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Quality Quick Takes - September 2022 |
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As educators in Virginia, we are familiar with the School Quality Profile (SQP) and its purpose. School Quality Profiles were developed by the Virginia Board of Education in response to the 2015 Virginia General Assembly, which directed the Board to redesign online reports for schools and school divisions. The aim was to more effectively communicate to the constituents and to the general public the status and achievement levels of Virginia’s public schools. School Quality Profiles have allowed internal and external stakeholders to openly view achievement gaps and indicators of school performance beyond just the Standards of Learning. They have also allowed the reviewer to recognize a pattern of performance over a period of time or from year-to- year.
It is essential that divisions/schools use this data to tell the story of the organization. For the school leader to use this information is to sometimes turn shortcomings into opportunities. For example, a consistent widespread challenge for many schools is parental engagement. With effective communication and packaging, schools can perhaps use the profile to create guiding questions and foster meaningful engagement with families and stakeholders, and to help inform practitioners of possible areas of needed support. Another example is if chronic absenteeism is an issue, the profile might help inform educators, parents, and the community to take further steps to assist in reducing that indicator.
School Quality Profiles also allow schools to build connections with other schools with comparable demographics that may have proven successful in certain areas. Within the Office of School Quality, we facilitate what is called the Network Improvement Community (NIC) that formalizes the collaboration. However, there is also value when collaboration can also be done informally among schools/divisions. During this time of profiles being published, it is important that schools and the community positively support teachers. The data should be used to glean valuable insights and refine the continuous improvement plan. It should not be used as a data point to punish teachers or create additional stress.
In conclusion, while data tells a story, it is up to your division/school to provide a voice to the data. Be strategic in highlighting strengths and in understanding gaps to focus on positive strategies, future professional learning, and increased evidence-based practices to improve student achievement.
School Quality Profiles can be found at schoolquality.virginia.gov for all schools and divisions in the commonwealth.
Aurelia Ortiz, Director Office of School Quality
Support for High-Quality Educational Environment
How can leaders utilize the School Quality Profile (SQP) to facilitate conversations? What various types of data are provided on the SQP? How can leaders utilize the SQP to highlight areas of success and growth? The SQP provides a wealth of information that can assist school leaders in engaging all stakeholders in school improvement efforts. This supplement from Hanover Research provides guiding questions to assist as you explore the SQP.
In this upcoming technical assistance webinar, the Office of School Quality (OSQ) will outline the types of data provided in the SQP, how to utilize the data to facilitate conversations, and how each tab can support different areas of school improvement. To learn more on this topic, join OSQ on Thursday, October 6, 2022, at 9:00 a.m. for an hour-long technical assistance (TA) session. Please complete the registration to attend.
Promotion of Quality Leadership
Leaders across the Commonwealth work diligently to promote quality in their schools. Please take some time to recognize those leaders. The OSQ Team is happy to announce the names of school leaders who were recognized for their role in Instructional Rounds. You can view the list of recognized individuals.
Based upon this month's theme of the School Quality Profile (SQP), please nominate a principal who has embodied this work as designated in the criteria below. Complete the nomination form by October 6, 2022, for consideration. The leader guides school improvement efforts by utilizing the SQP to:
- Encourage stakeholders to explore the data
- Explore multiple types of data to determine specific needs
- Facilitate conversations about next steps based on data from each tab
- Celebrate successes and progress towards goals
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Upcoming Events
Conducting an Academic Review-Virtual for principals and division leaders of schools with Level Two academic achievement indicators in English, Mathematics and Science and schools with any Level Three school quality indicators.
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September 14, 2022- 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon -Registration Link
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Conducting and Academic Review-In-Person Training Options:
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September 27, 2022 - Virginia Beach 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. -Registration Closed
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September 28, 2022 - Richmond 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.- Registration Closed
Quality Quick Takes-Topic "Instructional Rounds"
Federal Accountability Participation
The Office of Accountability, in collaboration with the Office of School Quality, will conduct a webinar on Federal Accountability Participation. The intended audience is Division Directors of Testing (DDOT) and any school division administrator who is responsible for ensuring compliance with Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) expectations for schools that did not meet the 95% participation requirement on state assessments in the 2021-2022 school year. Part I is designed for DDOT and Part II will provide information on the implications for schools not achieving 95% participation.
School Improvement Grant Award (SIG) Technical Assistance
This session is designed for federally- identified Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI), Targeted Support and Improvement (TSI), and Additional Targeted Support and Improvement (ATSI) schools. Per the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), the Virginia Department of Education will award school improvement grants to each identified school to support improvement activities. This session will address ESSA requirements and provide guidance on completing the school improvement grant application for school improvement.
Monitoring Training
Monitoring Training for division leaders and principals of schools with Level Three school quality indicators or schools federally identified for the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) school improvement (select one to attend).
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The Principal Leadership Conference
Charting the Course on the Journey of Continuous Improvement
December 7-8, 2022
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The Office of School Quality (OSQ) cordially invites you to attend The Principal Leadership Conference: Charting the Course on the Journey of Continuous Improvement, virtually scheduled for December 7-8, 2022. The Principal’s Leadership Conference offers school and division leaders the opportunity to expand their knowledge in transformational leadership practices and access to a variety of educational resources within the Virginia Department of Education. The conference will offer sessions from the following categories:
Assessment and Accountability Practices, Chronic Absenteeism, Climate and Culture, College, Career, and Civic Readiness, Continuous Improvement, Data Analytics, Dropout Prevention and Graduation, Professional Learning, Quality Instructional Practices, Social and Emotional Learning, Trauma-Informed Care, Systems and Support Resources, and Transformational Leadership
Principals, assistant principals, and division leaders are encouraged to attend. We encourage you to pre-register early to ensure a spot at the conference. Pre-registration must be completed by Friday, September 23, 2022.
2022 Virtual Principal Leadership Conference Pre-Registration Form
All pre-registered participants will receive a conference program at the beginning of October, which will include session topics. One week prior to the conference, we will provide you with the session's zoom links.
Data Connections
Nishioka (with Shigeoka & Lolich) (2017) developed this guide to help educators select and analyze data to determine whether racial/ethnic disproportionality exists in a school or district’s discipline practices. This guide shows a variety of metrics beyond simple proportions that can be used to reveal disportionalities. Even though the report focuses on disciplinary data sets, schools and divisions may consider using other data sets.
Additonally, as school and division leaders begin examining the data from the school quality profile, it is important to make decisions on how to display the data to highlight strengths and reveal areas for improvement. Metwalli (2020) provides an overview of various uses of charts that can be used for better data visualizations to communicate results.
OSQ Foundations of Continuous Improvement Canvas Course
The Canvas Course includes videos, resources, and quick checks on each Virginia Continuous School Improvement (VaCSIP) module. Division and school leaders can access the resources and training any time, anywhere. For access to the Canvas Course, please sign up here: https://tinyurl.com/osqcanvas.
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Collaborative Corner
SPOTLIGHT: Sustaining Effective Science Practices
The Office of School Quality is collaborating with the VDOE Science Team to support teachers. Some selected divisions will be participating in Teachers in Action (TIA) throughout this school year. All division and school leaders are invited to attend the following webinar opportunities for Virginia science educators to hear directly from the VDOE Science Team and will be held the third Wednesday of each month at 4 p.m. starting September 21, 2022. The topic of the September Teacher Webinar is Safety and the Science and Engineering Practices. Future topics include Supporting English Learners in Science (October), Using the Common Rubric with Science Performance Assessments (November), and Developing Science Literacy (January). Attendees will receive a certificate from VDOE for attending each full webinar. Consider registering for any or all of the VDOE Science Teacher Webinars today!
Science Resources: The VDOE instruction and Standards of Learning web pages also contain information to support science in schools. Please note, the website structure and components are to be revised and updated in November of 2022.
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Any feedback about this communication is greatly appreciated. If you have a topic you would like to see in a future monthly edition of Quality Quick Takes, contact OSQ at OSQ@doe.virginia.gov.
This monthly communication is intended for school and division leadership throughout the Commonwealth.
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