A New Approach to Continuous Improvement

1. Assessment as Action Research A New Approach to Continuous Improvement

2. Why Continuous Improvement? “Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.” -Vincent Van Gogh “Perfection is not attainable. But if we chase perfection, we can catch excellence.” -Vince Lombardi

3. CAEP Standard 5 5.3 The provider regularly and systematically assesses performance against its goals and relevant standards, tracks results over time, tests innovations and the effects of selection criteria on subsequent progress and completion, and uses results to improve program elements and processes. 5.4 Measures of completer impact, including available outcome data on P-12 student growth, are summarized, externally benchmarked, analyzed, shared widely, and acted upon in decision-making related to programs, resource allocation, and future direction. 5.5

4. CAEP Standard 5 5.5 The provider assures that appropriate stakeholders, including alumni, employers, practitioners, school and community partners, and others defined by the provider, are involved in program evaluation, improvement, and identification of models of excellence.

5. CAEP Focus on Continuous Improvement Continuous improvement: An organizational process through which data are collected on all aspects of a provider’s activities; analyzed to determine patterns, trends, and progress; and used to define changes for the purpose of improving the quality of programs, faculty, candidates, policies, procedures, and practices of educator preparation. -CAEP Glossary

6. Think-Pair-Share Why is demonstrable student learning improvement so rare in higher education and how can CAEP Standard 5 help alleviate this issue? (Banta, Jones, & Black, 2009; Banta & Blaich, 2011; Fulcher, Good, Coleman, & Smith, 2014; Smith, Good, Fulcher, & Sanchez, 2015)

7. Our “OLD” Process for Continuous Improvement • Continuous Improvement Log (CIL) • Document that faculty submitted once a year: • Describe changes made to program • Data sources used to inform change • Findings in data that precipitated change • People involved in making decision • Date of change • Begin with change, follow with data • No feedback or CIL-focused support provided ISSUES: Treated as compliance exercise Not clearly aligned with factors faculty intrinsically value

8. What is Action Research? “systematic inquiry by practitioners about their own practices” (Zeichner, 1993, p. 200) • type of research that is frequently taught in teacher education programs • fosters systematic inquiry as a part of classroom teacher practice • used by teacher education faculty as a way of studying the practice of teacher education

9. Our “NEW” Process for Continuous Improvement • Continuous Improvement Log (CIL) • Document with bi-annual check points: • Start with faculty-articulated student learning improvement Research Question (RQ) • Describe data sources • Findings in “baseline” data related to RQ • Curricular/pedagogical changes made- given findings in data • Program Theory • Findings from “follow-up” data- were changes effective?

10. Our “NEW” Process for Continuous Improvement (cont.) • Begin with data to inform changes • Feedback & CIL-focused support provided biannually • All housed in box • Shared with multiple program faculty (not just Coordinator or Chair) • One space to house data, CIL, and CIL feedback

11. How does NEW CIL align to Action Research? • Allows faculty to focus improvement efforts on what they want to know about their students’ learning • Reframes process as research • More systematic and data-driven • Practitioners (e.g., faculty) studying their own practices (e.g., their curricula, pedagogies)

12. Compare and Contrast Old/New Processes • Form small teams (2-4 people) • Review Program X’s old and new CILs and their data • Compare/contrast the old CIL to the new CIL • Share out one take-away with larger group

13. Our “NEW” VS. “OLD” Process for Continuous Improvement

14. Our “NEW” VS. “OLD” Process for Continuous Improvement

15. Our “NEW” VS. “OLD” Process for Continuous Improvement

16. Our “NEW” VS. “OLD” Process for Continuous Improvement Feedback

17. Practice applying process • Individually or in groups • Choose a program from your home institution • Practice going through the CIL process for that program

18. Wrap up What is one advantage of approaching continuous improvement from an action research oriented perspective?

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20. References Banta, T. W., Jones, E. A., & Black, K. E. (2009). Designing effective assessment: Principles and profiles of good practice. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Banta, T. W. & Blaich, C. (2011). Closing the Assessment Loop, Change: The Magazine of Higher Learning, 43(1), 22-27. Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP). (2013a). CAEP accreditation standards. Washington, DC. Fulcher, K. H., Good, M. R., Coleman, C. M., & Smith, K. L. (2014, December). A simple model for learning improvement: Weigh pig, feed pig, weigh pig. (Occasional Paper No. 23). Urbana, Il: University of Illinois and Indiana University, National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment. Smith, K. L., Good, M. R., Sanchez, E. H., & Fulcher, K. H. (2015). Communication is key: Unpacking use of assessment results to improve student learning. Research and Practice in Assessment, 10,15-29. Zeichner, K. M. (1993). Action research: Personal renewal and social reconstruction, Educational Action Research, 1(2), 199-219.