5.3 Program Evaluation
Candidates design and implement program evaluations to determine the overall effectiveness of professional learning on deepening teacher content knowledge, improving teacher pedagogical skills and/or increasing student learning. (PSC 5.3/ISTE 4c)
Artifact: Professional Learning Current Reality and GAPPS Review
Action Plan (Part 1)
Reflection:
The Professional Learning Current Reality and GAPPS Review and the Action Plan Part 1 I assesses the effectiveness of programs and evaluate their impact on student learning. The Professional Learning Current Reality was created as part of my coursework for ITEC 7460 - Professional Learning and Technology Innovation. I developed the action plan based on my findings in the Data Overview for Lakeside Middle School, which I created in ITEC 7305 - Data Analysis and School Improvement. Together these artifacts serve as evidence of my mastery of this standard.
The GAPPS analysis details Lakeside Middle School's improvement goals and analyzes whether or not these goals are being met. As the analysis shows, Lakeside's professional development is aligned with its' school improvement goals, but individual teacher expectations for implementation is lacking. In other words, the administrators are delivering the properly aligned professional learning - then haphazardly following up on its implementation. The GAPPS analysis also points to a limited amount of professional development devoted to helping teachers use technology to enhance student learning. By identifying this perceived lack of training and support, adjustments can be made that will target teacher pedagogical skills in leveraging classroom technology to improve student learning.
Likewise, the Action Plan identifies areas of weakness (based on my Data Overview of Lakeside Middle School). The plan specifies specific goals, actions and professional learning strategies to improve these areas of weakness. Specifically, the data pointed to a deficit in math skills among students with disabilities. The professional learning suggestions are based on the belief that improvements in teacher content knowledge and pedagogy will ultimately lead to improved student learning among the SWD population. The Action Plan also provides a timeline for the achievement of desired outcomes, and identifies persons responsible for monitoring and reaching the stated goals. Together, the GAPPS review and the Action plan show my ability to design and implement program evaluations that identify the effectiveness of professional learning in improving teacher content knowledge, pedagogical skills and improvements in student learning.
In completing these two artifacts, two areas stood out. The first was the lack of support related to the classroom use of technology among the teachers in my building. I work in a high performing school and we are in year three of a BYOT initiative. If any district should be able to use technology effectively - to improve student learning and address higher order thinking skills - it should be us. Second, I was surprised at what the data revealed about the math performance of our SWD populations. For some reason we were quite a bit lower than the district average, even though our SWD population percentage was comparable to other schools.
The GAPPS review was conducted by an outside review team who visited our school over a three day period. Their data collection methods consisted of a checklist generated from observations and interviews with teachers and students. The Action Plan was based on student testing data. In the future I would like to see the deficits in technology become definable and measurable to the point that the professional development deficits revealed in the GAPPS analysis were as concrete as the deficits in addressed in the Action Plan. I'm not quite sure how to do this yet, but, if I were to create another Action Plan I would like to include professional learning geared toward using technology to improve student learning.
The first step toward improving student learning, faculty development and overall school improvement starts with the identification of areas for improvement. The work experience involved in the creation of these artifacts enabled me to identify two areas we need to improve on. The impact of this work can be measured by assessing whether or not the goals spelled out in the action plan are achieved, and if the professional learning needs are addressed.
The Professional Learning Current Reality and GAPPS Review and the Action Plan Part 1 I assesses the effectiveness of programs and evaluate their impact on student learning. The Professional Learning Current Reality was created as part of my coursework for ITEC 7460 - Professional Learning and Technology Innovation. I developed the action plan based on my findings in the Data Overview for Lakeside Middle School, which I created in ITEC 7305 - Data Analysis and School Improvement. Together these artifacts serve as evidence of my mastery of this standard.
The GAPPS analysis details Lakeside Middle School's improvement goals and analyzes whether or not these goals are being met. As the analysis shows, Lakeside's professional development is aligned with its' school improvement goals, but individual teacher expectations for implementation is lacking. In other words, the administrators are delivering the properly aligned professional learning - then haphazardly following up on its implementation. The GAPPS analysis also points to a limited amount of professional development devoted to helping teachers use technology to enhance student learning. By identifying this perceived lack of training and support, adjustments can be made that will target teacher pedagogical skills in leveraging classroom technology to improve student learning.
Likewise, the Action Plan identifies areas of weakness (based on my Data Overview of Lakeside Middle School). The plan specifies specific goals, actions and professional learning strategies to improve these areas of weakness. Specifically, the data pointed to a deficit in math skills among students with disabilities. The professional learning suggestions are based on the belief that improvements in teacher content knowledge and pedagogy will ultimately lead to improved student learning among the SWD population. The Action Plan also provides a timeline for the achievement of desired outcomes, and identifies persons responsible for monitoring and reaching the stated goals. Together, the GAPPS review and the Action plan show my ability to design and implement program evaluations that identify the effectiveness of professional learning in improving teacher content knowledge, pedagogical skills and improvements in student learning.
In completing these two artifacts, two areas stood out. The first was the lack of support related to the classroom use of technology among the teachers in my building. I work in a high performing school and we are in year three of a BYOT initiative. If any district should be able to use technology effectively - to improve student learning and address higher order thinking skills - it should be us. Second, I was surprised at what the data revealed about the math performance of our SWD populations. For some reason we were quite a bit lower than the district average, even though our SWD population percentage was comparable to other schools.
The GAPPS review was conducted by an outside review team who visited our school over a three day period. Their data collection methods consisted of a checklist generated from observations and interviews with teachers and students. The Action Plan was based on student testing data. In the future I would like to see the deficits in technology become definable and measurable to the point that the professional development deficits revealed in the GAPPS analysis were as concrete as the deficits in addressed in the Action Plan. I'm not quite sure how to do this yet, but, if I were to create another Action Plan I would like to include professional learning geared toward using technology to improve student learning.
The first step toward improving student learning, faculty development and overall school improvement starts with the identification of areas for improvement. The work experience involved in the creation of these artifacts enabled me to identify two areas we need to improve on. The impact of this work can be measured by assessing whether or not the goals spelled out in the action plan are achieved, and if the professional learning needs are addressed.