Activity Directions: Self-Assessment of a Standards-Based Education System

· The organization ensures all students master all required academic standards.

· The organization has effective processes and procedures for continuous improvement of instruction and curriculum

· The organization uses implementation science to support continuous improvement of instruction and curriculum

· How does the organization monitor student mastery of standards in each content area?

· What are the processes for unpacking and understanding academic standards?

· How are improvement cycles designed and implemented in each content area?

· How is continuous improvement of instruction and curriculum supported in each content area?

· Educator teams are linked across the system (for example, grade level or subject, school, district)

· Leadership teams focus on 3 functions: 

o ensure implementation of effective instructional practices; 

o engage the community; and 

o foster an environment that supports adults to improve  instruction and curriculum. 

· Fidelity, program, and outcome data are collected and used to inform actions and decisions.

· Teams lead a process of continuous improvement of instruction and curriculum.

· What selection process is in place?

· How are teams linked and communication feedback provided?

· How are the teams designed to support changes in instructional practices? 

· What processes do teams have in place to reflect on and review implementation of effective instructional practices?

· How does the leadership team interact with internal and external stakeholders?

· How does the process itself get reviewed? 

· Learning progressions across grades are understood by all educators in each content area.

· All educators understand the knowledge, skills, and rigor in the standards and benchmarks for each content area and grade level.

· Interdisciplinary connections are made across content areas.

· What process is in place to engage educators in examining learning progressions of the standards and benchmarks?

· What process is in place to examine the knowledge, skills, and rigor of the standards within each content area?

· What process is in place to examine the knowledge, skills, and rigor of the benchmarks within each grade level?

· How are educators supported to understand and identify interdisciplinary connections across content areas?

· How do educators in one content area connect with other content areas to identify common concepts?

· Policies are regularly reviewed to evaluate the effectiveness of support of a Standard Based Education System.

· Policies and plans support all students to be career and college ready.

· Policies support equity across the education system.

· Communication and engagement plans are in place for effective communication and involvement of all key internal and external stakeholders.

· What process is in place to review policies that impact implementation of a standards based education system?

· Are all stakeholders engaged, and to what degree?

· Is the student demographic represented by the existing stakeholders?

· How are policies and plans communicated to all stakeholders?

· Professional learning is: 

o grounded in a set of professional learning standards.

o Based on research about effective professional learning.

· Leaders have expertise in facilitating adult learning and ensure that supporting conditions for professional learning are in place.

· Professional Learning Communities focus on changes in instructional practices to improve student learning and results.

·  The system is regularly monitored to ensure it is having the desired impact.

· Does the system support the collaborative learning of all staff?

· How is instructional coaching structured and supported?

· How is professional learning sustained and connected throughout the year?

· What data is collected about professional learning, and how is it used?

· Processes are in place for regular data identification, collection, analysis, and decision-making to support continuous improvement.

· Outcome, fidelity, and process data are all used regularly by leadership teams to make decisions about implementation support.

·  Data are clearly displayed and communicated to internal and external stakeholders.

· How are data identified and collected?

· How are data used?

· How are staff trained on collecting and using data? 

· How are fidelity, outcome, and process data used to inform and improve supports for educators?

· Multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) are in place for 

o effective core instruction, 

o differentiation, 

o intervention, and 

o enrichment 

to ensure all students meet all academic standards.

· What tools are used for screening to identify students in need of supplemental and intensive interventions or enrichment?

· What processes are in place for MTSS  to support effective core instruction, differentiation, enrichment and intervention?

· How are staff trained in those processes?

· How is the MTSS process communicated to all stakeholders?

· Effective instructional practices are selected in response to identified needs.

· Curriculum is developed to support effective instructional practices and to meet all academic standards.

· Leadership teams have processes and systems in place to support continuous improvement of instruction and curriculum.

· How are instructional practices selected? 

· How is the implementation of effective instructional practices monitored and supported in each content area?

· How does the process for developing curriculum ensure that instructional practices are aligned and standards are mastered?

· How is achievement of standards assessed and monitored in each content area?