Encore

A PDSA cycle aimed at improving the function of

Encore within schools
What is Encore?
● Encore is an integral part of the Multi-
Tiered Support System as defined by the
Iowa Department of Education
● Encore allows for teachers to deliver Tier II
Instruction during the school day to
students who need help with skills
● Encore allows for students to self-select
small group seminars to attend which will
help their own learning.
What is the aim of Encore?
Aim of the system: To reach all students
by . . .

● Offering opportunities during regular

school hours for reteaching skills
● Extending learning for advanced
learners
● Pre-teaching necessary skills,
vocabulary, and concepts
● Extending beyond academics,
offering Tier II instruction for behavior
and socio-emotional health
What problem does Encore solve?
Most teachers do not have time to include Tier II instruction during
regular class time.

20-30 students per class, 44 minute classes. Students who are behind
keep falling further and further behind. Students who are advanced
get bored.

Encore allows time for teachers to offer Tier II instruction during the
school day. Teachers and students have voice and choice.
Who and what is involved in the Encore
process?
PLC Counselors

Individual Teachers Administrators

Students Encore Committee

Responsive Scheduler
How does it work?
● Mon - Thursday: Teachers define student need and create Encore
Seminars in Responsive Scheduler. Teachers assign students as needed
to their Encore Seminar.
● Friday: Students have the opportunity to select their own Encore
Seminar (if not already pulled by a teacher) on Friday. Students attend
that same Encore Seminar on Tuesday and Thursday of the following
week.

The cycle continues.

Encore Example
Adding students to other Encore Seminars
Current Reality - Staff & Students
● About 95% of students are signing up for/being selected for Encore
Seminars. The other 5% are placed in random Encore seminars. (Based
on Responsive Scheduler data)

Survey Results (September 2018)

● 25% of staff agree that Encore has helped students academically
● 6% of staff agree that Encore has helped students behaviorally
● 25% of staff agree that all Staff members are engaged in Encore
● 30% of staff agree that Encore offers Tier II Instruction
● 35% of staff agree that Encore provides extension activities for
advanced students
For Monday, October 29th
Current Reality - Encore Seminars
On Monday, October 22nd the Encore Seminars included the following:
Opportunities for Improvement
Goal - Improve Seminar Offerings:

● Reducing the number of “help labs” and “test retakes” to about 30%
● Increasing the number of skill reteaching sessions to about 30%
● Increasing the number of extension activities to about 30%
Root Cause Identification
3. Why? They are having difficulty
working within time constraints to create
Teachers are not putting forth the effort lessons, analyze data, and pull students
in creating skills / extension activities for
Encore.

4. Why? They are taking too much time

to go through the process and not using
1. Why? They feel that Encore is not time effectively.
working and is not worth their time.

5. Why? They do not have any models of

1. Why? They feel that they are not how to analyze data, plan for Encore
able to give the students what they instruction, and pull students based on
really need. results
Archetype Growth & Underinvestment
Fighting Against the Laws
1) The harder you push, the harder the system pushes back
○ Some teachers “creating more work”
○ Not using data that already exists
○ Creating new curriculum
2) The Easy Way Out Leads Back In
○ Teachers creating “help” labs or “missing work” labs
○ Students don’t sign up
○ Students who do sign up do not do the work
○ Students still don’t know the skills (no reteaching occured)
3) You can have your cake and eat it too - But not at the same time
○ Short term thinking - “This is hard now”
○ Not realizing that Encore Seminars can be repeated
○ It will get easier with time!
○ Cause/Effect & time are not closely related!
Systems Thinking Disabilities
1) I am my Position!
○ Why should I have to reteach “lazy” kids?
○ I teach my content, nothing else.
○ I teach only MY students. Not from other teams.

1) The illusion of taking charge

○ Some teachers doing “too much” work
○ Not relying on PLCs
○ Burning out
Basics of the Plan
Teachers are very concerned with time.

● Two PLC periods per week

● One duty-free planning period per day

Systems Approach: Small changes often have the largest impact.

● “More time” might seem the obvious approach - Not possible.

● Root Cause points to the lack of models
Plan
Step 1) Create Models

● Work with instructional coach to record PLCs

● Show the process of analyzing student data
● Give examples of possible Encore Seminars to create

Step 2) Staff studies the models

● During PD
● Fishbowl protocol
Plan Continued
● Step 3) Instructional Coach / Other Teachers visit PLCs
○ Observe their data protocol
○ Guide them through the process
○ Help to brainstorm simple fixes and approaches

● Step 4) Encore Survey

○ After a period of implementation
○ Resend Encore Survey
○ Examine results
○ Review types of offerings
How will we know when we are successful?
1) Encore Survey - Improvement in staff opinion of Encore
2) Encore Data
a) 30% Skill Reteaching
b) 30% Extension Activities
c) 30% Help Labs
d) 10% Other

In the future:

-Begin looking at student data

-How many students are moving to proficiency during

Encore?