Collaborative Strategic Decision-Making

25 Industrial Park Road, Middletown, CT 06457-1520 · (860) 632-1485 Connecticut State Department of Education · Division of Educational Programs and Services Collaborative Strategic Decision-Making Developing Effective Learning Communities

The Layout of Professional Development for EIP • Day 1 -Collaborative Strategic Decision-Making • Developing a process and framework • Day 2 -Assessment and Reflective Practice • Examining the use of assessment • Identifying how reflective practice works • Day 3 -Instructional Repertoire • Building new ways to develop strategies focused on improved student outcomes

Training Provide direct instruction on EIP components Build a foundation of skills Dialogue about the implementation of EIP from both a school and district perspective Technical Assistance Provide guided practice with EIP components Apply skills within the context of your school and district Provide direct assistance in building the capacity to expand EIP school-wide and district-wide Training vs. Technical Assistance

Central Themes • Building a Collaborative Learning Community • Using Strategic Decision-Making • Building Capacity to Develop, Implement and Sustain an Effective Process

Objectives for Today • To define an overall climate of collaboration among staff, families, and students that will lead to improved student success; and • To develop a strategic decision-making process that will drive high quality instructional practices focused on outcomes for ALL students.

Where To Begin? Initiating EIP within Your School and District

Are You a Leader of Change? • "Only by changing how we think can we change deeply embedded policies and practices. Only by changing how we interact can shared visions, shared understandings and new capacities for coordinated action be established.“ Peter Senge

The Leadership Team • The responsibilities of the leadership team are: • Identifying the need, rationale and purpose for implementing EIP • How will EIP enhance the current practice and organizational structures in order to improve the instruction for ALL students?

The Leadership Team • The responsibilities of the leadership team are: • Advocate for the development of the process and seek a buy-in period from others through • Open communication • Seeking input • Marketing actions as a “pilot” that is able to be adjusted

The Leadership Team • The responsibilities of the leadership team are: • Create a professional development plan that will teach all school and district personnel: • The content of EIP components • The process of how EIP will be implemented

School Capacity • School Capacity - The collective power of the full staff to improve student achievement school-wide. • “…Student achievement is affected most directly by the quality of instruction. Instruction in turn is affected by school policy or programs on a variety of issues.” Newmann, King, & Young (2000)

Culture & Climate Policy Structures Practices Core Values & Philosophy

Community District School Grade Level Classroom Student

Let’s Dialogue… • How might your school develop collective responsibility for increasing the achievement of all students?

Let’s Dialogue… • What does the term early intervention mean to you?

Intensive 1-7% (Specialized/Individual Support System) Individual Support Intervention 5-15% (At-Risk System, Supplemental, Small Groups) Universal 80-90% (District, School-Wide, & Classroom Systems) School-Wide Continuum of Support EIP Special Education/504 All Students in School (Adapted from Ortiz, 1987; Horner, 1998; Sugai, 2001)

Let’s Reflect… • Does this look like your school? • Why or why not?

Components of EIP • Leadership • Collegial Support & Family Partnerships • Strategic Decision-Making • Assessment & Reflective Practice • Instructional Repertoire • Accountability & Documentation

Consultation Collaboration Collegial Support & Family Partnerships Our Learning Community Culture

Lessons Learned • Early intervention is a philosophy focused on collective responsibility that should be part of a whole school culture, not particular to a core team. • Families are an integral part of the whole school culture.

“Collaboration is the essential element of effective instructional support.” (Kovaleski, Tucker, & Stevens, 1996)

Definition of Collaboration “Collaboration an interactive process that enables people with diverse expertise to generate creative solutions to mutually defined problems.” (Idol, Nevin, Paolucci-Whitcomb, 1994)

What Does it Look Like? • Elements of Collaboration: • Examine student(s) needs, including consideration of cultural and linguistic background; • Facilitate decision-making in the school setting; • Promote classroom alternatives as first interventions for all students; • Provide support for classroom teachers; • Assist in designing and implementing instructional change; and • Share skills, resources, ideas, and materials with colleagues. (Adapted from Dettmer, Dyck, & Thurston, 1996)

Continuum Consultation Collaboration Coaching Grade Level Teams Peer Coaching Mentoring Specific Expertise Crisis Support Co-teaching Parent-Teacher Communication Parent Expertise of Child S. Gerber

Crisis Support Consulting: Objectivity Enhancement (individual) Consultation Consulting: Focus (individual) Consulting: Prescriptive (team or individual) Mentoring Peer Coaching Co-teaching Coordinating & Co-planning Instruction (with colleague or team) Collaboration Collaboration, Communication/Listening Information Delivery, Learning Styles Building a Staff Support Structure Stuart Gerber

“Expert” Assistance Consultation Specialized Support Mentoring/Modeling Shared Leadership Co-teaching Parity Peer-Coaching Collaboration Reflective Practice Collegial Climate Communication Skills Collective Responsibility Collegial Support All Students in School (Adapted from Ortiz, 1987; Horner, 1998; Sugai, 2001)

Portraits of Early Intervention • School-wide options can include… • Core Team • Grade Level Teams • Primary & Intermediate Core Teams • Cross Grade Level Core Teams • Case Partner and Classroom Teacher • Ad Hoc Teams (based on student needs) • Family Partnerships

Parental Involvement Definition • Participation of parents in regular, two-way, and meaningful communication involving student academic learning and other school activities ensuring– • That parents play an integral role in assisting their child’s learning; • That parents are encouraged to be actively involved in their child’s education at school; • That parents are full partners in their child’s education and are included, as appropriate, in decision making and on advisory committees to assist in the education of their child

Specialized Assistance Specific Assistance Specialized Support Parent to Parent Support Shared Decision-Making Parent to Parent Partnerships Partnerships Community Partnerships Volunteer Programs Collective Responsibility Communication & Information Sharing Family Partnerships All Students in School (Horner, 1998)

Current Practice • Dialogue with your team… • What team structures do you currently use and how well are they working? • To what degree are families actively involved within the school community?

Specialized Strategies Universal Practices Strategic Decision-Making Our Framework for Operation

Strategic Decision-Making… • Utilizing a systematic, purposeful process to make evidence-based decisions that focus on student achievement and take into account the full context of the school setting: • Curriculum • Environment • Instruction • Student(s)

Reactive Preventative Proactive Problem Solving Past Decision Making Future Present Decision Making vs. Problem Solving EIP C. Torres & D. Fairbanks,The ASTD Trainer’s Sourcebook

Perception of an Issue Action Action Data to Verify What Makes it Strategic? Data Driven Action From To Perception of an Issue Based on SWIS

Decision Making Decision Making Problem Solving Problem Solving A Paradigm Shift From To Reactive Proactive

Intensive Interventions & Monitoring Specialized Strategies In-Depth Analysis Interventions & Monitoring Data-Driven Implementation Integrity Universal Practices Monitoring of Student Progress School-Climate & Behavior Instructional Practice Strategic Decision-Making All Students in School (Adapted from Ortiz, 1987; Horner, 1998; Sugai, 2001)

Strategic Decision-Making • Strategic decision-making is the framework for providing positive outcomes for ALL students. • Strategic decision-making drives changes in instruction in order to effectively meet students’ needs. • There are various kinds of strategic decision-making steps/processes/protocols.

Indicators of Strategic Decision-Making • Identify the focus area for improvement • Determine the desired outcome • Generate alternative strategies • Examine strategies for impact & feasibility • Develop a plan of action that includes a monitoring system • Implement the plan & monitor student progress • Evaluate student progress & the plan

Example • Clarify values • Envision desired state • Anticipate challenges • Identify and test various approaches • Decide outcome criteria, timeline and monitoring process • Implement and monitor the plan • Evaluate the plan Adapted from Garmston and Wellman

Example • Problem identification • Defining the concern • Baseline data-Current level of performance • Problem validation-Is this a real problem or a perception of a problem? • Problem analysis-Why is the problem occurring? • Plan implementation • Goal setting • Selection of strategy and writing the plan • Determine benchmarks of accomplishment • Program evaluation • Monitoring the implementation integrity of the plan • Monitoring and evaluating student progress • Decision-making of next steps Adapted from Heartland Area Education Agency

Example • Problem identification and analysis • Goal setting • Intervention planning • Intervention implementation • Resolution/termination Rosenfield & Gravois

Example • Identify the issues of concern (These are symptoms) • Prioritize the symptoms (What you would like to change?) • Gather information about the problem situation • Identify the real problem • Record baseline data • Set objectives for problem solving • Develop an intervention plan to meet the objectives • Monitor the implementation of the plan with observations and data recording. Modify the plan as necessary. • Evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention by comparing baseline and outcome data. S. Gerber, SCSU

Example • Develop an awareness of change and/or a need for change • Establish new and/or redefine exiting goals • Identify and define problems and change contexts • Select and analyze a priority problem and its change context • Derive performance requirements for problem resolution • Select and/or generate alternative solution methods and strategies • Test and verify feasibility and practically of solution methods and strategies • Select and implement priority solution method and strategy • Evaluate performance effectiveness of solution method and strategy T. Sergiovanni & F. Carver

Example • Gather information, identify focused concern and collect data • Determine objective(s) • Generate strategies/solutions • Develop and implement plan • Monitor progress and evaluate

Making a Selection • Which decision-making process do you currently use or would like to use? • Select one in order to do the following work.

Worksheet for Developing a Strategic Decision-MakingProcess

Indicators of a Strategic Decision-Making Process • Identify the focus area for improvement • Determine the desired outcome • Generate alternative strategies • Examine strategies for impact & feasibility • Develop a plan of action that includes a monitoring system • Implement the plan & monitor student progress • Evaluate student progress & the plan

Identify the Focus Area for Improvement What is happening? • Frame a question in terms of the impact on student learning • Examine the context by collecting and analyzing data • Develop a hypothesis to define a central area of focus

Frame a Question • Frame a question in terms of the impact on student learning • Frames our thinking in terms of inquiry vs. judging • Aligns our thinking to student learning

Collaborative Strategic Decision-Making