A LYS Reader asks:
SC,
I attended my state’s
Principals’ Conference this summer and had the pleasure of attending two of
your new presentations. I have heard you speak several times over the
past few years and have slowly introduced your ideas and suggestions them to my
staff. This year we are going to focus on better Fundamental 5
implementation, especially critical in the light of new realities of the
Accountability Age. Our scores have been severely hampered by the sheer number
of students that re-test each testing period and we want to do everything
possible to get these students to pass and focus on our first time testers.
Any suggestions or support from LYS
would be welcome. I am also interested in what LYS does or offers schools
on an individual basis.
Thank you.
SC Response
Good
question. Here are some of my thoughts.
1. Re-testers are a big issue at more
schools than you can imagine. But
these students aren’t the problem; they are the symptom of a problem or
problems. The re-tester issue did not occur over night, so there is no instantaneous fix, but there
are a couple of things that address this in the mid to long term.
A. Get on Pace: If your students do not
see all the content they will be tested on, their performance on STAAR will be
significantly hampered. Which means that pacing is Priority 1 in the
STAAR era. You can probably count the people who understand this on one
hand. (LYS can and does help
schools with this.)
B. Teach Better: The rigor (level of
student thinking) required to succeed on the STAAR test exceeds the rigor
typically observed in classrooms. This is not a blanket indictment of
teachers. Instead it is a fair analysis of the test. You will not get the
rigor you need by berating, threatening and/or ignoring teachers (practices common in all
too many schools). It is going to take on-going training, cueing,
coaching and support. Which means that for the first time, campus
leadership is as on the hook for the quality of instruction as individual
teachers. (LYS can and does help schools
with this.)
C. Intervene Quicker: This one ought to
be a “no brainer,” but it isn’t. What
this means is if you know you have students showing up on the first day of
school all ready behind, start intervening immediately. After school support,
before school support, one semester concurrent support classes, etc. Do
anything but wait to intervene... Unlike almost every campus. (LYS can and does help schools with this.)
D. Red Shirt Your Freshmen: Or as I describe
it, play the game to win. Freshmen do not have to take Algebra 1, Biology
and English 1 as freshman. We just schedule them in those classes because
that’s what we have always done. You can swap pre-algebra for Algebra 1 (it
would be for local credit, but with the 8 and 9 period day, there are credits
to spare). You can swap IPC for Biology. You can swap English 4 for English 1
(though this may not be popular with the English Department). Do this and every
student will be better prepared for the STAAR, which means fewer re-testers. (LYS can and does help schools with this.)
E. Lead Your Feeder Pattern: Once you
get your house in order, lead your feeder pattern. The typical High
School cashes the check written by its middle and elementary schools. You
can either accept that, or leverage your budget and position to get them
working more aligned with both the district’s scope and sequence and your
campus. (LYS can and does help schools
with this.)
2. We, LYS (Lead Your School), work with schools and districts across
the country. The level of support varies based on the needs of the
client. Which means that our scope of services spans from 1-day
leadership consultation sessions, to embedded teacher training over the course
of an entire year. Topics include scope and sequence implementation, formative
classroom observation, common assessment implementation, staff coaching, and
improved instructional practices. Probably the best thing to do is give us a
call and we can figure out how we can best help you and your team.
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
- Now
at the Apple App Store: Fun 5 Timer (Fundamental 5 Delivery Tool); PowerWalks
CLC (Networked Formative Observation Tool)
- Upcoming Presentations: LYS / TASSP Advanced Leadership Academy (Keynote); The
2016 Texas Charter School Conference (Multiple Presentations); The 4th
Annual Fundamental 5 National Summit (Keynote)
- Follow
Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation and
like Lead Your School on Facebook
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