Kelly A.

Kretschmer
FBLA EDL 273 - PDSA

Field Based Learning Assignment

PLAN
Define the System:
o What is the problem (opportunity for improvement) and why are you selecting it?
Large disproportionality amongst students regarding behavior referrals
o How is it connected to the mission and goals?
DMPS is striving to be the model for urban education that means reaching all students
and getting them the support and education they need and deserve
It is a partial district focus to reduce disproportionality
o What is currently being done to address the issue?
Beginning cultural conversations around Disproportionality
Assess the Current Situation:
o How big of a problem is it?
The number of African American Males, in particular, in the DMPS district is
overwhelming. See data chart below.
o What data do you have that shows current levels of performance?
See data chart below that shows us the district performance regarding level II referrals
written to African American Males.
o What do the data mean? Any new insights about the data?
The data tells us that the small steps we have been making thus far are in the correct
direction. Making staff more and more aware of the current reality with our students will
better equip them to deal with student behaviors.

Kelly A. Kretschmer
FBLA EDL 273 - PDSA

Chart 1: District wide data of referral disproportionality to African American students

Aug. 22, 2013 to Jan. 17,
Aug. 20, 2014 to Jan. 14, 2015
Difference S1 13-14
2014
to S1 14-15
Level II AA students represented
AA students represent 18.3% of MS
AA student
IV
18.4% of MS enrollment
enrollment
overrepresentation is
Referra AA students represented
AA students represent 42% of the
down by
ls
42.4% of the Level 2+
Level 2+ referrals
0.3%
referrals
AA students are overrepresented by goal = down by 4.0%
AA students were
23.7%
overrepresented by 24.0%
Days of
688
434
-254
OSS
37% decrease
Days of AA students represented
OSS
18.4% of MS enrollment
AA students represented
38.2% of the OSS days
AA students were
overrepresented by 19.8%

AA students represent 18.3% of MS

enrollment
AA students represent 36.6% of the
OSS days
AA students are overrepresented by
18.3%

AA student
overrepresentation is
down by
1.5%
*goal = down by 5.0%

Chart 2: Includes referral data for all Non-white Students at MEREDITH MS

Name
William
Janet
Justin
Karen
Tamara

Level
II
Referr Mal Fema H/ A
als
e
le
L
I
11
5
27
12
2
4
4
3
8
3
2
6
5

A
S

BL/A P
A
I
4
10
2
3
3

% Nonwhite
students
%Non-white in
W referred
school
1
80.00
78.00
100.00
78.00
100.00
78.00
1
80.00
78.00
100.00
78.00

Kelly A. Kretschmer
FBLA EDL 273 - PDSA
6

Azra

83.33

78.00

Chart 3: Includes referral data accounting for African American Students at MEREDITH MS

Name
Williams
Janet
Justin
Karen
Tamara
Azra

Level
II
Referr Mal Fema H/
als
e
le
L
AI
11
5
27
12
2
4
4
3
8
3
2
6
5
6
6
1

A
S

BL/A P
A
I
4
10
2
3
3
3

W
1

1
1

%
Black/Afric
an
American
% Black/African
students
American in
referred
School
80.00
46.30
100.00
46.30
100.00
46.30
80.00
46.30
100.00
46.30
83.33
46.30

*All teacher names have been changed for FBLA Project

DO

Analyze causes
o What might be causing the current results?
Unawareness of staff
Cultural Bias or Paradigms that teachers bring in with them on a daily basis
Student behaviors and cultural expectations
What
o
o
o
o

improvement (change) strategies will you implement?

MTSS (Multi-Tiered Systems of Support) process and strategies to reach all students
Professional Development review of data and conversations around what the data tells us
Professional Development Cultural Conversations around bias and paradigms in our lives
PLC focus around Tier 1 interventions

Kelly A. Kretschmer
FBLA EDL 273 - PDSA

What has caused you to select those strategies?

o Each strategy had a multi-leveled approach, are wide-ranging, and will include all teachers and
subjects.
How will you gather data to see if the improvement is working?
o We will review the snapshot data from individual data from

Example for Chart

Do: Create 45-Day Action Plan What steps do you anticipate needing to take to make
improvements?
Iowa Teaching Standards Alignment: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
Steps
Measure/Indicator
End Date
Person(s)
What steps will your team
What data will be collected?
When will work be
Responsible
take?

How will you know if the step has been

completed?

completed?

Introduce MTSS Tier

1 interventions and
expectations
Professional
Development around
Cultural Conversations
and disproportionality
Each TEAM will set
S.M.A.R.T. Goals
around Cultural
Conversations and
MTSS

Whole building PLC

Grouping activities to familiarize
staff with the process
Staff participates in conversations
and activities to discover individual
paradigms and process for student
intervention
There will be an interim check-in
date to track progress towards the
teams S.M.A.R.T. goal

First week of
school, opening
meetings
Ongoing

Leadership
Team
Members
All Staff

Ongoing

Team
leaders

Kelly A. Kretschmer
FBLA EDL 273 - PDSA
STUDY
What process will you use to determine if your improvement theory will work?
Example for Chart
Study: Analysis of data after implementing an approach
Iowa Teaching Standards Alignment: 1, 3, 5, 8
What data gives evidence to progress of plan effectiveness?
You cannot do this section because you wont have any
real data regarding results. Instead, include what
questions you think might be pertinent to ask.

What data gives evidence to lack of progress of plan

effectiveness?
You cannot do this section because you wont have any
real data regarding results. Instead, include what
questions you think might be pertinent to ask.

ACT
How might you standardize this new process?
How might you sustain the improvements?
Example for Chart
Act: Revise or continue with implementation based on data analysis (45 day action plan #2)
Iowa Teaching Standards Alignment: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
Steps
Measure/Indicator
End Date
Person(s)
What steps might your
What data will be collected?
When will work be
Responsible
team take?

How will you know if the step has

been completed?

completed?

Kelly A. Kretschmer
FBLA EDL 273 - PDSA

Narrative
Des Moines Public Schools has a vested interest in becoming the model for Urban Education in our country. The teachers in
this district serve a uniquely diverse population of students. The population has a high level of Immigrant, African American,
Hispanic, and White students. Each unique student comes to school with a varied background that might include living in poverty,
coming from a refugee camp, or a traditional 2 parent home. The population is incredibly transient among the 40 elementary schools,
10 middle schools, and 5 high schools.
As the population changes so must the teachers to accommodate teaching a wide population. One of the many goals of Des
Moines Public Schools is to prepare students to be productive members of society. As such, we must teach them to do more than read
and write. We must develop young people that are caring, concerned citizens of the community. The students we see learn the world
around them by exploring and testing boundaries. We put rules in place to teach students for many reasons including safety. When
those basic rules are not followed, we must follow a set of expectations dealing with student behavior.
What we have noticed is a trend that follows the African American students we see, particularly the male students, and the
number of Level II referrals they receive in comparison to students of other races. Behaviors that would warrant a Level II referral
would include major physical contact, major disruption, forgery, etc. The P.D.S.A. (Plan Do Study Act) that I have proposed
deals with the disproportionality issues amongst the students at Meredith Middle School and, on a larger scale, the DMPS District. The

Kelly A. Kretschmer
FBLA EDL 273 - PDSA
district is currently putting a focus on cultural competency amongst the staff along with MTSS (Multi-Tiered Systems of Support), and
the Marzano Instructional Framework. I will detail each step of the P.D.S.A. to explain the process it could put into motion.
The previous paragraphs detailed the current reality of students that we see at Meredith Middle School. The disproportionality
in our building is a real snapshot of what is happening in the district. Ive included the chart below because it breaks down the number
of referrals and culture of the student by teacher. It also lays out the disproportionality of their individual numbers.

Name
Williams
Janet
Justin
Karen
Tamara
Azra

Level II
Referral
Femal
s
Male e
H/L AI
11
5
27
12
2
4
4
3
8
3
2
6
5
6
6
1

A
S

P
BL/AA I
4
10
2
3
3
3

W
1

1
1

%
Black/African
American
% Black/African
students
American in
referred
School
80.00
46.30
100.00
46.30
100.00
46.30
80.00
46.30
100.00
46.30
83.33
46.30

As you can see by the above chart, the number of African American Males is disproportionately higher than other students. The
data tells us that almost all Level II referrals written were to African American Males. To assess the current situation, we have to find a
starting point. To begin to attempt to understand this data, we must understand our own cultural bias. We will explore that through

Kelly A. Kretschmer
FBLA EDL 273 - PDSA
specific, planned professional development around cultural competency. These conversations will include topics around White
Privilege, articles surrounding races, and lessons on poverty, among many other things. The current data tells us that the small steps
we have been making thus far are in the correct direction. Making staff more and more aware of the current reality with our students
will better equip them to deal with student behaviors.
The DO step of the process will come in the form of multiple steps. The first will be to present the MTSS (Multi-Tiered
System of Support) to the entire staff. The staff will implement the Tier One supports at the beginning of the school year. Students will
then be placed into Tier groupings based on ability and need. The students in need of Tier Two support will get the immediate attention
they need. Followed by the MTSS structure being put into place, each team of teachers (8th grade, 7th grade, 6th grade, ELL, Applied
Core) will write S.M.A.R.T. goals around the MTSS and Instructional Framework goals laid out in our School Improvement Plan
(S.I.P.). We will continue to hold professional development sessions around cultural proficiencies. There will also be a focus on PLC
time towards meeting the above mentioned goals.
Each of those strategies was carefully chosen for their multi-faceted approach. They are wide-ranging, varying, and will
include all teachers and subjects. There will be a plethora of opportunities for teachers to learn new ways of implementing whats right
for students.
The STUDY that will take place after that will be the leadership team and administrative team working together to flush out
the successes of the mentioned steps. After that the ACT step will take place to move the process forward.

Kelly A. Kretschmer
FBLA EDL 273 - PDSA
The goal of this P.D.S.A. is to increase awareness and capacity for teachers as they teach every day in their rooms. All teachers
care for whats best for students and the implementation of the above strategies will create happier, more successful classrooms.