Schools prepare students to achieve their academic and personal potential.
Mass Insight helps schools to pinpoint their needs, develop manageable plans, improve teaching and learning, and build strong leadership teams.
Diagnostics for Schools
School Needs Assessment/School Readiness Assessment
Our School Readiness Assessment (SRA) is a comprehensive needs assessment process that culminates in a report of findings for schools to understand current strengths, growth opportunities, and next steps to support improvement. The SRA process includes a data and artifact analysis, stakeholder engagement activities (surveys, interviews, and focus groups with students, families, and staff), and classroom and common area observations. We use the seven elements of our Theory of Action in a report of findings to support a school’s strategic next steps, including school improvement planning. The SRA process can be tailored to reflect school priorities (e.g. equity or special education) and/or school type (e.g. innovation, vocational technical, charter, Montessori, alternative).
Custom Program Evaluation
Mass Insight conducts tailored program evaluation to support schools’ understanding of current programmatic strengths, growth opportunities, and next steps to support improvement. Our evaluation approach starts by defining key research questions the evaluation seeks to answer, followed by an extensive data and artifact review, stakeholder engagement activities (surveys, focus groups, and interviews) to inform a report of findings to support the school’s strategic next steps. Some of our past custom program evaluations include special education, MTSS, discipline, and alternative education programs.
Planning for Schools
School Improvement Planning
Mass Insight helps schools develop actionable plans and strategies that build from strengths to address root causes of gaps and low performance, in alignment with state, district, and/or school goals. Our process includes a needs assessment/diagnostic review, root cause analysis, strategy and goal setting, and action planning. We engage representative school stakeholders to ensure the plan recognizes school and student needs, focuses on a few key priorities, reflects the capacity of staff to implement, and includes thought partnership and design of capacity for high-quality implementation. For more information about our approach to planning, see our Road Map to Developing a School Improvement Plan.Â
School Redesign Planning
Mass Insight supports schools to reimagine the student, family, and staff experience with stakeholder voices at the center. In a redesign planning process, we support leaders to: understand their current reality; explore innovative school models and brainstorm about what would work best for their school community; develop a prototype vision and revise the model based on community feedback; and develop an action plan to launch and manage change for the new school design.
AP Success Planning
Using current AP® data or the results of Mass Insight’s AP Equity Self-Assessment, our team partners with schools to develop an AP Success Plan to drive conditions changes to increase equitable student access, opportunity, and outcomes in AP courses. Mass Insight facilitates a process that begins with a reflective, data-informed work session and examination of AP program strengths and growth opportunities. We then work with a team to define the desired future state of the AP program by establishing a clear vision and priorities, resulting in an AP Success plan consisting of an action plan with measurable goals, action steps, owners, and timelines for implementation.
Implementation for Schools
Advanced Academics
Mass Insight offers Advanced Placement® STEM & English services to districts and high schools to drive a school culture of high expectations and dramatically increase participation and performance in Advanced Placement (AP) courses, particularly among underserved populations, to prepare students for college and career success in English, and in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).
Professional Development
As part of systems development support, Mass Insight facilitates professional development for school leaders and staff in furthering school priorities focused on equitably improving the instructional core and the student learning experience. We leverage adult learning principles to ensure professional learning experiences are applicable, engaging, collaborative, and relevant to their practice.
Instructional Coaching Systems & Practices Development
Mass Insight partners with schools and districts to design instructional coaching systems and work with staff to bring best coaching practices to life through training and custom performance management systems. Our tailored support integrates elements of improvement science and network improvement communities, and is based on the instructional rounds model. Coaching systems can be implemented at one school or multiple schools in a district to support greater alignment and focus on improving the instructional core.
Instructional Leadership Team and Professional Learning Community Structure & Practices Development
Mass Insight works with schools to develop the capacity of instructional leaders to implement and monitor school-wide instructional change. Instructional leadership teams (ILTs) play a critical role in implementing a school improvement plan, as well as building consistent and aligned support for rigorous instructional practices. Similarly, professional learning communities (PLCs) support teacher collaboration in designing, implementing, and responding to data to ensure student learning. We partner with school leaders to design consistent and aligned ILT and PLC structures focused on student learning, and provide tools, training, and support to ensure consistent leadership practices.
Performance Monitoring and Management
Mass Insight partners with school leaders and leadership teams to support ongoing monitoring and management of their school improvement plans or school redesign plans. Strong plans (read our Road Map to Developing a School Improvement Plan) describe who is doing what when to advance school priorities, and we support schools to establish a regular monitoring process, create data tools, and provide protocols and training to build school leadership capacity.
AP Success Plan Implementation
Following the development of an AP Success Plan, Mass Insight facilitates biweekly coaching sessions to progress monitor plan implementation and provide thought partnership in support of achieving the AP Success Plan’s goals and outcomes. Coaching sessions will additionally celebrate accomplishments toward the plan’s goals, troubleshoot challenges, and identify additional strategies and action steps.
Targeted Intervention: Chronic Absenteeism
Mass Insight partners with schools and districts to understand the chronically absent student experience, create and test evidence-based strategies for re-engaging chronically absent students, and codify and progress monitor strategies to address absenteeism. Partners receive an instantly usable Re-Engagement Guidebook tailored to their unique context to help with implementation and monitoring.
Among the experiences that have shaped my professional life and will influence my approach to preparing future teachers is the relationship with Mass Insight. Our students, teachers, and I have grown immensely as a result of your work.