Iowa Support System for Schools and
Districts in Need of Assistance
Phase III: Design
AEA
Month Day, Year
Today, you will . . .
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Increase your understanding of
the Design Phase.
Become familiar with the action
plan that must be completed by
an identified building/district.
Access several tools for design,
including template for action
plan.
Iowa Support System for Schools
and Districts in Need of
Assistance ©2009
The Phases of the Support for Schools and
Districts in Need of Assistance (SINA & DINA)
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Phase I – The Audit
Phase II – The Diagnosis
 Phase
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III – The Design
Phase IV – The Implementation (and
Monitoring)
Phase V – Monitoring and Assessment
Iowa Support System for Schools
and Districts in Need of
Assistance ©2009
Guiding Principles for
Iowa Support Teams
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Build on school/building strengths
Encourage shared school leadership
Analyze data to make decisions
Focus on teaching and learning through a systems approach
Integrate quality professional development practices
Promote alignment of all components of the system
Integrate existing state initiatives
Reflect collaborative efforts throughout the structure
Build capacity and accountability at all levels
Implement evidence-based strategies
Iowa Support System for Schools
and Districts in Need of
Assistance ©2009
Our Norms for Today
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Share experiences to enrich others.
Ask questions.
Learn by doing.
Set aside any preconceived notions about development of
action plans.
Apply to your own work.
Think S-A-L-S-A!
Adapted from Training Manual for Assessing Impact: Evaluating Staff Development by Joellen Killion, ©2003
5
Iowa Support System for Schools
and Districts in Need of
Assistance ©2009
Purpose of the Design Phase
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Provides for the development of an action
plan to address the area(s) of concern in
order to increase student achievement.
Based on the prioritized solutions and
resulting “if . . . then” statements and/or
theory of change of the Diagnosis Phase.
Iowa Support System for Schools
and Districts in Need of
Assistance ©2009
Review the Definition of Desired State
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Desired state is the picture of your school/district that
you wish to reach after the completion of your
improvement process (your action plan).
The desired state we have all agreed to reach and be
held accountable to is . . .
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Determined collaboratively
Based on research, best practices, and promising practices
Focused on the alignment of curriculum, instruction, and assessment
to the standards
Provides for the implementation of a process for increasing alignment
of instructional strategies and learning at the classroom level
“Doable” in the near future
Iowa Support System for Schools
and Districts in Need of
Assistance ©2009
Preparing the Leadership Team to
Develop the Action Plan:
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Include key people on the leadership team (e.g., building principal,
teachers of identified content area and across grade levels, content
specialist(s), special needs – ELL, special education, gifted and
talented, AEA staff, parents) (Note that district leadership teams
should reflect central office staff , the board, and community
representatives in addition to those on building leadership teams.
Clarify role, function and responsibility of team members in designing
the action plan
Define ground rules
Develop team operations (e.g., agenda, minutes, time commitment,
logistics)
Identify supports available (e.g., central office, AEA staff, other
resources)
Iowa Support System for Schools
and Districts in Need of
Assistance ©2009
Activity: What are the essential
elements of an action plan?
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Brainstorm with 2 or 3
colleagues
Record the elements
that you determine as
essential for an
effective action plan
Be ready to share out
Iowa Support System for Schools
and Districts in Need of
Assistance ©2009
Essential Elements: Federal Requirements
for Action Plan
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Notification to parents
regarding school choice and
transportation
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Explanation of why previous 
improvement efforts were
unsuccessful
Two-year plan, one-year
budget
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Increased proficiency of
students in reading or math, as 
identified
Evidence-based research
Mentoring of new and
experienced teachers
Parent Involvement
10% of regularly allocated Title
I funds must be used to
support articulated
professional development
Peer review
Due to Iowa Department of
Education within 90 days of
identification
Iowa Support System for Schools
and Districts in Need of
Assistance ©2009
Essential Element:
Iowa Professional Development Model
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Incorporate the model
to provide teachers
with additional or
enhanced skills within
the identified area
(i. e., reading, math)
Iowa Support System for Schools
and Districts in Need of
Assistance ©2009
Essential Element:
Evidence-Based Research
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Access content-area networks for reading
and math
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http://www.iowa.gov/educate/prodev/main.html
Consider optional participation in state-wide
initiatives/programs where appropriate
Every Student Counts
Every Child Reads, Reading First
Instructional Decision Making (IDM)
Iowa Support System for Schools
and Districts in Need of
Assistance ©2009
Essential Element:
Allocation of Resources
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Action Plan must demonstrate how resources
(e.g., time, dollars, expertise) are dedicated
to the achievement of the plan
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Two-Year Plan
One-Year Budget
Iowa Support System for Schools
and Districts in Need of
Assistance ©2009
Other Essential Elements:
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Alignment with District’s
Comprehensive School
Improvement Plan (CSIP)
Incorporation of actions for
appropriate critical elements for
the domains based on identified
areas of concern.
Provision for both formative
and summative evaluation
strategies.
Iowa Support System for Schools
and Districts in Need of
Assistance ©2009
Questions about Essential Elements
15
Iowa Support System for Schools
and Districts in Need of
Assistance ©2009
Key Components of the Action Plan
So let’s take a close look at
the key components of the
action plan!
16
Iowa Support System for Schools
and Districts in Need of
Assistance ©2009
The Action Plan – Key Components
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District, Building, Draft, and Checklist
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District Long-Range CSIP Goal for Identified Area
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e.g., contact person, building leadership team members, Iowa/AEA
support team members, contents experts, principal, parents
Diagnosis Summary – Based on Diagnosis Worksheet
–
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e.g., All K-12 students will achieve at high levels in mathematics,
prepared for success beyond high school.
Persons Writing the Plan
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Provides basic information to the DE and others reading the plan
Answers the Constant Conversation Question: What do data tell us
about student learning needs?
Iowa Support System for Schools
and Districts in Need of
Assistance ©2009
Clarifying Your Program
Goals
What are the program’s goals?
Goal is the desired state.
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Improve physical well being.
Actions explain how to achieve the goal
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Walk daily.
Eat healthy foods.
Iowa Support System for Schools
and Districts in Need of
Assistance ©2009
Setting Standards for
Acceptable Performance
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Specifies how good is good enough
Specifies “success” in advance
Provides a benchmark/baseline for
comparison before and after professional
development
Answers the question, “How good is good
enough?”
Iowa Support System for Schools
and Districts in Need of
Assistance ©2009
Identifying Indicators of
Success/Progress
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Indicators of success/progress specify how we
will know if the goal has been achieved.
They “operationalize” the goal.
They identify the type of measurement.
–
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Student achievement as measured by an
assessment of student learning.
Iowa Support System for Schools
and Districts in Need of
Assistance ©2009
The Action Plan – Key Components
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Indicators of Progress
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Formative data indicating
progress of students toward the
identified building/district goal.
Summative data indicating
increased student achievement
Answers the Constant
Conversation Question: How
will/do we know student
learning has changed?
Iowa Support System for Schools
and Districts in Need of
Assistance ©2009
SMART Goals
 Specific change
 Measurable change
 Attainable, realistic outcome
 Results driven – student achievement
 Timebound
Garmston, JSD, Summer 1997, pp 64-65
22
Iowa Support System for Schools
and Districts in Need of
Assistance ©2009
The Action Plan – Key Components (Con’t)
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Building/District Goal Statement
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Supports prioritized learning needs
SMART – specific, measurable, attainable, results-driven, time
bound
Questions to ask
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Is/are the goal(s) a result of the gap analysis?
Is/are the goal(s) focused on increased student learning?
Is/are goal(s) measurable and specific?
Is/are the specific result(s) identified for the goal?
Is/are the goal(s) attainable?
Is there a timeline?
Are measurement tools identified for each goal?
Iowa Support System for Schools
and Districts in Need of
Assistance ©2009
Sample SMART Goals
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By 2011, student achievement in
mathematics at all grade levels 3-8 will
increase by 15% as measured on the ITBS
assessment.
By 2011, 90% of the 10th graders will
demonstrate proficiency in writing on the
district writing assessment.
Iowa Support System for Schools
and Districts in Need of
Assistance ©2009
Questions about the goals, standards and
indicators of success/progress …
25
Iowa Support System for Schools
and Districts in Need of
Assistance ©2009
A Good Question . . .
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Carefully and thoughtfully crafted
evaluation questions give structure and
focus to the evaluation framework.
Focuses your evaluation.
Guides the design of the evaluation
framework.
Clarifies what the intended users want to
know.
Facilitates both the design of evaluation
and the use of findings.
Iowa Support System for Schools
and Districts in Need of
Assistance ©2009
Attributes of An Evaluation Question
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Reasonable
Appropriate
Answerable
Specific in terms of program
success
Specific in terms of measure
of performance
Iowa Support System for Schools
and Districts in Need of
Assistance ©2009
Sample Evaluation Questions
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Goal: By May, 2011, improve student writing performance by
8% as measured on the district grade-level writing rubric.
– Did students’ classroom writing performance as
measured by the district’s grade-level rubric increase by
8% as a result of teachers’ use of process writing?
Goal: By May, 2011, increase student performance in math
problem solving by 5% on the ITBS math assessment.
– Did students’ scores on the ITBS math assessment in the
area of problem solving increase by 5% in classrooms
where teachers were using new instructional strategies to
teach students how to solve problems?
Iowa Support System for Schools
and Districts in Need of
Assistance ©2009
Writing Evaluation Questions
What are your Westlake evaluation questions?
–
Be sure that the questions align with the program’s
goals.
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Write two formative questions.
Write one summative question.
Review the theory of change you developed for
Westlake to see if it is possible to answer your
questions given the program’s design.
Iowa Support System for Schools
and Districts in Need of
Assistance ©2009
Questions about Formulating Evaluation
Questions…
30
Iowa Support System for Schools
and Districts in Need of
Assistance ©2009
Measuring Change
If you are seeking to
determine impact, what
form of comparison
would be desirable and
feasible for your
evaluation?
31
Iowa Support System for Schools
and Districts in Need of
Assistance ©2009
Data Sources and Data Points
32
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Data Sources – Origin of information (e.g., teacher,
student, principal, system data)
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Data Points – Type of information (e.g., achievement
data, observation summaries)
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Who and what are possible data sources and points
for each of your evaluation questions?
Iowa Support System for Schools
and Districts in Need of
Assistance ©2009
Types of Comparisons
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To others (state/nation)
To a criterion (41st
percentile)
To ourselves (over time)
Iowa Support System for Schools
and Districts in Need of
Assistance ©2009
Data Points and Their Collection
Specific processes used to collect the
desired data points
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Surveying – survey summaries
Interviewing – interview summaries
Logging – log summaries
Observing – observation summaries
Testing – test summaries
Focus Groups’ Conversations – conversation
summaries
Iowa Support System for Schools
Others
and Districts in Need of
Assistance ©2009
Triangulation of
Data Sources and Points
Multiple
sources of
information
to answer the same
question
35
Iowa Support System for Schools
and Districts in Need of
Assistance ©2009
Determine Appropriateness of Data Collection
Methodologies to Achieve Data Points
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Financially feasible
Reasonable in terms of human
capacity
Appropriate for type of
evidence desired
Authentic vs approximate
Iowa Support System for Schools
and Districts in Need of
Assistance ©2009
The Action Plan – Key Components (Con’t)
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Scientifically Based (SBR) or
Evidence-Based Research Source
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Focuses the content of the professional
development
Content Area Networks:
http://www.iowa.gov/educate/prodev/m
ain.html
Iowa Support System for Schools
and Districts in Need of
Assistance ©2009
The Action Plan – Key Components (Con’t)
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Content for the Professional
Development Identified
through Research
– Answers the Constant
Conversation Question:
What will be done to meet
student learning needs?
Iowa Support System for Schools
and Districts in Need of
Assistance ©2009
The Action Plan – Key Components (Con’t)
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Peer Review Process
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Should include the involvement of parents
May want to consider using the configuration map as a tool
for reviewing the action plan
May want to consider using the Tuning Protocol for the
review of the action plan; the Beach Ball Conversation (Fierce
Conversations) would also be appropriate.
Feedback on the action plan is provided by the Iowa
Department of Education once the two-year action plan is
submitted
The one-year budget requires approval by the Iowa
Department of Education’s Title I staff (Appropriate for
Iowa Support System for Schools
buildings only)
and Districts in Need of
Assistance ©2009
Questions about Key Components
40
Iowa Support System for Schools
and Districts in Need of
Assistance ©2009
The Action Plan – Key Components (Con’t)
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Implementation – How will the goal be achieved?
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Identifies the specific action steps and activities
Answers the Constant Conversation Question: What
actions/activities will we use to address prioritized needs,
established goals, and any gaps between current and
research-based practice?
Addresses expected changes of students/learning and
teachers/teaching as well as the data to support each
Notes the alignment and responsibilities for each action
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Monitoring and Adjustment
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Iowa Professional Development Model Component, Person(s)
Responsible, Time, Resources
Provides for the adjustment of plan based on the analysis of
formative and summative data collected
Iowa Support System for Schools
and Districts in Need of
Assistance ©2009
The Action Plan – Key Components of Implementation

Actions and Activities/Action Steps
– Notification of parents’ rights and
responsibilities
– Demonstration of mentoring and collaboration
for new and experienced teachers
– Engagement of parents/families
– Evaluation of professional development and
the action plan itself
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Formative
Summative
Iowa Support System for Schools
and Districts in Need of
Assistance ©2009
Administrators and Staff Work with Data
The Iowa Professional Development Model
suggests answering these questions
1.
2.
3.
4.
Describe how data will be collected on
both frequency and skill of use with the
planned change.
Determine who will collect these data
and at what intervals.
Determine how data will be shared and
with whom.
Determine how often there will be a
comparison of implementation data with
formative data on student achievement.
Will this occur in collaborative teams,
school-wide, other?
Source: Adapted from the Iowa Professional
Development
Modelfor
Iowa Support
System
43
Schools
and Districts in Need of
Assistance ©2009
The Action Plan – Key Components (Con’t)

Implementation – How will the goal be achieved?
–
Questions to guide the identification of actions and activities:
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Have we reviewed closely the “If . . . Then”
statements/theory of change on the Diagnosis Worksheet?
Is the building/district vision focused on student learning
which guides the actions and activities in the plan?
Have the three domains and the critical elements been
addressed?
Is the plan for professional development based on student
data and does it provide for increased teacher
effectiveness that will impact student achievement?
Has the team identified and focused on an appropriate
number of instructional strategies?
Iowa Support System for Schools
and Districts in Need of
Assistance ©2009
The Action Plan – Key Components (Con’t)

Implementation – How will the goal be achieved?
–
More questions to guide the identification of actions and activities:
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45
Are the components of theory, demonstration,
practice, collaboration and feedback included?
Does the principal/central office and AEA learn along
with teachers as aligned with the Iowa Professional
Development Model?
Do the actions address the federal requirements (e.g.,
scientifically based research, mentoring of new and
experienced teachers, parent involvement, peer
review)?
Iowa Support System for Schools
and Districts in Need of
Assistance ©2009
The Action Plan – Key Components (Con’t)

Implementation – How will the goal be achieved?
–
More questions to guide the identification of actions and
activities:
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46
Is technical assistance embedded into the plan to support the
fidelity of implementation on a regular basis?
Has specific time been allocated for the administrator(s) and
entire staff to work with the data – both formative and
summative in order to adjust instruction to meet the needs of
student learning?
Are there actions within the plan for the communication and
review of implementation of the plan and the professional
development?
Iowa Support System for Schools
and Districts in Need of
Assistance ©2009
The Action Plan – Key Components of Implementation

Changes or Impact on
Stakeholders and the Data
to Inform Those Changes
–
–
–
–
–
47
Students
Teachers
Administrators
Parents
Others
Iowa Support System for Schools
and Districts in Need of
Assistance ©2009
The Action Plan – Key Components of Implementation

Expected Changes –
Students
–
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Impact on students and/or
student learning
Student data to demonstrate
impact
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48
Formative
Summative
Iowa Support System for Schools
and Districts in Need of
Assistance ©2009
The Action Plan – Key Components of Implementation

Expected Changes – Teachers
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–
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Impact on teachers and/or teaching
Teacher Data – frequency and
quality of teacher implementation
Iowa Support System for Schools
and Districts in Need of
Assistance ©2009
The Action Plan – Key Components of Implementation

Expected Changes –
Administrators
–
–
–
–
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Data
–
50
Walk-throughs
Use of data
Professional development
Coaching
–
Coaching Summaries
Iowa Support System for Schools
Analyses
and Districts in Need of
Assistance ©2009
The Action Plan – Key Components of Implementation

Expected Changes – Parents
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51
Impact on learning at home and/or
communication
Parent/Family Data – participation
in activities, change in
attitudes/behaviors, contacts with
parents, participation in class/
school activities
Iowa Support System for Schools
and Districts in Need of
Assistance ©2009
The Action Plan – Key Components of Implementation

Expected Changes – Others
–
–
–
52
Community
Board of Education
Others
Iowa Support System for Schools
and Districts in Need of
Assistance ©2009
Types of Change
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53
Knowledge
Attitude
Skill
Aspiration
Behavior
Iowa Support System for Schools
and Districts in Need of
Assistance ©2009
KASAB
54
Knowledge
Conceptual understanding of information, theories,
principles, and research
Attitude
Beliefs about the value of particular information or
strategies
Skill
Strategies and processes to apply knowledge
Aspiration
Desires, or internal motivation, to engage in a
particular practice
Behavior
Consistent application of knowledge and skills
Iowa Support System for Schools
and Districts in Need of
Assistance ©2009
KASAB – An Example for Your Review
55
Type of Change
Example
Knowledge
Understanding of problem -solving strategies
Attitude
All students can learn to problem solve
Skill
Application of the steps for math problem solving
Aspiration
Desire to teach all students to problem solve
Behavior
Daily application of research-based strategies
Iowa Support System for Schools
and Districts in Need of
Assistance ©2009
Activity for KASAB
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Take a look at the Westlake Middle School
theory of change
Select at least two audiences influenced by
that theory of change
–
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56
e.g., students, teachers, principals, central office,
parents
Now complete a KASAB for each of the
audiences of your theory of change
Iowa Support System for Schools
and Districts in Need of
Assistance ©2009
The Action Plan – Key Components of Implementation

Alignment and Responsibilities
1.
2.
3.
4.
57
Iowa Professional Development
Model
Person(s) Responsible
Time – When and How Much
Resources
Iowa Support System for Schools
and Districts in Need of
Assistance ©2009
Budget
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58
One year
Clearly connected to actions and activities of the
action plan
Focus of use of funds on sustainability
Expected expenditures would include materials,
supplies, books, professional development time,
content expertise, substitutes, pay for off-contract
teacher time
All expenditures completed by August 31, 2009
Iowa Support System for Schools
and Districts in Need of
Assistance ©2009
The Action Plan – Key Components of Implementation

Monitoring and Adjustments
–
PLAN for the monitoring
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Select specific dates to review the
plan (e.g., 3-4 per year, monthly)
Identify person(s) responsible for
leading the monitoring and
communicating the progress
Adjust plan to meet the needs of
students and teachers
Iowa Support System for Schools
and Districts in Need of
Assistance ©2009
Questions about
Implementation Components
60
Iowa Support System for Schools
and Districts in Need of
Assistance ©2009
The Action Plan – Key Components (Con’t)

Professional Development –
Dates, Times, Focus
–
–
–
Be sure to list dates and times
If for a specific group of teachers, be
sure to indicate that
Identify the focus of each
professional development opportunity

61
Team may adjust based on teacher
implementation and student formative
data as the year progresses
Iowa Support System for Schools
and Districts in Need of
Assistance ©2009
The Action Plan – Key Components (Con’t)

Leadership Team
–
–
62
Identify names and roles of
each participant
Identify projected meeting
dates and times
Iowa Support System for Schools
and Districts in Need of
Assistance ©2009
Questions about the Action Plan
63
Iowa Support System for Schools
and Districts in Need of
Assistance ©2009
Let’s Work Together…
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64
Each table has an action plan.
Using the Action Plan Checklist and/or Configuration
Map, as a team, determine the strengths and
weaknesses of your action plan.
Highlight and celebrate the strengths.
What changes would you make to the action plan to
address the weaknesses?
Iowa Support System for Schools
and Districts in Need of
Assistance ©2009
The Action Plan – Some Key Questions
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65
Does the membership of the leadership team consist of
principals, teachers, parents, etc.?
Is the building/district vision focused on student learning
which guides action and decisions?
Has the team identified scientifically based research?
Does the plan for implementation align with the Iowa
Professional Development Model?
Is technical assistance embedded into the plan to support
the integrity of implementation on a regular basis?
Has specific time been allocated for the principal and entire
staff to work with the data?
Iowa Support System for Schools
and Districts in Need of
Assistance ©2009
The Action Plan –
Key Questions about Timelines

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66
Is the timeline realistic for staff to reach the goal?
Do the actions have a completion date? Do they target
incremental progress and support the plan?
Does the leadership team have time for specific follow-up
to assure achievement of the actions and sustainability of
the progress?
Does the leadership team study implementation data and
share it with staff on a regular basis? Do they use that
data to adjust their plan?
Iowa Support System for Schools
and Districts in Need of
Assistance ©2009
The Action Plan –
More Questions about Timelines

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67
Are student formative data and teacher
implementation data analyzed and shared with staff
on a regular basis? Is this analysis completed at a
time to have a positive impact on student
achievement?
Is the analysis of the student summative data and
the evaluation of the professional development
completed at a time to have a positive impact on
student achievement?
Are there opportunities for parents and other
stakeholders to learn about the professional
development and its impact on student
achievement?
Iowa Support System for Schools
and Districts in Need of
Assistance ©2009
And Don’t Forget the Peer Review


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68
Should include the involvement of parents
May want to consider using the configuration map as a tool for
reviewing the action plan
May want to consider using the Tuning Protocol for the review of the
action plan
Make adjustments in the plan once the peer review has been
completed
Share the updated version of the action plan with the staff as well as
the Iowa Department of Education by the deadline. Be sure the oneyear budget and a sample of the letter of notification to parents is
included with the plan sent to the Iowa Department of Education
Feedback on the action plan is provided by the Iowa Department of
Education once the two-year action plan is submitted
The one-year budget requires approval by the Iowa Department of
Education’s Title I staff.
Iowa Support System for Schools
and Districts in Need of
Assistance ©2009
Sharing the News
Share the action plan
 with building staff,
 with parents,
 with district staff, and
 with the community!
69
Iowa Support System for Schools
and Districts in Need of
Assistance ©2009
Questions about the Design Phase…
70
Iowa Support System for Schools
and Districts in Need of
Assistance ©2009
End of Design
Training Slides
Proceed to
Implementation and
Evaluation Phases