Better Data to Make Better Decisions

Saturday July 31, 2016

I had a great week, 1:1 conversations with inspired teachers, unit reviews of new courses, and I even attended a Design Thinking Lab hosted by Ryan M!  So why did I wake up Saturday morning to look at survey data showing dissatisfaction with Curriculum at AISC, because I am interested in improvement.  Don' get me wrong, there was much to celebrate in the survey, over 95% satisfaction level with the quality of teaching.  Also, satisfaction of the level of academic expectations is also across sections, high 90%'s. However there are also some data points to ponder from the results of the 2015-16 AISC Faculty Climate Survey:

How satisfied are you with the ES/MS/HS curricula for students?

• ES--83%
• MS--97%
• HS--67%

How satisfied are you with how the curriculum is articulated across grades & subjects through the curricular program outcomes and standards?

• ES--73%
• MS--81%
• HS--58%

How satisfied are you with the AISC curriculum review process?

• ES--88%
• MS--91%
• HS--76%

How satisfied are you with the distribution of student performance data to effectively differentiate instruction?

• ES--81%
• MS--91%
• HS--74%

How satisfied are you with the use of student performance data...to identify potential gaps in the curriculum?

• ES--73%
• MS--75%
• HS--63%

So I know I have some work to do!  My goal would be to see over 85% reporting satisfaction in all the areas of the school. But in order to do this, what is the first area to tackle?    So again what is the problem?  Unfortunately I don't have an answer that is not speculation.  I wish the questions were area specific, Language Arts, Math, Science...perhaps it can be next year.  In the meantime, I need to start by asking questions with how teachers can be more satisfied with the curricula and standards.

• Is the curricula changing too often? 
• Is the curricula not changing fast enough?  
• Is better curriculum they wish they had? 

I hope some early conversation will provide some early insight.  Let me know your thoughts.

All the best,

Dan