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Continuous Improvement Performance Management System |
Many of us have been implementing components of CIPMS, perhaps without realizing that the activities we were undertaking were part of a system. For example, we have been tracking learner contact hours and progress through the IMS. We have possibly been doing some form of program evaluation. We conduct learner exit surveys and make changes to our programs based on the results. Now it’s time to be more purposeful about incorporating program policies and procedures into a deliberate and unified CIPMS.
One of the first steps is to plan ahead. When we think of evaluation, we often focus on what we have already accomplished. Within a CIPMS, it is important to look forward and plan the outcomes you would like to achieve. It is difficult to measure outcomes looking backwards, because you have to know what your target outcomes were before you can evaluate if and how you met them! So start at the beginning: set manageable targets for some outcomes related to learner achievement, and then plan how to meet those targets. Implement whatever procedures you think will help you achieve those targets and work towards them over a set period of time (typically a year). Do not wait until the year has passed, however, to evaluate progress. Review your procedures and your progress towards outcome targets at regular intervals (perhaps monthly or bi-monthly) so that you can make adjustments when and as necessary. At the end of the year, you can make a final review to determine the degree to which you met your original targets. Then set new targets for the coming year! This process of setting targets, planning to meet them, monitoring progress and evaluating results is what makes CIPMS an integrated activity in an organization.
As part of The ABCs of CIPMS project, CLO spoke to numerous literacy practitioners from across the province who have made significant efforts to implement some or all of the CIPMS components in their agencies. These people were kind enough to share their experiences, successes and challenges with us and with the literacy field across Ontario.
Throughout this section, we will be incorporating some sample tools and resources, many of them shared by these practitioners. You are free to use or adapt these tools as you see fit.