DESIRED RESULTS FOR STUDENT LEARNING:

AREA III OF THE SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT PLAN

The committee members for the Desired Results for Student Learning of St. Anastasia School worked with members of the faculty, administration, students, parents, and other stakeholders on Area III of the School Improvement Plan. The goal was to assess the students’ learning performance and make recommendations for future goals for student learning and performance as specified in the Florida Catholic Conference Accreditation Standards and the NSSE (National Study of School Evaluation). After the School Profile survey was completed and reviewed and the Mission and Belief Statements evaluated, the committee began the six-month long process of gathering further data. The following resources were used for research while completing Area III:

Indicators of Schools of Quality (Volume I: School wide indicators of Quality), Published by the National Study of School Evaluation (1998 edition)

Best Practices, Third Edition: Today's Standards for Teaching and Learning in America's Schools by Steven Zemelman, Harvey Daniels, and Arthur Hyde

Break through School Improvement, an Action Guide for Greater and Faster Results from the National Study of School Evaluation for 2005

The state standards for student learning and current instructional objectives as expressed in the Sunshine State Standards and Diocesan Curriculum Guidelines

The committee, divided into seven groups, representing the seven specific school-wide goals for student learning. These areas were Formation in Faith, Learning to Learn Skills, Expanding and Integrating Knowledge, Communication Skills, Thinking and Reasoning Skills, Interpersonal Skills, and Personal and Social Responsibility. Each member of the committee met with four to five other faculty members to discuss the assigned goal. The faculty was then asked to research and summarize an article related to the goal. Many of the articles reflect current and future trends in education and the most up to date research and best

practices in the areas of student learning and teaching tools. This data comes from a variety of resources including on-line articles, magazines, books, and professional journals. Many articles discussed differentiated instruction, authentic learning experiences, and direct instruction. Varied learning styles were addressed as a tool for teaching the seven goals for student learning. The summaries were shared with the faculty. A collective decision was made to compile these articles and summaries in a binder for faculty reference and use. The summaries support the statements contained in the Mission and Belief Statements.

In August students, teachers, administration and alumni participated in the NSSE’s "Survey of Goals for Student Learning". Results of the survey were analyzed and showed little disparity between the responses of teachers and parents. All areas scored above a 2.5 on a scale of 0-4, indicating that no one area needed significant improvement. The opinion survey provided specific information about areas of strength and areas needing improvement. Graph 3-1 represents the Level of Student Achievement for each specific goal. The graph depicts the strongest school-wide learning goal to be Faith Formation, and the weakest, Thinking and Reasoning Skills. Graph 3-2 identifies the Priority for Improvement. Thinking and Reasoning Skills, followed by Learning to Learn Skills are indicated as the greatest priorities for improvement. Graph 3-3 depicts the Alumni Responses to the survey. Fifteen alumni were surveyed. Of the alumni surveyed, 33% indicated the seven school-wide goals have reached an exemplary level of achievement by the students. Of the alumni surveyed 54% believe that students have reached a fully competent level of achievement of the school-wide goals.

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According to the survey results the following five areas of student achievement were identified as strengths:

Faith Formation: Students understand God’s role in their lives.

Faith Formation: Students demonstrate knowledge of the Catholic faith and tradition.

Expanding and Integrating Knowledge: Students use what they already know to acquire new knowledge, develop new skills, and expand understanding.

Interpersonal Skills: Students work with others in a variety of situations to set and achieve goals.

Learning to Learn: Students use a variety of learning strategies, personal skills, and time management skills to enhance learning.

Refer to Graph 3-4 for specific survey results of Level of Student Achievement for each goal indicator.

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