Taylor

Caitlin Taylor

Teaching For Transformation II: Secondary Content

11 March 2018

Needs Assessment Plan

Reflect on the information and tools presented in the Resources for Weeks 2–
4, and consider which strategies and tools you may use to conduct a needs
assessment for your targeted group or community.

• Part 1: Existing Data Component: Identify one or more sources of existing
data (school records, parent surveys, policies, etc.) that you will review to gain
baseline information about particular students, their families, or the
community. Explain how the information in these documents may help

The school district I work for is one of the largest school districts in Ohio, therefore
there are many sources of information on our school, students, and communities. I
will use the Ohio Report Card for Woodward Career Technical High School to gain
insight on the percentage of students in each racial group, students who live in
poverty, students who are English Language Learners, and students with
disabilities. In addition, I will research the trends of test scores, graduation rates,
and students who participate in the ACT each year (Need Assessments, n.d.). After
obtaining this baseline information about students who attend our school, I will
collect information about the students with disabilities in my 8th grade social studies
classes as well as their parents. I will conduct a records review using PowerSchool
to obtain student information regarding students’ disabilities and how many years
they have been receiving services. I will conduct student surveys like the
“Intersection” community needs survey (2013), however, focused on education and
the availability of resources to students with disabilities and their families in our
school and community. I will also conduct a class group interview with my students
about their perceptions of growing up in Cincinnati, their perceptions of being a
student with a disability, and how school supports them (What Kids Can Do, Inc.,
n.d.).

These documents will help in the first step of the Cycle of Youth Engagement
(Fletcher, 2006), which is listening to students. By conducting interviews, surveys,
and listening to the opinions and concerns of students and families (Fletcher, 2006)
I can begin to think about how I can support students and families in the advocacy
they need. One-on-one conversations and surveys are the avenues I am choosing to
use because after listening to student and family experiences, I can validate their
concerns and move onto supporting any actions they want to take.

• Part 2: New Data Component: Describe two or more strategies/tools
introduced in this module—or other strategies or tools you may find or wish
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to create—that you will use to gather new data that will help inform your
needs assessment.

I would like to create a tool similar to the “McKinney-Vento Homeless Education
Sample Needs Survey” (Oklahoma State Department of Education, 1998) but
through the lens of success factors for students with disabilities that may or may not
be implemented at Woodward Career Technical High School. This tool would also be
a tool to use to start conversations about systems at Woodward that need to be
altered to serve students best and prepare students for success after high school. I
would also like to create a focus group of students with disabilities and their same-
age peers to discuss if and how they feel prepared for success in high school after
completing middle school (University of Kansas, Work Group for Community Health
and Development, 2010). The needs survey will help determine which school-
related student service is prioritized in need by teachers and students, and create a
potential starting point for activism (Oklahoma State Department of Education,
1998). The focus group is and additional way to offer listening space for students
and families, while also creating qualitative data to inform supporting students in
future activism (University of Kansas, Work Group for Community Health and
Development, 2010).

• Part 3: Relational Data Component: Describe one or more “relational”
strategies you will include in your plan (1-on-1 meetings, a focus group,
interviews, mini-town meeting) to learn directly from students, families,
and/or community members what they believe

Our school does not currently promote open conversations with parents and
families. I would like to create a “Transition Town Hall” with parents and guardians
of our 8th grade students who will be moving into high school. In this meeting, I
would like to design for parents to come forward with their concerns and discuss
options and questions they have with other families in the same network. This town
hall will offer opportunities to listen to parents and guardians about their concerns,
excitement, and questions as they students transition into a new part of their
education (Fox, Bedford, Connelly, 2013)

• Part 4: Student Involvement Component: Explain how you will engage
students in the needs assessment process. Describe roles they will play in
collecting data and in sharing their thoughts

Students will participate in the data collection process by completing and giving
feedback on surveys, participating in classroom discussions, participating in focus
groups, and helping design need assessment tools. Parents and guardians will
participate in the process by voicing their opinions on surveys and participating in
town hall meetings.



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References

Fletcher, A. & Vavrus, J. (2006). The guide to social change led by and with

young people. CommonAction. Retrieved from

https://adamfletcher.net/wp-

content/uploads/2015/06/SocialChangeGuide.pdf

Fox, K., Bedford, M., & Connelly, B. (2013). Student voice and resilience in

learning. ASCD Express, 8 (25). Retrieved

from http://www.ascd.org/ascd-express/vol8/825-fox.aspx

The Intersection. (2013). Community needs survey: East Baltimore.

Sample Needs Assessment Survey. Retrieved

from http://olms.cte.jhu.edu/olms2/data/ck/sites/2284/files/Sam

ple%20Needs%20Assessment%20Survey.pdf

Needs assessments. (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://www.nd.gov/dpi/uploads/1226/NeedsAssessmentSample.

pdf

Oklahoma State Department of Education. (1998). McKinney-Vento

homeless education: Sample needs assessment. Retrieved December

23, 2013, from http://ok.gov/sde/sites/ok.gov.sde/files/Homeless-

NeedsAssess.pdf




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University of Kansas, Work Group for Community Health and

Development. (2010). Assessing community needs and resources,

section 6: Conducting focus groups. In Community tool box.

Retrieved from http://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-

contents/assessment/assessing-community-needs-and-

resources/conduct-focus-groups/main

What Kids Can Do, Inc. (n.d.). How to conduct a strong interview. Retrieved from

http://www.whatkidscando.org/featurestories/2007/maine_students/tip_s

heets/INTERVIEWING TIP SHEET.pdf