June 2004 — Applications
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School District of Philadelphia Uses Web-Based System to Increase Student Achievement
The data-driven instruction and assessment system provided by the Achievement Planner has already begun impacting teacher behavior, and many have started using data to plan and deliver instruction. The system has also helped us increase student achievement, and we have seen theses gains on the benchmarks administered through the system. As a result of our first year of implementing the Achievement Planner's data-driven system, we have identified several best practices for helping improve student performance, including:
Establish realistic expectations for usage. Any new program takes time to learn and master in order to reap the full benefits. Rather than implementing the system on a broad scale, we began by focusing on the ninth-grade year and then expanded it to other grades. We also relied on early adopters of the program to support other teachers in their schools and provide professional development.
Provide professional development in stages. Teachers and administrators need a structured professional development plan that first focuses on one key aspect of the program - allowing users time to learn and utilize that feature - and then builds upon the knowledge. For example, we began by ensuring that teachers and administrators were comfortable with the basic functionality of the Achievement Planner before moving onto data-driven decision-making.
Provide coaches to work individually with teachers and administrators using their students' or school's actual data. Data becomes very powerful when it is meaningful to the user. Teachers and administrators can relate to data when it is attached to their students. The one-on-one interaction between the coach and the teacher or administrator encourages focused and meaningful discussions about what the data shows and how to make good instructional decisions.
Assemble teams of administrators and teachers to evaluate the data and plan for school improvement. Working within school teams creates a sense of collaboration and shared vision. When our administrators and teachers worked together to analyze their data in the Achievement Planner, they found similarities among classes and grade levels. Once a problem area was identified, they could work together to find innovative solutions that worked best for their school's needs.
Encourage teachers to set class and student performance goals. Analyzing data represents a positive first step; teachers need to then take the next step to set realistic goals based on current student performance. Tools such as the Achievement Planner allow for monitoring progress toward these goals and adjusting goals as appropriate. Goal-setting can be motivational to both administrators and teachers, and it allows for the measuring of student progress.
- Creg E. Williams, Ed.D.
Deputy Chief Academic Officer, The School District of Philadelphia
Contact Information
Kaplan Inc.(888) KAPLAN-8
www.kaplank12.com
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