As the New Year approaches, for many of us it means reflection on the year and goal setting for the year to come. As an education leader, reflection and goal-setting tend to occur between May and August. However, it is important that we also have periodic checkpoints that help us know if we are heading in the right direction and what may need to change.
I thought I would share some structures I use to collect relevant data throughout the school year. I’ll share the structure, the frequency, who else is involved, and then a brief description.
Structures
One-on-Ones - Once every 1-2 weeks - Assistant Director, School Psychologists, and Targeted Staff Members.
I use regular 30-minute one-on-one meetings to connect with key people within the cooperative that help me stay connected with the goings on across our schools. These meetings are set up with a standard agenda of the first half for the other person to talk about what they want to talk about, and then the second half for me to share things that I need to share with them. When time allows it can also be used for talking about future planning for the employee around their goals and ambitions.
Through these meetings, I get regular information about the work going on in the schools and programs. This allows me to see individual and school-wide needs through each meeting, and collectively the one-on-ones allow me to see patterns across the cooperative that may need to be addressed more systematically.
Budget Reviews - Monthly - Solo
At the end of each month, I update the budget with the expenses and revenues from the month. I review to make sure expenses are coming out of the correct budget codes and see if any new budget lines have been added.
I then check to make sure the lines are on track to meet the planned budget. Special education is tricky because you can’t just aim to be under the budget, you also have to ensure you are spending enough to meet Maintenance of Effort (MOE). MOE is a rule that comes with federal funds that says you will keep your local spending consistent. These reviews help me make decisions about training, equipment, and supplies, as well as staffing adjustments.
Caseload Reviews - 6-8 times per year - Solo
In August, September, and at least 4 other times in the year, I run a report that shows me the number of students that each teacher is the primary provider for. I organize this information by elementary and secondary, and by the school. I break out life skills programs separately from resource programs as well. For related providers (SLPs, Social Workers, OT, PT, etc.), I report each student that they serve. I then calculate the mean and standard deviation of each group, and then do some cell formatting that shows the highs and lows, and how far from the average each teacher is. This information helps me determine potential changes to assignments, or if additional staff are needed in a school.
Two times per year, this report is followed by a Projection Report that estimates the number of students in each type of program for the following school year. This helps determine if staff will need to be reassigned next year, where reductions can be allowed to happen if staff leave, and where staff may need to be added.
Program Reviews - 1-2 times per year - 10-20 people (including special education, general education, parents, and outside experts).
One of my favorite review processes is the program review. Program reviews are a deep dive into a program where special education staff, general education staff, parents, and outside experts meet 3-6 times to review data about the program (demographics, outcomes, etc.), the current processes that are used within the program, and best practices for the type of program. We partner with the local university to conduct a literature review to help answer certain questions related to the program. These reviews also include surveys of stakeholders to make sure each perspective is considered. Throughout the meetings, the committee identifies what is being done, what is working, and what things could be improved upon. Recommendations are then made and at the end of the review, clear action steps are identified to move the program toward the desired state. We have reviewed our Gifted Program and our alternative school so far, and are currently in the middle of a review of our early childhood special education program.
Periodic File Review - Monthly - 1-2 people
When IEPs are completed by our staff, they are reviewed for basic compliance that is needed for data reporting at the state and federal levels. Then a select number of IEPs are selected for additional review. In this review, we take the list of items that the state would review as part of their formal review process, and check the IEP against that standard. Feedback is given and corrective actions are identified if they are needed. This process allows us to see the pattern of errors in individuals and groups and helps identify where additional training and resources would be helpful.
These are the main processes that I rely on to monitor key parts of my organization. What are some structures you use to know that the right work is getting done?
Extremely insightful, would love to replicate some of these in our district! Appreciate your thoughts and advice!