Key Action III.3

Reset Annually

What is the goal?

The goal of this key action is to look back on the year, celebrate successes, name areas of growth, and define the next level of work for the following school year.

Why this key action is important

After going through multiple cycles of the improvement process throughout the school year, it is important to reflect on the year as a whole. The end-of-year reflection is slightly different from quarterly stepbacks. The data is different since there is access to summative data and there’s an opportunity to dig into additional data sources that might have been missed during the school year. Also, the context is different, with system and school leaders looking ahead to the next school year, particularly with an eye to workforce changes. Schools change more dramatically from year to year than within a given year. The end of the year provides an opportunity to revisit the improvements list generated throughout the school year and consider which changes to tackle during the upcoming year and over the summer. It’s a chance to reignite the fire for the team as well as institutionalize work started this school year.

Explanation of language

We use the term annual planning to refer to planning that occurs at the end of one school year in preparation for the next one. But this can take place at any point in the spring or in two parts—once before data is back and again once all data is in.

steps

guiding questions

notes & resources

  • 1.
    What are the goals of our annual stepback?
  • 2.
    How are we going to structure the conversation?
  • 3.
    What data do we already have? What additional data do we need to gather to report on our progress toward our goals?
  • 4.
    Is there additional stakeholder feedback we need to gather?
  • 5.
    What is our agenda? Who will facilitate which portions?
  • 6.
    What prework, if any, will there be for the meeting?
  • 7.
    How will we communicate the agenda, goals, norms, and prework?
  • Some leaders host one annual stepback meeting for the entire Implementation Support Team plus other key stakeholders while others opt to do a series of stepback meetings with different groups of stakeholders.
  • The resource End-of-Year Stepback Guidance and Materials provides an overview of the options with a sample agenda, including an adaptable email that you can send. You can also use the End-of-Year Stepback Data Gathering Template to gather all data and stakeholder feedback in one place. It might also be helpful to reference past notes from prior quarterly stepback meetings.
  • Ensure that you are disaggregating the data where possible to evaluate for equity, specifically for students in poverty, students of color, students with disabilities, and multilingual learners.
  • Sharing and discussing data openly can trigger feelings of evaluation for team members. Setting team norms around meeting culture can help make the discussion more productive for the team. The document Quarterly Stepback Meeting Norms includes some sample norms that you can use as a starting point.
  • 1.
    Where did we meet our goals?
  • 2.
    What specific factors or conditions helped us meet our goals?
  • 3.
    Beyond the specific goals we set, what other successes did we have this year?
  • 4.
    What were the drivers of those successes?
  • 5.
    Where did we miss our goals?
  • 6.
    What held us back from meeting those goals?
  • 7.
    Beyond the specific goals we set, what other challenges did we encounter this year?
  • 8.
    What else do our data, observations, and conversations tell us about how curriculum implementation went this year?
  • It can be tempting to jump in quickly to discussions of what you want to change next year. But it’s important to root decision-making in data. Take the time to thoughtfully reflect here; the next step (III.3.C: Adjust the Goals and Plan for the Coming Year) provides an opportunity to set new goals and plans based on your data and reflections.
  • Reflecting on the systems and processes that the team used to support implementation will help surface what to replicate or adjust for next school year. It can be helpful to reference old quarterly stepback notes. The End-of-Year Stepback Agenda is an example for this conversation.
  • 1.
    Based on our data and reflections, what worked well this year that we want to keep doing next year? Which parts of our plan should stay the same?
  • 2.
    Based on our data and reflections, what improvements should we prioritize for next year? What changes will we make to our plans for next year?
  • 3.
    What are our goals for this next year of implementation? How will we measure them? How will we know that we have been successful?
  • 4.
    What work needs to be done this summer to support teachers and leaders who have been using the curriculum to prepare for the next level?
  • Go back through Phase II to rethink any systems that require adjustment.
  • The document Goals for Implementation shares an example of annual goals used by early implementers.
  • Sometimes questions surface during this step around the possibility of changing materials. We have found that most often, there are challenges with implementation due to planning issues in Phase II, and we recommend starting by revisiting those plans. Changing materials often has unintended consequences. It requires starting this entire change management process over again, which affects systems and structures and requires a substantial new set of learnings for all educators in the system. Changing materials can also disrupt student learning, particularly if you are using a set of materials with a specific pedagogical approach. We recommend proceeding with caution when considering a materials change if you already have high-quality, standards-aligned materials in place. Considerations When Changing Materials outlines factors to consider as well as the type of criteria that might lead you to change curriculum.
  • 5.
    What work needs to be done this summer to support new teachers and leaders?
  • 6.
    What are all the tasks that need to be completed this summer? Who will be responsible for what work? When is it due?
  • 7.
    Looking ahead to next school year, what are all the tasks that need to be completed? Do we need to update any roles or responsibilities? Is there anyone new we should bring in to help lead this next year of work?
  • The summer can be a critical time for training new teachers and doing systems planning for the next year of implementation. It can be helpful to make separate or specific plans for the summer, focused on teacher and leader training, updates to policies, and planning meetings for structures for supporting teachers and leaders.
  • The End-of-Year Stepback Considerations for Staffing resource has additional considerations for the annual stepback attending to workforce changes.
  • 8.
    Do we need any additional resources or training to help us implement and sustain the work we’ve planned for next year?
  • 9.
    What is our progress monitoring plan for next year? When will we check in and step back?
  • After Year 1, many curriculum leaders tend to emerge—teachers and leaders who champion the materials, teachers who are rock stars at utilizing the materials, and leaders who are savvy in supporting teachers. When considering needs for next year, identify these players to help lead the work the following school year. The resource, Examples of Multi-Year Training Plans, details how you might think about adjustments across multiple years of implementation.
  • Make sure to update your Implementation Plan and Progress Monitoring Plan.
  • 1.
    What information does each stakeholder group need about our successes this year, lessons learned, and areas for focused improvement next year?
  • 2.
    Who, how, and when will we share this information?
  • 3.
    How else can we invest everyone in our focus areas for improvement and keep forward momentum?
  • Remind everyone that this work is a journey and rekindle the original aspirations for students that l make persisting worthwhile.
  • Share celebrations and wins across all stakeholders, naming what worked. Positive successes will reinvest people in the next level of work needed.
  • Find sample communications for the end of year 1 in the resource Email for End-of-Year Communication.
  • The resource End-of-Year Celebration Ideas includes different ways to celebrate with your team at the end of a big year.
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Workbook

This workbook is designed to help a school or system leadership team work through the implementation process together. Assemble your team, print or download the workbook, find your starting point, and dig in together.

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