Quality Assurance & Improvement Flashcards

A school finds that its reading intervention program has a large effect size in research studies but shows minimal impact in practice. Which quality improvement concept BEST explains this gap?

Answer: Implementation fidelity—the program is not being delivered as designed

Implementation fidelity refers to the degree to which a program is delivered as intended; low fidelity explains why effective programs fail in practice.

In professional learning communities (PLCs), the collaborative analysis of student work to improve instruction is MOST directly aligned with which quality improvement principle?

Answer: Continuous improvement driven by evidence and reflection

PLCs embody continuous improvement by using student evidence collaboratively to reflect on and refine instructional practice.

Which statistical concept helps quality improvement teams determine whether an observed change in student scores is a real improvement or due to normal random variation?

Answer: Statistical significance

Statistical significance testing determines whether an observed difference is likely a true effect rather than random chance.

A district adopts a policy requiring all schools to submit monthly progress monitoring data for all Tier 2 intervention students. This is an example of which quality improvement strategy?

Answer: Systemic progress monitoring as part of a multi-tiered support system

Regular progress monitoring within a tiered support system (MTSS/RTI) is a structured quality improvement strategy that tracks intervention effectiveness continuously.

Which of the following is the MOST appropriate use of a scatter diagram in educational quality improvement?

Answer: Exploring whether a relationship exists between two variables, such as attendance and GPA

A scatter diagram plots two variables on an x-y axis to reveal whether and how they are correlated.

An instructional coach wants to verify that a new math curriculum is being taught with fidelity across five classrooms. Which data collection method is MOST appropriate?

Answer: Conducting structured classroom observations using a fidelity checklist

Structured observations with a fidelity checklist directly measure whether curriculum components are implemented as designed during instruction.

The concept of 'special cause variation' in education quality improvement refers to:

Answer: Unusual variation caused by a specific, identifiable event or factor

Special cause variation signals that something specific and identifiable—outside the normal system—is causing the unusual result.