Feedback

Video games provide immediate feedback to players.  If you make a move to the right and “lose a life” you make the move to the left next time.  These games are often used to illustrate the importance of feedback yet they are not exactly incomparable.  In classrooms and schools, our actions do not produce immediate results, and feedback is often communicated verbally or in written form rather than through immediate consequences.  Nevertheless, feedback is indeed important to teachers, students, and schools who are on a journey of improvement but only under certain conditions.  In order for feedback to be effective, the feedback must be descriptive and timely and the recipient must be accepting of the feedback. 

Three examples of feedback mechanisms are the assessments taken by students, our educator evaluation system, and our regular reviews of our district initiatives by our district improvement team.  The evaluation system is well-established, though some adjustments were made this year due to the pandemic.  Unannounced and announced visits to classrooms are followed by feedback provided through an online system.  We know that defining terms like “engagement” is important if we are to successfully communicate what we are seeing during visits.  It’s also important to include follow-up statements to inferences such as:  “few students were engaged in the lesson” by accounts of what was observed.  For example, statements such as the following let the recipient know why the observer made this inference:  “while most students took notes while listening to the lecture, only one student interacted with the teacher by asking questions.  There was no way to know whether or not students understood the content.”

Informative descriptions are also necessary following positive feedback and this can be best illustrated with student assessments.  Comments like “good,” “nice job,” “good writing” do little to help students understand what they did well and therefore what they should repeat for continued success.  I remember, as a student, writing a lab report, receiving an “A,” then writing the next lab report that was graded “B” but never knowing what I had done in the first report that resulted in a higher score.  To be sure, providing more descriptive feedback is much more work than checks and stars, but it is also more beneficial to the recipient. 

Timeliness is a virtue that cannot be undervalued with regard to feedback.  It takes 6 hours to grade a classroom set of papers whether you return the papers a week later or you return them a month later.  If the latter, however, the six hours will have been poorly spent since the feedback will not have the same value that it would have had if provided in a more timely manner. 

At the last School Committee meeting, our assistant superintendent reported on how district assessments are used to provide feedback to students as well as to teachers and schools.  Monitoring the progress of individual students is important for identifying students who may need additional supports and interventions while monitoring the progress of classes and schools lets us know how we can improve instructional practices and curriculum to benefit the entire school population.

The recently held District Improvement Team (DIT) meeting provided opportunities for updates on action steps and recommendations for future improvement efforts.  The feedback provided includes updates to percent completion, posted on the district strategic dashboard (see https://ecriss.ecragroup.com/strategy/Home/Index?Dashboard=SMI000).  Our action steps identify what Smithfield is doing to improve both instructional and managerial practices.  

In terms of instruction, the team recognized the work of Smithfield administrators and teachers, under the guidance of our assistant superintendent, who continue to revise and document curriculum documents.  Most notably, the group reports that Smithfield teachers are working with NE Basecamp to update the civics curriculum with support from an XQ grant.  We are also moving forward with procuring high-quality, standards-aligned instructional materials as the curriculum is reviewed, ensuring that materials are reviewed for cultural bias.  Unfortunately, progress on the goal to expand world language offerings has been stymied by a lack of funding.  For secondary mathematics, we are working with Instruction Partners for ongoing training.  BetterLesson has provided professional development for teachers at GMS on flexible assessments and for designing engaging learning experiences for teachers at GMS and SHS. Both Instruction Partners and BetterLesson are providing ongoing coaching for teachers in the district.  Training on technology tools has been ramped up due to the need in providing virtual lessons. 

Professional development on trauma-informed practices was held on August 26th for all staff and a series on trauma-informed, social-emotional supports was held in October and November for 19 staff members.  Presentations were also held for parents, one focused on adolescent sexual health held on January 27th.  In the area of social-emotional learning, plans are underway to focus on suicide prevention in February and nutrition (supported by the Farm-to-School grant) this spring.  Year 2 training from the Anti-Defamation League was held recently to ensure an inclusive culture at SHS and GMS.  

Among the progress sited, the report of the DIT includes the increased communication with stakeholders by a variety of means, including the district website, e-mail blasts, social media, a blog, a district app, and reports by principals and others at the public School Committee meetings.  Improved relationships with the town were enabled by regular meetings between the town manager and superintendent and a collegial and inclusive budget process. 

The team also recognized a number of challenges the district faces, most significantly due to the ongoing pandemic.  Some of the steps on our five-year district strategic plan and individual school improvement plans have been postponed, including the goal to develop partnerships with area businesses and organizations.  The district improvement process and resulting feedback contribute to a better understanding of district strengths and needs to enable focused efforts to improve the schools’ and district operations.

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