The ABC+ Model for School Improvement

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The ABC+ Model - a context sensitive diagnostic and feedback model for school improvement

This section of the website describes the ABC+ Model for school improvement, its background, and the reasons for its creation. The model was developed to fill an unmet need for school process data by providing individual schools and districts with a mechanism, in the absence of, or in addition to, state- or district- administered accountability systems:

for gathering process data at the classroom, grade/department, and school levels;
for interpreting and applying that data to the development of context-specific school improvement planning that is driven by best practices in school effectiveness research and staff development research.

Below are publications relating to the project and examples of the resources used to implement this highly successful school improvement model.

Publications and Resources:

Teddlie C, Kochan S & Taylor D (2000) 'The ABC+ Model: Three variations on a context sensitive diagnostic and feedback model for school improvement. A paper presented at AERA, New Orleans, April 2000.

This paper outlines the specific history and context of Educational Accountability in the USA, the evolution and features of the ABC+ Model, project goals and research processes used in the three applications of the Model, case studies from one application and the feedback given, assistance offered, and effects from the three applications of the ABC+ Model.

ABC+ Model Interview Protocols, Questionnaires and Surveys:

Principal Interview Protocol

This document outlines the questions used in interviews with the principals of the schools involved in the project.

Principal Questionnaire

This questionnaire was completed by all the principals involved in the project.

Teacher Interview Protocol

This document outlines the questions used in interviews with teachers involved in the project.

Teacher Questionnaire

This questionnaire was completed by teachers involved in the project.

Student Questionnaire

This questionnaire was completed by students at the schools involved in the project.

Parent Questionnaire

This questionnaire was completed by the parents of the children at the schools involved in the project.

Sociometric Survey

This survey was given out to staff at schools involved in the project to assess the type and level of communication occuring between staff.

A table showing the number of items in the subscales of the four attitudinal response questionnaires

Focus Groups:

Guidelines for Administering: Student and Teacher Focus Group Protocol

This document outlines guidelines for those wishing to establish a student or teacher focus group in order to collect information on attitudes or opinion

Teacher focus group

This document outlines the questions to ask the teacher focus group in order to collect the information required.

Needs Assessments:

Faculty needs assessment instructions

This document gives instructions to staff as to how to complete a faculty needs assessment.

Further faculty needs assessment questionnaire

This questionnaire was completed by staff at schools involved in the project in order to assess the primary needs of each individual school at the start of the project.

School / Classroom Observation:

School observation checklist

This checklist was used as a guide to make sure that the right information was collected from each school.

Classroom observation snapshot

This form and list of abbreviations were used as a template to take a snapshot of classroom activity e.g. how many children are engaged in interactive, non-interactive and off-task activities at any one time.

Classroom observation sheet

This form and set of abbreviations represent another quick, efficient way to note down classroom observations.

Classroom observation instrument based on the Louisiana Components of Effective Teaching

This observation scripting and recording form was used to aid those involved in classroom observations by offering the 'Louisiana Components of Effective Teaching' as a guide to assessing good practice.

Inventories:

Instrument Inventory

This inventory outlines all the documentation required for each school taking part in the project, and during which phase of the project it is to be used. A description of how each piece of documentation is to be used is also included.

Virgilio Teacher Behaviour Inventory

This inventory was used to aid teacher observation by providing a format to measure specific teacher behaviours.

Observers Exit Inventory

This inventory was used to collate overaall, integrated impressions of the schools taking part in the project by asking observers to consider and discuss a series of questions.

Archival Data Organiser:

Archival Data Organiser

This document was used to collate and hold the general demographic data, the financial data, the student background data, the teacher background data and the student behavioural data obtained for all schools in the project.