Formulate a Problem Statement

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Formulate a Problem Statement
Conducting a Comprehensive Needs Assessment
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Session Question

• How do school/district leaders come to consensus
  about a critical problemrelated to curriculum,
  instruction, assessment, standards, or
  resourcesthat needs to be addressed?

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Identifying Key Issues

• Review the evidence of support and challenges
  recorded on chart paper.
• From these, identify three key issues affecting
  alignment that need to be addressed.

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Identifying Key Issues

• Recorder will write each issue on a sentence
  strip to post on the wall.
• Complete sentence
• Legible
• Large enough
• Example of an issue We do not have a reliable
  and consistent way to identify specific
  instructional needs for every learner.

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Formulating a Problem Statement

• Reflect on the key issues and formulate a problem
  statement that incorporates the most important
  ideas in the issues.
• Guidelines
• 1 or 2 complete sentences
• Legible
• Large enough

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Example of a Problem Statement

• Teachers do not collaborate on lesson plans or
  use research-based practices, and literacy
  instruction is not aligned to standards.

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Reminders for Formulating a Problem Statement

• Sometimes it is a quick and easy process other
  times it is slower and more difficult.
• The conversation to identify a critical problem
  is important in focusing the improvement work and
  building team commitment.
• Encourage robust discussion, but do not get
  bogged down in wordsmithing.

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