KEYS TO EXCELLENCE FOR YOUR SCHOOLS

 

35 Indicators of a Quality School

After five years of surveying teachers and school staff and comparing their answers to actual student test results

NEA researchers identified 35 indicators common to "high-achieving" schools (those schools in which students perform well on standardized tests and teachers perceive as having all the essential features of a learning organization). To what extent do those 35 indicators describe your school? NEA's new KEYS Initiative can help you find out.

 

Continuous Assessment for Teaching Learning

18. Teachers assess student improvement daily.

19. Administrators assess student improvement daily.

20. The school uses teacher-made tests to assess

      students.

21. The school uses oral classroom activities to assess

students.

22. The school uses exhibitions to assess students.

23. Assessments take into account student

      background.

24. Academic programs are assessed.

25. Teachers consistently rate program quality.

26. Assessment results are actually used, and

      classroom decisions are based on assessments.

27. Instructional materials are selected based on

      quality.

28. Instructional materials are selected based on

appropriateness to student needs.

29. Instructional materials are not selected based on

      cost.

 

Personal and Professional Learning

II.    School is an overall learning environment for

employees and students.

30. There is ongoing, consistent staff development in

the areas of decision making, problem solving, leadership, and communication.

31. Staff development is an ongoing, high-quality,

state-of-the-art, practical experience for all

      school employees.

Resources to Support Teaching and Learning

7.   Space is adequate within the school building.

8.   Supplies are adequate.

9.   Support services are adequate.

10. Psychological and social work services are      available.

 

Shared Understanding and Commitment to High Goals

1.      Parents and school employees are committed to long-

range, continuous improvement.

2.   Central and building administrators are committed to long-range, continuous improvement.

3.      Goals for achievable education outcomes are clear and

explicit.

5.   Teachers, education support personnel, students, and parents believe all students can learn.

6.   School district administrators and school board members believe all students can learn.

 

Open Communication and Collaborative Problem Solving

4.   Teachers, education support personnel, parents, school building administrators, students, school board members, district administrators, and civic groups are all involved in improving education.

12. Everyone actively seeks to identify barriers to learning.

13. There is a general willingness by everyone to remove barriers to learning.

14. School staff work to remove barriers to learning.

15. Students and parents work to remove barriers to

      learning.

16. School and district administrators work to remove

      barriers to learning.

17. A cooperative problem-solving process is used to

      remove barriers to learning.

32. There is two-way, nonthreatening communication

      between school administrators and others.

33. There is two-way, nonthreatening communication

      between the school staff and district administrators.

34. There is two-way, nonthreatening communication among

      teachers.

35. All communication takes place within a climate for

      innovation

 

nea

National Education Association