Resources
PMI Resource Library
Examples of Practical Measures
This resource includes several examples of practical measures that have been used to support a range of improvement efforts. We present these examples to highlight both the technical aspects of developing and implementing a practical measure as well as key social processes. Each example demonstrates some of the characteristics of practical measures; however, none of them are “perfect.” The intention of sharing these examples is to illustrate the diversity of practical measures and their use in different contexts.
PRACTICAL MEASURE EX -1
Inclusive Classrooms Survey
BLOG
One feature of practical measurement that makes it distinct from measures that are used for other purposes is that it is “up close and personal” – measures are tied to the actual processes that are…
TECHNICAL PAPER
In partnership with Panorama Education and the Rennie Center for Education Research & Policy, Teaching Matters has developed the Inclusive Classrooms Survey to monitor shifts in a primary driver…
PRACTICAL MEASURE EX -2
Financial Aid Application Completion
BLOG
Practical measures aren’t necessarily about collecting more data or designing something totally new. Most school systems have more data than they know what to do with. Instead, what if we took…
TECHNICAL PAPER
The Financial Aid Application Completion Measure is used as a driver measure to monitor shifts in financial access, which is one of the three drivers included in the CARPE College Access Network’s…
PRACTICAL MEASURE EX -3
Student Independent Writing Time
BLOG
The Student Independent Writing Time measure is relatively simple and straightforward. It does what the name suggests — tracks the number of minutes students spend in independent writing…
TECHNICAL PAPER
The Student Independent Writing Time measure — and other measures such as the Writing Conference Tracker — is a part of a system of measures developed to test a theory of improvement…
PRACTICAL MEASURE EX -4
Student Engagement Exit Ticket
BLOG
For a measure to be considered practical, it must be minimally burdensome to users and attend to the social processes of use that help activate a strong culture of improvement. While technical…
TECHNICAL PAPER
Although the Student Engagement Exit Ticket measure was not tied to any formal theory of improvement, it was in alignment with teachers’ hypotheses of how changes they made would lead to…
PRACTICAL MEASURE EX -5
SIMPL OR
BLOG
A key characteristic of practical measures is that they should be minimally burdensome and relatively easy and quick to use. However, whether a measure is seen as “practical” depends…
TECHNICAL PAPER
The SIMPL OR app is used to support multiple improvement efforts with a common aim to increase practice-readiness among surgery trainees. When it is used as a measure for the aim of “every…
PRACTICAL MEASURE EX -6
Participation Measure
BLOG
In order to be “practical,” a practical measure for improvement must take into account the specific context in which it is being used – the time, the place, and the situation. It must be relevant and provide…
TECHNICAL PAPER
Following the increase in educational exclusion during the pandemic, the Un Buen Comienzo (UBC) Improvement Network shifted its focus from attendance to participation and developed…
Practical Measurement Research Briefs
Like continuous improvement, the development and use of practical measurement is a journey. It is rarely linear and often comes with opportunities and challenges. Check out these stories of improvers designing, iterating, and leveraging practical measures to create change in the system. Get ready to be inspired by their experience and lessons learned.
RESEARCH BRIEF
Developing Exit Tickets in an Improvement Network
Ms. Johnson, an English teacher at an urban middle school, was concerned that her students were not doing as well in her class as they could be. Her district had recently…
RESEARCH BRIEF
Case Study of ORF as Practical Measure Brief
In this post we describe the identification and use of Oral Reading Fluency (ORF), a common and widely used Curriculum Based Measurement (CBM) measure, as a…
Additional Resources
ARTICLES
Evidence for Improvement: An Integrated Analytic Approach for Supporting Networks in Education
Measurement for Improvement in Education
Branching Out – Use Measurement Trees to Determine Whether your Improvement Efforts are Paying Off
Practical Measurement for Continuous Improvement in the Classroom: A Toolkit for Educators