DB 3 & 4
Topic: Case Study Read the case study in ch. 8 from Razik & Swanson: The Case of Washington High School. Please post a thread which provides a solution to your task.
· Design an evaluation model for Washington High School. Draw on the information provided in this and other chapters, on your own experience as a student, teacher, administrator, parent, and/or taxpayer; and on other relevant reading and experience. Your overall model should include subsystems that evaluate programs, teaching and administration. Be sure to consider issues of responsibility for follow-up and continued assessment of results. When you have completed designing the model, be prepared to discuss the implications of putting the plan into effect in a real school in the real world.
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Zanovia Hanchell
Case Study 2: Washington High School
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Washington High School has a number of problem areas that need to be addressed and reorganized. With the complacency of the school’s educators, the decline in student achievement and progress as well as the need for administrative evaluation, it is evident that the institution’s subsystems need to be reevaluated. A systematic approach would benefit this school in that it identifies the most effective methods of generating consistent, optimum results (Razik & Swanson, 2010). It is important for Administrators to initially assess the current evaluation model prior to implementing a new one. This way, they have the ability to compile the necessary data in order to establish a system that will be valuable in the long run.
As a result of the decline of student achievement and progress, Washington High School needs a solid plan in place in order to promote growth and eventually receive full accreditation by the Regional Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools (Razik & Swanson, 2010). The ESSA was signed by President Obama in 2015 which is a revision of the No Child Left Behind Act which promotes equal opportunity for students (U.S. Department of Education, n.d.). Students should be provided the opportunity to succeed academically. It is important for the school to evaluate the current curriculum as well as how it is taught to students. In addition, since test scores are low, administrators should partake in data review to identify the true areas of concern, then devise plans to target these specific areas. It is imperative that the test specs are aligned with the curriculum to ensure students are successful.
Teacher evaluations should be conducted to ensure the curriculum is delivered appropriately. This promotes student achievement. In addition to teachers being evaluated by administrators, students should also be allowed to provide feedback based on their direct experience with the instructor. Administrators cannot be present throughout an entire lesson, day or school year, however, students can provide valuable criticism on the teacher themselves, as well as their delivery of the lesson. Administrators can use this information as a talking point with instructors during the evaluation process. Teachers should also be encouraged to self-reflect and self-evaluate their performance as a way of promoting constant growth in the field. This can also assist with teachers pinpointing the reason for their complacency at the school. Trainings and professional development can also contribute to reducing teacher complacency.
In addition to teacher self-reflection, administrators should do the same. Just as teachers become complacent in their job, so can administrators. It is important for the Principal to self-evaluate to ensure they set realistic goals that lead to the school being successful. Also, just as teachers are evaluated, so should administrators to ensure they contribute to the mission and vision of the school through effective leadership. Staff surveys should be promoted to gain insight on leadership and support from administrators. By obtaining feedback, administrators can gain knowledge of some factors that may contribute to teacher complacency. As for the new Principal, meeting and communicating with staff is important to get an understanding of their principles of instruction and establishing a working relationship. This way, administrators are better able to provide the necessary support for their employees, thereby reducing complacency.
Stakeholders are also an important group to the institution and should be involved in the evaluation and feedback process. Just as teachers will be allowed to partake in surveys, so should parents and taxpayers. They will be asked a series of questions to gather data about various topics. For one, how the information taught in school can benefit High School students in the real world. In addition, allowing parents to voice their concerns about the curriculum, process, and teaching and leadership style can give administrators a view of how they perceive the current educational process. No one knows the students better than their parents. Therefore, this survey can be strategically formulated to get a clear idea of a student’s background and educational needs. These surveys should be conducted periodically to maintain constant feedback and ensure the school is doing the best they can to meet the educational needs of the students.
With any and every evaluation system, it is important to constantly monitor and make adjustments where and when appropriate. Since Washington High School has so many issues that need to be resolved, it is beneficial to evaluate the new system to make certain it is contributing to the challenges. Welcoming feedback, promoting communication, and encouraging teamwork can make a difference when it comes to addressing the school’s concerns. Implementing change in any organization can present challenges, however, the sole purpose is to promote success.
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References:
Razik, T. A. & Swanson, A. D. (2010). Fundamental Concepts of Educational Leadership and
Management (3rd Ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.
U.S. Department of Education (n.d.). Every student succeeds act (ESSA). Retrieved from
https://www.ed.gov/essa?src=rn
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Rachel McAlister
Washington Case Study
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The case study of Washington High School is relevant to the school setting that I currently work. I am a PE teacher, however not the vice principal. We have a vice principal that has been at the school for one year and we have a new incoming principal that was hired yesterday. Like Washington, test scores are declining, teachers are both complacent and frustrated, and job skills training is not present in the current school curriculum. I have thought much about this scenario before now actually and how I would foster change at school.
“Teachers are hired to help students learn, and they are expected to be record keepers, curriculum specialist, be mangers, as well as be problem solvers, helpers, and be compassionate while doing so.” (Seyfarth, 2008) The first component of the solution to Washington High Schools problem is to help evaluate the teachers. I would do a self- reporting evaluation form for the teachers to report their satisfaction with the policies of the school and have them also report what function of the school they are most satisfied with and what they feel they can do the most to improve with their skill set. I then would use the evaluations to discover the best way to address professional development. Do the teachers need help with content ideas, discipline, or possibly classroom management. I would have a grant written fund the professional development if needed as I know the county has its own concerns and can not afford to address this school alone.
Further the evaluation would be conducted with students and their future goals and plans. Schools are a place for students to prepare for the future. Should the students need more training in math or English for future college plans? Students may have plans to attend a vocational college. I would make sure to address the curriculum in the school to mirror the plans of students. The evaluation for the curriculum changes would occur in the setting of the guidance office. The counselors would meet with all the student and would be able to help them figure out a plan of study. The plan of study would begin with incoming freshman and by the time the students were seniors and juniors, the curriculum in the school could be in the process of changing. For skills related jobs of carpentry and plumbing, basic math skills could be emphasized, as well as business management. Often times the student’s who are hard-working and trainable in the manual labor industries could do well running their own company. The students can learn about budgets, and accounting, etc and be on their way to with foundations that would be able to be built on later. Straight college-bound students would benefit from upper-level classes, such as dual credit and would also benefit from college test prep courses. We could take the teacher evaluations and pair teachers with their niche area of student achievement and curriculum to maximize teacher satisfaction.
Accountability is comparing the known standard against which the performance is measured, research to determine what performance is taking place, assessment/measurement to determine the level of that performance, and evaluation or judgment of the nature or level of the performance when matched against the standard expected. (Razik & Swanson, 2009) To increase test scores we must keep this in mind. The students first must be evaluated based on their growth, not that of others, to have a true measure of learning. Test scores are important however when the standardized tests are not based on student achievement but are driven by policymakers and testing companies, the evaluative effectiveness declines. The testing in WV changed every year for 4 years in a row. The data had nothing to be compared, so the testing was pointless. For Washington High School, I would enlist two forms of testing. All students would take both tests. The first would be the ASVAB and the second would be the SAT or ACT. Both of these tests are relevant to the future of the students. Students really try hard when they know evaluation is meaningful. Anyone may earn a scholarship or be placed in a career choice they did not expect.
Finally, I would make sure to have a vision statement and goals that addressed the needs of the school. A vision statement reminds us all what is important and what our main focus is on. I would do this last, however, to make sure that no new aspects come up in the evaluation process that should be added.
References:
Razik, T. A., Swanson, A. D., & Razik, T. A. (2010). Fundamental concepts of educational leadership and management. Boston:
Allyn & Bacon.
Seyfarth, J. (2008). Human resource leadership for effective schools. Boston: Pearson.
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