Office of School Quality Division of Teaching and Learning Quality Review Record Book 2015-2016 Carmen Fariña, Chancellor Phil Weinberg, Deputy Chancellor, Teaching and Learning Jacqueline Gonzalez, Executive Director, Office of School Quality qualityreview@schools.nyc.gov School Name DBN Date of Review Reviewer(s)
Table of Contents Section Page Introduction 3 Pre-review Preparation 4 First Contact with Principal and Site Schedule 7 Meeting with the Leadership 9 Instructional Core (1.1, 1.2, 2.2) 9 School Culture (1.4, 3.4) 17 Systems for Improvement (1.3, 3.1, 4.1, 4.2, 5.1) 22 Meeting with Teacher Teams 34 Meeting with Students: Small Group 42 Meeting with Students: Large Group 45 Meeting with Parents 49 Pre-Classroom Visits: Discussion with Teachers 52 Classroom Visits 54 Additional Evidence 79 Debrief: Mid-day Suggested Protocol 80 Debrief: End of Day Suggested Protocol 82 Feedback Conference 84 Appendix A: Guidance for Review of Curricular Documents 89 Quality Review Record Book 2
Introduction The 2015-2016 Quality Review Record Book is used by reviewers to document findings and evidence gathered throughout the review process. Completed Record Books may also play an important role during the quality assurance and/or appeal process following a school visit. Reviewers are expected to record: Pre-review key questions and observations, including evaluative summary comments about pre-review materials Alignment and/or contradiction of evidence from multiple sources Sources of evidence to support conclusions A summary of evidence to be included in the report Evidence of impact of implemented practices/decisions on the school community (student, teacher, school leaders, etc.) What the school does well in the form of an the Area of Celebration (AoC), an Area of Focus (AoF), and a copy of the preliminary feedback document delivered to the school Responses from school leadership and/or representative of field or central support personnel (e.g., leadership coach/mentor, District/Borough staff, Affinity/partner organization staff member) Please ensure that information is organized and legible as it may be considered during the quality assurance and/or appeal process. This version of the Record Book includes sample questions as guidance for reviewers to begin gathering evidence for each sub-indicator of the Quality Review rubric. These questions are not intended to be comprehensive; reviewers are expected to ask additional questions as appropriate during the Quality Review process. Reviewers should refer to the Guidance for Completing the Record Book section in the 2015-2016 Reviewer s Handbook for additional guidance around how to use and complete the Record Book. All reviewers must maintain completed Record Books on file for up to one year following the publication of the QR report, as it may be needed by the Office of School Quality to respond to issues that arise during the quality assurance and/or appeals process. When discarding Record Books, please be sure to shred any sensitive identifying information such as SSNs or HR documents. Original school documents and artifacts are to be returned by the reviewer to the school following the publication of the QR report, as appropriate. Quality Review Record Book 3
Pre-Review Preparation (Optional) As you analyze data prior to the review, please record the key issues and points of interest (relating specifically to the Quality Review criteria) that will determine what you will focus on for this review. The following documents may be reviewed and analyzed prior to each visit to help in creating data trails: The previous Quality Review report, School Survey, CEP, School Quality Reports, school demographics, School Self-Evaluation, and any other information, including the initial phone call with the school. Document Reviewed E.g., SSEF Data Trail E.g., Teachers use common planning time to analyze student work and develop unit plans. Question(s) E.g., Please describe your expectations for structured collaborations such as teacher teams. What is the intended and real impact of their work on instruction and student outcomes? Who/When (People and/or venues for gathering evidence) E.g., Principal and leadership (AP, teacher team leaders), teachers; teacher team mtgs., principal mtg. Related Quality Indicator(s) E.g.,2.2, 4.2 Quality Review Record Book 4
Pre-review Preparation (continued) Document Reviewed E.g., SSEF Data Trail E.g., Teachers use common planning time to analyze student work and develop unit plans. Question(s) E.g., Please describe your expectations for structured collaborations such as teacher teams. What is the intended and real impact of their work on instruction and student outcomes? Who/When (People and/or venues for gathering evidence) E.g., Principal and leadership (AP, teacher team leaders), teachers; teacher team mtgs., principal mtg. Related Quality Indicator(s) E.g., 2.2, 4.2 Quality Review Record Book 5
Pre-review Preparation (continued) Document Reviewed E.g., SSEF Data Trail E.g., Teachers use common planning time to analyze student work and develop unit plans. Question(s) E.g., Please describe your expectations for structured collaborations such as teacher teams. What is the intended and real impact of their work on instruction and student outcomes? Who/When (People and/or venues for gathering evidence) E.g., Principal and leadership (AP, teacher team leaders), teachers; teacher team mtgs., principal mtg. Related Quality Indicator(s) E.g., 2.2, 4.2 Quality Review Record Book 6
First Contact with Principal and Site Schedule First Contact with Principal It is expected that the reviewer will contact the principal at least 10 days before the first day of the site visit. The reviewer has the option of contacting the principal either via emailil or phone. The following should be addressed during the initial communication: Site Schedule 1. The reviewer introduces him/herself, providing the principal with a brief summary of pedagogical/reviewer experience. 2. The reviewer asks a few clarifying questions regarding the content of the school s SSEF. Reviewer can request additional information such as organizational chart and class/prep schedule, if s/he does not already have it. 3. The reviewer and principal establish the school site visit schedule (not inclusive of selection of specific classes or students, etc.), and principal commits to emaililing reviewer a final version of the Quality Review schedule and a teacher prep schedule. 4. The reviewer answers the principal s questions regarding process and protocols and refers the principal to the Quality Review Principal s Guide for further information. 5. The reviewer suggests a time for a follow-up call/contact with principal to confirm final details of visit. The chart below indicates required and optional events at each review. Please make scheduling decisions and considerations accordingly. The Record Book includes note-taking sections for documenting evidence gathered from the following meetings, class visitations, and other activities: Required Events for All Reviews Optional Events At reviewer s discretion, in consultation with principal Meetings with principal Two teacher team meetings Student group meeting Parent meeting, exclusive of parent coordinator Classroom Visits* 7-9 in schools with <1,500 students 12-14 in D75 schools and schools with 1,500+ students Document review Reviewer reflection time Two principal debrief sessions, mid-day and end of day Feedback conference Site tour Observation of the end of the school day (dismissal) Observation of extended day/after school activities Additional teacher team meetings *The reviewer and principal may schedule opportunities for conversations to occur between classroom teachers and the reviewer prior to the actual classroom visits. The pre-visit teacher/reviewer exchange is to provide context for the classroom visits. It is expected that reviewers will visit classrooms with a school leader and debrief each visit for a few minutes. The first set of classrooms (4-6) is selected by the reviewer and the second set (2-3) is selected by the principal. Quality Review Record Book 7
Pre-review Communication(s) with Principal Notes Quality Review Record Book 8
Meeting with Leadership Instructional Core To what extent do school leaders and faculty regularly: 1.1* Ensure engaging, rigorous, and coherent curricula in all subjects, accessible for a variety of learners and aligned to Common Core Learning Standards and/or content standards? 1.1 a) School leaders and faculty ensure that curricula are aligned to CCLS and/or content standards, integrate the instructional shifts, and make purposeful decisions to build coherence and promote college and career readiness for all students What curricula are you using in each subject area and grade level, and how did you arrive at those choices? What key decisions have you made to support your faculty in implementing CCLS-aligned curricula? How do those decisions take into consideration the needs of students and teachers? What is your school s approach to integrating the instructional shifts and college and career readiness skills? How have you leveraged capacity in your school to engage in the curricular implementation work this year? What adjustments have you made to the curricular materials you are using to build coherence? Reviewer s questions/data trails: School s response: 1.1 b) Curricula and academic tasks consistently emphasize rigorous habits and higher-order skills across grades and subjects and for ELLs and SWDs What is your school s approach to promoting higher-order thinking skills across grades/subjects? What processes do you have in place to ensure vertical and horizontal curriculum alignment and coherence? Describe a typical school project or classroom activity designed to promote thinking skills for ALL students across grade levels. What specific aspects of the curricula and academic tasks ensure higher-level thinking for ELLs and SWDs? Reviewer s questions/data trails: School s response: Quality Review Record Book 9
1.1 c) Curricula and academic tasks are planned and refined using student work and data so that a diversity of learners, including ELLs and SWDs, have access to the curricula and tasks and are cognitively engaged What structures and resources do you provide so that teachers are able to refine curricular materials to ensure that all learners have access to the content and learning activities? Describe how student work and data are used to inform the adjustments to units of instruction to challenge and engage a diversity of learners. Give an example of the impact of this process using a specific unit/task. Reviewer s questions/data trails: School s response: 1.1 Additional Notes/Evidence Quality Review Record Book 10
Review of Curricular Documents Use this space to record trends gathered from your review of curricular documents. See 2015-2016 Guidance for Review of Curricular Documents in Appendix A. Quality Review Record Book 11
Meeting with Leadership Instructional Core To what extent do school leaders and faculty regularly: 1.2* Develop teacher pedagogy from a coherent set of beliefs about how students learn best that is informed by the instructional shifts and Danielson Framework for Teaching, aligned to the curricula, engaging, and meets the needs of all learners so that all students produce meaningful work products? 1.2 a) Across classrooms, teaching practices are aligned to the curricula and reflect an articulated set of beliefs about how students learn best that is informed by the Danielson Framework for Teaching and the instructional shifts What are the school s core beliefs about student learning and how are those beliefs reflected across classrooms? Looking at the curriculum, academic tasks, student work and going into classrooms, what common pedagogical approaches and strategies will I see that reflect your common beliefs? Provide an example of how teaching strategies align to the curricula and your beliefs as well as to the Danielson Framework for Teaching. Reviewer s questions/data trails: School s response: 1.2 b) Across classrooms, teaching strategies (including questioning, scaffolds in English and/or native language where appropriate, and routines) consistently provide multiple entry points into the curricula so that all learners, including ELLs and SWDs, are engaged in appropriately challenging tasks and demonstrate higher-order thinking skills in student work products What are some key instructional strategies you have been promoting across classrooms? Please describe an example of how your teachers use questioning, scaffolds or other routines to engage all learners. Reviewer s questions/data trails: School s response: Quality Review Record Book 12
1.2 c) Across classrooms, student work products and discussions reflect high levels of student thinking and participation Provide an example of how student work products and discussion demonstrate thinking, participation, and ownership across classrooms. What processes do you have in place to support teachers in analyzing student work and making effective instructional modifications? How do you build teacher capacity to promote rigorous high-level discussions and tasks? Reviewer s questions/data trails: School s response: 1.2 Additional Notes/Evidence Quality Review Record Book 13
Meeting with Leadership Instructional Core To what extent do school leaders and faculty regularly: 2.2* Align assessments to curricula, use ongoing assessment and grading practices, and analyze information on student learning outcomes to adjust instructional decisions at the team and classroom levels? 2.2 a) Across classrooms, teachers use or create assessments, rubrics, and grading policies that are aligned with the school s key standards and curricula, thus providing actionable feedback to students and teachers regarding student achievement What key decisions have you made about assessments for this year and how do assessment strategies align to your instructional goals? What are some examples of what assessment data has revealed? How have you strategically used the data to make effective adjustments? What information do your assessments provide and how is it used to provide feedback to students and teachers? How have you used assessment results to drive adjustments to curriculum and instruction? What is the school s grading policy and how is it aligned with the use of assessment? Reviewer s questions/data trails: School s response: 2.2 b) The school uses common assessments to determine student progress toward goals across grades and subject areas and the results are used to adjust curriculum and instruction How do you ensure that common assessments are aligned to instructional goals? How do you check for student growth toward your school goals? How do you use common assessments to determine student progress? How do you ensure that teachers effectively adjust curriculum and instruction based on common assessment results? What classroom-level data are used to determine individual student needs and progress? Reviewer s questions/data trails: School s response: Quality Review Record Book 14
2.2 c) Across classrooms, teachers assessment practices consistently reflect the use of ongoing checks for understanding and student self-assessment so that teachers make effective adjustments to meet all students learning needs How are teachers using the results of checks for understanding and self-assessment to adjust instruction? Give an example. What is the impact of this process to date? What strategies or tools do your teachers utilize to adjust their instruction to meet all students learning needs? How do teachers check for understanding? How do they create structures for students to self-asses and reflect on their progress? What is the impact of such assessments? Reviewer s questions/data trails: School s response: 2.2 Additional Notes/Evidence Quality Review Record Book 15
Reflection page Instructional Core Use this page to surface preliminary strengths and development areas related to the school s instructional core based on the interview with school leadership. Include evidence relating to 1.1, 1.2, and 2.2 Strengths/Evidence of Impact Development Areas Quality Review Record Book 16
Meeting with Leadership School Culture To what extent do school leaders and faculty regularly: 1.4 Maintain a culture of mutual trust and positive attitudes that support the academic and personal growth of students and adults? 1.4 a) The school s approach to culture building, discipline, and social-emotional support results in a safe environment and inclusive culture that is conducive to student and adult learning; students and adults treat each other respectfully, and student voice is welcome and valued How do you build a safe and inclusive school culture? What key strategies have you implemented for discipline and social-emotional support? In what ways do you promote student voice? Give an example of student involvement in decision making. Reviewer s questions/data trails: School s response: 1.4 b) Structures are in place to ensure that each student is known well by at least one adult who helps to coordinate attendance, social-emotional learning, child/youth development services, and guidance/advisement supports that align with student learning needs How have you organized so that student services are well coordinated and aligned to students needs? Can you give an example of how these services impact student growth? What structures are in place to ensure that students needs are known and addressed? How has the school coordinated a student support system that addresses attendance, social-emotional learning, and guidance/advisement? How have these systems improved the academic and personal growth of the students in your school? Can you show evidence? Reviewer s questions/data trails: School s response: Quality Review Record Book 17
1.4 c) The school community aligns professional development, family outreach, and student learning experiences and supports to promote the adoption of effective academic and personal behaviors How have you built staff capacity to meet the social-emotional needs of students in and out of the classroom? How do you support your teachers through PD? What is the school s focus on promoting effective academic and personal behaviors for students and adults? What does family outreach focused on the needs of students look and sound like? Reviewer s questions/data trails: School s response: 1.4 Additional Notes/Evidence Quality Review Record Book 18
Meeting with Leadership School Culture To what extent do school leaders and faculty regularly: 3.4* Establish a culture for learning that communicates high expectations to staff, students and families, and provide supports to achieve them? 3.4 a) School leaders consistently communicate high expectations (professionalism, instruction, communication, and other elements of the Danielson Framework for Teaching) to the entire staff and provide training and have a system of accountability for those expectations How have you communicated the expectations for teaching and learning to the staff? What professional development do you have in place to support the expectations of the Danielson Framework for Teaching? How do you hold staff accountable for those expectations? Reviewer s questions/data trails: School s response: 3.4 b) School leaders and staff consistently communicate expectations that are connected to a path for college and career readiness and offer ongoing feedback to help families understand student progress toward those expectations What do practices connected to college and career readiness look and sound like across classrooms? How do you keep families informed of their child s progress towards those expectations? Can you identify one or two high-leverage college and career readiness practices you are currently implementing? How do those practices impact student progress? Reviewer s questions/data trails: School s response: Quality Review Record Book 19
3.4 c) Teacher teams and staff establish a culture for learning that consistently communicates high expectations for all students and offer ongoing and detailed feedback and guidance/advisement supports that prepare students for the next level How do you ensure that teachers provide ongoing feedback to students regarding their progress? How does the school provide guidance/advisement and ongoing feedback to students in support of preparing them for the next level? What does the articulation process look/sound like for the next grade level (elementary, middle, high school, college, career)? Reviewer s questions/data trails: School s response: 3.4 Additional Notes/Evidence Quality Review Record Book 20
Reflection Page School Culture Use this page to surface preliminary strengths and development areas for the school s culture, based on the interview with school leadership. Include evidence relating to 1.4 and 3.4. Strengths/Evidence of Impact Development Areas Quality Review Record Book 21
Meeting with Leadership Systems for Improvement To what extent do school leaders and faculty regularly: 1.3 Make strategic organizational decisions to support the school s instructional goals and meet student-learning needs as evidenced by meaningful student work products? 1.3 a) The use of resources (e.g., budget, space, technology, coaches, partnerships) and other organizational decisions are aligned to and support the school s instructional goals, as evident in meaningful student work products How do your budgetary decisions reflect your school s values and instructional goals/needs? Can you provide a couple of key examples? Tell me about how you use your resources to support your instructional goals? (Targeting alignment of resources to instructional goals; CEP goals and action plan pages, technology plan or description of technology vision) How have you gotten your faculty on the same page about the value and effective use of teacher meeting time? Reviewer s questions/data trails: School s response: 1.3 b) The use of staff and student time is structured such that teams meet regularly (at least weekly) and effectively; teachers professional responsibilities are aligned with the school s instructional goals with a conscious effort to focus teacher time on instructional work, thus improving instruction and engaging students in challenging academic tasks? How have you structured team meetings to yield instructional improvements? What factors do you consider when creating staff and student schedules? How do you know your decisions are improving instruction and engaging students in challenging academic tasks? Reviewer s questions/data trails: School s response: Quality Review Record Book 22
1.3 c) Hiring practices, teacher assignments (e.g., teacher total student load, effective teachers placed to close the achievement gap), and student program groupings and interventions, including those for ELLs and SWDs, effectively support access to learning opportunities that lead to college and career readiness How are hiring decisions made? Tell me about some of the recent hires at your school. How did you come to those decisions? In what ways are they are a good match? Why? How are teacher assignments and student groupings determined? How do teacher share responsibility for student learning goals? What kinds of student groupings and interventions are in place to meet the needs of ELLs and SWDs and ensure the closing of the achievement gap? Reviewer s questions/data trails: School s response: 1.3 Additional Notes/Evidence Quality Review Record Book 23
Meeting with Leadership Systems for Improvement To what extent do school leaders and faculty regularly: 3.1 Establish a coherent vision of school improvement that is reflected in a short list of focused, data-based goals that are tracked for progress and are understood and supported by the entire school community? 3.1 a) There is a short list of clear, focused school-level goals and action plans (long-term, annual and interim) apparent in the CEP and other planning documents; those goals are tracked for progress and adjusted to drive efforts to accelerate student learning and foster social-emotional growth What are your goals this year? How do they connect to your vision for school improvement? How do you ensure that goal setting and action planning are collaborative? What interim checkpoints have been established to check progress towards these goals? What systems do you have in place to track and adjust student progress toward these goals in order to accelerate student learning and foster social-emotional growth? From your monitoring of these goals, where are you with attaining them? How do you know? Reviewer s questions/data trails: School s response: 3.1 b) Goal-setting and effective action planning at the school level, including professional development planning, are informed by a comprehensive, data-driven needs assessment and ongoing data gathering and analysis that improves teacher practice across classrooms How did you arrive at these goals and action plans? What informed these decisions? What types of data do you gather and analyze to revise action plans? How do you use data analysis results to improve teacher practices and student outcomes across classrooms? Give an example of this process using a specific goal and action plan. Reviewer s questions/data trails: School s response: Quality Review Record Book 24
3.1 c) School leaders involve and communicate with the school community, including teachers, families, and ageappropriate students, regarding school improvement plans and decision-making processes Who had input in creating these goals? How do these goals reflect all members of the school community (SLT participation, needs assessments, etc.)? In what ways are your school community members teachers, parents, age-appropriate students made aware and involved in the school s improvement processes? What school-wide structures are established for communicating progress towards benchmarks/goals? Reviewer s questions/data trails: School s response: 3.1 Additional Notes/Evidence Quality Review Record Book 25
Meeting with Leadership Systems for Improvement To what extent do school leaders and faculty regularly: 4.1 Observe teachers using the Danielson Framework for Teaching and the analysis of learning outcomes to elevate school-wide instructional practices and implement strategies that promote professional growth and reflection, with a special focus on new teachers? 4.1 a) School leaders support the development of teachers, including those new to the profession, with effective feedback and next steps from short, frequent cycles of classroom observation and student work/data What are the varying needs of different teachers at your school and how have you addressed these needs? What systems have you put in place for conducting teacher observations? How does student work/data analysis support your feedback? What strategies/systems do you use to support your teachers? How do you ensure accountability for the support you provide to them? What are your beliefs about how adults learn best? How do your beliefs drive your teacher feedback cycles? How do you establish trusting relationships with teachers in order to provide targeted feedback and improve practices? Reviewer s questions/data trails: School s response: 4.1 b) Feedback to teachers accurately captures strengths, challenges, and next steps using the Danielson Framework for Teaching and feedback that articulates clear expectations for teacher practice and supports teacher development How have you worked with your school community to norm understandings of the Danielson Framework and effective feedback connected to it? Tell me about two teachers who are at very different levels of practice this year. What type of feedback did they receive and how did it support their development? How do you assist teachers in knowing their strengths, challenges, and next steps for their own professional growth? Please provide some observation documents. Reviewer s questions/data trails: School s response: Quality Review Record Book 26
4.1 c) School leaders have an effective system that uses teacher observation data to effectively design and facilitate professional development and are making informed decisions (assignment, tenure, retention) and developing succession plans connected to teachers, APs, and other staff members What teaching patterns and trends have you observed and how have you addressed those through goal-setting and professional development? How has teacher observation data informed your assignment of teachers? What leadership opportunities have you created in your building? What are your succession plans for key leadership roles? Reviewer s questions/data trails: School s response: 4.1 Additional Notes/Evidence Quality Review Record Book 27
Review of Observation Reports and Feedback Practices Use this space to record information gathered from your review of observation documents and feedback practices. Quality Review Record Book 28
Meeting with Leadership Systems for Improvement To what extent do school leaders and faculty regularly: 4.2* Engage in structured professional collaborations on teams using an inquiry approach that promotes shared leadership and focuses on improved student learning? 4.2 a) The majority of teachers are engaged in structured, inquiry-based professional collaborations that promote the achievement of school goals, and the implementation of the CCLS (including the instructional shifts), strengthening the instructional capacity of teachers How have you structured your teacher team meetings to ensure that they are effective and productive? How does teacher team collaboration contribute to the achievement of your school goals? Can you give an example? How do you know your teachers capacity is being strengthened and that this work is resulting in school-wide instructional coherence? Reviewer s questions/data trails: School s response: 4.2 b) Teacher teams consistently analyze assessment data and student work for students they share or on whom they are focused, typically resulting in improved teacher practice and progress toward goals for groups of students How do you hold teachers accountable for the implementation of team decisions regarding next steps? How do you support teams and build capacity in data-driven inquiry work? How does the work of teacher teams strengthen the instructional capacity of your teachers? Give an example? Reviewer s questions/data trails: School s response: Quality Review Record Book 29
4.2 c) Distributed leadership structures are in place so that teachers leadership capacity is built and they have a voice in key decisions that affect student learning across the school How have you built distributive leadership towards ensuring teacher voice in key decisions? What impact have shared leadership practices yielded thus far? Reviewer s questions/data trails: School s response: 4.2 Additional Notes/Evidence Quality Review Record Book 30
Meeting with Leadership Systems for Improvement To what extent do school leaders and faculty regularly: 5.1 Evaluate the quality of school-level decisions, making adjustments as needed to increase the coherence of policies and practices across the school, with particular attention to the CCLS? 5.1 a) School leaders and faculty have a process in place to regularly evaluate and adjust curricular, instructional, and assessment practices in response to student learning needs and the expectations of the CCLS (evaluation of practices of 1.1,1.2, 2.2) How do you evaluate and adjust curricular, instructional, and assessment practices? Give an example of a decision made as a result of this practice and its impact. How do you facilitate revisions to academic tasks and assessments? What types of data do you use? Give an example of a recent modification to a task/unit and speak to how the revisions support student progress towards CCLS. Reviewer s questions/data trails: School s response: 5.1 b) School leaders and faculty have a process in place to regularly evaluate the quality of school culture and the ways expectations are developed and shared among school constituents, with a focus on making adjustments to support the expectations of the CCLS (evaluation of practices of 1.4, 3.4) What data do you collect and analyze on school environment and culture? How often? Can you give an example of a recent finding and adjustment you made? Reviewer s questions/data trails: School s response: Quality Review Record Book 31
5.1 c) School leaders and faculty have a process in place to regularly evaluate and adjust the use of organizational resources, the quality of teacher team work, and professional development practices, with particular attention to what teachers need to learn to support student mastery of the CCLS (evaluation of practices of 1.3, 4.1, 4.2) What processes do you have in place to regularly evaluate and adjust teacher team practices? What has been the impact of these processes to date? How do you evaluate your school s teacher evaluation process? Can you give an example of a recent change you ve made as a result of this process and its impact on teaching and learning? Reviewer s questions/data trails: School s response: 5.1 Additional Notes/Evidence Quality Review Record Book 32
Reflection Page Systems for Improvement Use this page to surface preliminary strengths and development areas for the school s systems for improvement, based on the interview with school leadership. Include evidence relating to 1.3, 3.1, 4.1, 4.2, and 5.1 Strengths/Evidence of Impact Development Areas *For 2015-2016 the Quality review will formally assess 1.1, 1.2, 2.2, 3.4, and 4.2 Quality Review Record Book 33
Meeting with Teacher Teams The reviewer will meet with teams of teachers. One of the meetings should consist of an observation of a team involved in inquiry that addresses the connection between student work and data and resulting teacher actions, including pedagogical or curricular modifications. The other team meeting will be an interview of teachers representing at least two teams. If the UFT chapter leader is not present in any of the teacher team meetings, the reviewer will hold a brief meeting (about 15 minutes) with the UFT representative. The reviewer, in collaboration with the principal, will select the teacher teams that will engage in a dialogue around the impact of collaborative inquiry on practice, sharing of evidence and implications for student learning. Teachers should be able to discuss how they use data to adjust instructional practices and strategies, plan for meeting student needs, and track student progress. For the subject/grade level teacher team meeting, the reviewer will observe the meeting for 15-20 minutes and then pose questions to the team regarding what s/he observed and/or ask questions connected to other evidence requiring triangulation. During the other team meeting, the reviewer will conduct an interview with the teachers regarding the instructional core, school culture, and use of teacher teams for school improvement. In collaboration with the principal, reviewers may consider requests for additional teacher team meetings, such as a strategic group of teacher leaders and coaches to engage in focused conversations around curricula. Possible topics of conversation include: The structure of the meetings, including frequency and distributed leadership The team s work in promoting rigor and cognitive engagement for all students The team s work in supporting the implementation of Common Core Learning Standards across classrooms, including the instructional shifts The impact of inquiry work and data analysis on implementation of the Common Core Learning Standards, professional growth, and ultimately, student outcomes How the team s work connects with goals at the school- and student-level and beliefs about how students learn and how progress is measured towards these goals Pedagogical adjustments and strategies implemented in the classroom based on the team s work and evidence that these changes impact student learning and engagement How common data tools, including rubrics and both summative and formative assessments, are used to identify strengths and needs of the school, classes, subgroups, and individual students How teachers modify and scaffold instruction and adjust curriculum based on common assessments How the team s work relates to school survey results (feedback, discipline, PD, etc.) Feedback provided to the team to advance their inquiry work and/or pedagogy Additional questions for teacher teams linked to sub-indicators include: Instructional Core How does what you are teaching prepare students for college and career? (1.1a) How do you ensure that academic tasks are rigorous for all students including ELLs and students with disabilities? (1.1b) Describe your process for adjusting and refining curriculum. (1.1c) What are your school s beliefs about how students learn best? How are those beliefs reflected in classrooms? (1.2a) How do you scaffold instruction to ensure that all students engage in higher-order thinking and produce meaningful work products? What practices support that goal consistently across classrooms? (1.2b) Quality Review Record Book 34
How are your assessments aligned to your instructional goals? (2.2a) Tell me about different groups of students in your classrooms. How do you assess their performance and/or progress in your class? What have you done with this information? (2.2b) What classroom-level data is used to determine individual student needs and progress? (2.2c) School Culture Describe your school culture regarding both student and adult learning. (1.4a) How are guidance and advisement supports coordinated to support your students learning needs? (1.4b) How does your school promote and ensure effective academic and personal behaviors in students? How do you contribute to that effort? (1.4c) Are you accountable for communicating and supporting goals and expectations to students? How do you do it? (3.4a) How do you communicate with parents regarding goals and expectations? How do you help families understand their child s progress toward those expectations? (3.4b) What is your role in establishing a culture for learning? How do you prepare students for the next level? (3.4c) Systems for Improvement Are you able to execute the school s instructional vision? What resources (technology, coaching, materials, space, etc.) does the school provide to help you do so? (1.3a) How do you know that your work during teacher teams helps meet students needs? (1.3b) How are students grouped for instruction or interventions? Do these groupings allow you to meet their learning needs? (1.3c) What are the overarching goals for your school this year? (3.1a) What is the connection between your professional development and school goals? (3.1b) Describe your role in the school improvement process. (3.1c) How do school leaders support your development? (4.1a) Give me an example of feedback that you have received from your supervisor based on the Danielson Framework. How did that feedback impact your practice? (4.1b) What professional development have you received so far this year? How has it impacted your practice? (4.1c) Describe your team s inquiry process. (4.2a) Describe the impact of your assessment analyses on teacher practice. How have these practices impacted student performance and progress for targeted groups of students? (4.2b) How does the administration empower teachers to make decisions that impact student learning across the school? (4.2c) How is teacher team work monitored? How are you held accountable for the work that you do here? (5.1a) How do you provide feedback to school leaders around school culture? Are there structures and systems that allow you to do so? (5.1b) How are you supported in implementing the Common Core Learning Standards? (5.1b) How do you impact professional development offerings? Are there opportunities to provide feedback on professional development? (5.1c) Quality Review Record Book 35
Meeting with Teacher Team Observation and Q and A Participants Name Role 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Teacher team (grade/department/focus): How often does the team meet? Agenda: Yes / No Was the UFT chapter leader present? Yes / No Documents reviewed/presented: Capture the broad strengths and development areas below at the conclusion of the meeting: Strengths Development Areas Quality Review Record Book 36
Reviewer s questions/data trails: Meeting notes: Quality Review Record Book 37
Meeting with Teacher Team Observation and Q and A Participants Name Role 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Teacher team (grade/department/focus): How often does the team meet? Agenda: Yes / No Was the UFT chapter leader present? Yes / No Documents reviewed/presented: Capture the broad strengths and development areas below at the conclusion of the meeting: Areas of Celebration Areas of Focus Quality Review Record Book 38
Reviewer s questions/data trails: Meeting notes: Quality Review Record Book 39
Meeting with Teacher Team (3) Optional Participants Name Role 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Teacher team (grade/department/focus): How often does the team meet? Agenda: Yes / No Was the UFT chapter leader present? Yes / No Documents reviewed/presented: Capture the broad strengths and development areas below at the conclusion of the meeting: Strengths Development Areas Quality Review Record Book 40
Reviewer s questions/data trails: Meeting notes: Quality Review Record Book 41
Meeting with Students Small Group The reviewer selects 4-6 students based on data provided for the review; students may also be selected from classes observed. This group of students should strategically reflect a range of student needs and performance. Students will be asked to discuss specific pieces of work, notebooks, or portfolios. In questioning, the reviewer should also address how students receive feedback about their work, how they know what their next learning steps are, the use of rubrics and other assessment tools, and how these support their learning. Students who are frequently absent or those who have significant developmental delays making communication difficult can certainly be invited, but they should be considered additional students for the group. Reviewer s questions/data trails: Possible questions for students in the small group include: Tell me about a typical lesson in one of your classes. (1.2b) Is work hard/easy? How do you know you are learning? (1.2b) What are you working on now? How do you know you are successful? (1.2c) What do you enjoy most about learning here? Least? (1.2c) Can you give an example of when you had choice in selecting a learning topic or assignment? (1.2) Have your teachers worked with you to create goals in each class? How do you know when you have accomplished a goal? Once you achieve a goal, do you get a new one? (2.2b) What do you do when you don t understand an assignment? (2.2c) How often do you get feedback from your teachers about your work? Do you get specific feedback about what you did well and what you need to improve? Does your teacher follow up to make sure you are making the suggested changes? (2.2c) Possible questions for students in the small group regarding specific work products include: Did you have a rubric for this assignment? If so, how did you use the rubric as you worked on the assignment? Do you feel the rubric helped you improve? (2.2a) What feedback did you get for this assignment? (2.2c) Quality Review Record Book 42
Capture the broad strengths and development areas below at the conclusion of the small student group meeting: Strengths Development Areas Quality Review Record Book 43
Small Student Group Meeting notes Student 1: Student 2: Student 3: Student 4: Additional Students: Quality Review Record Book 44
Meeting with Students Large Group Number of Students: Grade Levels: Students new to school: Large Student Group (for schools with more than 1,500 students) The reviewer selects at least half of the 10-12 students for the large group. This group should include students who are representative of the student population at the school; it should include students across genders, grade levels, and ethnicities at a variety of achievement levels. English language learners and students receiving special education services, including gifted and talented, should also be included. The group may include, if appropriate, a representative from student government and/or Honor Society and members of school athletic teams, clubs, and/or arts organizations. In a discussion with this group, reviewers will assess students understanding of and attitude towards schoolwork, in addition to perceptions about school culture. A key goal of the large student group meeting is to assess students ability to speak reflectively about what they are learning and areas in which they are developing. Reviewers can refer to the following areas when developing questions for student groups: Data from the school survey Assessment results Evidence gathered from other members of the school community, including administration, parents, and/or teachers Possible areas for conversation include: The specific data trends gathered from the school survey (reviewers should personalize these questions according to each school s survey results) The rigor and challenge of academic tasks in preparation for higher education The identification of students needs (academic, social-emotional, behavioral) and how they are addressed The participation in activities and making school-level decisions The understanding of data, grading policies, and self-reflection The goal-setting and progress-monitoring practices The communication of expectations and guidance/advisement support The understanding of academic, behavioral, social-emotional progress Reviewer s questions/data trails: Quality Review Record Book 45
Capture the broad strengths and development areas below at the conclusion of the large student group meeting. Strengths Development Areas Possible questions for the large student group include: Instructional Core: Describe a typical school project or classroom activity. (1.1 b) What happens if you don t know what to do in class? How often does that happen? (1.2b) What kind of individual help do you get from your teachers? (1.2 b) Tell me about what classes and learning are like here. Are they interesting? (1.2c) Do you think you are learning? What types of assignments are you given? (1.2c) How are you doing in your classes? How do you know? (2.2a) What do your teachers do with your work, projects, or tests? (2.2a) What happens when you don t understand something during a lesson? (2.2c) School Culture: Do you feel safe at school? Why? (1.4a) Do you treat teachers with respect? Do they treat you with respect? (1.4a) Is there an adult in your school who helps you with your academic or social needs? How? (1.4b) What does the school do to improve student behavior? (1.4c) How does the school prepare you for college and career? (3.4b) How do you know that you re ready for middle school, high school, or college/career? (3.4c) Do the principal and your teachers have clear expectations for how you should behave in class and in school in general? How do you know what the expectations are? Are those expectations enforced? How? (1.4a, 3.4c) How do your teachers show they know who you are as a student and encourage you to do your best? (1.4b) Systems for Improvement: What classes are you taking? Why? (1.3c) Are students involved in school initiatives/decisions? If so, please provide an example. (3.1c) What is the vision of the school? What are the school s goals? (3.1c) Quality Review Record Book 46
What is your role in accomplishing the goals and vision of the school? (3.1c) Do you have a voice in school initiatives? (1.4) What does your school do really well? What could be better at your school? (1.4, 3.4, 3.1) Does anyone ask for your opinion about what should be the school s focus with regards to improving things or keeping things the same? If so, do you feel your opinion is reflected in the school s plans? (3.1) Quality Review Record Book 47
Large Student Group Meeting notes: Quality Review Record Book 48
Meeting with Parents Ideally, this group would include 8-10 parents representing parents of students at various grade levels in the school. A cross-section of parents of general education students, special education students, English language learners, high performing students, and students of varied ethnicities is ideal. Parents new to the school as well as those with a long-standing relationship with the school would add additional balance. A representative from both the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) and the School Leadership Team (SLT) must be included. The parent coordinator (PC) should not expect to participate in the parent meeting. Participants Parent s name Grade(s) of his/her child(ren) 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Is the PA/PTA president in attendance? Yes / No Are any parents members of the SLT? Yes / No Is the parent coordinator in attendance? Yes / No Reviewer s questions/data trails: Quality Review Record Book 49
Capture the broad strengths and development areas below at the conclusion of the parent meeting: Strengths Development Areas Possible areas for conversation include: Specific data trends gathered from the school survey (reviewers should personalize these questions according to each school s survey results) The level of challenge in the curriculum and academic tasks The level of support provided by the school to help families address and support the academic, behavioral, and social-emotional needs of their children The extent of support provided to families to understand the grading policies, expectations, and tracking of student progress The vision of the school and what role families play towards attaining the school s goals Additional questions aligned to indicators: Do you know what the school s vision or goals are? (3.1) Has the school asked you to be involved in developing its vision and goals? If yes, in what ways? Has the school asked you to be involved in achieving its vision and goals? If yes, in what ways? (3.1) Do you know what programs and structures the school has implemented or plans to implement to accomplish the vision? (3.1) How do you know your child s needs/goals/strengths? (3.1) How do you find out what is going on at school? (3.1) What opportunities do you have to contribute ideas for change at the school? (3.1) Do you know how the school monitors and evaluates whether or not the vision and goals are met? (5.1) How familiar are you with the expectations of the Common Core Learning Standards? How is this information provided to you? (1.1,1.2) What supports your child s learning? (1.2) How do you know what is happening in your child s classrooms? (1.2) How do you find out how your child is doing academically? (3.4) Describe the school. (1.4) What is valued at the school? What could be better? (1.4) Quality Review Record Book 50