FOCUS ON
NSDC’S
STANDARDS
Extreme makeover: Needs assessment edition
T
he assessment of needs is one of
it as a monitoring tool, what if the results were
the most valuable types of profesused to determine teacher needs for support and
sional development data to collect.
assistance while implementing new curriculum
It can be used to help determine
or strategies?
the initial focus and goals of
Teacher concern surveys, based on the
professional development as well as to idenConcerns-Based Adoption Model (CBAM), help
tify ongoing support and assistance required to
principals understand whether teachers need
sustain new classroom practices. The problem
more information about new practices or prois that there seems to be a misunderstanding of
grams, need to visit a demonstration classroom,
the word “needs.” For many years that word has
or need to meet with grade-level colleagues
been synonymous with wants, desires, or wishes
to plan lessons or units (Hall & Hord, 2001).
rather than necessities or requirements. The
CBAM can help principals understand and supubiquitous needs assessment survey, while not
port faculty as they journey through the process
easy to design and administer,
of change. In addition, informal
usually consists of lists of topics,
conversations or interviews with
Data Driven:
programs, or strategies from
faculty members can also yield
Staff development that
which teachers are asked to incritical data to determine next
improves the learning
dicate what they would LIKE to
steps for professional developof all students uses
focus on during their professional
ment. These conversations are
disaggregated student
development time. Not only are
sometimes called one-legged
data to determine
these surveys not clearly connectinterviews —hallway conversaadult learning
ed to student or teacher learning
tions that begin with “How is the
priorities, monitor
needs, most faculty members can
new mathematics (or reading,
progress, and help
complete them in less than a minscience, social studies, or ELL)
sustain continuous
ute and rarely seem to remember
program going?” and end with a
improvement.
them past the moment they hand
clear understanding of some of
them in. Yet, school and district
the barriers that might be blocking
staff development committees
successful implementation of new
faithfully create catalogs and workshop sessions
classroom practices. Another useful tool from
based on the survey results and educators, on the
CBAM is the innovation configuration map that
receiving end, wonder later, “Why are we doing
can be used as a self-assessment tool and pinthis topic today — what were they thinking?”
point educator’s next steps as they move toward
Instead of this dartboard approach, the
high-fidelity implementation of new practices.
principal needs to analyze relevant staff data to
A needs assessment is critical to powerful
design teacher professional development (Roy
professional development but let’s make sure it
& Hord, 2003, p. 75). Let’s remodel the needs
actually assesses educator needs not their wants.
assessment by collecting data focused on classroom practice. A number of tools are available to
complete this task. Many principals are already
Learn more about NSDC’s standards:
familiar with the classroom walk-through
www.nsdc.org/standards/index.cfm
(Richardson, 2006). But rather than thinking of
February 2008 l The Learning Principal
Pat Roy is co-author
of Moving NSDC’s
Staff Development
Standards Into
Practice: Innovation
Configurations
(NSDC, 2003).
References
Hall, G. & Hord,
S. (2001).
Implementing
change: Patterns,
principles, and
potholes. Boston,
MA: Allyn & Bacon.
Roy, P. & Hord,
S. (2003). Moving
NSDC’s staff
development
standards into
practice: Innovation
configurations,
Volume I. Oxford,
OH: NSDC.
Richardson,
J. (August/
September, 2006).
Snapshots of
learning: Classroom
walk-throughs offer
picture of learning
in schools. Tools for
Schools, 10(1), 1-8.
National Staff Development Council l 800-727-7288 l www.nsdc.org
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