IDENTIFYING & PRIORITIZING PROBLEMS OF PRACTICE December 2014 Office of Student and School Success, OSPI Travis Campbell, Director Sue 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 News Monticello “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 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 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 Questions 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: 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 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: OSSS Website: default.aspx default.aspx Supports and Resources

Student and School Success Contact Information Student and School Success Contact Information Andy Kelly, Assistant Superintendent, Student and School Success: PH: Travis Campbell, Director, Student and School Success: PH: Indistar® technical assistance: PH: OSSS website:

Thank you!