A QUICK GUIDE TO SCHOOL REFLECTION PROCESS

by
Michael D. King

WHAT IS A SCHOOL PROFILE?

A school profile is a reflection of the school’s existing practices and is determined by school indicators.
The profiling of school data indicators can be a shared responsibility among school staff. Various report
formats can be created to accomplish the gathering process. The information in the school profile
document is a helpful tool in allowing professional learning communities to analyze the strengths and
weaknesses of existing school practices. Information contained in the school profile should include the
following school indicator data:
 number and areas of discipline referrals
 historical core curriculum achievement standards reports
 community/parent involvement information
 historical annual Yearly Progress Report (AYP)
 climate surveys (parent, teacher, student)
 staff information attendance, experience, number of certified areas
 staff development surveys
 facility, media center, student attendance, and enrollment information
 historical projections in student numbers, achievement indicators by achievement scores, and
grade distributions
Data obtained in the profile will enable professional learning communities to reflect on the various ideas
concerning the particular strengths and weaknesses of the school.
Factors To Consider*
Blum and Butler describe the school profile as providing baseline data about student performance against
which effects of school improvements can be measured. This information becomes a primary tool in
planning and managing targeted school improvement efforts. They suggest that several important factors
should be considered when creating a school profile:
 The profile describes student performance on a school wide basis.
 All students and all curriculum areas should be represented in the profile; the more comprehensive the
profile is, the more broad based and complete will be the school picture that emerges.
 By creating a profile, it is possible to sharpen the focus on both the strengths and weaknesses in
student performance.
 The profile is a snapshot of the school. It can become the first in a series, perhaps updating annually
with new improvement decisions.

REFLECTING PROCESS
The goal of the reflecting process is to generate a list of the strengths and weaknesses that are true to the
organization’s beliefs of why it exists. This process will answer the question, “Where are we when
compared to the characteristics for effective school practices?” The following section is a list of the
characteristics for effective school practices that can be used in the reflecting process as the topic
categories on group participation focus sheets.

In the reflecting process, a collaborative work group session should be used to examine the strengths and
weaknesses of existing school programs. The list of effective school characteristics (See Effective School
Characteristics and Practices) should be used as a guide for comparing the existing practices of the school
to the practices that have become known as the characteristics of the effective school movement. It should
be noted that these characteristics are to be used as a guide and not as a panacea for total school
transformation.
A Quick Guide to School Reflection Process

Because all schools are not alike and because they do not all foster the same beliefs about teaching and
learning, these characteristics will not measure or determine all facets of effective education. Schools are
entities unto themselves and have created their own tools for teaching and learning that are inherent to the
individuality of the organization. Successful schools are created by the desires and beliefs of individuals
within the school who are driven by their own experiences and beliefs, and each school will differ.

The characteristics listed below were first published by the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory
in 1984 and updated in 1990. The research cited classroom, school, and district practices that foster
positive student achievement, attitudes, and social behavior. The list contains school-level practices that
have been shown to promote student learning. Goal developers may choose to use classroom-, school-, or
district-level practices, depending on the focus or level of goal setting. School-level practices are used
here because the focus is on school-level site goals. However, before developing site goals, district-level
goals should already be in place.

Effective School Characteristics and Practices*

 Everyone emphasizes the importance of learning.
 Strong leadership guides the instructional program.
 The curriculum is based on clear goals and objectives.
 Students are grouped to promote effective instruction.
 School time is used for learning.
 Learning process is monitored closely.
 Discipline is firm and consistent.
 There are high expectations for quality instruction.
 Incentives and rewards are used to build strong motivation.
 Parents are invited to become involved.
 Teachers and administrators continually strive to improve instructional effectiveness.
 There are pleasant conditions for learning.

REFLECTING STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES

Strengths identify the school’s ability to perform, represent the achievement of the school, and identify
areas in which excellence is maintained. Strengths are recorded on focus sheets.
Weaknesses of a school are the internal characteristics, conditions, or circumstances that prevent the
realization of the school’s mission. Weaknesses do not necessarily mean that the school staff do not have
the talent to improve in a particular area. Instead, they more often mean that a particular weakness has not
received the staff’s priority attention. Weaknesses provide an inventory of areas for which programs may
be designed to improve school effectiveness. Each of the professional learning community groups should
keep in mind that all schools have weaknesses. It is important that (PLC) reflection work groups decide
which weakness can be tolerated and which are beyond the resources or control of the school staff to
change.

Focus Sheets
Focus sheets are the result of the reflecting work group’s analysis of the school’s strengths and
weaknesses. One purpose is to distinguish between weaknesses that are tolerable and those that are
critical and must be corrected. The focus sheets are compiled as one document and used in the goal
setting work group session to establish future goals for the organization.
 FOCUS WORKSHEET

The Focus Worksheet will be used as a reflection guide to enable each professional learning community
to focus on those characteristics that give substance to meaningful school improvement. The Focus
Worksheet is designed as a support document that reflects the data gathered from the school profile by
identifying the strengths and weaknesses of the school. In the reflective process the focus worksheet
allows individual PLC groups to answer the question "Where are We?"

Step One: Select and Outlier: Outliers are used to guide PLC groups to help define existing or
nonexistent qualifiers to school improvement.

OUTLIER STATEMET: _________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

Step Two: Select Profile Indicators: Profile indicators are used to help PLC's identify what areas in the
school profile are needed to obtain true statements of strengths and weaknesses that are identified in the
outlier statement.

Identify the Profiling Data Categories Used:___________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES

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