A Principal Submits... TPM Accountability Score Inflation

A LYS principal submits the following:

I was speaking to Mr. Brezina at the TASSP conference concerning the amount of padding that TPM added to test scores. I told him that I expect that the average amount of inflation was 10 to 15%. He was surprised it was that much. To assure myself that I was on the right track, I did the math on the difference between my 2010 real scores and my 2010 TPM results as reported on CSR's. The results were different by a staggering 19%. That's a school maker or breaker. Our school made gains in every reported sub-pop in math and science. In some cases, we had double-digit gains. However, we did not overcome the 19% subtraction.

SC Response

The state adding the TPM multiplier was like a teacher having a couple of bonus questions at the end of the test. Get a couple of the bonus questions right and you are no longer struggling, you are doing just fine. Even though you still don’t have a handle on the content. The schools that did best in the TPM era were the schools that had principals that wouldn’t allow their campuses to celebrate the lie of TPM success. Unfortunately, these principals were few and far between. It takes a special kind of hard case to actually tell the gift horse to take a hike. Bottom line, TPM was bad policy and bad practice and I am glad it is gone. Now we get to re-focus on improving actual student performance.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “The Fundamental 5: The Formula for Quality Instruction.” Individual copies available on Amazon.com! http://tinyurl.com/4ydqd4t

Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation

A Reader Asks... Modeling Examples

A LYS Teacher asks a question concerning my comments concerning schools that model expected behaviors:

SC,

I would love for you to share some examples of modeled student expectations you have seen and liked.

SC Response

This is a great time to answer this question. Here are a couple of examples that I observe every time I’m at a Game On! school or Estrada Academy.

1) Model the student dress code. If there is an expectation that students adhere to a dress standard, then one of the most powerful practices a staff can do is to model that expectation. First, this act says that the dress expectation is important. Second, this act says that the campus family is one, staff and students. But most importantly this act separates you from every other adult in the life of the student. This act says, “Do as I do,” instead of “Do as I say.”

2) Be prepared for every class. We have the expectation that students be completely prepared for every class, every day. We should model that. Which means when the bell rings, we start instructional activities right then.

3) Say “ma’am, sir, please and thank you” to students. If we want students to speak respectfully to us, and others, then we need to show them the same respect and make sure they are over-exposed to the language of respect. We have our students for eight hours a day. To overcome the toxic language of media and pop culture, as a staff we must speak with one, respectful voice.

4) Never yell, never threaten, and never be sarcastic to any student. But even more importantly, do not tolerate this from any adult on campus. Address it and support your peers on the rare occasions they have reached their breaking point.

5) Join your students at breakfast, lunch, and PE. Relationships are not built during the delivery of instruction. Relationships are built in the margins of academic activities. Students know that you care about your content area. What they don’t know is that you care about them. They find that out when you show up where you are not expected and engage with them.

What better time to begin these practices than at the start of school.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “The Fundamental 5: The Formula for Quality Instruction.” Individual copies available on Amazon.com! http://tinyurl.com/4ydqd4t

Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation

Don't Fall Behind

I have to brag on some of the schools in the LYS Nation. After the second day of school, walk-thru’s and quality instruction are already in full force. The following schools have already conducted a combined 470 documented observations: Mayde Creek HS, Luling HS, Luling JH, Luling ES, Louise Schools, Smithson Valley HS, Afton Oaks, Rockdale, San Marcos Treatment Center, Hays County JJAEP, and Granbury JJAEP. But even more exciting than the number of observations is what has been observed on these LYS campuses. Check out the Fundamental 5 report!

LESSON FRAME- 35%

POWER ZONE - 69%

PURPOSEFUL TALK - 66%

RECOGNIZE & REINFORCE - 65%

WRITE CRITICALLY - 32%

Other than Lesson Framing, these campuses are already in mid-year form. When I explain to the world that the members of the LYS Nation are different than everyone else, they never believe me. But that is OK, because your actions speak louder than my words. Now everyone else, it’s the third day of school. I’ll conduct a minimum of 40 PowerWalks today, when are you getting started?

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “The Fundamental 5: The Formula for Quality Instruction.” Individual copies available on Amazon.com! http://tinyurl.com/4ydqd4t

Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation

Top LYS Tweets from the Week of August 14, 2011

Here’s another thing that I learned this summer while training teachers on student computers. The technology we provide for students is sub-par. The computers are old. The computers are slow. The software loaded on them is inconsistent and inadequate. And, the computers are in various stages of disrepair.

Again, I am not blaming the technology departments. This problem is more of a function of budget. There is not enough time, money and manpower to meet both the operations and instructional technology requirements of the district. When technology departments are forced to choose between the rock and the hard place, the most logical solution is to keep the district running and let teachers and classrooms make do.

Thanks to our forward thinking elected officials, the budget situation will only get worse in the short run. So if I were a still a principal here is what I would do - let the kids bring their better equipment. Laptops, tablets, and smart phones; tell your kids to bring them and let them use and share them. Parents will upgrade equipment faster than the district will every allow the campus. If the student changes the settings of his computer, who cares? If the equipment breaks, the campus is not responsible. And the student will take better care of his computer than he takes care of the school computer. It’s a win-win. Bootleg technology – it’s a good thing.

A number of you in the LYS Nation are now using bootleg technology devices to follow Twitter. If you haven’t done so yet, we want you to join us. To let you see what you are missing, here are the Top 10 LYS Tweets from the week of August 14, 2011, as tabulated by the accountants at Price Waterhouse.

1. Teacher "nests"? I think I have an ADMINISTRATOR "nest". (By tlogganecker)

2. There is no greater education reform tool than the common scope & sequence. There is no greater reform practice than following it.

3. Tonight’s Run Thought: Overcoming individual adversity teaches resiliency.

4. Tonight's Run Thought: Overcoming team adversity teaches trust.

5. More than ever I believe that computer labs are a waste of space and money. Get those computers in the classroom and invest in more laptops, notebooks and tablets.

6. It's not enough to just put technology in schools. You have to let students use it.

7. When did putting 45 students in a sixth grade math class become a viable option? (By RalynnErnest) When we voted in the last election.

8. Politicians can feign "concern" over recruiting good teachers, but as long as education degrees pay less than other degrees, it's all posturing.

9. Just drove by Nixon HS. If they aren't the Nixon Politicians, they are wasting the most fear evoking mascot name ever.

10. The search for a practical solution for differentiated instruction begins with the Fundamental 5.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “The Fundamental 5: The Formula for Quality Instruction.” Individual copies available on Amazon.com! http://tinyurl.com/4ydqd4t

Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation

Opening Day!

For many of you in the LYS Nation, today is the first day back for students. For me, this is the most exciting day of the school year. This is the only day when the whole year is still in front of us and all of us are Exemplary. All we have to do is make each subsequent day better than the last one.

I wish each and every one of you in the LYS Nation the best of luck (which is where preparation meets opportunity) this year and the reminder that you are the best hope that your students have. You have the power to change their lives for the better. For the 80+ schools that we are working directly with this year, we will see you soon. For everyone else in the LYS Nation, know that we are just a phone call or e-mail away. I’ll close today with a message that a LYS Principal sent me just last night (can you feel the excitement).

SC,

Just dropping a note to let you know that we did our Fundamental 5 refresher training for a whole day last week for in-service at SJ! My teachers are pumped!!

We have de-nested, with teacher desks and book shelves a dime a dozen in our storage dungeon!! And our trash bins have been full for weeks!

2011-2012, here we come!!!

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “The Fundamental 5: The Formula for Quality Instruction.” Individual copies available on Amazon.com! http://tinyurl.com/4ydqd4t

Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation