Through the Data Source Audit, leadership teams become aware of each data source, its logistics, and how it is currently
being used. This audit is designed to be completed within four contexts based on the team’s priority needs-- Literacy,
Math/STEM, Student Engagement, and College-Career Readiness. Within the selected context, the team may choose to
complete this audit from a Student Data or a Practices

This resource is guide was created by CCSSO and WestEd's Center for School Turnaround as a comprehensive resource. Topics covered include:
-What is a Needs Assessment
-Types of Needs Assessments
-Designing a Needs Assessment (which includes: elements of a needs assessment, importance on stakeholder engagement, steps in a needs assessment, and methods of data collection)
-Improvement Process (which includes: improvement cycle theory of action, planning and implementing change, working with frameworks)
-Key Decision Points

Stage 1: Digging Into the Data addresses the question “Do disparities in school discipline exist in our school or district?” The guide provides a set of tasks to help determine your data needs, harvest the data you already have at your disposal, identify additional data you may need, disaggregate and analyze your data, and then develop preliminary findings.

Stage 2: Getting at the Roots of Disparities addresses the question “What are the root causes of our disparities in school discipline?” You will learn how to dig deeper and conduct a root cause analysis to understand why disparities exist in your discipline outcomes.

Stage 3: Creating an Action Plan addresses the question “How will root causes of disparities in school discipline be addressed?” This stage walks you through developing an action plan for eliminating the disparities discovered in your root cause analysis that can be implemented, monitored, and continuously improved over time.

The guide includes a Disciplinary Disparities Risk Assessment Tool to aid in data gathering and analysis. The tool contains a series of Microsoft Excel–based worksheets, with detailed instructions on the kind of data to gather and how to analyze your results using a set of key questions. The tool automatically generates visual data displays to enhance analysis. This tool can be used as-is, modified, or serve as a model for designing a tool that can integrate with or import data from an existing school or district database or student management system. The tool also can be used in concert with existing data collection efforts, such as those connected with positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS).

The guide also includes the following:
• Templates to help plan and facilitate communication among stakeholders;
• Real-world examples from schools and districts already experiencing success;
• Sidebars and tip sheets to extend knowledge;
• Links to useful resources;
• Strategies for doing a thorough job without getting bogged down; and
• Tips for undertaking tough conversations.

This resources will provide additional guidance to schools and districts reviewing research related to evidence-based improvement strategies to determine , if there is alignment to the tiers of evidence found within ESSA.

To support effective practices that develop ownership in the school/district’s beliefs, mission, vision and values as underpinnings for continuous improvement.

This resource provides planning templates for teams to develop and calendar an annual plan for data access
and use throughout the school year. By setting a calendar for data use, leaders can insure that teams at every
level are provided the time and access to data needed for ongoing decision-making.

The Data Inquiry Journal (DIJ) allows educators to document ongoing data investigation and  design continuous improvement plans all in one convenient location within WISEdash for Districts. The Data Inquiry Journal is aligned to the Continuous Improvement Process Criteria and Rubric.
This document provides an overview of the three parts of the Data Inquiry Journal.

This resource review focused on identifying tools and resources that may be useful as SEAs and LEAs follow steps of an evidence-based decision-making cycle (see figure) to identify and implement interventions to improve outcomes for students. The resources and tools included here are not exhaustive, but can serve as a starting point for further review and identification of evidence-based interventions.

What are evidence-based improvement strategies? It is important that we ensure that students are impacted by programs, practices and strategies. The presentation defines evidence-based improvement strategy and research types in easy to understand language. In addition, it includes tools and resources to assist district and school teams.

This resource provides recommended purposes and functions of district, school, and teacher teams engaged in meaningful continuous improvement. It also provides a blank template to document a district’s current state of linked team infrastructure. Comparing their current state to the recommended system provides an avenue to target improvement in collaboration and leadership practices.

Purpose:
The fishbone diagram guides teams to categorize potential hypotheses of practices during the data inquiry process. Used most often to keep teams from jumping to conclusions, the fishbone diagram helps them focus on actionable causes for the student outcomes identified as high priority for improvement planning. While there are many versions of fishbone diagrams used for education, this resource is based on the key system features of the Equitable Multi-Level System of Support (MLSS), which offers multiple lenses for considering potential root causes.

Description:
This fishbone diagram is a template structured with MLSS features creating the “ribs” along the fishbone, while the student outcome priority is listed at the head of the fish.

In recent years, rapid school improvement — known most commonly as school turnaround — has emerged as the chief focus of dramatic and systemic efforts aimed at giving students better schools. To assist states, districts, and schools in leading or managing these efforts, in 2017 the Center on School Turnaround at WestEd (CST) developed Four Domains for Rapid School Improvement: A Systems Framework. That framework identifies four areas of focus that research and experience point to as central to rapid and significant improvement: turnaround leadership, talent development, instructional transformation, and culture shift. Within each domain, the framework also identifies three critical practices for taking action.
during needs assessment, indicators serve as the objectives against which to consider prevailing practice (Corbett & Redding, 2017). Results from this mapping in the needs assessment stage inform the plan, helping leaders decide, for example, where to focus initial versus subsequent efforts or whether to focus more tightly on one or two particular domains versus other domains.

Purpose:
The Hexagon Discussion and Analysis Tool helps organizations evaluate new and existing programs and
practices. This tool is designed to be used by a team to ensure diverse perspectives are represented in a
discussion of the six contextual fit and feasibility factors.

Program indicators assess new or existing programs or practices that will be implemented along the following domains: evidence, supports, and usability. These indicators specify the extent to which the identified program or practice demonstrates evidence, supports for implementation, and usability across a range of contexts.

Implementing site indicators assess the extent to which a new or existing program or practice matches the implementing site along the following domains: population need, fit, and capacity. The assessment specifies suggested conditions and requirements for a strong match to need, fit, and capacity for the identified program or and practice.

The Hexagon Tool can be used at any stage in a program’s implementation to determine its fit with the local context. It is most commonly used during the Exploration stage: the period when a site is identifying possible new programs or practices to implement. If the organization has an
Implementation Team, the Implementation Team can carry out this function for the organization.

How is the selection of an evidence-based improvement strategy related to continuous improvement? It is important that we ensure that students are impacted by programs, practices and strategies. The presentation illustrated how the selection of evidence-based improvement strategy fits within a continuous improvement process in easy to understand language. In addition, it includes tools and resources to assist district and school teams.

Influencer Circle for Prioritizing Hypotheses of Root Cause
Purpose:
The influencer process guides teams to prioritize the likely root cause that has the greatest influence on other root causes.

Description:
This influencer process is a relations diagram. It is used to identify the most likely root cause of a student data problem generated during the data inquiry process. Teams use an influencer circle to study the interrelationships among those possible causes, helping them determine how hypotheses of practice (HOPs) connect to one another and which practices have the greatest influence. By completing this activity, teams identify dominant root causes to consider for improvement.

The NIRN Initiative Inventory can be used to guide your team’s review of past and current programs to get a clear picture of successful strategies, and challenges, along with existing mandates and resource commitments. The NIRN Initiative Inventory Process Tool is available to assist teams in developing a plan for completing the NIRN Initiative Inventory.

The NIRN Initiative Inventory can be used to guide your team’s review of past and current programs to get a clear picture of successful strategies, and challenges, along with existing mandates and resource commitments. The NIRN Initiative Inventory Process Tool is available to assist teams in developing a plan for completing the NIRN Initiative Inventory.

The purpose of these profiles is to demonstrate what evidence-based decision making looks like in practice. By highlighting this process, these profiles will help to guide others with important points to consider as they use evidence to select and implement interventions to improve student outcomes.
This project identified four sites to profile (states and districts) that promote promising practices in the selection and implementation of evidence-based interventions to improve student and teacher outcomes. Among the promising practices highlighted are examples of how in 2009-2012 these sites used evidence to select interventions that have the potential to align to the new
standards for levels of evidence as described in ESSA. The profiles document the promising practices, successes, challenges, and lessons learned related to the implementation of evidence-based practices in these sites.

This resources is intended for schools and districts to investigate evidence-based improvement strategies to determine the type of research (if it meets the requirements within ESSA), the size of the research, the population and setting, and the results of the research.

This resource provides a template for teachers to use in order to add focus, efficiency, and effective data
use to their PLC meetings. Six keys for effective team inquiry are emphasized so that by using them,
school leaders can ensure the most effective PLC process. School leaders should provide 1) an
articulated vision for PLC inquiry, 2) a purposely planned process, and 3) an effectively-prepared staff for
PLCs and 4) appropriately calendared meetings, 5) appropriately documented findings, and 6) meetings
that are routinely monitored and coached. In this resource, users will find the “PLC Inquiry Protocol”
designed around four essential PLC questions, which provides a template that strengthens and
streamlines teachers’ collaborative inquiry.