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School Restarts

Qualitative Site Review Guide

View Resource: Qualitative Site Review Guide

This document outlines the process, roles and timeline for a school quality review site visit to be conducted by DC PCSB. Each school in its first year of operation receives such a site visit (it is not specific to restart). During a Qualitative Site Review (QSR) DC PCSB staff and consultants visit a school unannounced during a two-week window and measure a school’s effectiveness using two components of the Charlotte Danielson Framework for Teaching, which is publicly available to schools. The site visit can also be used in situations where a school is low-performing and may be considered for closure or closure and restart.

Outcomes and Lessons Learned: We have found that we learn the most about the effectiveness of schools when we focus on collecting qualitative evidence that shows the conditions under which students learn. Therefore, we narrowed our focus for QSRs on the quality of classroom instruction and school climate using a framework that is publicly available and can be used to measure a variety of school programs, from a Montessori elementary school to an alternative school. Instead of having the schools spend hours preparing for site visits by compiling binders and scheduling interviews, DC PCSB visits classrooms during a two-week window and produces a report based on what was observed.

Source: DC Public School Charter Board Process Steps: 2 Identify, 7 Accountability, 8 Transition, 9 Post-Opening Location: District of Columbia Keywords: Performance Management

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