MEASURING SCHOOL PROCESSES

By Victoria L. Bernhardt
Schools are perfectly designed to get the results they are getting now.
If schools want different results, they must measure and
then change the processes to create the results they really want.
Schools cannot improve what is not measured.

School processes define what learning Measuring Processes

organizations, and those who work in them, are Measuring processes is one of the most important
doing to help students learn: what they teach, things we can do to improve K-12 education.
how they teach, and how they assess students. Processes are the only things that we have extensive
School processes include programs, curriculum, control over in education. However, they are some
instruction and assessment strategies, interventions, of the hardest things to measure. Measuring the
and all other classroom practices that teachers use to processes used in instruction is a task we all have to
help students learn.
To understand the student achievement results
Measuring processes is one of the most
districts and schools are getting, administrators and
teachers must document and measure the processes important things we can do to improve
that are being implemented. That information, K-12 education. Processes are the only
aligned to the results, will help them understand
things that we have extensive control
what to improve to get different results. Sharing
how they are getting their successes will help over in education. However, they are
staff understand which processes are working. some of the hardest things to measure.
Understanding which processes are not getting
desirable results will inform them of what processes
should be changed or eliminated. To truly know if a work on to understand the impact of our processes
reading program is successful or not, a school and to understand how to improve teaching and
district has to know how reading is taught in each learning. If the implementation of specific processes
classroom in every school. is not being measured or monitored, those
processes are probably not being fully implemented.

How can anyone be sure that a Districts and schools must devote time to the
management and measurement of school processes
particular set of new inputs will produce so successful processes can be shared and
better outputs if we don’t at implemented districtwide, and unsuccessful
least study what happens inside? practices can be redesigned or eliminated.

~ Paul Black and Dylan Wiliam

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MEASURING SCHOOL PROCESSES BY VICTORIA L. BERNHARDT

How Do We Measure Processes?

There are many ways to measure processes.
Qualitative and quantitative measures can be
applied. Qualifiable school process measures might

If you are not monitoring and

measuring program implementation,
the program probably does not exist.

include program/course flow, focus groups,

interviews, and/or questionnaire results.
Quantifiable school process measurement could
include: classroom observations, program
enrollments, and student achievement results. We
need to think logically about what we need to know
about a program, and match these thoughts/
questions to the measurement.
The Measuring Processes Table (next page)
illustrates how logical it can be to measure such
things as curriculum, instruction and assessment
strategies, staff collaboration, environment, etc. The
table describes what we want the processes to look
like—which gives us insight into the purpose of
each process, and how each process can be
measured. For example, if we are measuring
curriculum, we are looking for it to align to content
standards and grade level expectations; we would
want to find evidence that there is a continuum of
learning that is interesting and makes sense for the
students, and that it is being implemented in every
classroom. We can measure these through curriculum
mapping, process flowcharting, classroom/teacher
observations, student achievement results,
questionnaires, and a tool created to assess the
implementation of the vision.
Attachment A provides an outline for you to use to
think through the measurement of your “hard-to-
measure” processes.

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MEASURING SCHOOL PROCESSES BY VICTORIA L. BERNHARDT

MEASURING PROCESSES TABLE

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MEASURING SCHOOL PROCESSES BY VICTORIA L. BERNHARDT

Flowcharting Processes ◆ Breaks processes into steps using

Flowcharting processes can help schools clarify consistent, easily understood symbols.
what is being done now, so that all those involved ◆ Is inexpensive and quick to produce,
can understand how they are getting current results, and gives staffs the opportunity to
and can determine what needs to change to get experience a shared view when they
different results. Flowcharts, or other mapping participate in constructing it.
tools, allow everyone to see the major steps in a ◆ Shows intricate connections and
process, in sequence, and then evaluate the sequences clearly.
differences between the theoretical and actual, or ◆ Aids in communication, problem
actual and desired, results. The intent is to agree on solving, and decision making.
standard and desired practice, and then improve the
◆ Promotes understanding of a process in
current processes.
a way that written procedures cannot.
A flowchart is a visual representation of a process ◆ Enables the standardization of a process.
that helps staffs:
◆ Provides a way to monitor and update
◆ assess what is really being implemented processes.
within a process,
One good process map can replace pages of words.
◆ understand how they get the results they
are getting,
◆ determine the cause of a problem or
Flowcharting Tools
challenge, Many types of flowcharting tools are available. We
like to use Inspiration (www.Inspiration.com) to
◆ assist with improving a process, and to
create flowcharts because of its versatility and ease
◆ serve as a component of training of use. Basic flowcharting tools include the
and communication, so all staff can following symbols:
understand and implement the same
processes.
Flowcharts can be constructed both informally and
formally. An informal method is best for getting
started and securing buy-in; the formal method
ensures rigor and accuracy. Examples of flowcharts follow.
A well-prepared flowchart map:
◆ Builds common understandings of a
whole process. (It is best if staff work
together to create the flowchart.)
◆ Communicates process-related ideas,
information, and data in an effective
visual form.
◆ Identifies actual or ideal paths, revealing
problem areas and potential solutions.
◆ Identifies areas for improvement or
inefficiencies.
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MEASURING SCHOOL PROCESSES BY VICTORIA L. BERNHARDT

Example A
Below is an example of a Response to Intervention (RtI) process used by an elementary school for Grade 3
Reading. You can see the various steps that occur in the process and how actions follow decisions. This type
of flowchart can be used to determine what processes are currently in place and what needs to change if these
processes are not getting the desired results.

EXAMPLE FLOWCHART: GRADE 3 READING RESPONSE TO INTERVENTION (RtI)

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MEASURING SCHOOL PROCESSES BY VICTORIA L. BERNHARDT

Example B
Below is an example that shows how a particular high school places its new ninth-grade students in Math
courses. The flowchart also shows what the school does when the students are not learning the Math
concepts.

EXAMPLE PROCESS FLOWCHART: HIGH SCHOOL MATHEMATICS PLACEMENT

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MEASURING SCHOOL PROCESSES BY VICTORIA L. BERNHARDT

Example C
Example C is the first attempt of a school district’s curriculum department to define the major concepts
related to using data in professional learning communities that they want all schools in their district to
implement. Next steps would be to elaborate on each action box.

THE PROCESS OF USING DATA IN PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITIES

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MEASURING SCHOOL PROCESSES BY VICTORIA L. BERNHARDT

Flowcharts are useful tools for exposing problems School to Work

and incomplete thinking in processes. Improvement Special Education
cannot occur until problems are identified and Supervised Business Experience
solutions are proposed. This requires gathering data START
on student achievement results and on the processes Title Programs
used to produce these results. In addition, data on Tutoring
demographics and perceptions can help us acquire a Vocational
true picture of which processes are working with
Instruction/Curriculum
which students. We cannot just assume that we know
which processes work best; we must analyze the Character Ed
instructional strategies actually being implemented Class Within Class
and realize which ones are getting the desired results. Cooperative Learning
Differentiated Instruction
Hands-on Learning
Measuring Program Implementation Professional Learning Communities
To measure and improve programs and processes, Project Construct
we should start by making a list of the programs and School Within a School
processes that are being implemented right now, Smaller Learning Communities
using the Measuring Programs and Processes Technology Integration
Template (Attachment B). Some of the programs
Some of the questions you might want to answer,
and processes you will want to measure might
which are included in the Measuring Programs and
include—
Processes Template (Attachment B), are:
Programs ◆ What is the intent (desired
A+ results/objectives)?
Accelerated Reading/Math ◆ How will you know the intent (desired
After School results/objectives) is being met?
Alternative
◆ Who is the program intended to serve?
At-Risk
Before School ◆ Who is being served? Who is not being
Bilingual served?
Credit Programs ◆ What would it look like if the program
Dropout Prevention were fully implemented?
English as a Second Language ◆ To what degree is the program being
Gifted implemented?
JROTC
◆ How is implementation being
Mentoring for Freshmen
measured?
Parents as Teachers
Preschool ◆ How should implementation be
Reading First measured?
Reading Recovery ◆ What are the results?
Response to Intervention (RtI)

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MEASURING SCHOOL PROCESSES BY VICTORIA L. BERNHARDT

Summary References
School Processes are a major category of data in Bernhardt, V.L. & Hébert, C.L. (2011). Response to
comprehensive data analysis. School processes are Intervention (RtI) and Continuous School
one of the most important puzzle pieces for Improvement (CSI): Using Data, Vision, and
determining what is working and what is not Leadership to Design, Implement, and Evaluate a
working. We want staffs to work together to create a Schoolwide Prevention System. New York, NY:
continuum of learning that makes sense for all Routledge, Inc.
students and leads to student learning increases. To Bernhardt, V.L. (2009). Data, Data Everywhere:
get different results, we need to change the processes Bringing All the Data Together for Continuous
that create the results. To change the processes, we School Improvement. New York, NY: Routledge,
have to agree on what is being implemented and the Inc.
impact of these processes. Then, together, staff need
to determine what they need to implement to Bernhardt, V.L. (2006). Using Data to Improve
achieve desired outcomes, and how they are going Student Learning in School Districts. New York,
to get there. NY: Routledge, Inc.
Bernhardt, V.L. (2005). Using Data to Improve
Student Learning in High Schools. New York, NY:
Routledge, Inc.
Bernhardt, V.L. (2004). Using Data to Improve
Student Learning in Middle Schools. New York,
NY: Routledge, Inc.
Bernhardt, V.L. (2003). Using Data to Improve
Student Learning in Elementary Schools. New
York, NY: Routledge, Inc.
Black, P.J. & Wiliam, D. (1998). Inside the black box:
Raising standards through classroom assessment.
Phi Delta Kappan, 80(2), 139-148.
Available from:
http://www.pdkintl.org/kappan/kbla9810.htm

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 MEASURING SCHOOL PROCESSES BY VICTORIA L. BERNHARDT

ATTACHMENT A: PROCESS MEASUREMENT PLANNING TEMPLATE

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MEASURING SCHOOL PROCESSES BY VICTORIA L. BERNHARDT

ATTACHMENT B: MEASURING PROGRAMS AND PROCESSES TEMPLATE

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