Demonstrating successful outcomes: ISC PRD workshop: Introduction to discussion

1. Demonstrating successful outcomes: ISC PRD workshop:Introduction to discussion Thursday July 7th 2011 Allie O’Brien

2. What constitutes an effective outcome for an individual? • Independence • Communication • Practical skills for living • Vocational skills • “Functional” literacy and numeracy • Other? • Acquiring the skills they need to live the lives they want

3. Considerations • Why do they come to you? • What do they want to achieve? • How are they going to live/spend their time in the future? • Are there any areas of learning which are particular to you?

4. How do you measure achievement – individual and as a college? “What gets measured gets managed”* • Qualifications? • Retention? • MIS data? • Observation data • Other? • Things we can count! “Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts” * Drucker, P

5. Measures of success? To what extent do we enable learners to: • Progress on to a broad range of life opportunities • To make choices about other types of life styles • To access a range of pathways beyond education • To move onto the world of work Improved outcomes for people with learning difficulties and disabilities

6. Complex picture • Not a homogenous group • Small numbers- be careful about percentages • Quantifiable data doesn’t always capture impact • Key is analysis – how good is it, if there is variation, why and what does that tell you? • Destination – important, but hard to control

7. Approaches • Be clear about what you are teaching and why (purpose) and measure success against that (outcomes) • Devote time and energy to planning activities that will enable learners to develop the skills they need • Ensure you have robust assessment procedures • Present data in terms that are meaningful • Supplement with pen portraits

8. What constitutes effective outcomes for your learners and your college? • Do they accurately reflect all aspects of achievement for your learners? • For your organisation? • Are they effectively measured? • Are they effectively reported? • Do they support your judgments within your SAR? • Do your measures help you understand and improve the quality of provision? • How might they be improved?

9. Concluding messages • Tracking and recording outcomes is complex • There is no one way • Approach needs to be personalised to the learner and contextualised to the organisation • Requires both confidence and skills in analysis and interpretation of data • This has implications for professional skills and associated training • Merit in exploring hard measures e.g. a longitudinal study of impact of intervention over time- in terms of quality of life, and possible cost benefits

10. Concluding messages • Tracking outcomes requires robust and high quality systems for assessment and tracking • “Resilience” –fascinating and has implications for a wider identification of the skills a learners will need in future life • Organisations need clarity of purpose – why do learners come to you and what do they gain? • Key principles of learner centredness and professionalism are central to effective practice

11. Concluding messages • Systems need to be fit for purpose – internal and external • They must Involve all staff who contribute to the learning • Positive impact of the PRD group– sharing approaches and working together has been very valuable

12. Thank you Email: alison.obrien@kandaassociates.co.uk