Using the AEM Pilot's Console
The AEM Pilot is a process facilitator that guides collaborative decision making. The console records and saves your crew’s input and analysis as you conduct self-assessment and progress monitoring activities. The output is a summary report that captures your crew's progress at a point in time. The Console is designed to support phases of continuous improvement over as much time as your crew needs.
Your Crew’s First Cycle of Self-Assessment
Conducting a self-assessment for a Quality Indicator is called a “cycle.” The AEM Pilot saves data and provides output that your crew uses to make progress between cycles. In this way, the tool serves a dual purpose for both self-assessment and progress monitoring.
You might be wondering, “In what order should my crew self-assess the Quality Indicators in Cycle 1?” Although your crew can choose your own order, it’s recommended that a full self-assessment for all seven Quality Indicators be conducted in sequence before deciding which Quality Indicator(s) to prioritize. Starting with a sequential approach will help your crew see how the indicators fit together. Once an initial self-assessment is completed for each Quality Indicator, your crew can decide on a progression for continuous improvement.
The time between cycles of self-assessment will also need to be determined. Will it be quarterly? Every six months? Annually? Will some Quality Indicators be on a shorter cycle than others? However you implement the AEM Pilot, the phases of improvement will be guided by the data your crew collects from cycles of self-assessment and continuous progress monitoring.
The output of a self-assessment cycle for a Quality Indicator will include the following information in a report:
- Your crew’s rating for the Quality Indicator
- Rationale used to select that rating
- Goal for the next cycle
- Action items with a timeline
The AEM Pilot generates a separate self-assessment report for each Quality Indicator. By selecting an “Export Self-Assessments” button on the Console, reports from all cycles of self-assessment for a Quality Indicator can be downloaded in a CSV file.
Your next question might be, “How long will it take our crew to complete our first full set of cycles for all seven Quality Indicators?” The answer is, “It depends.” Your state’s or district’s existing status of accessibility, the knowledge and experience of the crew, and the efficiency with which the crew works together are a few variables to consider. If the AEM Pilot is your state's or district’s first experience considering accessibility, really delve into the self- and group studies to build your background knowledge. The more prepared your crew is, the more efficiently you’ll move through the self-assessment activities.
Components of a Cycle of Self-Assessment
Here is the process your crew will experience during a cycle of self-assessment for a Quality Indicator:
- Prime your readiness: Reviewing a short list of guiding questions helps prime your readiness to measure your state's or district’s current accessibility status against the Quality Indicator.
- Experience the Quality Indicators: Exemplars of how states and districts are implementing the Quality Indicator help your crew form a realistic perspective on your own setting.
- Measure your current status: Your crew measures the extent to which your state or district is meeting the Quality Indicator along a rating scale. In Cycle 1, this is your baseline measurement.
- Document the rationale for your rating: Your crew documents the rationale behind your measurement. What evidence did you use? This will be essential information when your crew returns for the next cycle.
- Set a goal: Your crew sets the ranking to meet for the next cycle.
- Take action: Your crew identifies action items to meet the goal.
- Share: A report includes your measurement, rationale, goals, and action plan.
Change is the result of all true learning.