Starting with the End in Mind: Evaluating Quality Language Programs NECTFL March 2010 Greg Duncan interprep@earthlink.net Jennifer Eddy worldlanguageed@aol.com Myriam Met myriammet@gmail.com Martin Smith martin.smith@edison.k12.nj.us

Scenario Imagine your superintendent came to you & said that unless you can prove to the BOE that you have a highly effective program, they are going to have to cut the program. What evidence would you bring forward to “prove” that your program is highly effective?

What does a high quality program look like? Think, Pair, Share What does a high quality program look like? What kinds of evidence will inform stakeholders that the program is one of high quality? What does it look like as students advance toward meeting their goals?

Looking for Teacher Evidence

Group Task Work in a group no larger than 4. Your group should be other teachers in the same type of program you work in (i.e., immersion, FLES, middle school or high school world languages). Distribute the strips of paper among you until your envelope is empty. No person should have two statements that are identical, although two people in the group may end up with statements that others in the group also have.

Group Task Decide what you think each statement means. Be prepared to share two examples from your own or another teacher’s class. In your group, take turns reading aloud your statements along with your definition/examples. If you hear someone else in your group explaining the same statement you have, please contribute to the explanation. As a group, discuss the statement (more examples? Agree/disagree?) before moving on to the next person.

Group Task As a group, decide on the three statements you think are THE MOST CRITICAL for student language learning. Be prepared to share your reasoning with another group.

Hands-On: The Observation Guidelines Think-Pair-Share: Read through and define for yourself what you think the statements mean. Pair with a partner to discuss any you are unclear about. Highlight those you think you might feel strongly about (pro/con) Share: Discuss the ones you highlighted as unclear or feel strongly about. Why do you think these teacher behaviors appear on the observation guidelines?

Administrator Walk-throughs: ‘Look Fors’ On your own, make a list of 5 observable behaviors you are willing to be held accountable for when an administrator or supervisor might come to your classroom for a walk-through. Look at your list. How many of the critical behaviors that your group identified a little while ago, also appear on your ‘look-fors’ list? Compare your list with a partner. Discuss the statements you don’t have in common and try to come to consensus, if possible. Think: How might you use this process at your school?

Making an Action Plan

So far this morning . . . Those elements that make-up a highly-effective language program (Stage 1) Evidence once those elements are in-place (Stage 2)

How does your program measure up ? Next step . . . Stage 3 How does your program measure up ?

Process Steps Step One: Getting Started / Getting Organized Step Two: Assessing the Status Quo Step Three: Identifying and Prioritizing Areas of Need Step Four: Designing the Action Plan

Step 1 Getting Started An instructional leader (building or district level)starts the process Key stakeholders identified; steering committee formed Ensure basic knowledge of Understanding by Design (UbD) Steering committee studies source document Starting With the End in Mind Form a Task Force composed of multiple representatives from each constituency (Teachers, Instructional Leaders, Policy Makers, Parents)

Step 2 Assessing the Status Quo Each member of the representative groups (teachers, instructional leaders, policy makers, parents) completes a survey specifically designed for their group. The group makes a composite/summary of the result of the group’s surveys. Each group shares its composite with the entire Task Force (results = status quo). A good idea . . . Outside validation of the group’s perceptions

Step 3 Identifying and Prioritizing Areas of Need Identified Need Group Responsible Determine how well students are making continuous progress from level to level and year to year within and across schools. Provide the data. Teachers Instructional Leaders Identify monetary sources that will provide the funding needed to improve the frequency and duration of instruction. Policy-makers Identify authentic and age-appropriate community-based resources that support students’ language use. Parents

Step 4 Designing the Action Plan Identified Need Group Responsible Determine how well students are making continuous progress from level to level and year to year within and across schools. Provide the data. Teachers Instructional Leaders Identify monetary sources that will provide the funding needed to improve the frequency and duration of instruction. Policy-makers Identify authentic and age-appropriate community-based resources that support students’ language use. Parents

Portion of a Sample Action Plan

Trying your hand at it Look at the Evidence pages for each group, and choose one target from each group to work on. List your target on your worksheet, and think through a possible plan of action to address that particular target. Get with two others and share your ideas; solicit their feedback.