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Step 8: Conduct the discernment meeting
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Open the meeting with a prayer.
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Review the meeting agenda and give a brief overview of the discussion questions.
The primary goal of this meeting is to share the insights gained from the reviewers
so that all reviewers have a full understanding and overview of each
catechetical program.
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If the participants did not bring their copy of
Form E: Summary by Program Comparison
to the meeting, have copies available to distribute at the beginning of the
meeting. The summary of this form offers an indication of the average ratings
of all reviewers. It may be helpful to ask reviewers to interpret the ratings
that are listed here. For example, Program A-Program Total Number of Points
may be - 108 and Program B - Program Total Number of Points may be 142.
These averages indicate that reviewers perceive that one program has more
strengths than another does. In the large group discussion, it is important
to identify the specific strengths and limitations of each series. It is
important that the discernment discussion be facilitated so that all reviewers
will have a full understanding of the nuances of each series. Remember that
time commitments may allow a reviewer to review one grade level. The
challenge is to engage this reviewer in a conversation in order to
enlarge their personal perception. The gift of this discussion is
that each reviewer has the opportunity to share his or her wisdom and
to listen to the wisdom of all reviewers so that they will be able to
determine what series will best serve the catechetical mission of their parish.
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Remember to assign two or three note takers who are then responsible to
summarize the large group discussion. It will be important to have these
note takers share the group insights from time to time.
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Remember that the average scores of Form E are only indicators. What is
key in the process is to interpret the meaning that is underneath the
numbers so that all members of the committee have a broad understanding
of each program.
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After the discussions, it is time to determine which program will serve
your parish/school religious education program for the next three to five
years. You will want to aim for a consensus of agreement. One way that you
can quickly test if the group has formed a consensus is to have three large
newsprint sheets prepared with the Program Title and Copyright printed at
the top of the sheet. Tape these sheets to a wall and have markers available
for the committee members to register their preference score of a "3"
(Highly Supportive) a "2" (Moderately Supportive) or "1" (Supportive)
or a "0" (Not Supportive) for each series. Each reviewer may only use their
3 ranking once, their 2 ranking once, and so forth.
After all committee members have indicated their preference, add all the
preference scores and divide by the number of reviewers. (For example if
10 reviewers indicated the following preference scores: 3+2+3+3+3+3+3+3+2+3.
Your total preference score is: 28/10 = 2.8)
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When you have a score that ranges from 3.0 - 2.8, this indicates a high
preference of the group for a specific program.
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When you have a score that ranges from 2.7 - 1.8, this indicates a moderate
preference of the group. This also means that there is not strong support
for the program.
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When you have a score that ranges from 1.7 - 0, this indicates little or no
preference for a program.
If you have a situation where you do not immediately reach a high preference,
drop the program with the lowest preference score. Then invite the reviewers
to comment on why they assigned the program rating they did the first time to
the remaining programs.
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After all have contributed to the discussion, prepare new sheets for the
remaining programs. Invite the reviewers to indicate their preference by
using a 3-2-1-0 preference rating as before. Repeat the scoring as before.
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When you have reached a consensus, you are ready to make a formal
recommendation to your pastor. Together, outline the key reasons for
the choice.
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