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Educational Improvement and Assistance
Scientifically Based Research
Strategies
As part of the school improvement process, schools must develop strategies which directly address their strengths and weaknesses.
These strategies form an essential part of the School Improvement Plan (SIP), so it is important that they be grounded in scientifically based research.
Below are several scientifically based strategies which schools may consider when developing a School Improvement Plan.
- Data-Driven Decision-Making
- Deep Curriculum Alignment
- Job-Embedded Professional Development
- Meaningful Engaged Learning
- Response to Intervention (RtI)
- Strategic Instruction Model (SIM)
- Universal Design for Learning (UDL)
Strategies 4-7 can be used to address accessibility for all students.
Data-Driven Decision-Making
Collecting, analyzing, and using numerous types of data effectively are important components of Accountability and School Improvement. In addition, collecting and analyzing data is the ongoing process of confronting sometimes brutal facts and then doing something about them. Data-Driven Decision-Making should be the process for identifying goals for school improvement. Changes driven by data have a better chance of assisting school leaders in meeting those goals. For districts and schools to identify specific needs of students, detailed data must be collected and disaggregated (Boudett, City, & Murnane, 2004).
Deep Curriculum Alignment
Deep Curriculum Alignment has been defined as the “congruence of the content, context, and cognitive demands present in the written, taught, and tested curriculum” (English & Steffy, 2001). Research has established deep curriculum alignment as one of the prominent tools used by educators today to ensure content is valid and assessed (Allen, 2002; Downey, 2001). To determine whether the curriculum is aligned with the intended content, one must evaluate the following five components:
- The scope of the content covered
- The level of sophistication and complexity of the knowledge
- The sequence or order of presentation
- The richness of the content
- The texture of the content (Reeves, 2003;English & Steffy, 2001)
Research indicates an aligned and balanced curriculum increases student achievement; test scores have shown a dramatic increase in subjects where the curricula is deeply aligned. In addition, because of deep curriculum alignment, teachers have more time to focus on lessons and to provide more meaningful content; therefore, students are more actively engaged. With an increase in student performance and achievement, attendance rate has increased and dropout rates have decreased in numerous schools across the nation (Allen, 2002; Reeves, 2003).
Job-Embedded Professional Development
Job-Embedded Professional Development or Job-Embedded Learning is also known as on-the-job learning. It occurs while school leaders and staff engage in their daily work. While simultaneously carrying out their job responsibilities and duties, leaders and staff learn by doing, reflect on their experiences, and then create and share new insights with their colleagues. Because of its practicality, Job-Embedded Professional Development, both formal and informal, has become popular among educators throughout the country. Research shows the traditional methods of professional development, such as attending workshops and in-service, are not always effective. School leaders often have a limited amount of time to attend workshops, conferences, etc. Moreover, many school leaders find it difficult to implement what they learned from the workshops and in-service training. Job-Embedded Learning does not require participants to set aside a separate time to learn since they are participating in on-the-job learning. Thus, time efficiency is maximized. Finally, Job-Embedded Learning is beneficial because it promotes immediate application of what is learned, and it costs less than expensive consultants who conduct high-priced training (e-Lead: Leadership for Student Success, 2005; Galloway, 1995).
Meaningful Engaged Learning (MEL)
Current research indicates engaged learning is most important to student learning. Students learn when they are highly involved in meaningful tasks. Student motivation is one aspect of MEL; however, motivation is more than a quality within students. In fact, as most educators know, motivation can be greatly affected by the attitudes and actions of the educators themselves. Recognizing the changing needs of the 21st century, researchers have determined reform of instruction and strategies are necessary. Therefore, three models have been recognized as leaders in MEL. They are as follows:
- North Central Educational Laboratory (NCREL), which includes eight specific indicators of engaged learning:
- Vision of Engaged Learning
- Tasks for Engaged Learning
- Assessment of Engaged Learning
- Instructional Models and Strategies for Engaged Learning
- Learning Context for Engaged Learning
- Grouping for Engaged Learning
- Teacher Roles for Engaged Learning
- Student Roles for Engaged Learning
- Schlechty Center for Leadership in School Reform, which is based on theories of change and of engagement.
- Mike Muir of the Maine Center for Meaningful Engaged Learning (McMEL), which has identified four key components of MEL:
- Environment: Relationship and Rapport
- Experience
- Motivation
- Meaning for MEL.
Response to Intervention (RtI)
Response to Intervention is the practice of providing high-quality instruction/intervention matched to student needs, using learning rate over time, and reviewing levels of performance to make important educational decisions. RtI can also be defined as the change in behavior or performance as a function of an intervention. Although there is no universal RtI model, it is generally understood to include multiple tiers that provide a sequence of programs and services for students showing academic difficulties. Tier one provides high-quality instruction and behavioral supports in general education; tier two provides more specialized instruction for students whose performance and rate of progress lag behind classroom peers; and tier three provides intensive, usually longer term, intervention. The emphasis of RtI is to focus on providing more effective instruction by encouraging earlier intervention for at-risk students. Research has demonstrated through a number of studies that an RtI framework can benefit students by addressing academic difficulties in an individualized and timely way (Mellard, Byrd, Johnson, Tollefson, & Boesche, 2004).
Strategic Instruction Model (SIM)
Strategic Instruction Model (SIM) is based on research from a variety of fields and theoretical perspectives and includes a system of student learning strategies (called Learning Strategies Curriculum) and teacher instructional routines (called Content Enhancement). SIM is designed to serve as a guide or umbrella for secondary program development. Its focus is to promote effective teaching and learning of critical content in schools. SIM is based on four philosophical principles:
- Most low-achieving adolescents can learn to function independently in mainstream settings.
- The role of the support-class teacher is to teach low-achieving adolescents strategies that will enable them to be independent learners and performers.
- The role of the content teacher is to promote strategic behavior and to deliver subject-matter information in a manner that can be understood and remembered by low-achieving adolescents.
- Adolescents should have a major voice in decisions about what strategies they are to learn and how fast they are to learn these strategies.
All components of SIM have been evaluated in light of rigorous standards educators have set for themselves. In addition, SIM gives teachers access to a breadth and depth of instructional procedures to address many of the challenges they face in the classroom. As a result, more students who are at risk now can realize success in the school (Center for Research on Learning, 2006).
Universal Design for Learning (UDL)
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a major tool used by educators who are committed to improving education for all learners. UDL's central premise is "that a curriculum should include alternatives to make it accessible and appropriate for individuals with different backgrounds, learning styles, abilities, and disabilities in widely varied contexts" (LDOE, 2006). The alternatives should be present in all stages of teaching and learning, from the development of curriculum goals to lesson planning to assessment of student work. In addition, technology plays an important role in creating accessible environments where all students can fully participate in the learning process. The “universal” in Universal Design does not limit itself to one optimal solution for all. Instead, it focuses on and brings an awareness of the distinctive nature of each learner and the need to accommodate differences by creating learning experiences that will suit the learner and maximize his/her ability to progress. Finally, three principles have been identified with UDL:
- To support recognition learning by providing multiple, flexible methods of presentation
- To support strategic learning by providing multiple, flexible methods of expression and apprenticeship
- To support affective learning by providing multiple, flexible options for engagement (CAST, 2005)
School Improvement Training: Best Practices
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Best Practices
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