Continuous Improvement and Evaluation
Continuous improvement and evaluation is the process of assessing plans, implementation processes, and progress to determine what needs to improve and how to make those improvements. The assessment and improvement steps are then repeated on an ongoing basis. These procedures have been used successfully in the corporate world for many years and can be used successfully in the school improvement process as well. Our ultimate goal for monitoring student progress is to ensure that there is deep alignment among the written, taught, and tested curriculum. This alignment is key for all students to successfully attain state and district standards.

Teachers use assessment strategies extensively; after all, assessments provide evidence of success (or lack thereof) for both students and teachers. Formative assessments and feedback are used routinely. Assessments are standards-based but have as their sole purpose student learning; because there are no immediate consequences for poor performances, formative tests are not high-stakes. The assessment and the feedback that accompany them are designed only to support learning.

School District #109 also conducts formative and summative evaluation of its programs and initiatives to determine if goals are met and if revision is warranted. These may include but are not limited to surveys, questionnaires, interviews, and observations.