A Reader Asks... Common Assessments - Part 2

In response to the 8/15/2013 post, “Lesa Cain on Common Assessments,” a reader asks:

SC,

I'm not having success with common assessments that aren't counted as a grade in a high school. Building relationships hasn't been an effective motivator at our school with this piece and I think they kids are rapidly pulling away and guessing to just turn it in. Thoughts?

SC Response

Thoughts? Yes, a lot of them.

First, we have never said that common assessments shouldn’t be counted as grades.  What we teach is that during initial implementation Common Assessments should not be counted as TEST GRADES.  No matter how often and loud we say this, no one seems to hear it.  So why not count them as test grades?  Because when a structured common assessment program is first implemented, the poor performance on the test is primarily due to pacing and instructional delivery issues. These are adult issues inflicted on students, why punish them twice?  The good news is that the adult issue will improve (unless the PLC lacks the will to improve, and at that point is it really a PLC).

In the interim, the common assessments can be counted as participation grades, daily grades, or quiz grades.

Second, what you want from your students is honest effort.  With honest effort you can begin to trust the data (no matter how ugly it looks at first). So how do you get honest effort without test grades? That depends on the teacher. Here are some of the things I did as a teacher and principal:

• Teacher / Student conversations
• Goal setting
• Competition
• Celebration
• Earned privileges
• Self-assessment
• Unapologetic passion for the only subject that matters, (insert your content here)

Just know that when it comes to student motivation, one size does not fit all.  And that includes grades.

Finally, sometimes it just takes time.  The common assessment process is not, “We give a test, and things immediately improve.” 

The common assessment process is, “We give a check point and we identify areas to work on.” 

Based on your question, student motivation is an area for study, reflection and action research on your campus. This is neither good nor bad, it just... is.

Good luck and send me some updates.

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/Fundamental5 
• Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “Look at Me: A Cautionary School Leadership Tale” Individual copies available on Amazon.com!  http://tinyurl.com/lookatmebook 
• Now at the Apple App Store: Fun 5 Plans (Fundamental 5 Lesson Plan Tool); PW Lite (Basic PowerWalks Tool); PW Pro (Mid-level PowerWalks Tool) 
• Upcoming Presentations: TASSP Summer Conference (Multiple Presentations); NEASP National Conference; The Fundamental 5 National Summit (Keynote Presentation) 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook

Your Best STAAR Preparation Plan - Section 2

As we discussed yesterday, schools across the country are entering into Testing Season.  Every teacher wants his or her students to be successful on the big test, whether it is a national test, state test, district test or teacher made final. That is a given.  And here is your best strategy to turn this want into a reality.  Starting today, and everyday until the test, do the following:

1. Tell your students what you are going to teach them during the lesson, in student-friendly, concrete language.  This primes the brain to be receptive to what you are going to teach them.

2. Embed at least one small group purposeful talk activity into the lesson.  This allows the student to begin to process, clarify, comprehend and connect the concept you are teaching.

3. Embed a quick critical writing activity into every lesson.  This allows the student to solidify and think deeper about the concept you are teaching.

4. Reinforce the effort students are putting forth as they talk, write and work. Recognize improved and exemplar thinking and performance.

5. Close the lesson.  This creates an information chunk that the brain can efficiently process, store, recall and connect.

These practices represent the highest yield of the high yield instructional practices.  Use them and you students will perform better.  Choose (and it is your choice) not to use them, and you are a critical limiting factor on your students’ performance.  Choose wisely.

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/Fundamental5 
• Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “Look at Me: A Cautionary School Leadership Tale” Individual copies available on Amazon.com!  http://tinyurl.com/lookatmebook 
• Now at the Apple App Store: Fun 5 Plans (Fundamental 5 Lesson Plan Tool); PW Lite (Basic PowerWalks Tool); PW Pro (Mid-level PowerWalks Tool) 
• Upcoming Presentations: TASSP Summer Conference (Multiple Presentations); NEASP National Conference; The Fundamental 5 National Summit (Keynote Presentation) 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook

Your Best STAAR Preparation Plan - Section 1

At most schools we are now entering into testing season. In Texas, that test is the STAAR, but Texas is not unique when it comes to end of the year high stakes testing.  And even if your school isn’t dealing with state testing, there are AP Tests, Cambridge Tests and course finals that impact student opportunities, teacher evaluations, and/or school performance. So here is your best STAAR (or insert your test) Preparation Plan.

1. Keep teaching the scope and sequence at full speed.  If you have identified students that you know will have difficulty on the high stakes test, and you pull them out of the course to remediate them on the course, the student will fail and that is on you and the school.

2. Get a copy of the release version of the high stakes test or the test blueprint.

3. Identify the following: 

• The standards that give your students the most difficulty. 
• The standards that are tested the most.

4. During your daily 5-minute warm-up implement the following cycle.

• Day 1: With a question that accurately represents a tested standard, the teacher presents the question, diagramming how she would attack the question and speaking out loud for her students to hear, her inner dialogue.  As the teacher is doing this, students take notes and can ask the teacher questions.  This should take 3 to 5 minutes
• Day 2: With the same type of question as the previous day, the teacher quickly diagrams the question, (30 seconds to 1 minute).  Then the teacher has teams of students (2 to 3 students per team) solve one or two similar questions, as a team.  The purpose is for students to talk through the process and correct misconceptions. While the teams are working on the question(s), the teacher is in the Power Zone, reinforcing effort, recognizing success. This should take 3 to 4 minutes.
• Day 3: With the same type of question as the previous two days, the teacher quickly diagrams the question, (30 seconds to 1 minute).  Then the teacher has students work on one to two similar questions, individually.  While the students are working on the question(s), the teacher is in the Power Zone, reinforcing effort, recognizing success. This should take 3 to 4 minutes.

5. Repeat the three-day cycle with a new tested standard.

The more difficult the test, the deeper the student deficit in content knowledge and skills, the earlier the plan should be implemented.

Tomorrow, we’ll cover Section 2 of the Your Best STAAR Preparation Plan

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/Fundamental5 
• Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “Look at Me: A Cautionary School Leadership Tale” Individual copies available on Amazon.com!  http://tinyurl.com/lookatmebook 
• Now at the Apple App Store: Fun 5 Plans (Fundamental 5 Lesson Plan Tool); PW Lite (Basic PowerWalks Tool); PW Pro (Mid-level PowerWalks Tool) 
• Upcoming Presentations: TASSP Summer Conference (Multiple Presentations); NEASP National Conference; The Fundamental 5 National Summit (Keynote Presentation)
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook

PowerWalks Hero School (February 2014)

In furtherance of a LYS Nation tradition, we will take this time to tip our caps to the campuses that have embraced the most important step in creating and maintaining an action oriented professional learning community.  These are the campuses that have conducted an extraordinary number of formative classroom observations in a given month.  There were a total of 9,063 PowerWalks conducted during the past month and the February targets for Hero School designation were:

Big Schools – 220 PowerWalks Observations

Medium Sized Schools – 160 PowerWalks Observations

Small Schools – 90 PowerWalks Observations

Very Small Schools – 50 PowerWalks Observations

Due to Spring Break for many schools we will leave the March targets the same:

Your March Hero School Targets

Big Schools – 220 PowerWalks Observations

Medium Sized Schools – 160 PowerWalks Observations

Small Schools – 90 PowerWalks Observations

Very Small Schools – 50 PowerWalks Observations

Now without further ado, here are your thirty-three PowerWalks Hero Schools for the month of February 2014.  Congratulations!!!

Elementary Schools	Junior High and Middle Schools	Alternative Schools	Combined Campuses	High Schools
Bell’s Hill ES (WISD: small school) - 576	Cesar Chavez MS (WISD: mid-sized school) – 657	San Marcos (JWJPCS: very small school) - 238	Louise Schools (LISD: small school) - 122	Fairdale HS (JCPS: big school) - 374
McFee ES (CFISD: mid-sized school) - 489	Big Spring JH (BSISD: mid-sized school) - 254	Afton Oaks (JWJPCS: very small school) - 105		University HS (WISD: big school) - 353
Dean Highland ES (WISD: small school) - 275	Tennyson MS (WISD: mid-sized school) - 245	Hays County (JWJPCS: very small school) - 86		Hutto HS (HISD: big school) - 320
Marlin ES (MISD: small school) - 255	Carver MS (WISD: mid-sized school) – 168	Granbury (JWJPCS: very small school) - 56		Kennedale HS (KISD: mid-sized school) - 254
Frazier ES (CFISD: mid-sized school) - 244	Marlin MS (MISD: small school) - 150			Mathis HS (MISD: small school) - 104
JH Hines ES (WISD: small school) - 242	Mathis MS (MISD: small school) - 120
Ray ES (HISD: small school) - 230
Crestview ES (WISD: small school) - 191
West Ave ES (WISD: small school) - 191
Johnson ES (HISD: small school) - 178
South Waco ES (WISD: small school) – 167
Dublin ES (DISD: small school) - 137
Washington ES (BSISD: small school) - 134
Hutto ES (HISD: small school) - 129
Cottonwood Creek ES (HISD: small school) - 126
Brooke Ave ES (WISD: small school) – 120
Gonzalez ES (EISD: small school) - 99

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/Fundamental5 
• Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “Look at Me: A Cautionary School Leadership Tale” Individual copies available on Amazon.com!  http://tinyurl.com/lookatmebook 
• Now at the Apple App Store: Fun 5 Plans (Fundamental 5 Lesson Plan Tool); PW Lite (Basic PowerWalks Tool); PW Pro (Mid-level PowerWalks Tool) 
• Upcoming Presentations: TASSP Summer Conference (Multiple Presentations); NEASP National Conference; The Fundamental 5 National Summit (Keynote Presentation) 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook

Top LYS Tweets From the Week of February 23, 2014

A number of you in the LYS Nation are now Twitter users.  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 February 23, 2014.

1. The greatest challenge for school leadership is to break down boundaries created by comfort, complacency, and personal agenda. (By @djakes)

2. Wait, you mean that CSCOPE talk was nothing more than fear mongering? (By @MattFoster)

3. The purpose of structure is to provide stability and predictability. This is how you leverage effort and brainpower. (By @LYSNation)

4. Students who change schools 3+ times before the 8th grade are at least four times likely to drop out of school. – U.S. Gov. Accounting Office (By @tgrierhisd)

5. New study suggests kids are getting hurt on the playground more often—because they never really learned how to play. (By @anniemurphypaul)

6. Negative people should be uninvited from your campus! (By @tra_hall)

7. Structural people-we aren't bossy, we just know what you should be doing. (By @kimbarker25)

8. Students take notice of those educators who are in the stands at ballgames, plays, concerts, etc. vs. those who sprint from school at 3:00. (By @BluntEducator)

9. Weekend Quote: “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.  Except for bears.  Bears just kill you.” (By @DrRichAllen)

10. The largest party in America... is neither the Democrats nor the Republicans. It's the party of non-voters. - Robert Reich (By @ForwardTX)

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/Fundamental5 
• Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “Look at Me: A Cautionary School Leadership Tale” Individual copies available on Amazon.com!  http://tinyurl.com/lookatmebook 
• Now at the Apple App Store: Fun 5 Plans (Fundamental 5 Lesson Plan Tool); PW Lite (Basic PowerWalks Tool); PW Pro (Mid-level PowerWalks Tool) 
• Upcoming Presentations: TASSP Summer Conference (Multiple Presentations); NEASP National Conference; The Fundamental 5 National Summit (Keynote Presentation) 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook