SCHOOL ASSESSMENT ACTIVITY

(NOTE: While the activity described below can be completed in about two hours, we strongly recommend that participants devote more time to it, if possible. The benefits of this exercise will be directly proportional to the time and attention that participants can give.)

Directions to the facilitator:

1. Encourage participants to browse this site and take an online tour of one or more of the high-performing schools prior to this meeting. Explain that today they will have an opportunity to assess how well their school is meeting the Schools to Watch criteria and to begin a process for goal-setting.

2. Form four small groups. Give each participant a copy of the school assessment chart. The National Forum to Accelerate Middle-Grades Reform developed this chart with assistance from Anne Henderson, a well-known family-school relations advocate. The chart, written in user-friendly language, has four sections that align with the National Forum's Schools to Watch criteria:

• strong academics (i.e. academic excellence)
• respect for students' needs and interests (i.e. developmental responsiveness)
• equal access to a high-quality education (i.e. social equity)
• support for school improvement (i.e. organizational structures and processes)

3. Assign each group to work with a different section of the chart. Give groups sufficient time (about 50 minutes) to read through the criteria and the indicators of implementation ("what to look for"). As participants discuss this, they should make notes in the column labeled "evidence at my school," citing specific instances and examples that support their observations.

We strongly encourage participants to conduct this activity during school hours and to gather "live" data and observations. If you choose this approach, be sure to notify the staff and administration that your group will be doing this.

4. Reconvene the small groups. Give each group 15 minutes to share their observations of how the school is and is not implementing the Schools to Watch criteria. Be sure that groups cite specific examples to support their observations. Assign someone to record this portion of the acitivity on chart paper.

5. Set a time during which participants can meet again and begin planning how they can work together with other members of the school community to strengthen areas that need improvement and to make the most of areas that are already strong. Bring the chart paper to this meeting.

SUGGESTED VARIATIONS:

• Instead of meeting only one time, participants can decide to meet once a week for an entire month. Have the entire group remain together for the duration of the activity, rather than dividing into four groups. Each week, the group can look at a different section of the chart.
• Encourage teachers to take the assessment tool back to their teams and discuss it section by section during their team meetings, or divide the sections among the different teams per grade level.
• Invite students, parents, and community members to participate in and inform discussions, as appropriate.
• As an addition to step 4, ask participants to reflect on what they learned through the online tours. How can they use this information to help set and meet high standards of performance for their school?

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