Now in its 5th year, the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) Title I Leadership for Learning Project gathered together to discuss using CALL data for this cohort's second year in a row. Principals learned how to use the CALL Cluster View feature to compare their data year-to-year:

Here's more information on the Cluster View feature in CALL. 

Measuring Year-to-Year Progress

Using this feature, principals were able to identify areas of growth as well as areas still in need of improvement. They examined their most recent CALL reports and delved into the item-level data to examine the specific practices on which they would focus over the course of the school year. 

The school leaders also discussed and shared their data with each other. And, they discussed the opportunity to include district leaders in this work since they are charged with supporting school leadership and could use this practice-based data to determine schools' needs. 

At one point during the discussion, a principal from a rural district in Wisconsin talked about the challenges with professional development activities in her district: district leaders often implement "flavor of the month" initiatives without considering individual school needs. The urban school principals in the room nodded in agreement. 

Planning for District-Wide Professional Development

Just as we would encourage teachers to differentiate instruction and learning opportunities for students, so should be the approach for professional learning in other areas in the organization as well. District leaders can use instruments such as CALL to determine district-wide trends and develop professional development plans accordingly.

The DPI Title I Leadership for Learning project will continue throughout the school year as principals develop and implement plans based on their year-to-year action-based CALL data. And, the project leaders will work to involve district leaders to support their work in developing leadership.