Step 4
It is important for leaders to ensure that everyone has had an opportunity to discuss the process, elements, and artifacts and ask any questions they may have. Once the tool has been established, it can be revisited throughout the year to reinforce the elements and expectations. The review process is a great way to discuss and review the artifacts and expectations that have been established as well as monitor progress. Solely establishing schoolwide expectation does not ensure that every content- or grade-level team will follow the “play.” Therefore, it is crucial for the leadership team to widely communicate the new play, align professional development, and periodically meet with every team to discuss their progress. The periodic reviews of this tool throughout the year will serve as an opportunity to assist struggling teams who are not making progress as well as establish a level of accountability that will help a school make measurable progress focused on student learning. This approach will promote the good work being done throughout the school and provide positive models for those teams that may need assistance. It will also help new staff members assimilate to the culture of a new building in a shorter amount of time because the work for every team and its members is well defined. Also, giving teachers an opportunity to revisit and discuss the elements and artifacts is an invaluable way to continue to establish greater levels of implementation and clarity throughout the organization.
Coaching Point 1.2: Identifying and Evaluating Our Current Reality
Central to any improvement effort is the process of critically assessing what’s working and what’s not working. In education, we often refer to this practice as self-assessment or checking our current reality. Insights gained from any self-assessment or reality-check process become the building blocks to improve on both collaboratively and individually. Ronald Heifetz and Marty Linsky, coauthors of the best-selling book, Leadership on the Line: Staying Alive Through the Dangers of Leading (2002), describe sustained leadership as requiring the “capacity to see what is happening to you and your initiatives, as it is happening” (p. 73). Just like an athlete, a leadership team must be able to identify areas of strength and areas for improvement both during preparation time or the summer (the off-season) and throughout the year. Athletes and collaborative teams alike must be willing to reflect on both their individual contributions to the overall performance and to the contributions they provide to the whole organization.
Richard DuFour, Rebecca DuFour, and Robert Eaker (2008) remind us that the “two areas most essential for a group to review in a discussion of the future of the school or district are 1) the current reality and 2) evidence of best practice” (p. 124). They describe these as point A and point B, respectively. Without an honest assessment of where you might be starting from, it is difficult to reach wherever you are heading. Gathering the facts and information before deciding on next steps will ensure that the group makes informed and intelligent decisions that lead to the end goal. With points A and B clearly defined, achieving the goal and making adjustments along the way become far more manageable.
Successful teams discover that establishing a structured, evidence-based technique to identify and assess their own strengths and areas for improvement will create a culture of continuous effort and improvement from all members. Another benefit of a current reality check for a team is to build cohesiveness. Especially true for educators, all members of a team need to recognize how their individual actions impact the goal attainment of the collective whole. The awareness and insight team members might experience when reflecting on the brutal facts of their situation can shift their priorities from individual to collective.
The What
To work effectively, teams must regularly and objectively review the status of their work and current level of implementation. Winning teams focus not only on their strengths but on their challenges as well. An honest assessment of a team’s work will continue to ensure that they stay focused on the overall game plan. The form in figure 1.2 helps teams build a structured process to review how they are functioning and assists them in identifying their improvement opportunities and next steps.
The How
This tool can be utilized by leaders of individual teams or at the building or district level. It should be implemented at the beginning of each year so that all team members understand the current reality of the team and can come to consensus on future work. It can also be, as best practice would suggest, implemented throughout the year whenever a team feels like it needs to get a pulse on its current status and discuss the next steps for the collective and individual work.
Step 1
The first step in analyzing a team’s current reality is to have each team member take time to honestly reflect on the team’s progress using the Team Status Check form (figure 1.2). Individual team members rate the team’s progress toward each criterion on a scale of 1–4, including notes that provide evidence for what they feel has or has not been accomplished.
The scale is as follows.
1 = Unsatisfactory: The area needs some attention.
2 = Basic: The artifact has been drafted, has been created, or is in the discussion stage, but a consensus for implementation has not been reached.
3 = Proficient: The team has evidence or an artifact that shows they have done work in this area, but results may not have been discussed yet on the effectiveness of the artifact.
4 = Distinguished: The team’s artifact or evidence can be backed up with data that validate the effectiveness of the team’s work.
Figure 1.2: Team status check.
Visit go.solution-tree.com/PLCbooks for a reproducible version of this figure.
Step 2
The purpose of this step is for team members to have an opportunity to compare their various viewpoints and come to a consensus as a team on their current level of implementation. Team members can complete this step through an open dialogue. However, it is important that they feel safe to share their input in order for this tool to be effective. If a team is reluctant to openly share opinions on its status, a leader may want to think about posting an enlarged copy of the tool on the wall or use technology to project the tool so team members can anonymously place their ratings on the tool and then the status can be discussed from a more holistic view instead of by individual feedback.
Step 3
Once consensus has been reached on the team’s current reality, create a plan of action. The team needs to look at the areas that are still challenging the group and create their next steps. These steps should include what the group needs to accomplish, who is responsible, and the expected date of completion.
When a team works to understand its current reality, it’s important to remember that being honest about the team’s status is what makes this tool effective. It is not about blaming or criticizing team members for things that have not been done, nor is it about checking a box to say it is completed. Use this tool to monitor the progress of a team, building, or district toward true implementation. Understand, though, that this does not mean that once a team reaches the distinguished level (level 4) in an area, the tool shouldn’t be looked at again. The data that a team analyzes will prove or disprove the continued effectiveness of the artifact. If the data
