Strategic Communication in Denver July 2015
41 - 45
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Strategic Performance Management
IN ACTION
Strategic Performance Management (SPM) and the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)
The word “performance” is prominent in ESSA: student performance, school performance, teacher performance, educator performance. The Act assumes that the state educational agency (SEA) performs at a high level of productivity in managing the Act’s programs, regulations, and flow of funds. The BSCP Center’s Strategic Performance Management technical assistance project helps the SEA elevate its performance, not only to manage ESSA and other federal programs, but also to set its own direction and operate in accordance with the will of its state’s people and their representatives.
The Strategic Performance Management TA Project
The BSCP Center’s SPM project includes three levels of assistance to SEAs:
Individualized Assistance for SEAs
SEA-wide SPM. Based on its published consultation manual, Strategic Performance Management: Organizing People and their Work in the SEA of the Future (Redding & Layland, 2015), BSCP Center consultants work with the assistance of the appropriate regional comprehensive center, to guide the Chief State School Officer and SEA leadership team through a process to:
(1) establish the strategic direction for the state;
(2) organize the agency to carry out the direction; and
(3) implement an agency-wide performance management system. “Strategic Performance Management (SPM) weds strategic planning with performance management in a living system that provides direction for people’s work while allowing for innovation and adjustment in course to produce better results more efficiently. SPM includes elements of strategic planning and connects them to performance measures, productivity considerations, and ongoing processes for gauging progress, improving practice, and exceeding expectations” (p. 4).
Program-specific SPM. In addition to the SEA-wide strategic performance management TA and support described above, the BSCP Center will assist an SEA in establishing a performance management system for a particular department or program within the SEA. The BSCP Center has provided this service for the Maryland SEA in the area of special education. The BSCP Center, in partnership with the Center on School Turnaround, plans an expanded version of program-specific performance management related to school improvement and turnaround for Year 5.
Working Groups and Collaborative Projects
The BSCP Center’s Guiding Coalition for Performance Management consists of 10 SEA performance leaders and six regional comprehensive center personnel. The Guiding Coalition meets virtually each month to learn more about performance management, from each other and from guests from the business and education sectors. The Guiding Coalition, in 2016, will expand to include a larger membership in a self-sustaining professional association.
The BSCP Center’s Performance Management Institute, first held in late 2015 as a two-day training for regional center personnel, will expand in 2016-17 to include SEA performance management personnel. The Institute will incorporate an organizational meeting of the Guiding Coalition and will offer an extended session for centers and SEAS interested in the SPM TA process.
Resources and Tools for SEAs
The BSCP Center:
- Publishes reports and practice guides on performance management (http://www.bscpcenter.org/interviews/; http://www.bscpcenter.org/solutions/)
- Provides a variety of online tools for SEAs (http://www.bscpcenter.org/pmt/ )
- Curates a database of vetted resources on performance management and other topics (http://www.bscpcenter.org/search/search.aspx)
The BSCP Center is funded by a cooperative agreement (#S283B120042) between the U.S. Department of Education and Edvance Research, Inc.
The findings and opinions expressed herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the policies of the U.S. Department of Education.
Copyright 2017 Edvance Research, Inc.
