The Five Step Improvement Process
The STEM Equity Pipeline Project uses a generic five-step improvement process that
is based on practical yet rigorous methods and tools to guide state and local improvement
efforts.
Step 1: Document Performance Results
The first step in the process is to describe state and school/college performance
on the core indicators by comparing performance levels between schools/colleges,
student populations, and programs over time. This step uses summary statistics and
basic graphs and charts to document performance and identify improvement priorities.
(Corresponding Webinar)
Step 2: Identify Root Causes
The second step is to analyze performance data and use additional information and
methods to determine the most important and most direct causes of performance gaps
that can be addressed by improvement strategies and specific solutions. This step
encourages states to use multiple methods to identify and evaluate potential causes
and select a few critical root causes as the focus of improvement efforts.
(Corresponding Webinar)
Step 3: Select Best Solutions
The third step is to identify and evaluate potential solutions to performance problems,
including both improvement strategies and program models, by reviewing and evaluating
the underlying logic of these solutions and the empirical evidence of their effectiveness
in achieving performance results.
(Corresponding Webinar)
Step 4: Pilot Test and Evaluate Solutions
The fourth step is to conduct pilot testing and evaluation of solutions. This step
presents practical yet rigorous methods and tools for evaluating solutions before
full implementation at the state or institutional levels.
(Corresponding Webinar)
Step 5: Implement Solutions
The fifth step is to implement fully tested solutions based on plans that evaluate
the success of the solution in reaching the expected performance results. This step
also addresses how to use evaluation results to plan the next steps in state and
local improvement efforts.
(Corresponding Webinar)
Five-Step
Program Improvement Process Training Resources