Districts & Their Schools

To what degree do districts and their schools:

Establish clear expectations for effective data use at all levels of the system?
Use data to identify district, building, and classroom needs, and establish goals and performance targets at the district and school level?
Use data to measure the degree of implementation of strategies/actions, including professional development, to reach district/school-identified goals?
Use data to evaluate the effect of strategies/actions on student learning?
Require teachers and teacher teams to use data to establish instructional priorities and inform instructional practice on an ongoing basis?
Model and monitor the use of data to inform instructional decisions?
Provide support at all levels in the effective use of data to facilitate higher levels of learning for all students and groups of students, such as students with disabilities?

To what degree do districts and their schools:

Use a data-driven needs assessment to develop a limited number of focused goals, and measureable strategies and actions, directly related to addressing the district’s greatest needs related to instruction and achievement?
Reflect in district goals that the core work and priority of the district is to improve teaching and learning?
Ensure that all schools in the district align their work with district-established goals and strategies?
Identify goal setting as an important leadership responsibility?
Develop a single coherent district plan to reach district goals and require that each school develops a building plan aligned to district goals?
Make intentional decisions to align resources (fiscal, material, personnel) across the district to meet district-wide goals?
Screen, interview, select, and provide ongoing support to staff based on district-wide goals?
Engage the larger community, including board members, in establishing and sustaining a focus on district-wide goals for improving instruction and student learning?

To what degree do districts and their schools:

Establish and require the use of a district-wide standards-based curriculum aligned with district goals and priorities for instruction and student learning?
Take steps to build a common language among all staff for what constitutes high-quality instructional practice?
Ensure full access to challenging content aligned with rigorous standards for all students and student groups?
Ensure that the use of prevention/intervention strategies is implemented consistently as part of, rather than separate from, the district’s instructional program?
Require the use of ongoing assessment and progress monitoring to inform instruction at the district, school, and teacher-team level?
Provide for the system-wide use of collaboratively developed common classroom formative assessment as part of the instructional process?
Provide structured opportunities for schools to learn from each other, for principals to learn from each other, and for teachers to learn from each other?

To what degree do districts and their schools:

Require that identified instructional strategies chosen for improvement are implemented in every building and in every classroom across the district?
Define what full implementation of identified instructional strategies chosen for improvement looks like?
Require the use of aligned structures (i.e., teacher-based teams, school-level teams, district-level teams) that support shared implementation of focused instructional strategies?
Hold staff at all levels accountable for following through on focused instructional strategies, while providing them with multiple opportunities for practice and support?
Set expectations for the direct involvement of administrators (superintendents, principals) in ensuring that focused instructional practices are being implemented at a high level?
Ensure that professional development is directly related to the identified instructional practices chosen for improvement?
Actively maintain a focus on improving instructional practice and student learning?

To what degree do districts and their schools:

Use a set of district-identified formative indicators for measuring district-wide implementation of focused improvement strategies and the effect of such implementation on student learning?
Use a consistent set of protocols/procedures for measuring district-wide implementation of focused improvement strategies and the effect of such implementation on student learning?
Monitor the degree of implementation of focused improvement strategies across the system?
Monitor the progress of students, and examine where and why students may be struggling?
Require central office personnel to actively monitor and provide feedback to principals and school-level teams on the implementation of focused instructional practices?
Require principals to actively monitor and provide feedback to teachers and teacher teams on the implementation of focused instructional practices?
Provide differentiated support, as needed, to schools and teachers in the implementation of focused instructional strategies?
Measure the effectiveness of feedback and/or differentiated support provided to schools and teachers?

To what degree do districts and their schools:

Foster and communicate a sense of urgency for continuous improvement and positive change in student learning?
Engage everyone in continually evaluating the effect of the district’s focused instructional practices on district and school performance, and student learning?
Establish a decision-making process that supports shared learning across and among central office personnel, school personnel, and teacher team members?
Support principals in actively participating in collegial discussions around instruction and its effects on student learning?
Require principals to provide active oversight and coordination of the instructional program?
Provide resources to support district-wide professional learning focused on improving instructional practice and student learning?
Have established parameters for making decisions about needed changes to the district’s improvement strategies?

Moving Your Numbers