School Improvement Planning

Leadership Council

9/2/10

Agenda

• School Improvement Plan with Populated Data

• School Improvement Planning Process

• Example Plans and Plan Criteria

• Performance Frameworks

• Data Analysis

• Root Cause Identification

Colorado Unified Planning Template for Schools

• Major Sections:

I. Summary Information About the School

II. Improvement Plan Information

III. Narrative on Data Analysis and Root Cause Identification

IV. Action Plan

School Improvement Planning Process

Timeline for School Accreditation and Plan Submission

• District Accountability Handbook p. 54

SVVSD Timeline for School Accreditation and Plan Submission

• Turnaround, Priority Improvement, Title 1 on Corrective Action– Dec. 1 – turn into Area Assistant Superintendent for review and

feedback– Jan. 7 – with revisions completed turn into Area Assistant

Superintendent – March 30th – submit revisions from State Review Panel feedback

to CDE (not Title 1 schools)• Other Schools

– March 1st – to Area Assistant Superintendent– April 8th – with revisions completed turn into Area Assistant

Superintendent

All Plans must be reviewed by District Accountability/Accreditation Committee before submitting to CDE

Planning Terminology

• Appendix A: District Accountability Handbook, p. 23

• Review each of the terms listed

• Terms:– Performance Indicator– Measure– Metric– Root Cause– Major Improvement

Strategy– Action Step– Interim Measure– Implementation

Benchmark

School Improvement Plan (SIP)

• Section I: Summary Information– Examine section 1– Mark sections with a that you need more

clarification on– Discuss with a partner…

• What data surprised you?• What data are you most proud of?• At initial glance, what is an area of weakness?

• Questions

School Improvement Plan (SIP)

• Section II: Improvement Plan Information– Additional Information about the School

• Most schools will not answer yes to any • If you are not sure ask…(usually Regina)

– Improvement Plan Information• State Accountability (most schools)• Plus Title 1A (some schools)• If not sure ask…(Regina)

Section III. Narrative on Data Analysis and Root Cause Identification

• Step 1 – Gather and Organize Relevant Data

• Step 2 – Analyze Trends in the Data and Identify Priority Needs

• Step 3 – Root Cause Analysis

• Step 4 – Create the Data Narrative

Example Plans and Criteria

• Elementary/Middle School

• High School

• Discuss with a partner:– How is this the same as previous goal setting

in our District?– How is it different?

Performance Indicators, Measures, Metrics and Example Targets

• Please read a couple of the examples.

• Plan Criteria

Section III, Step 1:Gather and Organize Data

• Read Step One on p. 4 of the plan

• Make a list of data your school has available for school improvement planning

• What questions can your data answer?

Gather and Organize Data

• Required reports: www.schoolview.org– School Performance Framework– Growth Summary Report– AYP Summaries– Post Secondary Readiness Data

• Recommended: the use of more sources of data (elementary should definitely consider primary data like PALS)

• Must consider at least three years of data

Data Sources in our District

• Schoolview.org – reports listed in previous slide

• Alpine Achievement – – Colorado Assessments - CSAP, CSAPA, CO-ACT,

Colorado Growth Model, CELA, AYP Report– Data Warehouse – PALS, AP, DIBELS, and many

more (soon to come – Galileo, Theme Tests, SRI)– Plans – Literacy, RtI, ALP (soon – 504)

• Infinite Campus

Section III, Step 2 Analyze Trends in the Data and Identify Priority Needs

Data Driven Dialogue

Step 1 – Predict (Activate & Engage)

Step 2 – Explore (Explore & Discover)

Step 3 – Explain (Organize & Integrate)

Step 4 – Take Action

Step One: Predict The purpose: To activate interest and bring out our prior knowledge, preconceptions,

and assumptions regarding the data with which we are about to work. Prediction allows dialogue participants to share the frame of reference through which they view the world and lays the foundation for collaborative inquiry.

The steps include:

1. Clarify the questions that can be answered by the data2. Make predictions about data3. Identify assumptions behind each prediction

 Prediction Sentence Starters:I predict . . . I expect to see . . . I anticipate . . . 

Assumption Questions: Why did I make that prediction?What is the thinking behind my prediction?What do I know that leads me to make that prediction?What experiences do I have that are consistent with my prediction? 

Step One (Chart Paper)

Predictions Assumptions

Step One: Predict - Hints

• Predictions may go fairly quickly at this point because staff members have already seen some of the data

• Develop assumptions concurrently

• Groups do not need to agree upon these

• Give groups a mostly blank data table to help with predictions (so they have some idea of what data they are predicting)

100                      

                     

                     

                     

                     

                     

                     

                     

0                      

Overall Grade 4 Grade 5 Boys Girls FRL NonFRL ELL nonELL IEP nonIEP

CSAP Growth Percentile

Step Two: Explore

• The purpose: Generate priority observations or fact statements about the data that reflect the best thinking of the group.

• The steps include:

1. Interact with the data (highlighting, creating graphical representations, reorganizing)

2. Look for patterns, trends, things that pop out3. Brainstorm a list of facts (observations)4. Prioritize observations5. Turn observations into priority needs

• Avoid: Statements that use the word “because” or that attempt to identify the causes of data trends.

• Sentence starters:• It appears . . . I see that . . . It seems . . . The data shows . . .

Step 2: Explore - Hints

• It is very important to take the time to really explore the data…remind people to not jump to “because” or “action steps” and to really look at what the data is telling them

• Give people one piece of data at a time• Refine Observations:

– In math 58% of 5th graders were proficient or advanced compared to 52% of 4th graders.

– The ELL population increased from 10% last year to 30% this year.

UIP - Section III, Step 2:Analyze Trends in the Data and Identify

Priority Needs

• Read this section on p. 4

• Identify areas of strength• Identify areas of need• Prioritize needs

***the first two columns (trends and priority needs) of the data analysis worksheet on p. 5 can now

be filled out

How good is good enough?

• State Performance Indicators:– School and District Performance Frameworks– State expectations defined for each

performance indicator

• Federal Performance Indicators:– Annual AYP Targets– See, “AYP Proficiency Targets and Safe

Harbor”

Trends and Priority Needs

• Trends must include at least 3 years of data.

• Priority needs must be identified for at least every performance indicator for which school performance did not meet state or federal expectations.

Step Three: Explain The Purpose: Generate theories of causation, keeping multiple voices in the dialogue.

Deepen thinking to get to the best explanations and identify additional data to use to validate the best theories.

The steps include: 

1. Generate questions about observations 2. Brainstorm explanations3. Categorize/classify brainstormed explanations4. Narrow (based on criteria)5. Prioritize6. Get to root causes7. Validate with other data

 

Guiding Questions: • What explains our observations about out data? What might have caused the

patterns we see in the data?• Is this our best thinking? How can we narrow our explanations?• What additional data sources will we explore to validate our explanation? 

Step 3: Explain - Hints

• Help groups stay open to multiple interpretations of why…develop multiple theories of causation

• Separate the generation of theories of causation from theories of action (do not go to action steps in this step)

UIP Section III, Step 3 Root Cause Analysis

• A cause is a “root cause” if:1. The problem would not have occurred if the cause

had not been present

2. The problem will not reoccur if the cause is dissolved

3. Correction of the cause will not lead to the same or similar problems

***the school should have control over the root cause

Steps in Root Cause Analysis

1. Generating explanations (brainstorm)

2. Categorize/classify explanations

3. Narrow (eliminate explanations over which you have no control)

4. Prioritize

5. Get to root cause

6. Validate with other data

Non-examples of Root Cause

• Student attributes (poverty level)

• Student motivation

• Brainstorm a few ideas with your table team of explanations that might appear to be root causes but don’t qualify

Root Cause Examples

• The school does not provide additional support/interventions for students performing at the unsatisfactory level

• Lack of clear expectations for tier 1 instruction in math.• Lack of intervention tools and strategies for math. • Limited English language development.• Inconsistency in instruction in the area of language

development.• Low expectations for all subgroups. • Low expectations for IEP students.

Five Why’s (Explanation)

1. Why?• Because:

2. Why?• Because:

3. Why?• Because:

4. Why?• Because:

5. Why?• Because:

Step Four: Take Action

The Purpose: Prepare to take action based on the data. The critical steps include: 1. Change “observations”/problem statements into goals2. State the goals as SMART Goals3. Determine what will indicate that the problem has been solved or the goal(s) have

been met.4. Identify strategies and action steps that will eliminate or correct the “root cause(s)” of

the problem5. Identify what data to track over time to determine if action steps are having the

desired effect 

Cautions 

Make sure that there is a direct causal link between the goal or solution and the action steps that are being taken. Clearly define what success looks like and measure it. Don’t be afraid to change course if action steps are not having the desired effect.

 

Next Steps

• Before next principal’s meeting:– Review this School Improvement Planning process with staff

• At the next principal's meeting we will work on the Section III of the School Improvement Plan

• Before the next Leadership Council– Lead staff (and possibly School Accountability Committee)

though data driven dialogue (Steps 1-3)– Complete School Improvement Plan through the Data Analysis

Worksheet for each of the four performance indicators

Support

• Area Assistant Superintendents - Amy Weed and Mark Mills

• Connie Syferd, Regina Renaldi, and Tori Teague

• www.schoolview.org

Learning Center → Unified Improvement Planning