POSTPONED - The Fundamental 5 National Summit

It was announced late last Spring that the 4^th Annual Fundamental 5 National Summit would be held in November.  And a number of you in the LYS Nation have made plans to attend. 

I regret to announce that this year’s Summit will be postponed until Fall 2017.  The short version of the long story is this.

As many of you are already aware, the Lead Your School (LYS) Team had a number of close relatives pass away this Summer.  This caused us to miss a number of internal deadlines for ensuring that the Summit would be a quality event.

Above all, LYS is committed to providing the highest quality support and programs to the educators we serve. To do less would to not be fair to those of you who are working every day to maximize the opportunities for the children who walk thought your doors.

Thank you for your understanding and I apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you and your teams. 

Sean Cain

The Purposeful Cycle of Formative and Summative Observation

Everyday, I am amazed by the bad practice that is perpetrated on teachers every day, at campus after campus, when it comes to summative evaluation.  I constantly have to remind school leaders that the reason why teachers don’t trust the evaluation process is mostly due to... school leaders.  Here are just two related examples and an easy to implement solution. 

Too many schools make one or both of the following mistakes. One, campus leadership conducts summative observations almost as soon as the school year begins.  This is asinine.  “Welcome back to school, I’ll determine the trajectory of your career next week.”

Two, campus leadership conducts summative observations without meaningful formative support. “Welcome back to school, here are your 210 students, curriculum binders, and three preps.  Oh, and make sure that you work harder, faster and longer so you impress me the first time I visit your room.”

Instead do this... Engage in a purposeful cycle of formative and summative observation with clearly delineated (and posted on the staff calendar) time windows for each.  See below:     

August to October 15

Use high volume Formative observations (PowerWalks) to cue new practices, build new instructional habits, and improve the quantity and quality of delivered best practice.

October 15 to October 31

First round of Summative observations (should be at least 30 minutes in length).

November 1 - November 30

PowerWalks to cue new practices, build new instructional habits, and improve the quantity and quality of delivered best practice.

December

Second round of Summative observations (at least 20 minutes in length).

Complete the summative conferences for EXEMPLAR teachers. If no issues arise during Spring formative observations… the appraisal process for EXEMPLAR teachers can be completed by the end of the Fall Semester.

January to February 15

PowerWalks to cue new practices, build new instructional habits, and improve the quantity and quality of delivered best practice.

February 16 - February 28

Third round of Summative observations (at least 30 minutes in length) for non-exemplar teachers

Complete the summative conferences for ACCEPTABLE teachers. If no issues arise during Spring formative observations… the appraisal process for ACCEPTABLE teachers can be completed by the end of February.

March 1 - March 31

PowerWalks to cue new practices, build new instructional habits, and improve the quantity and quality of delivered best practice.

April 1 to April 15

Fourth round of Summative observations (at least 20 minutes in length) for rookie and struggling teachers.

Complete the summative conferences for rookie and struggling teachers.

April 16 to End of School Year

PowerWalks to support beta testing of new practices, programs, and procedures to be used at the beginning of the next school year.

I have included a sample calendar that illustrates the above.

The biggest complaint on what I nave presented is that this represents a significant investment in time by leadership. Yes, it does.  But if leadership isn’t investing a significant amount of time to improve and increase teacher capacity, is that actually leading?

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) 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook

The Embarrassment of "Low" Common Assessment Scores

So you buy into the concept of short-cycle common assessments but the embarrassment of “low” scores are causing teachers to freak out.  Calm down, take a deep breath and repeat after me, “All low scores are not equal. And all low scores are not bad.”

If fact, if your common assessment score are too “high,” you are probably doing them wrong.  So let’s look at the three common reasons that are the drivers of low scores and assess them as good or bad.

1. The scores are low, but we are not “cheating” the system by reviewing or ignoring selected questions.  This is good. We may not like the results, but at least we know where we are at a given point of time.

2. The scores are low, but I barely covered the material.  This is good. At least I’m close to being on pace with the scope and sequence.

3. The scores are low, but I didn’t get to teach the material as well as I wanted too.  This is good. I’m on pace and I should still have time to teach the material to greater depth of understanding.

4. The scores are low, but I didn’t teach the material.  This is BAD.  I’m off pace.  Now I have to figure out how to teach the missing material and the material I’m supposed to be teaching right now. This requires strategic curricular surgery and if I don’t do something now, the situation will only get worse.  The only silver lining is at least I know this is an issue that needs fixing (rare) as opposed to being oblivious to the situation (common).

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) 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook

PowerWalks Hero Schools (September 2016)

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.  For the month of September the PowerWalks Hero School Targets were as follows:

September Hero School Targets

High Schools – 225 PowerWalks Observations

Middle Schools / Junior High Schools – 175 PowerWalks Observations

Elementary / Intermediate / Combined Campuses – 150 PowerWalks Observations

Alternative Schools – 50 PowerWalks Observations

Since October is a full month with limited testing, we’ll raise the bar a little bit.

October Hero School Targets

High Schools – 275 PowerWalks Observations

Middle Schools / Junior High Schools – 200 PowerWalks Observations

Elementary / Intermediate / Combined Campuses – 175 PowerWalks Observations

Alternative Schools – 55 PowerWalks Observations

In September, all of the schools using the PowerWalks Instructional Observation System conducted a total of 20,075 classroom observations. A commendable job, LYS Nation! But now, without further ado, here are your forty-four PowerWalks Hero Schools for the month of September 2016.  Congratulations!!!

Elementary Schools & Combined Campuses	Middle Schools & Junior High Schools	Alternative Schools	High Schools
McFee ES (CFISD) - 822	Cleveland MS (CISD) - 815		Valley HS (JCPS) - 931
Southside PS (CISD) - 753	Rockport-Fulton MS (ACISD) - 523		Rockport-Fulton HS (ACISD) - 469
Duryea ES (CFISD) - 690	Rawlins MS (CCSD1) - 294		Fairdale HS (JCPS) - 423
Bill W. Wright ES (WISD) - 522	Ector MS (ECISD) - 291		Cleveland HS (CISD) - 383
Rawlins ES (CCSD1) - 449	Marlin MS (MISD) - 266		Dublin HS (DISD) - 314
Eastside ES (CISD) - 437	Big Spring JH (BSISD) - 229		Sanger HS (SISD) - 307
Willbern ES (CFISD) - 433	Bear Branch JH (MISD) - 195		La Porte HS (LPISD) - 276
Live Oak Learning Center (ACISD) - 395	Farley MS (HISD) - 183		Iroquois HS (JCPS) - 275
Northside ES (CISD) - 392	Hutto MS (HISD) - 183		Odessa HS (ECISD) - 271
Colonial Hills ES (NEISD) - 355			Weatherford HS (WISD) - 256
Fulton Learning Center (ACISD) - 309
Dublin ES (DISD) - 304
Goliad ES (BSISD) – 296
Little Bay Primary Schools (ACISD) - 271
Poteet ES/IS (PISD) - 242
Marlin ES (MISD) - 233
Little Snake River Valley School (CCSD1) - 217
Henry B. Gonzalez ES (EISD) - 203
Hutto ES (HISD) - 182
Dublin IS (DISD) - 179
Cottonwood Creek ES (HISD) - 177
Gardendale ES (EISD) - 168
Big Spring IS (BSISD) - 166
Veterans’ Hill ES (HISD) - 153
Raymond E. Curtis ES (WISD) - 151

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) 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook

Top LYS Tweets From the Week of September 25, 2016

If you are not following @LYSNation on Twitter, then you missed the Top 10 LYS Tweets from the week of September 25, 2016 when they were first posted.  And if you are on Twitter, you might want to check out the Tweeters who made this week’s list.

1. “The underlying art of teaching is assisting others in self-discovery.” (By @DrRichAllen)

2. Formative Observations are critical for cueing new practices, improving quality of practice; and creating "game film" for teachers. (By @drjolly)

3. Make classroom discussion purposeful with rigorous questions and keep it accountable with multiple response strategies. (By @abforehand)

4. Texas Baptist Pastors oppose vouchers.  Private school education is not a civil right or constitutional. (By @DrMarshaFarney)

5. Your best organizations are crystal clear on their WHY. (By @jackson_carrie)

6. School vouchers a civil rights issue? 'No,' says Pastors for Texas Children - Baptist Standard (By @TxProChild)

7. If you understand your WHY, it will help you make the big decisions. (By @jackson_carrie)

8. Without feedback, people invent their own based on their personality and beliefs system. (By @jackson_carrie)

9. Does your grading policy measure who gets it, or who gets it first? (By @sixoclock)

10. “I no longer want school sanctions; I want positive rewards for positive school accomplishments.” – S. Cain (By @jackson_carrie)

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) 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook