Project Playbook Module 4: Learning & Sustaining

Measures and PDSA: Learning While Doing

Owner: Director of Program Impact & Visibility (DPIV) – with input from other project stakeholders Audience: All current and potential participants in the WNC Resilience Project.

Module Purpose

This module equips Strand Teams to define a System of Measures and implement Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycles to learn, iterate, and scale effective Change Ideas. It integrates:

• Improvement Science guidance from Learning to Improve by Bryk et al.

• Practical routines to promote data-informed action and adaptation

Note that this module builds on the AIM and Driver Diagram your team developed in Modules 2 and 3. Now it’s time to define how you’ll know whether the changes you’re making are leading to meaningful progress. That will be the point where you launch your first small-scale tests using the PDSA cycle. The goal is not perfection, but learning.

Step 1: Build a Simple System of Measures

A good measurement system answers the three core questions:

1. Are we doing what we said we would do? (Process Measures)

2. Are we doing it well? (Driver Measures)

3. Is it producing the impact we want? (Outcome Measures)

Categories of Measures*:

• Outcome Measures: Tell you if you’re achieving your Aim (e.g. student engagement, credentialing rates)

• Driver Measures: Tell you how well Primary Drivers are functioning (e.g. student feedback on advisory relevance)

• Process Measures: Track fidelity to Change Ideas (e.g. % of students presenting at community night)

• Balancing Measures: Ensure there are no negative consequences (e.g. staff burnout or schedule conflicts)

*Refer to Attachment 3 of this document for a detailed description of each measurement type.

Suggested Format:

Measure Type	Description	Tool/Source	Frequency	Who Collects
Outcome	% of students reporting learning relevance	Student survey	Fall/Spring	Counselor/Coach
Process	# of classes using reflection protocol weekly	Teacher log	Weekly	PLC Lead

Pro Tip: Begin with just 3–5 measures. Less is more if they are meaningful.

Looking for examples of metrics that align with your strand? The companion resource, “WNC Resilience Project Example Metrics” offers a wide range of sample measures, artifacts, and data types organized by strand. It can help your team identify relevant indicators to include in your outcome, driver, and process measures, or spark ideas for what to document during early PDSA cycles.

Note: Use the above resource as inspiration and not as a checklist. Choose what fits your local priorities, context, and capacity.

Step 2: Understand PDSA Cycles

What is a PDSA?

A short-cycle, structured test of change that helps teams learn by doing.

Phase	Key Questions
Plan	What is our change idea? What do we predict will happen? What will we measure?
Do	Try it on a small scale. Document what happened.
Study	What did we learn? How did actual outcomes compare to predictions?
Act	What will we do next? Adapt, adopt, or abandon?

Principles:

• Start small (1 teacher, 1 class, 1 week)

• Track specific data

• Reflect and adjust quickly

Example:

Plan: We will test a 10-minute Friday reflection protocol in 2 classrooms. We predict students will show increased awareness of their learning goals. Do: Protocol implemented. Teachers collect 3 artifacts each. Study: 80% of students expressed meaningful insights. Act: Refine prompts and scale to all 8th-grade classes next cycle.

Step 3: Plan Your First Test

Choose one of your prioritized Change Ideas from your Driver Diagram. Ideally this is one that is low effort, high value. You are now ready to plan a short, measurable test.

Use a PDSA Planning Template (provided in your team toolkit or digital workspace). Include:

• Change Idea

• Specific prediction

• Start/end date

• Measures you’ll track

• Who is responsible

Pro Tip: This process should emphasize learning, not perfection. Every PDSA should raise new questions and insights.

Step 4: Create a PDSA Ramp (Optional)

A PDSA Ramp is a series of cycles that grow in scope and complexity.

• Cycle 1: 1 classroom → small tweaks

• Cycle 2: Grade level → revised strategy

• Cycle 3: Whole school → embedded in systems

This helps you test and scale changes thoughtfully.

Ramp Planning Prompt:

What would it look like to take this Change Idea from one classroom to your entire district by Spring 2027?

Optional Monthly Action Planner:

Some Strand Teams may benefit from tracking their progress using a rolling monthly plan. This can be used during team check-ins or shared with district leads. The following is an example format teams can use:

Next Step	Lead	Support	Resources Needed	Target Date	Status
Finalize Aim Statement	Facilitator Lead	All Team Members	Module 2 notes	Sept 10, 2025	✅ Completed
Launch first PDSA cycle	Teacher Leader	Coach	PDSA Template	Oct 3, 2025	🔄 In Progress
Collect baseline student survey	Data Coordinator	School Admin	Survey tool, parent letter	Oct 15, 2025	⏳ Not Started

Update monthly and review during team meetings to stay aligned and accountable.

Tracking Learning

As teams complete each PDSA cycle, they should reflect on their Change Idea using the Learning Review prompts embedded in the Prototype & Change Idea Ownership & Tracking Tool. This ensures consistent tracking of results and supports cross-team learning.

If the idea shows signs of strong impact, student engagement, or scalability, teams should refer to the Bright Spot criteria (Appendix 1 of the above tool) and complete the Bright Spot documentation add-on.

Final Note

You now have all four parts of the WNC Innovation Blueprint:

1. A clear problem defined through equity and empathy

2. A shared Focus and Aim

3. A Driver Diagram with prioritized Change Ideas

4. A learning system to track progress and adapt along the way

Continuous improvement isn’t just a method—it’s a mindset. Let students’ voices and real-world outcomes guide your learning every step of the way.