Accelerate Framework School Assessment

For gap closing school leaders, accurately assessing a schools strengths and areas of growth with precision is essential. A school assessment begins by identifying the key characteristics of gap closing schools, assessing a school against those characteristics, and prioritizing the opportunities for action. Using the Accelerate Framework as the measuring stick, a leader gathers qualitative and quantitative data to analyze the level of execution. The SWOT process is integral to this analysis as it allows leaders to rapidly identify strengths and opportunities for action. Once the assessment of the school is complete, the leader determines opportunities that would be the highest levers in reaching the characteristics of a gap closing school.

As you complete this assessment, the question you should continually be asking yourself is: How Do You Know? You should use observations, data analysis, and Framework aligned rubrics/checklists to help you complete a full picture. You want to ensure that you have collected enough evidence to challenge and confirm your hypotheses.

Evidence to Consider:

Observations: Observe routines, procedures, meetings using Accelerate Framework rubrics to assess.

Example: Observe and record Leadership Team Meeting, complete Meeting Rubric

Data Review: Academic and Cultural Data.

Examples: Growth, Interim, State Data, Culture Data, Attendance, etc.

Surveys: Reviewing and analyzing survey data to gain insight into stakeholder buy-in and potential areas of strength and growth. Examples: School based survey

Needs Assessments: Research based checklist or rubric to synthesize observations.

Examples: Curriculum Needs Assessment, Data Driven Culture rubric, School Culture Assessment

Interviews: Conduct interviews with key stakeholders to gain greater depth of understanding. Examples: teachers, leadership team, and site principal

Completing the SWOT:

1. Review your current data and evidence.

2. Complete the SWOT:

Strengths: Begin with academic outcomes and then use other data points to help illuminate strengths you can build upon. Provide clear evidence or data point to support each strength.

Weaknesses: Begin with academic outcomes and then use other data points to help illuminate weaknesses that be illuminate root cause of the problem. Provide clear evidence or data point to support each weakness.

Opportunities: What possibilities exist for leadership to build on the strengths of the school and address the weaknesses or threats? Provide a clear and detailed rationale for each opportunity you suggest.

Action Plan: Choosing from the opportunities, determine what the Big Rock/s for school improvement should be to guide strategic planning and outline your rationale and vision.

Strengths

Weaknesses

Opportunities

Learners are growing at an improved rater overall. Students showed above average growth, with math outpacing reading. Combined, the students met their growth goals at a rate of 62%, exceeding the national norm of 50%.

Improvements have been made in both reading and math. This is a positive and encouraging trend and indicates that there is a foundation here to build upon for future...…a sound and beneficial practice that can improve outcomes for students. Parents are key stakeholders in their children's education, as it is their involvement that can help facilitate the student's academic success.

Positive parent engagement can lead to an increase in student motivation and performance, effective communication between school and home environments, better behavior management, increased opportunities for innovative learning experiences, and improved student attendance.

Action Steps: (parents/teachers/administrators)

- provide parent-teacher dialogue

- provide support for access to school resources and information

-implement special learning workshops hosted by teachers

Reflection

Strengths:

Learners are growing at an improved rater overall. Students showed above average growth, with math outpacing reading. Combined, the students met their growth goals at a rate of 62%, exceeding the national norm of 50%.

Evidence (including rubrics, needs assessments, checklists): scores, academic data

Weaknesses:

The main weaknesses therefore are not in K-1 grade levels but rather in the 2-3 grade levels. No EBP has been implemented and key skills and teaching approaches are missing.

Evidence (including rubrics, needs assessments, checklists): survey responses, academic data

Opportunities:

Parental involvement can also provide invaluable support to educators from diverse family backgrounds whose cultural and familial knowledge can be shared to enhance the curriculum. Consequently, meaningful parental participation should be prioritized when developing educational strategies for any school setting.

Research suggests these methods not only provide positive outcomes for students, but lead to increased parental involvement over time - giving families the skills necessary and motivation required to play…