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CHECKING FOR RESULTS Improved job performance, changes in school organization and routines, and improved student learning are concrete indicators of the effectiveness of our professional development. Our professional development has been directed at reforming our school and improving performance of students and staff. – Teacher, Hungerford Perhaps the toughest challenge in schoolwide improvement is keeping the organizational eye fixed squarely on the prize. Change efforts often peter out or become sidetracked because schools are not relentless about staying the course, about sustaining momentum, about keeping their commitment alive and focused on the concrete student performance goals they set out to achieve. Each of the these schools continually reviews programs and instructional strategies, keeping some, modifying others, discarding those that aren’t working – but basing these decisions on student results, not teacher preferences. They constantly evaluate the school’s professional development by one ultimate criterion: What effect is it having on kids? In this era of accountability, such a focus on results is increasingly mandated. These schools, certainly, participate in local and state accountability programs. But for them, accountability is not just an end-of-year external requirement, it is fundamental part of the way they think about their work. As we have seen in the section on goal setting, and throughout this report, these schools focus closely on students in all they do. So for them, feedback and evaluation are ongoing. Teachers are comfortable with multiple types of data, know how to interpret assessment results, and use available data about their students. Hungerford staff members constantly evaluate their students’ progress on their IEPs. Samuel W. Mason teachers review student performance monthly, using various assessment methods. At Montview, teachers conduct in-depth quarterly assessments of their students’ literacy skills. Most of these schools maintain an ongoing system of student assessment, allowing them to intervene quickly and appropriately. Frequent analysis and discussion of student work and progress – and the open nature of the professional development – enable these staffs to make mid-course corrections. End-of-year progress reports allow school staffs to review their accomplishments and plan for the year ahead. Staying focused on results sometimes means being willing to rethink and revise. "Although solid in its design," Mason’s principal says, "our professional development is far from a packaged solution. It demands continual reinvention and redirection as the Professional Development Team discovers more appropriate designs." Just as professional development planning goes on at several levels – schoolwide, in teams, and individually – so does the stocktaking. Cross-grade teams at Shallowford Falls form goals for the school every spring based on student assessment data. Grade-level teams are given two hours of released time three times a year to develop and assess specific team goals. Each teacher also has an annual conference with the principal to discuss student achievement gains over the course of the year and achievement of individual professional development goals. As one Shallowford Falls teacher explains: The measure of success for staff development experiences is that students show increased scores or measurable progress on designated assessments. Teachers are accountable to show how they are using their professional learning, what they’ve done, and how it has made a difference for their class, their grade level, the school. At International High School teachers participate in peer evaluation, observe each other, and develop an extensive portfolio to document progress on their professional development goals. Teachers at Montview develop action plans, which they review with teacher leaders; assessing progress is a shared responsibility. Leadership is essential, especially through the periods of difficulty that are bound to arise. Things don’t always work out as intended. Even research-based programs don’t necessarily work as well or as smoothly in one site as in another. New strategies need to be tried, momentum has to be maintained, and the principal almost always plays a central role. Staff at Montview, for example, describe their principal as a leader with a vision, or as one teacher puts it: She keeps us on the same page, going in the same direction. And because she’s always working on something new, the principal models her high expectations for teacher learning. A teacher at Mason describes her principal’s efforts to keep everyone motivated and on target: "Change is the most difficult thing – it’s slow, and you can lose faith – but the principal did a good job of keeping us unified. She made sure she patted us on the back and told us we were doing a good job, letting us know it will work in time, things will change – and we had to really believe that. She really kept that momentum alive."

Each of the these schools continually reviews programs and instructional strategies, keeping some, modifying others, discarding those that aren’t working – but basing these decisions on student results, not teacher preferences.                     Frequent analysis and discussion of student work and progress – and the open nature of the professional development – enable these staffs to make mid-course corrections.                       Teachers are comfortable with multiple types of data, know how to interpret assessment results, and use available data about their students.                       “Change is the most difficult thing — it’s slow and you can lose faith — but the principal did a good job of keeping us unified. She really kept that momentum alive.”