Identify Strengths and Opportunities, with Clear Next Steps
Identify the strengths and opportunities for improvement through our school needs assessment process called Collaborative Quality Analysis (CQA). Our comprehensive diagnostic process guides school improvement through providing a prescriptive lens through which we can effectively recommend and apply professional development solutions. The collaborative process results in a summary report and recommended next steps, forming the basis of an implementation plan.
Our CQA needs assessment process:
Combines observation data, stakeholder perception feedback, and documented evidence in order to assess a school’s strengths and challenges
Benchmarks findings against best practices utilizing our Catapult Learning School Development Rubric
Results are shared in a comprehensive report that describes a school’s strengths, opportunities for growth, and recommended next steps
Assessment Activities:
School Document Review
Lesson Plan Review
Student Work Review
Record Review and Discussion
Stakeholder Focus Groups
Lesson Observations
Climate Walk
School Development Rubric
The School Development Rubric (SDR) measures a school’s achievement of 21 Attributes of Exemplary Schools, which are the activities and processes seen in a well-run school that ensure success for all learners when they are well-implemented and sustained. This rubric is intended to help schools at all levels assess the strengths and challenges of their instructional practices and organizational conditions. The SDR focuses on our five strand framework to guide school observation, focusing on five essential questions to guide evaluation:
- How well is the school set for leading and managing change?
- How good are opportunities for learning and developing learners?
- How well does the school use assessment, data, and feedback to promote learning?
- How well does the school promote and foster environments that support learning and motivation?
- How well does the school use its internal and external resources to meet the spectrum of need for learners?
Assessment Activities
School improvement recommendations are informed by both quantitative and qualitative data. A series of activities build an evidence base upon which our Alliance team evaluates the school, including:
