Blog

11 Ways to Get Teacher Buy-in to Micro-credentials

Micro-credentials have been making waves in schools around the country for several years now. Maybe you’ve had the opportunity to earn them, or see them implemented into professional learning programs.

Maybe you’re thinking about taking the leap, offering competency-based learning for the teachers you serve.

Our world moves fast, and teachers can get inundated with new things to do: Chromebooks, and one-to-one initiatives, and iPads, and every other strategy or philosophy or piece of technology that promises to transform the classroom. How can school leaders who believe in the value of micro-credentials gain buy-in from teachers and see that the promise of competency-based learning is realized?

[ctt template=”9″ link=”S2jVh” via=”yes” nofollow=”yes”]How can school leaders who believe in the value of micro-credentials gain buy-in from teachers? [/ctt]

The Weilenmann School of Discovery, a charter school in Utah, has seen tremendous success with micro-credentials. When we spoke with several of their administrators and teachers, they offered some suggestions for getting teachers on board.

1. Prioritize new plans based on research. This helps to prevent Shiny Object Syndrome. “If you don’t make good research-based decisions, you’re bound to be kicked around by every fad,” said Cindy Phillips, Weilenmann’s Executive Director. “You look at the research on the efficiency to time of this kind of professional development, and you just can’t beat it.”

2. Set goals collaboratively with teachers. “We ask our teachers to set very specific goals that are aligned to our state standards of professionalism. And we identify the micro-credential that goes with that goal.”

3. Offer choice. “Instead of assigning a micro-credential, we asked them to choose,” said Kat Mitchell, Lower School Director. “And when we asked them to choose, we had far better success in them wanting to do it.”

4. Incentive. Perhaps this isn’t appropriate for every organization, but Weilenmann offers teachers a small monetary incentive for every micro-credential completed, up to three. Incentives don’t need to be financial, however — recognition and career pathing can be motivating as well.

5. Connect people together for support. Perhaps multiple teachers are pursuing the same micro-credential at the same time. If so, grease the wheels for collaboration.

6. Take strategic advantage of the school’s schedule. Is winter break coming up? That might be a great time to encourage teachers to pursue a micro-credential. Or perhaps include them as part of summer PD.

7. Ask administrators to complete micro-credentials, too. At Weilenmann, administrators are teachers as well, and they take part in the same professional learning that the rest of the certified staff does. Cindy said this helps keep them aware of what teachers need on an ongoing basis.

8. Have fun. “Students will always do something that they perceive as fun, and that they see that there’s something meaningful about it,” said Cindy. “One of the best ways to get buy-in before the first year even starts is to have a fantastically fun moment with your teachers, where you’ve previewed all kinds of great curriculum, assigned it out, and have the teachers demonstrate how they’re going to use it the very first day, so that your buy-in is almost immediate because it’s fun and meaningful. The same way you would hook your students in.”

9. Give teachers freedom to use what they’ve learned. “There is no point in developing qualities of great teaching, or leadership abilities or whatever it may be, and having it hidden away in some corner of the school. You need to not only allow your teachers the autonomy to innovate and to utilize new skills in new ways, even if it wasn’t exactly what you had planned, because they’ve now learned something — they’ve grown beyond what they were doing before and want to try it out. As an administrator, if you snuff that out, you have completely undermined the credibility of all the premises on which you say that your school is based.”

[ctt template=”9″ link=”b8JIw” via=”yes” nofollow=”yes”]Allow teachers the autonomy to innovate and utilize new skills in new ways, even if it wasn’t exactly what you had planned — they’ve grown beyond what they were doing before and want to try it out.[/ctt]

10. Ask teachers to share success stories. Micro-credentials provide a rich opportunity for conversations about teaching, said Steve Williams, Weilenmann’s Middle School Dean. “One thing I’ve seen is that teachers are talking about things they’ve learned. They would talk about things that they would improve… I have seen that among all of our teachers, and I think they want to do this. I think 90% of the teachers that I have talked with are interested in doing more micro-credentials.”

11. Be open to feedback. “I don’t think anyone appreciates a push-down initiative,” said Steve. Communicating early and being up front with faculty about the what, why and how of micro-credentials, and giving teachers a chance to discuss, ask questions and react to them is important. “That there’s opportunity to talk about it, and it’s not just something you have to put your head down and do. And I think that gives people strength and a sense that they’re a part of this, and that their feedback really does matter in the process.”

Like anything worth doing, enhancing professional development with micro-credentials takes work. But Kacey Warburton, a 2^nd grade teacher at Weilenmann, says it’s worth it. “If you are thinking about introducing micro-credentials to your staff, I say you should definitely do it. The professional development is more collaborative, more relevant, and more effective for each specific teacher than ‘regular’ professional development.”

Weilenmann’s journey in competency-based learning is fascinating — we created an entire podcast episode about it. Here’s their story, and how they got started.

How “Cultural Fit” Could Be Masking Unintentional Bias in Teacher Hiring

According to a new report from the Frontline Research & Learning Institute, hiring managers believe cultural fit is one of the most influential characteristics in deciding which teachers to hire — even above experience or training. But here’s the problem. Few districts have any clear, systematic way of defining or measuring cultural fit throughout the hiring process.

From the Institute report:

“While over 80% of respondents indicated that their school or district had standardized the hiring process…, only 70% of those with a standardized process indicated that their school or district uses a specific protocol to ensure consistency… and fewer than 5% of respondents reported using a quality protocol.”

Both the research and popular literature on cultural fit strongly suggest that the fundamental ambiguity in the term “cultural fit” has made it a shroud for unspoken, and perhaps unrecognized, hiring biases. As a result, teachers who weren’t the best fit may be less likely to stay in the district long-term, and talented educators may never even be seriously considered as candidates.

Undefined Cultural Fit and Bias Often Go Hand-in-Hand

Let’s be clear. It isn’t wrong to consider how a candidate will fit in your school culture — you want to hire teachers who believe in your school’s mission and share your commitment to helping students succeed. Cultural fit is not the boogeyman. But unconscious bias is, and it thrives in the gray space (“gut feeling”) that exists when cultural fit is not clearly defined and measured.

[ctt template=”9″ link=”8fd4d” via=”yes” nofollow=”yes”]Unconscious hiring bias thrives in the gray space that exists when cultural fit is not clearly defined and measured. #edchat #K12[/ctt]

Without a clear definition of cultural fit, hiring decisions may be inadvertently driven by unconscious bias and justified by nebulous rationale that a candidate is (or isn’t) the perfect cultural fit.

For example, when it comes to hiring, studies have shown that interviewers are significantly more likely to hire candidates who are similar to themselves or are very likeable. It’s surely not a conscious decision but as the very term “unconscious bias” suggests, it’s completely unintentional, and people don’t realize when they’re falling victim to it. That’s what makes it such a sneaky, pervasive problem. Unconscious biases, judgments and assumptions roll up into a gut feeling that this candidate is the right one.

Is There Room for Cultural Fit in Teacher Hiring?

In a nutshell, yes. But it can’t be based on gut feelings that could leave the door open for unconscious bias to flourish. Instead, define what cultural fit truly means for your district:

What values should new hires have in order to support the school’s mission and vision?
How can you objectively measure those values during the selection process?
How can you standardize your hiring process using research-based, quality protocols to ensure that all candidates are being equally evaluated on the same indicators?

You may enjoy this hand-picked content:

5 Steps to Choosing an Applicant Screening Tool

For example, let’s say a district has a strong belief that its educators should share their commitment to continual improvement. So, they have candidates give a sample lesson and a post-lesson reflection in order to help the hiring committee understand if the candidate possesses a growth mindset. In this way, they are both articulating the value they are looking for in a new hire (a growth mindset) and standardizing their evaluation of that value (via the post-lesson reflection.)

By defining cultural fit and establishing clear, consistent methods for evaluating candidates’ fit, you’re empowered to find talented teachers who align to your school’s values, without sacrificing diversity.

Consider Cultural Adds

Perhaps instead of looking for cultural fit, your district may be better served by looking for cultural adds — new hires who bring innovative ideas to the school and positively contribute to building a stronger school culture, rather than merely fitting in.

Either way, standardizing the hiring process and setting clear guidelines for how candidates should be evaluated should be a priority for district leaders. Standardized selection protocols can reduce the risk of unconscious bias, protect the district from discrimination claims and ensure that the most qualified candidates are hired to work in your schools.

“A commitment to cultural fit without a clear definition or evaluation scheme is simply a commitment to likeability bias.” – Repairing the Leak: How “Cultural Fit” Rusts the Teacher Pipeline

Why Do Special Education Teachers Quit?

Why did you choose a career in special education? is one of my favorite questions to ask when I interview teachers because it usually prompts an immediate brightening of the eyes and a smile. And, let’s face it, that kind of enthusiasm is catchy!

Yet, more and more, special education teachers are leaving the field. The annual attrition rate for special educators is 13%, twice that of general educators. The 3-year attrition rate is about 25%, with an additional 20% transferring to general education or to another role in special education each year.¹

So, an equally important question to ask special education teachers might be: have you ever thought about stepping down from your role as special education teacher? And, if so, why?

Well, we’ve got some possible answers to the “why” part. We recently asked some special educators and administrators about their biggest challenges: here’s what they shared.

What Are the Biggest Challenges in Special Education?

The special education teacher shortage in the U.S. is intensifying. Fewer teachers in classrooms puts added stress on those who stay, and stress contributes to burnout. As many as 40% of teachers experience burnout ― which negatively impacts IEP goals.² And research consistently shows that burnout is a major contributor to teacher attrition. So, which work-related activities should school leaders monitor to decrease burnout in their special educators?

Unrelenting Paperwork

[ctt template=”9″ link=”lSf5e” via=”yes” nofollow=”yes”]As many as 40% of teachers experience burnout, and burnout negatively impacts #IEP goals[/ctt]

Special education teachers spend less than half of their day teaching. And one study showed that almost 50% of a special educator’s workday is spent on paperwork.³ For educators wanting to make a difference for students, spending up to half of your time on paperwork is disheartening, even when you know it’s a key part of student support.

Rebecca Cole, a behavioral specialist, discusses the challenge of staying on top of special education paperwork.

Behavior and Discipline Issues

Teacher retention is directly related to managing student behavior.⁴ Yet, many students with behavioral disorders present serious obstacles to successful classroom management because of their disruptive behaviors. Consistently managing students with behavioral issues can cause higher levels of emotional exhaustion in teachers, which has been shown to decrease student engagement and, in turn, lead to poorer IEP outcomes.⁵

Debbie Roybal, an executive director of special education, discusses the challenge of managing students with behavior and discipline issues.

All the Regulation Changes

Changes to state and federal regulations are a familiar part of life ― but that doesn’t mean they’re not disruptive. Tight deadlines from these changes can cause stress, even when you know to expect the unexpected. Stress directly and indirectly influences student learning outcomes and teaching quality.⁶

Debbie Gazaway, a director of special education, describes the challenge of navigating the many regulation changes in special education.

Key Takeaway: Focus on What Inspires You

So how do you support your special education team through these challenges? First and foremost, remember the impact your team is having on students’ experiences and attitudes. Take time to reminisce about happy memories, shared accomplishments and what inspires you.

Which stories from your time working with students bring a smile to your face?

Sandra Dixon, an educational diagnostician, shares an inspiring story of helping students with disabilities succeed.

[ctt template=”9″ link=”O9IGv” via=”yes” nofollow=”yes”]20% of special educators transfer to general education or to another role in special education each year. How can you turn the tide?[/ctt]

Take some pressure off of your special educators with one intuitive software solution for IEP and special education management. Watch the Video.

References

[1] Wong, V. W., Ruble, L. A., Yu, Y., McGraw, J. H. (2017). Too Stressed to Teach? Teaching Quality, Student Engagement, and IEP Outcomes. Exceptional Children, 83(4), 412-427. Retrieved from http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0014402917690729.

[2] Wong, V. W., Ruble, L. A., Yu, Y., McGraw, J. H. (2017). Too Stressed to Teach? Teaching Quality, Student Engagement, and IEP Outcomes. Exceptional Children, 83(4), 412-427. Retrieved from http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0014402917690729.

[3] Vannest, Kimberly J.; Hagan-Burke, Shanna (2010). Remedial and Special Education 31(2):126-142. Retrieved from http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0741932508327459.

[4] Sabornie, Edward J., “Classroom and Behavioral Management of Students Who Are At-Risk” (2017). National Youth-At-Risk Conference Savannah. Retrieved from: https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/nyar_savannah/2017/2017/97

[5] Wong, V. W., Ruble, L. A., Yu, Y., McGraw, J. H. (2017). Too Stressed to Teach? Teaching Quality, Student Engagement, and IEP Outcomes. Exceptional Children, 83(4), 412-427. Retrieved from http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0014402917690729.

[6] Wong, V. W., Ruble, L. A., Yu, Y., McGraw, J. H. (2017). Too Stressed to Teach? Teaching Quality, Student Engagement, and IEP Outcomes. Exceptional Children, 83(4), 412-427. Retrieved from http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0014402917690729.

How to Create Effective Reports for Communicating Professional Development Program Evaluation Results

Wouldn’t it be great if we knew when our professional learning programs were successful? What if we knew more than just the fact that teachers liked the presenter, were comfortable in the room or learned something new?

Wouldn’t it be better to know that teachers made meaningful changes in teaching practice that resulted in increased student learning?

I posed these questions in the first of this 7-part series on conducting program evaluation of professional development for teachers. Let’s say you have moved through the first four of the five phases of program evaluation:

You’ve engaged stakeholders and promoted a deep understanding of the program.
You’ve posed a set of evaluation questions.
You’ve collected data based on the evaluation questions.
You’ve analyzed all the data.

At this point, you have a solid understanding of program outcomes. You have a perspective on what teachers learned, if they’re using what they learned in the classroom, and perhaps even how students are responding to changes in teaching practice. Now what? Most likely, you’re not the only one in your district who needs this information. How do you share evaluation results and with whom?

The fifth phase in the cycle of program evaluation is reporting and use of results. In this phase, consider the following:

Who needs to know the results of your professional development program evaluation?
How will results be used to make decisions?
What information should be shared in a report?
What format should a report take (e.g., document, presentation)?
How and when should reports be shared?

Most importantly though, consider why you will create and share evaluation reports. The answer to this and the above questions form your communication plan.

Kylie Hutchinson, author of A Short Primer on Innovative Evaluation Reporting offers this insight:

Reporting your results is one of the most important tasks of an evaluation, but doing it in an engaging way that inspires action is often neglected…There is rarely uptake of recommendations, no lessons learned, and most importantly, no program improvement (2017, p. 11).

The reason to report and disseminate results is tied to key decisions that need to be made about professional development programming. To be meaningful, evaluation reports need to be used to determine whether a program should be continued, expanded, eliminated or changed in specific ways to improve outcomes.

What belongs in a professional development program evaluation report?

The most comprehensive form of an evaluation report might include all the details:

A description of the professional learning program that was evaluated
The logic model and program theory
The evaluation questions
A description of how data were collected and analyzed
Findings and conclusions from data analysis
Recommendations for decision-makers to consider

While this list may appear logical and sequential, the order also makes for a less engaging report. To ensure the use of evaluation results, many evaluators now encourage beginning reports with the exciting part — the findings and conclusions, and actionable recommendations.

[ctt template=”9″ link=”QyH4d” via=”yes” nofollow=”yes”]If you take only one lesson from this article, let it be this: Match your report to your audience. Here’s how and why. @SheilaBRobinson [/ctt]

Match the report to the audience.

If you take only one lesson from this article, let it be this: Match your report to your audience. Consider who needs to know the answers to your evaluation questions and understand your findings from data analysis. Who needs to use the information you share to make key decisions about professional learning? Who might be interested in results because they are in a position to support professional learning programs?

Creating evaluation reports to meet the needs of specific audiences involves three key steps:

Identify your audiences. Are they administrators? Teachers? Board of Education members? Parents? Community members?
Understand their information needs. What is important to them with regard to professional learning in general or the specific topic? How does the professional learning program connect to their work and responsibilities?
Know what actions they will take with the information in your report. Are they decision-makers? Do they sit at the table with decision-makers? Are they likely to share the information with others? Are they potential supporters or detractors?

Consider multiple forms of a report.

On the surface, it may sound like a lot of work to create multiple reports, but with careful planning it’s quite manageable. Creating different versions of reports for different audiences can be an enjoyable and rewarding part of the evaluation process and contributes to deepening your own learning as you dive into the data and help others make sense of it. Think about what would hold the most appeal for your stakeholders.

Do you have an audience who needs:

A 1-page overview with a few highlights?
A 3-5 page summary of key findings?
A 15-minute live presentation?
A comprehensive written report with all the details?

Choose the audience who needs the highest level of detail and create that report first. Then, work to strip away details the other audiences don’t need. You can always make the more comprehensive forms of the report available if they want access to them.

You may enjoy this hand-picked content:

Podcast: Building a Culture of Professional Learning — The big questions that shape professional learning at Jenks Public Schools in Oklahoma, how they iterate and improve, and what it looks like to measure impact.

Beware TL;DR.

Few people I know love spending endless hours writing long reports. But, if you’re one of those people, here is another reason to carefully consider your audience and their information needs. “TL;DR” is internet slang for “too long: didn’t read.” Part of the problem isn’t necessarily the length of some reports, but the length combined with a report that isn’t visually appealing. It just doesn’t draw the reader in and keep them there.

Fortunately, there are many ways to avoid TL;DR in evaluation reporting by creating different versions for different audiences, using creative or innovative formats, and embedding visual elements.

Think outside of the document.

A written report is far from the only way to communicate evaluation results, and it’s perfectly OK to think flexibly and creatively here. I’m not necessarily suggesting a song and dance routine, but believe me, it has been done!

Here are just a few alternatives to written reports or presentations:

An infographic
A brief video posted to a website
An interactive website
Social media sharing

A Short Primer on Innovative Evaluation Reporting features many more creative ideas.

Make it visual.

No matter the style, size or length of your report, be sure to include visuals to engage your audience. Use relevant photos, icons, or illustrations along with charts or graphs to draw the audience’s attention to the main points. There are many, many websites where you can find free stock photography, but consider taking your own photos. It isn’t that difficult, requires nothing more than a smartphone and brings a stronger sense of ownership and connection to the report and to the program. Your audiences will see your teachers in your classrooms doing the real work involved in professional learning, and that is more likely to inspire engagement with the report.

Most audiences also want to see data. They want to quickly and easily understand key findings. Charts or graphs can be efficient and powerful ways to communicate data, and they don’t need to be sophisticated or complex to have impact. Simple bar, line, or pie graphs can communicate meaningful data. I’ve been actively honing my data visualization skills in my spare time by simply reading blogs and books and experimenting. Little by little, I acquire new skills and attach them to prior knowledge to build a robust toolbox and solid repertoire of visualizations I can now use create to communicate program evaluation results.

Program evaluation is essential.

Professional development remains a critical component of school success. It is essential that we continue to create and implement high quality professional learning programs within the constant constraints of budgets and time. A rigorous program evaluation process helps us deeply understand how programs are performing in our school environments and is key to educator professional growth and the continuous improvement of our schools.

[ctt template=”9″ link=”b65Oa” via=”yes” nofollow=”yes”]Evaluating our professional development programs is key to educator professional growth and continuous improvement of our schools. – @SheilaBRobinson[/ctt]

Dyslexia Awareness: Preparing New Educators

When I began working with individuals with dyslexia in 1988, I was so green. I only had three years of teaching experience under my belt, and my college classes had not prepared me to find solutions for struggling readers.

So, I took it upon myself to learn as much about dyslexia as possible. I became a Certified Academic Language Therapist (CALT). I obsessed over the intervention process, trying method after method to perfect my skills in the classroom.

Now, as Assessment Specialist for my district, I have the opportunity to better equip new dyslexia and classroom educators to work with struggling readers. Based on my experience as a teacher and administrator, here are the seven biggest challenges, along with strategies for overcoming them.

1. Recognize the Characteristics of Dyslexia

Do you work with students with dyslexia? If you are a teacher, you almost certainly do. According to the International Dyslexia Association, as many as fifteen to twenty percent of school-age children have dyslexia. [1] So, your classroom of twenty-five students may have three or more students with dyslexia.

It is characterized by deficits in decoding, sight word reading, reading fluency and spelling. These reading difficulties must be the result of problems with phonological awareness because dyslexia is caused by the way the brain processes sounds in spoken language.

Dyslexia can be identified in students as early as kindergarten and early identification leads to students who are more successful throughout school. [2]

[ctt template=”9″ link=”v9sTS” via=”no” ]As many as 15 – 20% of school-age children have #dyslexia. Are you helping them learn to self-advocate?[/ctt]

2. Keep it Legal: State & Federal Dyslexia Law

In the U.S., we have laws that ensure students with disabilities are protected and that their individual needs are met. In some states, students with dyslexia are under the umbrella of IDEA and are served through special education. In other states, students with dyslexia are protected through general education under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

Staying up to date on the many regulations designed to help educators working with children with special needs can be intense. However, there are free resources to keep you informed of your state’s regulations. And don’t be afraid to reach out to fellow educators with questions.

You may enjoy this hand-picked content:

Webinar: Learn Core Concepts of Section 504.

3. Individualize Support

Students with dyslexia struggle to learn to read and their educators often struggle as well. In some cases, student success only occurs when teachers are innovative, flexible and supportive. There is no “one-size-fits-all” approach when it comes to teaching individuals ― even seasoned educators need help sorting through the available options.

To avoid frustration or research fatigue, find a few reliable sources you can turn to. Campus IEP and 504 committee members are excellent sources for ideas, programs and tips about what is and isn’t working for individual students.

4. Gather the Right Data

Monitoring students at every stage will help you identify those who are struggling, gauge their progress, plan lessons that are appropriate and provide feedback to parents and learners.

Administrators can help with gathering and analyzing classroom data by:

Presenting teachers with clear expectations
Identifying district and campus norms that teachers can use to pinpoint areas of struggle
Providing a system for sharing data with other decision makers

Classroom teachers must have enough knowledge about dyslexia to use the available data to know which students may need additional help.

5. Encourage Self-Advocation

How do you help students learn to help themselves? This is a years-long process that begins with modeling positive attitudes about dyslexia in front of students and parents.

I provide students with information and practice, so they feel comfortable responding if teased about being dyslexic. The goal is for the student to handle difficult situations without assistance.

Teach students all about dyslexia. Talk about the characteristics, share the research about interventions, post photos of famous dyslexics in your classroom and role-play situations where students can teach others about the disability. Turn a difference into an asset.

[ctt template=”9″ link=”3c5Yd” via=”no” ]When teachers advocate for students, individuals with dyslexia are gathering tools to learn to self-advocate. #DyslexiaAwarenessMonth[/ctt]

6. Challenge Misconceptions

Educators share humorous stories with me of things that students, parents and teachers believe about dyslexia. These are often based on ideas that were disproven years ago but will not die. Here are some common misconceptions:

Dyslexic individuals see backwards (dyslexia is a phonological disorder)
Students outgrow dyslexia (it is lifelong)
Dyslexia is characterized by letter reversals (it is usually a visual-motor or developmental difficulty)

One parent even reported to me that her child “caught” dyslexia. As an educator, arm yourself with up-to-date, correct information and current research about this disability to share in situations like these.

7. Plan Data-based Accommodations & Progress Monitoring

Most students with dyslexia have protections under either IDEA or Section 504. This likely includes an accommodation plan to ensure the student has equal access to the school-wide curriculum. The only appropriate accommodation for a student with dyslexia is the one that meets his or her individual needs. As a result, the classroom teacher is best equipped to gather data about what the individual student needs and to systematically try interventions to see which are successful.

So, keep meticulous records to help the IEP or 504 committee find effective strategies. Once the plan is in place, consistent recordkeeping and data sharing with other teachers and committee members will gauge the success or failure of a student’s plan.

In Summary: Success Takes Perseverance

Individuals with dyslexia can have very positive experiences in school, especially with the appropriate interventions. They have learned perseverance from watching those who have tirelessly worked with and for them. Most pass state assessments, take the SAT or ACT and go on to have successful careers. Their teachers modeled steadfastness and work ethic, and the importance of an end goal. Working through the struggles that occur in school, along with access to caring advocates and a steady support system, can transform a learner with no confidence into a school and community leader.

I am not going to say teaching kids with dyslexia is an easy job. Teaching students with dyslexia is hard and requires long hours, extra steps and more data collection than seems possible. Despite these challenges, I still love my job. I live for the texts I get from students about the novels they’re reading in class. I dance on air after a 504 or IEP meeting where a student has completed the dyslexia program and is on grade level, ready to soar. I sign college and job reference letters for former students with jubilation.

When teachers advocate for students, dyslexic individuals are gathering tools to learn to self-advocate. They can speak up and educate others about dyslexia. Watching students grow and bloom and overcome disability is worth all of the challenges involved.

Whether using a 504 Plan or an IEP to support a student with dyslexia, Frontline makes it easier to plan data-driven accommodations and measure their efficacy. Learn how.

[1] International Dyslexia Association. (2017). Retrieved from https://dyslexiaida.org/dyslexia-basics.

[2] Texas Education Agency. (2014). Procedures Concerning Dyslexia and Related Disorders. Retrieved from https://www.region10.org/r10website/assets/File/DHBwithtabs10214.pdf.

Effective Strategies for Analyzing Professional Development Data: It’s Not As Hard As You Think!

I remember struggling through my college statistics class. Just the term “data analysis” made me cringe. After all, I was going to be a teacher, not a scientist! Now that I’ve spent years collecting and analyzing data I’ve learned, I don’t need to be a statistician to do professional development program evaluation.

Whether you love or hate the idea of analyzing data, you probably don’t have loads of time on your hands — but you still need answers. You need actionable knowledge in order to report out results that inform smart decisions about professional learning. Good news! In this article, I’ll share strategies for analyzing and interpreting data in a painless way that doesn’t require unlimited time or advanced skills.

What is Data Analysis?

Data analysis and interpretation is about taking raw data and turning it into something meaningful and useful, much in the same way you turn sugar, flour, eggs, oil and chocolate into a cake! Analyzing data in service to answering your evaluation questions will give you the actionable insights you need. It’s important to remember that these questions drive data collection in the first place.

Since you’re generally not running experiments with randomly sampled study participants and control groups, you don’t need advanced statistical calculations or models to learn from professional development data. You mainly need to analyze basic survey data, and to do that, you will look at descriptive statistics.

You may enjoy this hand-picked content:

Podcast: Building a Culture of Professional Learning — Mary Kathryn Moeller and her team facilitate professional learning at Jenks Public Schools in Oklahoma. In this interview, she discusses the big questions that shape their program, how they iterate and improve, and what it looks like to measure impact.

Summarizing the Data

Raw data rarely yields insights. It’s simply too overwhelming to scan rows and rows of numbers or lines and lines of text and make meaning of it without reducing it somehow. People analyze data in order to detect patterns and glean key insights from it.

First, it’s helpful to understand the proportion of professional learning participants who complete a survey. This is your survey response rate. Your response rate is simply the number of people who completed the survey divided by the total number eligible to take the survey.

Example:

Next, use descriptive statistics including percentages, frequencies and measures of central tendency to summarize the data. Measures of central tendency — the mean, median, mode, and range — are summary statistics that describe the center of a given set of values.

Choosing the Right Statistic to Report

How do you know when to use mean vs. median? When you know you have outliers, use the median. Here’s an example of how these measures can differ greatly in the same dataset. Let’s say you want to describe a group of 16 professional learning participants in terms of how much teaching experience they have. Here are the values and measures of central tendency:

Which summary statistic best describes this population of participants? The mean can be very sensitive to outliers, while the median is not. The mean of this dataset is 9 years, but the median is only 3. This means that half of participants have 3 or fewer years’ experience. In this case, knowing that half of participants were novice teachers may give you greater insight and better inform future programmatic decisions than knowing the average number of years of teaching experience of the group.

Example Insight: Half of the participants in this professional learning activity were novice teachers, which can be used to inform future decisions about professional development.

Next, you may want to cross-tabulate results. Cross-tabulating means looking at your dataset by subgroup to compare how different groups answered the questions. For example:

Were high school teachers more satisfied than elementary teachers?
Did more veteran teachers report great learning gains than novice teachers?
Did more teachers from one school express an intent to try a new instructional strategy?

Most online survey programs make cross-tabulation easy with built-in features, but you can also use pivot tables if your dataset is in a spreadsheet.

Descriptive Statistics Have Limits

Caution: when participants haven’t been randomly assigned and required to respond to feedback surveys, these types of analyses cannot be used to generalize to all teachers who participated in the professional learning. It’s always a possibility that more satisfied participants completed the survey and that more dissatisfied participants did not.

Descriptive statistics are helpful for telling what happened, but they can’t determine causality. They can’t tell you why something happened. You may know that 87% of participants feel they learned a great deal from participating in professional learning, but you won’t know what caused them to learn. That’s where qualitative data can help fill in the blanks.

Qualitative Data Analysis

Surveys may include some open-ended questions, or you may have conducted individual interviews or focus groups as part of professional development program evaluation. Crafting these questions carefully can help you understand why people experienced professional learning the way they did.

But what do you do with all of these answers, the words people write or say in response to these open-ended questions? Rigorous qualitative data analysis involves significant study to develop the needed skills, but you can still take a few easy steps to make sense of qualitative data in a credible way that will give you insight into participants’ experiences in professional learning.

Step 1: Begin by becoming very familiar with the data – just reading and rereading survey responses, interview transcripts or focus group notes. Try not to get caught up in the very positive or the very negative attention-grabbing comments at this stage.

Step 2: Revisit your evaluation questions to refresh what you need to know for the program evaluation.

Step 3: Start looking for patterns as you read and reread. Assign “codes” to chunks of text. If a participant talks about wishing there was more time to learn and practice what was learned, the code might be “time.” If another comment has to do with concern about administrative support, the code might be “support.” As you progress through the data, attempt to reduce as much as you can to codes that you generate from your reading. Write each code next to the data as you go along.

Step 4: Once you’ve coded all data, look for patterns in the codes. Are there sets of codes that are related and could become categories?

Interpreting the Data

Interpreting data is attaching meaning to it. For example, let’s say that 37% of professional learning participants indicated they learned something new. At first glance, that doesn’t sound like a particularly good outcome, does it? Too often, people view raw data like this in either a positive or negative light without taking the time to fully understand what’s really going on. What if I told you this was a refresher course for people who had already learned the material? In that case you might then interpret it as a positive outcome that more than one third picked up new learning.

[ctt template=”9″ link=”abjnc” via=”no” ]Too often in professional development program evaluation, people assign meaning to raw data without taking the time to fully understand what’s going on. -@SheilaBRobinson [/ctt]

Numbers don’t have inherent meaning. It’s up to us to put them in context to make sense of them.

What About Statistical Significance?

People like to ask about this, and most likely, what they’re really asking is, “Are the results you’re reporting on important? Are the differences we are seeing meaningful to us in any way?” Statistical significance is a technical term that has to do with whether results of an experiment are true, or are more likely due to chance. In evaluating professional learning programs, you are not likely to use the statistical analyses that result in statistical significance.

What If I Have a Small Sample?

You may be wondering, “I only surveyed 20 people — is that really enough data to give me an accurate picture of what’s really going on?” Absolutely! Remember, it’s about answering your evaluation questions to inform future professional learning programs. Even with what might seem like low response rates, you can still gain valuable insights, and make smart decisions for your school or district.

Next in the series, we’ll turn analyses and interpretation into a usable report!

No Substitute for Customer Service

As a former substitute classroom aide, Barbara Valencia is uniquely positioned to explain what exactly makes being a sub so difficult. How hard it can be to walk into an unfamiliar classroom full of unfamiliar students and try to teach an unfamiliar lesson plan. How daunting it can feel to have to treat every day as if it were your very first on the job; often, because that’s precisely what it is.

Barbara recently appeared on Frontline Education’s K-12 conversations podcast, Field Trip, where she shared some of the often-uncomfortable thoughts that run through the minds of classroom-wary substitutes:

“It was like being on a job interview every single day,” Barbara said. “Everything was new. I didn’t know where to go, who to talk to, where to get lunch, where my classroom was.”
Barbara Valencia

Now working in Human Resources at Spring Grove Area School District, Barbara has discovered a creative way to marry her experience as a substitute aide — coupled with her experience working the phones at a local electric company — with the needs of the district.

With the team at Spring Grove, she is focusing on something that’s key to substitute engagement, but rarely brought up in discussions regarding K-12: customer service for substitute teachers.

By focusing on the thoughts, feelings and overall fit of Spring Grove’s subs, Barbara has implemented a substitute management system that places the emphasis on the “customer” — the substitutes. They’re making a concerted effort to keep subs engaged as they support students — and that, Barbara says, is what keeps substitutes coming back to Spring Grove.

“When you have good customer service, people tend to return. It’s no different with subs.”
Barbara Valencia

Putting People First

The truth is that substitutes have a choice. If one district doesn’t communicate well, or if another refuses to rid themselves of archaic substitute management processes, substitute teachers can simply choose to work elsewhere.

That’s why Spring Grove has focused on customer service — putting people first — to ensure that substitutes choose to work in their classrooms.

Administrators at Spring Grove know that phenomenal customer service isn’t based on a single interaction. They start by ensuring that substitutes feel welcomed from the moment they enter a school, meeting them when they arrive in the morning.

Leaders then take it a step further — like the time Barbara baked a plate full of cookies as a thank you to a sub after putting them in a less-than-ideal situation. From cc’ing subs on emails regarding important administrative changes, to sending cards on their birthdays, it’s all about substitute engagement and communication.

“It’s more of a team effort and they’re not just a sub or just a number or just a breathing person to walk into the room. They actually are part of our team.”
Barbara Valencia

“It’s more of a team effort and they’re not just a sub or just a number or just a breathing person to walk into the room. They actually are part of our team.”

But that’s not the only change Spring Grove has made.

The district holds an open house every summer, aimed at updating interested substitutes on any new processes. They provide training for all online software systems the substitutes may have to use, and they even distribute a booklet on the district, including information on other teachers and student highlights. And when a new substitute does start in the district, they make sure to provide context for everything, ensuring that person is in-the-loop.

“Once you’re a Spring Grove employee, you’re getting retirement benefits, you’re getting all the same benefits our part-time employees do, so it’s no different to be a substitute than it is to be a Spring Grove part-time employee.”
Barbara Valencia

Substitutes at Spring Grove are even offered the same benefits as part-time employees, just another example of Spring Grove’s commitment to its most vital resource — its people. Ultimately, what Barbara wants Spring Grove substitutes to know that working with the district isn’t a one-time, one-off experience — substitutes are part of the team.

[ctt template=”9″ link=”kL5Rh” via=”no” ]Customer service for substitute teachers means treating them like family. Get more sub engagement tips #k12[/ctt]

Seeing Positive Results

What Barbara and Spring Grove have managed to accomplish with a simple adherence to a singularly important factor — placing the emphasis on people — is significant.

Spring Grove is on track for a 94-99% fill rate. That’s up from 84-93% before they started using Frontline Absence & Time, their employee absence management software.
When Barbara first joined the district in 2015, they had about 50 substitutes who worked regularly. Now? 155 regular substitutes.
Perhaps more importantly, Barbara regularly hears that substitutes love teaching at Spring Grove, largely because they feel appreciated and supported.

99%

Increase in Fill Rate from a low of 84%

150

Increased Substitute pool from about 50 substitutes in the pool to 150 who regularly cover classes in the district.

100%

Feedback from substitutes is that they feel increasingly happy, appreciated, and supported at Spring Grove.

Looking Forward

“I had one substitute who made sure that she caught me at the end of an event that we were having at one of the schools and took me aside and said, ‘I can’t believe that I was so scared to substitute because I found that, when I was in the classroom, I was enjoying the kids so much that we got through everything we needed to and were able to accomplish all the teacher’s goals for the day and it wasn’t like it was work.’”
Barbara Valencia

That’s a far cry from a self-conscious substitute, tossed into a classroom they don’t recognize, struggling just to get their bearings.

Barbara credits a long-term view of the district’s future, coupled with their newfound commitment to customer service, for the improvements in Spring Grove. But none of it would have been possible without her early career experiences as a sub.

“I knew, first-hand, what it felt like to be that substitute, brand new in the system,” Barbara says. “So, I wanted to change the culture and the feeling substitutes would have when they come to Spring Grove.”
Barbara Valencia

Through a focus on substitute customer service, Barbara and Spring Grove have managed to build a reputation for being a great place to work—a reputation that has served, and continues to serve, the district well in filling unexpected teacher vacancies, hiring the best candidates for the district and improving outcomes for Spring Grove students.

5 Ways to Reduce Burnout for Special Education Teachers

When I became principal for a specialized school with various sites throughout a borough in New York City, one of my first priorities was to develop a plan of action to better support my special education staff.

Here’s why:

At the time, I was struggling in my newly assigned school. I had just hired two new administrators, opened a new inclusion site and hired twenty-one staff members, including teachers, paraprofessionals and related service providers.

Just as I thought the year was settling in, one of my first-year, highly qualified special education teachers came to me in tears. Her dream was to be a teacher. She loved children and was so thrilled to be an educator in the field of special education. She kept telling herself that things would get easier ― however, the sleepless nights and spending all of her free time planning lessons and materials for her students was just too much for her.

Although we did have curricula that offered tiered level materials, this teacher needed to break down instruction even further to meet the needs of her students. And there were other challenges she had to conquer:

Training her paraprofessionals to support instruction and collect data daily
Scheduling instructional days to meet mandates around related services
Navigating a myriad of emotional challenges in her classroom

She was spiraling downhill trying to coordinate her own emotions and keep up with paperwork, and it was taking a toll on her physical and mental health.

“She was spiraling downhill trying to coordinate her own emotions and keep up with paperwork, and it was taking a toll on her physical and mental health.”

Though special education teachers are often passionate and resilient individuals, they are twice as likely to leave the profession as their general education colleagues.[1] One of the reasons they leave is because they simply burn out.

Unique Challenges Faced by Special Education Teachers

With the national push to take students with disabilities out of self-contained environments and provide them with opportunities to spend part of or all of their days in general education classrooms, the ability to effectively teach students in special education is more critical today than ever before.

Each student brings with them their blueprint, as documented in their Individual Education Plan (IEP), which may include mandates to provide a variety of related services to help support students to progress. Many students have multiple services and classifications and are often years behind academically. Some of these students are mandated for mainstreaming or inclusion services in general education classes. This means even one small, self-contained class can have students within a three-year age span, with multiple individual needs, learning at different levels and with different styles. What a daunting task for any educator!

I needed to create an inclusive culture and climate that was beneficial to adult and student learning.

5 Ways School Leaders Can Reduce Burnout in Special Educators

As an administrator and an educator for over 35 years, I have been through the changing mandates of teaching students with disabilities, and I have experienced how these changes affect the passionate educators with whom I work.

My goal as a school leader was to support and empower teachers to collaborate, and to provide coherent, rigorous instructional and social-emotional support to the school community. This new kind of school environment improved the emotional state of many teachers, including special educators, and allowed me and my administrative team to focus on improving teacher practices and student achievement.

Here are five strategies we used to turn the tide in our school.

1. Emotional Intelligence

Creating a bond of trust gives insight into what others may be feeling or thinking; it helped me, as a principal, understand how and why members of my special education staff were reacting to situations in certain ways.

As a leader, it was necessary for me to have self-awareness and manage my emotions, to move the school community to a desired, cohesive vision by making informed decisions on how to communicate and support teachers and provide staff development.

2. Teacher Surveys

Through teacher surveys, we were able to consistently offer differentiated professional development opportunities and provide meaningful feedback to our special education teachers. We sought input from all members of the school community through regular meetings. Teachers are not superheroes. They can’t possibly be effective without the support and collaboration of a school-based team. Our school motto was, “Teamwork in the best interest of children.”

[ctt template=”9″ link=”35zCN” via=”no” ]“This new kind of school environment improved the emotional state of many teachers, including special educators.”[/ctt]

3. Examining Data

Teacher inquiry teams through distributive leadership — in collaboration with the instructional cabinet — examined trends and targeted student and teacher supports needed through the use of a wide range of formative assessments. The teams provided opportunities for veteran special education teachers to mentor new teachers to look at data and identify trends.

Data revealed an overwhelming pattern of challenging behaviors that would require intervention across all of my sites in order for teachers to effectively manage their classrooms and ensure successful instructional outcomes for students. It was important that the entire school community implement both a coherent school-wide, positive-behavior system and best instructional practices.

“Data revealed an overwhelming pattern of challenging behaviors that would require intervention across all of my sites in order for teachers to successfully manage their classrooms.”

4. Proactive Teamwork

We established two academic teams, one for Alternately Assessed Students and one for Standardized Assessed Students. Staff worked together to create a lesson-plan template that embedded instructional shifts, coherent instruction and best teaching practices that reflected a clear set of beliefs. This helped ensure all students had entry into learning that demonstrated high levels of thinking, ownership, participation and behavior expectation.

Working as a team provided support and opportunities for special education staff to look at student performance data and calibrate the results. Team members researched best practices together to implement strategies and support instruction throughout the day, promoting positive student outcomes.

[ctt template=”9″ link=”aOXe7″ via=”yes” nofollow=”yes”]”Working as a team provided support and opportunities for #specialeducation staff to look at student performance data and calibrate the results.”[/ctt]

Innovative scheduling was implemented as a necessary step to providing individual or small group support for students during class instruction, rather than students being pulled out for a related service one-to-one session – which would have resulted in instructional time loss. This scheduling technique involved assigning related services staff to specific classes and delivering services within the classroom, as long as the sessions were not therapeutic and could be carried out in a classroom setting.

5. Role-based Training for Paraprofessionals

It was also essential that special education teachers were given additional time to meet specifically with paraprofessionals to train and plan for the instructional day. Training paraprofessionals to implement instruction and adapt materials to support students was a needed component to assist in daily instruction. This training would allow the teacher to have more time to teach without stopping in the middle of a lesson to direct paraprofessionals on how to support students.

Key Learning: An Inclusive Work Environment & Clear Expectations Reduce Burnout in Special Education Teachers

Monitoring, adapting and modifying instruction for students with various classifications on multi-grade levels every day is exhausting — there is no one-size-fits-all approach. Providing tools to empower staff to work together to create a coherent, positive school environment with clear expectations for both students and staff reduces frustration for special educators.

Will it always be easy? Absolutely not. However, teachers don’t have to do it all alone. School leadership can use creative scheduling and teamwork to help support teachers in identifying entry points of learning — and assist in closing the achievement gap for students. Collaboration lets staff take ownership of researching academic and emotional strategies that can be embedded into instructional best practices.

With the help of your staff and the use of round-table decision-making and emotional intelligence strategies, it is possible to create a great support system for your special educators using existing school resources!

Want to reduce the likelihood that your special educators will leave their posts due to burnout? Learn how Frontline Special Ed & Interventions helps them spend less energy on paperwork and re-engage in delivering innovative student support.

Professional Development Program Evaluation: Using Surveys, Interviews, Focus Groups and Observations

In the previous article in this series on evaluating teacher professional development, I shared that evaluation questions drive data collection and asked, “How would we know what data to collect, and from whom, if we haven’t settled on the questions we’re asking?” Once we have settled on a small set (about 1-3) of evaluation questions, we set our sights on how to collect data to answer them.

There are a multitude of ways to collect data to answer evaluation questions. Surveys (aka questionnaires), interviews, focus groups and observation are the most commonly used, and each has distinct advantages and disadvantages.

You’ll choose data collection strategies based on these along with which align best with your evaluation questions.

Let’s take a quick look at each strategy:

Surveys

A survey is “an instrument or tool used for data collection composed of a series of questions administered to a group of people either in person, through the mail, over the phone, or online” (Robinson & Leonard, 2019, p. xiii). Surveys tend to have mostly closed-ended items — questions that have a question stem or statement, and a set of pre-determined response options (answer choices) or a rating scale. However, many surveys also include one or more open-ended questions that allow respondents — the people taking the survey — the opportunity to write in their own answers.

Many surveys are still administered on paper, but they’re conducted more frequently now in online environments. Professional development management systems, such as Frontline Professional Growth, allow feedback forms to be attached to professional development courses, and also feature the ability to construct and administer follow-up surveys.

The main advantage of a survey is that it can reach a large number of respondents. With electronic platforms, one click can send a survey to hundreds or thousands of respondents. Survey data is also relatively easy to analyze, and allows for easy comparison of answers across groups (such as elementary vs high school teachers, or different cohorts of participants). The main disadvantage is that we lack the opportunity to ask respondents follow-up questions, and quantitative survey data isn’t often as rich and detailed as data that result from interviews and focus groups.

[ctt template=”9″ link=”T21cb” via=”yes” nofollow=”yes”]4 ways to collect data when evaluating your professional development program: surveys, interviews, focus groups and observations.[/ctt]

Interviews

An interview is a set of questions asked in person or over the phone to one individual at a time. It’s essentially a conversation between interviewer and respondent. In contrast to surveys, interviews are largely composed of open-ended questions with the interviewer taking notes or recording respondents’ answers for later analysis. Interviewers can use “probes” to elicit more detailed information from respondents. Probes are specific follow-up questions based on how a respondent answers, or they can be more generic, such as, “Can you say more about that?”

An interview’s main advantage is that it allows us to deeply understand a respondent’s perspective and experience. An interview can give us a strong sense of how someone experienced new learning from professional development, and how that learning plays out in their teaching practice. The main disadvantage is that we usually don’t have time to interview more than a handful of people, unlike the hundreds of responses we can collect with surveys. Interview data is also qualitative, and thus a bit time-consuming to analyze.

Focus Groups

A focus group is simply a group interview. Typically a small group of people (ideally about 6-8) are brought together and asked a set of questions as a group. While one focus group member may answer a question first, others then chime in and offer their own answers, react to what others have said, agree, disagree, etc. The focus group functions like a discussion. It’s best to have both an interviewer and a notetaker and to video record for later review and analysis.

The main advantage of a focus group is that when people respond to questions in a group setting, they build off each others’ answers. Often, the conversation inspires respondents to think of something they may not have remembered otherwise. Also, focus groups allow us to interview more people than individual interviews. The main disadvantage is the same as with interviews — we can still reach only a small number of people, and since the resulting data is qualitative, it can take time to analyze.

Observations

Observing teachers and students in action can be one of the best ways to capture rich data about how teacher professional learning plays out in the classroom. Typically, observers use a protocol informed by the evaluation questions that outlines what the observer is looking for and what data to collect during the classroom visit.

The main advantage of observations is in witnessing first-hand how curriculum is being implemented, how instructional strategies are being used and how students are responding. The main disadvantage is in the potential for conflict, especially if positive relationships and trust aren’t a strong part of the school culture. While many teachers willingly invite observers into their classrooms, there can be tensions among colleagues and with unions who want to ensure that program evaluation does not influence teacher evaluation. It is critical to clearly communicate that data collected for professional development program evaluation is not to be used for teacher evaluation.

[ctt template=”9″ link=”XHiz8″ via=”yes” nofollow=”yes”]It’s critical to communicate to teachers & staff that data collected for professional development program evaluation is not to be used for teacher evaluation. — @SheilaBRobinson[/ctt]

A Few Recommended Practices

Do engage stakeholders, such as teachers and administrators, in all phases of program evaluation. Be transparent in letting people know why they are participating in data collection, why program evaluation is important to the department or district and what potential decisions may rest on the outcome. If people understand why program evaluation is being conducted and the role it plays in the organization, they will be much more likely to participate.

Don’t collect data you don’t need. For example, if you don’t need to compare how the program worked for 3rd grade vs 4th grade teachers, don’t ask them to provide their grade level. If you don’t plan to compare male and female teachers, or newer vs veteran teachers, don’t ask these questions.

Do keep the data collection brief. Have you ever known a teacher or administrator with loads of extra time in their schedule? Whether it’s an interview, focus group or survey, keep it brief by asking only the questions you need answers to.

Do incentivize responses to maximize the number of responses you receive. If possible, have light refreshments available for focus groups (minding rules for spending grants or general funds). Offer survey respondents raffle tickets for a good education book, a bag of school supplies, a gift card, etc. There are ways to keep survey responses anonymous while knowing who completed them for these types of incentives. Offer an extra planning period (coverage for a class or release from an administrative assignment) to interviewees.

Do find ways of working data collection into professional learning program activities — e.g., participant journals, pre-post assessments, logs (teachers might log how often they use a strategy or resource, and comment on how it worked with students), etc. The less people have to do outside of the professional learning program, the better.

Do think creatively about data collection. Student work samples, photos and videos are legitimate forms of data that can be analyzed to look for patterns that help to answer evaluation questions.

[ctt template=”9″ link=”bOK9x” via=”yes” nofollow=”yes”]In collecting data for #PD program evaluation, DO keep it brief, engage stakeholders, incentivize responses and be creative, but DON’T waste time collecting data you don’t need! — @SheilaBRobinson[/ctt]

Next up in the series is what to do with all the data you collect: analysis and interpretation.

Reference:
Robinson, S.B. & Leonard, K.F. (2019). Designing Quality Survey Questions. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Next Up In the Series:

In Part 6, we dive deeper into Effective Strategies for Analyzing Professional Development Data.

Using Data to Set & Reach Your Teacher Hiring Goals

Across your district, teachers and principals are using data to set goals and evaluate their performance. It should be natural that data-driven decision-making and strategic goal-setting are par for the course in the central office as well. When it comes to some of the most essential work in the district — recruiting and hiring exceptional educators — there’s often a lack of actionable goals and strategic use of data.

It’s understandable. Administrators working in Human Resources face an avalanche of tasks which often involve short deadlines and a dizzying amount of back-and forth. But by setting aside time to establish goals, you’ll have the structure you need to develop an effective strategy for continual improvement.

So, what goals should you set for recruiting and hiring? It all depends on your district’s unique situation. Let’s take a walk through the steps you need to take in order to set actionable (and attainable) goals for recruiting and hiring.

Step 1: Gather Hiring Data

The most actionable goals are based on a thorough review of your district’s data. So, you will need to pull together your recruiting and hiring data. If you have the right software, this is a breeze. But if not, this could be the hardest part of goal-setting — if your hiring process is based on paper, you will have some difficulty getting the full picture of your district’s trends. Or, if you manage your hiring through an inefficient HRIS system, you may need to get in touch with your IT department to export the data.

In any case, gather as much recruiting and hiring data as possible. Without this step, you might be able to come up with objectives, but you’ll be ill-equipped to track your progress toward them.

You may want to take a few minutes to reflect on this data-gathering process. If you had any difficulty accessing the data you need, or find any inaccuracies or gaps, consider setting a goal to make your data more visible and easier to use.

Step 2: Ask the Right Questions

Look closely at your district’s data and look for patterns. It may be most helpful to look for changes over the past several years and year-over-year trends, if the data is available. If not, it’s perfectly fine to start with the past year.

Ask yourself: Which data points are surprising to you? Why do you think the data shows one trend or another? What improvements would you like to see? Don’t forget to recognize and celebrate where you are doing well already.

A few specific areas to consider, and questions to ask:

New Hires & Applicant Pools

Look closely at who your district has hired. What do you notice about the population of new teachers? Is this what you would expect to see? Were you able to fill all of your open positions, or are still some waiting for the right candidate to come along?

Next, compare your new hire data to your applicant pool and note any differences you see. You may want to examine whether new hires disproportionately come from any particular recruitment channel, or if they tend to have a certain experience in common. For example, do word-of-mouth referrals represent a disproportionately large percentage of new hires? Or do you tend to hire heavily from your substitute teacher pool, or educators who started out as student teachers in your district?

You may also want to look at the volume of high-quality candidates, particularly by subject areas. Did you have enough high-quality applicants to select from overall? What about for shortage-prone positions like Special Education, STEM or speech pathology? And are you confident that the best candidates were hired, or is it possible that some may have slipped through the cracks?

For even better insight, take a look at retention rates for last year’s new hires, benchmarked against your overall retention rate. This will give you a better idea of how well your hiring process selects candidates who fit into the school culture.

The Hiring Timeline

The next step is exploring metrics like time-to-hire, and when most candidates were hired. By looking at how long it takes to fill most vacancies, you may be able to identify inefficient processes that hold up the hiring process. And by identifying which positions take the longest to fill, you’ll know where to put more of your recruitment resources.

Plus, you’ll be able to determine how early in the year you should start hiring to have positions filled. Remember that hiring late in the year means less-qualified applicant pools, so if most of your jobs are filled in late July and August, you could be missing out on the most talented candidates.

Dig into what could be causing jobs to not be posted until late summer. How can you predict staffing needs more accurately?

The Hiring Experience

Finally, you may want to gather input from individuals involved in hiring, from your new hires to principals. Consider sending out a survey asking new hires for feedback on the application and hiring process. For principals, consider sending a survey asking for their opinion on the quality of the applicant pool and the hiring process itself — were they satisfied with the level of support they received from Human Resources? Did they notice any inefficiencies that could be addressed?

Gathering feedback from those involved in hiring across the district allows you to go beyond hiring data alone and understand how others perceive the process. Plus, it fosters collaboration and engagement by showing that you care about their experience. And in the end, it will help you provide a more positive experience for applicants and administrators alike.

Step 3: Set Preliminary Goals and Actions

After working your way through the data, determine what your district needs to focus on for the upcoming year and set objective, clearly-defined goals that are aligned to those areas of improvement. These should be realistic — it’s good to have a few “stretch” goals, but ultimately, all of your objectives should be achievable. If you currently receive 40 applications a year for hard-to-staff positions across the district, don’t set a goal of having 250 next year.

A reasonable number of feasible goals will give you the structure you need to develop effective, targeted strategies, without overwhelming yourself or your colleagues.

Lay out your recruiting and hiring goals for the coming year and build a framework for a strategy to help you improve on those metrics and meet your goals. The more integrated that strategy is, the more effectively you’ll be able to improve your hiring across the board with less effort. But don’t stop there — to really ensure success, think about your goals forward and backward.

[ctt template=”9″ link=”oPd68″ via=”no” ]To ensure success, it’s essential to think about your hiring goals forward and backward. [/ctt]

Thinking forward comes naturally: I want X, so I will implement Y strategy to get there. Thinking backwards — or inverting the problem — means asking yourself, What would prevent me from reaching my goal? What should I do to make sure those things don’t happen? You might realize that your district is inadvertently doing something that holds your recruitment and hiring processes back. Then, you can make a change and ensure that nothing stands between you and your goals.

For example, if your goal is to find more applicants, you could “think forward” by allocating more time and money to attending more job fairs, both locally and out-of-state. But by “thinking backward” you might realize that plenty more job-seekers might apply to your district, if only your application process were more applicant-friendly. By no longer requiring job-seekers to apply in-person or send a thick packet through snail mail, you may find that more qualified educators apply to work in the district.

Step 4: Track Your Progress

After implementing any changes to your hiring process or strategy, the next step is to continually monitor your data. Don’t let yourself be surprised at the end of the year — you’re more likely to meet your goals when you can track your progress toward them and adjust course as needed.

This step shouldn’t be a burden, either. Just like you expect educators to embed data into their daily work, set aside 5-10 minutes once a week to check in on your progress. Even if the rest of your day is consumed by putting out fires and you don’t have time to immediately act on the data, you’ll be in a better position to stay on top of what’s happening in the district.

By setting goals based on your district’s hiring trends and tracking your progress against them, you’ll be able to strategically improve your teacher recruiting and hiring strategies.

With the Insights Dashboard in Frontline Recruiting & Hiring, your recruiting and hiring data is at your fingertips. You can monitor trends, plan ahead and maximize your recruiting efforts, without needing to dig through paperwork or spreadsheets.

6 Best Practices to Elevate IEPs

The individualized education program (IEP) is the seminal planning document for teaching students with disabilities, and the Present Levels of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance (PLAAFP) section should be its heart and soul. When done well, the PLAAFP describes a multi-dimensional student — one with strengths, interests, needs and aspirations. I’ve provided suggestions on how the PLAAFP can tell “the right story” for each student — let’s review some of these ideas and connect the dots so your PLAAFPs can set the stage for compliant, individualized and relevant IEPs.

Here are 6 best practices to help guide your IEP process.

1. Use Multiple Sources of Data to Build Comprehensive IEPs

The foundation of a compliant and relevant IEP is built upon the analysis and synthesis of multiple sources of data. Information obtained in the initial and 3-year re-evaluations is essential — however, don’t overlook the range of other data readily available or easily obtained on each student.

Collect direct feedback from students, parents and teachers about the student’s strengths and needs. Use progress monitoring data and progress reports to supplement present levels each year. And don’t overlook the information on functional performance you can get during formal observations.

2. Focus on Student Strengths, Interests and Preferences

Framing student strengths, interests and preferences (S-I-P) sets a positive tone in the PLAAFP and acknowledges that a student is so much more than his or her disability. As important, S-I-Ps are essential to good instructional planning. Identifying each student’s S-I-Ps should result in actionable information for educators.

For example, consider this question: “Now that I have this information, how can I use it to improve instruction for this student?” S-I-Ps, in essence, are instructional tools — they inform the selection of materials, strategies and reinforcers that result in engaging and accessible instruction.

You may enjoy this hand-picked content:

IEP Checklist for Teachers

3. Increase Parent Participation in the IEP Process

It’s important for parents to feel confident that school personnel know their child as an individual. Prior to the IEP meeting, reach out to obtain parental insights about their child and ideas they have for improving his or her school experience.

Help parents prepare for the meeting by providing them with some sentence starters. For example, “My child is really good at ______,” “My child is easily frustrated when ______,” “This would be a successful school year if my child ______.”

Seeing evidence of their input included in their child’s IEP can go a long way to support parents and increase their participation in the IEP process. Similarly, make sure parents have all the same information other team members have prior to the meeting. Prepared parents can be more engaged parents.

4. Describe How the Student’s Disability Affects Involvement and Progress in the General Education Curriculum

The essential question answered by the PLAAFP is, “How does the student’s disability affect involvement and progress in the general education curriculum?” Special education eligibility is conditioned on the student’s disability adversely affecting involvement and progress in the general education curriculum. The PLAAFP requires a description of HOW progress is affected.

[ctt template=”9″ link=”Q12aI” via=”no” ]The #IEP is the baton that gets passed from year to year; teacher to teacher.[/ctt]

For each PLAAFP statement, ask yourself, does this statement pass the “stranger test?” Could someone who does not know the student visualize the disability-related characteristics this student manifests as they function in the demands of the school environment?

When the student’s characteristics are out of alignment with the demands, there will be an adverse impact on the student’s involvement and progress. By aligning the student’s disability-related characteristics with authentic school demands, the student’s needs become apparent to the IEP Team.

5. Write Specific Statements on Academic and Functional Needs

This section of the IEP provides additional details to identify the student’s academic and functional needs. Describe the skills and behaviors the student demonstrates (“can do”) and compare them to the overall expectations (“expected to do”) with the curriculum. This gap analysis helps prioritize the student’s most urgent needs and provides the rationale for subsequent IEP goals, supports and services.

Academic needs are typically those associated with basic skill acquisition, reading, writing, oral communication and math.
Functional needs are those that affect a student’s ability to apply skills/knowledge to a range of domains, including communication, motor daily living, organization and more.

“Gap analysis helps prioritize the student’s most urgent needs and provides the rationale for subsequent IEP goals, supports and services.”

6. Establish Baseline Data to Take a Student’s Performance Temperature

With the student’s most urgent needs identified, the stage is set to select goals. Goals must be measurable and targeted — stating a specific and observable skill or behavior the student will do by the end of the IEP cycle. In other words, you’re asking yourself, “If the proposed interventions are successful, what will I see the student do in a year?”

Baseline data is important because it measures how well the student currently performs that skill before the intervention. Not to be confused with the most recent evaluations, think of baseline data as the “present tense” of the subsequent goals.

For example, if the goal is to increase a student’s time on task during independent seatwork, the baseline is how long the student is currently able to remain on task during independent seatwork. This information will help with IEP goal tracking. With this information, the team can determine the degree of change necessary for the student to reach a challenging and attainable goal.

Connecting the Dots for Each IEP

Teachers get to know their students well over time — but a well-written PLAAFP accelerates basic knowledge of a student on day 1. The IEP is the baton that gets passed from year to year; teacher to teacher. The PLAAFP paints a picture of the student so anyone receiving the baton can plan meaningful instruction for the student. It will provide teachers with the vital information they need to begin instruction and implement accommodations. Additionally, a well-written PLAAFP will show parents their child is known and valued as an individual.

Through a collaborative process, each student’s PLAAFP can elevate the IEP document from a compliant document to one that tells the right story about who each student is and what he or she needs to have a successful school year.

Looking to make the entire IEP process, including IEP goal tracking, more intuitive and less paperwork intensive for teachers in your organization? Dial down the stress levels with Frontline Special Ed & Interventions.

Dr. Jim Knight: Videotaping Lessons as Professional Development for Teachers

“Video is a central part of my own personal growth, because you need feedback to grow. You need to see where you are, you need to see where you’re trying to get to. So it’s a key part of what I do, not just professionally but personally.”

Dr. Jim Knight is widely known in the world of instructional coaching. He is president of the Instructional Coaching Group, and author of such books as The Impact Cycle: What Instructional Coaches Should Do to Foster Powerful Improvements in Teaching and High-Impact Instruction: A Framework for Great Teaching.

In 2014, he also wrote a book called Focus on Teaching: Using Video for High-Impact Instruction. Recently, he joined me for an interview about how teachers, principals, coaches and teams can all use self-produced videos of classroom lessons to advance teaching practice.

[Note: this interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.]

FRONTLINE EDUCATION: Dr. Knight, you’ve written and spoken about the use of video for high-impact instruction quite a bit. We really have to start with thinking about video itself. Why is video important for educators to consider?

JIM KNIGHT: We’ve seen the power of video in lots of other fields. You wouldn’t have a football team in America that doesn’t watch themselves on video, and lots of performing artists watch themselves on video. The reason why I think video is so important is that it provides you with a picture of reality you can’t get while you’re actually doing the job.

A hockey player, for example, might not know how out of position he is unless he sees the video, and when he sees the video he goes, “Holy smokes, I had no idea.” That’s why athletes, whether they’re in a middle school or in a university or whether they’re professional athletes watch themselves on video all the time. It’s the same thing with teachers, we’ve found…. Most people don’t have a very clear picture of what it looks like when they have conversations or when they do their work.

FRONTLINE EDUCATION: I can imagine someone saying, “I don’t think my teachers are going to be comfortable with it.”

JIM KNIGHT: Well the first thing I’d say is that they’re probably right. It is hard to watch yourself on video. We don’t like the way we look, and often we’re a little disappointed with our practice. But the way forward, the way to get better isn’t by avoiding reality, it’s by looking reality full-on. Video gives you a clearer picture of reality, and after a few times, you get used to it, and then it just becomes a tool you use.

The first time is kind of like hearing your voice for the first time on a recording to the power of ten. The way you move, what your voice sounds like — all kinds of things are a little disconcerting, but once you get used to it, you’re good.

We see it varies more by school than it does by person. In other words, if you wanted to introduce video in a school, likely either almost everybody would do it, or hardly anybody would do it. It’s not really an individual thing, it’s a culture thing. I think the issue is, if people feel psychologically safe, and they feel they can trust the people they work with, then they’re good. But if people don’t feel psychologically safe, they’re not going to open themselves up to a judgmental situation.

FRONTLINE EDUCATION: Your book discusses a number of ways that video can be used to improve teaching, by teachers themselves, by coaches, by principals and by teams. If I’m a coach, I can already observe teachers in the classroom, so what else does video bring to the table?

JIM KNIGHT: Well the trouble is that people often don’t have clear picture of current reality because of a number of different perceptual errors. I’m not just talking about teachers. We have a tendency to look for data — what’s called “confirmation bias” — that reinforces our perceptions of things. We also get used to stuff over time, what’s called “habituation.” What we think is happening and what’s really happening are often quite a bit different.

[ctt template=”9″ link=”kIZbE” via=”no” ]Videos of classroom lessons can help teachers curb habituation and confirmation bias. -Jim Knight [/ctt]

Video also allows us a chance to see things we might not see. It doesn’t have to be negative, necessarily. Sometimes a coach will video record a class, and the teacher will say, “I heard my kids talking and I couldn’t believe how supportive and encouraging they were, it was really a wonderful thing to see.” Or, “I realize when I watched the video, the kids actually understood the activity even before I started.” So sometimes they’ll see things that are good, not necessarily bad. It provides a bigger picture.

FRONTLINE EDUCATION: As you’ve spoken with teachers who have done this, what are the kinds of things that they’ve said to you that they’ve seen or come away with?

JIM KNIGHT: Sharon Thomas, who was a teacher in Maryland, she now works with us. She said when she watches it, it’s like the MacGuffin effect in Hitchcock movies. She always sits down expecting to see one thing and she’s looking for that one thing, but then as she watches the video, it always ends up being something else than what she thought. And I’ve heard that from other people too, that their expectation of what they’re going to see in the video, and what they really see, is quite a bit different.

FRONTLINE EDUCATION: What are the biggest hurdles that schools and districts face in using video to support improvements in practice?

JIM KNIGHT: The biggest hurdle is the culture of the school…. If [as a teacher] I know they’ve got my best interest at heart, it’s going to be pretty easy for me to agree, but if I’m not sure of that, I’m going to hesitate. I’d say it’s really important to create a culture where that’s going to happen.

A second thing is not just psychological safety. Sometimes there’s a culture of talk versus a culture of action — we do workshops all the time, and we talk about evaluation, and we do school improvement but nothing really changes. When you use video, the moment you push the red button on your phone or tablet, you move from a culture of talk to a culture of action. Once you look at the video, something has to happen, and in some systems it’s counter-cultural to actually be working on really doing things.

[ctt template=”9″ link=”daK8b” via=”no” ]Jim Knight: “When you use video [for teachers to self-reflect on classroom lessons], you move from a culture of talk to a culture of action.” [/ctt]

FRONTLINE EDUCATION: Is there anything else you’d add?

JIM KNIGHT: There’s a kind of a paradox at the heart of all of this: to live a fulfilling life, you have to be getting better. If you just stay the same all the time, something kind of shrivels up inside you. You impoverish your life if you don’t grow and learn. That’s why there are so many self-help books. To get better you have to face reality, and that can be painful, so the initial experience of getting better doesn’t seem like it’s nourishing your well-being at all. But you’re not going to get to the point of feeling like you’re really improving and growing unless you look at reality. So ironically, to get better you have to feel worse first. You have to learn where you are.

Right now, I’m trying to get in shape so I can run more, and that means I have to lose weight and I have to look at the scales every day and go, “Oh, I never should’ve had those chips and salsa.” I have to see reality every day and maybe it’s a little painful, but to get better you have to see it, and that’s a really interesting dynamic about the use of video.

Sometimes people would rather not see reality because it hurts too much to look at reality. But in the long run, to really feel fulfilled they have to be getting better.

This was just a small excerpt from a longer interview. Listen to the entire interview above, or subscribe to the podcast..

Explore by ROLE

frontline resources

MEET FRONTLINE

Undefined Cultural Fit and Bias Often Go Hand-in-Hand

Is There Room for Cultural Fit in Teacher Hiring?

You may enjoy this hand-picked content:

Consider Cultural Adds

What Are the Biggest Challenges in Special Education?

Unrelenting Paperwork

Behavior and Discipline Issues

All the Regulation Changes

Key Takeaway: Focus on What Inspires You

References

What belongs in a professional development program evaluation report?

The most comprehensive form of an evaluation report might include all the details:

Match the report to the audience.

Creating evaluation reports to meet the needs of specific audiences involves three key steps:

Consider multiple forms of a report.

Do you have an audience who needs:

You may enjoy this hand-picked content:

Beware TL;DR.

Think outside of the document.

Here are just a few alternatives to written reports or presentations:

Make it visual.

Program evaluation is essential.

1. Recognize the Characteristics of Dyslexia

2. Keep it Legal: State & Federal Dyslexia Law

You may enjoy this hand-picked content:

3. Individualize Support

4. Gather the Right Data

5. Encourage Self-Advocation

6. Challenge Misconceptions

7. Plan Data-based Accommodations & Progress Monitoring

In Summary: Success Takes Perseverance

What is Data Analysis?

You may enjoy this hand-picked content:

Summarizing the Data

Choosing the Right Statistic to Report

Example Insight: Half of the participants in this professional learning activity were novice teachers, which can be used to inform future decisions about professional development.

Descriptive Statistics Have Limits

Qualitative Data Analysis

Interpreting the Data

What About Statistical Significance?

What If I Have a Small Sample?

Putting People First

Seeing Positive Results

99%

150

100%

Looking Forward

Unique Challenges Faced by Special Education Teachers

5 Ways School Leaders Can Reduce Burnout in Special Educators

1. Emotional Intelligence

2. Teacher Surveys

3. Examining Data

4. Proactive Teamwork

5. Role-based Training for Paraprofessionals

Key Learning: An Inclusive Work Environment & Clear Expectations Reduce Burnout in Special Education Teachers

Surveys

Interviews

Focus Groups

Observations

A Few Recommended Practices

Next Up In the Series:

Step 1: Gather Hiring Data

Step 2: Ask the Right Questions

New Hires & Applicant Pools

The Hiring Timeline

The Hiring Experience

Step 3: Set Preliminary Goals and Actions

Step 4: Track Your Progress

1. Use Multiple Sources of Data to Build Comprehensive IEPs

2. Focus on Student Strengths, Interests and Preferences

You may enjoy this hand-picked content:

3. Increase Parent Participation in the IEP Process

4. Describe How the Student’s Disability Affects Involvement and Progress in the General Education Curriculum

5. Write Specific Statements on Academic and Functional Needs

6. Establish Baseline Data to Take a Student’s Performance Temperature

Connecting the Dots for Each IEP

“Video is a central part of my own personal growth, because you need feedback to grow. You need to see where you are, you need to see where you’re trying to get to. So it’s a key part of what I do, not just professionally but personally.”