Comprehensive Needs Assessment (CNA)
Important information for 2017/2018
While there has been a de-emphasis from the MDE on requirements for submitting diagnostics in ASSIST, it is important to note that completing a CNA has always been, and still remains, an annual requirement. Michigan's plan to implement the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), highlights that every school will conduct a CNA.
The Parent Dashboard is the easiest and most transparent tool to look at the components of school accountability. The measures are reported in an intuitive manner and include comparisons to the state and similar schools.
A brief Guide to State Assessment (PDF) using the Parent Dashboard and the RNN Data Tools are available as well as an eight minute video tutorial found on Accountability page, "Parent Dashboard 2018." Additional resources and video tutorials on the complexity of the School Index are also found on same Accountability page.
The Parent Dashboard is the easiest and most transparent tool to look at the components of school accountability. The measures are reported in an intuitive manner and include comparisons to the state and similar schools.
A brief Guide to State Assessment (PDF) using the Parent Dashboard and the RNN Data Tools are available as well as an eight minute video tutorial found on Accountability page, "Parent Dashboard 2018." Additional resources and video tutorials on the complexity of the School Index are also found on same Accountability page.
What is a Comprehensive Needs Assessment?
The MDE expects that "Every school will conduct a Comprehensive Needs Assessment to study their resources and data, to find their school’s needs and gaps, and develop a School Improvement Plan, based on the results of that process."
Completing a CNA answers two very important questions:
"Is what we're doing working?" and "How do we know?"
When completing a CNA, schools collect and analyze four types of data:
Completing a CNA answers two very important questions:
"Is what we're doing working?" and "How do we know?"
When completing a CNA, schools collect and analyze four types of data:
- Demographic Data
- Achievement/Outcome Data
- Process Data
- Perception Data
How do I best complete a CNA for my school/district?
Completing, using, and reporting on a CNA is a year-long process that should be embedded into the School and District Improvement Processes. The Month-to-Month Checklist contains activities for SI Teams to complete each month. If the checklist is utilzed, a CNA will be completed in time to inform the School and District Improvement Plans prior to required submission. The CNA Calendar and Sources is aligned to the Checklist and links to resources to collect and document data.
Choice of Processes
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Recommended - The CNA Calendar and Sources and CNA Guidance Document leads teams through collecting, analyzing, and summarizing the four types of data. Completing this process will fulfill your requirements for completing a CNA for all school improvement and state and federal program processes. Schools can simply summarize the data on the Guidance document or in ASSIST.
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OR The SDA Diagnostic is still available in ASSIST and can be updated by teams through analyzing the four types of data. NOTE: 2017/18 is the final year of ASSIST.
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Team Processes
The basic steps for completing the CNA are listed on a separate page to provide a better overview of the process. This may be used in conjunction with MAS/FPS CNA collection documents and the MAS/FPS CNA Checklist. MDE also created a comprehensive rubric for the CNA process. You may also choose to click the Digging Deeper tab for suggested practices when analyzing M-STEP data.
Schools should consider utilizing a process to analyze the data such as the Data-Driven Dialogue Protocol adopted from Bruce Wellman and Laura Lipton's Data-Driven Dialogue: A Facilitator’s Guide. This may guide subject area dialogue to discover strengths, challenges, trends and how a school might respond with adjustments in their School Improvement Plan.
