Basic Skills Action Plans: Action-ability and Account-ability BSI Leadership Institute, June 16, 2009 Laura Lord, Research Associate

The Center for Urban Education (CUE) conducts socially conscious research and develops tools needed for institutions of higher education to produce equity in student outcomes.

Accountability (& action) for California’s Basic Skills Challenge The Basic Skills Initiative

Intermediate Algebra Transfer Level Math Elementary Algebra Pre-Algebra Navigating the Basic Skills Pipeline Only about 10% of Original Cohort Succeeds in Navigating the Gateway Curriculum

Purposes/audiences for accountability Taking the temperature …(external) Creating actionable knowledge (internal)

Taking the temperature …(external)

Creating actionable knowledge (internal)

Creating Actionable Knowledge for Improved Student Outcomes To enable practitioners to recognize that there is a problem. To motivate institutional leaders and practitioners to inquire and act.

To enable practitioners to recognize that there is a problem.

To motivate institutional leaders and practitioners to inquire and act.

The BSI through the Lens of… Professional Accountability Learning and Change Theories

Professional Accountability

Learning and Change Theories

Policy/Research Questions To what extent does the BSI provide a new model of accountability? To what degree are the BSI action plans action-able ?

To what extent does the BSI provide a new model of accountability?

To what degree are the BSI action plans action-able ?

Methods Basic Skills as a Foundation of Student Success Literature review Self assessment tool (four domains; 26 effective practices; 107 strategies) Action planning matrix Compliance CCCC Documents Action Plans for 25 colleges; 22 of these are Hispanic Serving

Basic Skills as a Foundation of Student Success

Literature review

Self assessment tool (four domains; 26 effective practices; 107 strategies)

Action planning matrix

Compliance CCCC Documents

Action Plans for 25 colleges; 22 of these are Hispanic Serving

Conceptual Framework Theory Based Evaluation (TBE)—level I Problem/issues Assets Outcomes Factors Strategies Surfacing the assumptions (Suchman 1967;Weiss 1972, 1995, 1997, 1998; Bickman 1987, 1990; Chen 1990; Patton, 1997)

Theory Based Evaluation (TBE)—level I

Problem/issues

Assets

Outcomes

Factors

Strategies

Surfacing the assumptions

(Suchman 1967;Weiss 1972, 1995, 1997, 1998; Bickman 1987, 1990;

Chen 1990; Patton, 1997)

Assumptions Professional learning Followed directions Artifact

Professional learning

Followed directions

Artifact

Action Plans Your ideas, beliefs, experiences, predictions…

Your ideas, beliefs, experiences, predictions…

Overall Broad consensus on priorities Variations in length, depth, approach, capacity(?), action-ability!

Broad consensus on priorities

Variations in length, depth, approach, capacity(?), action-ability!

Analysis Strength Problem/issues Strategies Outcomes* Opportunity Assets Factors Assumptions Outcomes*

Strength

Problem/issues

Strategies

Outcomes*

Opportunity

Assets

Factors

Assumptions

Outcomes*

Actionable? Action Plans Something will stick/Battleship Hear no evil, see no evil… College anywhere Not counting/no compass

Something will stick/Battleship

Hear no evil, see no evil…

College anywhere

Not counting/no compass

Actionable Action Plans Problem: Reflective response to challenges Assets: resources/ways to leverage Results: Cohesive, concrete steps towards a specific end—planning was evident Factors: Culture (institutional/students) Strategies (more than a list) Assumptions—the how and why of change A story, not a “saga”

Problem: Reflective response to challenges

Assets: resources/ways to leverage

Results: Cohesive, concrete steps towards a specific end—planning was evident

Factors: Culture (institutional/students)

Strategies (more than a list)

Assumptions—the how and why of change

A story, not a “saga”

Leaders & Exemplars Inquiry/evaluation Practitioner learning/driven change Culture Institutional Community Student

Inquiry/evaluation

Practitioner learning/driven change

Culture

Institutional

Community

Student

No Low Med High Culture Inquiry No Low Med High Non-HSI 1 19 Outlier 8 colleges high usage of inquiry 12 colleges low usage of inquiry

No Low Med High Culture Inquiry No Low Med High Non-HSI 1 19 Outlier 5 colleges high inclusion of culture 12 colleges low inclusion of culture

No Low Med High Culture Inquiry No Low Med High Non-HSI 1 19 Outlier 4 colleges high usage of inquiry/ culture

No Low Med High Culture Inquiry No Low Med High Non-HSI 1 19 Outlier

Action-ability & Accountability Action-ability? (19) Actionability! (4+2) Awareness Acceptance (?) Allocation of resources Professional learning Inquiry Not just taking temp But not fully actionable

Action-ability? (19)

Actionability! (4+2)

Awareness

Acceptance (?)

Allocation of resources

Professional learning

Inquiry

Not just taking temp

But not fully actionable

Outcomes? Learned? Unanswered questions/areas for inquiry?

Learned?

Unanswered questions/areas for inquiry?

The Center for Urban Education leads socially conscious research and develops tools needed for institutions of higher education to produce equity in student outcomes. Center for Urban Education Rossier School of Education University of Southern California Contact us at: Website: www.usc.edu/cue E-mail: rsoecue@usc.edu

The Center for Urban Education leads socially conscious research and develops tools needed for institutions of higher education to produce equity in student outcomes.

Center for Urban Education

Rossier School of Education

University of Southern California

Contact us at:

Website: www.usc.edu/cue

E-mail: rsoecue@usc.edu

Copy Right Citation Dowd, A. C., Lord, L., Bensimon, E.M., and Kutz, E. (2009). Performance Funding for Practitioner Inquiry in California: A Model for Improving Institutional Effectiveness. Paper presented at the 2009 Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, San Diego, CA . © 2009 University of Southern California, Center for Urban Education, All rights reserved. Reproduction or translation of this work beyond that permitted in Section 117 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act without the express written permission of the copyright owner is unlawful. Request for further information should be addressed to the Center for Urban Education.