School Improvement Planning

Guidance for
Departments of
Education,
Elementary and
Secondary Schools.

School Improvement Planning

[Company Address]

Federated States of Micronesia

National Department of Education 1
2009
 School Improvement Planning

Contents
Section One:
Page
Chapter One What is School Improvement Planning? 3

Chapter Two Creating favorable conditions for effective 9

school improvement planning

Chapter Three Preparing a School Profile 17

Chapter Four How good is our school? 24

Chapter Five Setting Priorities for School Improvement 41

Chapter Six Problem Tree Analysis 45

Chapter Seven Refining Goals and Objectives 55

Chapter Eight Goals, Objectives and Activities 59

Chapter Nine Monitoring and Evaluation 72

Section Two:

Further Reading 77

Photocopiable Forms 78

Additional Resources 81

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 School Improvement Planning

Chapter One
What is school
Improvement
Planning?
School Improvement Planning is In January 2009, the FSM
one of the strategies being applied Association of Chief State School
throughout FSM to address low Officers (FACSSO) made a
and declining standards in resolution to establish full
schools. implementation of a
comprehensive school
Departments of Education at State improvement plan in all FSM
and National level are committed schools. This means that it is a
to providing a quality education for mandatory requirement for all
all students in FSM. schools in the FSM to have a
school improvement plan.
Title 40 of the FSM Code
empowers the Secretary of
Through school improvement
Education to ‘Promote education
planning, schools will tackle the
by setting minimum standards for
causes of low and declining
educational administration,
standards and work towards
programs and facilities.’
improving student achievement.
School improvement planning will
Minimum standards are set out in
help transform schools into
curriculum documents, school
centers of excellence and
accreditation and teacher
achievement.
certification policies.
This document offers guidance to
State Departments of Education,
school principals and head
teachers in the implementation of
School Improvement Planning at
State and school level.

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 School Improvement Planning

The School Improvement

Planning Process

The School Improvement Planning

Process is a continuous cycle of
self-evaluation, planning and Planning
implementation leading towards
improvements in teaching and
learning in school.

The School Improvement Plan is

the document that records all the Evaluatiion Implementation
outputs of the planning process.

School Improvement Planning

should be conducted on an annual The annual School Improvement
cycle, based on the school year. Planning cycle
The end of the cycle should be
when student achievement data
becomes available for evaluation.

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 School Improvement Planning

Transformation About this booklet

All schools want to provide the School improvement planning is a

best quality education for the mandated requirement for all
benefit of their students. However, schools in FSM. This booklet
student performance data shows offers guidance to State
that schools in FSM need to make Departments of Education and
some extensive changes in order schools on how to set about
to provide children with a modern, managing and conducting the
quality education. process of school improvement
planning, implementation,
School improvement planning is a monitoring and reporting.
strategy that has been used
successfully to transform schools. Ideally, this guidance booklet will
It is a continuous process of be used by State Departments of
development that leads towards Education in planning and
better learning outcomes for conducting an ongoing program of
students. training and support for school
principals and stakeholders as
The process of school they work through the process of
improvement planning is school improvement planning.
transformational in itself. It
engages schools and school The booklet will also be useful as
communities in self-evaluation and a step-by-step guide to school
personal and professional growth principals and teams involved in
and development. It encourages the process of school
reflection, cooperation, improvement planning.
collaboration and teamwork in the
planning and implementation of a Although the booklet is written in
range of innovations that make English, facilitators may choose
teaching and learning more the most appropriate language to
relevant, more enjoyable and use when they conduct activities.
more successful. Facilitators may decide to use
English or vernacular language,
depending on the target group.

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 School Improvement Planning

Parent and community Why is parental involvement

important?
involvement in children's
learning is positively A synthesis of the research
concluded that “the evidence is
related to achievement. consistent, positive, and
convincing: families have a
Schools cannot be successful if major influence on their
they try to work in isolation from children’s achievement in
parents, community and school and through life. When
stakeholders. schools, families, and
community groups work
Education research has confirmed together to support learning,
that there is a direct link between children tend to do better in
community and parental school, stay in school longer,
involvement in education and and like school more.’’ 1
improved children’s learning
outcomes, achievement, behavior, Further evidence of the
attendance and attitudes towards importance of parental and
school. community involvement can be
found in Section Two: Further
Reading at the back of this
booklet.

1
Henderson, Anne. T. and Mapp, Karen L.,
A New Wave of Evidence: The Impact of
School, Family, and Community
Connections on Student Achievement,
2002, p.7

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 School Improvement Planning

Participation The benefits of community

participation
One of the most significant
features of successful school The benefits of community
improvement programs is the level participation in school
of participation of parents, improvement planning are great.
community and stakeholders. Parents, community members and
stakeholders have skills and
Creating good community and expertise that can be applied to
parental involvement programs is the improvement planning
one of the ways in which the best process.
schools help children reach higher
levels of achievement. Through consultation and
participation, parents, community
To be effective, school members and stakeholders
improvement planning must develop a commitment towards
involve parents, community and the success of the school and a
stakeholders as partners in all sense of ownership.
activities throughout the process.
Involvement in the school
School principals cannot write a improvement process can lead to
school improvement plan by greater involvement in other
themselves. Nor can a plan be aspects of the life of the school,
written by principals and teachers such as helping in the classroom,
alone. volunteering to help renovate
facilities, supervising homework
The first step on the path towards and attending a fund-raising event.
school improvement is recognizing
that schools belong to the wider
community and that parents,
community members and
stakeholders have a right to be
consulted and involved in the
management and running of the
school.

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 School Improvement Planning

The role of the principal Introducing the school

improvement process
Principals play a vital role in the
school improvement planning The school improvement process
process. However, principals must should be introduced at a public
be careful not to be overbearing meeting at the school, arranged at
and to allow full participation of all a time that allows the greatest
stakeholders. This means that possible attendance.
they must be instrumental and
proactive but also prepared to The introduction should be short
encourage, to the fullest extent and to the point. The school
possible, the involvement of improvement process should be
others. explained in outline, perhaps
illustrated by flip-charts showing
Principals must be the type of headings and bullet points.
leader who facilitates rather than
the type that is authoritarian. They After the introduction, participants
must set up opportunities for could be asked to volunteer to join
others to be involved in decision a School Improvement Team
making and planning and must (SIT).
delegate where possible.
A follow-up letter could be sent to
Principals must also ensure that parents who were unable to
the school plan remains focused attend, inviting them to come
on student achievement. forward and join the SIT if they
wish to be involved.
One of the first tasks the principal
must undertake is to introduce the
school improvement process by
explaining it to a meeting of
teachers, parents, community
members, students and
stakeholders.

8
 School Improvement Planning

Chapter Two
Creating favorable
conditions for
effective school
improvement
planning

In order to be successful, members working together. This

principals must work to create the team approach can strengthen
most favorable conditions for relations between school and
school improvement planning. community.

This means preparing the school The training materials include

and the school community to work specific activities on the value of
together effectively. community participation and on
different levels of participation.
There may already be favorable
conditions in the school, but often
it is necessary to persuade and
convince some teachers and
community members that it is in
the best interests of the students
for the school and community to
work together in partnership.

The training materials provided

with this guidance document
encourage practical activities
conducted by groups or teams of
teachers and community

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 School Improvement Planning

The school improvement team Community members and

stakeholders
The school improvement team
(SIT) is the main planning and Community members are people
decision-making body for the who belong to the local community
school improvement planning and are connected with the
process. school. In this guide, the term
‘community member’ includes
It is vital that the SIT be parents. Community members
representative of the whole school may also be grandparents or
community and stakeholders. This aunts and uncles of children in the
includes all teachers, parents, school, former teachers or former
students, community members pupils.
and other stakeholders who wish
to be involved. Stakeholders are people who have
an interest in the school but are
Principals must work hard to not connected to the school or
ensure that the SIT is fully local community. Stakeholders
representative and contains a mix may be local government
of people with a range of skills. representatives, employers or
Ideally, the SIT should be a people concerned with children’s
balanced group, with equal welfare, such as health and social
numbers of male and female services professionals.
members. All participants should
have a positive attitude towards The whole school community
the process and understand that includes all students, teachers,
they must work as a team. community members and
stakeholders.
A SIT of about twelve to sixteen
people is probably large enough to
be representative of a medium
sized school. Larger schools may
want a larger team. Larger teams
are more difficult to manage,
however, and so larger schools
may find it easier to have two SITs
working together but focusing on
different grades.

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 School Improvement Planning

A c tivity O ne
Community participation

For a number of reasons, some schools are hesitant about inviting community
members (including parents) to participate in school activities and decision-making.
This activity is designed to show that the benefits of participation outweigh the
possible drawbacks.

Community participation is important because it is a factor that supports higher

levels of student achievement.

Education research proves that there is a direct link between parent and
community participation in education and higher levels of children’s learning
outcomes or achievement. Creating good community involvement programs is one of
the ways in which the best schools help children achieve higher levels of
achievement.

Education research has also proved that school support for community learning,
such as in after-school study support schemes, can improve young peoples’
academic success, motivation to learn and self-esteem. Study support can be
particularly effective for school drop-outs.

Study support includes a wide range of activities such as:

 breakfast clubs
 homework and study clubs
 sports
 music and other creative arts
 study and thinking skills
 opportunities to pursue particular interests
(e.g. Computers and foreign languages).

In addition to study support, the services offered by a school might include

learning and recreational activities for all members of the community. For example,
if the school has a computer lab or library these could be opened for a few hours in
the evening or at weekends for community members to use.

11
 School Improvement Planning

Research findings on community participation

For the next activity, you need to make some copies of the following page, entitled
‘Nine Research Findings on Community Participation’.

You will need one copy for each group of four or five members of your SIT or
workshop participants. If you don’t have a copier, you can write the nine findings on
a flipchart.

Ask your SIT or workshop participants to work in groups of four or five. Ask each
group to read and discuss the nine research findings on community participation.
After some time, ask each group to select the five research findings they think
are most important and arrange them in order, 1 to 5.

Next, ask each group to discuss what each finding means for the school. For
example, the group might discuss what the school is doing or should do in the
future in the light of this research information.

Ask each group to record their work on a chart like the one below. An example is
given for you.

Finding What does it mean for our school?

1 Parents generally want and We should provide some
need training or direction to training sessions for our
help children with their parents to show them how to
learning activities in the help the children with their
home. work at home.
2

After some time, ask each group to display their chart on the wall. Ask one group
member to present their chart.

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 School Improvement Planning

Nine Research Findings on Parent and Community Participation

1. Parent and community involvement in children's

learning is positively related to achievement.

2. The more parents are involved in their children's

learning, the better are the effects on children’s
achievement.

3. The most effective forms of parent involvement are

those where parents work directly with their
children on learning activities at home.

4. Programs which involve parents in reading with

their children, helping with homework, or tutoring
them using materials and instructions provided by
teachers, show particularly good results.

5. Greater student achievement levels are found when

parents attend and actively support school
activities and when they help in classrooms or on
field trips.

6. The earlier parent involvement begins in a child's

education, the more powerful the effects will be.

7. Parents want to help children with their learning

activities at home but need training or direction.

8. The most successful parent involvement programs

offer a wide variety of ways for parents to
participate.

9. There is a clear link between study support

programs and improved academic performance,
increased motivation, better attendance and
greater self-esteem.

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 School Improvement Planning

A c tivity Two
Levels of participation

Schools must actively manage community participation so that community members

are able to participate fully in the school improvement planning process.

Not all community members will want to be so fully involved. Some community
members may just want to be kept informed about what the school is doing. Others
may want to take a more active role in school management and decision-making.

In this activity, your SIT or workshop participants will work in small groups to
learn about five different levels of participation in school improvement planning. At
level 1, the school offers limited opportunities for participation. At level 5,
opportunities for participation are maximized.

The five levels of participation are shown on the following page. Each level is
numbered and named, for example, Level 1: Informing. Next to each level is a
description.
After matching, the participants should have a better understanding of the
different levels of participation. Next, lead a discussion about the current levels
of participation actually in FSM schools. Ask participants to give examples of the
current level of participation at their own schools.

Encourage participants to monitor the level of participation at their schools

throughout the school improvement planning process. The level of participation
should improve as school improvement planning continues. The most successful
school improvement programs have community participation at level 4 or level 5.

Remind participants that not all community members may want to be involved at the
higher levels of participation. Some are happy just to be kept informed. However,
it is good practice to create opportunities for those who do want to be involved at
higher levels to do so.

Copy the page and cut along the lines to make ten small cards. Distribute a set of
mixed-up cards to each group and ask them to match the level with its description.

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 School Improvement Planning

Levels of Participation

The school develops a plan.

The school informs the community
1. Informing: about the plan and tells the community
what their role is in implementing the
plan.

The school develops a draft plan.

The school consults the community to
2. Consulting: get feedback on the plan. The school
makes changes to the plan based on
community feedback.

The school provides opportunities for

community discussion and encourages
3. Deciding input of ideas.
A plan is developed through joint
together: decision-making and implemented by
the school.
4. Working The school and the community work
together to develop a joint plan.
together in
The plan is implemented through a
partnership: partnership formed between the school
and the community.

5. Supporting The school actively supports

independent community groups to
independent
develop and implement their own plans.
community The school delegates funds or other
activity: resources to the community, using
agreed guidelines.

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 School Improvement Planning

Meetings and Workshops

In the school improvement  Chairs should not always be

planning process, it is important arranged in rows, classroom style.
Often it is better to arrange the
that meetings and workshops are chairs in a circle. This allows
managed and conducted in an participants to actively contribute.
effective and efficient manner.
 All materials should be prepared in
advance of the meeting or
Principals, trainers and workshop. There should be
coordinators must be professional adequate copies of handouts or
in their management of meetings workshop materials.
and workshops.
 Meetings and workshops should
start on time and finish at a
Meetings and workshops can be reasonable time.
effective and efficient if the
following points are followed:  Child-care should be provided for
young children.
 Meetings and workshops should  Refreshments are not always
take place at a time that is necessary. Valuable resources that
convenient to the participants and could be spent on student learning
that allows maximum participation. materials should not be wasted on
Fathers are often excluded because refreshments.
of the timing of meetings.

 Meetings and workshops should not

interfere with the normal running of
the school. Classes should not be
cancelled for meeting and
workshops. If classes are cancelled,
lost teaching and learning time must
be made up later in the school year.

 Proper notice of the time and place

should be given in advance of the
meeting or workshop, with an
agenda or statement of purpose and
content.

 The meeting or workshop room

should be clean and light, with
adequate seating and table space
for activities.

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 School Improvement Planning

Chapter Three
Preparing a School
Profile

A school profile is like a school As well as finding out about the

brochure. It contains factual history of the school, it is also
information about the school. If important to include in the school
your school already has a school profile some information about the
brochure, this guidance may help school community. This might
you revise and update it. include:
 some information about the
Developing a school profile language or languages used
involves talking with the school by the local community,
community to find out what is  significant cultural activities for
special and unique about the which the community is
school. The process can help the famous,
school community to develop a  significant events in the history
sense of pride in their school. of the community.

A school profile may involve Other information that might be

finding out about: included is:
 when and why the school was  significant geographical
founded, features of the school location,
 who founded the school,  the names of the communities
 significant events in the history served by the school,
of the school,  the names of any elementary
 distinguished and important or high schools that send or
former students of the school, receive students
 distinguished and important  maps, photographs and
former teachers, diagrams.
 significant accomplishments of
the school, such as in winning The finished profile or brochure
scholarships, competitions or should be printed and distributed
sporting events. to the school community.

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 School Improvement Planning

Vision and Mission

The school profile or brochure A clear vision helps focus attention

should contain a vision and on what is important, motivates
mission statement. staff and students, and increases
the sense of shared responsibility
A vision statement is a description for student learning.
of what you would like your school Schools are likely to be more
be like at some point in the future. successful in achieving in-depth
The vision should be a positive learning when leaders work with
image of what the school and the staff and the community to build a
students can achieve. It should collective educational vision that is
describe the skills, values and clear, compelling, and connected
attitudes all the students will to teaching and learning. This
master and attain as a result of collective vision helps focus
attending the school. attention on what is important,
motivates staff and students, and
A mission statement is a increases the sense of shared
description of how the school will responsibility for student learning.
make the vision a reality. The
mission statement may describe
the learning environment and the
teaching and learning programs
and activities that the school will
implement so that students will
attain a high level of achievement.

A school’s vision should be

focused on student learning,
recognizing that children have
great potential to learn.

With high expectations and hard

work, a vision need not be an
impossible dream but can be a
potential reality.

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 School Improvement Planning

Writing a Vision Statement Sharing the Vision

Writing a vision statement can be A vision statement has to be

a transformational activity because shared with others in order to be
it engages the SIT in working effective. Having developed the
together and thinking clearly about vision, the SIT must now share it
what they want their children to with the school community and
achieve in the future. Working stakeholders and take into
together to create a shared vision account their comments on the
can help the whole school vision so that a final version is
community to develop a shared agreed on by all.
sense of purpose.
The vision must be made public.
SITs can begin by looking at This might be by publishing it in
examples of vision statements that the school profile, brochure, year
might already exist for your school book, letterhead or any other
or State Department of Education. school publication; or by printing it
on posters and displaying them
Smaller SITs can begin the throughout the school and
process of writing their own community.
mission statement by
brainstorming to generate ideas Next the vision has to become the
and later refining these ideas to guide for School Improvement.
produce a carefully worded vision This means that all school
statement. improvement activities must lead
towards the achievement of the
Guidance questions for SITs are vision.
given in Activity Three below.

Larger SITs or SITs who wish to

involve more community members
and stakeholders might prefer to
conduct the group visioning
exercise in Activity Four.

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 School Improvement Planning

Activity Three
Writing a Vision

If your SIT or participant group is less than twelve, it should be possible to start
developing your vision statement with a brainstorming session for the whole group.

Write the following questions on a flipchart or on the chalk-board.

What future do you want your child to enjoy?

What skills, values and attitudes should your children demonstrate in their
daily lives and in the future?

What would you like your school to be like in three years?

Now encourage participants to discuss the questions in smaller groups of three or

four.

After some time, ask the groups to give feedback to the questions. Write the
feedback in bullet form on a flipchart or on the chalk-board. Ask groups to give
reasons for their responses and talk through and resolve any disagreements.

At the end of this activity you should have a lot of bullet points representing the
group’s vision.

The next step is to write the vision as a carefully worded statement. This should
be no longer than two or three paragraphs.

Writing the vision should be a joint activity but it can be difficult to include
everyone’s ideas. You might find it easier for the SIT to nominate two or three
members to write the final vision statement and present it for review and approval
at the next meeting.

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 School Improvement Planning

A c tivity Fo ur
A Visioning activity
If your SIT is larger than twelve, or if you prefer to use practical activities, you
might like to use Activity Four to help write your vision.

In this activity, workshop participants or SIT members work in groups of four or

five. Their task is to develop a newspaper front page telling the story of the
success of their school in three or four years’ time.

Begin by showing an example of a newspaper front page or show the example on the
following page of this booklet. Show how the newspaper has a title, date, headlines,
sub-headlines and text.

Often the newspaper tells bad news about what has already happened. In this
activity, your participants will be asked to write a newspaper front page showing
good news stories about events that they want to see happening at their school in
the future. The newspaper might be dated three or five years from today’s date.

The stories can be about how student achievement has improved, about better
school facilities or about better qualified teachers. Participants use their vision of
the school to write the newspaper stories.

Now give each group a large sheet of paper and some marker pens. Ask each group
to work together to decide what their newspaper stories will be about and what
they will tell about their school’s achievements in the future. Give time for each
group to write their headlines.

After some time, ask each group to pin their newspapers up on the wall. Invite
everyone to read and discuss the groups’ newspapers.

Next, ask the group to identify a smaller group of three or four members. This
group will be responsible for taking the ideas from the newspapers and writing
them as a vision statement for the school.

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School Improvement Planning

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 School Improvement Planning

Some examples of mission

statements are given below. Some
are short and to the point. Others
are more detailed. All are
compelling and inspirational. We students, teachers,
administrators,
parents, and
Our school aims to provide, in
community will meet
partnership with the parents, a
quality education so that all high expectations for
pupils are able to reach their full professional
potential within a caring, secure behaviors, community
environment. involvement, and
academic achievement
to promote productive,
Our vision is that children will contributing members
leave school with:
Values -honesty, integrity and
of our society. Our
good judgment. students will reach
Basic skills -linguistic, their full potential and
mathematical, scientific, artistic, experience excellence
physical and social. and enjoyment in the
Attitudes -An enquiring and
discriminating mind and a classroom.
desire for knowledge, self-
esteem and high personal
expectation, tolerance and
respect for others.

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 School Improvement Planning

Chapter Four
How good is our
school?
This chapter is about finding out NST and COMET data is useful
how good the school is by using because these are objective,
data. standardized tests that are
consistent from year to year.
In order to begin the process of
school improvement, it is Teacher assessments are also
necessary to know how good the important, but these may be less
school is now so that improvement objective than standardized test
can be planned and measured in data as scores often depend on
the future. the individual teacher’s judgment.

How good the school is can be Student achievement data from

measured by collecting and current and previous years can
analyzing all the available data. show trends such as
This process is known as school improvements or declines in
self-assessment. student achievement.

The most valuable data in school Student achievement data is

self-assessment is student important in goal setting and in
achievement or performance data. monitoring and evaluation of the
Student achievement data impact of school improvement
includes test scores and item activities.
analysis of NST and COMET. This
type of data is available from the
testing and evaluation division of
the State Department of
Education.

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 School Improvement Planning

Objective data

Objective data is factual  How often homework is set

information that can be counted or and marked
is quantifiable.  Classroom assessment.

Student performance data in the In this guidance booklet, related

form of test results is a common data is collected into data sets.
type of objective data. Objective The diagram on the following page
data is usually very reliable. In shows data sets and how they
other words, it is usually accurate relate to student achievement.
and true.
The diagram below shows that
Although student performance student achievement data is
data is central to school central to data analysis. All the
improvement planning, it is other data sets impact on student
important to consider other data achievement.
because it impacts upon student
performance. For example, if attendance data
shows low levels of teacher
For example, the number of days attendance, it is likely that, as a
a student attends school has an result, student achievement will be
impact on their learning. If the low.
student is often absent, they will
probably perform poorly. If they
attend every day, it is likely that
they will do well.

Objective data includes such

things as:
 The number and length of
school days per year
 Access to textbooks and
other learning materials
 Number of subjects in the
curriculum
 How often certain teaching
and learning styles are used
in the classroom

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 School Improvement Planning

Student achievement and school performance data

Teacher data

Student Textbook
Attendance and resource
data achievement data

data

School
management
data

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 School Improvement Planning

Data Sets

Each of the data sets contains data of a different type from different
sources. Details of each data set are shown in the table below.

Teacher Data

•Number of teachers and

their deployment
•Teacher Qualifications
•Teacher Certification
(Degree and NSTT)
•Teacher training needs
Attendance data Student Performance Textbook and resource
Data data
•Staff and teacher •Number of textbooks per
attendance student
•Student attendance •National •Number of Vernacular
•Number of school days Standardized Tests Language materials for
per year (minimum 180) •State Standardized ECE-Grade 3
•Length of school day Tests •Number of textbooks for
•Number of subjects •School Assessments children with special
taught needs
•Teacher observations
•Supplementary texts
•Practical materials for
Math, Science and other
subjects
School Management
Data
•Teacher recruitment
•School Board
•PTA
•Curriculum
•Use of school data
•Budget
•Registration and drop-out
policy
•School policy on children
with special needs
•School rules and
regulations

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 School Improvement Planning

A c tivity F iv e
Student achievement data analysis

In this activity, workshop participants or members of the SIT will conduct an

analysis on all the available student achievement data.

Before you begin the activity, collect all the available student achievement data
for the last four of five years for your school. If you are running a workshop, use
examples of data from local schools. The data set should include NST, COMET,
state and school-based assessment data. Samples of students’ work, matched with
curriculum benchmarks, could also be included.

Your state testing and evaluation division should be able to provide NST
Proficiency Summaries for all schools, as well as individual school Performance
Expectations showing student performance in each test item.

State and school-based data includes state standardized tests and school tests
including portfolios or samples of students’ work.

Next you should prepare enough copies of the data so that small groups can work
on it.

Distribute the data and give an explanation of some of the terms used, such as
Proficiency Levels, items and Performance Expectations. Explain that in
Performance Expectations data, the % given is the percentage of students in the
class who answered the items correctly.

When your participants have a good understanding of the data, ask them to begin
an analysis, working in small groups of three or four.

Make copies of the question tables below, or copy the tables onto a flipchart. Ask
participants to use the questions to guide their analysis.

28
 School Improvement Planning

Student achievement data analysis

Question Observation Evidence
Is student achievement
better, worse or about
the same as you
expected?
Is student achievement
improving over time or
declining?

In what areas are the

students performing
well?

In what areas are the

students performing
poorly?

Are school-based
assessments consistent
with standardized test
results?
Is there evidence of
any groups of students
performing poorly
compared to others?
For example, do boys
perform as well as
girls?
How well do students
with special needs
perform?
How does achievement
compare with similar
schools to yours in your

29
 School Improvement Planning

state or in other
states?

When your small groups have had enough time to analyze the data, ask them to
report their findings to the whole group.

Next, ask the whole group to identify the most serious areas of poor student
achievement. Encourage participants to be specific in their identification. For
example, ‘Math’ is not specific but ‘Problem-solving in Math’ is specific. This type of
detail can be found in data on Performance Expectations.

Write the areas of poor student achievement the group identifies on a flipchart.

Next ask the group to prioritize, in rank order, the areas of poor achievement,
placing the most serious and urgent at the top of the list. This can be done by
discussion and negotiation or by voting with a show of hands.

Areas of poor achievement will later become the focus of the goals to be
developed later in the school improvement planning process.

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 School Improvement Planning

School performance data

School performance data includes

data from the four outer circles
shown in the diagram on page 25.
This includes data on teachers,
attendance, school management
and textbooks and resources.

School performance data has a

direct influence on student
achievement. Therefore, in order
to find the strengths and
weaknesses of the school, the SIT
should collect and analyze School
Performance Data.

The tables on the following page

can be used to collect and analyze
School Performance data.

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 School Improvement Planning

Teacher Data Analysis

Number of This data includes the total Are there too many or too few
teachers and number of teachers at the teachers?
their school and how the classes Is the school teacher:student ratio
deployment or duties that are assigned between 20-30?
to them. Are all class sizes equal?
Are all teachers assigned a full
timetable?
Teacher This data includes the Are teachers using their
Qualifications Degrees, subject knowledge qualifications and skills? For
and experience of the example, are teachers with college
teachers. credits in Math teaching Math?
Teacher This data includes the Are uncertified teachers needed at
Certification number of certified and un- the school? Can uncertified
(Degree and certified teachers. teachers be replaced?
NSTT)

Teacher This data includes What recent professional

training needs professional development development training has taken
needs as well as certification place? What courses have teachers
needs. attended? What teaching
methodology training is needed? Do
any teachers require College
courses to get degrees?

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 School Improvement Planning

Attendance data Analysis

Staff and This data includes daily staff Is there a high frequency of
teacher and teacher absence and absence and late-coming?
attendance instances of late-coming.
Student This data includes daily, What is the average attendance
attendance weekly and monthly rate for each student?
attendance rate data. This can be calculated weekly,
monthly or yearly.
Weekly: Count the number of days
the student attended / divide by 5
days / multiply by 100.
Monthly: Count the number of days
the student attended / divide by the
number of days the school was
open each month / multiply by
100).
Yearly: Count the number of days
the student attended / divide by 180
/ multiply by 100).

What is the average attendance

rate for the school?
(Add all student average attendance
rates and divide by the number of
students).
Number of This data includes the actual The minimum number of operating
school days number of days the school days is 180. What are the reasons
per year was open and operating for unplanned closure days? What
(minimum each year. Also included are arrangements are there for making
180) unplanned closures. up for unplanned closures?
Length of This data includes the What is the length of the school
school day number of hours of day? Is there sufficient time for
instruction per day for each instruction to cover the curriculum?
class.
Number of What subjects are taught? Are all curriculum subjects covered?
subjects Are subjects appropriate? Is the curriculum balanced or does it
taught How much time is given to focus on core subjects? Ate
each subject in each week? technical subjects taught? Do
subjects include PE, Music, Art and
other practical subjects?

33
 School Improvement Planning

Textbook and resource data Analysis

Number of This data includes the total Are the adequate textbooks for
textbooks per number of textbooks in each each subject in each Grade? What
student core subject (Vernacular textbooks are being used? Are they
Language Arts, English, appropriate for the class?
Mathematics, Science,
Social Studies) in each
Grade related to the number
of students.
Number of This data includes the Vernacular language is the
Vernacular number of textbooks for language of instruction for ECE-
Language Language Arts, Grade 3. This data will demonstrate
materials for Mathematics, Science and the extent to which these classes
ECE-Grade 3 Social Studies available in are properly resourced.
Vernacular Language for
each class from ECE to
Grade 3.
Number of This data includes the Are children with special needs
textbooks for number of adapted receiving the standard of resource
children with textbooks for special needs, provision they need to make
special needs such as large print, Braille or progress and keep up with their
remedial texts. peers?
Supplementary This data includes the Are the enough supplementary texts
texts number of texts in the library to enrich the curriculum and engage
as well as software for use students in research and further
with computers. study?
Practical This data includes all Is there enough practical equipment
materials for equipment, materials and to allow students to learn through
Math, Science facilities for practical work, activity? Is there enough specialist
and other investigation, measuring and equipment for science? Is there
subjects technical skills. enough equipment for technical
subjects?

34
 School Improvement Planning

School Management Data Analysis

Teacher This data includes Are vacant posts widely advertised?
recruitment information on are Are posts filled by application and
recruitment, vacancy interview? Who selects new
advertising, selection criteria teachers? What contracts are
and conditions of issued to new teachers?
employment.
School Board This data includes What is the role of the School
information on the legal Board? How are Board members
mandate, role and activities selected? Is the Board carrying out
of the School Board. its legal mandate?
PTA This data includes What is the role of the PTA? What
information on the role and activities does the PTA conduct?
activities of the PTA. How effective is the PTA?
Curriculum This data includes Does the school follow the National
information on the school and State curriculum? Are all
curriculum. subjects taught according to the
curriculum guidelines?
Use of school This data includes how Is data analysed to identify
data information is analysed and problems and guide decision-
used in decision-making. making? Is data made public?
Budget This data includes Does the school have a budget?
information on the school How is the budget developed? What
budget and how it is used. is the Per Pupil Expenditure for the
school? (Per Pupil Expenditure can
be found in the JEMCO indicators
on the NDOE website). Does the
school receive value for money in
the services it receives from the
State Department of Education?
Registration This data includes Are all students in the community
and drop-out information on student registered at school? Does the
policy registration, dropout and school have a policy to prevent
transfers. drop-out? Does the school track
transferring students?
School policy This data includes How many students have IDPs? Are
on children information on special needs the IDPs properly implemented?
with special provision.
needs
School rules This data includes Are policies, rules and regulations in
and information on school the best interests of students? Are
regulations policies, rules and they enforced fairly and
regulations. consistently?

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 School Improvement Planning

Subjective data

Subjective data includes what

students, community members
and stakeholders think about the
school. This type of data is more
to do with opinion rather than fact.
However, it is important to know
what people think about the
school.

Subjective data can help the SIT

to:
 Determine the level of
satisfaction students,
community members and
stakeholders have with the
schools’ performance,
 Identify strengths and
weaknesses,
 identify issues and problems.

Principals and SIT members can

gather subjective data by talking to
small representative groups of
students, community members
and stakeholders.

Small representative groups are

sometimes called focus groups.
Focus groups represent members
of the whole school community
who have a particular focus or
interest. For example, the
particular focus of students might
be school rules and discipline.

36
 School Improvement Planning

A c tivity S ix
Focus Group Discussions

Focus group discussions involve a facilitator or group of facilitators conducting a

discussion with a focus group of five to eight members and collecting information
from the group. The discussion can be managed using a list of planned questions.
The length of a focus group discussion should not exceed thirty minutes.

The questions used in focus group discussions should be open-ended and non-
judgmental or neutral, such as,

‘Tell me about . . . . . . .’
‘What do you think about . . . . . . .?’
‘What is your opinion about . . . . . . .?’

Open-ended questions allow focus group members to provide information and

opinion from their own perspective. Non-judgmental questions ensure that the
focus groups give their honest opinion without fear of criticism.

Very general open-ended questions should be used at the start of the focus group
session. As the session continues, more specific questions should be used to get
more detailed information about specific issues, such as,

‘Can you give me some examples of this issue?’

‘Can you explain why this issue is important?’
‘What do you think we should do about this issue?’
‘How do you think we should address this issue?’

Supplementary or unplanned questions may become necessary if a topic

of great interest emerges during the session.
Closed or yes/no questions should be avoided as they inhibit discussion.
Why questions should be rarely used because participants may tend to give an
answer they think you want to hear.

37
 School Improvement Planning

The benefits of focus group

discussions

Focus group discussions can

provide valuable information to
guide the school improvement
process. They can;

 identify issues and problems.

 confirm that suspected issues

and problems are real.

 help identify which issues or

problems are more important
than others.

 identify factors that may

contribute to issues and
problems.

 provide a baseline assessment

of where the school is now in
relation to an issue or problem.

 give the whole school

community an opportunity to
participate in the school
improvement planning and so
generate a sense of
ownership and commitment to
the process of school
improvement.

 provide information on
progress through monitoring
the implementation of the
school improvement plan.

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 School Improvement Planning

Whole school community

surveys

Whole school community surveys Some examples of school surveys

can be conducted as part of the are shown on the following page.
school self-assessment process.

Surveys are conducted by issuing

survey forms. These can be
developed by the SIT. The forms
may be developed or adapted for
a certain group within the whole
school community, such as Grade
6 students or parents of Grade 8
students.

Survey forms should be short and

simple. They can focus on one or
two aspects of school
performance, such as student
achievement, teaching methods or
school management.

Survey forms can be administered

during a school improvement
planning or PTA meeting or any
other occasion when community
members come together.

The survey should be confidential

so that respondents will feel free
to make honest or critical
comments.

39
 School Improvement Planning

School self-assessment
Grade 6 students
NST Math Survey
1 What do you like most about
Math lessons?
2 What do you dislike most about
math lessons?
3 How well do you think you did
in the NST?
4 What questions did you find
most difficult?
5 How did you prepare for the
NST?
6 How can your school help you
do better in Math?

Parent Survey Form on school management Yes/ No

1. Does the school have a written mission statement?

2. Is the mission statement shared and understood by students, parents,

teachers, principal, and community members?
3. Does the school have clear standards of academic success that are known by
teachers, students, and community members?
4. Does the school have clear rules and regulations that are shared and
understood by teachers, principal, students and parents?
5. Are the rules and regulations consistently and fairly applied to everyone?

6. Did the Principal, teachers, and school board explain the school vision, mission
and goals to parents and students?
7. Is school time managed to have maximum time for learning, with at least 180
days of instruction per year?
8. Are classes are held on all days, consistent with the school calendar, with no
half-day or unscheduled closures?
9. Do classes start on time, with teachers present and prepared for the lesson?

40
 School Improvement Planning

Chapter Five
Setting Priorities for
School Improvement
This chapter is about identifying For example, analysis of
and prioritizing the problems that attendance data may show that
effect student performance. the school has a problem with
student attendance.
Student performance data is the
most important indicator of Analysis of surveys may show that
problems. If student performance parents are concerned about
data shows that most students are frequent school closures, which
scoring highly in the NST, then the are causing a problem.
school is a high performing school
and is doing well. The role of the SIT is to list the
problems identified by the data
Most of the students in a high analysis activities. The problems
performing school should be could be listed on a Problems
scoring in the Proficient and Chart on a large sheet of poster
Advanced categories. paper, similar to the one shown on
the following page. The examples
If student performance data shows are for illustration only.
that most students are scoring in
the ‘Below Basic’ and ‘Basic”
categories in the NST, then the
school is not doing a good job and
student performance is a problem.

Analysis of other data, including

focus group discussions and
surveys, can be used to identify
problems that impact on student
performance.

41
 School Improvement Planning

Problems Chart:
Problems identified by data analysis

Problem Data evidence

1.Poor student 87% of students scored
performance in Grade ‘Below Basic’.
6 NST Math

2.Low student Student attendance

attendance data shows that on
average, students missed
5 days of instruction
every month.
3.Low levels of Parents report that they
homework completion do not know how to help
students with homework.
4. Three teachers are Staff qualification
unqualified. records show three
teachers do not have
AA/AS degrees

5. There are not School textbook

enough textbooks inventory shows 2
textbooks per student

42
 School Improvement Planning

school with the available

resources.
Prioritizing Problems

The final stage in this chapter is  Deciding which problems

the prioritization of problems. are the most urgent.
 Deciding which problems
Not all problems can be tackled in can be solved in ways
one school improvement plan, so other than through the
it is important to prioritize and School Improvement Plan.
work to solve the most urgent and
important problems first. Later, One method of prioritization is to
less important problems can be give each member of the SIT three
tackled. votes.
In order to prioritize the most These might be ‘Post-it’ notes or
urgent and important problems, a squares of tape.
democratic process can be used
by the SIT. A democratic process The facilitator should display the
makes sure that everyone has a Problems Chart on the wall and
say in which problems are tackled invite each SIT member to decide
first. where they will place their three
votes. They might vote three times
Criteria for prioritization may for one problem or vote once for
include: three different problems.
 Deciding which problems When all SIT members have
are causing most students voted, you should count how many
to fail. votes each problem has received
 Deciding which problems and write the final scores on the
are the underlying causes chart. The problems with the
of other problems. highest scores are the most urgent
 Deciding which problems and important.
can be tackled by the

43
 School Improvement Planning

In this example, the SIT has voted that problems 1, 2 and 4 are the most urgent
and important.

Problems Chart
Problems identified by data analysis
Problem Data evidence
1.Poor student 87% of students scored
performance in Grade 6 ‘Below Basic’.
NST Math

10 votes
2.Low student Student attendance data
attendance shows that on average,
students missed 5 days of
 instruction every month.
6 votes
3.Low levels of homework Parents report that they
completion do not know how to help
students with homework.

3 votes
4. Three teachers are Staff qualification
unqualified. records
6 votes
5. There are not enough School textbook inventory
textbooks shows 2 books per student

5 votes

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 School Improvement Planning

Chapter Six
Problem Tree
Analysis
In Chapter Three, ‘How good is The tree branches represent the
our school?’ the SIT was asked to effects or outcomes of the
examine and analyze all the problem.
available data to determine how
effective the school is. This
analysis should have identified
problems. Chapter Four showed
how these problems could be
prioritized to identify those that the
school improvement plan will
address.

When problems are identified, it is

a good idea to find out all about
them before rushing to a solution.

Problem tree analysis is a way to

find out more information about
problems. The more is known
about a problem, the more
effectively it can be tackled.

As the name implies, the activity

resembles a tree.

The problem is represented by the

trunk of the tree.

The roots of the tree represent the

causes of the problem.

45
 School Improvement Planning

A c tivity S e ve n
Problem tree analysis

This activity can be conducted by a trainer with a group of participants or by a

SIT as part of the school improvement process. Principals or trainers should act
as facilitators.

The table below shows the process laid out step by step.

Step Who Activity

1 Facilitator Start by reviewing the problems that have been identified
and through data analysis and Focus Group Discussions and
participants Activities.
Write each problem on a post-it, ¼ A4 paper or card.
Problems should be written as a negative, such as ‘High
rate of absenteeism’ or ‘Poor examination results’.
2 Facilitator Select one problem for problem tree analysis by each
and group. Use voting to select the problem. Allocate the
participants problem to a group of 4 to 6 stakeholders who have some
knowledge of or expertise related to the problem. Other
problems can be allocated to other groups or analysed
later.
3 Participants Place the selected problem on the ‘trunk’ of a blank
problem tree diagram. Brainstorm the causes of the
problem and write them on similar cards. Place the causes
where the roots of the tree should be.

4 Participants Brainstorm the direct effects of the problem and write

them on similar cards. Place the effects where the
branches of the tree should be.
7 Participants Double check that all the causes and effects have been
analysed. Display the tree and invite other stakeholders
to comment on it.
8 Facilitator Make a copy of the problem tree to be included in the
school improvement plan.

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 School Improvement Planning

The problem tree analysis might look like the example below.

Poverty

Low employment skills No new graduates from

COM to teach math

Early dropout Low rates of entry to High

School and COM

Poor student
performance in Grade 6
NST Math

Poor math
lessons
Lack of teaching
materials
Untrained
teachers

47
 School Improvement Planning

In the example, some causes and effects are joined with arrows. This is to show
that there is a relationship between them. For example, math lessons are poor
because teachers are untrained and early dropout results in low employment skills
which in turn results in poverty.

If you are conducting training, ask your groups to analyze the problem below:

Poor student achievement in the Problem

Solving questions in Grade 6 NST Math

Distribute a large sheet of paper and some smaller sheets for each group. Give
each group some marker pens and glue or tape. Ask each group to draw a problem
tree. Ask them to write the problem on a small sheet of paper and paste it onto
the trunk of the tree. Next ask them to write the causes and effects.

Next ask participants to arrange the causes and effects. Ask them to join related
causes and related effects using arrows.

When each group has had enough time to complete the task, ask them to display
their tree and present their findings.

If you are using this activity with a School Improvement Team, ask them to
identify and analyze a real problem they have identified from the data analysis
activities they conducted in Chapter Three,

48
 School Improvement Planning

A c tivity Eight
Goals, Objectives and Outcomes Tree

This activity can be conducted by a trainer with a group of participants or by a

SIT as part of the school improvement process. Principals or trainers should act
as facilitators.

In this activity, participants will convert the problem, causes and effects of the
problem tree into a goal, objectives and outcomes. The goal is what the SIT wants
to achieve. Objectives are what they will do to achieve the goal. Outcomes are
what will happen as a result of achieving the goal.

Ask each group to work with their problem tree from Activity Seven. Working
from the top of the tree, ask them to convert the negative statements to positive
ones. Their finished tree might look like the example on the following page.

When each group has had sufficient time to complete the task, ask them to display
and present their problem tree and their Goals, Objectives and Outcomes tree
side by side.

Explain that, later in the School Improvement Process, groups will refine their
Goal, Objectives and Outcomes as they continue to develop their School
Improvement Plan.

49
 School Improvement Planning

Goal, Objectives and Outcomes tree.

Prosperity

Good employment skills

New graduates from COM are
better teachers of math

Low dropout rate High rates of entry to High

School and COM

High student
achievement in Math

Trained Better math

teachers lessons

Adequate teaching
materials

50
 School Improvement Planning

All Goals are Student

Achievement Goals

In School Improvement Planning, All teachers are

all goals should be Student
certified
Achievement Goals. This is
because the mission of schools is
to facilitate and support student
achievement. However, this cannot be a School
Improvement Planning goal as it
Student Achievement Goals are does not refer directly to student
usually related to achievement in achievement.
academic subjects. However,
some Student Achievement Goals The SIT must look further up the
may be about achievement in Problem Tree to find an outcome
some other area, such as cultural that refers directly to student
awareness or healthy habits. performance. This is:

A common error in School More students will pass

Improvement Planning is forming the NST
goals that are not expressed in
terms of student achievement.
This outcome becomes the
In the example shown on the Student Achievement Goal and
following pages, an SIT has ‘All Teachers are Qualified’
analyzed the following problem. becomes an objective that leads to
the attainment of the Student
50% of teachers are Achievement Goal.
uncertified
New Outcomes that are a result of
more students passing the NST
The SIT has developed a Goals, are written.
Objectives and Outcomes tree.
The problem has been converted
into the following goal.

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 School Improvement Planning

In this example of a problem tree, the Goal does not refer directly to
student achievement.

More students will pass

the NST

Teachers are more

confident

Lessons are better taught

Teaching skills are

improved

All teachers are

certified

All teachers are well

Untrained trained in teaching
teachers are not math
hired in future
Untrained teachers are
enrolled in college
programs

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 School Improvement Planning

Now an outcome that refers to student achievement has become the

Goal. The previous goal has become an objective. New Outcomes have
been written.

Students will have better

employment prospects

More students will enter COM

More students will enter

secondary school

More students will

pass the NST

All teachers are All teachers are well

Untrained certified trained in teaching
teachers are not math
hired in future
Untrained teachers are
enrolled in college
programs

53
 School Improvement Planning

Conducting the problem tree

analysis

The purpose of this chapter is to

show facilitators or School
Principals how to guide workshop
participants or SIT members
through the process of Problem
Tree Analysis.

If you are a trainer working with a

group at a workshop, your group
should now be able to go back to
their state or school and be able to
conduct problem tree analysis
themselves, or train others how to
conduct problem tree analysis.

If you are facilitating the work of

an SIT, the SIT should now also
be able to conduct problem tree
analysis for themselves.

The SIT should now look back at

the Problems Chart they
developed in Chapter Three.
Working in groups, the SIT should
conduct problem tree analysis for
each of the problems listed on
their Problems Chart.

This analysis may take some time,

but it is important that the SIT
conduct a thorough analysis so
that they have a good
understanding of all the problems
that impact on student
performance.

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 School Improvement Planning

Chapter Seven
Refining Goals and
Objectives
In Chapter Four, your participants Simple means that the goals and
or SIT were asked to analyze objectives should be
problems to identify causes and straightforward and easy for
effects. They then converted the everyone to understand.
problems, causes and effects into
Goals, Objectives and Outcomes. Measurable means that the goals
and objectives can be measured
In this chapter, your participants or and assessed using some sort of
SIT will refine the goals and baseline and target.
objectives. This will involve
making the Goals and Objectives Achievable means that the goals
SMART. and objectives are within reach.

SMART stands for: Relevant means that the goals

and objectives are significant and
Simple important to the students.
Measurable Time-bound means that the goals
Achievable and objectives have a time frame
with completion dates or
Relevant deadlines.
Time-bound.

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 School Improvement Planning

Making Goals and Objectives

SMART

In Chapter Five, this Student The Student Achievement Goal

Achievement Goal was used as an can be re-written as:
example.
20% of Grade 6 students will
More students will pass the NST Math, scoring over
pass the NST 69%, two years from now.

At this stage the goal is not

SMART.

The table below shows how to

make the goal SMART. Objectives can also be made
SMART.
1 Make it Focus on Grade
Specific 6 Math
Better math
2 Make it 20% of students
lessons
Measurable will pass NST
Math. A pass will
be above the
category ‘Below By the beginning of the next
Basic’ or 69% quarter, at least 50% of Grade 5
3 Make it 13% passed last and 6 Math lessons on
Achievable year so 20% is measurement and geometry,
achievable two observed by the Principal, will
years from now include practical work.
4 Make it It is important for
Relevant students to do
well in Math
5 Make it The goal will be
Time- achieved in two
bound years

56
 School Improvement Planning

A c tivity Nin e
Making Goals and Objectives SMART

This activity can be conducted by a trainer with a group of participants or by a

SIT as part of the school improvement process. Principals or trainers should act as
facilitators.
Photocopy the goals and objectives below and cut them up to make four or five
sets of cards. Distribute one set of cards to each group. Ask each group to sort
the cards into three categories:
1. SMART Student Achievement Goals.
2. SMART Objectives.
3. Neither SMART Student Achievement Goals nor SMART Objectives.
If you do not have a photocopier, write the cards on a flipchart.
1. 2. 3.
All teachers will be All classrooms will Average student
certified by the end of have one desk and attendance will climb
next year. chair for every from 85% per month
student by September now to 90% by next
next year. January.
4. 5. 6.
All students will pass All students will Student achievement
the NST. achieve Advanced in Grade 8 NST Math
level in Grade 6 NST will improve from 4%
Math next year. at Proficient level now
to 10% at Proficient
level two years from
now.
7. 8. 9.
50% of Grade 5 At least 50% of Starting next year, all
students will show an parents in ECE will classrooms will be
appreciation for their read a story book to swept clean each
culture by their children each morning.
participating in a week during the
traditional dance on month of May.
culture day.

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 School Improvement Planning

Use the answer guide on the next page to discuss the group activity.
Making Goals and Objectives SMART

Answer Guide
Card Category Description
1. 2 This is a SMART objective. It is not a
All teachers will be certified by the end Student Achievement Goal but it is likely to
of next year. result in improving student achievement.
2. 3 This is an objective but it is not SMART as
Classrooms will have desks and chairs it does not specify how many desks and
by September next year. chairs each classroom should have.

3. 2 This is a SMART objective. It is not a

Average student attendance will climb Student Achievement Goal but it is likely to
from 85% per month now to 90% per result in improving student achievement.
month by next January.
4. 3 This is a Student Achievement Goal but it is
All students will pass the NST. not SMART as it is unrealistic and not time-
bound.
5. 3 This is a Student Achievement Goal but it is
All students will achieve Advanced level not SMART as it is unrealistic to expect all
in Grade 6 NST Math next year students to achieve Advanced level if only
compared to 5% last year. 5% achieved this level last year.

6. 1 This is a SMART Student Achievement Goal.

Student achievement in Grade 8 NST It is specific, measurable, achievable,
Math will improve from 4% at Proficient relevant and time-bound,
level now to 10% at Proficient level two
years from now.
7. 1 This is a SMART Student Achievement
50% of Grade 5 students will show an Goal, although it is not an academic goal. It
appreciation for their culture by is specific, measurable, achievable, relevant
participating in a traditional dance on and time-bound,
culture day.

8. 2 This is a SMART objective. It is not a

At least 50% of parents in ECE will read Student Achievement Goal but could result
a story book to their children each week in improving student achievement.
during the month of May.

9. 3 This is not a SMART objective. It is not

Starting next year, classrooms will be measurable and it is unlikely to result in
swept clean.
improving student achievement.

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 School Improvement Planning

Chapter Eight
Goals, Objectives and
Activities
When the SIT has developed
SMART Student Achievement Each Goal is achieved through a
Goals and SMART Objectives that number of Objectives.
are likely to result in improving Each Objective is achieved
student achievement, it is time to through a number of activities.
start planning a program of
Activities. Goal
Objective Objective Objective Objective
1 2 3 4
Goals, Objectives and Activities Activity 1 Activity 1 Activity 1 Activity 1
are the most important parts of the Activity 2 Activity 2 Activity 2 Activity 2
School Improvement plan because Activity 3 Activity 3 Activity 3 Activity 3
Activity 4 Activity 4 Activity 4 Activity 4
they describe what the school Activity 5 Activity 5 Activity 5
wants to achieve and how it is Activity 6 Activity 6
going to achieve it. Activity 7

The relationship between Goals,

Objectives and Activities is
described in the diagram below.

Goal

Objectives

Activities

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 School Improvement Planning

In Chapter Five we looked at the Problem Tree below. We have since

learned how to make the Goals and Objectives SMART.

Students will have better

employment prospects

More students will enter COM

More students will enter

secondary school

More students will

pass the NST

All teachers are All teachers are well

Untrained certified trained in teaching
teachers are not math
hired in future
Untrained teachers are
enrolled in college
programs

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 School Improvement Planning

The same tree with SMART Goals and Objectives looks like this.

Students will have better

employment prospects

More students will enter COM

More students will enter

secondary school

20% of Grade 6 students

will pass the NST Math,
scoring over 69%, two
years from now
Three weeks of in-
service training in Math
All teachers will be
will be conducted in
After certified two years
August for all teachers
September only from now
certified
teachers will be
3 untrained teachers
hired on will be enrolled in
permanent
college programs by
contracts September

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 School Improvement Planning

The next step is for the SIT to copy the Goals and Objectives onto a Goals,
Objectives and Activities Planning Matrix like the one shown below.

Goals, Objectives and Activities Planning Matrix

Student Achievement Goal
20% of Grade 6 students will pass the NST Math, scoring over 69%, two
years from now.
Objective 1 Objective 2 Objective 3 Objective 4
After All teachers will 3 untrained Three weeks of in-
September only be certified two teachers will be service training in
certified years from enrolled in college Math will be
teachers will be now. programs by conducted in
hired on September August for all
permanent teachers
contracts

Activities Activities Activities Activities

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 School Improvement Planning

After that, the activities can be developed. The activities are all the things
that need to be done to achieve the objectives. Activities are usually
sequenced in a logical order.

Student Achievement Goal

20% of Grade 6 students will pass the NST Math, scoring over 69%, two
years from now.
Objective 1 Objective 2 Objective 3 Objective 4
After Two years from 3 untrained Three weeks of in-
September only now, all teachers will be service training in
certified teachers will be enrolled in college Math will be
teachers will be certified. programs by conducted in
hired on September August for all
permanent teachers
contracts
Activities Activities Activities Activities
Get the agreement Arrange tutorials Confirm that 3 Request assistance from
of the State for teachers to untrained teachers the Math specialist at
Director and ensure they all wish to attend COM the Education
school supervisors pass the NSTT Department
Meet with the Arrange for all Ask the Education Observe Math lessons to
school board to teachers to sit the Department to enrol 3 determine training
agree a policy on NSTT untrained teachers at needs
hiring of teachers COM
Write a new Send copies of Combine the classes of Design a training
teacher hiring teachers’ the 3 teachers at COM program
policy certificates to the to make multi-grade
Director of classes
Education
Insert the policy Ask the Director of Train teachers in Schedule training
into the school Education to multi-grade teaching
policy booklet and submit teachers’
send a copy to the details for
Director of Certification
Education
Evaluate the policy Evaluate the Hire 3 temporary Prepare venue and
activities against classroom assistants materials for training
the objective. to help multi-grade
teachers
Evaluate the activities Facilitate training
against the objective

Monitor and evaluate

changes in teaching
methods by classroom
observation

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 School Improvement Planning

Effective activities for school

improvement
training are important activities to
It is important that the SIT choose improve teaching.
the most effective activities for
their school improvement plan. Activities related to Learning
Effective activities bring about include providing appropriate and
improvements to key aspects of relevant learning opportunities and
the school. experiences in classrooms and the
local environment. These should
Key aspects of the school are: include creative and practical
 Curriculum learning activities and problem-
 Teaching solving.
 Learning
 The learning Environment Activities related to The Learning
 Community Participation. Environment include making sure
that the physical and social
Activities related to the environment supports high-quality
Curriculum include ensuring that learning. This means providing
all teachers have copies of learning materials, textbooks and
curriculum documents and that other facilities. The social learning
they understand and follow them environment should be safe, free
in their lesson planning. The of violence, supportive and
curriculum should include core inclusive of all students, including
subjects and the school timetable those with special needs.
should allow enough time for
students to master the curriculum Activities related to Community
content. Participation include encouraging
parental support for education in
Activities related to Teaching the classroom and at home. This
include ensuring that all teachers may mean inviting parents to
have high expectations for their assist in the classroom or offering
students and are certified and classes to parents to show them
properly trained to teach using how to help their children at home
methodologies appropriate to the with reading or homework.
curriculum and the age and
experience of the children.
Professional Development and

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 School Improvement Planning

A c tivity Te n
Designing Activities
This activity can be conducted by a trainer with a group of participants or by a
SIT as part of the school improvement process. Principals or trainers should act
as facilitators.

In this activity, participants will work in groups of two or three.

Photocopy enough copies of the table on the following page. If you do not have a
photocopier, make a copy on flipchart paper and ask each group to copy it.

Read through the Goal and Objectives and the activities for Objective 1.
Next, ask each group to develop activities for the other Objectives and write
them on the table.

Give enough time for each group to complete the task.

When all groups have completed their table, ask them to give feedback.

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 School Improvement Planning

Student Achievement Goal

Improve student scores in NST Grade 6 Math so that by next
year, at least 10% of students are performing at proficient level
compared to 2% now.
Objective 1 Objective 2 Objective 3 Objective 4
All grades will All teachers will By the beginning By the beginning
have one math attend 20 hours of the next of the next school
textbook per of professional school year, all year, all Math
student by the development Math lessons lessons will
beginning of the training in the will include include practical
next school year next school year problem solving activities
Conduct inventory.

Determine needs.

Identify best
textbooks

Order textbooks

Prepare a textbook
management
policy

Distribute
textbooks to
students

All teachers use

textbooks effectively
in lessons

Monitoring and
evaluation

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 School Improvement Planning

The table below can be used as a guide by the facilitator. It shows an example of
some possible activities for each objective.

Goal
Improve student scores in NST Grade 6 Math so that by next
year, at least 10% of students are performing at proficient level
compared to 2% now.
Objective 1 Objective 2 Objective 3 Objective 4
All grades will All teachers will By the beginning By the beginning
have one math attend 20 hours of the next of the next school
textbook per of professional school year, all year, all Math
student by the development Math lessons lessons will
beginning of the training in the will include include practical
next school year next school year problem solving activities
Conduct inventory. Identify teacher Establish a team of Identify equipment
needs by analysing teachers to research required by studying
performance problem solving on textbooks
expectations the internet
Determine needs. Locate training Research team Establish a team to
materials identifies problem make equipment from
solving skills local materials
Identify best Obtain training Research team Place order for
textbooks assistance from DOE conducts school- equipment that
based staff cannot be made
development locally
Order textbooks Conduct weekly Develop school Provide each class
training policy on problem with equipment pack
solving in a secure box
Prepare a textbook Principal conducts Establish teacher All math lessons to
management policy weekly classroom teams for lesson include practical
observation to planning activity
monitor
implementation of
training in
classroom
Distribute textbooks All math lesson Monitoring and
to students plans to include evaluation
problem solving
All teachers use Monitoring and
textbooks effectively evaluation
in lessons
Monitoring and
evaluation

67
 School Improvement Planning

Developing activities
Outcomes are the non-physical
The next stage is for the SIT to things that will arise as a result of
carefully plan each activity by the activity. Outputs include
adding more detail. Each activity changes in behavior, attitudes,
needs to have the following detail knowledge and awareness.
added. Outputs should ultimately result in
the attainment of the Student
 Inputs Achievement Goal.
 Timeline
 Outputs An Activity Planning Matrix can be
 Outcomes used to write out all the activities
for each Objective. This activity
Inputs include the resources that matrix should then become a part
are required for the activity to be of the School Improvement Plan.
completed. Resources include
human resources and physical An example of an Activity Planning
resources. Human resources are Matrix is shown on the following
the people who will lead the page.
activity and those who will help to
implement the activity. Physical
resources include existing facilities
funds and materials as well as
new ones.

The timeline shows when the

activity will begin, how long it will
last or when it will be completed.

Outputs include the physical or

measurable things that will arise
as a result of the activity.

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 School Improvement Planning

Activity Planning Matrix

Goal
Improve student scores in NST Grade 6 Math so that by next year, at least 10% of
students are performing at proficient level compared to 2% now.
Objective 1
All grades will have one math textbook per student by the beginning of the next
school year
Activities Inputs Timeline Outputs Outcomes Monitoring
Conduct Principal By end of Inventory of math Better textbook
inventory. and April textbooks management
teachers
Determine Principal By middle List of needs Better textbook
needs. and of May management
teachers
Identify best Principal, By end of Score sheet for Better textbook/
textbooks teachers May three potential curriculum
and DOE textbooks match
Order textbooks Principal By June 5th Order Better student
and DOE acknowledgemen access to
t from publisher textbooks
Prepare a Principal Before first Parents sign Wide support for
textbook teachers week of agreement form textbook policy
management DOE and term for policy
policy parents
Training for DOE In summer All teachers Teachers make
teachers in holidays attend 5 days of effective use of
effective training textbooks
textbook use
Distribute Teachers First week All students have Better student
textbooks to of term a textbook access to
students textbooks
All teachers use Teachers First week Better quality Improved
textbooks of term teaching student
effectively achievement in
math
Monitoring Principal First three Monitoring data Improved
and months of and report student learning
evaluation term and
achievement in
math.

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 School Improvement Planning

A c tivity Ele ve n
The Activity Planning Matrix
This activity can be conducted by a trainer with a group of participants or by a
SIT as part of the school improvement process. Principals or trainers should act
as facilitators.

In this activity, participants will work in groups of two or three.

Photocopy enough copies of the Activity Planning Matrix shown on the following
page. If you do not have a photocopier, make a copy on flipchart paper and ask
each group to copy it.

The Activity Planning Matrix is for the next Objective of the Goal used in the
previous activity. The first row of the Activity Planning Matrix has been
completed. Ask participants to work in groups to complete the rest of the matrix.

Give enough time for each group to complete the task. When all the groups have
finished, ask them to give feedback in turn.

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 School Improvement Planning

Activity Planning Matrix

Goal
Improve student scores in NST Grade 6 Math so that by next year, at least
10% of students are performing at proficient level compared to 2% now.
Objective 2
All teachers will attend 20 hours of professional development training in the
next school year
Activities Inputs Timeline Outputs Outcomes Monitoring
Identify teacher DOE By end of List of areas Awareness of
needs by testing January where teaching and
analysing specialist, students learning
performance Principal showed low weaknesses
expectations and performance
teachers
Locate training
materials

Obtain training
assistance from
DOE

Conduct weekly
training

Principal
conducts weekly
classroom
observation to
monitor
implementation
of training in
classroom

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 School Improvement Planning

Chapter Nine
Monitoring and
Evaluation
Monitoring is the process of
observing and keeping track of the
activities for each objective and
goal of the School Improvement
Plan.

Evaluation is the process of

determining whether the activities
have been successful in achieving
the Objectives and Goals.

The SIT is responsible for

monitoring and evaluation of the
School Improvement Plan.

The first step in the monitoring

process is checking to ensure that
the School Improvement Plan
contains all the essential elements
and that it has been developed
with the participation of the whole
school community.

The checklist on the following

page can be used as a monitoring
tool for the School Improvement
Plan.

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 School Improvement Planning

School Improvement Plan Monitoring Tool

1 Does the school Improvement Plan contain each of the following
essential elements?
1.1 School profile Yes / No

1.2 Mission and Vision Yes / No

1.3 Student achievement data and analysis Yes / No

1.4 School performance data and analysis Yes / No

1.5 Objective data and analysis Yes / No

1.6 Problems charts and problem prioritization Yes / No

1.7 Problem tree analysis for priority problems Yes / No

1.8 Goals and objectives trees Yes / No

1.9 SMART Student Achievement Goals and Objectives Yes / No

1.10 Effective activities for school improvement Yes / No

1.11 Activity Planning Matrices for all Student Achievement Yes / No

Goals and Objectives

2 Does the School Improvement Team include the

following members?
2.1 School Principal Yes / No
2.2 Teachers Yes / No
2.3 Parents Yes / No
2.4 Community members Yes / No

3 Was the School Improvement Plan developed by

informing, consulting and with the participation of
the whole school community?
3.1 Informing Yes / No
3.2 Consulting Yes / No
3.3 With Participation Yes / No

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 School Improvement Planning

Activity Monitoring

Activity monitoring may be

overseen by the SIT and
performed by the SIT or the
Principal. The State and National
Department of Education may also
monitor the School Improvement
Plan activities.

Monitoring is already built in to the

planning process because each
Goal and Objective is SMART and
the Activity Planning Matrix has a
Timeline, Output and Monitoring
box for each activity.

Regular, ongoing monitoring

through the life of the School
Improvement Plan implementation
period will enable the SIT to tell
whether the planned activities are
being carried out effectively,
efficiently and on time.

Regular ongoing monitoring will

alert the SIT to problems when
they arise and enable the SIT to
deal with these problems quickly
and efficiently.

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 School Improvement Planning

Evaluation

Evaluation can be conducted

during the implementation of the
School Improvement Plan and at
the end of the school year when
NST data on Student Achievement
becomes available. This NST data
will show whether the Student
Achievement Goals have been
attained.

At the end of the School

Improvement Plan year, the SIT
should write an Evaluation Report
on the year’s activities and make
the report available to the school
community, perhaps through a
public meeting at the school.

The Evaluation Report will inform

the SIT about how successful the
School Improvement Plan has
been.

The Evaluation Report will be a

valuable piece of data to include in
the next cycle of School
Improvement Planning.

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 School Improvement Planning

Notes:

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 School Improvement Planning

Section Two: Further Reading

77
 School Improvement Planning

Photocopiable Forms

78
 School Improvement Planning

Student achievement data analysis

Question Observation Evidence
Is student achievement
better, worse or about
the same as you
expected?
Is student achievement
improving over time or
declining?

In what areas are the

students performing
well?

In what areas are the

students performing
poorly?

Are school-based
assessments consistent
with standardized test
results?
Is there evidence of
any groups of students
performing poorly
compared to others?
For example, do boys
perform as well as
girls?
How well do students
with special needs
perform?
How does achievement
compare with similar
schools to yours in your
state or in other
states?

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 School Improvement Planning

School self-assessment
Grade 6 students
NST Math Survey
1 What do you like most about
Math lessons?

2 What do you dislike most about

math lessons?

3 How well do you think you did

in the NST?

4 What questions did you find

most difficult?

5 How did you prepare for the

NST?

6 How can your school help you

do better in Math?

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 School Improvement Planning

Parent Survey Form on school management Yes/ No

2. Does the school have a written mission statement?

2. Is the mission statement shared and understood by students, parents,

teachers, principal, and community members?

3. Does the school have clear standards of academic success that are known by
teachers, students, and community members?

4. Does the school have clear rules and regulations that are shared and
understood by teachers, principal, students and parents?

5. Are the rules and regulations consistently and fairly applied to everyone?

6. Did the Principal, teachers, and school board explain the school vision, mission
and goals to parents and students?

7. Is school time managed to have maximum time for learning, with at least 180
days of instruction per year?

8. Are classes are held on all days, consistent with the school calendar, with no
half-day or unscheduled closures?

9. Do classes start on time, with teachers present and prepared for the lesson?

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 School Improvement Planning

Goals, Objectives and Activities Planning Matrix

Student Achievement Goal

Objective 1 Objective 2 Objective 3 Objective 4

Activities Activities Activities Activities

82
 School Improvement Planning

Activity Planning Matrix

Goal

Objective

Activities Inputs Timeline Outputs Outcomes Monitoring

83
 School Improvement Planning

Additional Resources are available on the CD-ROM ‘School Improvement

Planning’ available from National and State Departments of Education.

84