1. Central Illinois SMART School Improvement Process Training
November 10, 2016
Session III – Day 5
Time: 15 minutes (1/8 slides)
Resources Required: N/A
Purpose: Introduction to Session III
Lecture Notes:
Activity Notes:
FACILITATOR NOTE:

2. Session III Overview
Purpose: Understand the impact of our actions on student results
Concept: Reflection
Bridge: Day 5 Results
Essential Question: How does reflection on results support ongoing improvement?
Outcomes: Page 5
Agenda: Page 6
Time: 15 minutes (8/8 slides)
Resources Required: Participant Manual, Pre-Process tab, pages 5 and 6
Purpose: Introduction to Session II
Lecture Notes: Quickly review the purpose, concept and bridges for this session with particular emphasis on the link between action planning, implementation and progress monitoring.
Activity Notes:

3. SMART School Improvement Process
Step #5
Step #4
Between Steps 4 & 5
Step #3
Between Steps 3 & 4
Step #2
Between Steps 2 & 3
Time: 30 minutes (1/2 slides – Activity and debrief 20 minutes)
Purpose: Assess recall of the steps in the SMART School Improvement Process
Resources Required: Chart paper, Markers, Post-it Notes
Lecture Notes: We continue to bring you back to the big picture of the whole process so that you can see where you’ve been and where you’re going next. We know that this has been a quick and turnaround in terms of taking you through the process, but we want to get a sense of whether the flow and the logic are becoming internalized.
Activity Notes: Working together and without looking at your materials, reconstruct as much of the SMART School Improvement Process as you can remember. Post and debrief
Step #1
Between Steps 1 & 2

4. SMART School Improvement Process
Step #5
Analyze and refocus
Begin again!
Step #4
Develop action plans
Between Steps
Implement plans
Step #3
Select strategies
Between Steps
Explore professional learning options
Step #2
Create school
SMART goal
Between Steps
Investigate effective practices
Time: 30 minutes (2/2 slides – 10 minutes)
Resources Required: Participant Manual, page 18
Purpose: Where are we in the Process?
Lecture Notes: (CLICK to reveal first triangle) The essential question of our first session was “How do we, as a community of learners, focus on student growth.” You learned how to identify your school’s Greatest Area(s) of Need, both through perceptions and data gaps and trends. The data were then used to create your school SMART Goal Tree. It is critical that we get these first two steps right because they provide the foundation for everything that happens from here on.
In the second session,(CLICK to reveal the parallelogram) we focused on what we’re going to do to achieve our school SMART Goal. By the end of your last session, you had the beginnings of a SMART Action plan for identifying and learning new strategies in your goal area. You can’t just have a goal and expect to get better results. You have to do something differently and you need a plan for helping you learn and execute your new strategies.
Finally, (CLICK to reveal the second triangle) in this session, we will complete the learning of the process and begin to focus on how you will use your data and goal targets to continuously improve your results. Session III is designed to have you showcase your journey of learning and to plan for full implementation for the rest of the year.
Activity Notes:
Step #1
Isolate need
Between Steps
Gather and analyze data

5. Timeline, Responsibilities & Resources
Action Plan
Tasks
Desired Outcomes
Evidence
Professional
Learning
Support
Timeline, Responsibilities & Resources
Time: 45 minutes (1/1 slides)
Resources Required: Participant Manual, page and SMART Action Plan Rubric
Purpose: Fine tune action plans for deeper understanding of their purpose and use
Lecture Notes: Last session you learned a process for planning that was based on the PDSA cycle. The planning process culminates in an agreed upon set of actions that the team believes will lead them to the attainment of their goal(s).
Activity Notes: Use the handout (SMART Action Plan Rubric) to assess the work you have done on your action plan to date. If you have not begun to build your Action Plan, use the Rubric to help you define the elements of your plan that you do have and how you will use them. Record your ah-has as you go. Where do you need to do more work? What are your strong points?

6. Energy Break Time: 15 minutes Purpose: Bring audience back
Resources Required: N/A
Lecture Notes:
Activity Notes: Play music or use timer (optional). Sound the reminder, 5 minutes before returning.
Energy Break

7. Time for Lunch
LUNCH 12:00 – 12:30

8. Between Steps 4 and 5: Implement Plans
Time: 60 min. (1/9 slides – 1 min.)
Purpose: Introduce next steps in the process
Resources Required: N/A
Lecture Notes: Implementation – the key to getting results! You can have the world’s best plan but it is the quality of the implementation of that plan that determines the quality of the results. Implementation is the key to getting results and not surprisingly, the point in the process where you will begin to see the rise in resistance. Why? People are actually going to have to change what they have been doing, in some cases for 30 or more years.
Activity Notes: N/A

9. SMART School Improvement Process
Step #5
Analyze and refocus
Begin again!
Step #4
Develop action plans
Between Steps
Implement plans
Step #3
Select strategies
Between Steps
Explore professional learning options
Step #2
Create school
SMART goal
Between Steps
Investigate effective practices
Time: 60 min. (2/9 slides – total of 10 min. with debrief)
Resources Required: Participant Manual, pages 95 and 96
Purpose: Introduce the Between Steps #4 and #5 content
Lecture Notes: We are here!
Activity Notes: Read through the Planning Guide for SMART School Improvement that appears on page 95 of your participant manual. Divvy out the three questions on page 96 and discuss / record your responses. Share with the rest of your team.
Step #1
Isolate need
Between Steps
Gather and analyze data

10. Blueprint for Implementation
Time: 60 min. (3/9 slides – 4 min. for this and next 2 slides)
Purpose: Understand roll-out as a process and learn tools for mapping out the implementation plan.
Resources Required: Participant Manual; Process Tab; pages
Lecture Notes: Think of your SMART Action Plan as the school’s map for providing direction, evaluating progress, supporting staff learning and allocating resources for implementing your school-wide strategies. The “S” in SMART Action Planning is Strategic.
Going from a plan to implementation will require even greater specificity (the other “S” in SMART), something more akin to a blueprint for specific ways in which you will implement the plan. What is the value of a blueprint when you’re building a house or following a pattern when making a dress? What does it tell you? (Specifications of size, dimensions, organization of space, etc. In other words, a more detailed picture of the “project.”)
A key feature of aligning all school efforts in support of the School SMART Goal, is having grade level, departmental or PLC goals that are directly connected to the school goal and strategies. Take a look at pages in your participant manual for the big picture of how teacher teams can support the all-out school effort to achieve its goal (recall Covey’s “execution gap.” All priorities have to be aligned for the organization to effectively meet its goals.)
CLICK through the next several slides for examples of supporting goals at the department / PLC / grade levels.
Activity Notes:

11. Grade Level SMART Goal Tree in support of the School SMART Goal
Indicators
Measures
Targets
By (1 year),
___% of all 5th
grade students
will be
proficient or
above in
(school GAN)
Tested
standard in
content area
aligned with
school GAN
indicators
Common
Formative
Assessment
# of students
Common
Assess-ment
Target
(# of students)
Blue
Baseline
Green
Yellow
Red
Progress Check
Results
Time: 60 min. (4/9 slides – 4 minutes for this, previous and next slide.)
Purpose: Introduce next steps in the process
Resources Required: N/A
Lecture Notes:
Activity Notes: N/A

12. X% pass Algebra by end of semester
Department/Course SMART Goal Tree
in support of the School SMART Goal
Targets
Indicators
Measures
Course Test
Advanced
20%
90%
Goal
Standard
Proficient
70%
Below
10%
Far Below 0%
X% pass Algebra by end of semester
Time: 60 min. (5/9 slides – 4 min. for this and 2 previous slides)
Purpose: Introduce next steps in the process
Resources Required: N/A
Lecture Notes: School SMART Goal is math. It can be this simple. However, for subjects not teaching Math, they would need to examine their content or process standards to see what they can do to support the Math goal. For example, in Art, it might be geometric shapes and structures. For Social Studies it might be a related content using statistics or graphing trends. For Science it might be applying the scientific method for data inquiry around a theory. In most areas, a measurement focus, word problems and applications, and / or problem solving and critical thinking could serve as a departmental focus in support of a school-wide Math goal.
Activity Notes: N/A

13. Option A ~ Fine Tuning Your Plan
Based on your self-assessment using the SMART Action Plan Rubric, continue to make adjustments or use this time to create your Action Plan.
Tasks
Desired Outcomes
Evidence
Professional
Learning
Support
Resources
Time: 60 min. (6/9 slides – 45 minutes)
Purpose: Address the issue of time
Resources Required: Team Action Plans and Rubric
Lecture Notes:
Activity Notes: Fine tune your plan based on your team’s assessment using the SMART Action Planning Rubric. If you haven’t begun or are just getting started in developing your action plan, use this time to further your progress.
Facilitator Note: This and the next 2 slides are offered as options

14. Option B ~ Addressing Time
Discuss how you will address the issue of time for professional learning and implementation of new practices. What are some things that you have done in your school to address the challenge of time to implement new learning and test out new practices?
Time: 60 minutes (7/9 slides – 45 minutes)
Resources Required: N/A
Purpose: Understand the importance of time as a resource for implementing school improvement plans
Lecture Notes:
Activity Notes: Discuss how you will address the issue of time for professional learning and implementation of new practices. Adjust your action plan accordingly.
Facilitator Note: This and slides 18 and 20 are offered as options. Direct them to the web page for the NSDC article, Think Outside the Clock

15. Option C ~ Supporting Goals
School
Results Goal
School
Indicators
School
Measures
School
Targets
Create an example of a supporting PLC grade-level or departmental goal that you can use as an illustration when sharing with PLCs/teams back home.
Time: 60 min. (8/9 slides – 45 minutes)
Purpose: Address the issue of time
Resources Required: Participant Manual pages 97-99
Lecture Notes:
Activity Notes: Create a PLC level goal that supports your team goal. Use this an an example that you can share with your colleagues back home.
Facilitator Note: This and the previous 2 slides are offered as options.

16. Team Planning Time Time: 45 min. (9/9 slides; 45 min. planning time)
Resources Required:
Purpose: Work time
Lecture Notes:
Activity Notes:
FACILITATOR NOTE:

17. Step#5: Analyze and Refocus
Time: 45 min. (1/10 slides – 1 minute transition)
Resources Required: N/A
Purpose: Transition to Step #5
Lecture Notes: This step is all about progress monitoring and adjustments – the study and act portion of the PDSA cycle.
Activity Notes:

18. SMART School Improvement Process
Step #5
Analyze and refocus
Begin again!
Step #4
Develop action plans
Between Steps
Implement plans
Step #3
Select strategies
Between Steps
Explore professional learning options
Step #2
Create school
SMART goal
Between Steps
Investigate effective practices
Time: 45 min. (2/10 slides – 9 minutes)
Resources Required: Participant Manual, Process Tab, pages 102 and 103
Purpose: Orientation to where we are in the process
Lecture Notes:
Activity Notes: Read through the Planning Guide for Step #5 on page 102 and discuss the questions on page 103. Document your conversation.
Step #1
Isolate need
Between Steps
Gather and analyze data

19. Small, incremental steps toward the results goal
Targets
Small, incremental steps toward the results goal
Time: 45 min. (3/10 slides – 1 minute)
Resources Required: Participant Manual, page 104
Purpose: Anticipatory set for conversations on targets
Lecture Notes: The statements that appear on page 104 define what targets do for us from both a practical and a motivational perspective.
Activity: Take a quick moment to read through the bullets. (CLICK to next slide for activity)

20. Setting Good Targets
A target expresses where we want to be within a given time frame; our assessments tell us how quickly we are getting there (or not).
A good target is a stretch. It sets a challenge. It is something that those setting the target feel is attainable.
Give yourself about an 80% chance of achieving your target within the time frame you specify.
Targets should add up to goal attainment.
Time: 45 min. (4/10 slides – 2 minutes)
Resources Required: N/A
Purpose: Understand the qualities of a good target.
Lecture Notes: These four items provide additional clarity for what a good target includes. In just a moment, we’re going to ask you to assess your goal targets against these criteria and give yourself a grade.

21. Discussion ~ Target Monitoring
Why is it important to monitor incremental steps toward a goal?
How can targets be used to:
Monitor progress toward the goal
Evaluate interventions
Differentiate instruction
Why is it important to celebrate even small steps or partial steps?
Time: 45 min. (5/10 slides – 15 minutes)
Resources Required: Chart paper and Marker
Purpose: Affirm the role and multiple uses of targets
Lecture Notes:
Activity Notes: Discuss and document on chart paper your team’s responses to the questions on the slide

22. Activity ~ Anatomy of a Target
Post one of your target templates on a piece of chart paper.
Identify the parts and specific details of your targets within each part.
How challenging is your target? How attainable is your target? Give yourself a grade.
Summarize why you gave yourself the grade you did and how you will use the target template for monitoring progress toward your goal.
Time: 45min. (7/10 slides – 2 min. as an anticipatory set – Activity to be done after lunch)
Resources Required: Chart paper and markers
Purpose: Refine and improve their own goal targets
Lecture Notes:
Activity Notes: Review the 4 part instructions and then CLICK to slides to show examples.
Facilitator Note: The teams will remain at their own tables but the charts should be posted at the end of the activity so others can see what they have done.

23. Spring 2014
Results
Focus:
Subgroups
All Grades
Measure:
District Annual
Writing Prompt
Timeframe for
Target Monitoring
Spring 2015
Results
Percent Expected
To Meet / Exceed
Standard
Subgroups:
Base-line Data
Current Data
Targets
Yr. 1
Yr. 2
Yr. 3
End of Year %
ELL
40% 1 50 2 65 3 75
Spec. Ed.
25% 30 40
FRL
32% 60
Writing
Grade: B+
Time: 45 min. (8/10 slides – 3 min.)
Resources Required: Chart paper and markers
Purpose: Illustrate the product for this activity – Dissecting the target template
Lecture Notes: This is a picture of what we’re going to ask you to do with one of your target templates in just a few minutes. You’ll post it on a piece of chart paper and then identify all the important pieces of your template.
Activity Notes: Show this slide while they are working. Walk through the example so they can see how the “anatomy” is based on their decisions about how they put their target templates together. They should be able to explain their target template decisions. This exercise pushes them to not just review but to justify why they decided to complete the template the way they did. And, if they can’t, what they need to do to improve or refine it. Read the summary box – rationale for their grade.
Facilitator Note: The teams will remain at their own tables but the charts should be posted at the end of the activity so others can see what they have done.
Summary: We believe these targets are challenging but attainable because we have already begun to
focus on these subgroups and have writing interventions in place. They leave us short of our goal and we can only measure annually. The whole target needs to be supplemented with formative results. 23

24. Current Data (# of ALL students)
Baseline
Results
Number of Students
In Algebra I
Subject:
Algebra I (Operations)
Grade:
Department:
Subject:
Subgroup:
N= 105 Students
Current Data (# of ALL students)
Forms
Target
(# of ALL students)
Blue 8
Baseline 14
Green 24 30
Yellow 28 36
Red 44 25 23
Progress Check 35 27 45 15 10
Results
What Now? 52
Measure: District Math
Benchmark Assessment
District Benchmark
Projected # of
Students on
Mid-point Exam
Projected # of
Students on Final Exam
Actual # of Students
On Mid-point Exam
Time: 45 minutes (9/10 slides – 3 min.)
Resources Required: Not in participant manual
Purpose: Common Assessment Targets by zone/student
Lecture Notes: Walk through this example to show how formative assessments using zone analyses are used to create the targets. In this example, the end result still leaves 4 students short of meeting the standard. Additional supports would need to be provided for those students.
Activity Notes:
Plan Forward
Actual # of Students
On Final Exam
Grade: A-
Summary: Formative measure allows for periodic monitoring and
adjustment of practice. Targets are realistic, measurable and time-bound. 24

25. Spring 2014
Results (D)
Focus:
Grades 3-5
Spring 2015
Results
Measure:
DEA
Timeframe for
Target Monitoring
Percent Expected
To Meet / Exceed
Standard
Focus: Reading Grades 3-5
Base-line Data
Spring 2014
% Levels
3 & 4
Current Year
Actual Data -Spring
Targets
Yearly Spring Data
Cohort 1
Grade 3
56%
62%
70%
77%
2015
60%
2016
65%
2017
75%
Cohort 2
Grade 4
48%
58%
55%
63%
Cohort 3
Grade 5
72%
Reading
Grade: B
Time: 45 min. (10/10 slides – 3 min.)
Resources Required: Chart paper and markers
Purpose: Illustrate how cohort analyses can be used to create targets.
Lecture Notes: Walk through this example.
Facilitator Note: The teams will remain at their own tables but the charts should be posted at the end of the activity so others can see what they have done.
Summary: We believe these targets were not challenging enough and should probably have been increased after the results came in. We also would like a target template that allows us to monitor more frequently using A and B data during the year. We would also like to follow our Cohort 2 and 3 groups into middle school to see if they are continuing to improve. 25

26. Activity ~ Anatomy of a Target
Post one of your target templates on a piece of chart paper.
Identify the parts and specific details of your targets within each part.
How challenging is your target? How attainable is your target? Give yourself a grade.
Summarize why you gave yourself the grade you did and how you will use the target template for monitoring progress toward your goal.
Time: 60 min. (1/6 slides – 45 min. work time)
Resources Required: Chart paper and markers
Purpose: Create or refine and improve their own goal targets
Lecture Notes:
Activity Notes: Review the 4 part
Facilitator Note: The teams will remain at their own tables but the charts should be posted at the end of the activity so others can see what they have done.

27. Monitoring Progress Using Targets
Have a regularly scheduled time and place for reviewing target attainment. Make it visual!
Use common formative assessments to gather valuable information frequently enough to adjust practice and/or introduce interventions.
Know exactly which children are meeting the targets and which are not. Differentiate accordingly.
Share your team and classroom targets and progress with your students. Celebrate!
Time: 60 min. (2/6 slides – 5 minutes)
Resources Required: N/A
Purpose: Understand how targets are used to monitor progress ongoing
Lecture Notes: These are suggestions for how you will use your targets to monitor progress and share results on an ongoing basis. If you think back to your SMART Action Plans, we asked you to identify a schedule for reviewing your targets. Typically that coincides with the assessment schedule, but it might also include some perceptual, observational or other event-driven reason for looking at your progress such as the end of a unit, trimester, quarter or semester, parent-teacher conferences, etc.
The more you can build formative assessments into your plan, the better but be sure not to over-burden teachers and students with too much testing. Assessments for learning (a la Chappuis and Stiggens) provide valuable feedback informally and do not require testing events per se. This should become a systematic practice for PLCs at the unit level.
Matching up student names and faces with performance data (especially in zone analyses) will lead to informed differentiation and intervention. Even a good target is improved when the numbers are taken to the individual student level for analysis.
Finally, the targets should not be a mystery to your students. As entire classrooms demonstrate growth, there is reason for celebration. When students know they have been part of contributing to a larger classroom success, they are reinforced in their efforts.
Activity:

28. Time: 60 min. (3/6 slides)
Resources Required: N/A
Purpose: Show examples of visual progress monitoring
Lecture Notes: These charts are outside a principal’s office in a middle school. They illustrate movement up through the zones for every child in the middle school (column at the right) and for all students by name in four core academic areas by section (i.e. English Language Arts 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th period). The data are not accessible to the public and are used by the principal to talk with PLCs about flexible grouping strategies, RtI needs, additional support resources for the teacher(s) (e.g., reading resource teacher or instructional coach).

29. Time: 60 min. (4/6 slides –minutes)
Resources Required: N/A
Purpose: Show examples of visual progress monitoring
Lecture Notes: This is a teachers’ work room where the 3rd grade teachers are moving index cards with students’ names and the specific indicators the students are working on in a particular unit of study. They place a colored dot on the index cards to illustrate where the students began on the baseline assessment. As they improve, they move the index cards up to the next higher level(s). Not the distribution in this photo.

30. Time: 60 min. (4/6 slides –minutes)
Resources Required: N/A
Purpose: Show examples of visual progress monitoring
Lecture Notes: This is toward the end of the unit. Note the number of index cards left in the red zone compared to the baseline on the previous slide. Note the number of blue and green cards now.

31. CELEBRATE!! Time: 60 min. (6/6 slides) Resources Required: N/A
Purpose: Show examples of visual monitoring
Lecture Notes: This was actually at the the midpoint of the unit where the movement from red zone to yellow and higher was being celebrated by these teachers.

32. BREAK Time: 15 minutes Purpose: Take some time for yourself!
Resources Required: Not in Participant Manual
Lecture Notes:
Activity Notes:

33. Your Culminating Vision
Create a metaphoric image of how your school will be
different in 5 years as a result of implementing the SMART School Improvement Process.
Time: 45 minutes (1/1 slide)
Resources Required: Participant Manual page 106; chart paper and markers
Purpose: Pull all the pieces of learning together into a sustainable, compelling vision for their school
Lecture Notes:
Activity Notes: 30 minutes to create the metaphor; 10 minutes to share and debrief
FACILITATOR NOTE:

34. Team Planning Time Time: 30 min. (1/1 slides) Resources Required:
Purpose: Work time – How will you take your vision and this process home?
Lecture Notes:
Activity Notes:
FACILITATOR NOTE:

35. How does reflection on results support ongoing improvement?
Essential Question
How does reflection on results support ongoing improvement?
Time: 15 minutes (1/3 slides – 5 min.)
Resources Required: My SMART Journey Journal
Purpose: Reflections on the day and closure
Lecture Notes:
Activity Notes: Record individual response to the essential question. Share out some examples
FACILITATOR NOTE:

36. Time: 15 minutes (2/3 slides – 5 minutes)
Resources Required: Chart paper and Markers
Purpose: Pull all the pieces of learning together
Lecture Notes:
Activity Notes: On a large piece of chart paper, record responses of all team members to these three items.
FACILITATOR NOTE:

37. Building capacity for student-focused, goal directed learning
Thank you
SMART People!
Time:
Purpose: Show as the participants leave the room
smartlearningsystems.com
Building capacity for student-focused, goal directed learning