Unified Improvement Planning:
School Level
Sponsored by the Colorado Department
of Education
Introductions
Center for Transforming Learning and Teaching
Julie Oxenford O’Brian
 Mary Beth Romke

www.ctlt.org
Norms
The standards of behavior by
which we agree to operate
while we are engaged in
learning together.
Introductions

Introduce yourselves to the folks at your
table:
 Name/Role
 One
question you have about Unified
Improvement Planning

Select top two questions from your table to
share.
Today’s Purpose
Ensure you are prepared to
facilitate your school –level
planning team in data analysis
as a critical component of
completing the school level
unified improvement plan.
One in a series of CDE sponsored sessions
on UIP. . .
1.
School Level Support for Schools assigned a Priority
Improvement or Turnaround Plan under state
accountability
2.
District Level Support for Districts with schools assigned a
Priority Improvement or Turnaround Plan Under State
Accountability
3.
District Level Support for Districts Accredited with
Turnaround or Priority Improvement plans under state
accountability or identified for improvement under ESEA,
including Titles I, IIA and/or III
4.
Using the Unified Improvement Plan for Title I
Requirements (Webinar Only)
Today is. . .

First day of two sessions focused on
school-level planning.

Focused on Section III: Data Analysis.

Day two will focus on Section IV: Action
Planning.
Materials
How you participate. . .
Participating from three perspectives:
 Learner
 Facilitator
 Planner
Supporting School Planning Note Catcher
Outcomes
Engage in
hands-on
learning
activities and
dialogue with
colleagues.
Complete
readings.
• Understanding the key elements and
processes embedded in the UIP Template
• Recognize unique requirements of TA and
PI schools
• Gather and organize data for planning.
• Develop major components of Section III
of the UIP:
– Significant Trends
– Prioritized Needs
Facilitate
processes
locally.
– Root Causes
– Data Narrative
• Apply the UIP Quality Criteria (school
level).
Activity: Progress Monitoring

Go to Progress Monitoring.

Re-write the learning targets for day one in your own
language.

Describe what these learning targets mean to you.

Create a bar graph which describes where you currently
believe you are in relationship to each of learning target.
Learning Target
Understand the processes Embedded in the UIP..
This means:
Describe what we need to do to engage in
improvement planning
I don’t
know
what
this Is
I need
more
practice
I’ve
got It
I can
apply it
in a new
way
Reflections
Agenda
Unified
Improvement
Planning
Identifying
trends &
priority needs
Turnaround
and Priority
Improvement
Root Cause
Analysis
Developing
your data
analysis plan
Completing
the Data
Narrative
Purposes of Unified Improvement Planning

Support school and district use of performance data to
improve student learning.

Transition from planning as “an event” to planning as
“continuous improvement”.

Provide a mechanism for external stakeholders to learn
about schools/district improvement efforts.

Reduce the number of required improvement “plans”.

Align improvement efforts within schools and districts.

Meet state and federal accountability requirements.
Theory of Action: Continuous
Improvement
FOCUS
What School Planning Requirements will the
Unified Improvement Plan Meet?

State accountability

Title I


Improvement Plan for schools on improvement,
corrective action or restructuring

Targeted Assistance Plan*

Schoolwide Plan*
* some requirements may need to be included as
addendums for Targeted Assistance and Schoolwide
Plans.
Planning Terminology

Colorado Accountability
Terminology

Planning Terms:

Performance Indicator

Measure

Metric

Root Cause

Major Improvement
Strategy

Action Step

Interim Measure

Implementation Benchmark

How will you ensure local
stakeholders can:

Explain the relationships
between these terms.

Describe the difference
between an interim
measure and an
implementation
benchmark.
SMART Goals

Strategic

Measurable
Performance Management
•
Performance Indicators
(Strategically identified, researchbased areas for Improvement)
•
Measures (What we will use to
measure)

Attainable

Research-Based
•
Metrics (How we will use the
measure)

Time-Bound
•
Expectations (Attainable levels of
performance)
•
Targets (How good is good enough
by when)
Colorado Unified Planning Template
for Schools
Major Sections of the Template
I.
Summary Information about the school
II.
Improvement Plan Information
III.
Narrative on Data Analysis and Root
Cause Identification
IV.
Action Plan(s)
Basic Steps in Improvement Planning
I.
Summary Information
about the school
II. Additional Information
III. Narrative on Data
Analysis and Root
Cause Identification
IV. Action Planning
Timeline

August 15th – SPF Reports and initial plan type
assignments released to districts.

October 15th – district submits accreditation categories
and case for revising plan type assignment if appropriate.

November 15th – Final plan type assignments.

January 15th – Priority Improvement, Turnaround and
schools on improvement for Title I submit plans to CDE.

February and March – state review, feedback to schools
and revision

April 15th – plans submitted for publication on
schoolview.org
Submission Process for School Plans

Plans due: January 17 and April 15, 2011

Use Tracker to submit improvement plans

Each district identifies a lead submitter for
improvement plans (respondent form)

Training for the lead submitters will be available
(e.g., online resources, Webinars)

Targeting mid-November to have the Tracker
open to accept improvement plans
Features of Tracker

Currently used for ESEA monitoring (i.e., desk
monitoring, documentation for onsite reviews)

System is password protected. District controls who
has access to system.

Districts upload and organize evidence (documents).

CDE can access districts’ documents and provide
feedback.

CDE will pre-populate criteria questions. Only districts
that must submit in January will be able to access the
instruments for the necessary programs.

File cabinet arranged so that one plan will be linked to
multiple programs (if needed).
Key Planning Resources
Resource
1.
2.
Quality Criteria
for Unified
Improvement
Plans (school
level)
Unified
Improvement
Plan Examples
(elementary
and secondary)
Uses
 Provide a “target” for plan
developers for Section III and
Section IV plan elements.

Serve as the basis for plan
review (district leaders, school
accountability committees, local
school boards, state department
staff, state review panel)

Examples of what might be
included in each section of the
plan.
Agenda
Unified
Improvement
Planning
Identifying
trends &
priority needs
Turnaround
and Priority
Improvement
Root Cause
Analysis
Developing
your data
analysis plan
Completing
the Data
Narrative
State
Distribution of
Schools by
Preliminary
Plan Type
Assignment
Page 27
School Turnaround is a dramatic intervention in a
low-performing school that both produces
significant achievement gains within two years and
prepares the school for long-term transformation
into a high-performance organization. – Mass
Insight
Restructuring means making major,
rapid changes that affect how a school is
led and how instruction is delivered.
Restructuring is essential to achieving
rapid, dramatic improvements in student
learning – Learning Point Associates
Dramatic change for “persistent low-performance”
This idea is not new. . .

Comprehensive School Reform Designs (New American
Schools Development Corp. & IASA)

School Restructuring (NCLB)

School Improvement Grants Under Section 1003(g) of
the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 -January 2009 amendments –turnaround, transformation,
restart or closure.

Colorado SB09-163 Educational Accountability Act:
Turnaround and Priority Improvement .
Incremental vs. Dramatic Change

Work with your table.
Select a recorder.

Using a flip chart
page create a t-chart

Brainstorm examples
of incremental
changes

Brainstorm examples
of dramatic changes
Incremental
Dramatic
Reviewing Turnaround Options

Work with a partner. Take out “Turnaround
Options”.

Silently read one row in the chart (individually).

When each partner has completed a row, look
up and “say something.” Something might be a
question, a brief summary, a key point, an
interesting idea or personal connection to the
text.

Continue until you complete all of the rows in the
chart.
Title I Requirements

If your school also receives Title I funding,
additional planning requirements will apply . . .
 Schoolwide Title I
 Targeted Assistance programs
 on improvement, corrective action or
restructuring

Quality criteria for school UIPs

Review NCLB Restructuring Options

How do the NCLB restructuring options compare to
the Colorado Turnaround Options?
Necessary for Dramatic Change

A clear vision. What will the school look like when the restructuring
process is completed?

An empowered leader, a change agent, who can maintain a focus
on the vision, motivate members of the school community, plan,
communicate, and persist in keeping the change process on track.

Improvement teams, generally at both the district and school level.

Involvement of the whole school community: faculty, support
staff, parents, community members, and students.

Sufficient time to craft a quality plan. A summer is not enough.

Small, “quick wins.” Relatively small, simple changes that have
large, quick payoffs and can provide the momentum for more difficult
changes.
Wahlbert, H.J. Eds. (2007). Handbook on Restructuring and
Substantial School Improvement. Lincoln, NE: Center on Innovation
and Improvement.
Steps to prepare for dramatic
change

Determine who will engage in planning for dramatic
change.

Engage in a comprehensive qualitative review of the
school (SST).

Engage school and community stakeholders (input to the
approach)

Establish the school data infrastructure.

Determine a the dramatic change approach.

Define a new vision.
Agenda
Unified
Improvement
Planning
Identifying
trends &
priority needs
Turnaround
and Priority
Improvement
Root Cause
Analysis
Developing
your data
analysis plan
Completing
the Data
Narrative
Mean vs. Median
Percentage vs. Percentile
Percentiles
Percentiles
• Range from 1 - 99
• Indicate the relative
standing of a
student’s score to the
norm group. (i.e. how
a particular compares
with all others)
Growth Percentiles
• Indicate a student’s
standing relative to
their academic peers,
or students with a
similar score history
(how his/her recent
change in scores
compares to others’
change in scores).
Experiencing Student Growth
Percentile
• Using the Student Growth Card, form a group
with all of the “students” with the same 3rd grade
scale score – academic peers.
• Within your group get in order by 4th grade scale
score.
• Turn your cards over and compare your growth
percentiles.
Experiencing Median Growth Percentile
• Using your Student Growth card, identify your
school (A, B, C, D, E).
• Form a group with others from the same school.
• Put yourselves in order (in a line) by growth
percentile.
• Identify the person in the middle (median).
• What is the median student growth percentile for
your school?
Adequate Growth
• What is adequate growth?
• Based on catch-up and keep-up
growth.
Catching Up
To be considered to be Catching Up:
• The student scores below proficient
(unsatisfactory or partially proficient) in the
previous year
• The student demonstrates growth adequate
to reach proficient performance within the
next three years or by tenth grade, whichever
comes first.
Calculating Adequate Growth for Students
Scoring Below Proficient: Catching Up
6th grade
7th grade
8th grade
9th grade
10th grade
Proficient
95
55
Not Proficient
Calculating Adequate Growth for Students
Scoring Below Proficient: Catching Up
6th grade
7th grade
8th grade
9th grade
10th grade
Proficient
85
85
Not Proficient
Calculating Adequate Growth for Students
Scoring Below Proficient: Catching Up
6th grade
7th grade
8th grade
9th grade
10th grade
Proficient
80
80
80
Not Proficient
Calculating Adequate Growth for Students
Scoring Below Proficient: Catching Up
6th grade
7th grade
8th grade
9th grade
10th grade
Proficient
76
76
76
76
Not Proficient
Calculating Adequate Growth for Students
Scoring Below Proficient: Catching Up
6th grade
7th grade
8th grade
9th grade
10th grade
Proficient
95
85
80
76
76 is the minimum-this
student’s adequate
growth value
80
85
80
76
76
76
Not Proficient
Calculating Adequate Growth for Students
Scoring Below Proficient: Catching Up
6th grade
7th grade
8th grade
9th grade
10th grade
Proficient
76
76
76
76
Not Proficient
Calculating Adequate Growth for Students
Scoring Below Proficient: Catching Up
6th grade
7th grade
55th percentile growth will not
be enough for this student to
catch up – her current growth
is not adequate.
8th grade
9th grade
10th grade
Proficient
76
76
76
55
76
55
55
Not Proficient
55
Keeping Up
To be considered to be Keeping Up:
• The student scores at the proficient or
advanced level in the previous year.
• The student demonstrates growth adequate
to maintain proficiency for the next three
years or until tenth grade, whichever comes
first.
Calculating Adequate Growth for Students
Scoring Above Proficient: Keeping Up
6th grade
7th grade
79
8th grade
9th grade
10th grade
Proficient
12
Not Proficient
Calculating Adequate Growth for Students
Scoring Above Proficient: Keeping Up
6th grade
7th grade
8th grade
9th grade
10th grade
Proficient
25
25
Not Proficient
Calculating Adequate Growth for Students
Scoring Above Proficient: Keeping Up
6th grade
7th grade
38
8th grade
9th grade
10th grade
Proficient
38
38
Not Proficient
Calculating Adequate Growth for Students
Scoring Above Proficient: Keeping Up
6th grade
7th grade
50
8th grade
9th grade
10th grade
Proficient
50
50
50
Not Proficient
Calculating Adequate Growth for Students
Scoring Above Proficient: Keeping Up
6th grade
7th grade
38
50
25
12
8th grade
9th grade
10th grade
Proficient
50
38
25
50
38
50 is the maximum this student’s adequate
growth value
50
Not Proficient
Calculating Adequate Growth for Students
Scoring Above Proficient: Keeping Up
6th grade
7th grade
50
8th grade
9th grade
10th grade
Proficient
50
50
50
Not Proficient
Calculating Adequate Growth for Students
Scoring Above Proficient: Keeping Up
6th grade
7th grade
79
50
79th percentile growth will
be enough for this student
to keep up – his current
growth is adequate.
8th grade
9th grade
79
10th grade
79
Proficient
79
50
50
50
Not Proficient
Median Adequate Growth
AGP
45
78
99
32
11
91
55
67
43
10
77
Sorted AGPs
Adequate
growth
percentiles
for all
catch-up
and keepup students
Search for the
middle value…
Median AGP
Median Adequate
Growth for this
school is 55
Section III: Narrative on Data Analysis
and Root Cause Identification

Four Steps:
1.
Gather and Organize Relevant Data
2.
Analyze Trends and Prioritize Needs
3.
Root Cause Analysis
4.
Create the Data Narrative

Data Analysis Worksheet (table)

Data Narrative for School (text box)
Section III, Step One: Gather and
Organize Relevant Data

Consider:


“Required reports.” and “Suggested local data
sources” UIP Template, Section III
Team Discussion:
Have you accessed all of the required state reports?
 To which local data sources do you have access?
 Highlight all of the “local data sources” that you
currently use.

State Performance Data Sources

School Growth Summary, District Growth
Summary

CSAP score reporting

Colorado Growth Model (both public and private)

Student-level CSAP files (from CTB)

Student-level flat files (growth, CSAPA, PSWR)
from CEDAR
Multiple measures must be
considered and used to understand
the multifaceted world of learning from
the perspective of everyone involved.
-Victoria Bernhardt
What types of data do we have?
• Demographics
• Perceptions
• Student Learning
• School Processes
Demographics
School
Processes
Provides information that
allows for the prediction of
actions, processes,
programs that best meet the
needs of all students.
Student
Learning
Perceptions
Victoria Bernhardt
For what do you use multiple data
sources in UIP?
• To answer questions about performance:
– Significant trends
– Priority needs
Performance Measures
• To determine why school performance is what it is
Process Measures
(root causes)?
• To monitor school progress towards annual
targets (interim measures).
• To monitor implementation of improvement
strategies (implementation benchmarks).
Using Multiple Data Sources
• To answer questions about performance:
– Significant trends
– Priority needs
• To determine why school performance is what it is
(root causes)?
• To monitor school progress towards annual
targets (interim measures).
• To monitor implementation of improvement
strategies (implementation benchmarks).
Inventory Local Performance Data
• Consider the following tools:
– Survey of Assessment Data Example
– Survey of Assessment Data Template
• Working with your school team, answer:
– Do you know what assessment data sources are
available to your school?
– Do you have a comprehensive inventory of available
performance data?
Practice: Drilling-Down into Performance
Data
• Consider Data Analysis: Drilling Down
• Choose a sub-indicator for which your school
did not meet state expectations.
• Select questions that would help your school
staff to “drill-down” to better understand
performance in that indicator area.
Develop a Data Analysis Plan
• Consider the data analysis plan template
• Capture critical questions for your team to drill
down in one indicator or sub-indicator area.
• Determine what state and local data reports will
your team review as part of this data analysis
plan.
Using Multiple Data Sources
• To answer questions about performance:
– Significant rends
– Priority needs)?
• To determine why school performance is what it is
(root causes)?
• To monitor school progress towards annual
targets (interim measures).
• To monitor implementation of improvement
strategies (implementation benchmarks).
If you’re only looking at Student
Learning, you’re missing 65% of
the data.
– Victoria Bernhardt
Root Cause Analysis Data Needs
• Root cause analysis will require your team
to consider types of data other than
performance data.
• Consider the SST Evidence List
• Do you have access to or could you gather
these data for your school?
Using Multiple Data Sources
• To answer questions about performance:
– Significant rends
– Priority needs)?
• To determine why school performance is what it is
(root causes)?
• To monitor school progress towards annual
targets (interim measures).
• To monitor implementation of improvement
strategies (implementation benchmarks).
Data Sources Calendar
• Monitoring progress over time requires your
team to know when different data become
available.
• Consider the sample Data Sources Calendar.
– What are the benefits of having timing attached to a
survey of available data sources?
– What would you add, delete from this template?
– How will you facilitate organization of your data
sources over time?
Tools you can use
Tool
Survey of Assessment Data Example
Survey of Assessment Data Template
Drilling Down
Data Analysis Plan
SST Evidence
Data Sources Calendar
Use
Build background knowledge related to
inventorying local assessment data
Support gathering of local assessment
data.
Supporting local data analysis
Supporting local data analysis
Identify possible local process data
sources
Prepare to use multiple data sources in
improvement planning
Integrating your Thinking
• Take out, Supporting School Planning
Notecatcher
• Make notes about your next steps in
gathering and organizing data.
• What tools will you use?
Quality Criteria for Unified Improvement
Planning
•
Choose a partner. Take out: UIP Quality Criteria,
Section III
•
Read individually the in the table related to data
narrative, significant trends, priority needs, and root
causes analysis.
•
When each partner has completed reading the first
row, look up and “say something.” Something might
be a question, a brief summary, a key point, an
interesting idea or personal connection to the text.
•
Continue until you complete all rows in Section III.
Agenda
Unified
Improvement
Planning
Identifying
trends &
priority needs
Turnaround
and Priority
Improvement
Root Cause
Analysis
Developing
your data
analysis plan
Completing
the Data
Narrative
Section III: Narrative on Data Analysis
and Root Cause Identification
Four Steps:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Gather and Organize Relevant Data
Analyze Trends and Prioritize Needs
Root Cause Analysis
Create the Data Narrative
• Data Analysis Worksheet (table)
• Data Narrative for School (text box)
Reminder: Significant Trends
• Include all performance indicator areas.
• Include at least three years of data.
• Identify where the school did not at least
meet state and federal expectations.
• Consider data beyond that included in the
school performance framework (gradelevel data).
Reviewing priority need(s)
Priority needs are. . .
• Specific statements about the school’s performance
challenges
• Strategic focus for the school
• Description of what is based on analysis of trends
Priority needs are NOT
• What caused or why we have the performance challenge
• Action steps that need to be taken
• Concerns about budget, staffing, curriculum, or instruction
• Data interpretation
Priority Need Non-Examples
• To review student work and align proficiency levels to
the Reading Continuum and Co. Content Standards
• Provide staff training in explicit instruction and adequate
programming designed for intervention needs.
• Implement interventions for English Language Learners
in mathematics.
• Budgetary support for para-professionals to support
students with special needs in regular classrooms.
• No differentiation in mathematics instruction when
student learning needs are varied.
Priority Need Examples
For turnaround and priority improvement schools:
• Math achievement across all grade-levels and all
disaggregated groups over three years is persistently
less than 30% proficient or advanced.
• Median Student Growth Percentiles in reading across all
grade levels and all disaggregated groups is below 30
and has declined over the past three years.
• For the past three years, English language learners
(making up 60% of the student population) have had
median growth percentiles below 30 in all content areas.
Analyzing Trends and Prioritizing Needs

Be patient and hang out in uncertainty

Don’t try to explain the data

Observe what the data actually shows

No Because
Because
Steps in Analyzing Data
1.
Focusing on each indicator area, identify performance
questions.
2.
Consider relevant data reports/views.
3.
Interact with the data.
4.
Look things that pop out, patterns over time (three
years).
5.
Capture a list of facts statements or observations about
your data (identify significant trends).
6.
Identify indicator/sub-indicator areas where the school
did not meet state/federal expectations.
7.
Prioritize your observations in these areas.
8.
Re-write priority observations as priority needs.
Practice Analyzing Data
1.
Refer to your practice data analysis plan.
2.
Consider the relevant questions and reports for one
indicator/sub-indicator area where your school did not
meet state expectations.
3.
Interact with the data.
4.
Look things that pop out, patterns over time (three
years).
5.
Capture a list of facts statements or observations about
your data (identify significant trends).
6.
Prioritize observations.
7.
Re-write priority observations as priority needs.
Practice Interacting with data



Consider strategies for interacting with data:

Highlight (color coded) based on a legend.

Do origami – fold the paper so you can compare
columns.

Create graphic representations
Agree on an approach.

How will you interact with your data?

Plan to include a visual representation (Interacting
with Data Job Aide)
As a group, interact with your data
Analyze Trends
1.
Review the highlighted data reports
and graphical representations.
2.
Look for things that jump out.
3.
Identify patterns over time (3-years).
4.
List your significant trends.
5.
Post to your data wall.
Prioritizing Needs

Vote

Consensus

Apply Criteria (Prioritizing Need Areas)

Your strategies?
Practice: Prioritize Observations
1.
Prioritize (each table group member votes 2
times for their priority).
2.
Restate/rewrite as a need (priority needs).
3.

Observations may already be written as needs.

If not, reword.
Post at least one priority-need to your data
wall.
Capturing your Data Analysis in the
UIP template

Capture significant trends and priority
needs in the data analysis worksheet

Data narrative will include:
 What
data you reviewed
 The
process in which your team engaged to
analyze the school’s data
 The
results of the analysis
Apply Quality Criteria Section III:
Significant Trends and Priority Needs

Use the Quality Criteria for Unified Improvement
Planning, Significant Trends and Priority Needs

Use your school plan,consider:

How are the significant trends and priority needs
similar and/or different from that reflected in quality
criteria

How could these sections be improved on this
example plan (what they might do next)?
Integrating your Thinking

Take out, Supporting School Planning
Notecatcher

Make notes about your next steps to
identify significant trends and prioritize
needs.

What tools will you use?
Agenda
Unified
Improvement
Planning
Identifying
trends &
priority needs
Turnaround
and Priority
Improvement
Root Cause
Analysis
Developing
your data
analysis plan
Completing
the Data
Narrative
Section III: Narrative on Data Analysis
and Root Cause Identification
Four Steps:
1.
Gather and Organize Relevant Data
2.
Analyze Trends in the Data and Identify
Priority Needs
3.
Root Cause Analysis
4.
Create the Data Narrative

Data Analysis Worksheet (table)

Data Narrative for School (text box)
Moving up the Data Continuum
Brieter & Light, Light, Wexlar, Heinze, 2004
The Role of Root Cause
Analysis
Root Cause Analysis
Action Plan
Priority Needs/
Performance Challenges
Root Causes are. . .

Statements describing the deepest underlying
cause, or causes, of performance challenges.

Causes that if dissolved would result in
elimination, or substantial reduction of the
performance challenge(s).

Why. . .

Things we can change and need to change

The focus of our major improvement strategies.
Non-examples of Root Causes


What is NOT a root cause?
 Student
attributes (poverty level)
 Student
motivation
With your table, identify two explanations
that might appear to be root causes but
don’t qualify (2 min).
How to engage in Root Cause Analysis

Stay open to multiple possibilities.

Keep multiple voices in the conversations.

Generate possible theories of causation
(testable explanations).

Dig deeper to organize and integrate our
thoughts.

Identify additional data sources to confirm causal
theories.
Steps in Root Cause Analysis
1.
Identify questions about the priority need.
2.
Generate explanations (brainstorm)
3.
Categorize/ classify explanations
4.
Narrow (eliminate explanations over which you
have no control)
5.
Prioritize
6.
Get to root cause(s)
7.
Validate with other data
Steps in Root Cause Analysis
1.
Identify questions about the priority need.
2.
Generate explanations (brainstorm)
3.
Categorize/ classify explanations
4.
Narrow (eliminate explanations over which you
have no control)
5.
Prioritize
6.
Get to root cause(s)
7.
Validate with other data
Activity: Brainstorm Explanations
1.
Write your priority need on a flip chart.
2.
Brainstorm testable explanations for your
priority need.
3.
Formulate as many explanations or theories of
causation as possible
4.
Post those on your data wall
Steps in Root Cause Analysis
1.
Identify questions about the priority need.
2.
Generate explanations (brainstorm)
3.
Categorize/ classify explanations
4.
Narrow (eliminate explanations over which you
have no control)
5.
Prioritize
6.
Get to root cause(s)
7.
Validate with other data
Background

Read: Levels of Root Cause

Do a “whip around” at your table, sharing
one key idea
 Can
you categorize the explanations you
identified by level?
 What
is helpful about this?
Practice: Categorize your Explanations

Options:
 Fishbone
Diagram (tool)
 Diagnostic
Tree (tool)
 Re-labeling
(on your flip chart)

Consider the fishbone and diagnostic tree
tools.

As a group, select one strategy.

Categorize/organize your explanations.
Steps in Root Cause Analysis
1.
Identify questions about priority need(s)
2.
Generate explanations (brainstorm)
3.
Categorize/ classify explanations
4.
Narrow (eliminate explanations over which you
have no control)
5.
Prioritize
6.
Get to root cause(s)
7.
Validate with other data
Activity: Deepening our Thinking
1.
Take out “Narrow Your Explanations”
2.
Cross out any explanation which the school cannot influence or
control (student characteristics).
3.
Eliminate additional explanations which fail to meet the following
criteria:

It derives logically from the data

It is an explanation, not just an opinion

It is plausible, it could be verified or tested
4.
Prioritize your remaining explanations (getting down to at most
two).
5.
Clarify the language, if needed, for your priority explanations.
Steps in Root Cause Analysis
1.
Identify questions priority needs
2.
Generate explanations (brainstorm)
3.
Categorize/ classify explanations
4.
Narrow (eliminate explanations over which you
have no control)
5.
Prioritize
6.
Get to root cause(s)
7.
Validate with other data
Practice: Getting to Root Causes
1.
Use the 5 Whys -- Root Cause Identification
Form
2.
Choose someone to be the recorder and to
write one priority explanation at the top of the
worksheet.
3.
Begin the process of asking “why” and
identifying “because” for your explanation,
following the directions on the form.
4.
Circle your “root cause” explanation(s).
Practice: Are we at “root cause(s)”

Ask the key questions for identifying a root
cause of your explanations
Would the problem have occurred if the cause had
not been present?
 Will the problem reoccur if the cause is corrected or
dissolved?
 Will correction of dissolution of the cause lead to
similar events?


Make revisions to your root cause explanation if
needed.
Steps in Root Cause Analysis
1.
Identify questions about priority needs
2.
Generate explanations (brainstorm)
3.
Categorize/ classify explanations
4.
Narrow (eliminate explanations over which you
have no control)
5.
Prioritize
6.
Get to root cause
7.
Validate with other data.
What additional information
do we need to validate our “root
cause” explanations?
Demonstrating the thinking. . .
Priority Need Explanations
Questions to
Explore
Data Sources
School’s
reading
scores in
grades 4 and
5 have
declined for 3
years.
K-3 is using
new teaching
strategies, 4-5
are not.
What strategies are
primary vs.
intermediate teachers
using ?
Curriculum
materials and
Instructional plans
for each grade.
Less time
given to direct
reading
instruction in 45
How much time is
devoted to reading in
primary v.
intermediate grades?
Daily schedule in
each grade level.
More ELL
students in
grades 4 & 5
Is there a difference
between ELL and
other students
scores?
NWEA results
disaggregated by
ELL status.
Activity: Validating Our Theories
1.
Use the “Validating with Data” job aide to
identify additional data needed to verify your
explanations
2.
Identify at least two additional data sources
that could help validate your explanation.
3.
Post a list of your additional data needs to your
data wall.
Data Wall Chart
Priority Need:
Root Cause Explanation:
Questions to explore:
Data sources:
Quality Criteria for Unified Improvement
Planning

Review: UIP Quality Criteria, Section III, Root Cause
Analysis.

Consider:

To what degree do the root causes in your school’s
plan meet the quality criteria?

How could these root causes be improved?
Tools you can use
Tool/ Resource
Use
Root Cause Questions
Spur thinking for brainstorming
Levels of Root Causes
Support categorizing root causes.
Diagnostic Tree
Support organizing and categorizing root causes.
Fishbone Diagram (Blank)
Brainstorming in categories
Narrowing Explanations (CTLT, 2009)
Apply criteria to eliminate explanations that are not
actionable
The five why’s
Deepen thinking about root causes
Validate with Data (CTLT, 2009)
Identify additional data sources to use to validate root
causes
Integrating your Thinking

Take out, Supporting School Planning
Notecatcher

Make notes about your next steps to
identify root causes.

What tools will you use?
Agenda
Unified
Improvement
Planning
Identifying
trends &
priority needs
Turnaround
and Priority
Improvement
Root Cause
Analysis
Developing
your data
analysis plan
Completing
the Data
Narrative
Data Narrative

Tells the story of the school’s data.

Describes the process in which the school planning team
engaged to identify trends, priority needs and root
causes.

Identifies data that was analyzed

Provides a Description of:

Trend Analysis and Priority Needs

Root Cause Analysis

Verification of Root Causes
Generating a Data Narrative
1.
Identify critical elements of the data narrative
2.
A small group (or individual) generate a draft of
data narrative based on data analysis and root
causes analysis notes.
3.
Reach consensus among all planning
participants that the narrative:
4.

tells the “data story” for the school.

meets state criteria
Revise data narrative as needed.
Before we meet again

Complete Section III: Data Analysis

Bring:
 Data
Analysis Worksheet
 Data
Narrative
Your Feedback!!!

Written:

Take out several sticky notes.

Identify additional support needs (one per sticky note)

For the parking lot

+ the aspects of this session that you liked or worked for you.

The things you will change in your work or would change
about this session.

? Questions that you still have


Light bulb: ideas, a-has, innovations
Oral: Your current thinking