Achieving Consistent Long-Term Goals

The Westside School’s reading results looked better compared to most of the schools in their area. The student’s average performance for Levels 3 and 4 was at 49% (for proficiency and benchmark). The school only had 10% of the students at Level 4(excelling). The principal and curriculum director believed more students could perform at this level.

They started at Data Step 1 and defined their goals for excelling. In data step 2, they analyzed their root causes and identified a lack of rigorous reading activities. Their teachers were not challenging students and assignments had low levels of cognitive processing. Their solution included implementing challenging reading levels. This required students to solve problems and answer questions at their higher instructional levels.

They also geared reading materials, questions, and activities towards student's independent reading levels. Classroom coaching and creating an expectation for higher performance was transformational, but they did not stop there. 

They also began to implement results-focused discussions and used data to plan their instruction. They addressed individual student needs while requiring students to perform at a higher level. There was definitely a lot of work involved in order to improve the results. 

The principal focused on high-impact activities. The staff was given permission to let go of low-impact activities that took a lot of their time. This specific change rejuvenated the staff. The teachers were frustrated with working hard and only seeing mediocre results. Now their efforts were making a visible difference in results. 

The last data step is Step 4: Achieve. When you think about the word Achieve, what does it mean to you? Some say it means that students acquire the knowledge and skills that were taught. Others may say it means helping students attain basic skills in reading, writing and math at the primary level and critical thinking skills at the upper levels. While these all may be true, at data Step 4, it means to achieve your SMART Goals. These goals were identified in Data Step 1: Define. We have come full circle, and it is time to achieve consistent results and meet your goals every year.

At the Achieve level, school leaders should have implemented the first two data steps. They should be actively working to transform the data by helping staff own their results and take responsibility for their outcomes. 

Before I go into more detail with Data Step 4, let’s take a few moments to look back and ensure that the other 3 data steps are working. If they are not working for you, continuous long-term results may not be possible, and you are not ready for Data Step 4. 

Reflect on these questions for your school to determine your readiness for Data Step 4:

• Do you have clearly defined SMART Goals? 
• Does everyone know the goals? (teachers and students)
• Do you have a school climate of data ownership?
• Have you identified your gauges to monitor current levels of achievement?

Do you have data evidence that you are on track to achieve your SMART Goals? If yes, review the questions for data step 2. If not, STOP and re-read the blogs for data step 1: Define to help create a firm foundation for success. 

• https://debradurma.com/blog/f/the-first-step-for-achieving-results 
• https://debradurma.com/blog/f/how-to-achieve-goals-as-a-school-organization
• https://debradurma.com/blog/f/working-together-to-achieve-school-goals
• https://debradurma.com/blog/f/the-power-of-a-consistent-data-profile
• https://debradurma.com/blog/f/building-up-small-success-to-achieve-larger-results

• Have you conducted a root cause analysis and identified positive and negative roots for your current levels of achievement?
• If yes, what actions have you taken to address these root causes? Are they making an impact? How do you know?
• If not, conduct a root cause analysis on one of the 5 areas: School Climate and Culture, Instruction, Assessment, Curriculum, Organizational Structure for Learning.

Do you have data evidence that you selected the correct root cause and you’re on track to achieve your SMART Goals? If yes, review the questions for data step 3. If not, STOP and re-read some of the blogs for data step 2: Analyze to help create a firm foundation for success. 

• https://debradurma.com/blog/f/starting-the-data-analysis-process
• https://debradurma.com/blog/f/analyzing-the-root-cause-of-the-problem
• https://debradurma.com/blog/f/identifying-the-positive-and-negative-aspects-of-school-culture
• https://debradurma.com/blog/f/using-data-to-identify-instructional-root-causes
• https://debradurma.com/blog/f/understanding-and-addressing-the-root-cause
• https://debradurma.com/blog/f/student-learning-vs-program-implementation

Use the following rating scale to answer these questions: 

1 = Poor

2 = On again/Off again

3 = Excellent

• Positive, professional relationships and the school climate are the key foundation of the transformation process. How would you rate the professional relationships and climate at your school? 
• How would you rate the instruction at your school?
• If you provided coaching to help with instruction, how would you rate the effectiveness of your coaching program?
• How would you rate the data ownership at your school?
• For any rating less than a 3, go back to data step 2 and determine the root cause for your ratings of 1 or 2. For 3 ratings, identify what practices are contributing to your success.

• Are you on track to achieve your SMART Goals? If so, you are ready for long-term, continuous achievement. If not go back to the prior data steps to determine obstacles.

Westside School took ownership and put foundational practices into place that helped them to achieve consistent long-term results. What were Westside School’s results over 3 years? Check back next week for the answer and more information on Data Step 4.

If you are interested in more information or would like assistance with any of the 4 data steps request a FREE consultation, or call me. Fill in the Contact Form Link: https://debradurma.com/contact-us 

Type in “Yes” for “Are you Interested in STAR Leadership Data Solutions?” You will receive a follow-up email with the next step to schedule a phone call to discuss your needs and questions.