District Data TeamDistrict Data Team

Bringing Coherence and Focus to the Work

of the Central Office

Seminar Overview

• Holistic Accountability• Change• Change Through Holistic Accountability• Is Your System (School) Ready for Change?• Review of Current Plan• Team Concept at District Level• Creating the District Plan• Implementation/Monitoring• Communication

Holistic Accountability Recommended Structure

Instructional Data Teams

Task Force

District Data Team +

Why A District Data Team?

We are very comfortable in our individual silos:

-Curriculum Department-Technology Department-Assessment Department-Human Resources Department-Special Services Department-Business Department

We Give Plenty of Direction to the Schools

School

There Is A Better Way

But

What You are Really Asking People To Do Is …

Change !

Change? “You can’t make me!”

Change? “Why should I?”

“It will never work!”

Change? “Why Should This Time Be Any Different?”

Remember: A Good Idea Is Not Good Enough

It’s About Change

“The fundamental flaw in most innovators’ strategies is that they focus on their innovations, on what they are trying to do–rather than on understanding how the larger culture, structures, and norms will react to their efforts.”

Senge, 1999, p.

Most Change Initiatives Fail

“We can produce many examples of how educational practice could look different, but we can produce few, if any, examples of large numbers of teachers engaging in the practices in large scale institutions designed to deliver education to most children.”

Elmore, 1995, p. 5

What Will Make Your Change Initiative Different?

Reflection

Take a few moments to think about a change initiative you are familiar with that was not as successful as it should have been. As you think about this, what seemed to go wrong? What could have been done to improve the outcome?

• Establishing a sense of urgency• Creating a powerful guiding coalition• Developing a vision and strategy• Communicating the change vision• Empowering broad-based action• Generating short-term wins• Consolidating gains and producing more

change• Anchoring new approaches in the culture

Kotter, 1996, p.

Eight-Stage Process of Creating Major Change

Combining Change Theory and Holistic Accountability

Kotter Reeves

Description of Current Status

(“Honest Bad News”)

Sense of Urgency

Guiding Coalition District Team

Creating a Vision of the Future

Goals/Outcomes(Task Force)

Kotter Reeves

Develop a Strategy Adult Actions

Empower Action

Adult Actions(Subcommittees)

Communicate the Vision & Strategy

Communication Strategy

Kotter Reeves

Generate Short-term

WinsResults Indicators

Consolidate Gains, Produce More Change

Implementation Monitoring

Anchor New Approaches

in Culture

ImplementationMonitoring

(Policy, Contracts)

Combining “The Changes To Be Made” with

“The Process of Change”Change Theory

(How To Get People To Do It)

Holistic Accountability

(What We Want To Do)

1. Sense of Urgency

2. Guiding Coalition

3. Vision and Strategy

4. Communication

5. Action

6. Short-term Wins

7. Consolidation

8. New CultureKotter, J.P. (1996)

1. Current Status

2. District Team

3. Goals/Outcomes

4. Adult Actions

5. Communication

6. Adult Actions

7. Results Indicators

8. Implementation

9. Monitoring

Is Your District Ready For a Change?

Organizational Response to Change

If This Change Is a Success, Then …

Before you begin your

change initiative write down

the answer to this question.

See page ___ in the manual

Defining Success

Failure Intermediate Success

•Partial implementation•Significant change to original idea•Some aspects of initiative have sustainability•Some degree of improvement in student outcomes

•No change occurred•Ideas not implemented•No change in studentoutcomes

•Full implementation•Ideas are now just, “the way we do things”•Sustainability is assured•Student outcomes significantly improved

There is Hope(But It’s Much More Difficult than We Thought)

Let’s start at the beginning. Is your system (school) ready to change?

As you contemplate a change initiative, ask yourself the following questions (there are more, but these will do for a start) before you begin.

Questions

1. What stakeholder groups are going to be affected by this change?

2. Are these groups likely to be supportive of the change or opposed?

3. What skills will the people charged with implementing the change need? Do they have these skills? If not, how will they acquire them?

Questions

4. How much training will be needed? Where will we get the training? How much will it cost? Where will we get the funding?

5. If we start to receive some push-back, what is the board of education likely to do?

6. How can we develop the political support we will need to see this change through?

Questions

7. How are we going to develop a plan that will allow us to deal with the issues we can’t possibly anticipate beforehand?

8. Are there skills that I, as the change catalyst, need to acquire before I attempt this change?

9. Am I, as the change catalyst, prepared to stay here for the several years it is likely to take to imbed this change in the culture?

Questions

What additional questions might you add to this list? On page ___ in the manual, the previous questions are

duplicated. There is room for you to add your questions.

Change Readiness Assessment

Conducting an assessment of your system (school) to determine the answers to these questions and more before you embark on the change initiative can save a great deal of time and effort later on in the process. It can also be the first step in a systemic change process that will inform the initiative and perhaps improve it.

OK, We’ve Decided We Have to Make Some

Changes, But Before We Begin

Let’s Take a Test(See Page ___ in Manual)

How Does Our Current Process Measure Up?

Current District Practices Yes No

1. Do we have a District Improvement Plan?

2. Have all major stakeholder groups “signed off” on the plan?

3. Have we communicated the plan across the district (internally and externally)?

4. Is the plan focused on improving student performance?

5. Are goals stated in measureable terms?

6. Are there goals focused on areas other that test scores?

7. Are the adult actions limited in number?

8. Do the adult actions have “high leverage”?

9. Are the adult actions based upon evidence of effectiveness?

Current Practices (continued)Current District Practices Yes No

10. Are the action plans specific enough to hold people accountable?

11. Are the actions powerful enough to achieve the goals?

12. Does a senior team meet regularly to monitor implementation?

13. Do program implementers make regular progress reports?

14. Are “results indicators” identified before hand and measured regularly?

15. Is the plan modified in response to the data ?

16. Are periodic reports made to stakeholders regarding progress?

Total

Common Problems of District Plans

• Ignored

• Vague

• Weak

• Little buy-in

• Pretty, but …

• Law of diminishing impact

• Poor implementation

• Communicate, Communicate

Communicate

Moving From Isolation to Collaboration

Teams

“One of the most consistent findings in the literature on decision-making and performance is that the best groups perform better than the best individuals because groups are able to take advantage of the collective wisdom and insight of multiple individuals, while individual judgments reflect the narrower insights and skills of just one person.”

Pfeffer & Sutton, 2006, p.

Complex Business

Complex Business

Creating & Sustaining Change in Complex Organizations

A. Understand and monitor the change process

B. Team concept at the district level

C. Focus and align the work of the district

D. Create a plan to improve student outcomes

E. Implement and monitor the plan

The District Data Team

District Data Team

A District Data Team is designed to do several things at once. As such, it must

Be structured Be focused Be collaborative Focus on the changes to be made Focus on the process of change

Purpose of a District Data Team

1. To write a strategic District Improvement Plan

2. To implement the District Improvement Plan

3. To monitor the implementation of the District Improvement Plan

4. To guide the district through a strategic change initiative

Guiding Principles

• The actions of the adults in the system will determine the outcomes for students (Reeves)

• The most significant adult actions are those that effect the “Instructional Core” (Elmore)

• District actions must have high leverage• District actions must be aligned and

coordinated• District actions must be focused• District actions must be monitored

Membership Superintendent

Senior leadership

District departments

Building representatives

Bargaining unit representatives

Creating a Team

Guiding Coalition

District Data Team

Team-Building Activities Creating team norms Common vision Common purpose Common mission Trust

Creating a Team (continued)

Guiding Coalition

District Data Team

Reflection

In thinking about the membership of your district or central office team,

are there things that you could do to make it more effective?

See page ___ in the manual

Process

• Data Team Process

• Regular, scheduled meetings

• Agendas

• Minutes

• Subcommittees

• Roles

District Data Team

Guiding Coalition

Reflection

In thinking about how your current group operates, are there things you

could do to improve the effectiveness?

See page ___ in manual

Five Step Process1. Describe the current status

2. Identify strengths and weaknesses

3.Decide upon student outcome indicators

4.Decide upon adult actions indicators

5.Write an action plan for each adult action indicator

6.Create results indicators

Writing a Strategic Improvement Plan for the

DistrictDistrict

Data Team

Step One

Using data to describe the current status

1. Confronting the brutal facts

2. “Honest bad news”

3. Transparency

4. Emotion

District Data Team

Task Force

Step Two

Identify Strengths and Weaknesses• Using questions

• Looking at trends

• Looking at subgroups

• Looking at relationships

Step Three

Decide upon student outcome indicators1. Make goals measureable

2. Broad stakeholder agreementa. What do we want for our children?

3. More than test scores

4. Data based analysis

5. Create a vision for the future

6. “Confront the brutal facts”

District Data Team

Create a sense of urgency

Task Force

Step Three

Decide Upon Student Outcome Indicators

1. Goals

2. “As indicated by”

3. Data analysis

4. Examples and format

5. Honest and transparent

District Data Team

Create a sense of urgency

Task Force

Goals

• Goals are good. They define in general terms the outcomes for students that the system desires, e.g., all students will perform at an exemplary level in literacy and numeracy.

• However, they lack the specificity needed to track accurate progress. This is where Student Outcome Indicators come in.

District Data Team

Task Force

Student Outcome Indicators

Example: Example: “All students will perform at an exemplary level in literacy and numeracy”

As indicated by:As indicated by:90% of students will score at the goal level or higher on the ____ in grades 3 to 8 by 201190% of students will score at the goal level or higher on the _____ by 201190% of students will score at a combined score of 1250 or greater on the SAT in 2011

DistrictData

Team Task Force

Deciding onStudent Outcome Indicators

Use Data ToUse Data To1. Describe current status

2. Describe history

3. Greatest successes

4. Greatest challenges

5. More than test scores

District Data Team

Developing a Vision

Task Force

Some Examples of Student Outcome Indicators

• The % of students demonstrating proficient or better technology skills as measured by technology skills assessment

• The % of students demonstrating proficient or better collaboration skills as measured by performance on integrated collaboration task

• The % of students demonstrating proficient or better oral language skills at grades 5, 8, and 10 as measured by oral presentation task

District Data Team

Task Force

District Improvement PlanStudent

Outcome Indicator

Historical Data Goal

Percentage of students in Grade 4 goal or above in:

05-06 06-07 07-08 08-09 09-10 2012

Reading 79 83 80 81 87

Math 85 86 83 84 90

Writing 76 75 84 83 90

Percent of students proficient or above in technology

n/a n/a 50 55 75

District Data Team

District Improvement Plan(continued)

Student Outcome Indicator

Historical Data Goal

Percentage of students in Grade 10 goal or above in:

05-06 06-07 07-08 08-09 09-10 2012

Reading 79 83 80 81 85

Math 85 86 83 85 90

Writing 76 75 84 82 90

Percent of students who graduate within four years

82 81 79 84 90

District Data Team

Reflection

In looking at your current goals or outcome indicators:1. Do they create a sense of urgency

2. Do they create a strong vision of the future

3. Are they specific enough

4. How could they be improved

5. Do they have stakeholder commitment

Now That We Know Where We Want To Go,

How Will We Get There?

Creating a Strategy

Step FourStep Four

• Decide upon Adult Actions

(Adult Action Indicators)

• District Adult Action Indicators focus on district work

District Data Team

Creating a Strategy

Task Force

Focusing on District Work

District Adult Actions Usually Have

The Following Characteristics:Very high leverage (effect many

student outcome indicators)Work only the district can performLimited in number at any given time

District Data Team

Creating a Strategy

Examples of District Adult Actions

• Increase the quality of the new teaching staff by improving the recruitment, induction, and retention process

• Expand the length of the school day and year

• Create a series of magnet schools• Increase the quantity and quality of

staff collaboration at all levels

District Data Team

Creating a Strategy

Before Talking About WhatWe Are Going to Do

• Why do we even have to set these goals

• Why aren’t we achieving these things already

• What ideas, procedures, traditions, or other issues are preventing us from accomplishing the goals already

District Data Team

Creating a Strategy

Some Guidelines Before We Answer

1. Cannot blame the students

2. Stay objective, factual, no personal attacks

3. This conversation may help us with a direction as to what we need to do

District Data Team

Creating a Strategy

How Do You DevelopAdult Action Indicators?

• Generate as many ideas as possible

– Controlled brainstorm activity

• Apply a set of consideration standards

– Research– Previous experience– Pilot program

• Narrow the field• Do extensive research• Beware of “I think”

District Data Team

Creating a Strategy

What Are We Going To Do?

“ In the end, patterns of decision-making based on philosophical commitments, political necessities, and the attractiveness or popularity of ideas prevailed over efforts to attend to evidence in all three districts. The emergence of evidence-based decision-making was hampered by professional cultures in which the “good” and the “popular” were valued more than the effective…”

Corcoran, 2003, RB-40

Consideration Standards

What standards will we apply to the ideas that are proposed?

• Research• Previous experience• Pilot programs• Rigor• Probability of success• Leverage

District Data Team

Creating a Strategy

Domains

• StructureStructure – How we deliver instruction

• CurriculumCurriculum – What we teach

• InstructionInstruction – How we teach

• ClimateClimate – How people behave

• PersonnelPersonnel – Who “teaches”

District Data Team

Creating a Strategy

Reflection

• In thinking about your current improvement plan, what decision-making process was used to determine your priority actions?

• What standards would you propose to improve the quality of ideas considered?

Generating Ideas for Adult Action Indicators

Getting Started

Controlled Brainstorm ActivityControlled Brainstorm Activity

1.Individual reflection

2.Small group discussion

3.Large group discussion

District Data Team

Focusing on Priorities

• Staffing

• Grade structure

• Curriculum

• Budgeting

• Assessment

• Supervision/Evaluation

• Administration

• Current Practices • Priority to Change

• Staffing

• Grade structure

• Curriculum

• Assessment

District Data Team

Subcommittees

• For each adult action the District Data Team identifies, a subcommittee is created. The chairman of the subcommittee must be a member of the District Data Team. The chairman may recruit members from throughout the district. The subcommittee creates an Action Plan to accomplish the change.

District Data Team

Step Five

Write an Action Plan (Strategies)

Characteristics of good Action Plans Specific Detailed Names Timelines

District Data Team

Creating a Strategy

Specificity

• Specificity Improves Accountability

Example of Action PlanDistrict

Data Team

Plan A Plan B

Goal–By 2011, all teachers will participate in collaborative teams at an exemplary level

Strategies:1. Train teachers in Data Team

procedures2. Create time in schedules for

teams to meet3. Implement Data Teams Person(s) Responsible:Building Principals

Goal–By 2011, all teachers will participate in collaborative teams at an exemplary level

Strategies:1. Planning committee will research

collaborative models. Report due by 9/30; Mark Jones responsible.

2. Following selection of model on 10/5, training schedule will be developed by 10/30; Mark Jones responsible.

Specificity Improves Accountability

• As you think about your improvement plan, is it specific enough to allow a high level of accountability

• How could it be improved

Step Six

Create Results Indicators(How will we know we are on the right track?)

Must track three things:1. Are the adults doing what they said they would do

2. Is adult behavior changing

3. Is some important student outcome changing

District Data Team

Creating a Strategy

Adult Behavior

Doing What They Said? Adult Behavior Changing?

Checklist

Research

collaboration

models

Make decision on

model

Secure funding

and time

Train lead people

Schedule training

sessions.

If we do this well, what important adult behavior will change?

How will we measure that change in behavior?

Adult Behavior Change

“Exemplary collaborating teacher teams”

• What does a good one look like

• Define our practice so specifically that we can measure it reliably

“Exemplary collaborating teacher teams”

Criteria•Meet for min. 1 hr/day•Focus on improving instruction•Decisions based on data•Use 5-step DDDM process

Student Behavior

If we do this well, and we change a significant adult behavior, how will we see that reflected in student outcomes?Performance on summative assessmentsPerformance on formative assessmentsGradesSurveys

Results Indicators

Data on Adults Data on Students

District Data Team

Results Indicators

Data on Adults Data on Students

The Plan is Finished! ( I guess we’re done.)

The greatest challenge to a District Data Team is implementing and monitoring the plan.

Empowering Broad-Based

Action

Ongoing Work of District Data Team

Implement the Plan!• Regular, scheduled meetings• Agendas• Minutes• Subcommittees• Modify plan• Monitor plan• Problem solving group

District Data Team

Generating Short-term

Wins

Consolidating Gains &

Producing More Change

Implementing the Plan

Regularly Scheduled Meetings(See page __ of Manual)

Generating Short-term

Wins

Consolidating Gains &

Producing More Change

Implementing the Plan

Subcommittees( See page __ of Manual)

Generating Short-term

Wins

Consolidating Gains &

Producing More Change

Implementing the Plan

Monitoring the Plan( See page __ of Manual)

Generating Short-term

Wins

Consolidating Gains &

Producing More Change

Implementing the Plan

Modifying the Plan( See page __ of Manual)

Generating Short-term

Wins

Consolidating Gains &

Producing More Change

Implementing the Plan

Team as a

Problem-Solving Group

Generating Short-term

Wins

Consolidating Gains &

Producing More Change

Staying the Course

• Years, not months• This is just the way it is done here

Anchoring New

Approaches in the Culture

Communication(You can’t do too much, but you can do too little)

• Importance• Beginning to end• Frequent• Honest• Two-way• Multiple formats• All stakeholder groups

Reflection

• In thinking about your plan, have you paid enough attention to

communicating the plan to all stakeholders

• How could you improve your communication process

Standards for District Data Teams

A Process to Formally

Evaluate the Work( See page __ of Manual)

A Coordinated Set of Teams

Does This Work?(Evidence from the Field)

• Bristol, Connecticut• Norfolk, Virginia• CALI―Connecticut’s Accountability for

Learning Initiative New Haven Waterbury Meriden Middletown

Final Reflection

Take a few moments to review all of the reflection pieces you have

completed during this seminar.

Now, answer this question:

What will I do tomorrow to

improve the process in my district?

Discussion and Questions

Please take time to complete the short evaluation form that we reviewed at the

beginning of this seminar.

Mike WastaMike Wasta

The Leadership and Learning CenterThe Leadership and Learning Center866.399.6019866.399.6019

MWasta@LeadandLearn.comMWasta@LeadandLearn.comLeadandLearn.comLeadandLearn.com