To: Quality of Education (QED) Committee Members
Fr: Wayne Gersen
Dt: January 18, 2007
Re: Proposed Sub-committee Structure

At the initial meeting of the QED co-chairs we identified three sub-committees who would conduct the background research and work needed to help the committee complete it’s mission of identifying a broad spectrum of quality measures to use as a basis for measuring the performance of our schools. A brief description of each of the proposed sub-committees is outlined below:

• Quantitative Information Sub-Committee: This sub-committee will focus on our current use of objective assessments, the best practices in other schools and other related professions, and ways we could make more effective use of quantitative information.
• Qualitative Information Sub-Committee: This group will have the same focus as noted above but will instead examine qualitative information.
• Process/Governance Sub-Committee: This sub-committee will examine the systems in place for applying the information we gather and the roles, responsibilities, and inter-relationships of the various groups that oversee and administer the schools

 The following are three sheets that summarize the tasks each of these sub-committees.

Printer friendly PDF version

Quantitative Information Collection Sub-Committee

• Review existing quantitative information collected and analyzed at each school
• Determine effectiveness of current analysis
• Is the information analyzed at all? Should it be?
• Is the analysis done in a timely fashion?
• Does the appropriate group analyze the information?
• Does another district or school analyze the same quantitative information more effectively that we do?
• Determine effectiveness of current use
• Does the analysis result in any improvements in the classroom?
• Do we share our analysis with the appropriate audiences?
• Determine comprehensiveness of current information
• What aspects of school quality are not measured by the quantitative information we are currently collect?
• Is some of the information we are required to collect unhelpful?
• Is there a way we can use the quantitative information we are required to collect in a more effective way?
•  Review best practices in quantitatve information collection
• Identify comparable schools or districts who are making effective use of quantitative information
• Identify comparable professions (i.e. medicine, social service agencies, colleges and universities) who are making effective use of quantitative information
• Determine quantitative information teachers would value in meeting individual student needs
• Identify existing quantitative information teachers rely on to improve and individualize instruction
• Identify additional quantiative information teachers would like to have to improve and individualize instruction 

Back to Top

Qualitative Information Collection Sub-Committee

• Review existing qualitative information collected and analyzed at each school
• Determine effectiveness of current analysis
• Is the information analyzed at all? Should it be?
• Is the analysis done in a timely fashion?
• Does the appropriate group analyze the information?
• Does another district or school analyze the same qualitative information more effectively that we do?
• Determine effectiveness of current use
• Does the analysis result in any improvements in the classroom?
• Do we share our analysis with the appropriate audiences?
• Determine comprehensiveness of current information
• What aspects of school quality are not measured by the qualitative information we are currently collect?
• Is some of the qualitative information we are required to collect unhelpful?
• Is there a way we can use the qualitative information we are required to collect in a more effective way?
•  Review best practices in qualitative information collection
• Identify comparable schools or districts who are making effective use of information
• Identify comparable professions (i.e. medicine, social service agencies, colleges and universities) who are making effective use of information
• Determine qualitative information teachers would value in meeting individual student needs
• Identify existing information teachers rely on to improve and individualize instruction
• Identify additional information teachers would like to have to improve and individualize instruction

Back to Top

Process/Governance Sub-Committee

• Examine current systems that integrate qualitative and quantitative information
• Review local systems developed to address State mandated teacher recertification processes
• SAU 70 Professional Development Plan (for Ray, Richmond Middle, and Hanover High)
• Vermont Local Standards Board
• Review local schools performance versus State mandated school approval standards
• New Hampshire Standards
• Vermont Quality Standards
• Review local schools performance versus external performance standards, accreditations
• New England Association of Schools and Colleges
• New England League of Middle Schools
• Review existing school based systems that use and generate qualitative and quantitative information
• School teams (i.e. COI at Hanover High; RAC at Richmond Middle; Networks Committee at Ray, Local Action Planning Committee at Marion Cross; various ad hoc teams at each school)
• Student organizations
• Parent organizations
• Teacher professional groups (i.e. Critical Friends; K-12 Curriculum committees; various district level ad hoc committees)
• Review roles, responsibilities, inter-relationships of “governance” groups
• School Board
• School administration
• Advisory groups
• Board sub-committees
• Parent organizations
• Finance Committees

Back to Top