A Reader Writes... Assessment vs. Benchmark - Part 2

In response to the 11/17/2011 post, “Assessment vs. Benchmark – Part 1,” a reader writes:

SC,

One year on my grade level, in my content, we spent 25 instructional days (out of a total of 172) on district and state tests. It is a shame that the time for instruction is wasted. Any competent teacher is assessing all day long and can tell which student needs what. I wonder what would happen in classrooms if the district and administration would back off and let teachers teach. Especially, if the teachers would receive a significant monetary bonus for improved scores.

SC Response

I agree that we spend entirely too much time testing. And this is from the guy that advocates for the use of short-term common assessments. Every district and campus needs a testing calendar, and for a test to have a slot, the test must provide relevant and timely information that informs and improves decision making. Sadly, the aligned and integrated testing calendar is about as common as unicorn sightings. Outside of a handful of LYS campuses, I have not come across one.

As for bonuses for improved scores, that’s a whole other discussion. One that I will tackle in an upcoming blog post. As with most every simple idea, the execution is anything but...

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
• Get the Fundamental 5 Lesson Plan App at the App Store – Fun 5 Plans
• Confirmed 2012 Presentations: Region 16 ESC Leadership Academy (Keynote Address); NASSP Conference; NASB Conference

A Reader Asks... How Long for an Observation

In response to the 11/3/11 post, “ A Reader Asks... PowerWalks and Fundamental 5 Support,” a reader asks:

SC,

How long should a person conducting a PowerWalk stay in the classroom to get an adequate idea of the instruction?

SC Response

This is a great question. But before I answer, I’m have to lay out some initial understandings.

There are different types of classroom observations, used for different purposes.

A. There are observations used for summative evaluation. These observations require the observer to spend a significant amount of time in the classroom (at least 25 minutes, if not longer) so the teacher has the opportunity to demonstrate the depth of his or her instructional delivery skill. For the record, there is no circumstance where I would condone the use of a short-time observation for the purpose of summative evaluation.

B. Longer formative observations. These are used for the purpose of looking for specific skills that the teacher has been trained on, and the observer wants to see. For example, the teacher has been trained on a specific behavior management protocol and the observer wants to see the teacher use the protocol. That will often require the observer to remain in the classroom for an extended period so the teacher has the opportunity to use the practice. Then the teacher and observer meet to discuss what was observed, what it means and what should be continued and/or adjusted.

C. Short-term formative observations. These are used for the purpose of identifying trends and for providing teachers with a “game-film” of typical instructional practices. PowerWalks is simply the best of these types of observations (there are many lesser and/or bootleg versions). What must be understood (though no one does) is that a single 3-5 minute observation means nothing. It is a random wisp of time. However, with 15 to 20 of these observations (if the right system is used, a very big “if”) it is possible to provide teachers with a fairly accurate picture of typical practice. It is with this information that teachers are able to make meaningful, incremental adjustments to their craft that can pay big dividends in student performance. Now here is the kicker, there are only a handful of districts and campuses that use this type of walk-thru information correctly. Sad, but true.

It should be noted that in a professional, coaching environment all three types of observations should be used. And the purpose of each observation should be clear to the teacher, prior to the actual observation. How is this accomplished? Just make it procedure that if the purpose of the observation is for evaluation or to see a specific practice, then the teacher will receive prior notice. Otherwise, if someone walks into the classroom, the teacher knows it is for a short-term observation.

So to answer your question, if the observer is competent, with a series of 15 to 20, three-minute observations the teacher can be provided with a fairly accurate picture of his or her instructional tendencies. Do know this, if anyone gives you feedback or tries to coach you after just 1, three-minute observation, he is sharing worthless information and wasting everyone’s 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
• Get the Fundamental 5 Lesson Plan App at the App Store – Fun 5 Plans
• Confirmed 2012 Presentations: Region 16 ESC Leadership Academy (Keynote Address); NASSP Conference; NASB Conference

A LYS Teacher Submits... Jeanette Nelson, Our LYS Coach

A new LYS Teacher submits the following:

I just want the LYS Nation to know what a wonderful job our LYS Coach, Jeanette Nelson, has done on our campus. I cannot tell you how wonderful our training sessions have been with Jeanette. She's informative, practical, makes the training exciting and worth our time. It is obvious that she really cares about making sure that all of us understand the what’s, why’s and how’s of LYS practices and strategies. The changes on the campus have been palpable and I can’t wait until she comes back later in the year. :-)

JN Response

Thank you so much for the kind words. I have appreciated all of the hard work that you and your teammates have put in to improving your 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
• Get the Fundamental 5 Lesson Plan App at the App Store – Fun 5 Plans
• Confirmed 2012 Presentations: Region 16 ESC Leadership Academy (Keynote Address); NASSP Conference; NASB Conference

The Big Easy Writes... Teacher Nests - Part 8

In response to the 9/30/11 post, “Teacher Nests – Part 5,” the Big Easy writes:

I consider it a "slow news day" when we have to resort to talking about teacher nests (I know I am the one that brought it up).

You are 100% right - instruction should always be the primary focus. No excuses why we can't put the kids first. Just clean it up your nest so we can move on to discussions about effective instructional strategies (The Fundamental 5), how we can extend the connection between kids and instruction (bootleg technology), and how we connect with our kids (relationships).

There is plenty more to talk about than your mess. And by the way, our students know when the focus is on them and when it is not.

The Big Easy

SC Response

As you can see, The Big Easy got his name based on his demeanor, not because of a lack of focus or an unwillingness to set the record straight.

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/4ydqd4
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation
• Get the Fundamental 5 Lesson Plan App at the App Store – Fun 5 Plans
• Confirmed 2012 Presentations: Region 16 ESC Leadership Academy (Keynote Address); NASSP Conference; NASB Conference

Top LYS Tweets from the Week of November 27, 2011

I walked into a high school social studies class room last week and what I saw was all the confirmation that anyone would need if they were considering letting students use bootleg technology in the classroom. There were four desktop computers in the room, but they were essentially useless because the district Internet access has ground to a halt. To many computers, not enough bandwidth coupled with draconian filters. But no matter, every student had their cell phone out and was using it to search for current facts about their assigned country in order to complete their assignments.

As I wandered through this mixed-ability classroom, not only was each student using his or her phone appropriately, they were also helping each other for the purpose of optimizing their searches. The class had 100% student engagement and the pace of work was incredible, because the speed in which students were able to access information was almost instantaneous. Bootleg technology, the cheap solution to your classroom computing problem.

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 November 27, 2011, as tabulated by the accountants at Price Waterhouse.

1. Announcement: This is tweet number 2,000 from the LYS Nation. You may now continue with your previously scheduled success!

2. Correction and Update: McFee ES (CFISD) is also a #PowerWalks Hero School for the month of November. Congratulations!

3. When the going gets tough, are you selfless or selfish? That's the true test of character.

4. #Hypocricy: The practice of claiming to have moral standards or beliefs to which one's own behavior does not conform; pretense. (By @tlognanecker)

5. "...gives teachers time 2 teach & students the opportunity 2 focus on mastering a manageable course load" (By @tlognanecker)

6. Want to spur innovation? Own the failure.

7. A good teacher is a master of simplification and an enemy of simplism - Louis A. Berman (By @NMHS_Principal)

8. Principals that oppose the use of student performance as a factor in their evaluation have confused managing with leadership. Results matter.

9. Just watched a class where students were researching topics on their phones. 100% engagement. Twice the district download speed.

10. The critical variable in campus discipline is adult practice.

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
• Get the Fundamental 5 Lesson Plan App at the App Store – Fun 5 Plans
• Confirmed 2012 Presentations: Region 16 ESC Leadership Academy (Keynote Address); NASSP Conference; NASB Conference