Planning for Comprehensive School Reform

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Planning for Comprehensive School Reform
Improvementthrough a Needs Assessment Process
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Needs Assessment An Overview

• Improvement framework
• What is needs assessment?
• key steps in the process and key elements
• data
• Why do it?
• identify appropriate models/interventions
• formulate a plan
• the added value
• Sample discussion topics
• Resources

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The Continuous Improvement Framework
Gather school and student-level data, including
evaluation results of previous interventions
Evaluate results in comparison to school goals
and performance targets
Analyze data to determine areas for improvement
Implement interventions

Research and select appropriate
interventions/models
Identify and prioritize needs
Determine/refine school goals, objectives and
performance targets
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What is Needs Assessment?

• A needs assessment attempts to answer questions
  about the social conditions a program is intended
  to address and the need for the program, or to
  determine whether a program is needed.
• More generally, it may be used to identify,
  compare, and prioritize needs within and across
  academic areas and related program areas.

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Key Steps in the Needs Assessment Process

• Convene a diverse school team to analyze data and
  prioritize needs
• Engage diverse stakeholders and communities in
  conversations to gain varied perspectives on
  school needs and priorities, school and
  community-based resources, and required action
  steps
• With diverse school team
• Learn about comprehensive whole school reform
  models or other interventions and their track
  records in contexts like yours - find the best
  match
• Reallocate resources and time to fully support
  your school improvement effort
• Develop an implementation plan that integrates
  the reform components and involves all
  stakeholders.
• Rossi et al. (2004)

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Key Elements of aNeeds Assessment

• A needs assessment
• Uses school-level and student-level data from
  multiple sources
• Provides specific details about school needs and
  strengths
• Prioritizes school needs and assets
• Considers resources

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Data Types and Sources

• Different Types of Data
• Student demographics, mobility, attitudes,
  behavior
• Academic performance
• Curriculum and assessment
• Classroom management
• School management
• Family/community involvement

• Different Sources of Data
• Surveys
• Focus groups
• School district records
• State local assessments
• Lesson plans, student work
• Curriculum assessment materials
• Observation reports
• Documents e.g. faculty PTO meeting minutes,
  school plans, budget

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Why do a Needs Assessment?

• A needs assessment provides schools with
  information needed to
• match school needs with potential
  models/interventions to determine course of
  action
• help formulate your plan
• help integrate current initiatives with new
  initiatives

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Determine your Course of Action

• Consider your schools needs and strengths
• e.g., content area, professional development,
  target populations, standards alignment,
  community, language resources
• Determine priorities
• Consider resources
• Research and consider different interventions or
  reform models
• e.g., curriculum, governance, instruction,
  specific content areas, climate, school
  structure, etc.
• Consider district and state mandates
• Consider how a strategy or approach will
• fill identified gaps
• complement current successful initiatives
• meet the needs of your diverse student populations

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Formulating your comprehensive school reform
improvement plan

• Your plan should specify school and student
  level
• Goals and objectives
• Strategies action steps
• Indicators and benchmarks
• Measurement methods

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Formulating your School Reform PlanAn Example

• Goal Where do we want our school to be in 3
  years?
• We want to create a more positive classroom and
  school climate where students feel safe and
  interactions are respectful. We believe this is
  the foundation needed for a positive learning
  environment.
• Objective What do we want our school to do or
  provide?
• Spend at least two hours each day in the
  classroom in small group learning activities
  where students can develop more personalized
  relationships with teachers who will then provide
  more positive reinforcement for appropriate
  behavior.
• Strategies/Action Steps What does our school
  have to do to help students and teachers
  accomplish this goal?
• Provide staff with professional development
  relating to small group learning and positive
  reinforcement.

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Formulating your School Reform PlanAn Example
continued

• Indicators and Benchmarks What evidence do we
  need to demonstrate progress toward our goals?
• Teachers will create lesson plans incorporating
  small group learning activities
• Teachers will implement positive reinforcement
  techniques
• All staff will know the names of all students and
  positive interactions will be observed both
  inside and outside of the classroom
• Measurement Methods How will we gather the
  evidence needed to demonstrate successful
  achievement of our goals?
• Observations of teachers using small group
  learning and positive reinforcement
• Quarterly surveys of students regarding school
  climate
• Student performance data

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The Added Value

• An inclusive needs assessment provides
  added-value by
• building full staff and community awareness of
  school needs and an urgency to change
• creating forums for different stakeholders to
  discuss the issues and reflect upon what needs to
  be done
• fostering a willingness to change by developing
  staff and community buy-in for your overall whole
  school improvement and reform effort
• providing the structure and baseline data for
  ongoing evaluation of your school improvement
  efforts

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Needs Assessment Tool

• Introduction
• The Process
• How to Use It

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Sample Discussion Topics

• What are two high-priority areas for
  improvement that your school needs to address?
  Says who? Do you have data that support these
  perceived needs?
• What are two school assets (e.g., current
  programs that address curriculum or school
  climate) that you feel should be part of your
  comprehensive school improvement effort? Says
  who?
• What strategies will you (or have you) used to
  develop staff buy-in and awareness about your
  school improvement efforts? (List your
  strategies).

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Needs Assessment Resources

• The Education Alliance Needs Assessment Tool
• http//www.alliance.brown.edu/pubs/self_assess.pdf
  
• Systemic Supports for School Reform - Tools for
  Data Analysis http//www.csos.jhu.edu/datause/ind
  ex.htm
• Claiming Opportunities A Handbook for Improving
  Education for English Language Learners Through
  Comprehensive School Reform (Chapter 5)
  http//www.alliance.brown.edu/pubs/claiming_opport
  unities/index.shtml
• Making Good Choices A Guide for Schools and
  Districts
• http//www.ncrel.org/csri/choices/makegood.pdf
• Comprehensive School Reform Research-Based
  Strategies to Achieve High Standards
• http//www.wested.org/csrd/guidebook/toc.htm