Here are some staff development ideas to assist staff in identifying student achievement targets related to the high school assessments as well as integrating this initiative into their high school improvement plan.

 

Employ a variety of team- and consensus-building processes to ensure that all staff understand and can address the instructional implications of the Core Learning Goals and Skills for Success.
Provide training opportunities for staff to review and analyze the assessment prototypes released by the Maryland State Department of Education as well as the school system's milestone quarterly assessments, investigating ways to differentiate instruction to prepare students for the State High School Assessments.
Ensure that professional development is offered to staff in the collection, analysis, presentation, and use of relevant student achievement data that can guide and inform the integration of the State High School Assessment preparation process into the school improvement planning process.
Facilitate staff understanding and use of various forms of collaborative inquiry, including the powerful process of action research. Action research projects can be content focused or cross-disciplinary in design. They should emphasize key student achievement problems and serve as the basis for generating small group and collective solutions to these problems via a purposeful action planning process.
Involve representatives from the Department of School Improvement and Accountability to help facilitate staff understanding and response to the school improvement planning process. Emphasize the Maryland State Department of Education steps in the school improvement planning process. Explore ways to ensure that the State High School Assessments and Core Learning Goals standards are an active part of the school improvement planning process.

Back to High School Assessment Initiative Page

 

This site was developed by the Department of Staff Development, in collaboration with the Division of Instruction. Questions, comments, and other inquiries may be addressed to Allene Chriest (achriest@pgcps.org) or Jeff Maher  (jmaher@pgcps.org).