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Continuous-Improvement-Process-Tutorial.ppt
- 1. The Continuous Improvement Process Tutorial • Goal of the Tutorial – Introduction to the process - (for those with little or no experience with the framework) – Review of the process - (for those wanting to check their understanding, or refresh their memories)
- 2. The Continuous Improvement Process Tutorial • Materials needed for this tutorial – download a copy of the required worksheet is available for download to the right of this screen • Estimated time needed to complete tutorial – approximately 15-30 minutes depending upon the number of participants and the depth of your interaction with the application activities
- 3. • Select one work activity that you are responsible for. • Individually or with a partner, outline the steps you typically follow when making decisions. Your Work:
- 4. The Continuous Improvement Process The cornerstone of any school improvement effort is the relentless pursuit of excellence through the application of the Continuous Improvement Process.
- 5. The Continuous Improvement Process Needs Assessment Planning Implementation Evaluation The process we use to get even better!
- 6. Needs Assessment: Activities • Collect and analyze multiple sources of data (quantitative and qualitative) • Identify prioritize needs (at a system, building, individual level) ; establish the “what” • Identify root cause(s) of needs; establish the “why” • Establish a baseline Continuous Improvement Process
- 7. Needs Assessment: Guiding Questions What data sources, and assessment tools and methods are available and necessary to identify areas of need? “What” are the identified needs and “Why” does this need exist (root cause)? What is the baseline (specific and measureable) for the identified need(s)? Continuous Improvement Process
- 8. Continuous Improvement Process Planning: Activities Select research-based practices to address identified needs Establish intended results/goals Create implementation action plan(s) Plan professional development Align resources
- 9. Continuous Improvement Process Planning: Guiding Questions What research-based approaches best address the identified need(s)? What are the intended results/goals (measureable)? How will staff be adequately trained to carry out the action plan? How will resources be prioritized to address the needs?
- 10. Continuous Improvement Process Implementation: Activities Implement action plan(s) w/integrity/fidelity Collect and analyze implementation data (adult actions) Collect and analyze progress/performance data (students) Monitor resources Make mid-course corrections as necessary
- 11. Implementation: Guiding Questions How will we assure the action plan is being implemented with integrity and fidelity and measured? How will progress toward intended outcomes be monitored? What “mid-course” corrections are necessary (delivery of action plan or resource allocation)? Continuous Improvement Process
- 12. Evaluation: Activities Collect and analyze data so progress toward intended results and goal can be evaluated Collect and analyze data to determine the merit, and worth of the plan/program Link data back into the needs assessment phase and modify plan (chosen solution, action plan, goal, etc…) if indicated by data Continuous Improvement Process
- 13. Evaluation: Guiding Questions What data needs to be collected and analyzed to determine the success of the action plan in meeting the intended goal(s)? Was the goal met and is the current action plan worthy of continuation? How will evaluation data be used to redefine or reconsider identified needs? Continuous Improvement Process
- 14. 14 Continuous Improvement Initiatives Instructional Decision Making Process (IDM) Schools/Districts in Need of Assistance (SINA/DINA) Individual Professional Development Process Iowa Professional Development Model (IPDM) Comprehensive School/Service Improvement Plan LEA and AEA (CSIP) Positive Behavior Intervention Supports (PBIS) General Education Interventions (GEI)
- 15. Individually or with a partner, reflect upon the following questions: Which phase(s) do you/your school do well? How do you know? Which phase(s) do you/your school need to improve? How do you know? How can the work I do improve? Developing a culture of Continuous Improvement Process
- 16. Thank you for taking the time to complete this tutorial on the Continuous Improvement Process. Needs Assessment Planning Implementation Evaluation
Editor's Notes
- Hello and Welcome to this tutorial Power point presentation on the Continuous Improvement Process. This tutorial was developed as an introduction for those with little or no experience with this continuous improvement process. It can also be used as a review for those who are familiar with this process, but want to develop a deeper understanding of the process. It is hoped that this information will assist you in strengthening your ability to utilize a systematic process for making decisions and will result in the development of a personal or system-wide plan of action. This process, as will be noted later in this tutorial, is the cornerstone of all school improvement efforts and is already embedded in much of what we do in schools. This tutorial can be used for individuals, small groups or during whole staff professional development activities. The advantage to working with a partner or a small group during this tutorial is that there will be several opportunities for you to engage in conversation. Thus, sharing your thoughts, and hearing the thoughts of others will result in deeper understanding for all who participate.
- To be able to fully participate in this tutorial, You will simply need a computer with internet access, a worksheet for each participant (which can be downloaded from the table at the right before you begin), and something to write with. From start to finish, the tutorial can take anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes to complete. The variation in the amount of time it takes to complete the activities is dependent upon the number of participants listening to this tutorial and the amount of time used to engage in discussion with others.
- Before we begin our discussion on the continuous improvement process, we want you to spend a few minutes reflecting upon the many decision that you make in your day to day professional life. Often times, these decisions are made almost automatically with little awareness of the process that is used to arrive at the decision. Take a few minutes and think of the roles and responsibilities in your work…… and some of the decisions you make in an effort to fulfill those roles and responsibilities. Then, Individually or with a partner, briefly outline the steps you typically follow when making decisions. Use the space on the participant worksheet to capture your ideas. When you are finished with this activity, click on the NEXT button to continue.
- For the time being, please set aside your work from the previous activity. We will revisit your work later on in this tutorial. First, however, we would like to provide you with some additional information regarding the continuous improvement process and the specific phases that are contained in this process. The words “Continuous” and “Improvement” are routinely used in conversations regarding school improvement. But, what do these words actually mean? And, what type of process can be used to institutionalize these words into the culture of your district/school, so that you are a school that is always moving forward and making improvements with every opportunity? While there may still be a few who cling to the belief that the schools of the past and the present are all that we need, an increasing number of educators, parents and community members who have become convinced that our traditional schools are no longer adequate. The global landscape has changed dramatically and new technologies are being developed everyday that were unimaginable just a few short years ago. While our schools have been adequate- some even exemplary- and they have served past generations well, a new vision for education is calling for dramatic changes. The decisions we make in schools can no longer be made based upon what we have always done or what feels most comfortable to do. For many reasons, the stakes are just too high to continue to operate in this fashion. Instead, we must embrace a decision-making practice which invests heavily upon the use of data within a systematic process. The cornerstone of any school improvement effort is the relentless pursuit of excellence through the application of the Continuous Improvement Process… throughout the entire educational system. The continuous improvement process, when utilized in making decisions, which are often instructional in nature, helps to assure that the right work is being done with fidelity and efficiency to improve student performance.
- The continuous improvement process, as used in the state of Iowa and in AEA 267, is comprised of four phases: Needs Assessment, Planning, Implementation and Evaluation. Although you may have learned this process with in a context other than education (where perhaps other terms may have been used to describe each phase, or were more than four phases or steps outlined in the process). Nonetheless, the basic process is the same with the same goal in mind…. To make a good decision for the issue at hand using appropriate information or data. If you have not done so already, please take a few moments and fill in each of the terms that are used to describe each phase of the continuous improvement process on the first page your participant worksheet. (do we want them to pause the tutorial)? As you have undoubtedly noticed, this process is cyclical in nature and is truly a continuous process. If we consider our self to be a professional educator who wants to constantly improve our skills or a school that strives to “get even better” than we were before, we must embrace the continuous nature of this process. When considering the decisions that we make within a school setting, whether at the system level or at an individual student level, it is hard to imagine many situations where the result of a decision does not have an impact on future decisions. The fact is, the outcome and data collected in response to any decision should be used as insight into making a better decision next time. In the following sections, as we describe the continuous improvement process and each of the phases as listed on the current slide, we will do so within the context of an educational system. Additionally, we will provide a brief overview of the general activities that educators will engage in as well as some of the data analysis or guiding questions that need to be asked for each of the four phases of the continuous improvement process. A summary of this information is provide on page 2 of your participant handout. As we talk about each phase, Feel free to add your own notes and ideas Please click on the NEXT button to continue.
- The first phase we will consider is the Needs Assessment phase. As educators engage in needs assessment activities, they begin by collecting and then analyzing data from multiple sources. These sources of data are both quantitative and qualitative in nature and will help identify “what” needs exist in areas such as academic achievement, culture/climate, building and grounds, resource allocation and professional development. Schools currently have many existing data sources and methods of collection that may assist them in this effort. Examples include, but are not limited to, school and classroom screening data, results from large scale district-wide assessments, student, parent and community survey data, attendance data, results from individual student diagnostic assessments and teacher observation. After confirming that multiple sources of data converge upon a particular area of need, educators will need to “dig deeper” into the data so potential root causes can be identified. It is this level of specificity that will enable educators to diagnose “why” a need exists so they can begin to move forward into the planning phase. Additionally, so that future monitoring of the identified need area can occur, it is critical that we define the need in terms that are as specific and measurable as possible so that a baseline can be established. For all practical purposes, this baseline will provide a numerical description of the identified need before a plan is established and implemented. Later in this tutorial, we will talk more about how progress is monitored and what implications this has for our decision-making.
- So that educators can identify the data sources and assessment tools and methods that are necessary to establish “what” needs exist and “why”, as well as being able to establish a specific and measureable baseline, the following are some general guiding questions to be considered for the needs assessment phase. Take a few moments to review these guiding questions on your own or with a partner. Once you are finished, brainstorm some additional needs assessment questions that might need to be considered given the setting in which you work. When you are finished, please click on the NEXT button to continue.
- The second phase of the continuous improvement process is the planning stage After educators have specifically identified the needs that exist, have prioritized those needs and are confident as to the “root cause” of those identified needs, attention should now shift toward developing a plan of action that has a realistic chance of addressing the need so that improvements can occur. This planning phase often requires a little research. We must become knowledgeable of the research base for the domain area at hand so we can begin to get a sense for what works with what types of assessed needs. Sources of this domain knowledge may include colleagues and other staff currently employed by your school or district. Other sources include, but are not limited to support staff from the AEA who have specific expertise in that particular area, professional publications, and educational web sites. Whatworks.com (an intervention clearing house supported by the US Department of Education), interventioncentral .org, and the Florida Center for Reading Research, etc…are just a few of the web-based resources that might be used. At this point it is important to emphasize that this solution or plan that has been chosen to address the identified need must match the needs assessment data and not be chosen on a whim or solely because everyone else is doing it. Once this “solution” has been decided upon, we must operationalize this solution into a well thought out action plan that specifies such things as resource allocation, the professional development that is necessary for staff to implement the solution, the intended goals of the plan, how the plan will be monitored across time, and other implementation logistics.
- Again, so that educators can arrive at a set of solutions that are research-based, are matched with the needs assessment data, and include a description of the intended goal or outcome, professional development and resource implications, the following are some general guiding questions to be considered for the planning phase. Take a few moments to review these guiding questions on your own or with a partner. Once you are finished, brainstorm some additional Planning questions that might need to be considered given the setting in which you work. When you are finished, please click on the NEXT button to continue.
- The third phase of the continuous improvement process is the planning stage To this point, we have followed a process that has resulted in having an educational need specifically defined as well as having a plausible research based solution chosen and included into a plan of action. Once this plan of action is cast, focus needs to move toward the actual implementation and monitoring of the action plan. As implementation moves forward, we must be ever vigilant that we are implementing according to what was originally planned. If not, how can we expect the type of results we are hoping for? Terms such as implementation integrity and fidelity are often used when talking about this issue. While monitoring the implementation of a plan of action, we must frequently collect and analyze data so that insights can be made regarding the quality of implementation (which are typically the adult actions) and movement toward the intended goal (which are typically student responses to the implemented plan). Having data available from both of these elements, educators can more effectively make data-based decisions regarding implementation integrity and fidelity and the relative success of the plan in meeting the addressed need given the current amount of resources being allocated for the effort. Thus, as is often necessary, midcourse corrections with respect to implementation and resource allocation can occur quickly and efficiently. It is important to reemphasize the fact that this monitoring data needs to be collected and analyzed frequently across time so we can always be confident that our actions are adequately addressing the identified need with a sense of urgency. Examples of data that are collected and analyzed for this purpose include implementation logs and checklists, observation data, student progress monitoring data, formative assessment data and a wide range of classroom assessment data.
- So that educators can make data-based decisions regarding the implementation of the plan of action, both in regards to adult actions and movement toward the intended goal, as well as being provided with insight into any mid-course corrections that might be necessary, the following are some general guiding questions to be considered for the implementation phase. Take a few moments to review these guiding questions on your own or with a partner. Once you are finished, brainstorm some additional implementation questions that might need to be considered given the setting in which you work. When you are finished, please click on the NEXT button to continue.
- The fourth phase of the continuous improvement process is the planning stage At some point in time, typically on an annual basis or at the conclusion of a set program or period of time, educators need to take a step back from the actual implementation of the action plan and collect data that will provide insight into the relative success of the plan. These data, which are typically point in time data, will assist educators in evaluating the progress that has been made with respect to the need area and stated goal and can provide insight into the merit, worth and overall success of the plan. One potential outcome may be that the plan worked, and the goal was accomplished. Thus, the plan could be discontinued. Given that most of the prioritized needs of schools are not quick fixes, this evaluation phase will hopefully provide educators with a reason to celebrate positive movement toward the goal before they go back to work to make the plan of action even better. Although, the primary purpose of these data are to evaluate the current efforts in addressing the identified need, these data will also be used as educators recycle through the continuous improvement process and once again consider the needs assessment phase. The data collected during the evaluation phase may prompt educators to collect different needs assessment data so the need can be better defined and hence a better plan can be developed. Or, the data may just suggest to stay the course. Examples of data collected during this phase include, but are not limited to results from large-scale district-wide assessment, post instruction classroom assessment data, benchmark assessment data and parent, student and community survey data. Virtually any data that was used to establish a need, can in turn be used to evaluate the action plan.
- Finally, so educators can make data-based decisions regarding the progress that has been made toward meeting the intended results and goal, can make decision about the merit and worth of continuing the current efforts, and will have the necessary information to assist in reconsidering the need and the plan that has been developed to address the need, the following are some general questions to be considered for the evaluation phase. Take a few moments to review these guiding questions on your own or with a partner. Once you are finished, brainstorm some additional Evaluation questions that might need to be considered given the setting in which you work. When you are finished, please click on the NEXT button to continue.
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- Remember earlier in this tutorial when we asked you to reflect upon the work you do and the process that you use when making decisions? Considering your current understanding of the Continuous Improvement Process, either individually or with a partner, we would like you to reflect upon the following questions: Which Phase(s) do you or your school do well? How do you know? Which Phase(s) do you or your school need to improve? How do you know? How can I/we better implement the continuous improvement process? Feel free to use the space provided on your participant worksheet (page 3) to document your responses When finished with this activity, please click on the NEXT button to continue
- Thank you for taking the time to complete this tutorial on the Continuous Improvement Process. We are hopeful that you will take away a deeper understanding of this process and a greater appreciation for its importance in developing and shaping any and all school improvement efforts. We also hope you will take some of these ideas and put into practice a plan of action that will assist you as an individual or your building or district in developing a culture of continuous improvement… the process we use to get even better!