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Step 5: Review and continue
Step 5: Review and continue
Taking into account your action plan and the milestones set out in the plan, at some point you should review the work you have invested into your priority. Only by checking in and looking back to where you started and considering how far you have come will you be able to truly see the impact of the data-driven decision making process. This is also especially important for the teachers and students most directly involved in the process, to know if all the hard work has been worth it.
1. Review the original goal
1. Review the original goal
To do this, go back to the original goal you set at the beginning of the cycle and reflect on the progress by:
Re-examining the original question or problem: 'Is this still a priority and is the problem still happening?'
Comparing student performance pre- and post-intervention: use the same kind of measurement data as in the beginning of the data-collection process to compare student performance after the intervention has been in place. Hopefully there will be significant, positive change. If not, you should reflect on why there has not been the improvement you planned to see.
Monitoring changes in classroom practices: 'What has changed in the way teachers are teaching?'
Monitoring student changes in performance: 'What has changed in the ways students are learning?'
Together with your team discuss the questions provided in the worksheet.
2. Review the process
2. Review the process
You should also take time to review not only the progress in teaching and learning that has been achieved, but also the various elements of the process. This means making a conscious reflection to think about how your team worked together, how effectively time was spent, how objective was the process and how far have you come in implementing everything you set out to implement.
Together with your team discuss the questions provided in the worksheet.
Continuous improvement process
Continuous improvement process
A continues cycle of evidence-driven school improvement can bring your school or education system from good to great.
The process described is bound to require some adaptation for your needs as you go through the five steps. The context of each school and school system will require modifying your approach, cutting some parts and expanding others. We hope that these guidelines are a good starting point and that you will be able to take these steps and integrate them into the culture and daily practices in your organisation.
To begin your school improvement, start with:
When you have your hands on the right data:
Finally, once you have a deep understanding of your situation:
Step 5: Review and continue the process
other recommendations
other recommendations
Another way of reviewing the work you have put into the improvement cycle is offered by the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF). This includes the emotions and dispositions of the actors involved and if the intervention has changed anything within the general cultures of your organisation.
EEF suggests using these key indicators as growth measurements:
Fidelity: the degree to which staff uses an intervention as intended by its developers;
Acceptability: the degree to which different stakeholders, such as, teachers, students, and parents, perceive the intervention as agreeable;
Reach: how many students it is serving;
Feasibility: the ease and convenience with which the approach can be used by staff and integrated in a school’s daily routines and costs.
Looking forward
Looking forward
Including improvement-oriented data use in everyday work will eventually become a habit, encouraging dialogue within the community and helping to identify small problems before they become big ones.
And it does not end with one school improvement priority - that is just the beginning of the data collection cycle. Soon, you will be seeing more and more opportunities to improve your schools using feedback and evidence. Be sure to monitor progress, regularly checking in with how situations are developing. Do not wait too long and miss the chance to make necessary adjustments along the way in your action plan - set goals for your organisation in a timely manner, taking into account previous experiences.
How will you make sure evidence-driven improvement is a continuous part of everyday work within your organisation? Learning from your mistakes and streamlining processes to be more effective next time is all about working together as a team, taking ownership of success and mistakes, and supporting one another to do better in the future.
Good luck on your journey towards school improvement!
Good luck on your journey towards school improvement!
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