School School Improvement Improvement

ProcessProcess

NCA Style – And everyone NCA Style – And everyone else’s styleelse’s style

Elements of Effective Elements of Effective School ImprovementSchool Improvement

• Data Collection (Profiling and Data Collection (Profiling and Scanning)Scanning)

• MissionMission• Goal Setting (Performance Targets)Goal Setting (Performance Targets)• Interventions (Strategies)Interventions (Strategies)• AssessmentsAssessments• Professional DevelopmentProfessional Development• Monitoring Monitoring • Documentation of ResultsDocumentation of Results

What we have What we have accomplished…accomplished…

School ProfileSchool Profile

• Developed by the team in 2003Developed by the team in 2003• A “concise stand-alone document A “concise stand-alone document

developed to summarize information developed to summarize information that describes the students” within that describes the students” within OlympiaOlympia

• Includes information about school and Includes information about school and communitycommunity

• Students’ performance goals emerge Students’ performance goals emerge from the documentfrom the document

Environmental ScanEnvironmental Scan

•Environmental scan data is Environmental scan data is information about society and information about society and the world that a faculty may the world that a faculty may use to determine what skills use to determine what skills and knowledge students will and knowledge students will need to be successful after need to be successful after leaving schoolleaving school

Some Topics to ScanSome Topics to Scan

• Demographic trends in populationDemographic trends in population• EmploymentEmployment• TechnologyTechnology• Human Resources (Workforce, Work Human Resources (Workforce, Work

Environment)Environment)• Health CareHealth Care• LegislationLegislation• Socioeconomics (Income projections, Socioeconomics (Income projections,

public attitudes)public attitudes)

Our Environmental ScanOur Environmental Scan

• The scan should be revisited regularlyThe scan should be revisited regularly• Last done in 2003Last done in 2003• Our scan consisted of trends that Our scan consisted of trends that

teachers noted within their discipline teachers noted within their discipline • Plans to follow with societal and Plans to follow with societal and

economic trend data did not come to economic trend data did not come to fruition.fruition.

Mission StatementMission Statement

• Clarifies the purpose of the school and Clarifies the purpose of the school and identifies its priorities. identifies its priorities.

• It gives direction, inspires, and motivates It gives direction, inspires, and motivates as people in the school community make as people in the school community make decisions about the school.decisions about the school.

• It is decided upon by a consensus of the It is decided upon by a consensus of the faculty, administration, and other faculty, administration, and other representatives of the school community.representatives of the school community.

Mission StatementMission StatementWith the understanding that technology and With the understanding that technology and

globalization are creating an increasingly globalization are creating an increasingly sophisticated and diverse world, Olympia High sophisticated and diverse world, Olympia High School, in partnership with family and School, in partnership with family and community, is proactive in promoting a system of community, is proactive in promoting a system of education that:education that:

• Fosters the pursuit of excellence through a Fosters the pursuit of excellence through a variety of rigorous academic and extracurricular variety of rigorous academic and extracurricular opportunities.opportunities.

• Provides a technology-rich environment for Provides a technology-rich environment for developing independent, adaptable, information-developing independent, adaptable, information-literate learners.literate learners.

• Enhances oral and written communication skillsEnhances oral and written communication skills• Instills students with problem solving and critical Instills students with problem solving and critical

thinking skills with real-world applications.thinking skills with real-world applications.

Student Performance Student Performance GoalsGoals

• Goals are supported by an analysis of Goals are supported by an analysis of data from the profiledata from the profile

• Goals are supportive of the mission and Goals are supportive of the mission and beliefs of the school.beliefs of the school.

• Goals should be phrased in terms of Goals should be phrased in terms of STUDENT performance.STUDENT performance.

• Goals should address ALL of the Goals should address ALL of the school’s learnersschool’s learners

• Goals should emphasize student Goals should emphasize student growth.growth.

Original GoalsOriginal Goals

• All students will demonstrate an All students will demonstrate an improved ability to read and improved ability to read and comprehend text in all curricular areas.comprehend text in all curricular areas.

• All students will improve their All students will improve their information literacy skills with an information literacy skills with an emphasis on critical thinking.emphasis on critical thinking.

• All students will increase their All students will increase their scientific reasoning processes across scientific reasoning processes across the curriculum.the curriculum.

Current Olympia School Current Olympia School Improvement GoalsImprovement Goals

• All students will demonstrate an All students will demonstrate an improved ability to read and comprehend improved ability to read and comprehend text in all curricular areas.text in all curricular areas.

• Increase critical reasoning and Increase critical reasoning and information literacy skills across the information literacy skills across the curriculumcurriculum

• Increase the OHS graduation rate to Increase the OHS graduation rate to 91.5% fro the 2005-2006 school year. 91.5% fro the 2005-2006 school year. Decrease the drop out rate to 2.0% for Decrease the drop out rate to 2.0% for the 2005-2006 school year.the 2005-2006 school year.

First External Chair VisitFirst External Chair Visit

• PosnikPosnik• Rave ReviewsRave Reviews

The next steps…The next steps…

Developing the School Developing the School Improvement PlanImprovement Plan

• Establish goal committeesEstablish goal committees• Identify AssessmentsIdentify Assessments• Identify InterventionsIdentify Interventions• Create the Staff Development Create the Staff Development

ComponentComponent• Develop the School Improvement Develop the School Improvement

PlanPlan• Host the Pier Review TeamHost the Pier Review Team

Responsibilities of Goals Responsibilities of Goals CommitteesCommittees

• Plan the logistics for the assessment of each of the Plan the logistics for the assessment of each of the student performance goalsstudent performance goals

• Work with faculty to support the interventions that Work with faculty to support the interventions that have been identifiedhave been identified

• Assist with monitoring the implementation of the Assist with monitoring the implementation of the plan across the curriculumplan across the curriculum

• Identify staff development needed to support each Identify staff development needed to support each student performance goal.student performance goal.

• Help establish expectations and determine how to Help establish expectations and determine how to document improvements in student performance.document improvements in student performance.

• Provide frequent progress reports on goal Provide frequent progress reports on goal accomplishment to the entire staff.accomplishment to the entire staff.

• Create the final documentation report for the Create the final documentation report for the assignment goal and provide it to the steering assignment goal and provide it to the steering committeecommittee

SnagsSnags• There was no research out there There was no research out there

about reading programs at the high about reading programs at the high school levelschool level

• Leadership turnoverLeadership turnover• Goals kept changingGoals kept changing• Our external chair left the areaOur external chair left the area• NCA was imploding because of NCA was imploding because of

NCLB – no supportNCLB – no support• OLY Downsizing and its aftermathOLY Downsizing and its aftermath

Interventions

Professional Development

Assessment

Assessment

Professional Development

Interventions

AssessmentAssessment

TriangulationTriangulation

• Standardized assessment – provide Standardized assessment – provide reliability and credibility (autopsy)reliability and credibility (autopsy)– Criterion ReferencedCriterion Referenced– Norm ReferencedNorm Referenced

• Local assessment – provide validity Local assessment – provide validity and timeliness (physical exam)and timeliness (physical exam)– Classroom levelClassroom level

Dissagregate, dissagregate, Dissagregate, dissagregate, dissagregatedissagregate

• Subgroups: quartiles, gender, low-Subgroups: quartiles, gender, low-SESSES

• Ensures equity by ensuring that Ensures equity by ensuring that performance is improving for all performance is improving for all studentsstudents

• Interventions can be tailor-madeInterventions can be tailor-made

Key QuestionKey Question

• How many assessments are needed How many assessments are needed for each goal?for each goal?

• Are we assessing the goal or the Are we assessing the goal or the intervention?intervention?

• Must every intervention have an Must every intervention have an assessment?assessment?

• Must every assessment be given to Must every assessment be given to every student every year?every student every year?

Interventions address the Interventions address the reasons why students are reasons why students are

not being successful.not being successful.

• Cause and effect Cause and effect – Symptom versus causeSymptom versus cause

• Interventions result from a thorough Interventions result from a thorough analysis of analysis of datadata

• Interventions should be Interventions should be research-research-basedbased

Professional Professional DevelopmentDevelopment

• Helps faculty learn about the new Helps faculty learn about the new interventions and how to implement interventions and how to implement them.them.

• Needs to be directly linked to the Needs to be directly linked to the school improvement plan.school improvement plan.

• Needs to include ways to measure the Needs to include ways to measure the extent to which the plan is being extent to which the plan is being implemented in the classroomimplemented in the classroom

• Plan includes provisions for new facultyPlan includes provisions for new faculty

Let’s Analyze a Let’s Analyze a Hypothetical and Real Hypothetical and Real

School Improvement Plan School Improvement Plan

How ready are we to How ready are we to engage in the school engage in the school

improvement improvement process?process?

Capacity Assessment Capacity Assessment InstrumentInstrument