Making the Case for Quality

Can a Fishbone Diagram Stop a Bully?

• InCommunityConsolidatedSchoolDistrict15,qualitytoolsareputtoworkinnearlyeveryaspectofthedistrict’soperations,eveninelementaryclassrooms.

• Studentsaresettinggoalsandtrackingacademicprogresstowardtheirgoalsusingdatafolders.

• Someteachersarefindingvalueinusingqualitytoolstoaddressbehavioralissuessuchasplaygroundbullying.

AtaGlance...A visitor to Community Consolidated School District (CCSD) 15 could walk through any school build-ing and quickly discover a variety of quality tools in action—from detailed plan, do, study, act (PDSA) cycles and mission statements displayed in the classrooms to colorful run charts tracking the spelling progress of elementary students. First and foremost, quality tools are enhancing student learning, but some teachers in the district are using the tools to address behavioral issues as well.

A Rich History of Quality in District 15

As the third largest K-8 district in Illinois, District 15 serves a diverse population of more than 12,000 students in all or parts of seven northwestern Chicago municipalities. District 15 includes 15 elemen-tary schools, four junior high schools (seventh and eighth grades), one preschool early childhood center, and an alternative public day school. A district-wide focus on continuous quality improvement culminated in 2003 when District 15 earned the prestigious Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award.

In the years leading up to the Baldrige Award, teachers and principals completed training in ASQ’s Koalaty Kid program, and now some of those participants are key leaders in bringing quality directly into the classroom. Christie Samojedny, a former teacher who is now the principal at Lincoln Elementary, visited other Illinois school districts that were using quality tools in the classroom and saw firsthand how they improved student instruction. She was so inspired by what she learned that she began sharing her knowledge by offering a monthly quality tool training session for her fellow teachers.

Another leader in the district’s quality movement is Andy Tieman, the principal at Winston Campus Elementary for the past two years. He says the quality training he completed in the late 1990s changed his whole idea of teaching. “From that moment on, it was about collecting data and using that data to make improvements in the classroom,” Tieman recalls.

Setting Goals and Monitoring Progress Through Data Folders

The focal point for classroom quality activities in District 15 is the student data folder, which is typi-cally just a standard three-ring binder. While this binder looks as ordinary as Crayola crayons or number two pencils, it’s the data inside and the process of collecting and analyzing the data that makes it a truly beneficial tool. Tieman calls the student data folder the “driving force” behind many of the classroom quality initiatives at his school. He notes that teachers have the autonomy to decide how the folders look and are used. At Winston Elementary, every student uses a data folder for setting goals and tracking progress against those goals during the school year. The typical student data folder includes several items, some of which are shown in Figures 1-3:

• Student and classroom mission statements• Classroom promise• Learning and behavioral goals set by the student• Classroom measures such as spelling, vocabulary, or math test scores• Standardized test scores

by Janet Jacobsen

September2009

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Samojedny believes that students as young as first graders bene-fit from using data folders. “It helps the kids take ownership and accountability with learning and gets them to understand that they are a part of the learning process,” she explains.

In addition to helping students track their academic progress, teachers and principals refer to the data binder if a student expe-riences a learning issue. Tieman reveals that when a student has a problem that calls for a discussion with the parents, he pulls the student’s data folder and reviews the documented goals with the parents to work through the issue together.

At Winston, the data folder isn’t discarded or even sent home with the student at the end of the school year; rather, it’s trans-ferred to the student’s new teacher in the fall. A new “chapter” is added to the binder each year so that progress monitoring is con-tinual. Teachers can review goals, tools used, and the student’s efforts to monitor his or her progress. Thus, the data folder essentially becomes a progress monitoring kit complete with writing samples and pieces of outstanding work.

Some elementary schools in the district take the student data folder concept a step further, using it as a foundation for stu-dent-led conferences. Samojedny says that fourth through sixth graders at Lincoln Elementary are not only active participants, but also leaders in parent conferences. While the classroom teacher is present for the conference, it’s the student who shares the contents of the data folder, explaining his or her strengths and weaknesses, goals accomplished, future goals, and how he or she is working to meet those goals. She notes that students take pride and ownership in this process, and the parents often express amazement at the run charts and Pareto diagrams created

by their children, commenting, “Wow, we didn’t do this when I was in school!”

Can a Fishbone Diagram Stop a Bully?

While teachers and administrators in District 15 primarily use quality tools to improve student instruction, many also find value in applying the tools to behavioral issues. Take, for exam-ple, the long-running issue of school bullies. As long as there are school playgrounds, there will be schoolyard bullies making recess miserable for classmates. In recent years, however, some

ASQ www.asq.org Page2of3

Figure 1— Classroom promise, filled in for school year Figure 3— MAP growth chart, filled in for three trimesters

Figure 2— Plus/delta template____________________________’s Plus/Delta for Trimester 1

(what is going well) +

(what could be improved) D

ReadingWritingMath

SocialStudiesScienceBehavior

(what is going well) +

(what could be improved) D

WorksWellinaGroupTurnsinHomeworkonTime

UsesClassTimeWiselyWorksWellIndep.

ListensandFollowsDirectionsIsOrganized

upper-level elementary classrooms in District 15 have addressed this topic using the plan, do, study, act (PDSA) cycle.

Students often begin the improvement process by creating an affinity diagram to analyze the situation. They use Post-it® notes to rank order concerns. From a quick look at the number of Post-its attached to each area of concern, they can easily spot the main issues associated with bullying. The next step is identify-ing root causes. Samojedny reports that students create fishbone diagrams like the one shown in Figure 4, focusing their analysis around various stakeholder groups, such as bullies, students who are bullied, and playground supervisors. “Once you put it into a diagram the answers just jump out at you as you try to narrow the focus to get to the bottom or root causes,” explains Tieman.

Finally, the students create action plans with interventions to address the behavioral problems. One classroom’s intervention strategy focused on bringing in a social worker who guided the students through various role-playing activities aimed at reduc-ing the bullying behavior. “It was very interesting that students were able to do this exercise and show that everyone plays a role in the bullying situation,” notes Samojedny.

Continuing the Improvement Cycle

When summer turns to fall and students begin filling their new backpacks with school supplies to begin another year, you will find District 15 teachers and principals gearing up to continu-ally improve all aspects of student learning through quality tools.

“Putting quality tools to work in the classroom is amazing. From collecting the data to analyzing and organizing, it’s fun to see what the students can continue to do,” remarks Tieman.

For More Information

• To learn more about District 15 and its quality journey, visit www.ccsd15.net/.

• Additional details about the district’s continuous improvement work are available from Mary Zarr, assistant superintendent for curriculum, special services, and school improvement. Contact her via e-mail at zarrm@ccsd15.net.

• Read three more case studies on District 15:“Former Baldrige Recipient Rekindles Its Quality Fire” (www.asq.org/2009/08/baldrige-national-quality-program/baldrige-recipient-rekindles-quality-fire.pdf).

“Quality Club Teaches Today’s Learners to Become Tomorrow’s Leaders” (www.asq.org/2009/08/quality-tools/quality-club-tomorrows-leaders.pdf).

“PDSA: A Road Map to Improved Writing Skills” (www.asq.org/2009/09/continuous-improvement/ pdsa-road-map-writing-skills.pdf).

• Attend the 17th National Quality Education Conference (NQEC), October 25-27 in Jacksonville, FL, where district superintendent Dr. Dan Lukich and other key leaders will present a four-hour preconference workshop, “Continuing the Story: The 2003 National Malcolm Baldrige Winning School District: Then and Now.”

About the Author

Janet Jacobsen is a freelance writer specializing in quality and compliance topics. A graduate of Drake University, she resides in Cedar Rapids, IA.

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Figure 4— Classroom bullying fishbone diagram

Identifyingthe causesof bullying

Adults

Victims

May be smarter than bullies

May have a disability

Athletic ability may be target

May speak differently

Race or ethnicity may attract bullies

May be smaller

May look or dress differently

May be more popular than bullies

Attitude or actions may attract bullies

Students

Bullies

May not have friends May want revenge on others

May feel a rivalry or jealousyMay bully to feel powerful

May be in a bad mood

May have a negative event happening at home

Afraid to tell on bulliesAfraid to tell bullies to stop

May avoid bullies instead of standing up to themSome want to “see the show”

May not get involved if it doesn’t affect them or their friends

May not be strict enough

Don’t consistently give consequencesMay not have time to listen right away

May not have time to act right awayLunch/recess supervisors may be overwhelmed and outnumbered

May brush off student complaintsBus drivers may not pay close enough attention to bullies