February NIC Update - PDSA Cycle #1
Where We’ve Been
Schools completed PDSA cycle 1, implementing and measuring instructional strategies focused on fostering a culture of risk-taking, strategically facilitating academic discussion, and creating a community of feedback in the classroom.
Design teams met with CRoT coaches to debrief their first cycle.
Schools completed the 'DO' and 'STUDY' portions of their journals, reflecting on implementation.
As a network, we collected data from over 1,700 students and more than 55 teachers to capture their experience with change ideas being tested.
On February 21st all the schools in the network gathered at West High School to study the outcomes of cycle 1 and begin to think about adaptions for cycle 2. Click here to view the full participant agenda and materials.
Schools used data dashboards (pictured above) to look at both qualitative and quantitative data submitted by students. The dashboard allows teachers to filter results by school, teacher, gender, ethnicity, MLL status, and grade. Click here to access the dashboards.
Where We’re Going
School design teams are in the process of finalizing their plans for cycle 2.
Facilitation leads from schools implementing like change ideas will meet to adapt measurement tools (student surveys, empathy interviews, observations, etc.) for cycle 2.
PDSA cycle 2 will run from February 22 - March 17.
Our next network meeting is on April 3. Design teams will again have opportunities to share their learning and collaborate on next steps to keep refining their change ideas.
What Our Students Are Saying
What We’re Learning
Improvement cycles are giving teachers time and space to collaborate and build cultures of improvement. “The work feels good. It’s giving our math team time to connect and invest in something together.” ~ Facilitation Lead
Implementing these change ideas takes intention and careful work. Consistency and preparation are key.
Working collaboratively helps teachers identify procedural and conceptual understandings among their students.
The task is important - the complexity and open-ended nature of the task makes it more valuable to our students and allows for engagement in richer conversations.
A higher percentage of Hispanic students said they feel comfortable making mistakes than White and Black students.
A higher percentage of MLL students reported that they learned something about math through making mistakes than did non-MLL students.
A higher percentage of Males reported feeling comfortable giving feedback than Females.
A higher percentage of White students reported feeling heard in class than Black and Hispanic students.
*These findings are not generalizable to all DPS students. They are representative only of the students in classes taught by CRoT participants and are meant to help those teachers understand how their students are experiencing the change ideas the network is testing.
What We Want to Know More About
Why do some students say positive things about mistakes, yet still seem reluctant to make them?
How can we maintain the impact while also keeping the protocol concise enough to not lose engagement?
How do we adapt these strategies for students with IEPs and 504 plans?
How do we provide support for MLL students at varying ACCESS levels to engage in rigorous grade-level content?
How do we support our Black and Hispanic students in feeling heard in class?
