Analyzing Academic Data for School Improvement  

Week 1: Analyzing Academic Data for School Improvement

National Educational Leadership Preparation (NELP) Standards

Standard 1: Mission, Vision, and Improvement

Candidates who successfully complete a building-level educational leadership preparation program understand and demonstrate the capacity to promote the current and future success and well-being of each student and adult by applying the knowledge, skills, and commitments necessary to collaboratively lead, design, and implement a school mission, vision, and process for continuous improvement that reflects a core set of values and priorities that include data use, technology, equity, diversity, digital citizenship, and community.

Component 1.1: Program completers understand and demonstrate the capacity to collaboratively evaluate, develop, and communicate a school mission and vision designed to reflect a core set of values and priorities that include data use, technology, equity, diversity, digital citizenship, and community.

Educational Leadership Skills

• Collaboratively design a school mission and vision attentive to values and priorities that include data, technology, values, equity, diversity, digital citizenship, and community
• Develop a comprehensive plan for communicating the mission and vision

Component 1.2: Program completers understand and demonstrate the capacity to lead improvement processes that include data use, design, implementation, and evaluation.

Educational Leadership Skills

• Evaluate existing improvement processes
• Use research and data to develop an improvement process that includes the following components: diagnosis, design, implementation, and evaluation
• Develop an implementation plan to support the improvement process

State Board of Educator Preparation (SBEC) Competencies

Principal Domain and Competency

Domain II: Leading Learning

Competency 3

• Descriptive Statement B: Facilitates the use of sound, research-based practice in the development, implementation, coordination, and evaluation of campus curricular, co-curricular, and extracurricular programs to fulfill academic, development, social, and cultural needs.

Competency 4

• Descriptive Statement D:Implements a rigorous curriculum that is aligned with state standards, including college and career-readiness standards.

Domain VI: Ethics, Equity, and Diversity

Competency 11

• Descriptive Statement C: Advocates for all children by promoting the continuous and appropriate development of all learners in the campus community.
• Descriptive Statement D: Implements strategies to ensure that all students have access to effective educators and continuous opportunities to learn.
• Descriptive Statement E: Promotes awareness and appreciation of diversity throughout the campus community.

Knowledge, Skills, Mindsets (KSMs)

Knowledge: Factors that inform campus initiatives and goals, components of a measurable goal, definition of equity and equality, elements of school vision and mission,

Skills: Shared focus of bringing equitable practices to the school, model organizational values, establish campus goals aligned with mission and vision

Mindsets:Effective teaching is the cornerstone of a strong school vision and mission, and therefore have a low tolerance for ineffective teaching, Great teaching should be consistently recognized, High expectations for all teachers strengthens a school’s instructional culture

Course-level Objectives (CLOs):

CLO1:     Analyze multiple forms of data to determine implications for improving student performance.

CLO2:     Demonstrate root cause analysis.

CLO3:     Apply campus improvement planning processes.

CLO4:     Demonstrate campus mission and vision development.

Week 1 Learning Objectives (W1LOs):

W1LO1: Analyzecampus academic assessment data sets. (CLO1)

W1LO2: Identify academic needs based on campus academic assessment data. (CLO1)

W1LO3: Formulate possible root cause(s) for identified student academic performance gaps. (CLO2)

W1LO4: Compose initial SMART goal and objectives based on academic assessment data. (CLO3)

W1LO5: Demonstrate understanding of school mission and vision statements. (CLO4)

Resources:

Week 1 Lectures

Required readings

Data sets

Overview:

As a part of your Week 1 assignment, you will identify thegreatest areas of inequity based on the TAPR data and benchmark results. You will also write one measurable S.M.A.R.T. goaland three measurable objectives for the identified inequity. You will also suggest appropriate activities for the principal and facultyto conduct in order to address each objective.

S= Specific

M= Measurable

A= Achievable

R= Relevant

T= Time-bound 

While goals and objectives are closely related, goals are broader and cover a span of 3-5 years, while objectives are more specific and for a shorter duration, typically one year. Objectives (1) identify a target population, (2) identify assessments and data sources that will be used to meet the objective, and (3) specify anticipated growth or progress. Activities must be tied directly to the objective.

Part 1: Data Analysis

(W1LO1, W1LO2 / CLO1), (W1LO3 / CLO2)

Directions:Compose 3 paragraphs (minimum 150-wordfor each)analyzing the data from the TAPR and benchmark results.

First paragraph:

Identify the most significant academic performance gaps based on the data.

• Compare the sub-populations’ state assessment performance in each grade and content area to identify gaps.
• Compare student benchmarking performance to the student state assessment performance in each grade and content per sub-population to identify correlations or discrepancies.
• Cite evidence from the data to support your statements.

Second paragraph:

Cross-reference and synthesize the data from benchmark and state assessments.

• Identify the THREE most significant gaps in student sub-populations’ academic performance based on both academic data sets.

• Cite evidence from the data to justify how you identified the significant gaps. 

Final paragraph:

Create an initial plan for finding the root cause of the academic performance gaps. Consider the following:

Note: Use the Root Cause Analysis Model and PowerPoint in the course Resources to assist you.

• Why does one/some group(s) perform better than others?
• Where/how can this question be answered?
• Who may be able to provide this information?
• What data validates the information provided?
• Cite data analysis from the TAPR and benchmark results that support your rationale.
• Cite sources and data analyses from all appropriate data sets to support statements in each paragraph.

Part 2: S.M.A.R.T. Goal & S.M.A.R.T. Objectives

(W1LO4 / CLO3)

Directions:Compose one S.M.A.R.T. goal and threeS.M.A.R.T. objectives to address one targeted area of need you found from the TAPR and benchmark data. Expound on each of the five S.M.A.R.T. components by providingcomprehensive details for each componentwithin the tables.  For each of the three objectives, list one activityfor both the faculty and the principal that will help attain the objective.

1. M.A.R.T. Goal (long range/3-5 years)

1. M.A.R.T. Objectives (accomplish in oneschool year)

Part 3: Vision and Mission

(W1LO5 / CLO4)

Directions:In your own words, explain the following (200-word minimum):

Note: Use the Vision and Mission Comparison Chart in the course Resources to assist you.

• Difference between a mission statement and a vision statement, and
• How this week’s data setscan be used for developing both the mission and vision statements: Use the Basic Writing Elements model provided in the course Resources and include specific evidence/references to the readings and lectures in your reflection.

Cite all sources and data analyses from allappropriate data setsto support your statements.