School and District Improvement Planning: Developing Priority Needs
Continuing our series on school and district improvement planning, step two is identifying and analyzing causes and contributing factors of priority needs for advancing student achievement.
Student performance data analysis may produce a lengthy list of student needs. In this step, the improvement planning process in a school or district should prioritize these needs and identify just a few as those of greatest concern. It is important that the school or district only focus on two or three major priority needs.
However, in addressing those major priority needs, other needs could be impacted. During the improvement planning process, schools and districts should consider how one priority need affects other needs while still keeping the list at a manageable level. An unmanageable list of needs will cause staff, students and families to be overwhelmed and struggle to implement all strategies effectively.
Once the priority needs are identified, understanding the causes and contributing factors is essential for change. Without an understanding of the factors that contributed to each of the priority needs, it is difficult to set goals to address those needs. Schools and districts should search for the root cause – the deepest underlying reason for the problem or situation – that addresses the priority needs. These root causes are usually not the most immediate or obvious causes.
Next week, the ISN Newsletter will address the process for setting improvement goals. If you have questions or need assistance with school or district improvement planning, please contact David Cook or Erin McGee.
Using Nonadjusted Accountability Scores in Planning Instruction
Kentucky’s assessment and accountability program is in transition. The most frequently discussed change is the reporting of two accountability index scores—Adjusted by Concordance and Nonadjusted. Both scores provide valuable information depending on their uses— accountability or instruction.
Ø The Adjusted Accountability Index continues school and district accountability. It links the 2007 school and district performance levels to the previous accountability system. The score is related to the performance trends, the original goal and assistance lines in a school’s or district’s growth chart.
Ø The Nonadjusted Accountability Index and Content Area Indices provide the connection to the absolute goal of proficiency by 2014. It provides the first instructional look at the current position of a school or district compared to absolute goal of proficiency. Nonadjusted data is calculated for 2007 using new content area weights and new cut scores for student performance.
During annual CATS assessment data analysis, schools and districts should focus on instruction, remembering that their efforts should be on the Nonadjusted Accountability Scores and what is needed to do each year to reach proficiency for all students. The Nonadjusted Content Area Indices should be the focal point for instructional purposes.
Remember, the Adjusted Accountability Index is for accountability purposes only, serving as a two-year bridge and allowing for celebrations of the good work that has occurred.
Parent Advisory Council Recommendations
The Commissioner’s Parents Advisory Council (CPAC) has issued a set of recommendations to improve family and community involvement in Kentucky’s public schools. The recommendations were presented to Interim Education Commissioner Kevin Noland at the CPAC’s regular meeting in Frankfort on September 27.
The council’s goal is for Kentucky to become the first state to set a standard for family and community involvement that is focused on student achievement. The council’s report is available on the KDE Web site: The Missing Piece of the Proficiency Puzzle.
Quotable Quotes
“We could revolutionize education if we asked every person connected with the education of children, ‘Read any good book lately’”
Susan Ohanian, author