Transcript FASA Middle School Principal’s Leadership Academy

FASA Middle School Principal’s
Leadership Academy
Don Griesheimer
Laura Hassler Lang
July 22, 2007
Background
• History
• Principal Nomination Process
• Principal Leadership Standards Survey
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Goals of the MSPLA
• Provide principals support for
implementing whole faculty study
groups as a process for improving
teaching and learning
• Provide specific professional
development in identified areas for
development
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WFSG Context, Process and Content
• Context
– The nature of your school and how things are
“done around here”
– What is rewarded?
– What is recognized?
– What is monitored?
– Are people accustomed to working alone or
together?
– Are teachers comfortable taking risks?
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WFSG Context, Process and Content
• Process
– How does the work get done?
– What processes are in place to support
WFSG?
– What steps and procedures are required
for full implementation?
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Context, Process and Content
Content
• What skills and knowledge will be acquired through participation
in WFSG?
• What are the students’ instructional needs (see Decision Making
Cycle)?
• What changes will be made to what is learned?
• What new instructional strategies will be employed?
• What changes will will be made to the way learning is
assessed?
• What resources will be used?
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Building Commitment
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Key Commitments:
 Participation of ALL faculty
 Examination of the
achievement of ALL students
 Examination of instructional
practices and how they impact
student performance
 Willingness to make
professional learning and
growth part of the daily work
 Willingness to hold one another
accountable by adhering to
norms (i.e., common meeting
times, routines, standardized
action plans and meeting logs)
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Laying the Foundation:
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What issues does our school face?
Should all faculty members be
involved in solving the problems and
raising achievement?
Should students’ learning needs
drive professional learning and the
school improvement plan?
Would we be willing to work on
these issues in small study groups if
we could carve out and protect time
for faculty members to meet on a
regular basis?
Planning… Time… Research… Time…
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Implementing WFSGs
 Integrating WFSGs with existing structures and initiatives
 Cultivating internal and external support
 Dealing with specific logistics
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focus team roles
size and make-up of study groups
year-long published schedule of meetings
PD how how to participate, research skills, data use
Principal’s role- encourage, support, guidance
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Using WFSGs to support
cultural change
 Changing school culture
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rely on data rather than teacher perceptions
build trust and a desire to have “fun”
anticipate initial struggle with action research plans
monitor logs and attend study group meetings
hold instructional council meetings/full group
faculty meetings
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WFSG and Use of DATA
• Introduction- Why is data analysis so important?
• Data Analysis, WFSG and Action Research
– Analyze existing data - identifying areas of strength and
weakness
– Establish baseline and set targets
– Research and select interventions
– Implement, monitor, make mid-course corrections
– Analyze and evaluate end-of-year results
– Plan for next year
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Some Questions Instructional Leaders
Can Answer Using Data
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What are our areas of strength and weakness?
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Do we have any students who are not attaining proficiency across indicators?
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Which students are most at risk?
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What screening information do we have about them to inform instruction?
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How do we chose valid and reliable alternate assessments?
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What classroom interventions have we tried? What interventions do we plan to try
next?
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What extended time interventions have we tried? What should we do next?
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Do we need to consider program interventions?
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When we compare performance by subgroups (e.g. racial group, gender, students
with disabilities, LEP students), do we see any groups not performing as well as
the whole group? If so, what are we going to do about that?
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Data Analysis and Action Research
Action research can provide a useful framework for conducting data
analysis.
Why?
– Provides a procedure for focusing data analysis
– Helps us gain a greater understanding of our own practices.
– Allows us to integrate theory (research findings) and practice.
– Provides a framework for developing and implementing of
professional development plans.
– Increases student achievement and collaboration among teachers.
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What is Action Research?
Action Research is a deliberate, solution-oriented
investigation that is group or individually owned and
conducted. It is characterized by spiraling cycles of
problem identification, systematic data collection,
reflection, analysis, data-driven action taken, and problem
redefinition.
Linking the terms action and research highlights the
essential features of this method: trying out ideas in
practice as a means of increasing knowledge and/or
improving curriculum, teaching, and learning (Kemmis &
Taggart, 1982 cited in B. Johnson, 1993)
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Where do you begin?
Begin with DATA
• State assessments
• District assessments
• School assessments
• Classroom assessments
CIM A+14
Decision-Making Cycle*
1. Collecting and analyzing data
2. State student needs school-wide based on CRT
and NRT data
3. Categorize and prioritize student needs
4. Organize study groups (use post-it notes)
5. Develop Study Group Action Plans (pg. 120)
6. Implement the study group action plan
7. Evaluate the impact of the study group work on
student learning
*Lick and Murphy, 2007
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Action Plan Plan
1. Student needs based on data analysis:
2. Objective
3. Actions/Strategies/Intervention
Training needs to implement actions/strategies/intervention:
How will you monitor progress and measure objective? [List the instruments you will use]
4. Formative Evaluation
5. Summative Evaluation
Implementation:
Outcome Measure:
Student Progress:
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The End!
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