A Reader Writes... (A Look in the Mirror - Part 4)

In response to the 8/12/11 post, “A Look in the Mirror – Part 1,” a LYS Principal writes:

I loved this post and loved your response today, and I am going to use it. I always feel a little guilty that I am never completely happy with our results. I feel like I struggle between expressing my happiness and gratitude for a job well-done and expressing my belief that we can still do more, so we must keep pushing. This is an area that I am still working on as a leader – finding the balance in between giving praise and in pushing forward.

We had a lot of "hurdles" this past year: a new administrative team, pregnancies, cancer, accidents, etc, and we all pulled together, worked incredibly hard and made EXEMPLARY for the 2nd year. We even added two sub pops for the first time, and we worked really hard to get those sub pops, kept a wonderful commended rate, and I am so proud of everyone!!!

Yet, what if we had not made Exemplary? Literally, if one more student had not passed in one sub pop, then we would have been recognized. It is really sad to think that making recognized would have diminished all the success we accomplished and the hurdles we overcame this year. As the leader, I struggle in feeling that way and in understanding "the system is what it is" and it is my job to "balance" those emotions, which involves giving praise and still pushing forward.

I would love to know others insights in balancing praise and pushing forward.

SC Response

Part of finding the balance between praise and pushing is understanding that reinforcing the work it takes to achieve success, is a critical component of continuous success. Any improvement without work is simply a function of external variables and luck. The organizations that rely on external variables and luck may achieve a temporary success, but then quickly slip back to the middle or bottom of pack (side note: TPM was an excellent example of both an external variable and luck). Focused work matters, focused work is hard, and focused work is unique. If you are not providing reinforcement and supporting that focused work, the easiest thing for a staff to do is quit working different and just do what all the other schools do.

You’re delineations of the hurdles you faced provides a great teaching point. Schools like yours (extremely at-risk student populations) have to do everything right and then get a couple of breaks to remain at the top of the pyramid. Your margin of error is almost non-existent because your staff has to add significant value to almost every student, just to meet minimum standards. Scores of campuses in your district have the majority of their students arriving each year already meeting minimum standards. Which if why the way your district evaluates principals is both lazy and naive. Basing annual principal evaluation solely on raw scores ignores the fact that the job is easier based on the setting. Yes, your district has created a simple and “logical” system to administer, but any attempt to explain that exemplary with 90% at-risk students and exemplary with 5% at-risk students is comparable, is a waste of oxygen.

Keep pushing and let the staff know that I still use them as an example of what is possible, all across the country.

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

Come visit us at the LYS Booth at the TASA/TASB Fall Conference on 9/30/11 and 10/1/11

Attend the LYS presentations at the Texas School Improvement Conference on 10/26/11 and 10/27/11

When and How to Use Common Assessment Data

In a district that is beginning to implement an integrated and aligned common assessment program (a good thing for teachers and students) a principal was overheard stating emphatically he would not use any of the common assessment data until after the first semester.

That is well within his right. After all, it is his school. We (LYS) even warn school leaders not to expect too much from the early results of common assessments. But that does not mean that principals and staff should completely ignore the data. That would be the wrong thing to do.

Early common assessment data leads to the discovery of deficits in the overall "system" and/or instruction. It is important that leadership and staff engage in some problem solving after every assessment administration. That is the purpose of any formative activity. Otherwise, then of what use is the formative assessment (and process) in the first place?

Additionally, early assessments allow instructional leaders to assume and fulfill a coaching and facilitation role. To ignore this, is to abdicate a critical leadership responsibility. And if you are not coaching and leading, what kind of principal are you?

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

Come visit us at the LYS Booth at the TASA/TASB Fall Conference on 9/30/11 and 10/1/11

Attend the LYS presentations at the Texas School Improvement Conference on 10/26/11 and 10/27/11

Assessment vs. Benchmark

I often speak to large groups about assessments and invariably an audience member will offer that they administer benchmarks in their district and ask, “Isn't that the same thing?” Or ask, “Is one better than the other?”

To answer each question, “They are not the same thing.” And in terms of usefulness to teachers, “One is significantly better than the other.”

Though most in people in education use the terms interchangeably, there are significant differences between the two. First, consider their definitions:

Assessment - An appraisal based on careful analytical evaluation.

Benchmark - A mark used as a reference point.

The definitions give us a clue to the enormous practical difference between the two. In the field, an “assessment” represents a test that is aligned to the content that has been (or should have been) taught. The assessment then gives the teacher immediate information on how much of the taught curriculum students have mastered. This information is of considerable import to every teacher and the cost of lost instructional time is offset by the value of good assessment information.

In the field, a “benchmark” represents a test that is aligned to the curriculum that determines at a specific time, how much of the entire year’s curriculum has been mastered. The earlier in the year the benchmark is administered, the more untaught content the student is tested over. The earlier in the school year, the less important this information is to the teacher. Knowing that students have only mastered 6 weeks of the entire curriculum when they have only been exposed to 6 weeks of the entire curriculum is entirely predictable, before the benchmark is administered. The cost of lost instructional time is not offset by the value of predictable, and for the most part, useless benchmark information.

Benchmarks do have their purpose, for summative information, once or twice a year. At all other times use a quick assessment, aligned to what has been recently taught, and then adjust instruction based on the results.

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

Come visit us at the LYS Booth at the TASA/TASB Fall Conference on 9/30/11 and 10/1/11

Attend the LYS presentations at the Texas School Improvement Conference on 10/26/11 and 10/27/11

From the Ol' Ball Coach... Coach Thru the Doldrums

Last week I was talking to the Ol’ Ball Coach as I driving across the state to another LYS school. Before we hung up, he told to share the following with the LYS Nation.

Sean, you remind those schools that we are about to hit the doldrums. The time when the newness of the year has worn off and the anticipation of the end of the semester is too far off to matter. This is when coaching is critical.

Those teachers out there have to keep their classrooms exciting and keep those kids motivated to learn.

Those campus leaders (department chairs, AP’s and Principals) have to get in those classrooms to let teachers know that their hard work is appreciated and to help them overcome any half-steps.

And you and the LYS Coaching Staff have to keep those school leaders focused on what is really important, student performance and supporting teachers. Not meetings and district paperwork.

The value of coaching is best measured when it is easiest to choose the easy way out. Now, is that time.

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

Come visit us at the LYS Booth at the TASA/TASB Fall Conference on 9/30/11 and 10/1/11

Attend the LYS presentations at the Texas School Improvement Conference on 10/26/11 and 10/27/11

Top LYS Tweets from the Week of September 11, 2011

A LYS Superintendent challenged me with the following question:

SC, you commented last week that every school district you have visited lately had issues with Internet access. I would like to know what specific issues you had when you were in my district. We are very conscientious about this very topic and have always tried to provide easy access to the Internet throughout our District. So, if you will give me specifics, I will do my best to remedy the situation.

SC Response

I didn’t have a big problem in your district and your tech staff was waiting for me when I arrived on site. It was a general comment. I have been in nine different districts in the past month and in general it is a three-ring circus to get Wi-Fi access. My non-technical suggestion is for districts to create a “Guest” network.

The extreme of this is one district I work with that has made its campuses neighborhood Wi-Fi hot spots, so anyone who is in range can get free Internet connectivity. I like the idea of schools being knowledge beacons for the whole community. That is slightly different mindset than that of most district technology departments, which as a group seem to be overly security conscious.

A number of you in the LYS Nation are now using your own 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 September 11, 2011, as tabulated by the accountants at Price Waterhouse.

1. Education, not gender or race, now largest factor in worker earnings (by - @eschoolnews)

2. Hate to rain on the Tea Party's parade: but protecting our country involves a strong central government and, yes, taxes. (by – @BorowitzReport)

3. Try not to dislike or dismiss your distrators. They often ask the best questions.

4. It should go without saying, but if you show up late, unprepared and have a bad attitude - you have lost your right to complain about students.

5. You can go a long way in maintaining a high quality school facility if you just give your custodians a can of touch up paint.

6. If your morning announcements include anything more than the pledge a minute of silence, you have to know that no one is listening to them.

7. The unemployment rate among high school graduates who have not attended college is 10.2%. Among those with a bachelor's degree, it's 4.6%. (by – @FareedZakaria)

8. Technology is great to inform parents of school events. But if you are using technology to reduce the need to meet with parents, you are missing the point

9. How come when we know students are behind, the typical "go to" intervention is to go slower?

10. The more your tutoring program resembles traditional instruction, the less effective it is.

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

Come visit us at the LYS Booth at the TASA/TASB Fall Conference on 9/30/11 and 10/1/11

Attend the LYS presentations at the Texas School Improvement Conference on 10/26/11 and 10/27/11