Technical Assistance Workshop

1. Technical Assistance Workshop Principal Preparation Program Continual Improvement Processes Principal Prep CIP

2. What is “Continual Improvement”? Continual improvement is an ongoing effort to improve products, services or processes. These efforts seek “incremental” improvement over time or “breakthrough” improvement all at once. Among the most widely used tools for continuous improvement is a four-step quality model—the plan-do-study-act (PDSA) cycle, also known as Deming Cycle or Shewhart Cycle: Plan: Identify an opportunity and plan for change. Do: Implement the change on a small scale. Study: Use data to analyze the results of the change and determine whether it made a difference. Act: If the change was successful, implement it on a wider scale and continuously assess your results. If the change did not work, begin the cycle again.* * ASQ – American Society for Quality Principal Prep CIP

3. Continuous or Continual?The terms continuous improvement and continual improvement are frequently used interchangeably. But some quality practitioners make the following distinction: • Continual improvement: a broader term preferred by W. Edwards Deming to refer to general processes of improvement and encompassing “discontinuous” improvements—that is, many different approaches, covering different areas. • Continuous improvement: a subset of continual improvement, with a more specific focus on linear, incremental improvement within an existing process. Some practitioners also associate continuous improvement more closely with techniques of statistical process control.* • * ASQ – American Society for Quality Principal Prep CIP

4. So what would a continual improvement diagram of a principal preparation program look like? I propose the following as an example: Admissions Process 4. Candidates’ Success in the Field 2. Program Coursework 3. Program Internship Talk at your tables about how this applies to your program. Principal Prep CIP

5. Step One – Admissions Process: a short term improvement goal • Plan– create the recruitment processes; admissions processes; initiation processes; etc…for this first step of the program • Do – decide what data to collect and then collect data to understand how each of these processes is working… • Study – the data from each of the processes for improvement • Act – based on the data, make changes to the processes and until they become internalized Principal Prep CIP

6. Step Two: Program Coursework – a medium term improvement goal Plan– create/rewrite program coursework; align coursework to the standards; align assessments of each course to the standards and to the internship assessments; prepare and implement training for multiple faculty who teach the same courses for continuity of programming and assessments; etc… Do – decide what data to collect and then collect data to understand how courses are contributing to the candidates’ knowledge and skills to attain the course assessments in preparation for the internship… Study – the data collected for course improvement, alignment to the standards, and improvement of internship assessments Act – based on the data, make changes to the courses, alignments, and work to internalize the changes Principal Prep CIP

7. Step Three: Program Internship – a medium term improvement goal: Plan– create/rewrite internship assessments and assignments; align assessments to standards; prepare and implement training for candidates, mentor principals, and faculty supervisors for continuity of programming and assessments; etc… Do – decide what data to collect and collect data to understand how each candidate: demonstrates knowledge and skills from the coursework; meets the standards of the internship; and demonstrates the ability to perform as a principal in the field. Collect data on mentor supervisors and mentor principals to inform these processes. Study – the data to understand the preparation of candidates to be able to meet the internship standards and to be prepared to perform in the field as a principal. Act – based on the data, make changes to courses, alignments, assessments, internship processes, and work to internalize the changes Principal Prep CIP

8. Step Four: Program Candidates success in the field – a long term improvement goal: • Plan– create the processes to track successful candidates as they begin work in the field; • Do – decide what data to collect and collect data to understand how the successful candidates are providing for successful student achievement in the schools they are leading… • Study – the data from the candidates working in the field to use for improvement of admissions, coursework, and internship processes; • Act – based on the data, make changes to the processes until they become internalized Principal Prep CIP

9. So what does all of this mean for a Principal Preparation Program? How can this information be used by programs? Several Principal Preparation Programs have developed tools to help them realize their efforts for program improvement. One of those tools will be shared with you now… Principal Prep CIP

10. A Continual Improvement Principal Preparation Program Tool: • The Leadership Program Data Collection Process Matrix • This tool was developed by North Central College • It is a matrix of assessments used to collect data that the Principal Preparation Program uses for its continual improvement processes; • The matrix contains the following major components under which the program tracks data • Admissions data • Field work formative assessment data from coursework assessments • Data from internship assessments – Non-State required • Data from internship assessments – State required Principal Prep CIP

11. A Continual Improvement Principal Preparation Program Tool: • Leadership Program Data Collection Process Matrix continued: • Other program data requirements • Post program follow-up with candidates first position in the field • The matrix contains five columns: • 1) Data point; 2) Type of data; 3) Purpose of the data; 4) Storage of the data; and, 5) How is the data used – what area(s) does it inform? Principal Prep CIP

12. Please review with me the hand-out of the Leadership Program Data Collection Process Matrix Principal Prep CIP

13. What tools of this type does your program have that they would like to share with us today? A copy of the Leadership Program Data Collection Process Matrix in electronic format can be obtained by signing the form that will be circulated after this session concludes Thank You! Principal Prep CIP