Current Reality
Currently, Highschool X needs to address the collective efficacy issue by addressing the educators’ inability to communicate the standards of education set by the national education institutions. As a result, the students are affected since they are not capable of grasping the nature of these standards and learning in a way that would allow them to achieve success on tests.
The assessment of the reality statements is true because they are the result of the presenter’s observation of the Highschool X. This presentation focuses on the issue of collective efficacy at Highschool X since, through collaboration, educators can make a real difference in the way the school functions.
Action Plan
This action plan offers four steps to detail the way the teachers can explain their understanding of the standards to each other. Additionally, these action steps require the school’s leadership to create benchmarks for students and ensure that the teachers talk through these standards at the beginning of the school year. Additionally, the students will be able to review these benchmarks on the high school’s website when necessary. These steps are designed to enhance the collaboration between the teams of teachers and ensure that the state standards are communicated effectively.
Current Reality: A System of Assessment
The second observational examination of Highschool X’s system of assessment shows that the existing system is not collaborative as the educators do not share details about the way they evaluate student’s achievements. The evident outcome of this is that students have a limited understanding of how their achievements are assessed, for example, during tests or in-class communication.
Action Plan: A System of Assessment
To address the lack of a formative assessment system, the leadership of the school should encourage a discussion with the teachers. The first step is to create a list of formative assessment systems, which can be adapted to different classes. Next, through a discussion, the teachers should choose one formative assessment system. It is vital to ensure that the students understand how their achievements are evaluated, which is why the next step is teachers explaining how the assessment system is designed, what is expected, and what these students should focus on.
Current Reality: Response When Students Do not Learn or Require Enrichment
Over the course of data collection, it has become evident that the response to students not learning in this school is not sufficient. Mainly, the students who master the course content receive additional study plans from their teachers, but the design and structure of these plans are not standardized and depend on an individual educator’s judgment. Moreover, students who fall behind are referred to special education classes. However, special education classes are designed for students with disabilities or severe impairments that obstruct learning and should not be used as a remedy for all students who struggle while studying.
Action Plan: Response When Students Don’t Learn or Require Enrichment
The action plan is based on the idea that Highschool X should provide individualized study plans not only to students who have mastered the content and want to move beyond it but also to the students who faced some difficulties when learning. This approach will replace the measure of sending a struggling student to special education classes, where their individual issues and learning barriers are not assessed. As a final step of this plan, the students who are already in special education classes should undergo a reassessment and receive individualized study plans as well.
Current Reality: A Safe and Collaborative Culture
At Highschool X, teachers have a formal right to bring about issues and concerns and offer solutions. However, parents and other community members do not have access to this opportunity, and teachers rarely use this possibility to discuss other concepts.
Action Plan: A Safe and Collaborative Culture
This action plan offers to focus on ensuring that the voices of teachers and community members are heard by inviting them to participate in the discussion of major issues. Additionally, these individuals will be encouraged if the school’s administration chooses to celebrate the current achievements and success.
Current Reality: An Effective Teacher in Every Classroom
In summary, the observation shows that Highschool X does not use a data-driven approach to collecting information about teacher’s work, nor does it support their professional development. However, teachers have access to development plans that are linked to their personal goals.
The Role of the Principal
Evidently, the Highschool X’s leadership plays a role in enabling the collaboration between the teams and supporting the teachers’ collaborative efficacy. It is important to note that many teachers and principals already use evidence-based methods to and “many schools are already implementing a wide range of effective initiatives, and many educators are already practicing research-based strategies” (“Marzano high-reliability schools,” n.d., para. 1). Hence, the role of the principal is not to hinder the current efforts of the educators but to support and guide them in the correct direction. The main goal is to ensure that there is two-way communication between the leadership and the teachers and that the educators have the support of the leadership to improve the school’s work.
The Role of Dispersed Leadership
Teacher-leaders are the individuals who engage in collaboration with other teams and team members and have a vision for the improvement of the school. The leadership can support the development of teacher-leaders, for example, by providing them with accurate data reflecting the current performance of the school’s students (“Marzano high reliability schools,” n.d). Moreover, these teachers should be given an opportunity to voice their views on the improvement of Highschool X, for example, during monthly meetings with the school’s leadership. Finally, the principal can communicate with assistant principals and district leaders by scheduling regular meetings each month.
Tight/Loose Leadership
This plan includes both tight and loose strategies for cooperating with teacher teams. For example, one non-negotiable element is the need to consider the opinion of other stakeholders, such as parents, caregivers, and community members, when making decisions that will affect the school. However, the teachers will have the freedom to choose the types of formal assessment they perceive suitable for measuring the students’ achievements and the different ways of helping students who struggle with learning. Additionally, although cooperation with the stakeholders is mandatory when making major decisions, the teachers will be able to choose a form of collaboration they are comfortable with.
Measures of Progress/Smart Goals
Finally, this section details the SMART goals for Highschool X. For example, The teachers will hold a discussion where they explain how they view formative assessments and what strategies of formal assessment they use. Next, teacher-leaders will create a formative assessment framework that will be communicated to the students and educators to outline the expectations from the learning process. To help students who struggle with learning, the principal will present individual learning plans. Finally, teachers will collaborate with the HR managers to enhance their professional skills through additional training.