The CSIP provides the framework, the PGP outlines the plan for growth, and frequent check-ins operate as checks around one comprehensive growth cycle. Underneath it all, KickUp connects and aligns the pieces so that the team can collect data—and then immediately put it into use to drive improvement.
“We want to say okay, this is where you are now and this is where you need to be at the end of the year, now go — but people don’t work like that,” says Neal. “Breaking the growth process into chunks and making adjustments along the way keeps teachers focused on the achievable steps right ahead. And at the end of it all, they’ve often gotten a lot farther than they thought was possible.”
Sometimes district leaders are (rightfully) concerned with “muddying the waters” of professional learning and formal evaluation—but for Camdenton, it’s actually strengthened the culture of educator trust.
With their KickUp data, administrators can make PD programming decisions based on educators’ interests, feedback, and demonstrated success. All data is shared with the staff for transparency on why the year’s programming looks the way it does, creating a sense of trust and openness between teachers and administration.
“Using this data and KickUp-driven process, we’ve built a culture of trust in evaluation — not finger-wagging but formative,” says Neal.
The Results
- 5% increase in teachers meeting or exceeding their target achievement goals
- 10% improvement in “Excellent” ratings of district-provided PD by teachers
- Over 20% increase in “Using student data to inform instruction” domain and a 10% boost in student engagement in organizational and teacher growth surveys