NELA Evaluation Plan

Walkthroughs
LaAlice Hopkins
Northern Nash High School
Internship Project Goals
I.
Improved Instruction
Internship Project Strategies (What did you do?):
1. Conduct learning walks
Activities:
Administrators will visit classrooms for 5-10 minutes and complete the district walkthrough form.
Evaluation Questions
What do you need to know?
How many walkthroughs did
administrators conduct each month?

To what extent, did the administrators

find value in the walkthrough data as
instructional leaders?

Measures/Data Sources
How will you find out?
Google Drive Document

Interview

Results
What were the results?
Total of 85 visits first semester
Hopkins- 69 (81%)
Hite- 5 (6%)
Lamm- 0 (0%)
Tedford- 5 (6%)
Thompson- 6 (7%)
TheValue:Walkthroughdataprovideaclearerpictureofclass
instructionthatcouldhelpwithsummativeevaluations.Thedata
couldbehelpfultodeterminewhatweneedtoworkonwith
teachersandincreaseinstructionalleadershippracticeasan
administrativeteam.
Whydon'twecompletemorewalkthroughstime,managerial
duties,thingspopup,notaccountablefromschoolordistrictlevel,
trusttheteachers.Arewedoinganythingwiththedata?What
doestheschoolordistrictactuallyusethewalkthroughsfor?Form
couldbeshorter.Doesn'tgiveaclearerpicture.Ithasalotof
categoriesbutifyouareonlysupposedtobeinthemforashort
timedoyougettoseeitall.Areweusingtheinformation?
Priorities.

Decisions (Guiding Questions: What do the results mean? What are you going to do now?)
Summary of Results (Interpretation of Data):
Walkthroughs are not a top priority for administration team. They see the value in conducting them but the
managerial side of administration takes focus. They are not held accountable to conduct the walkthroughs.
Administrators do not have the buy-in on the importance or what to do with the data.
The majority of the walkthroughs were completed by me. However, in starting this project I had anticipated it being
more evenly spilt across the team.
Teachers were unsure of my presence in the classroom until after they continually saw me in classes. It was not a
culture of the school for administrators to be in the room besides official observations.
Quotes from administrators:
What gets monitored gets done, so if no one checks to make sure we are doing them, it moves to the back burner
to the other demands of the job.
I value being in teachers classrooms but with the walkthrough tool are we using the data collected for a purpose?
I think the form could be condensed to get to the point and make it clearer for administrators and teachers.
Next Steps (Action Steps):
Administrators are currently assigned departments. They could focus on walkthroughs in their assigned
departments to limit and focus their intent. The walkthrough data should be connected to PLC meetings and this
could increase administrator involvement in PLCs, as well.
Create an abbreviated form that focus on what you see and select one small piece for them to work on and then
come back in a couple of weeks to allow application and repeat. This would lead towards a coaching model and
create small wins for the teachers. (Leverage Leadership)
Administrators and teachers need to hold each other accountable to make sure walkthroughs are happening.
Create a schedule of who to observe to make it feasible. Become intentional.
Must be monitored and data utilized.

Internship Project Goals

I.

Improve Instruction

Internship Project Outcomes (Why did you do it?):

A. Identify trends and patterns in the school.

Evaluation Questions
What do you need to know?
What trends and patterns did you
observe happening in the school?

Measures/Data Sources
How will you find out?
Google Drive Document

Results
What were the results?
Quad A & B level questioning 88%, C & D level
was 12%
Teacher led instruction vs. teacher as a
facilitator
Technology on substitution, augmentation,
modification, redefinition (SAMR) model is
majority substitution and augmentation 96%,
4% are modification or redefinition
Majority of instruction is class discussion and
computer technology of what was
documented. Only 56 of the 85 noted the type
of student activity that was happening.
Student Activities & Assessment Methods:
32%-class discussion, 22% computer
instruction, 14% cooperative learning, 5% note
taking, 5% problem solving, 4% oral
assessment, 5% student created product, 5%
presentation, 2% assessment technology, 7%
assessment written
7% showed differentiation in lessons based on
walkthroughs
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How do the trends and patterns reflect

the perception of the school?

Google Drive Document

Not all spots on the walkthrough tool are being

checked
56% of walkthroughs used some type of
technology or digital media.
Based on the results it gives the perception
that we are not utilizing the provided
resources of the district.
We are not as strong as we would believe
in utilizing 21st century skills.
Improvement is hindered when there is no
continuous feedback.
Instructional leadership is not a focus.

Decisions (Guiding Questions: What do the results mean? What are you going to do now?)
Summary of Results (Interpretation of Data):
As a 1:1 MacBook initiative school and I-Transformers in the district the teachers are using the very basic
technology such as PowerPoint, Kahoot, Google Classroom, Math XL, Pearson Realize. They are missing how to
best utilize the devices.
Lower level of questioning is taking place in classrooms.
Teacher is center stage.
In conducting the walkthroughs we found that there were no objectives visible or written in student friendly
language.
Majority of high school classrooms are set up in rows.
CTE classes and elective classes were the ones that demonstrated more hands-on and higher order thinking skills.
Lecture is happening in a lot of the classes.
In classes, if there were a few students off task or unengaged in the lesson, the teacher did not try to reengaged
the student.
Next Steps (Action Steps):
Refresher on Rigor & Relevance with the Quads
Model forms of technology in staff meetings.
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Utilize staff such as I-transformers to share a new strategy or technology for teachers during PLCS, department
meetings, staff meetings
Project Based Learning (PBL) training

NELA Evaluation Plan

(Name of Problem of Practice)
Internship Project Goals
I. Improved Instruction
Internship Project Strategies (What did you do?):
2. Provide feedback to teachers
Activities:
At end of each walkthrough, administrators will forward the form to teachers to view individual feedback.
Evaluation Questions
What do you need to know?
How many different teachers received
walkthrough feedback?

Measures/Data Sources
How will you find out?
Google Drive Document

Results
What were the results?
39

To what extent, did the teachers find

feedback useful to their instruction?

Survey

20 (49%) out of 39 surveys were completed.

51% did not complete (response rate)
Out of the 20 who completed: 50% agreed or
5

strongly agreed the feedback was useful, 30%

were neutral, 20% disagreed or strongly
disagreed
Out of the 20 who completed applied the
feedback: 60% agree or strongly agree, 30%
neutral, 10% disagree or strongly disagree

Decisions (Guiding Questions: What do the results mean? What are you going to do now?)
Summary of Results (Interpretation of Data):
Administrators are not reaching each teacher in the school for walkthroughs in order to provide feedback before formal
observations.
Only half of the ones that responded to the post survey found the feedback useful.
A pre-survey of staff and what they would like to see in the feedback varied. Such as:
As walkthroughs are random and are by nature short, the feedback from them should focus on what
happened during the walkthrough. I would like to know the positives and negatives of that particular
experience. Walkthroughs are snapshots of class and are limited in range and scope.
If I receive suggestions for improvement and I believe the administrator understands what they were
looking at, I can accept the suggestions knowing that they are specific to me and not "canned" advice with
not practical/applicable uses in my classroom.
A discussion would benefit me the best for giving me the feedback, as it would provide me the opportunity
to ask questions and brainstorm for future classes.
I think they should do away with them.
Both positive and negative. If they see a problem, suggest ways to correct the problem.
Positive and constructive feedback. What you are doing right is very important to hear sometimes!
Any constructive feedback is useful feedback, especially if there are suggestions or examples with it for
how to go about applying the feedback and correcting something (not just stating the issue).
Next Steps (Action Steps):
If funding allows a full time instructional coach for the school to assist the teachers and administrator team
with walkthroughs and feedback.
Instructional rounds
Individual conferences with teachers to close out or start the year to find out what areas the teachers feel
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they need assistance.

Administration team needs to determine what are the most important areas to focus on and how to benefit
the staff to show improvement.
Share the results of the trends and patterns you see happening in the school with the teachers and share
the importance of that skill. Example: why the need for objectives to be posted.
Provide professional development opportunities within staff meetings.

Internship Project Goals

I. Improve Instruction
Internship Project Outcomes (Why did you do it?):
B. Increase areas of growth and reflection
Evaluation Questions
Measures/Data Sources
What do you need to know?
How will you find out?
How often did the teacher reflect during Survey
the duration of the year?
Survey
To what extent did you utilize the
feedback to reflect on your practices?

Results
What were the results?
95% agree or strongly agree that they reflect
on their instruction at weekly.
5% disagree that they reflect weekly.

60% agree or strongly agree

20% neutral
20% disagree or strongly disagree

Decisions (Guiding Questions: What do the results mean? What are you going to do now?)
Summary of Results (Interpretation of Data):
The walkthroughs are assisting teachers with reflecting on their instruction.
The majority implemented the feedback supplied on the walkthrough form without follow up from administration team.
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Post Survey Comments of teachers of what they feel about the walkthrough form:
Just offer more explanation for areas and not just the check off format.
For administrators to have a full understanding of what is going on in the class, it would be helpful for them to
ask what the standards and activities are for the day.
Who designed the current model? Just administrator? Or administrators and teachers?
It seemed to have a lot of unnecessary sections that could be covered by a more general notes section, or just
list categories looking to be observed and a brief discussion on what was met.
Allow time/contact info to follow up with administrator of record.
Post survey comments from teachers on what they could do to make the walkthrough process more beneficial to
them and their instruction:
See an issue? Help me correct it.
Administrator could possibly announce to students, via email, that walkthroughs will be part of the new
policy. This allows students to realize administrators will be in and out and they are NOT looking for a
particular student.
Increase frequency of walkthroughs and keep feedback prompt. Ask open-ended questions to help me think
through improving my practice.
Your feedback was very positive and encouraging, and you asked the students what they were doing, but
some administrators (in the past) have been very negative after only being in the room for 10 minutes. All
administrators need to realize that a 5-10 minute visit is not reflective of your teaching or your overall
classroom environment and only critique what they are actually able to observe.
A ten minute walk through does not reflect all aspects of what happens in the classroom. In order to get a
true picture of what occurs, an administrator should come to the same class at different times on different
days and perform a walk through.
Come in more often.
Do a follow-up walk through with (3) days after the first walk through.
Give more specific ideas/feedback on how to make improvements. Even though all of the comments were
positive and made me feel good about my instruction, it's always nice to have something to continue
working toward to get better.

Next Steps (Action Steps):

Establish a coaching model for walkthroughs and feedback
Delve further into effective reflection.
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Effective PLCs to allow reflection with a group of peers that are in their department.
Dialogue with teachers during mid-year PDPs to check-in with them to see how they are performing and
reflecting on their growth.