Post on 10-Jul-2020
Effective Communication Plans Enhance Results
An Effective Communication
Plan . . .
During a state of transition in the
World of Educational Assessment
Effective Communication Plans Enhance Results
North Carolina NAEP State Coordinator: Dr. Iris Garner
Effective Communication Plans Enhance Results
Session Objectives :
• Review essentials of a communication plan
• Identify strategies for communicating to broad audiences
• Outline best practices for messaging in a complex environment
Effective Communication Plans Enhance Results
Definition of Communication
• Activity of conveying information through the exchange of thoughts, messages, or information, as by speech, visuals, signals, writing, or behavior.
• Process is complete once the receiver has understood the message of the sender.
• Exchange of information
• Intentional or unintentional
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Effective Communication Plans Enhance Results
Robert Marzano
Five Characteristics of Highly Successful Schools
• Guaranteed and viable curriculum
• Challenging goals and effective feedback
• Parent and community involvement
• Safe and orderly environment
• Collegiality and professionalism
Effective Communication Plans Enhance Results
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Characteristics of Successful Schools
• Common focus on a few research-based goals
• High expectations
• Small, personalized learning environment
• Respect and responsibility for all
• Parent/community partnership
• Focus on performance
• Effective use of technology tools
Effective Communication Plans Enhance Results
Doris Quick and Custer Quick
International Center for Leadership in Education
Five Characteristics of High Achieving Schools
• Rigorous and relevant curriculum
• Testing Program to evaluate both students’ conceptual
knowledge and ability to apply knowledge
• Focused staff development program
• Commitment to addressing the issue of student behavior
• Willingness to make organizational changes for the
benefit of students
Effective Communication Plans Enhance Results
Level of Communication
• One Person
• Two groups of people
• Multiple groups of people
Effective Communication Plans Enhance Results
CHARACTERISTICS LEVEL OF COMMUNICATION
Goal & Feedback
Organizational changes for the benefit of students
Collegiality and professionalism
Research-based goals
Student behavior management
Small, personalized learning environment
Respect and responsibility for all
Focus on performance
Technology tools
Rigorous and relevant curriculum
Testing program: students’ conceptual knowledge
and ability to apply knowledge
Staff development program
High expectations
Parent & community involvement
Effective Communication Plans Enhance Results
Blueprints Direction Establish
Essentials of a Communication Plan
Establish & Publish a Communication Plan
• Plan Components: Tasks, Channels of
Communication, Strategies for
building awareness (Industry,
Customer, and Employee), steps and
milestones
• Use Bullets & Subheads
• Keep Paragraphs Short
• Avoid Busy Backgrounds
• Clean font
Effective Communication Plans Enhance Results
Essentials of a Communication Plan
Maximize Visibility of Plan
Windows Allows Visibility
• Incorporate evidence of plan in
mission statement
• Include strands of plan in outgoing
voice message
• Create an abbreviated verbal plan that
all team members know and can
recite
• Include plan on your website
Effective Communication Plans Enhance Results
Essentials of a Communication Plan
Utilize Multiple Platforms for Messaging
Mechanical Provide Systems Force • Popular Social Networking Sites
MySpace
• Organization Website
• Signage in Elevators
• Email Signature
Effective Communication Plans Enhance Results
Essentials of a Communication Plan
Establish a Time to Evaluate & Modify Plan
Inspection Examine Quality • Establish a standing time at every
meeting to discuss communication
plan
• Identify plan as a core element of
business
• Require a communication plan with
every initiative & a mechanism for
monitoring
Effective Communication Plans Enhance Results
Essentials of a Communication Plan
Involve the Entire Team
Foundation Provides Support
• Everyone has to have ownership
• Everyone has to be able to articulate
the plan
• Uniform template
• Prominently displayed with every
initiative
Effective Communication Plans Enhance Results
Using A Communication Plan
to Create Awareness about
NAEP in Alabama
Challenge:
Creating and disseminating a meaningful message that
encourages involvement and commitment in Alabama
Effective Communication Plans Enhance Results
Governors Staff
Department of Education Leadership
Local Education Agencies
Parents
Community Partners
Effective Communication Plans Enhance Results
“Not everything that is faced can be changed,
but nothing can be changed until it is faced.”
James Baldwin (1924-1987)
Task: Facing the Challenges
• No Individual Student level data
• No School level data
• No reward or recognition
Effective Communication Plans Enhance Results
Every accomplishment starts with the decision to try.
Task: Facing the Challenges
• Establish Value • People do not invest efforts in activities that they do not
value or do not see as worthwhile.
• Expand Visibility • NAEP has low state visibility and does not yield outcomes
that have direct consequences for students, schools or districts.
Effective Communication Plans Enhance Results
• NAEP Schools have regional training on NAEP data and NAEP resources.
• Grades 4 and 8 teachers are better prepared for NAEP assessments and state assessments.
• The invitation to participate in NAEP should be depicted as an honor for the students, schools, and community.
• Participating schools receive a letter of recognition from the state superintendent.
Steps : Motivational Strategies
Effective Communication Plans Enhance Results
• The Local Education Agency (LEA) appealed to the
student’s sense of school pride and community
responsibility.
• The LEA(s) had mock NAEP assessments
administrations for students who were not selected to
participate in NAEP.
• The mock assessment were aligned with curriculum
content and administered concurrently with NAEP.
• The NAEP Questions Tool were used as a resource for
test items.
Steps : Motivational Strategies
Effective Communication Plans Enhance Results
Strategies for Building Awareness: State Sponsored NAEP Motivation Contest
• The purpose of the competition was to recognize the school in each regional inservice area that has the most creative motivational activity for NAEP.
• Formulate a creative motivational activity for NAEP.
• Provide a brief description and picture or video of the activity.
Effective Communication Plans Enhance Results
• A winner was selected from each inservice area.
• Winners were presented a plaque by the State Department
of Education.
• Winners were featured on the Alabama State Department
of Education website.
State Sponsored NAEP Motivation Contest Outcome
Effective Communication Plans Enhance Results
Ape for NAEP!
Video Clip – Click to Play
Effective Communication Plans Enhance Results
Channels of Communication:
NAEP
in Alabama
PD for various
audiences
Teacher’s Fair
Display
WebEx
Book Marks
SDE Employees
College Professors
Deans of Education
District Testing Coordinators
Aspiring
Teachers
Principals
Teachers
District Testing Coordinators
Local Public Libraries
Students
Selected NAEP Schools
Regional Inservice Centers
Local Universities
Effective Communication Plans Enhance Results
NAEP in Alabama
Awards Ceremony
News Letters
Memos
Channels of Communication:
Students
Teachers
Principals
Superintendents
Parent Teacher Association
Local Universities
Public Libraries
Schools
Selected District Superintendents
District Testing Coordinators
Selected School Principals
Selected School Coordinators
Effective Communication Plans Enhance Results
Milestones
• Largest gains in the history of NAEP for Grade 4 reading.
• Participation in Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS).
• Developed ongoing relationships with Regional Inservice Centers, Parent Teacher Associations, Universities, Local Public Libraries.
• Provided awareness throughout the State Department of Education.
• Developed ongoing dialogue about NAEP as well as providing professional development within the department.
Effective Communication Plans Enhance Results
Using A Communication Plan to Improve Inclusion
Students with Disabilities (SD)
English Language Learners (ELL)
Challenge:
Low inclusion rates on NAEP
SD and ELL students in Virginia
Effective Communication Plans Enhance Results
National Assessment Of Educational Progress
National Assessment Governing Board two
inclusion goals:
• 95% of all students
• 85% of students classified as either ELL or SD
Reporting Expectations:
• Report inclusion of Students with Disabilities by state
and prominently displays states with inclusion goals
• The inclusion percentages also are included on the
state’s “report card”.
Effective Communication Plans Enhance Results
Virginia's Inclusion in NAEP 2007
READING SD/SWD ELL/LEP
Grade 4 53 69
Grade 8 54 58
MATHEMATICS SD/SWD ELL/LEP
Grade 4 73 86
Grade 8 57 71
Effective Communication Plans Enhance Results
NAEP 2009 Revised Accommodation Chart and
“Guidelines”
• Distributed to schools
• Disseminated via NCES
(Assessment Planning Packet)
• Reviewed documentation with NCES contractors
Time at their training to go over accommodations
• Emphasized inclusion using NAEP Accommodations
Effective Communication Plans Enhance Results
2011 Gained Support for Guidelines
• Began thinking “communication plan” for the
guidelines
• Expectation Spelled out (Established Plan)
• Early and Often
• Identified Weak Links
• Provide Support (Included NAEP Team)
Effective Communication Plans Enhance Results
2013 Inclusion
• Revised all documents
NAEP decision tree “adjusted” to include
Virginia Assessment Program tests’ names
• Focused on distribution and previous weak links
• Results will be released in Fall 2013
Effective Communication Plans Enhance Results
SWD Mathematics Inclusion Grades 4&8
73
85
84
57
74
81
50
55
60
65
70
75
80
85
90
95
100
2007 2009 2011
Virginia NAEP Inclusion Students with Disabilities
Mathematics 2007-2011
SWD Gr 4 Mathematics SWD Gr 8 Mathematics Goal (85%)
Effective Communication Plans Enhance Results
SWD Mathematics Inclusion Grades 4&8
73
85
84
57
74
81
50
55
60
65
70
75
80
85
90
95
100
2007 2009 2011
Virginia NAEP Inclusion Students with Disabilities
Mathematics 2007-2011
SWD Gr 4 Mathematics SWD Gr 8 Mathematics Goal (85%)
Effective Communication Plans Enhance Results
53
72
81
54
74
77
50
55
60
65
70
75
80
85
90
95
100
2007 2009 2011
Virginia NAEP Inclusion Students with Disabilities
Reading 2007-2011
SWD Gr 4 - Reading SWD Gr 8 - Reading Goal (85%)
Effective Communication Plans Enhance Results
Virginia NAEP Inclusion
Limited English Proficient Students (Grades 4 & 8)
Mathematics 2007 - 2011
Effective Communication Plans Enhance Results
Virginia NAEP Inclusion
Limited English Proficient Students (Grades 4 & 8)
Reading 2007 - 2011
Effective Communication Plans Enhance Results
Thank You
• Iris Garner
iris.garner@dpi.nc.gov
• Wendy Geiger
Wendy.geiger@doe.virginia.gov
• Rhonda Patton
rpatton@alsde.edu