This document summarizes a panel discussion on accountability and professional development. The panel included the president of LACUE, a principal, retired university professor, and university consultant. They discussed how accountability guides their work and recommendations for developing new approaches. Data teams were presented as a model for using assessments to improve instruction through collaborative meetings focused on student work.

1. Teaching and Leading in a
Globally Connected Learning
Environment

2. Backchannel
Participation
http://todaysmeet.com/LACUE-SITE-2013

3. Accountability
Moderator: Colleen Charles
LACUE President
Director of Instructional Technology St.
Charles Parish Public Schools, LA

4. Accountability
Panelist: Ajit Pethe
 PrincipalLuling Elementary School
St. Charles Parish Public Schools, LA
 Data Teams

5. Accountability
Panelist: Dr. Ron McBride
 SITE Conference Program Chair
 SITE VP C
 Co-Chair of the Information Technology
Council
 Northwestern State University, Retired

6. Accountability
Panelist: Dr. Jason Mixon
 Directorof Online Doctoral Studies,
Lamar University, TX
 Consultant, Texas Education Agency

7. Accountability
Guiding Questions for Discussion
 What does accountability mean to you and your role in
education?
 What are some ways this accountability guides your
professional development in your arena?
 How has professional development changed to meet the
new accountability guidelines?
 What recommendations do you have for others interested
in developing new approaches to accountability and
professional development?

8. Data Teams
The Key to Quality School Improvement

9. Data Teams are small, grade-level,
department, course-alike, or organizational
teams that examine work generated from a
common formative assessment.

10. Data Team Example Elementary
Elementary
Grade 3
Grade 3
Common standard:
Common standard:
Reading
Reading
Grade 3 Teacher
Grade 3 Teacher
Common assessment:
Common assessment:
Literary response,
Literary response,
written response,
written response,
Grade 3 Teacher
Grade 3 Teacher written prompt that asks
written prompt that asks
readers to take aacritical
readers to take critical
stance
stance
Grade 3 Teacher
Grade 3 Teacher Scoring guide:
Scoring guide:
Literary response rubric
Literary response rubric
Special Education
Special Education

11. Data Teams focus only on Power Standards.

12. Guiding Questions for Identifying
Power Standards
What do my students need for success in
life? (L)
What do my students need for success in
school? (S)
What do my students need for success on
the state test (or other appropriate
assessments?) (ST)
12

13. Assessments

14. Assessment FOR Learning
Provides teachers with information they need
to create appropriate work for groups of
learners or individual students
Not typically used to assign grades
Bravmann, S.L. (March 1, 2004). Assessment’s “fab four,” Education Week.

15. Data Teams
meetings are
collaborative,
structured,
scheduled
meetings that
focus on the
effectiveness of
teaching and
learning.

16. The Data Teams
Process

17. Step 1
Step 1
Collect/Chart Data
Collect/Chart Data
Step 5 Step 2
Step 2
Step 5
Determine Results Analyze Student
Analyze Student
Determine Results
Indicators Work
Work
Indicators
Step 4
Step 4 Step 3
Step 3
Determine Instructional
Determine Instructional Set SMART Goal
Set SMART Goal
Strategies
Strategies

18. Instructional Assessment Model
With Data Analysis
Pre- Analyze Plan for Teach Monitor, Teach
Reflect and
Assess Results Instruction
Adjust
Pre-assessments are intentionally aligned to
the post-assessments.
Post
Assess
18

19. Luling’s Implementation of Data
Teams
2010-2011 – Pilot program in 3rd grade math
2011-2012 – Full implementation for K-5 math
- Modified Data Teams process for math facts
2012-2013 – Pilot program in 3rd-5th grade ELA
- Modified Data Teams process for sight words
in K-2
19

20. Benefits of Data Teams
Weekly Data Teams meetings
Specific protocol for analyzing pre-assessment
data and designing instructional strategies
Increased teacher collaboration
Job embedded professional development
Increased student performance
20

21. Increased Student Performance on
Math Facts
Over 85% of 4th and 5th graders proficient on math
facts (four operations mixed)
Over 80% of 1st and 2nd graders proficient on mixed
addition/subtraction math facts
61% of kindergarten students currently proficient on
mixed addition/subtraction math facts
52% of 3rd graders currently proficient on mixed
multiplication/division math facts
21

22. Increased Student Performance on
Standardized Tests
Increased retention of math skills from one year to the next
Year 1 increase of math NPR scores for 2nd, 3rd, 5th grades from
previous year
Students in math pilot program from 2010-2011 for 3rd grade
iLEAP
- 6 percentage point increase for Basic and above from
previous year
- 8 percentage point increase for Mastery and above from
previous year
22

23. Increased Student Performance on
Standardized Tests
Students in math pilot program from 2010-2011 for 4th grade
LEAP
- 10 percentage point increase for Basic and above from
previous year
- 7 percentage point increase for Mastery and above from
previous year
- 7 percentage point increase for Advanced from previous
year
- Longitudinal score increase from 3rd grade iLEAP to 4th
grade LEAP
23

24. Accountability: Professional Development
Models From a Higher Education Perspective
The graduate program in Educational Technology Leadership, M. Ed and Ed. S, at Northwestern State University requires candidates
(in at least two classes) to create professional development programs for pre and inservice teachers that include the design,
implementation, and assessment of PD programs with technology central to the activity as an instructional or support tool.
Undergraduate teacher preparation and alternative certification programs include courses and activities that focus on accountability
using professional development.
24

25. Professional Development Models
The research is flush with professional development models.
Many are based upon the structure of delivery rather than
outcome. Some include online delivery, blended learning,
mobile delivery (cell technology and social networks), and
the use of theoretical frameworks where teachers are placed
in an environment that seeks specific outcomes rather than
measures affective data such as attitude. PD models should
foster a paradigm shift where teachers “choose” to use
technology rather than to “just oblige” district requirements.
25

26. Accountability for Professional Development
Programs Using the Relevance Factor
26

27. A Model for Accountability In Professional
Development Observed
benefits via test
Perceived value scores/student
of professional achievement
development
Teacher
accountability:
evaluating
Willingness to effectiveness
Perceived level
participate as a
of support using
volunteer
technology
Self-efficacy
using technology
in teaching 27

28. Lessons learned by administrators and teacher
mentors promoting professional development
1. Promote an attitude of acceptance, ownership and collaboration
2. Promote a “collective vision” where teachers endorse professional
development and support its use as a tool for teacher accountability
3. Include authentic activities that are relevant
4. Foster self-efficacy by supporting teachers who are reluctant to
embrace technology
5. Develop and use a system-wide evaluation tool that is fair and equitable
6. Provide teachers with the opportunity to evaluate peers and conduct
self-evaluation of their PD experience
7. Constantly revise…no system is perfect and accountability procedures 28
will change

29. Professional Learning Communities:
An Evolution to Continuous Inquiry
for Teachers
Dr. Jason R. Mixon-Director of Doctoral Programs in
Educational Leadership at Lamar University
Consultant for Texas Education Agency and United
States Department of Education

30. Professional Learning Communities
Although there is no universal definition of a PLC (Stoll et al., 2006; Williams, Brien, Sprague,
& Sullivan, 2008), the following definitions offer a range of ways to describe a PLC:
An ongoing process through which teachers and administrators work collaboratively to seek
and share learning and to act on their learning, their goal being to enhance their
effectiveness as professionals for students’ benefit (Hord, 1997)
A school culture that recognizes and capitalizes on the collective strengths and talents of the
staff (Protheroe, 2008).
A strategy to increase student achievement by creating a collaborative school culture
focused on learning (Feger & Arruda, 2008).
Team members who regularly collaborate toward continued improvement in meeting learner
needs through a shared curricular-focused vision (Reichstetter, 2006).

31. A group of people sharing and critically interrogating their practice in an ongoing, reflective,
collaborative, inclusive learning-oriented and growth-promoting way (McREL, 2003).
Educators committed to working collaboratively in ongoing processes of collective inquiry
and action research to achieve better results for the students they serve (DuFour, DuFour,
Eaker, & Many, 2006).
An inclusive group of people, motivated by a shared learning vision, who support and work
with each other to inquire on their practice and together learn new and better approaches to
enhance student learning (Stoll, Bolam, McMahon, Thomas, Wallace, Greenwood et al.,
2005).
As you can see from the definitions and the red words that are highlighted the work of
Professional Learning Communities should be more about process and not as
much about product. This fact contradicts how teachers are evaluated in many
districts.

32. Characteristics of PLC
• Shared Values and Vision
• Collaborative Culture
• Focus on examining outcomes to improve
student learning
• Supportive and shared leadership
• Shared personal practice
-The Center for Comprehensive School Reform and Improvement

33. Process versus Product
Staff development is often viewed so much from the product end and not the
process end. They are not continuums but instead are embedded
together in personal growth.
Process- a continuous action, operation, or series of changes taking place in a
definite manner.
Product-a person or thing produced by or resulting from a process, as a
natural, social, or historical one; result.
A focus is needed for organizations to examine both product and process in a
more critical manner and one way to do that is through Professional
Learning Communities.

34. Accountability in the Continuous
Inquiry Process
• Value-added assessments need to be implemented within the evaluation
process for teachers (We have them for students).
• Virtual Professional Learning Communities as an option of sharing
personal practices to complement the on campus meetings.
• Eportfolios for teachers to garner artifacts of the process versus the
product.
• Self-evaluations done by the teachers and Staff Development Plans
developed from the teacher to the principal.
• Staff development plans for the campus generated from the self-
evaluations done throughout the year.
• Electronic journals to capture continuous inquiry throughout the year and
turn these in as part of the evaluation process for teachers.

35. Contact Information
• Dr. Jason R. Mixon
Director of Doctoral Programs in Ed.
Leadership
jason.mixon@lamar.edu
903-353-5504 (cell)
409-880-7362 (office)