Transcript Indezine Template - Center on Innovation and Improvement

Ensuring Students Receive High-Quality,
On-Target Instruction
Critical Elements
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Effective teaching
Alignment of curriculum and instruction to standards
Instructional program coherence
Fidelity of implementation
Evaluation of program impact
Instructional Program Coherence—
Typical Problems
• Each problem, for example, low math scores, is
addressed by a stand-alone “solution”—the
“Christmas tree” approach
• Result: Too many unrelated, fragmented
“improvement” efforts
• Attention and resources focus on the programs
instead of building overall teacher capacity
Newmann, Smith, Allensworth, and Bryk. School Instructional Program Coherence:
Benefits and Challenges
.
What is instructional program
coherence?
• A common instructional framework that guides
curriculum, teaching, and assessment
• Staff working conditions—for example, teacher
evaluation and development—that support
implementation of the framework
• Intentional allocation of school resources such as
materials, time, and staff to advance the school’s
common instructional framework
Newmann, Smith, Allensworth, and Bryk. School Instructional Program Coherence:
Benefits and Challenges
.
Indicators of Instructional Program
Coherence—Some Examples
• The school strategically selects programs and
initiatives so all school programs support each other.
• Teachers coordinate curriculum to avoid repetition
and to offer students new and more complex subject
matter as they move from grade to grade.
• The curriculum remains fairly stable over time, thus
providing teachers with sustained opportunities to
learn how to teach it well.
• Intervention approaches and materials are aligned
with the core curriculum and standards.
Newmann, Smith, Allensworth, and Bryk. School Instructional Program Coherence: Benefits
and Challenges. American Institutes of Research. Research Summary Supporting the Nine
Essential Program Components and Academic Program Survey.
Fidelity of Implementation
• Delivery of instruction is faithful to the
program’s design
• Pays special attention to ensuring
that core components are
implemented
Why is it important?
Relationship Between Program/Approach and Implementation
Implementation
Effective
Program or
Approach
Not Effective
Effective
Improved
outcomes
Poor outcomes
Not Effective
Poor outcomes
Poor outcomes
Adapted from Wallace, Blasé, Fixsen, and Naoom. Implementing the Findings of Research:
Bridging the Gap Between Knowledge and Practice.
We’ve selected a program that we
think meets our students’ needs.
Now what?
****
“Implementation drivers” increase
the likelihood that a program will be
implemented correctly.
Implementation Drivers
• Training and materials to support teacher
learning
• Opportunities for practice
• Ongoing consultation and coaching
• Feedback loop (observations to ensure
that the program is being implemented as
designed, with intervention if necessary)
Adapted from Wallace, Blasé, Fixsen, and Naoom. Implementing the Findings of Research:
Bridging the Gap Between Knowledge and Practice.
Helping Teachers Successfully
Apply New Skills
• Provide opportunities for presentation of
theory and discussion
PLUS
• Time for demonstration and practice
during training
PLUS
• Coaching in the classroom setting as the
teacher implements the new
strategy/program
Evaluation of Program
Impact
In schools, program evaluation means
examining initiatives the school has
undertaken—whether the initiative is an
approach to literacy instruction or a program
to support struggling students—to answer
the question, “Is what we are doing
working?”
Center for Comprehensive School Reform and Improvement. Program Evaluation for the
Practitioner: Using Evaluation as a School Improvement Strategy.
The Goal
Ensuring that school resources are used to
support programs that can positively impact
student learning. This requires identifying
and “correcting” or eliminating those that
“don’t work.”
What are we looking for?
• Does the program do what it was intended to do?
• If not, does the evaluation suggest ways to
improve it? For example, does it look as though
the approach is not being implemented as
designed?
• If it looks as though the program isn’t likely to
address our needs (even with improvements),
does the evaluation provide direction about what
to look for in a replacement program or approach?
Critical Elements
•
•
•
•
•
Effective teaching
Alignment of the curriculum to standards
Instructional program coherence
Fidelity of implementation
Evaluation of program impact