The document discusses the benefits of continuous improvement (CI) and adopting a systems approach to drive improvement. It states that CI helps build a growth mindset, relationships with stakeholders, and eliminates guesswork when predicting performance on high-stakes tests. CI provides a framework to understand how system components interrelate and provides structure. It also promotes student engagement and ownership in learning. The document includes benchmark survey results from principals about their comfort level and goals regarding leading CI on their campuses, as well as district expectations for tight-loose-tight implementation of CI.

1. Why Continuous Improvement?
Benefits to adopting a systems approach
to drive improvement

2. Why CI?
“The constant pursuit of knowledge and
improvement, striving to make yourself
better today than you were yesterday, is
not merely an indispensable tenet for
leaders to follow, but one of the great joys
of life. It is a pursuit that motivates me
every day to be a better husband, a better
father, a better Christian, a better friend,
and a better football coach” (p. 154).

3. Why CI? Practiced use of CI strategies
helps build a growth mindset
among students, teachers and
staff

4. Why CI? CI helps build relationships
with stakeholders

5. Why CI?
When we
• Create and use systems that align
curriculum, instructional delivery and
assessment to the learning
requirements (standards), and
• Consistently monitor progress toward
agreed-upon academic goals, and
• Adjust accordingly to meet student
needs, then
We eliminate guesswork involved when
predicting performance on high-stakes
tests.

6. Why CI?

7. Where we
have been
Where we
are now
Where we
are going
Why CI?

8. Pater Noster Lighthouse, Marstrand, Sweden
Why CI?
CI provides a framework to understand the
interdependence of system components and
provide structure to the myriad of “things”
that comprise the work of education

9. Variable
Inputs
Predictable
Quality
Outputs
D
S
A
P
Why CI?
CI provides a system of responsive processes
to produce high-quality outputs

10. Why CI? CI promotes
students’
engagement
and ownership
in their own learning

11. Building the foundation

12. Benchmark survey results

13. Benchmark survey results

14. Benchmark survey results

15. Benchmark survey results

16. Benchmark survey results

17. Benchmark survey results

18. Benchmark survey results
What would you need to improve your level of comfort in leading
CI training on your campus?
Theme
Number of
respondents
Additional training/CI refresher/review of strategies 10
Training in PDSA 3
Training in use of tools/student data folders 3
Understand district expectations for implementation 3
Turnaround training/guidance in steps to follow 3
Training in tracking student data/measuring progress 2
Examples of CI in the classroom 1
Collaboration with other principals 1
Training other than CI (rigor/relevance, SIOP) 2

19. Benchmark survey results
What are you hoping to accomplish for your campus in terms of CI
by the end of the 2016-17 school year?
Theme
Number of
respondents
PDSA 8
Monitoring student data 5
Student data folders 4
Campus and classroom beliefs/mission/vision 4
Understand/follow district expectations for implementation 3
CI foundations 3
Developing and using goals to track progress 2
CI and work of the PLC 2
Other/not directly related to CI 18

20. District expectations
• Tight – Loose – Tight (TLT) approach
• District-designated outcomes
• Campus-determined design and implementation
• Campus-wide classroom outcomes based on design
• Recursive alignment with CI professional learning plan
• Sep/Oct 2016 – Evidence of campus and classroom mission statements
• Jan 2017 – Evidence of campus and classroom goals
• Apr 2017 – Evidence of classroom PDSA
• Sep 2017 – Evidence of classroom use of CI tools, such as data folders and
plus/delta