Use Evidence to Discuss Successes and Challenges with Peer Schools: Scenario

Use Evidence to Discuss Successes and Challenges with Peer Schools: Scenario

Principal Dan is the director of a school that has been an effective teaching school for five years. Dan is interested in sharpening teacher and coach practice through collaboration with another effective teaching school in their area. Dan collaborates with Principal Sandy at another effective teaching school. They set a schedule for three peer conversations to occur in the autumn, winter, and spring, and then set agendas for each meeting.  

At Dan’s school, the instruction coaches work with teachers to prepare them to use evidence to identify successes and challenges. Using classroom mastery test data, standardised test data, and observation data, the third-grade team identifies student fluency and vocabulary as areas of strength and success, and teaching students non-fiction comprehension as a challenge.  

At the first school professional conversation with their peer school, Dan shares his school’s evidence-based successes and challenges. Then each team has a chance to collaborate with peers. The third-grade team shares their successes and challenges with their peers. They have time to ask for feedback and get ideas, which the team lead notes. When they return to their campus, the team and Dan are energised and ready to start implementing their new ideas.