School Improvement in Maryland
Illustrative Questions to Clarify Why Your Data Looks Like it Does
 
  • Do all staff understand what students are asked to know and do on the state assessments?
     
     
  • Do staff understand how student performance is scored on the state assessments and what a satisfactory and excellent student response looks like?
     
     
  • Do staff know how to teach the content standards and performance outcomes?
     
     
  • Do staff know how to assess the content standards and performance outcomes?
     
     
  • Do staff know how well our students know and can do what is expected of them?
     
     
  • Is staff monitoring progress of individual students in these outcome areas?
     
     
  • Are the outcomes tested included in the curriculum taught in your school?
     
     
  • Do staff use the outcomes in everyday instruction?
     
     
  • Have we defined evidence of success for this outcome?
     
     
  • Do staff use a variety of strategies to teach the outcomes?
     
     
  • Are the outcomes implemented at the appropriate grade level?
     
     
  • Do we have appropriate materials to teach this outcome?
     
     
  • Do staff provide interventions for students not demonstrating attainment of an outcome?
     
     
  • What school improvement strategies did we implement last year that we hoped would impact this data? Did it?
     
     
  • Has our instructional program changed in any way?
     
     
  • What staff development occurred that might have impacted these data?
     
     
  • Do staff know how to increase student achievement?