SURVEYS FOR SYSTEMIC CHANGE

Ongoing self improvement requires ongoing self assessment
This is true for organizations as well as individuals


The national discussion on alternative assessment is focused exclusively on alternative assessment of students. While this is certainly needed, it overlooks the tremendous need for alternative assessment of schools and school districts. The only attempts at school assessment have generally taken two forms: 1.) standardized test data for the school, and 2.) teacher evaluation.

I. SCHOOL TEST DATA can tell us what happened, but nothing about why. We must look into the school to find reasons or causes for scores going down, up, etc.

II. TEACHER EVALUATION looks at the individual professional only. Deming tells us that most of the problems in an organization are systemic. Presently schools have little or no means to directly assess the "system".

The materials in SYSTEMIC ASSESSMENT FOR QUALITY SCHOOLS offer school staff, students, parents and community members alternative means to do ongoing assessment of the system. They are predicated on four critical assumptions.

  1. For a system to be excellent, the system must engage in ONGOING SELF ASSESSMENT. This self assessment is the means to self improvement. Quality (or excellence) is a continuous process of improvement.
  2. Any assessment that will benefit schools must not be inordinately complex, time consuming or labor intensive. The assessment instruments in this book are conceptually simple and can be implemented with minimal time and labor.
  3. Clear data can be a powerful tool for
  4. By readministering the surveys periodically, progress can easily be measured and priorities refocused.


There are currently seventeen surveys available. These can be customized to meet local needs. You can also make your own survey. The surveys are designed to guide systemic change;

95% OF THE CHRONIC PROBLEMS OCCURING IN ORGANIZATIONS ARE SYSTEMIC.

W. Edwards Deming

THE ONLY ASSESSMENT THAT CAN BRING EXCELLENCE IS SELF ASSESSMENT.

William Glasser

SYSTEMIC CHANGE MUST BE DRIVEN BY SYSTEMIC ASSESSMENT. FOR QUALITY, THE SYSTEM (SCHOOL) MUST ASSESS ITSELF.

Thomas F. Kelly



ADVANTAGES OF SURVEYS FOR DECISION-MAKING AND PLANNING

QUALITY is continuously assessed, measured and improved.

INPUT by all interested (staff, parents, students, community members, etc.) is readily available to planners and others.

PRIORITIES are easily identified for improvement.

CONSENSUS on priority needs is quickly agreed upon.

FOCUS is achieved for efforts by all concerned.

PROGRESS can be measured and monitored over time. Efforts can be refocused and redirected as needed.

EFFICIENCY of the decision making/planning process is greatly enhanced. Time, labor, and energy requirements are significantly reduced.

COSTS are minimal for each school doing these self assessments.

EASE OF USE through machine scoring, simple, clear print outs/data reports.

ADAPTIBILTY surveys can be modified. Items can be added, deleted, and adapted to meet local needs.


Thomas F. Kelly Ph. D. has designed surveys used by thousands of schools for planning and guiding improvement of school quality. Designed to enable the system to assess itself, THESE SURVEYS INCORPORATE THE QUALITY IDEAS OF W. EDWARDS DEMING AND WILLIAM GLASSER.


For more information, contact Dr. Kelly at:
Systemic Assessment, Inc.
24 James Street
Shoreham, N Y 11786
Phone: 516-821-0588 Fax:516-821-6691
Email: drkelly@drtomkelly.com