss data related to student achievement in the

content area in regularly scheduled planning meetings with teachers. __Very true of us __Somewhat true of us __Not true of us __Don’t know

9.8) Teachers in this district discuss data related to student achievement in the

content area in regularly scheduled team meetings. __Very true of us __Somewhat true of us __Not true of us __Don’t know

9.9) Leaders in this district regularly visit classrooms to identify needs related to

curriculum, instruction, assessment, and standards in the content area. __Very true of us __Somewhat true of us __Not true of us __Don’t know

9.10) Teachers in this district regularly analyze student work to determine the

effectiveness of instructional strategies in the content area. __Very true of us __Somewhat true of us __Not true of us __Don’t know



9.11) Leaders in this district allocate sufficient space and time during school hours for content-area teachers to collaborate and learn together. __Very true of us __Somewhat true of us __Not true of us __Don’t know

9.12) Teachers in this district use space and time during school hours effectively to

collaborate and learn about issues directly related to student achievement in the content area.

__Very true of us __Somewhat true of us __Not true of us __Don’t know 10) Leaders in this district provide teachers with easy access to. . .

10.1) state standards for the content area. __Very true of us __Somewhat true of us __Not true of us __Don’t know

10.2) curriculum materials for the content area.

__Very true of us __Somewhat true of us __Not true of us __Don’t know 10.3) information about research-based instructional practices in the content area.

__Very true of us __Somewhat true of us __Not true of us __Don’t know 10.4) student achievement data in the content area.

__Very true of us __Somewhat true of us __Not true of us __Don’t know 10.5) a variety of instructional resources for the content area.

__Very true of us __Somewhat true of us __Not true of us __Don’t know 11) Teachers in this district regularly use. . .

11.1) state standards for the content area. __Very true of us __Somewhat true of us __Not true of us __Don’t know

11.2) curriculum materials for the content area.

__Very true of us __Somewhat true of us __Not true of us __Don’t know 11.3) information about research-based instructional practices in the content area.

__Very true of us __Somewhat true of us __Not true of us __Don’t know 11.4) student achievement data in the content area.

__Very true of us __Somewhat true of us __Not true of us __Don’t know 11.5) a variety of instructional resources for the content area.

__Very true of us __Somewhat true of us __Not true of us __Don’t know



12) Please select one of the options below each of the following statements. 12.1) Leaders in this district ensure that teachers engage in powerful professional

development that focuses on research-based instructional strategies in the content area to meet identified needs of students. __Very true of us __Somewhat true of us __Not true of us __Don’t know

12.2) Teachers in this district use research-based instructional strategies in the

content area that they learned in professional development. __Very true of us __Somewhat true of us __Not true of us __Don’t know

12.3) Leaders in this district ensure that teachers have instructional support for their

content area from peers, campus and district administrators, and content specialists. __Very true of us __Somewhat true of us __Not true of us __Don’t know

12.4) Teachers in this district use instructional support for their content area from

peers, campus and district administrators, and content specialists. __Very true of us __Somewhat true of us __Not true of us __Don’t know

12.5) Leaders in this district engage in personal professional learning activities to

build their own knowledge and skills about instructional leadership for the content area. __Very true of us __Somewhat true of us __Not true of us __Don’t know

12.6) Teachers in this district engage in personal professional learning activities to

build their own knowledge and skills about research-based instructional strategies aligned to state standards for the content area. __Very true of us __Somewhat true of us __Not true of us __Don’t know

Lesson 2.2


Data Sources for the School Profile—Demographics

Factor Data Type of Data

Demographics

Source (Possible sources: Self Assessment,

Observations, Interviews and/or Surveys, School Records, Group Discussions,

Evaluation/Data, Reports, Student Work)

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1. What do student enrollment numbers indicate?

2. What is the breakdown by ethnicity, gender, or other category?

3. How has the enrollment changed over the past three years?

4. What is the number of students in each special program? How do these program numbers look broken up by ethnicity, gender, or other category? Are certain groups over- or underrepresented? Why?

5. What are the data for special programs over time?

6. What do the data reflect regarding students who exit from special programs? How many? Who are they? What trend or pattern do we see?

Data Sources for the School Profile

4700 Mueller Blvd. Austin, TX 78723 | 800-476-6861 | www.sedl.org | txcc.sedl.org 2


Demographics Source

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7. Who are our at-risk students? What is their at-risk category?

8. Who are our migrant students?

9. What is the mobility rate for this campus? What is the stability rate? How are these numbers represented for migrant students?

10. From what area of the community do these students come?

11. What are the staff demographics?

12. What are the teacher/student ratios? How do these ratios correlate to performance?

Lesson 2.2


Data Sources for the School Profile—Student Achievement


Student Achievement


Observations, Interviews and/or Surveys, School Records, Group

Discussions, Evaluation/Data, Reports, Student Work) D

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1. How are student achievement data disaggregated?

2. How do student achievement data compare from one data source to another?

3. What do the data indicate when disaggregated by ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic status, special program, or other category?

4. In which areas are we showing growth? At what rate? Compared to which standard of achievement?

5. Which students are making progress? Why?

6. What impact are intervention programs having on student achievement? Which students are benefiting and which are not? Why?




Student Achievement Source

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7. What do the longitudinal student achievement data indicate?

8. What do the data reflect within and among content areas?

9. What do the date indicate when disaggregated at various levels of depth?

10. Which students are making annual progress? Which ones are making projected growth? Who are these students?

11. How do these data compare across programs, content areas, subgroups, etc.?

Lesson 2.2


Data Sources for the School Profile—School Culture and Climate


School Culture and Climate




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1. What evidence is there that students and staff are collectively aligned with the vision and mission of the school?

2. How do students describe the school climate? How does this compare to staff descriptions?

3. How do students and staff describe attitudes, respect, relationships, belonging, support, etc.? How do these data compare across groups? Which groups respond in which manner?

4. What do the data reflect regarding student behaviors, discipline, etc.?

5. To what degree do students and staff feel physically safe?

6. What do students and staff indicate about expectations: academic, behavioral, social, extracurricular, etc.?




School Culture and Climate Source

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7. Which students are most satisfied with the school’s culture and climate? How does this compare to the students’ attendance, tardies, and other behaviors?

8. What do the data indicate regarding classroom management and organization? How does this compare to classroom student achievement data?

9. What do the data reflect regarding gang activity, substance abuse, weapons, and other safety issues? Who are the students involved in these activities? What do we know about these students? What services have these students received?

10. What students are involved in extracurricular activities, clubs, and other areas? Who are these students? What does student achievement reflect about these students versus others who are not involved?

11. What are the students’ and staff’s perceptions of facilities and the physical environments? What is the impact of the facilities on culture and climate?

Lesson 2.2


Data Sources for the School Profile—Staff Quality, Recruitment, and Retention


Staff Quality, Recruitment, and Retention




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1. What are the teacher qualifications, certifications, etc.? Paraprofessionals?

2. What do the general data reflect regarding teacher quality on the campus?

3. How are follow-up data regarding teacher performance provided to teachers?

4. How are we recruiting highly qualified and effective staff?

5. What is our staff attendance rate? What is the retention rate? The turnover rate?

6. How is highly effective staff assigned to work with the highest need students?

7. What is the impact/effect of our teacher mentor program?




Staff Quality, Recruitment, and Retention Source

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8. How are new staff supported? What feedback do they provide?

9. What systems are in place to build capacity and support continuous improvement?

10. How are data being using to determine professional development for staff?

11. How are collective and individual decisions regarding professional development determined?

12. What types of professional development has staff attended? How is implementation monitored? What impact has it had on performance? What is the follow-up?

Lesson 2.2


Data Sources for the School Profile—Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment


Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment




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1. What evidence exists to determine that the curriculum is clearly linked to the TEKS and other standards for student learning?

2. How are data used to inform curriculum, instruction, and assessment decisions?

3. What do the data reflect about the alignment of curriculum, instruction, and assessment? How are they focused on supporting and challenging all students?

4. How are curriculum, instruction, and assessment aligned with 21st Century Learning Skills?

5. What evidence is there that a process exists for monitoring, evaluating, and revising the curriculum to meet the needs of all learners?

6. How are instructional strategies and activities aligned with student learning needs and expected outcomes for achievement? How consistent is this across the district/ school? What is the impact on specific student groups?




Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment Source

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7. What evidence supports the implementation of high-impact/ high-yield additional interventions for students who need assistance beyond general classroom instruction? Which students need this type of instruction? What has the effect been over time?

8. How does instructional design and delivery maximize student engagement, a positive learning climate, higher order thinking skills, problem solving, critical thinking, etc.?

9. Is there evidence that assessments are aligned with clearly specified and appropriate achievement expectations? How are asssessments developed and linked to measure the effect of curriculum and instruction?

10. How do we know assessments are designed, developed, and used in a fair and equitable manner that eliminates biases? How do students perceive these assessments?

11. How does the scope of assessments provide a comprehensive and representative sampling of student performance that allows for confident conclusions about achievement?

Lesson 2.2


Data Sources for the School Profile—Family and Community Involvement


Family and Community Involvement




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1. What evidence exists that families and community members are involved in meaningful activities that support students’ learning? What are the activities?

2. Which parents and community members are involved? What trends and patterns can be observed?

3. How are families and the community members involved in school decisions?

4. What types of services are available to support families, community members, and students to encourage healthy family relationships?

5. If families speak languages other than English, what are these languages? How does the school communicate in those languages?

6. What types of services are available to support students in special programs? What are the results?




Family and Community Involvement Source

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7. What types of community partnerships exist to support families and students?

Lesson 2.2


Data Sources for the School Profile—School Context and Organization


School Context and Organization




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1. To what degree does the district/school support the organization and how?

2. What do the data reflect about classes, schedules, and student/staff teams?

3. How is adequate time allotted to subjects in which students perform poorly?

4. How do teachers have a voice in decision making and school policies?

5. What role do teachers have in deciding what assessments will be used to evaluate individual students or the program as a whole?

6. Do school committees and decision-making bodies make it easy for teachers, parents, paraprofessionals, support staff, and students to be heard and, in turn, for all groups to be part of solutions to identified problems?




School Context and Organization Source

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7. What are the students’, parents’ and community’s perceptions of the school?

8. What do school expectations reveal?

Lesson 2.2


Data Sources for the School Profile—Technology


Technology




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1. What technology do we have?

2. What is the technology proficiency of staff and students?

3. What are staff attitudes toward technology?

4. What are some barriers that potentially prevent effective use of technology?

5. When the use of technology is working, why is that so? When it’s not working, why not?

6. What types of technology professional development have we provided? What was the impact for staff and students?




Technology Source

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7. In which content areas are we using technology and how? What is the effect?

8. How does the design of the network provide for the users it supports?

9. How is technology used to support the integration and implementation of curriculum, instruction, and assessment?

Lesson 2.2


Potential Data Sources From the CNA Tool (TEA NCLB Program Series)

Demographics Enrollment

Attendance Ethnicity Gender

Mobility/Stability Special Program Participation

At-Risk by Category Teacher-Student Ratios Graduation, Completion, Dropout, and GED rates

Course/Class Assignments College/University/Dual Credit/Advanced Placement Enrollment

Student Achievement State Assessment Data

TELPAS and AMAO Results SAT/ACT/PSAT Results Advanced Course/Dual Enrollment Data

Standardized, Norm-Referenced, Criterion-Referenced Tests and Measures State and AYP Data Tables

Texas Success Initiative (TSI) Data Course/Class Grades Graduation, Completion, Dropout, and GED Rates; Diploma Types

Promotion/Retention Rates Classroom and Program Assessments and Other Data Student Work

School Culture and Climate Surveys Questionnaires Focus Groups

Interviews Feedback Data

Classroom and School Walkthrough Data Parent Conferences, Meetings, etc.

Staff Quality, Recruitment, and Retention Teacher Certification/Qualification Data Paraprofessional and Other Staff Qualifications

Staff Effectiveness in Relation to Student Achievement PDAS and/or Other Staff Effectiveness Data

Staff Mobility/Stability Special Program Qualifications (e.g., Bilingual/ESL, Special Education, etc.) Professional Development Data

Teacher-Student Ratios Graduation, Completion, Dropout, and GED rates

Course/Class Completions, Grades, and Other Data Recruitment and Retention Strategies and Other Data

Potential Data Sources


Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment Standards-Based Curriculum Resources and Materials Scope and Sequence; Pacing Guides; and/or Other Focus Documents Foundation Course/Class Materials

Enrichment Course/Class Materials Technology

Instructional Design/Delivery; High-Yield Strategies Lesson Study/Delivery Processes Collaborative Horizontal and Vertical Team Alignment Processes

Student-Specific/Differentiated Strategies and Processes Common Benchmark Assessments and/or Other Assessments Class, School, and Special Program Schedules

Family and Community Involvement Family and Community Participation Counts by Type of Activity Parent Volunteer Information

Parent Activity Evaluations and Feedback Parent and Community Partnership Data Mobility/Stability

Demographic Data Community Service Agencies and Support Services

School Context and Organization School Structure or Make-Up, e.g., Teaming, Looping, etc.

Decision-Making Processes Master Schedule

Leadership: Formal and Informal Supervision Structure Support Structures: Mentor Teachers

Duty Rosters Schedule for Student Support Services, e.g., Counseling, Social Work, Library, etc.

School Map & Physical Environment Program Support Services, e.g., Extracurricular Activities, After School Programs, etc. Communication: Formal and Informal

Technology Technology Infrastructure, Networks, etc. Technology Hardware and Software Classroom Technology Needs by Area, Class, Department, etc.

STaR Chart Professional Development/Teacher Preparation Needs in Technology

Leadership and Administrative Support Structures for Technology Implementation Resource Allocations Technology Policies and Procedures

Technology Plan Assessment of Technology Skills for Students, Staff and Other Stakeholders

Lesson 2.2


Themes from Interviews and Focus Groups

Date:

Question Themes from Leaders Themes from Focus Groups

1. First, tell me about the students in the district

and school.

(Probe for expectations, a sense of belonging, safety, and behavior)

2. Describe how, if at all, the demographics in

your school have changed over the past 3–5 years. (Probe for emerging issues related to language, ethnicity/race, SES, and special needs)

3. Tell me how the students in this school perform

on state and local tests.

(Probe for levels of proficiency attained by sub-groups, SES, attendance or graduation rates, and content areas in need of improvement)

Themes From Conversation With Leaders and Focus Groups



4. Describe the instructional staff at this school in

terms of experiences, qualifications and reasons

they stay or leave. (Probe for incentives offered by the district and school, work environment, and staff relationships)

5. What types of professional development are

offered to teachers and administrators? (Probe for the different forms of PD, how PD is determined, who attends, how PD implementation is

monitored)

6. Describe any work done in your district and

school during the past 3 years to align curriculum,

instruction, and assessments to the state standards.

(Probe for how recently this work was done, who was involved, how successful it was)




7. What types of data do teachers and

administrators examine to determine the

effectiveness of the curriculum and instruction in

your district and school?

(Probe for how often data are collected and analyzed,

who is made aware of the data, how data are used for continuous improvement)

8. Describe the parental involvement in this

school, the communication process used with

parents, and how parents are involved in decision-

making. (Probe for evidence of a parental involvement plan and its effectiveness; amount and frequency of information communicated with parents; and multiple language communication, if needed)

9. Describe any teams that are organized around

planning and implementing improvement. (Probe for focus on priorities, use of data, shared decision making)




10. Describe how teachers use technology to

increase student achievement.

(Probe for availability state-of-the-art technology, software, and hardware for serving the needs of students and teachers)

Lesson 2.2


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


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.