IDENTIFYING & PRIORITIZING PROBLEMS OF PRACTICE December 2014 Office of Student and School Success, OSPI Travis Campbell, Director Sue Cohn, School Improvement.

IDENTIFYING & PRIORITIZING PROBLEMS OF PRACTICE

December 2014Office of Student and School Success, OSPI

Travis Campbell, DirectorSue Cohn, School Improvement Specialist

Intended Audience: Superintendents, Principals, Leadership Teams, Success Coaches, and

Educational Service District Leaders

Welcome & Goals Identifying and Prioritizing

Problems of Practice Next Steps with Action Planning Contact Information

Bill Wagner / The Daily NewsMonticello “Success Night”

Agenda

Participants will have clear understanding of:

• The concept of “Problem of Practice.”• The relationship between steps of Assess

Need for Change and Identify Problems of Practice.

• Protocols and tools teams can use to identify Problems of Practice and possible causes.

• Next steps in the action-planning process.

Goals

First Step: Assess Need for Change

Leadership teams engage in two complementary activities: • Collect and analyze data

(Where are we now?)• Complete Current Level of Development

Review (Where do we want to be?)

First Step: Assess Need for Change

Next Step: Identify Problems of Practice

Definitions: Problems of Practice & Root Causes• Problems of Practice:

• Identify specific, pressing concerns related to equality and excellence in student outcomes.

• Anchored in data.• Informed by understanding of evidence-based

practices (Expected Indicators).• Root Causes of Problems of Practice

focus on adult practice (Indicators) relative to student outcomes.

During this step of the cycle, teams explore the following questions:• What is our broad issue or “Problem of

Practice” related to student learning and educator practice?

• What are the barriers contributing to or root causes of this Problem of Practice?

• What could we (teachers, leaders, adults) do differently to ensure that each student is successful?

Complementary Questions

• Focus on the instructional core.• Are directly observable.• Are actionable.• Connect to a broader strategy of improvement.• Are high-leverage and anchored in Turnaround

Principles (e.g., Expected Indicators).• Promote deep learning for both educators and

students.Most importantly, they are something that you care about that would make a significant difference for

student learning if you improved them.

More on Problems of Practice

1. Develop Draft Problem of Practice.2. Unpack Problem of Practice to identify

underlying Root Causes.3. Select highest leverage actions (Expected

Indicators) to address Root Causes and impact Problem of Practice.

Steps to Identify a Problem of Practice

• Engages team in collaborative process.• Enables team to gain a deeper understanding

of the problem and its impact.• Prepares team to analyze the root causes that

underlie the problem.

Time: About 30 minutes

1. Protocol: Develop Draft Problem of Practice

Problem of Practice Protocol

Initial broad issue (Student Outcomes, Educator Practice)

Focusing question(Anchored in Turnaround Principles)

Who is affected by this issue? (Students, Educators)

What do the data say about the focusing question?

Inferences regarding this issue?  

Draft problem of practice  

State Assessment Data: Special Education Students’ performance on MSP in both Reading and Mathematics is far below that of the district and the state.

Classroom Walkthrough: CWTs are not regularly conducted.

Teacher Observations: Data show inconsistent use of effective Core instructional strategies in classrooms.

Staff Surveys: Most staff feel unprepared to support inclusion in Core classes.

Example: Broad Issue Surfacing in Data

Initial broad issue (Student Outcomes, Educator Practice)

SWD aren’t accessing instruction and curriculum essential for achieving at levels equal to district and state peers.

Focusing questions

Who is affected?

What do data say?

Inferences regarding this issue?

Draft problem of practice

Example: Initial Broad Issue

Example: Focusing QuestionsInitial broad issue

SWD aren’t accessing instruction and curriculum essential for achieving at levels equal to district and state peers.

Focusing questions (Anchored in Turnaround Principles)

• Principle 5: What do our data say…• Principle 4:

• Do SWD receive differentiated core instruction in general education setting?

• What examples of rigor do you see in the work all students are being given? How about SWD?

• What supports do SWD receive from general education teachers? Special education teachers?

• Principle 3: How have we designed the school day…• Principle 2: What PD has been provided…

Who is affected by this issue?

Example: Who is affected?Initial broad issue

SWD aren’t accessing instruction and curriculum essential for achieving at levels equal to district and state peers.

Focusing questions (Anchored in Turnaround Principles)

• Principle 5: What do our data say…• Principle 4: …• Principle 3: How have we designed the school day…• Principle 2: What PD has been provided…

Who is affected by this issue?

SWD, All students, General Education teachers, Special Education teachers

What do the data say about the focusing questions?

• P5: Assessment data for SWD, for All Students• P4, P5, P2: Perceptual data…• P4, P5: Teacher collaboration time to analyze & act

on data• P2: PD offerings and schedule• P1: Observation/CWT data…

Inferences regarding this issue?

Draft problem of practice

Example: What do the data say?

What do the data say about the focusing questions?

• P5: Assessment data for SWD, for All Students• P4, P5, P2: Perceptual data…• P4, P5: Teacher collaboration time to analyze & act on

data• P2: PD offerings and schedule• P1: Observation/CWT data…

Inferences regarding this issue? (Anchored in Turnaround Principles)

• P4: Students not receiving standards-based instruction and curriculum…

• P5: Teachers don’t have dedicated time to analyze & act on data…

• P2: Teachers not receiving PD around… (or they would act on it)

• P1: Leadership not…

Draft problem of practice

Example: What can be inferred?

What do the data say about the focusing questions?

• P5: Assessment data for SWD, for All Students• P4: Observation/CWT data…• P4, P5, P2: Perceptual data…• P4, P5: Teacher collaboration time to analyze & act on data• P2: PD offerings and schedule

Inferences regarding this issue?

• P4: Students not receiving standards-based instruction and curriculum…

• P5: Teachers don’t have dedicated time to analyze & act on data

• P2: Teachers aren’t receiving PD …(or they would act on it)• P1: Leadership not…

Draft problem of practice(Anchored in Student Outcome Data and Educator Practice)

Increasing rigor in classrooms and supporting Students with Disabilities in achieving higher levels of rigorous work.

Example: Draft Problem of Practice

• Protocol 2a: Why, Why, Why• Protocol 2b: Fishbone Analysis

NOTE: Teams use Current Level of Development Review when engaging in these protocols. The Review focuses the analysis on evidence-based

practices (i.e., Expected Indicators) that are observable, teachable, and around which data can be

collected to monitor progress.

2. Protocols: Unpack Problems of Practice to Identify Root Causes

• Relatively quick, informal way to identify root causes of problems.

• Through successive answers to the question “Why?” the data team reaches

agreement on the likely root cause(s) of the Problem of Practice.

Time: About 45 minutes

2a. Protocol: Why, Why, Why?

• Provides structure that enables team to suggest possible causes of the problem under investigation.

• Identifies highest leverage strategies (i.e., Expected Indicators) to address Problem of Practice.

• Supports team to reach consensus on probable root causes.

Time: About 1 hour

2b. Protocol: Fishbone Analysis

Protocol 2b: Fishbone Analysis

Our problem of practice is …

Curriculum

Students

Instruction

School/District Processes

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Teams use their Current Level of Development Review to select highest leverage evidence-based practices (Expected Indicators) aligned with their root causes.

Most importantly, select those practices that you care about and

that would make a significant difference for student learning if you improved them.

3. Prioritize Root Causes

Next Step in the Cycle

If we do (ACTION): Provide PD focused on strategies to serve Special Education students in Core

Then we IMPACT: Instructional Practice and teacher capacity to Differentiate Instruction

That RESULTS IN: Improved performance for all students, including students with disabilities. Evidence: Variety of performance and student

growth data Evidence: Data related to changes in educator and

organizational practices.

Next Steps: Select Intervention & Craft S.M.A.R.T. Goals

• Office of Student and School Success (OSSS)• Other OSPI Divisions (e.g., Teaching and Learning)• Educational Service Districts• OSPI Website: http://www.k12.wa.us/ • OSSS Website:

http://www.k12.wa.us/StudentAndSchoolSuccess/default.aspx

Supports and Resources

Student and School Success Contact Information

Andy Kelly, Assistant Superintendent, Student and School Success: [email protected] PH: 360-725-4960

Travis Campbell, Director, Student and School Success: [email protected] PH: 360-725-6503

Indistar® technical assistance:[email protected] PH: 360-725-4960

OSSS website: www.k12.wa.us/StudentAndSchoolSuccess

Thank you!