Supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. EHR-0315060

Taking Stock of Our Reform Efforts

Are we making a difference and how do we know?

Welcome

Why District Action Plans?

• A chance for all of us to learn about what works.

• Provide data to NCOSP so we can tailor our support to you based on your District Action Plans

• Foster ownership and accountability for leading a change effort

• Document our work and maintain “audit trail”

How do we know we’re being effective in our work?

• Take a few minutes to talk in your group about this.

For Today

• Use evaluation of District Action Plans to generate data that will inform us.

• Learn:– Link between goals and actions– How to apply simple evaluation strategies– Learn what other districts are doing – share

successes/seek support

• You will come to look at your District Action Plan through the lens of evaluation.

• The partnership is looking at the District Action Plans as a way of collecting data on the excellent work you are doing.

• So we can actually collect this data, please fill out the Report Form.

Roles

• Assign– Facilitator– Timekeeper– 2 recorders

• One for Chart• One for report form

Where are we now?

D-YTD-? (The Adaptive School page 116)

On Chart Paper and on Report Form:

1) Write one goal that has activities listed to be performed between September and December

2) As a group, complete D-YTD-? columns with activities

Work time - Taking Stock

1) As a group, identify one or two actions that are of greatest importance.

2) You have two minutes

Knowledge, Skills, and Attitudes

Goal: Increase teacher and administrator understanding of the findings from How People Learn.

Activity 1: Create

Professional Development on

How People Learn

Activity 1: Create

Professional Development on

How People Learn

Knowledge

Activity 1: Create

Professional Development on

How People Learn

Knowledge

Understand that students come to class with potentially incorrect

preconceptions.

Activity 1: Create

Professional Development on

How People Learn

Knowledge

Understand that students come to class with potentially incorrect

preconceptions. Understand that students need to develop a deep conceptual

framework.

Activity 1: Create

Professional Development on

How People Learn

Knowledge

Understand that students come to class with potentially incorrect

preconceptions. Understand that students need to develop a deep conceptual

framework. Understand that students learn best when they apply the skills of thinking about their learning.

Activity 1: Create

Professional Development on

How People Learn

Knowledge

Understand that students come to class with potentially incorrect

preconceptions. Understand that students need to develop a deep conceptual

framework. Understand that students learn best when they apply the skills of thinking about their learning.

Skills

Activity 1: Create

Professional Development on

How People Learn

Knowledge

Understand that students come to class with potentially incorrect

preconceptions. Understand that students need to develop a deep conceptual

framework. Understand that students learn best when they apply the skills of thinking about their learning.

Skills Incorporate the three key findings from How People Learn

into practice

Activity 1: Create

Professional Development on

How People Learn

Knowledge

Understand that students come to class with potentially incorrect

preconceptions. Understand that students need to develop a deep conceptual

framework. Understand that students learn best when they apply the skills of thinking about their learning.

Skills Incorporate the three key findings from How People Learn

into practice

Attitudes

Activity 1: Create

Professional Development on

How People Learn

Knowledge

Understand that students come to class with potentially incorrect

preconceptions. Understand that students need to develop a deep conceptual

framework. Understand that students learn best when they apply the skills of thinking about their learning.

Skills Incorporate the three key findings from How People Learn

into practice

Attitudes Develop positive belief about the findings from How People Learn.

Individual Reflection:(4 minutes)

What are the underlying Knowledge, Skills, or Attitudes you hope your activities will develop?

Work time

• Reflect as a group and write the Knowledge, Skills and Attitudes you hope to influence with your activities.

• Record your work on chart paper and the Report Form.

What is the “right work”?

• Clarity of knowledge, skills, and attitudes we hope to affect.

• With this clarity, we can make sure our goals define the “right work” (Garmston).

• Once we know the “right work”, we can develop monitoring and evaluation efforts that collect the “right data”

Does your Goal express what you hope the sum of your Actions will

achieve?

For example:

For example:

I: Goal is aligned with activities and KSAs.Example: Increase teacher and administrator understanding of the findings from How People Learn.

For example:

I: Goal is aligned with activities and KSAs.Example: Increase teacher and administrator understanding of the findings from How People Learn.

II. Goal is written as an action.Example: Provide professional development on How People Learn.

For example:

I: Goal is aligned with activities and KSAs.Example: Increase teacher and administrator understanding of the findings from How People Learn.

II. Goal is written as an action.Example: Provide professional development on How People Learn.

III. Goal is not related to the KSAs.Example: Increase teacher understanding of the science WASL.

For example:

I: Goal is aligned with activities and KSAs.Example: Increase teacher and administrator understanding of the findings from How People Learn.

II. Goal is written as an action.Example: Provide professional development on How People Learn.

III. Goal is not related to the KSAs.Example: Increase teacher understanding of the science WASL.

IV. Clear goal, but it is not aligned with the listed activities.Example: Increase student performance on the science WASL.

Work time – Revisit goals

• Adjust and apply this work to your goals as necessary.

• Please enter on your chart paper and on your Report Form

Evaluating our performance

• Acknowledging the link between KSA and Evaluation

Tools for evaluating effectiveness of District Action Plans

• Five methods of data collection– Surveys– Interviews– Observations– Tests– Documentation Reviews

How do you decide which method to use?

• Points to consider:– What evidence is embedded in your project?– How will you measure change?– Who will comprise your sample?– Triangulation of methods and sources.

Outcomes (KSA) and Processes

Appropriate Methods

K: Teachers’ and administrators’ knowledge of key principles within How People Learn

Surveys, interviews, tests

S: Incorporate the 3 key findings from How People Learn into practice

Observations, surveys, interviews, tests

A: Develop positive belief about the findings from How People Learn

Surveys, interviews

Work Time

• What methodologies are best suited to meeting your goal?

• Record on chart paper as well as on Report Form

Getting the data you need

Developing Good Questions1) Be clear on the underlying purpose of the

question

2) Make sure the questions themselves are clear

Clear Purpose

• Example Goal: Increase teacher and administrator understanding of the findings from How People Learn.

• What data do we want to collect?– Teacher and administrator understanding

of the principles– Change in practice

Clear Question?

“How satisfied are you with the PD on How People Learn and with the amount of prep-time you get during the school day?”

AVOID “double barreled” questions!

Clear Question!

Instead, ask,

• How satisfied are you with the PD on How People Learn?

• How satisfied are you with the amount of prep-time you get during the school day?

Clear Question?

"How many science projects did you assign to your students over the past six months?"

Avoid ambiguous wording!

Clear Question!

Instead, ask,“Circle how many of the following project types you assigned

to your students over the past six months.”

Reports 0 1 2 3 4 5

Experiments 0 1 2 3 4 5

Presentations 0 1 2 3 4 5

Information Models 0 1 2 3 4 5

Clear Question?

“To what extent are you knowledgeable about common student misconceptions related to phases of the Moon?”

Not at all Somewhat To a great extent

1 2 3 4 5

Clear Question!

“To what extent are you knowledgeable about common student misconceptions related to phases of the Moon?”

This is an appropriately worded question.

Not at all Somewhat To a great extent

1 2 3 4 5

Clear Question?

"What have you done to get more teachers in your building to integrate the learning principles from HPL in their classes?"

Avoid “Leading questions”

Clear Questions

Instead, ask,

“Have you taken an active role in encouraging your teachers to integrate the learning principles from HPL in their classes?”

“If yes, what practices have you employed to bring that end about?”

Work time

• Choose one method you have identified for collecting data.

• Develop one or two good questions to use in that method

• Record on chart paper as well as on Report Form.

Gallery Walk

• Find a district with similar KSA to yours– Identify actions they are taking– Identify evaluation strategies– Find someone from that district and talk with

them about commonalities/ differences• What support can you give one another?• Use this chance to enhance your professional

learning community

Work time

• Continue the work from this morning – apply to the other goal(s) in your District Action Plan

Evaluating today

• Next Learning Community Forum is December 8th