Absolutely, there has to be a starting point when finding a solution. Sitting down with stakeholders would be a waste of time without some direction.
@JackieVern3 Жыл бұрын
Unfortunately, the IB program in middle school was not worth the squeeze. There were so many benefits to students learning through projects, but it was difficult to focus on it when the school was in crisis. Teachers were trying to get kids to pass STAAR but were asked to put an additional layer of planning and teaching into everything.
@JackieVern3 Жыл бұрын
The buy-in or belonging the student feels will impact achievement. This starts at home with parents showing support of the importance of education. Teacher-student relationships foster the sense of belonging that fuels the achievement that a student does or does not strive for.
@JackieVern3 Жыл бұрын
I think that we cannot define success alone. The input from teachers and other stakeholders will help to determine what is really a success. Success has to be individualized otherwise it has no meaning.
@JackieVern3 Жыл бұрын
In my program evaluations I want to see the patterns for school pathways from elementary to secondary. There may be contributing factors of the background knowledge of the students based on which elementary school that they attended. Is something more effective based on school path?
@JackieVern3 Жыл бұрын
When we evaluate a program we have to look at the information within the known context. If data seems off, then we should ask questions to bring more information into our evaluation.
@charliebradberry6490 Жыл бұрын
Yes, they are the expert in what they are studying and they should be able to interpret the information and make recommendations as to the appropriate way to continue. I don't think anyone who does a study will just put out the study and then present the information without already having a plan on how to advance.
@charliebradberry6490 Жыл бұрын
I will echo the CSOPE program. In my opinion, it was made for a perfect world and was at times just not attainable to stay up with. This framework was just not worth the "squeeze"
@charliebradberry6490 Жыл бұрын
A safe, inclusive, and appropriate place to learn. There are more than just desks and chairs... but also the learning environment in general. We also must consider the home life of the students we service. We never know what is going on at home but we do know it can have a major impact on their success.
@charliebradberry6490 Жыл бұрын
did you achieve or learn from what you are studying? It may be different... but that does not mean it was not successful.
@charliebradberry6490 Жыл бұрын
THe ability to actually change, modify, or fix the problem or question at hand. You data may give you results that lead you to believe you must change something but by doing so you creat more problems than you already had.
@charliebradberry6490 Жыл бұрын
What is going on in the bigger picture of what you are trying to do? You need to make sure you consider that when collecting data. You also need to make sure you don't look for a specific outcome, but let the data speak for itself.
@user-rg5mw4kd5b Жыл бұрын
Yes, I think they can successful create some options for recommendations when going into the meeting with stakeholders. This can create a jumping off platform instead of starting cold. This can expedite the process and value the time of everyone involved.
@user-rg5mw4kd5b Жыл бұрын
For us, it was Study Island. We spent $13,000 (just our campus) on this program to give students something to do while the other students were in their RTI time. We didn't have enough training on how it worked, no consistency from staff in using the program, and no way to enforce student participation. Thus, we did not renew it the following year. It was a waste of time for us.
@user-rg5mw4kd5b Жыл бұрын
A huge impact on student achievement is the effectiveness of the teacher and their knowledge of content. A teacher who is very strong in their content is able to see problems for students before it's presented. They can construct their instruction in a way that will minimize the misconceptions of content. A teacher who is not as strong will miss the moments students are confused and thus losing an opportunity to clarify a concept for understanding.
@user-rg5mw4kd5b Жыл бұрын
For me, an important factor is TIME. How much additional time is implementing this program going to take from the teachers? The time is not just for implementation, it's for the time to train and build consensus in using the program. Then you have to implement the use in the classroom/school. So for me, TIME is the biggest factor because it's precious in school.
@user-rg5mw4kd5b Жыл бұрын
You have to figure out what data is best for the evaluation and judgment. Then you use that data to explore options that help you support the options stakeholders want to pursue. Everyone is going to have their own interpretation of the data. As a facilitator you have to be able to dig deeper and figure out how to get everyone on the same page. Once you have agreement, you can start exploring the recommendations that will determine the action steps moving forward.
@davewarren420 Жыл бұрын
Yes - An evaluator should be prepared to have recommendations for stakeholders to consider. This does not have to be a definitive “do this, not that” statement, but could be along the lines of “option A could be good because … while option B does account for … but while either option might have pros and cons, I would ultimately recommend that …” No - An evaluator, while having an opinion, does not want to come across as “selling” a predetermined plan. This suggests that the stakeholders don’t actually have a voice in the matter. I look at this situation similar to an ARD meeting. The facilitator of the ARD might have specific suggestions, but the ARD should technically be a living structure without predetermined decisions.
@davewarren420 Жыл бұрын
I do not think anyone can say that a learning program is not worth the time and effort across the board in all situations. While there might not be success in one district for a specific program there could be tremendous success in another. My example is actually for something that I personally loved: SMARTboard implementation in all classrooms. When I arrived in my previous district, I had been SMARTboard trained in another state. While I was excited to learn that SMARTboards were available in my new location, I was surprised that the existing devices were stored in a warehouse since no one knew how to use them. I eventually became a trainer in my new district and taught, not just the basics of a piece of equipment, but philosophical approaches to teaching differently using the technology and accompanying software. Implementing any learning program, tool software, or approach, is meaningless without ongoing training and support.
@davewarren420 Жыл бұрын
A big factor in determining student achievement is the belief that success is possible. This might be seeing a role model for success, trusting in a teacher’s plan, or building confidence in yourself from past experiences. Without the expectation that success is attainable, however, it is much less likely to be achieved.
@davewarren420 Жыл бұрын
I define success as growth toward the achievement of a goal. Setting and achieving a goal is good, although by this standard alone success is not met until the goal is achieved. Growth in general is good, but without a target it can be vague and undefined. Combining both factors helps solidify “success” in my mind.
@davewarren420 Жыл бұрын
One aspect of importance that hasn’t been mentioned yet is understandability. For a program to be successfully implemented and achieve successful results this program must be understandable by its administrators at a certain level. The STAAR testing system is an example of a program that is not simply understood by those who administer the exam, as the standards for success are not easily explainable by most teachers, administrators, counselors, and more. Case in point, a full page of printed explanations must be provided to parents to help interpret scaled scores and to explain student results. Even this does not adequately inform the reader why less than 40% correct on certain exams is considered a “passing” score. The lack of understandability in this instance takes away from the testing program’s credibility and hinders its overall success.
@davewarren420 Жыл бұрын
Gilmore Dobie was one of the most successful college football coaches in history. From 1908 through 1916, Coach Dobie never lost a game at the University of Washington, securing a 59-0-3 record which still stands as the longest unbeaten streak for any college football program. Despite this astounding accomplishment, however, you will not find a statue of Gilmore Dobie anywhere on the university campus. In fact, Coach Dobie was fired before he ever lost a game at UW. Dobie’s sour demeanor, harshness towards his players, and unwavering stubbornness that led to a feud with the university president, ultimately cost him his legacy at this school. This is an example of the idea that knowledge beyond evaluative data is required when assessing programs. In terms of pure numbers of wins and losses, Gilmore Dobie’s record was untouchable. In the final determination, however, the lack of connection to his players and community resulted in the ultimate demise of Coach Dobie’s legacy and programmatic success.
@brittanybailey587 Жыл бұрын
Yes, I believe evaluators should have recommendations ready. Using the matrix seems helpful to determine which programs to advance. I also think that as a leader we must also be open to others feedback and make adjustments as needed.
@brittanybailey587 Жыл бұрын
I may be crucified for saying this one, but hopefully, this is a safe place! I love Marzano's ideas, but the certification process of HRS does not seem worth the squeeze. I feel that we have so much time and effort put in to finding data to support what we are already doing, just to get a poster of certification is leaving our leadership HRS team burned out, as well as the teachers we are asking to submit videos and lesson plans, etc.
@user-rg5mw4kd5b Жыл бұрын
I'm with you on this one! We're trying to finish up our submission right now but it's only involved a few people accomplishing the task. I do think it helps get everyone going in the same direction but I don't think the certification process is worth it. What we LEARNED from the program was worth it.
@brittanybailey587 Жыл бұрын
In the classroom, I think one of the biggest contributing factors to a student's achievements starts with the relationship between the teacher and his/her students. We can also look at a student's social/emotional health, educator passion, curriculum, professional learning programs geared to improve instruction, support of family, the culture of the classroom and school, etc.
@brittanybailey587 Жыл бұрын
I agree that achievement and success are not equivalent. I gauge success by growth. Even a small amount of growth is a success. However, I could also see success as learning from a failure and making improvements in the program.
@hollylucas3284 Жыл бұрын
Yes, I believe evaluators should have recommendations when preparing to meet with the stakeholders. It allows for a true picture that this is something meaningful to the evaluator and there is an intended plan. I believe they can and should be open to suggestions and/or flexibility for change; however, having a solid plan helps when meeting with stakeholders and staff. Although we do not like new implementation, it always helps when there is a beginning plan or idea.
@hollylucas3284 Жыл бұрын
I can not answer this question with a solid answer. Being out of the classroom for the last six years doing ESL I was informed of some of the programs but really haven't effectively been involved with them to provide an honest answer. I can say on a personal note that CScope was a great tool; however, should never have been implemented as a sole curriculum. My son was a sophomore when CScope was in full effect. He was taking an accelerated Math which was being taught by a previous Band instructor (no offense to the band). He had never taught this subject and was attempting to teach it solely off of the CScope and not providing additional support or information to the students. He failed the entire JV football team and half of the Varsity team because he did not provide extra support. It is critical to understand what you are using and the expectations to go along with it.
@hollylucas3284 Жыл бұрын
Factors that impact our student's achievement are socio-economics, health, self-confidence, compassion, understanding, support, and testing (qualifying or not qualifying for a program) to name a few. Every child has individual factors that impact their achievement. It is our job as educators to get to know our students and support their individual needs to achieve success.
@hollylucas3284 Жыл бұрын
Success is individualized and differentiated. Having success is growing at your individual pace, goals, and progress forward.
@hollylucas3284 Жыл бұрын
I believe that it is important to have claims based on more than one kind of evidence or data, multiple resources. A lot of decisions are made based on one group, test, or outcome. After being in two different school districts and at a total of 4 different campuses, what people believe is true doesn't necessarily fit the overall picture. Some items are good with a single snapshot; however, when discussing strong support it is critical to have multiple stakeholders and evidence to support the data.
@hollylucas3284 Жыл бұрын
Patton states interpretation involved deicing what the findings mean. What are we wanting to know? What information will help guide our process? Who will be involved in the process? Interpretation is significant to the explanation and findings. What brings value, merit, and worth? Is the information positive or negative? Additional information will help guide and support the final recommendations.
@alexandramcclung3590 Жыл бұрын
Yes and no. When preparing to meet with district level leaders or the board to make the official recommendation, yes. However, getting opinions and feedback from others prior to making the official recommendation is important too. They might help you gain a perspective you did not consider that will impact the effectiveness of the program, or even the success when implementing it. At the same time, you should have enough information about the program leading up to asking for opinions and feedback to explain why it is being considered.
@alexandramcclung3590 Жыл бұрын
I don't know if I could identify one particular program, but I will say trying to do too many at once is where I didn't see the value. At times it felt like we were implementing 5 new things and once and it was just too much for us as the teachers and for the kids. I would have rather focused on trying one program and giving our best effort with that, then saturate the attempt of several.
@gretabenavidesadame639 Жыл бұрын
Yes, I believe the evaluators should have recommendations ready when they are meeting with stakeholders and staff, but each should be backed up by data, research and information, and it should be flexible and adaptive and able to accommodate feedback and concerns. It should work for everyone involved.
@alexandramcclung3590 Жыл бұрын
There are several factors that will impact achievement. Part of this includes the social/emotional wellbeing of the student. Other factors include home life, support systems (in and outside of the school), connections with others, discipline, and expectations. Resources, rigor, interest, and campus culture also play a role, but there are several factors to be considered.
@gretabenavidesadame639 Жыл бұрын
Fundamental Five, Capturing Kids Hearts, HRS - each one by itself may be “worth the squeeze”… but when one initiative is added every six months and the accountability and follow-through is not equitable (some campuses, some classrooms, some principals) or sometimes just lasts a year… it frustrates teachers that “a new thing” just adds to their already stressed planning and it is “abandoned” by administration as fast as it was adopted….
@alexandramcclung3590 Жыл бұрын
Success is different for everyone. Personally, I believe "failure" is a part of being successful as it is a learning opportunity. Something that stood out to me in the book "Atomic Habits" by James Clear is the idea of being 1% better than you were the day before. Succeeding is done by learning from our experiences. If we are always learning, we will continue to be more and more successful.
@alexandramcclung3590 Жыл бұрын
I believe the man power and capacity of those that are implementing the program is a factor that can be overlooked, or not considered as it should. More and more gets put on educators at different levels. While programs are important to create change and make improvements, making sure there are enough resources (people, materials, money) is vital. There is only so much that can be done in a 24 hour period and at some point educators need to be able to go home and leave work at work. A book that was recently suggested to me is called "Subtract." As people we are too quick to add more to ourselves. Instead, we need to try to subtract in order to be more effective and efficient. The same can be said in this.
@gretabenavidesadame639 Жыл бұрын
To me, a successful program is one that brings benefits and well-being (equity, happiness and prosperity) to its organization and the population it serves, and to the community in which it exists, taking into account sustainability and environmental and cultural responsiveness.
@gretabenavidesadame639 Жыл бұрын
I believe any program evaluation must consider it within the big scheme of things, this is, the socioeconomic and political environment. Is the outside environment conducive to what a successful program should be like? Does it serve the organization’s ulterior motive and mission? Is it sustainable?
@alexandramcclung3590 Жыл бұрын
Additional knowledge would be to expand beyond your own findings and perspective. Go beyond the data. Consider the bigger picture of where it has been and to goal of where it is headed. However, try to consult others to develop those recommendations. One person might have a great idea or recommendation, but their experiences and beliefs will be a factor. By including others there is a better chance for it to be more well rounded and better received.
@gretabenavidesadame639 Жыл бұрын
No program, therefore, no evaluation, exists in a silo. It is part of an organization with a specific culture, mission and vision, and it is (or will be) implemented by groups of people with their own characteristics, backgrounds and perspectives. I think in order to move to recommendations the human factor (who will be using it, how they will be using it and for what purpose) must be taken into consideration. (Adame)
@brittanybailey587 Жыл бұрын
Martens and Wilson (2012) suggest using additional sources of information when making decisions beyond the numbers such as the "contextual variables." Is this program conducive to all teachers? How does this affect the organization?
@Davisj-fn5rl Жыл бұрын
Do you think school personnel would benefit more from considering the toll programs put on their people and whether there is value beyond new programs?
@brittanybailey587 Жыл бұрын
I think each of these comments below about sustainability is important, but we can also use data to evaluate underperforming and underserved groups. Outsiders may simply be interested in the big picture of the overall success of the program, while the leadership team can look deeper at the gains we make in smaller groups such as these. Having smaller, more specific goals for underperforming groups can be very important for growth.
@deanjohnson6416 Жыл бұрын
Yes and no, All information must be prepared with detail prior to any meeting with upper admin/school board. However, sometimes I like to just ask teachers beforehand what do they think about this and that. I just want their opinion on my recommendation rather than just doing something new. When leaders have great relationships with the staff, it takes away the formality and allows for more open conversations.
@deanjohnson6416 Жыл бұрын
I would say CSCOPE was "not worth the squeeze" but did provide a foundation for teachers to work with. When I first began teaching, my principal said here you go, follow CSCOPE plans and this will get you to where you need to go. At times, it was very unrealistic. At first it was very difficult to follow on time and inline with the original plans. However, overtime I was able to modify and adapt based on the students and the overall goal. In the end, CSCOPE is gone and somewhat transitioned to TEKS Resource system which is a great framework as Lydia stated. Its not THE curriculum but a good framework.
@deanjohnson6416 Жыл бұрын
Multiple factors such as resources, curriculum, effective lessons, school processes and procedures, attendance, motivation, extra-curricular balance and many more. But one important area that I believe has a significant impact are teacher/student relationships. When teachers have positive impactful relationships with kids, they can achieve more.
@deanjohnson6416 Жыл бұрын
Small purposeful wins over time that leads to an overall growth and improvement from beginning to end. Success can be small, from a small improvement on test scores, to large from a B to A rating on accountability.
Пікірлер
Absolutely, there has to be a starting point when finding a solution. Sitting down with stakeholders would be a waste of time without some direction.
Unfortunately, the IB program in middle school was not worth the squeeze. There were so many benefits to students learning through projects, but it was difficult to focus on it when the school was in crisis. Teachers were trying to get kids to pass STAAR but were asked to put an additional layer of planning and teaching into everything.
The buy-in or belonging the student feels will impact achievement. This starts at home with parents showing support of the importance of education. Teacher-student relationships foster the sense of belonging that fuels the achievement that a student does or does not strive for.
I think that we cannot define success alone. The input from teachers and other stakeholders will help to determine what is really a success. Success has to be individualized otherwise it has no meaning.
In my program evaluations I want to see the patterns for school pathways from elementary to secondary. There may be contributing factors of the background knowledge of the students based on which elementary school that they attended. Is something more effective based on school path?
When we evaluate a program we have to look at the information within the known context. If data seems off, then we should ask questions to bring more information into our evaluation.
Yes, they are the expert in what they are studying and they should be able to interpret the information and make recommendations as to the appropriate way to continue. I don't think anyone who does a study will just put out the study and then present the information without already having a plan on how to advance.
I will echo the CSOPE program. In my opinion, it was made for a perfect world and was at times just not attainable to stay up with. This framework was just not worth the "squeeze"
A safe, inclusive, and appropriate place to learn. There are more than just desks and chairs... but also the learning environment in general. We also must consider the home life of the students we service. We never know what is going on at home but we do know it can have a major impact on their success.
did you achieve or learn from what you are studying? It may be different... but that does not mean it was not successful.
THe ability to actually change, modify, or fix the problem or question at hand. You data may give you results that lead you to believe you must change something but by doing so you creat more problems than you already had.
What is going on in the bigger picture of what you are trying to do? You need to make sure you consider that when collecting data. You also need to make sure you don't look for a specific outcome, but let the data speak for itself.
Yes, I think they can successful create some options for recommendations when going into the meeting with stakeholders. This can create a jumping off platform instead of starting cold. This can expedite the process and value the time of everyone involved.
For us, it was Study Island. We spent $13,000 (just our campus) on this program to give students something to do while the other students were in their RTI time. We didn't have enough training on how it worked, no consistency from staff in using the program, and no way to enforce student participation. Thus, we did not renew it the following year. It was a waste of time for us.
A huge impact on student achievement is the effectiveness of the teacher and their knowledge of content. A teacher who is very strong in their content is able to see problems for students before it's presented. They can construct their instruction in a way that will minimize the misconceptions of content. A teacher who is not as strong will miss the moments students are confused and thus losing an opportunity to clarify a concept for understanding.
For me, an important factor is TIME. How much additional time is implementing this program going to take from the teachers? The time is not just for implementation, it's for the time to train and build consensus in using the program. Then you have to implement the use in the classroom/school. So for me, TIME is the biggest factor because it's precious in school.
You have to figure out what data is best for the evaluation and judgment. Then you use that data to explore options that help you support the options stakeholders want to pursue. Everyone is going to have their own interpretation of the data. As a facilitator you have to be able to dig deeper and figure out how to get everyone on the same page. Once you have agreement, you can start exploring the recommendations that will determine the action steps moving forward.
Yes - An evaluator should be prepared to have recommendations for stakeholders to consider. This does not have to be a definitive “do this, not that” statement, but could be along the lines of “option A could be good because … while option B does account for … but while either option might have pros and cons, I would ultimately recommend that …” No - An evaluator, while having an opinion, does not want to come across as “selling” a predetermined plan. This suggests that the stakeholders don’t actually have a voice in the matter. I look at this situation similar to an ARD meeting. The facilitator of the ARD might have specific suggestions, but the ARD should technically be a living structure without predetermined decisions.
I do not think anyone can say that a learning program is not worth the time and effort across the board in all situations. While there might not be success in one district for a specific program there could be tremendous success in another. My example is actually for something that I personally loved: SMARTboard implementation in all classrooms. When I arrived in my previous district, I had been SMARTboard trained in another state. While I was excited to learn that SMARTboards were available in my new location, I was surprised that the existing devices were stored in a warehouse since no one knew how to use them. I eventually became a trainer in my new district and taught, not just the basics of a piece of equipment, but philosophical approaches to teaching differently using the technology and accompanying software. Implementing any learning program, tool software, or approach, is meaningless without ongoing training and support.
A big factor in determining student achievement is the belief that success is possible. This might be seeing a role model for success, trusting in a teacher’s plan, or building confidence in yourself from past experiences. Without the expectation that success is attainable, however, it is much less likely to be achieved.
I define success as growth toward the achievement of a goal. Setting and achieving a goal is good, although by this standard alone success is not met until the goal is achieved. Growth in general is good, but without a target it can be vague and undefined. Combining both factors helps solidify “success” in my mind.
One aspect of importance that hasn’t been mentioned yet is understandability. For a program to be successfully implemented and achieve successful results this program must be understandable by its administrators at a certain level. The STAAR testing system is an example of a program that is not simply understood by those who administer the exam, as the standards for success are not easily explainable by most teachers, administrators, counselors, and more. Case in point, a full page of printed explanations must be provided to parents to help interpret scaled scores and to explain student results. Even this does not adequately inform the reader why less than 40% correct on certain exams is considered a “passing” score. The lack of understandability in this instance takes away from the testing program’s credibility and hinders its overall success.
Gilmore Dobie was one of the most successful college football coaches in history. From 1908 through 1916, Coach Dobie never lost a game at the University of Washington, securing a 59-0-3 record which still stands as the longest unbeaten streak for any college football program. Despite this astounding accomplishment, however, you will not find a statue of Gilmore Dobie anywhere on the university campus. In fact, Coach Dobie was fired before he ever lost a game at UW. Dobie’s sour demeanor, harshness towards his players, and unwavering stubbornness that led to a feud with the university president, ultimately cost him his legacy at this school. This is an example of the idea that knowledge beyond evaluative data is required when assessing programs. In terms of pure numbers of wins and losses, Gilmore Dobie’s record was untouchable. In the final determination, however, the lack of connection to his players and community resulted in the ultimate demise of Coach Dobie’s legacy and programmatic success.
Yes, I believe evaluators should have recommendations ready. Using the matrix seems helpful to determine which programs to advance. I also think that as a leader we must also be open to others feedback and make adjustments as needed.
I may be crucified for saying this one, but hopefully, this is a safe place! I love Marzano's ideas, but the certification process of HRS does not seem worth the squeeze. I feel that we have so much time and effort put in to finding data to support what we are already doing, just to get a poster of certification is leaving our leadership HRS team burned out, as well as the teachers we are asking to submit videos and lesson plans, etc.
I'm with you on this one! We're trying to finish up our submission right now but it's only involved a few people accomplishing the task. I do think it helps get everyone going in the same direction but I don't think the certification process is worth it. What we LEARNED from the program was worth it.
In the classroom, I think one of the biggest contributing factors to a student's achievements starts with the relationship between the teacher and his/her students. We can also look at a student's social/emotional health, educator passion, curriculum, professional learning programs geared to improve instruction, support of family, the culture of the classroom and school, etc.
I agree that achievement and success are not equivalent. I gauge success by growth. Even a small amount of growth is a success. However, I could also see success as learning from a failure and making improvements in the program.
Yes, I believe evaluators should have recommendations when preparing to meet with the stakeholders. It allows for a true picture that this is something meaningful to the evaluator and there is an intended plan. I believe they can and should be open to suggestions and/or flexibility for change; however, having a solid plan helps when meeting with stakeholders and staff. Although we do not like new implementation, it always helps when there is a beginning plan or idea.
I can not answer this question with a solid answer. Being out of the classroom for the last six years doing ESL I was informed of some of the programs but really haven't effectively been involved with them to provide an honest answer. I can say on a personal note that CScope was a great tool; however, should never have been implemented as a sole curriculum. My son was a sophomore when CScope was in full effect. He was taking an accelerated Math which was being taught by a previous Band instructor (no offense to the band). He had never taught this subject and was attempting to teach it solely off of the CScope and not providing additional support or information to the students. He failed the entire JV football team and half of the Varsity team because he did not provide extra support. It is critical to understand what you are using and the expectations to go along with it.
Factors that impact our student's achievement are socio-economics, health, self-confidence, compassion, understanding, support, and testing (qualifying or not qualifying for a program) to name a few. Every child has individual factors that impact their achievement. It is our job as educators to get to know our students and support their individual needs to achieve success.
Success is individualized and differentiated. Having success is growing at your individual pace, goals, and progress forward.
I believe that it is important to have claims based on more than one kind of evidence or data, multiple resources. A lot of decisions are made based on one group, test, or outcome. After being in two different school districts and at a total of 4 different campuses, what people believe is true doesn't necessarily fit the overall picture. Some items are good with a single snapshot; however, when discussing strong support it is critical to have multiple stakeholders and evidence to support the data.
Patton states interpretation involved deicing what the findings mean. What are we wanting to know? What information will help guide our process? Who will be involved in the process? Interpretation is significant to the explanation and findings. What brings value, merit, and worth? Is the information positive or negative? Additional information will help guide and support the final recommendations.
Yes and no. When preparing to meet with district level leaders or the board to make the official recommendation, yes. However, getting opinions and feedback from others prior to making the official recommendation is important too. They might help you gain a perspective you did not consider that will impact the effectiveness of the program, or even the success when implementing it. At the same time, you should have enough information about the program leading up to asking for opinions and feedback to explain why it is being considered.
I don't know if I could identify one particular program, but I will say trying to do too many at once is where I didn't see the value. At times it felt like we were implementing 5 new things and once and it was just too much for us as the teachers and for the kids. I would have rather focused on trying one program and giving our best effort with that, then saturate the attempt of several.
Yes, I believe the evaluators should have recommendations ready when they are meeting with stakeholders and staff, but each should be backed up by data, research and information, and it should be flexible and adaptive and able to accommodate feedback and concerns. It should work for everyone involved.
There are several factors that will impact achievement. Part of this includes the social/emotional wellbeing of the student. Other factors include home life, support systems (in and outside of the school), connections with others, discipline, and expectations. Resources, rigor, interest, and campus culture also play a role, but there are several factors to be considered.
Fundamental Five, Capturing Kids Hearts, HRS - each one by itself may be “worth the squeeze”… but when one initiative is added every six months and the accountability and follow-through is not equitable (some campuses, some classrooms, some principals) or sometimes just lasts a year… it frustrates teachers that “a new thing” just adds to their already stressed planning and it is “abandoned” by administration as fast as it was adopted….
Success is different for everyone. Personally, I believe "failure" is a part of being successful as it is a learning opportunity. Something that stood out to me in the book "Atomic Habits" by James Clear is the idea of being 1% better than you were the day before. Succeeding is done by learning from our experiences. If we are always learning, we will continue to be more and more successful.
I believe the man power and capacity of those that are implementing the program is a factor that can be overlooked, or not considered as it should. More and more gets put on educators at different levels. While programs are important to create change and make improvements, making sure there are enough resources (people, materials, money) is vital. There is only so much that can be done in a 24 hour period and at some point educators need to be able to go home and leave work at work. A book that was recently suggested to me is called "Subtract." As people we are too quick to add more to ourselves. Instead, we need to try to subtract in order to be more effective and efficient. The same can be said in this.
To me, a successful program is one that brings benefits and well-being (equity, happiness and prosperity) to its organization and the population it serves, and to the community in which it exists, taking into account sustainability and environmental and cultural responsiveness.
I believe any program evaluation must consider it within the big scheme of things, this is, the socioeconomic and political environment. Is the outside environment conducive to what a successful program should be like? Does it serve the organization’s ulterior motive and mission? Is it sustainable?
Additional knowledge would be to expand beyond your own findings and perspective. Go beyond the data. Consider the bigger picture of where it has been and to goal of where it is headed. However, try to consult others to develop those recommendations. One person might have a great idea or recommendation, but their experiences and beliefs will be a factor. By including others there is a better chance for it to be more well rounded and better received.
No program, therefore, no evaluation, exists in a silo. It is part of an organization with a specific culture, mission and vision, and it is (or will be) implemented by groups of people with their own characteristics, backgrounds and perspectives. I think in order to move to recommendations the human factor (who will be using it, how they will be using it and for what purpose) must be taken into consideration. (Adame)
Martens and Wilson (2012) suggest using additional sources of information when making decisions beyond the numbers such as the "contextual variables." Is this program conducive to all teachers? How does this affect the organization?
Do you think school personnel would benefit more from considering the toll programs put on their people and whether there is value beyond new programs?
I think each of these comments below about sustainability is important, but we can also use data to evaluate underperforming and underserved groups. Outsiders may simply be interested in the big picture of the overall success of the program, while the leadership team can look deeper at the gains we make in smaller groups such as these. Having smaller, more specific goals for underperforming groups can be very important for growth.
Yes and no, All information must be prepared with detail prior to any meeting with upper admin/school board. However, sometimes I like to just ask teachers beforehand what do they think about this and that. I just want their opinion on my recommendation rather than just doing something new. When leaders have great relationships with the staff, it takes away the formality and allows for more open conversations.
I would say CSCOPE was "not worth the squeeze" but did provide a foundation for teachers to work with. When I first began teaching, my principal said here you go, follow CSCOPE plans and this will get you to where you need to go. At times, it was very unrealistic. At first it was very difficult to follow on time and inline with the original plans. However, overtime I was able to modify and adapt based on the students and the overall goal. In the end, CSCOPE is gone and somewhat transitioned to TEKS Resource system which is a great framework as Lydia stated. Its not THE curriculum but a good framework.
Multiple factors such as resources, curriculum, effective lessons, school processes and procedures, attendance, motivation, extra-curricular balance and many more. But one important area that I believe has a significant impact are teacher/student relationships. When teachers have positive impactful relationships with kids, they can achieve more.
Small purposeful wins over time that leads to an overall growth and improvement from beginning to end. Success can be small, from a small improvement on test scores, to large from a B to A rating on accountability.