Canadian Evaluation Society Annual Conference 2003 Aloha Teachers: Island School Learning Community Evaluation

Reed Early, evaluation specialist Pacific Resources For Education And Learning

Geographical Context Entities spread across 4.9 Million square miles –2600 mi. to American Samoa (4.5 hrs. by air) from Hawaii –3800 mi. to Guam (7.5 hrs. by air) –4200 mi. to DC (8.5 hrs. by air) Area serviced by two airlines International Dateline/6 Time Zones

Political Context 3 Sovereign Nations, Federated States of Micronesia, Marshall Islands, Palau 2 Territories, American Samoa, Guam 1 Commonwealth, Northern Mariana Islands 1 State, Hawaii

Cultural Context

Linguistic Context 11 major languages Distinct cultural and linguistic differences English may not be spoken at home

Educational Context Facilities: barely adequate to well equipped Utilities: no power to high tech capability Teacher credentials: no BA to MA Policy: little to comprehensive School materials: limited to adequate Leadership: traditional to transformational

Island Learning Communities Evaluation as an ongoing process with rural and remote Pacific learning communities Evaluation as a tool for continuous learning At schools in remote and rural island settings Community is involved in reform Literacy focus

Like going on an ocean voyage…

School improvement requires: Shared vision Well chosen curriculum Collaborative culture Parent and community partners Strong school structure

Learning Community

Continuous Reflective Learning Teaching Learning Cycle is used –Assess –Reflect –Plan –Teach Student achievement is continuously monitored, recorded, reported, and used for instruction.

Teaching Learning Cycle – TLC Standards and benchmarks have been identified. The expectation is that student learning is more important than coverage of the textbook. Learning takes place in the classroom. Students that don’t meet the standard are re-taught until they learn.

TLC Step 1: Assess Classroom assessment is critical in the TLC. Teachers must become expert assessment creators, interpreters, and planners using data.

TLC Step #2: Reflect Review the data. Explain. What can the data tell us? Consider strengths, areas for improvement, patterns.

TLC Step 3: Plan What types of instructional activities will provide the learning experiences for students to reach the learning target? Students rarely learn in one experience. Create multiple learning opportunities in several content areas.

TLC Step 4: Teach Students learn in many different ways. Create a variety of learning experiences that are aligned with the learning target.

Major Components

Thank you Mahalo