Is Your Professional Learning Working? 8 Steps To Find Out.

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Is your professional learning working? 8 steps to find out.

By Joellen Killion

Categories: Continuous improvement, Data, Evaluation & impact, Learning systems/planning, Resources

Evaluating professional learning to measure its effectiveness and impact on student learning is an important process for those who design, lead, and facilitate educator learning. Evaluation demonstrates a commitment to accountability for investments in professional learning and a mechanism to ensure its continuous improvement. The Standards for Professional Learning (Learning Forward, 2022) articulate the importance of evaluation. According to the Evidence standard, “Professional learning results in equitable and excellent outcomes for all students when educators create expectations and build capacity for use of evidence, leverage evidence, data, and research from multiple sources to plan educator learning, and measure and report the impact of professional learning” (Learning Forward, 2022). Evaluating professional learning requires thoughtful and intentional effort. As I have defined it in Assessing Impact (Killion,

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About this article

In fall 2003, Learning Forward (then National Staff Development Council) published the article “8 smooth steps” by Joellen Killion, which outlined an eight-step process for evaluating a professional learning program. Since then, the article has become a model for designing effective evaluation of professional learning. In this article, Killion offers a fresh look at how to apply a scientific, systematic process to evaluation that ensures reliable, valid results.

Tools accompanying this article

Mapping an evaluation step by step
Identifying KASABs
Creating a logic model
Establishing an evaluation framework

Overview of steps

1. Assess evaluability.

2. Formulate evaluation questions.

3. Construct evaluation framework.

4. Collect data.

5. Organize, analyze, and display data.

6. Interpret data.

7. Report, disseminate, and use findings.

8. Evaluate the evaluation.

KASAB

Knowledge

Conceptual understanding of information, theories, principles, and research.

Attitudes

Beliefs about the value of information or strategies.

Skills

The ability or capacity to use strategies and processes to apply knowledge.

Aspirations

Desires, or internal motivation, to engage in a practice.

Behaviors

Consistent application of knowledge and skills driven by attitudes and aspirations.

Tools is your professional learning working 8 steps to find out c

References

Chen, H. (1990). Theory-driven evaluation. Sage Publications.

Killion, J. (2018). Assessing impact: Evaluating professional learning (3rd ed.). Corwin & Learning Forward.

Learning Forward (2022). Standards for Professional Learning. Author.

Patton, M.Q. (2008). Utilization-focused evaluation (4th ed.). Sage.

Yarbrough, D.B., Shula, L.M., Hopson, R.K., & Caruthers, F.A. (2010). The Program Evaluation Standards: A guide for evaluators and evaluation users (3rd ed.). Corwin Press.

Joellen Killion

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Joellen Killion is a senior advisor to Learning Forward and a sought-after speaker and facilitator who is an expert in linking professional learning and student learning. She has extensive experience in planning, design, implementation, and evaluation of high-quality, standards-based professional learning at the school, system, and state/provincial levels. She is the author of many books including Assessing Impact, Coaching Matters, Taking the Lead, and The Feedback Process. Her latest evaluation articles for The Learning Professional are “7 reasons to evaluate professional learning” and “Is your professional learning working? 8 steps to find out.”