All team meetings should include an analysis of student data generated since the last meeting. This “data” does not have to be (and usually is not) a test but can be results of any kind of assessment that has been designed and administered collectively as a team to measure individual student progress. This could be a problem or two, a written paragraph, a quick quiz, an exit ticket or tickets, teachers’ results of conversations with students, or any number of things designed to assess student knowledge. (For more information on student data, see my blog, Using Student Data.) Teachers should examine this data against predetermined criteria to determine the level of learning that has occurred. This criteria for the group should be specific. For example, the team might have predetermined that at least 70% of students should have scored 80% or better on a formative assessment or there would need to be time to reteach certain content. After checking to see if group criteria has been met, team members should also look at individual students scores to determine who has mastered the assessed standard. This can often be as simple as dividing results into three groups: those who have it, those getting close, and those who need more time. Again these levels should be predetermined before the assessment. The team can then determine what in-class assistance can be provided to those that are close and perhaps schedule interventions led by one or more team members for those who didn’t get it. Also, it is a good time to openly have conversations about students in one class who were more successful than students in others and attempt to learn what might have been done differently that everyone could apply. This entire discussion must stay on track, and results must be specific and avoid moving toward generalities such as, “I think most of mine got it” or “Mine just aren’t getting this.” This portion of the meeting is most important in making decisions going forward into planning for what comes next.

 

The second part of an effective collaborative team meeting is planning for upcoming lessons and assessments. This portion of the meeting should be driven by the analysis of data in the first portion of the meeting. If a need for reteaching was found to exist, planning should begin by determining how this will be accomplished, Planning at this point should also include an analysis of standards that will be taught before the next meeting and a plan for addressing them in the upcoming lessons. At this point it is most important to determine how retaught or new lessons will be assessed for mastery in a common way. Team members should discuss this assessment specifically for what standards should be assessed, how that will happen, how it will be scored, and what results will indicate mastery for both individual students and the class as a whole. While individual lesson delivery may vary from teacher to teacher, it is important that the assessment be the same, and that it be delivered and scored the same. This creates the data for discussion at the next team collaboration meeting.

 

A final piece of an effective collaborative team meeting is a discussion of individual student intervention. These discussions should center around students who continue to struggle after in-class interventions and reteaching efforts. Teams can discuss strategies used by others with particular students that worked and strategies that teachers have used effectively with other students. Team members might also consider having another team member try intervention with a student or students as well as assigning a student to interventions outside of regular class time.

 

When collaborative team meetings are well organized and kept on task, they are not necessarily long. Targeting agenda items in this way not only makes the collaborative meeting more efficient but more effective. Teams who make good use of collaborative team time often find that as a bonus, less planning time is needed on their own. Give this planning model a try and you may well be pleasantly surprised at what you can accomplish as a team in increasing student learning!