Curriculum Leadership Institute

Pathways to School Improvement

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Book Briefing: The Other Side of the Report Card

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download_pdf_smIn honor of School Library Month, this E-Hint is inspired by a new book: The Other Side of the Report Card: Assessing Students’ Social, Emotional, and Character Development by Maurice Elias, Joseph Ferrito and Dominic Moceri (2016).  As curriculum developers, we know that academic learning should be thoughtfully planned, and that instruction and assessment should be carefully aligned to standards.  However, we may occasionally ask ourselves, “What about the other aspects of development, for example, self-management and social awareness? Shouldn’t we be planning for personal growth too?”  These other areas of growth are a primary concern for the “whole child” education movement, which attempts to include a child’s physiological needs, safety needs, and belonging needs.

One of the most prominent education news stories recently was teacher Kyle Schwartz’s rise to “viral fame” simply because she asked her students, “What do you wish your teacher knew about you?” and Tweeted their responses. Many of Kyle’s students revealed that relational, emotional, and physical challenges were creating learning hurdles in their lives that they needed to overcome, and they appeared to be relieved to share these challenges.  Through empathy and the sharing process, a social bridge was built between her and her students. We might go so far as to conjecture that Kyle’s empathy earned her social capital within her class, which could lead to an increase in motivation and learning.

The Other Side of the Report Card provides evidence (Chapter 8: Literature Review and Resources) that distinctively human characteristics such as communication and listening skills, empathy, and evaluating possible outcomes, may be taught, however the primary focus for the authors is the documentation of such learning. Perhaps given growing awareness of bullying and student suicide, districts might want to consider building a Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) and Character Education (CE) curriculum.  This book is an excellent examination of how that process might be initiated and student growth assessed.

The authors begin with definitions of SEL and Character Education, referring often to the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) which has defined key competencies and outcomes. A number of Likert rating systems and rubrics are provided demonstrating how skills may be quantified and evaluated. Case studies are provided as OSORC-smallexamples. (One is the Open Circle SEL Curriculum where students rate themselves using a three-point scale on skills such as cooperating with and encouraging others.) School Leadership Teams (SLTs), similar to the Subject Area Committees (SACs) within the CLI Model, are encouraged for the tasks of: specifying behaviors, creating a model for reporting skill development, report card design, and implementation. A key takeaway for implementation is that, “a deductive approach is needed in order to focus on the specific behaviors to be rated.”

In the meantime, even if a formal Social and Emotional Learning and Character Education curriculum has not been implemented, instructors could still apply a meaningful self-assessment of the quality of their own interactions within their classrooms.  Simple questions might include these: “Am I demonstrating empathy to my students? How well am I building bridges and social capital in the classroom? Am I demonstrating character qualities that I’d like to see in my students?” Finding specific answers and examples to answer these questions may lead to personal growth and improved learning for everyone.

For more detailed information, see Austin Independent School District’s SEL curriculum based on the CASEL Core Social and Emotional Competencies and CASEL’s free online guides for Effective Social and Emotional Learning Programs.

Supporting Student Learning: The “Ins” and “Outs” of the Classroom

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download_pdf_smEducators are always trying to discover and use new academic strategies to increase student learning.  Sometimes the best approaches are not academic, but they are supportive in nature.  According to Awaken the Learner, published by Marzano Research, as well as recent articles in NEA Today, attention should be paid to the inside climate of the classroom in addition to the activities that take place outside of the regular classroom setting.

The “Ins”

Bulletin Boards and Wall Postersins

Classrooms that have meaningful and relevant bulletin boards help to engage the students even when they are not in a formal instructional setting.  Too much stimulation, caused by an overload of information displayed on the walls, can contribute to attention problems. Along the same line, too much wall décor can also pose other problems such as being a fire hazard.   It is okay to have open space on the wall.

Lighting.

Natural lighting, when possible, is the best choice for a classroom.   Classrooms with flickering fluorescent bulbs are distracting to the eyes and ears, especially to those students with attention problems.  Too little light can also cause trouble when eyes strain to the point of fatigue.

Temperature Control and Air Quality

The temperature of a classroom should be comfortable.  In order to save on heating and cooling costs, some districts keep the room temperatures too cool in the winter or too warm in the fall and spring.  Students may be physically unable to focus on learning when they are shivering or sweating.  Another factor to consider is the scent of the classroom.  While fire codes ban burning candles in classrooms, they are often replaced by potpourri, warmers, and plug-in units. Be sensitive to students with allergies and make sure the scents aren’t too strong.

Standing instead of sitting

Some students benefit from standing desks and work stations.  Recent research has determined that students with attention problems are less likely to get off task when they are allowed to stand.  Not only does this improve classroom management, it also decreases stress on spinal structures and is may help reduce childhood obesity.

The “Outs”

Activities taking place outside the classroom can have a negative or positive influence on learning.  While the master schedule cannot be controlled by the regular classroom teacher, recess and exercise can be regularly scheduled within the teacher’s instructional plan, even if it occurs inside the classroom.   If students engage in less than twenty minutes of unstructured play per day, cognitive, emotional, and physical development are not as great as they could be.  Physical energy needs to be expended.  Research indicates that being more physically active throughout the day increases cognitive ability and leads to higher academic achievement.  Think about the following areas and their implications on student learning:

Physical Education

As mentioned earlier, standing in the classroom does have benefits.  However, it cannot replace exercise provided through physical education and recess.  The national recommendation for all students is for a minimum of sixty minutes of physical activity daily. Physical education classes can count for some of the desired time, but it is usually structured with no room for free play.

Recess

As defined, recess is the temporary withdrawal or cessation from usual activity. Most states do not mandate recess; however, students need breaks from academics. Allowing unstructured recess contributes to creativity and opportunities for social interactions.  Research shows that students have a greater focus in class following a recessed break.  It is not uncommon to allow a table-based activity to be used during inclement weather as a substitute for recess; but, playing board games just does not have the same effect as increasing the heart rate through a cardiovascular activity.

Socialization

In past practices, it was common to keep students inside for recess as a disciplinary measure or to provide them more instruction.  This is not only detrimental but counter-productive! Adults usually expect to have some type of break during an eight-hour workday.  Why wouldn’t we allow the same for our young learners?   Like adults, they need to spend some time off task to socialize so they can refocus later.

Ideal time for exerciseouts

Another recommendation is to allow at least one 20-minute block of recess a day—preferably before lunch.  Studies show that students who have recess before lunch tend to eat healthier food, including milk, fruits, and vegetables.  A combination of exercise and eating healthy food helps combat the increasing concerns over childhood obesity.

Making it happen

The Every Students Succeeds Act (ESSA), an up-date of the original Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), has identified health and physical education as a vital part of a “well-rounded” education.  This declaration also allows the utilization of Title IV federal funding for health, physical education, and physical activity programs.  In return, the ESSA helps to alleviate the possible cuts to these programs and it places emphasis on establishing healthy living practices.

Although few of these areas receive the same attention as publicized academic assessment results, they are nevertheless essential to the experience of a young person’s overall education, which can indeed determine whether every student succeeds.

Transformational Change with the CLI Model

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download_pdf_smAs an educator, you are often called upon to lead change efforts within your district.  Even if you have not implemented the CLI Model, you know that all educators can be change agents and you have most likely already determined that in education, change is sometimes the only constant as you attempt to find new ways to reach students, manage buildings, and serve communities.

The research on how to make change in organizations is abundant.  There are many “types” of change by definition; but, for simplicity, we have narrowed it down to the two basic types:  first-order and second-order.

First-order change is typically less traumatic in terms of individual reaction and is sometimes referred to as developmental change.  It may mean simple adjustments to what you are already doing while still staying on the same path.  It is simply improving upon what you already have.  First-order change is reversible, meaning if it doesn’t work out of the gate you can stop doing it, which also makes it reactionary change.  These types of changes do not necessarily require new learning to take place and staff members are usually open to trying them because of these factors.  However, there is danger when districts start and stop changes frequently—staff may think “this, too, will pass,” and they will not fully commit to making the change work.  This can also lead to teacher confusion about which “thing” they should really be doing.

On the other hand, second-order change requires shifting to a new way of seeing things.  This type of change is typically referred to as transformational change and is viewed as more radical.  It is fundamentally different than what you have done in the past and it is irreversible, meaning once you start down the path, you can never return to what you have done previously.  New learning is required and some staff members may be hesitant to support the change because there is no “safety net” as with a first-order change. During a second-order change, it is vitally important for the district’s top leaders to be on board and supportive of both the change itself and the staff they work with.  For example, in a school district that has only one of four administrators on board, the change will be very difficult to realize.  Transformational change is difficult even when all leaders are on board; so taking the time to build capacity and educate leaders on the benefits and possible challenges of the change is an important initial step.transformational change arrow

Although the adoption of a detailed school improvement process like the CLI Model is most likely a transformational change for a significant portion of a professional staff, keep in mind that a first-order change to one person may be a second-order change to another.  Knowing your staff is key to understanding what the reaction to either type of change may be and preparing for success of change.  If an educator’s fundamental beliefs are not challenged (first-order change), they may show more cooperation and less resistance than educators who must adapt to new ideas about teaching practices and their roles in the classroom.  Deep philosophical changes (second-order) can produce resistance initially; however, with a safe, structured process in place that includes good communication, teachers and administrators eventually align their beliefs and practices to the reform effort, or they move on.  In terms of resistance within groups of people, research from renowned education author and scholar, Everett Rogers, shows that:

8% will be innovators.
17% will be leaders.
29% will be early adopters.
29% will be late adopters.
17% will be resisters.

In other words, it isn’t natural for 100% of your staff to be on board with a second-order change immediately.  Although some will jump on board as leaders and early adopters and see the value of a change such as using the CLI Model, in many cases, much legwork must be done in order to lead the majority of your people to believe in it.  The key is providing ongoing two-way communication opportunities, appropriate staff development, and an empathetic ear coupled with a firm belief in moving forward with the change.

Choosing a School Improvement Strategy

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Old public school building

download_pdf_smWhether your district is already working with CLI, or is considering that possibility, it is important to know why CLI is the right choice in this new era of school improvement.  CLI’s comprehensive and multi-dimensional Pathways to School Improvement Model fits nicely with all new and emerging recommendations for meeting standards and expectations.

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During the original NCLB era school district leaders could choose an improvement strategy focused primarily on gathering and using data about student learning, and ensuring that students meet adequate yearly progress (AYP) goals as measured on a state’s assessments.   Board members and a district’s administrative team often chose an improvement strategy that emphasized the internal development of classroom and grade level or subject area “common” tests.  Such tests were to be aligned with state standards in NCLB’s designated subjects, initially mathematics and reading.  The logic behind this kind of school improvement seemed clear:  Tests identify what students should know or do, so instruction should be designed and delivered to ensure that students do well on those assessments.

Any outside individual or organization asked to help the district achieve that type of measured accountability had to guarantee progress in achieving AYP.  That usually meant improving the effectiveness of local techniques for gathering data and using them appropriately.   It also meant raising the ability of teachers to create classroom learning targets and helping students meet them on standards-aligned local tests.

Changes Caused by the Common Core, NGS, C3, and Other State Standards

Although not all states have adopted or kept the new, more nationally accepted State Standards, they influence the general discussion about school accountability in new and complex ways.  What emerges from those discussions are novel ideas of what schools should be like, most of which involve much more than what was included in the original NCLB era.  In a nutshell, here are four ways conditions are different and how CLI can meet the new challenges:

  • Teachers: The standards are now centered on the importance of students being prepared for college and careers, and that requires teachers to be more than instructional guides for helping students do well in specific and narrow learning outcomes.  Teachers must now create a scholastically deep and meaningful learning environment that includes theories, applications, and dynamic involvement with the subject.  That means both the preservice and ongoing preparation of teachers must be more comprehensive, intense, and involving.
  • Accreditation: Leaders in both education and business now realize the importance of a PK-12 district in developing, maintaining and implementing a well-articulated and sequentially coherent academic program.  No longer do key organizations that approve public school programs isolate their attention on individual buildings alone, or ignore the internal decision-making and action-taking dynamics required to make programs run smoothly.  The primary school accreditation association in the United States is AdvancED, which evaluates these internal processes at the district level and assists in identifying areas of strength and weakness as well as goal-setting to improve.  The CLI Model aligns almost perfectly with the AdvancED standards with the exception of tangential aspects such as budget priorities.
  • Assessment/Student Expectations: The media have been reporting on debates concerning what public school students should know or do, and a consensus is emerging that traditional fill-in-the-bubble multiple choice assessments are losing favor as a sole means for measuring student academic skills.  Assessment organizations such as ACT, PARCC, SBAC, and SAT have made it clear that students should also be able to score well on performance-based assessments that show college and career readiness, although there is some debate about the formatting and weight of these types of questions.
  • Scholastic Behaviors: It’s unclear how pervasive the less measurable aspects of school improvement can become, but such professional organizations as the National Education Association are capsulizing important student behaviors as they prepare to become productive and reflective college students, job holders, citizens and leaders.   The NEA refers to them as the “Four Cs,” which stand for critical thinking, communication, collaboration and creativity.  These four behaviors are either inherent to or supportive of Bloom’s Taxonomy of Learning Domains, which are also a significant part of the CLI Model.

School improvement isn’t easy; however, CLI advocates that all districts can empower themselves to meet the challenges through well-planned and implemented processes.  School improvement is always a top priority for every school district!

There’s Something To See Here

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download_pdf_smFull of hope and excitement, we once again find ourselves at the beginning of a new school year!  As reality hits and task lists grow, the excitement may soon fade; however, there are still spectacular things happening all over the country in education, as Jay Harnack, Superintendent in Sublette County School District #1, Pinedale, Wyoming reminds us in his recent blog (reprinted here with his permission).  Are you celebrating your fireworks?

Posted on August 12, 2015 by Jay Harnack

If you’re a fan of 80’s comedies like I am, you count Naked Gun as one of the classics.  The “Nothing to See Here” scene in this film is one of my favorites.   Police Lt. Frank Drebin arrives on the scene of an exploding fireworks factory (where there is plenty to see) and emphatically states, “Move on, nothing to see here, please disperse!”   As a movie character, its Drebin’s propensity to miss the obvious that makes him funny.

Well folks, there are a lot of fireworks going off in terms of student performance in Wyoming, and I sincerely hope that we aren’t about to have Drebin moment.

As an educator, I’ve been keen to point out that test results are merely a snapshot in time, and the success of students should not be based solely on these kinds of tests.

After the Wyoming Supreme Court cases on education funding significantly increased the funding level for all school districts, the expectation from legislators and the media was that student performance would rapidly increase.  It didn’t, and during this time it was quite common to hear concerns from legislators and the media that Wyoming was not getting a good “bang for the buck” when it comes to education.  And in truth, we weren’t.  But like all good investments, the return on the investment is rarely immediate.

Wyoming educators of all description have asked for patience, noting that change takes time.  As a superintendent, I can speak personally to the fact that change in education does take time.  This is an industry that deals with human performance factors, and changing the factors that positively influence teaching and learning requires a lot of professional development, as well as changes in practice and behaviors; endeavors that are certainly time intensive.

But fireworks are beginning to go off.   A press release from the Wyoming Education Association noted that Senators Coe and Wasserburger, along with Representatives Northrup and Connolly, returned from the Council of State Governments-West (CSG West), and shared some positive numbers regarding education in Wyoming, that were presented to them in late July. Senator Coe and Representative Northrup are the co-chairs for the Education Committee. Dr. Julian Vasquez Heilig, Professor of Education leadership and Policy Studies at the California Sacramento State University presented numbers to the CSG-West showing Wyoming leading the Western states in NAEP/TIMSS Science scores and sixth in the world. Wyoming’s NAEP/TIMMS Math scores also ranked first in the Western states and eighth in the world.  The statistical calculations by the National Center for Educational Statistics also show that Wyoming is statistically tied for number two in the world in Science, behind Finland.

Unlike our state-wide student assessments, the NAEP/TIMMS test is a stable, nationally recognized assessment, given world-wide.  Unlike our current state-wide student assessment, it can be used to make comparisons between the performance of Wyoming students and students in other states and countries.

The gains made by Wyoming schools the past few years, particularly in Math and Science, are no joke.  Second in the world in Science!  Sixth in the world in Math!   These results represent a lot of hard work by educators all across Wyoming, and I can only wonder if the same degree of effort will be made by our legislators and newspapers in acknowledging our successes, as was exerted in noting the lack of progress.   There are some significant fireworks to see here, and I genuinely hope that, collectively, we don’t seek to temper the good news.

FireworkThat being said, there’s a broader point to be made.  As an educator, I’ve been keen to point out that test results are merely a snapshot in time, and the success of students should not be based solely on these kinds of tests.  It was all too easy for our critics to point to selected test scores and say that Wyoming education was failing.  It would be just as easy for the K-12 education community to note these high scores and take our foot off the gas.  Neither success, nor failure, are permanent states of being in education, and an over-reaction to either is detrimental to continuous improvement.

These scores are great news.  They are fireworks.  They are definitely something to see, and we should celebrate them.  They are not however, arrival at our destination, or the finale.  They are a way point on the road to continued success, just as failure is a different kind of way point on the same road.    We still have a lot of work to do, but when educators, legislators, and members of the media all begin to place both failure and success within the context of process, rather than product, I believe we will ignite even greater student achievement growth in Wyoming.

Reassessment Done Right

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The words Time to Evaluate on an ornate white clock, counting down to the moment a manager will perform an evaluation, review, assessment or reevaluation of a worker, property or process
Reteaching is not about punishment, it is about the end goal—learning.

download_pdf_smWhen thinking about mastery and student learning over time, it is almost impossible not to think about reassessment.  Philosophically, if you believe in allowing students to retake assessments, you may struggle with the application of this belief in actual classrooms.  The question is not whether students shall be allowed to reassess, but instead, how to reassess effectively.  So, when a student takes an initial assessment and performs below required proficiency, what happens next?  The following steps will guide the creation of your own reassessment procedures.

1.  Conference with the student.  Part of building relationships with students is communicating openly with them about expectations and learning.  As soon as you realize a student is not meeting proficiency, have a conversation and begin to make a plan.

2.  Set a timeline for reteaching and reassessment. During the conference, set up a schedule for reteaching to provide time and support for the student to demonstrate successful learning.  This must always occur before students are allowed to reassess.  If reteaching does not occur, how can a student be expected to perform at a higher level?  Also, schedule the reassessment.  Due to obvious time constraints, there must be a sense of urgency to complete the reassessment.  Some districts use a reassessment contract requiring student and/or parent signatures in order for students to retake assessments.

3.  Provide reteaching opportunities. Just like teachers, students are busy! They are taking many classes and may also be involved in activities outside of the normal school day.  It is important to provide varied opportunities for them to receive help within the reteaching timeframe.  Maybe the student needs to come in before or after school or during study hall, or maybe they can watch a video at home and complete alternate assignments to demonstrate their learning, or perhaps another teacher could provide additional instruction.  Remember, reteaching is not about punishment, it is about the end goal—learning.  It doesn’t have to be epic; in actuality, reteaching may only take a few minutes.

4.  Contact help when needed. Oftentimes, if a student is struggling on multiple assessments in one subject area, he or she will also be having trouble in other subjects.  A teacher won’t always know how a student is performing in other courses; however, counselors and parents should.  If a student continually struggles and is caught up in a reassessment cycle, it is imperative that the cycle is broken before the student gives up.  There could be a placement issue or a need for a special education referral.  Maybe the student is going through some emotional struggles due to something happening at home.  A sure sign of trouble is when a student is not meeting the timelines agreed upon within the reassessment conference.  If this is the case, reach out to the people who can help as soon as you can.

5.  Provide a reassessment that is different from the original assessment. It is always wise to have more than one version of an assessment.  If students know the reassessment is exactly the same as the original assessment, it is very easy for them not to prepare and to use the original assessment as a “practice” assessment.  Remember, it is important that you know what they know—not what they memorized after taking the first assessment.

6.  Decide whether the student needs to retake the entire assessment, or just a part. In many cases, summative assessments contain individual questions that require students to apply multiple skills or varied knowledge in order to answer them.  In these cases, students would more than likely need to retake the entire assessment.  However, an assessment may also contain very specialized questions related to one specific skill or piece of knowledge.  If students perform poorly on these types of questions, they may not need to take the entire assessment over again.  They could just retake the parts that relate to that skill or knowledge.  Particularly on project-based assessments, the student may need to improve only portions of their project—not redo the entire project.

7.  Decide how retakes will be scored.  Grading typically falls under district guidelines and policies.  It is important for all teachers to follow the same reassessment rules.  Will the most recent reassessment score replace the original?  Will the highest score be taken?  Follow district approved procedures for recording the appropriate score.