Data Summit Protocol

Purpose

To engage all district leaders in the use of school-based data to improve school-based outcomes.

Background

The key to any school improvement effort is a continual cycle of assessment, analysis, adjustment and action. At the heart of this process lies the objective use of data to determine needs, establish goals, monitor implementation and measure outcomes. When this work is led by the principal and supported by district administrators, the school benefits from the synergistic effect of system-wide collaboration.

This design provides change leaders with a means to organize and present their data. By providing a uniform protocol by which data are shared with district administrators, data become the focus of district-wide efforts to leverage and align critical resources to areas in need of focused attention and deliberate action.

Logistics

Materials: Means of projecting data

Space needed: A room where participants can sit comfortably and see the screen

Time frame: 90 – 120 minutes

Implementation

  1. The principal leads participants in a review of the norms. Norms may include:
  2. Listen attentively to the presentation. No distractions (cell phones).
  3. Hold all questions to the end of the presentation. No interruptions.
  4. Maintain a solutions orientation. Avoid blame.
  5. Contribute openly and honestly. Don’t hold back what needs to be said.
  1. The principal provides an overview of the School Improvement Plan (SIP):
  2. Data regarding areas in need of improvement based on the previous year’s data
  3. Goals based on the previous year’s data
  4. Action steps associated with each goal
  1. The principal presents data that have been collected since the last data summit. Data should be presented in a manner that reflects progress (change over time) and performance (results in relation to grade level proficiency benchmarks) for all students as well as prioritized subgroups (ELL, special ed, Tier 2 &3 students). Data may include:
  1. Evidence and outcome data for completed action steps in the SIP
  2. LinkIt! data
  3. Other mathematics data
  4. Other ELA data
  5. Attendance
  6. Discipline
  7. Other data used to measure areas in need of improvement
  1. The principal presents actions to address findings in the data and plans for progress monitoring.
  1. The principal invites input and inquiry from the central office team.
  1. All participants engage in discussion regarding the data and school improvement efforts.
  1. The principal facilitates the development of an action plan that details areas in need of support from the central office team members. The plan includes the following elements:

Who / What / When / Where / How / Outcome/Evidence
Superintendent
Director of ELA
Director of Math
Director of Student Perf
Director of Curriculum
Director of Spec. Services
  1. Commitments and concluding comments.

Schedule(Total time: approximately 90 minutes)

Welcome and review of norms5 minutes

Overview of SIP10 minutes

Presentation of data30 minutes

Description of actions to address data10 minutes

Questions and discussion re: data20 minutes

Action planning20 minutes

Wrap up5 minutes