Friday, November 4, 2016

A Reader Asks... The Timed Checkpoint

A reader asks the following:

SC,

We are new to using the LYS Short-term Trend Analysis Form in our PLCs.  At our last meeting there was much debate over the time allotted to giving the quick 10-question checkpoint. We allow 30 minutes for the checkpoint, but the instructional leaders at campuses feel that many of their students need 40-minutes or more to complete.  They believe that taking up an assessment before students have had time to complete it is "demoralizing" to some of our students.  

Please explain the significance of keeping with the time limit, or is it okay to extend?

SC Response
What you describe is common and predictable pushback.

First, let me line out an assessment schedule for you:

Week 3: Checkpoint (30 minutes or less) (campus use)
Week 6: Checkpoint (30 minutes or less) (campus use)
Week 9: Mid-term (45 minutes or less) (district and campus use)
Week 12: Checkpoint (30 minutes or less) (campus use)
Week 15: Checkpoint (30 minutes or less) (campus use)
End of Semester: Final (90 minutes or less) (district and campus use)

Week 21: Checkpoint (30 minutes or less) (campus use)
Week 24: Checkpoint (30 minutes or less) (campus use)
Week 27: Mid-term (45 minutes or less) (district and campus use)
Week 30: Checkpoint (30 minutes or less) (campus use)
Week 33: Checkpoint (30 minutes or less) (campus use)
End of Course: Final (90 minutes or less) (district and campus use)

Notes: (a) If a STAAR test is administered in the course the week before, or the week of a checkpoint, SKIP the checkpoint. (b) A practice STAAR test can be substituted for the week 27 mid-term. (c) If it is a STAAR tested class, skip the second semester final and replace it with a final checkpoint.

Second, ask just enough questions that can reasonably be answered in the time frame of the assessment.  Which means for: (a) Checkpoints, it will generally be 10 of fewer questions. (b) Mid-terms, it will generally be 20 or fewer questions. (c) Finals, it will be 30 or fewer questions.

Third, in the STAAR environment, test taking fluency and pacing are critical. Adhering to the allotted testing time hones student processing skills and gives teachers critical information on student problem solving fluency.  If the issue is too many questions for the time frame, reduce the number of questions.  If the issue is inadequate student processing speed, that is instructional information that is vital for the teacher.  

Additionally, the short, timed checkpoint protects instructional time.  Teachers argue that they do not have enough time to teach the required content.  If this is the case, then in the classroom the best solution is to teach a lot, assess quickly, adjust, and repeat. 

Finally (and this upsets teachers), demoralized students are more a function of the teacher, not the student.  If the teacher communicates that the uses of checkpoints are progress gauges and growth indicators, then the “grade” has less significance. If the teacher communicates that the highest score (grade) is the goal, then “low” scores are bad.  What are your teachers communicating?

Implementing the checkpoint process correctly is hard work.  If it were easy, everyone would do it.  It boils down to this question, “Do you want to use your checkpoints to sort kids (traditional practice) or improve adult practice (exceptional practice)?”

I hope this better clarifies the process.

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 
  • Upcoming Conference Presentations: TASSP Aspiring Principal Workshop (Multiple Presentations), Learning for a Change Spring Summit (Keynote and Multiple Presentations)
  • 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

Thursday, November 3, 2016

Legendary Leadership Badge (October 2016)

There are those that don’t understand the power of reflective observation.  They mistakenly believe that there is nothing to learn after a few cursory visits to a classroom.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  In fact, the most important key to building insight and deeper understanding about teaching and learning is to engage in a steady volume of daily classroom observation.  What we have learned over the past ten years is that after about every 300 classroom observations, the observer will notice, discern, and/or learn something new... something that was previously hidden. It is the “Eureka” moment, and there is nothing else like it in instructional leadership.

In this pursuit, there is the PowerWalks Legendary Leadership Badge that is earned every 300th PowerWalks Observation. The following instructional leaders have already earned the Legendary Leadership Badge for the 2016/2017 school year (as of 10/31/16).

Patti Ward: October 2016
John Speck: October 2016

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 
  • Upcoming Conference Presentations: TASSP Aspiring Principal Workshop (Multiple Presentations) 
  • 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

Wednesday, November 2, 2016

PowerWalks Hero Schools (October 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 October the PowerWalks Hero School Targets were as follows:

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

Since November has a significant holiday break we’ll adjust the targets.

November Hero School Targets
High Schools – 210 PowerWalks Observations
Middle Schools / Junior High Schools – 150 PowerWalks Observations
Elementary / Intermediate / Combined Campuses – 135 PowerWalks Observations
Alternative Schools – 40 PowerWalks Observations

In October, all of the schools using the PowerWalks Instructional Observation System conducted a total of 20,565 classroom observations. A commendable job, LYS Nation! But now, without further ado, here are your thirty-eight PowerWalks Hero Schools for the month of September 2016.  Congratulations!!!

Elementary Schools & Combined Campuses
Middle Schools & Junior High Schools
Alternative Schools
High Schools
Southside PS (CISD) - 692
Cleveland MS (CISD) - 487

North Shore HS (GPISD) - 1,190
McFee ES (CFISD) - 659
Kermit JH (KISD) - 296

Valley HS (JCPS) - 737
Bill W. Wright ES (WISD) - 539
Rawlins MS (CCSD1) - 281

Iroquois HS (JCPS) - 530
Live Oak Learning Center (ACISD) - 460
Marlin MS (MISD) - 259

Fairdale HS (JCPS) - 480
Eastside ES (CISD) - 459
Rockport-Fulton MS (ACISD) - 230

Cleveland HS (CISD) - 468
Duryea ES (CFISD) - 449
Kirbyville JH (KCISD) - 210

Kermit HS (KISD) - 417
Northside ES (CISD) - 374
Hutto MS (HISD) - 209

Rockport-Fulton HS (ACISD) - 360
Willbern ES (CFISD) - 366
Farley MS (HISD) - 202

Odessa HS (ECISD) - 331
Colonial Hills ES (NEISD) - 363



Rawlins ES (CCSD1) - 342



Kermit ES (KISD) – 337



Raymond E. Curtis ES (WISD) - 237



Fulton Learning Center (ACISD) - 233



Stephen F. Austin ES (WISD) - 231



Marlin ES (MISD) - 205



Little Snake River Valley School (CCSD1) - 204



Little Bay Primary Schools (ACISD) - 203



Veterans’ Hill ES (HISD) - 198



Cottonwood Creek ES (HISD) - 192



Hutto ES (HISD) - 181



Dublin ES (DISD) - 179



Ray ES (HISD) - 175




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 
  • Upcoming Conference Presentations: TASSP Aspiring Principal Workshop (Multiple Presentations) 
  • 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

Tuesday, November 1, 2016

PowerWalks Alignment to T-TESS Domain 4

This is the final post of a four post series addressing each T-TESS domain and its relationship and correlations to PowerWalks.




T-TESS Domain 4: Professional Practices and Responsibilities
The elements in this domain occur outside of the delivery of instruction in the classroom. Hence, they are outside the scope of a formative classroom observation tool. See the chart below. The areas highlighted with the color YELLOW represent areas of potential and conditional correlation.











PowerWalks Alignment and Correlation to Domain 4 
The elements of Domain 4 are generally outside the scope of a 3-5 minute formative classroom observation.  However there are three exceptions. 

1. The teacher has set goals based on improving pedagogy.  As a teacher gets better at the best practice addressed in the six PowerWalks modules, the appraiser is provided subjective evidence of improved pedagogy.

2. The teacher has set goals based on improving student performance.  The change in teacher practice is a leading indicator of improved student performance. As a teacher gets better at the best practice addressed in the six PowerWalks modules, the appraiser is provided subjective evidence that improved student performance is forthcoming.

3. The campus has provided training on instructional practices and programs. As a teacher gets better at the best practice addressed in the six PowerWalks modules, the appraiser is provided subjective evidence that the teacher is attempting to implement the elements of provided professional development.

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 
  • Upcoming Conference Presentations: TASSP Aspiring Principal Workshop (Multiple Presentations) 
  • 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

Monday, October 31, 2016

Top LYS Tweets From the Week of October 23, 2016

If you are not following @LYSNation on Twitter, then you missed the Top 10 LYS Tweets from the week of October 23, 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 price of leadership is conflict. (By @AIEConf)

2. Seems like we would get more done if our conversations focused more on student-centered solutions instead of adult-centered problems. (By @BluntEducator)

3. There are two types of people. Dream makers and gatekeepers. Dream makers make it happen. Gatekeepers focus on rules and policies. (By @Snowmanlearning)

4. "Social media is like water. You can either let us drown or teach us to swim." - a student (By @Ms_Holliman)

5. Pastor Chris just said, "This is your 'I will' statement." Has he been trained in The Fundamental 5? (By @ambrli844)

6. In school we need to stop saying we are building the leaders of tomorrow, we need to help them be leaders today! (By @khund)

7. Research shows that when a teacher has a healthy relationship with his students, student achievement increases. (By @Dinky933)

8. There isn't just an achievement gap; there is an exposure gap. We have to create experiences and connections for our kids. (By @Snowmanlearning)

9. If all 700,000 people working in Texas public schools voted, it could determine the outcome of the elections! VOTE!! (By @TXeducatorsvote)

10. The Fundamental 5 (Cain & Laird) has been a great read for strengthening my instructional strategies. (By @Trent_Rasmussen)‬

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 
  • Upcoming Conference Presentations: TASSP Aspiring Principal Workshop (Multiple Presentations) 
  • 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