5.3 Program Evaluation
Candidates design and implement program evaluations to determine the overall effectiveness of professional learning on deepening teacher content knowledge, improving teacher pedagogical skills and/or increasing student learning. (PSC 5.3/ISTE 4c)
Artifact: GAPSS Review - ITEC 7460
Reflection:
The Georgia Assessment of Performance on School Standards Analysis is an assessment that assesses a school’s progress toward meeting the School Keys. The School Keys are Georgia’s standards for schools. These standards are similar to Common Core Georgia Performance standards which tells what the students should know, understand, and be able to do, but instead the School Keys tell what Georgia schools would know, understand, and be able to do. Any school scoring as Needing Improvement at the end of a six year period will be required to take part in a state-led GAPSS Analysis. At this time, only School Improvement Schools, Priority Schools, Focus Schools and Low Achieving Race to the Top Schools are being reviewed by the State GAPSS Team every two to three years.
The GAPSS Analysis takes place onsite and is conducted by an experienced team of educators. The team uses the GAPSS Manual to guide them through a rigorous process to collect a variety of data through observations and interviews to assess how the school is meeting eight different strands and correlated standards: Curriculum, Instruction, Assessment, Planning and Organization, Student, Family, and Community Support, Professional Learning, Leadership, and School Culture. At the conclusion of the analysis, the GAPSS team holds a summative meeting to provide the school with commendation, recommendations, and a rating for each standard in the School Keys. The results of the GAPSS Analysis is used to inform the development and implementation of school improvement initiatives (GaDOE, 2012).
In order to analyze the current reality of Sunset Elementary School’s professional learning, information from the Sunset’s School Improvement Plan and information from an interview with the principal, Bruce Owen, and assistant principal, Charla Brinson, were used to help analyze how professional development is chosen and implemented at Sunset School. Using the information collected, each standard on the GAPSS analysis was rated as not addressed, emergent, operational, or fully operational.
The GAPSS analysis demonstrates mastery of standard 5.3 because information from the interviews and Sunset’s School Improvement Plan was evaluated using the professional learning standards on the GAPSS analysis to determine the overall effectiveness of the professional learning offered at Sunset. For each standard, evidence was included to support the score that was given and a recommendation for improvement or sustainability was also included to help provide the school with feedback on ways they could improve the professional learning opportunities at Sunset School. For example, the professional learning standard 1.2 focused on Learning Communities was scored as Not Addressed. The evidence that was provided was supported the score by stating that Sunset Elementary School currently has weekly grade group meetings and monthly leadership meetings which consist of one representative from each grade level, but there is not a learning community. In the interview with the principal and assistant principal, they both agreed this is an area of concern that needs to be addressed for the 2014-2015 school year. The recommendation that was provided was Sunset Elementary School currently has weekly grade group meetings and monthly leadership meetings which consist of one representative from each grade level but there is not a learning community. In the interview with the principal and assistant principal, they both agreed this is an area of concern that needs to be addressed for the 2014-2015 school year. Each standard was thoughtfully evaluated in this manner using information gathered through the interviews and school improvement plan.
Completing this artifact was a real learning experience. Prior to this assignment, I was not aware of the GAPSS analysis. Through this assignment, I learned about the process and importance of the GAPSS analysis, but most importantly I learned the overall effectiveness of the professional learning at my school. This assignment allowed me time to work with my administrators to suggest and plan opportunities for professional development to deepen teacher content knowledge, improve teacher pedagogical skills and increasing student learning at Sunset School. To improve this artifact, I think it would be important to share the analysis with the school’s leadership team. The leadership team could suggest other ways that our school could improve professional learning.
The impact of the GAPSS analysis could have a positive impact on the effectiveness of the professional development at Sunset Elementary School. After the analysis was completed, the results were shared with administrators. Hopefully they will use this analysis and the recommendations to provide professional learning opportunities in the future that will deepen teacher content knowledge, improve teacher pedagogical skills, and ultimately increase student achievement. The effectiveness of this analysis could be assessed by interviewing administrators to see if they agree with the results and if they plan on implementing any of the given recommendations.
Reflection:
The Georgia Assessment of Performance on School Standards Analysis is an assessment that assesses a school’s progress toward meeting the School Keys. The School Keys are Georgia’s standards for schools. These standards are similar to Common Core Georgia Performance standards which tells what the students should know, understand, and be able to do, but instead the School Keys tell what Georgia schools would know, understand, and be able to do. Any school scoring as Needing Improvement at the end of a six year period will be required to take part in a state-led GAPSS Analysis. At this time, only School Improvement Schools, Priority Schools, Focus Schools and Low Achieving Race to the Top Schools are being reviewed by the State GAPSS Team every two to three years.
The GAPSS Analysis takes place onsite and is conducted by an experienced team of educators. The team uses the GAPSS Manual to guide them through a rigorous process to collect a variety of data through observations and interviews to assess how the school is meeting eight different strands and correlated standards: Curriculum, Instruction, Assessment, Planning and Organization, Student, Family, and Community Support, Professional Learning, Leadership, and School Culture. At the conclusion of the analysis, the GAPSS team holds a summative meeting to provide the school with commendation, recommendations, and a rating for each standard in the School Keys. The results of the GAPSS Analysis is used to inform the development and implementation of school improvement initiatives (GaDOE, 2012).
In order to analyze the current reality of Sunset Elementary School’s professional learning, information from the Sunset’s School Improvement Plan and information from an interview with the principal, Bruce Owen, and assistant principal, Charla Brinson, were used to help analyze how professional development is chosen and implemented at Sunset School. Using the information collected, each standard on the GAPSS analysis was rated as not addressed, emergent, operational, or fully operational.
The GAPSS analysis demonstrates mastery of standard 5.3 because information from the interviews and Sunset’s School Improvement Plan was evaluated using the professional learning standards on the GAPSS analysis to determine the overall effectiveness of the professional learning offered at Sunset. For each standard, evidence was included to support the score that was given and a recommendation for improvement or sustainability was also included to help provide the school with feedback on ways they could improve the professional learning opportunities at Sunset School. For example, the professional learning standard 1.2 focused on Learning Communities was scored as Not Addressed. The evidence that was provided was supported the score by stating that Sunset Elementary School currently has weekly grade group meetings and monthly leadership meetings which consist of one representative from each grade level, but there is not a learning community. In the interview with the principal and assistant principal, they both agreed this is an area of concern that needs to be addressed for the 2014-2015 school year. The recommendation that was provided was Sunset Elementary School currently has weekly grade group meetings and monthly leadership meetings which consist of one representative from each grade level but there is not a learning community. In the interview with the principal and assistant principal, they both agreed this is an area of concern that needs to be addressed for the 2014-2015 school year. Each standard was thoughtfully evaluated in this manner using information gathered through the interviews and school improvement plan.
Completing this artifact was a real learning experience. Prior to this assignment, I was not aware of the GAPSS analysis. Through this assignment, I learned about the process and importance of the GAPSS analysis, but most importantly I learned the overall effectiveness of the professional learning at my school. This assignment allowed me time to work with my administrators to suggest and plan opportunities for professional development to deepen teacher content knowledge, improve teacher pedagogical skills and increasing student learning at Sunset School. To improve this artifact, I think it would be important to share the analysis with the school’s leadership team. The leadership team could suggest other ways that our school could improve professional learning.
The impact of the GAPSS analysis could have a positive impact on the effectiveness of the professional development at Sunset Elementary School. After the analysis was completed, the results were shared with administrators. Hopefully they will use this analysis and the recommendations to provide professional learning opportunities in the future that will deepen teacher content knowledge, improve teacher pedagogical skills, and ultimately increase student achievement. The effectiveness of this analysis could be assessed by interviewing administrators to see if they agree with the results and if they plan on implementing any of the given recommendations.