Data Driven Decisions

SWOT Analysis

The Florida Principal Leadership Standards

I recently did a SWOT Analysis for Seminole Ridge HS EOC Biology. SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. The artifact I am sharing is the slides presentation I presented to Administration. It consists of 6 slides including data, SWOT Analysis, plan of action, and data resources. This presentation focuses on Student Achievement by using statewide EOC test results. It shows that learning is a priority by having teachers focus on the system implemented using the data results. It uses Instructional Leadership by implementing an instructional plan that focuses on data analysis to improve instruction and communicates this data with an emphasis on instruction through standards and performance. This Analysis of EOC Biology scores shows a focus on student achievement and having the teachers focus on the data shows professional learning in the school that is clearly linked to the system-wide strategic objectives. It uses data analysis through the teachers for instructional planning and improvement. In the Plan of Action of the SWOT Analysis, there is professional learning that enables the faculty to deliver differentiated instruction. Using the PLCs to implement professional learning provides the time that engages faculty in effective individual and collaborative development.

These are the specific FPLS domains and standards I focused this presentation on but not limited to.

The Florida Principal Leadership Standards

Domain 1: Student Achievement:

Standard 1: Student Learning Results. Effective school leaders achieve results on the school's student learning goals.

Student learning results are evidenced by the student performance and growth on statewide assessments; district-determined assessments that are implemented by the district under section 1008.22, F.S.; international assessments; and other indicators of student success adopted by the district and state.

Standard 2: Student Learning as a Priority. Effective school leaders demonstrate that student learning is their top priority through leadership actions that build and support a learning organization focused on student success.

The leader:

Enables faculty and staff to work as a system focused on student learning;
Maintains a school climate that supports student engagement in learning;
Generates high expectations for learning growth by all students; and
Engages faculty and staff in efforts to close learning performance gaps among student subgroups within the school.

Domain 2: Instructional Leadership:

Standard 3: Instructional Plan Implementation.

Effective school leaders work collaboratively to develop and implement an instructional framework that aligns curriculum with state standards, effective instructional practices, student learning needs and assessments.

The leader:

Implements the Florida Educator Accomplished Practices as described in Rule 6A-5.065, F.A.C., through a common language of instruction;
Engages in data analysis for instructional planning and improvement;
Communicates the relationships among academic standards, effective instruction, and student performance;
Implements the district's adopted curricula and state's adopted academic standards in a manner that is rigorous and culturally relevant to the students and school; and
Ensures the appropriate use of high quality formative and interim assessments aligned with the adopted standards and curricula.

Standard 4: Faculty Development.

Effective school leaders recruit, retain and develop an effective and diverse faculty and staff.

The leader:

Generates a focus on student and professional learning in the school that is clearly linked to the system-wide strategic objectives and the school improvement plan;
Evaluates, monitors, and provides timely feedback to faculty on the effectiveness of instruction;
Employs a faculty with the instructional proficiencies needed for the school population served;
Identifies faculty instructional proficiency needs, including standards-based content, research-based pedagogy, data analysis for instructional planning and improvement, and the use of instructional technology;
Implements professional learning that enables faculty to deliver culturally relevant and differentiated instruction; and
Provides resources and time and engages faculty in effective individual and collaborative professional learning throughout the school year.

Data Driven Decisions

This session focused on Data. It was great to see this being taught as a priority. I am a huge advocate of using data for all decisions. Maybe it is the Math in me that enjoys the numbers side of data or maybe it is the fact that using data analysis to drive instruction is how I was taught to teach. I have been at two different High Schools and noticed that in the Math Department this is not always accepted by the teachers. If it is not being accepted by the teachers in the Math Department there is a good chance that there is less of a percentage of teachers using data analysis to drive instruction in other departments. I take pride in having an organized, colorful hard copy Gradebook, but when the State intervened in Lake Worth HS years ago I learned how to break down the data to go much deeper than a sectional quiz or chapter test that I made. The data were analyzed at a State level comparison, to a District level, to a school level, to an individual level, to objectives, to subgroups (many different subgroups that have layers in it), and more. The process consists of identifying weaknesses and areas for improvement, followed by determining the focus standards (critical weaknesses), deriving an instructional plan of action of how teachers will revisit/or address the foundational and /or conceptual knowledge of the focus standards, and ongoing review of progress monitoring assessments.

Our Superintendent in Palm Beach County is new to the district and he just finished his first school year. There have been many changes that show he is aware of data-driven decisions or (3D). He restructured the district by adding jobs specifically for making 3D. He added these positions in schools that are showing the need for immediate improvement. The jobs are labeled Single School Culture positions that list data-driven decisions all through the job requirements.

Accountability requirements start at the top. If Palm Beach County is not compared to

other similar counties than the Superintendent needs to have his structure addressed. The structure at this time is set up that changes can be made at any time for most positions other than teachers/union members. The teachers are the ones that must believe in the structure or the process that the County has in place for the students to benefit from the vision. I believe that we are heading into a time when the teachers will have to conform to ideas passed down to them or they will have poor evaluations and eventually be removed from the classroom. This will ultimately put accountability on the students if all parts of the structure are being followed. Once the accountability is understood by the community, parents, students, and so on the learning will take place at the highest level.

The structure that the district uses in the struggling schools is meetings for the teachers biweekly to go over the district and school data. Biweekly the teachers also go over individual data from standardized tests and subject area tests given by the common subject teachers. The teachers also meet once a week with common planning time to implement a plan to address all needs that are found through going over the data.

I have become very comfortable in reading student performance data. The more data I have the better I can use it. The basic pattern that appears with the information that is compared usually is similar across the school and with the teachers. My experience is mostly with FCAT scores; however, the common teacher planning time data does the same thing. End of Course exams at the High School level will also have the data broken down as the FCAT data does. Palm Beach County has a data warehouse that allows you to break down data on yourself or your school. It can break down specific standards by teachers, subjects, or schools. The program we use can compare many combinations of data. It allows us to choose what we want to see.

While I was at a School that was State Intervened I learned the structure that the school district is now starting to implement Countywide. My experience in this structure is helpful at the school I am at now by being able to explain the possible outcomes that will follow. The teachers are very reluctant to the effort or time needed in this method, however, I am a firm believer in this structure of using the 3D process based on the results I witnessed at my previous school.

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