Top LYS Tweets From the Week of July 27, 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 July 27, 2014.

1. If you grade in such a way that removes all hope, you're doing it all wrong. (By @8Amber8)

2. A system prevents your team from being defeated by individual "best intentions." (By @LYSNation)

3. Education is the best defense against organized ignorance. (By @DreweryEric)

4. Public education is the greatest tool we have to fight injustice, discrimination, & oppression-to create a better society. (By @DrMandyStewart)

5. If one supports equitable learning standards and equitable teacher quality, how does one fail to support equitable funding for schools? (By @johnkuhntx)

6. Success is going from failure to failure without a loss of enthusiasm. (By @CoachKWisdom)

7. Formative assessment is the pathway to greatness.  It starts the feedback loop for teachers and students. (By @KDanielLSR7)

8. A teacher who doesn't know me just shared how The Fundamental 5 has changed her campus and recommends that I read the book. I think I will. (By @LYSNation)

9. Emotional intelligence is more important than general intelligence, but hard work is more important than both! (By @tgrierhisd)

10. The Fundamental 5 (Cain & Laird) has just surpassed 62,000 copies sold! Thank you, LYS Nation!!! (By @ LYSNation)

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: The Fundamental 5 National Summit (Keynote Presentation) 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook

A Reader Asks... Instructional Coaching

A LYS Assistant Principal asks the following:

SC,

I attended one of your workshops in Austin and wanted a quick clarification about instructional coaching.  You stressed the importance of providing feedback to your teachers and having coaching pieces separate from evaluation pieces.  How do you provide constructive criticism and affirm the things going right for teachers, but not have it positively or negatively affect their evaluation?  Are you not supposed to praise teachers that could possibly become TINA's?

Your input and perspective would be appreciated!

LC Response

Thanks for attending one of Sean's sessions and again for thinking about these issues which affect our teachers in such a powerful way! Coaching teachers falls under the formative umbrella - we advocate providing feedback and coaching AFTER you have enough data to show trends, habits and routines that normally occur in the classroom.  Sitting down with teachers for a coaching conference usually occurs after 15-20 PowerWalks in that classroom.  You listen more than you talk and you set goals to work on over the next 15-20 PowerWalks to improve instruction.  You will notice that the teachers who respond to coaching will work to establish new habits and routines in the classroom that will impact the evaluations in a positive way, even though the coaching is separate.

On the flip side, a teacher who does not respond to coaching - a teacher who digs in his or her heels and refuses to put forth the effort to get better - then that is the time when you as the leader have a formal conference to tell them that their classroom visits will no longer be formative.  They will have evaluative visits that will be documented and a TINA will be developed.  That way you have started your timeline of when the evaluative cycle begins.  Then you develop a TINA with this teacher and he/she works through it.  

The goal of a TINA is to improve practice, so yes of course you give positive feedback when warranted.  We want the TINA to work! If the TINA works more students will learn and succeed with that teacher and the teacher is able to keep his/her job.  Sometimes the TINA doesn't work and it is the responsibility of leadership to do the right thing and NEVER pass on a "bad egg" to another campus where more students are short-changed because we didn't do what we needed to do.

So formative and evaluative classroom visits are different.  One is to grow and improve and the other is to demonstrate the growth and improvement.  Hope this helps!

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: NASSP National Conference; The 21^st Century High School Conference  
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook

Top LYS Tweets From the Week of August 25, 2013

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 August 25, 2013.

1. Dear Moms of Kindergarteners:  They will be fine!  No crying! (By @DrSusanHull)

2. Great teachers don't let the stupid actions of their kids get in the way of the future of their kids. (By @LYSNation)

3. Just asked a kindergartener what he wanted to be someday. He said a NINJA!  Great answer!  We have enough lawyers. We need some ninjas!! (By @EkCoulson)

4. Forgot what teaching does to your feet! Getting back into Power Zone shape! (By @DanellaWheeler)

5. Lesson Framing sets the path. "We will," tells where we're going. "I will," tells if the learner has arrived! (By @CabidaCain)

6. Have to remember that naysayers are often the vocal minority.  Listen but stay focused on the positive. (By @RandyMBrown)

7. E. Don Brown just reminded a group that he had PLCs on his campus when the current guru's were still in grade school. Been there... Did it first! (By @LYSNation)

8. Formative assessments are not a part of the grading process; they are a part of the instructional process... (By @justintarte)

9. Just sat in the most useful training session with LYS Coach, Sean Cain. Can't wait to put The Fundamental 5 into action this year. (By @nightlight08)

10. Principals, Feed your teachers every chance you get. Prevents them from eating the kids. (By @LYSNation)

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: The Fundamental 5 National Summit (Multiple Presentations); NASSP National Conference 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook

Top LYS Tweets From the Week of August 4, 2013

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 August 4, 2013.

1. Advice to the new and veteran LYSers for 2013/2014: Don’t just adopt the Foundation Trinity / Fundamental 5; implement it. (By @brandyjbaker)

2. Had such a great day. Sean & Lesa Cain presented Framing the Lesson. Valuable tool to focus instruction. Thank you. (By @LindaHenrie1)

3. It all comes back to baseball, you've got to close your lesson or you lose the game in the bottom of the 9th! (By @hjgrubbs)

4. Formative assessment isn't really formative until we use the information to adapt instruction. (By @csm0004)

5. Our job is to teach the kids we have - not the kids we want - not the kids we used to have - but all of the kids we have right now. (By @HeelanPride)

6. Teachers loved the Frame the Lesson training and said it was motivating them to improve! Great to have another Cain in the room with practical implementation info. (By @hjgrubbs)

7. Typical grading practices measure, "Who got it first,” better than "Who got it." (By @LYSNation)

8. Senator Patrick, leave curriculum decisions to local districts and keep politics out of the classrooms. (By @qgodwin)

9. I hate when the Tea Party treats CSCOPE like its some Black Helicopter stuff and kills any actual credibility conservatives have. (By @MattMFoster)

10. Another pop quiz: What book is the No. 1 best selling education title on Kindle, today... Again? The Fundamental 5! Thank you, LYS Nation!!! (By @LYSNation)

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: The Fundamental 5 National Summit (Multiple Presentations); NASSP National Conference 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook

Top LYS Tweets From the Week of August 19, 2012

School has started, or is soon to start, across the country.  Hopefully, your school has moved forward in embracing bootleg technology.  If not, don’t give up.  Bootleg technology represents a significant and positive shift in education culture. It is a shift away from the illusion of absolute adult control and the role of the adult as the source of knowledge that has driven American schools for generations.  This shift will not occur overnight and will not always be smooth.  But as the innovators and early adopters share their successes, the majority will follow.  If you are one of these people (innovator and early adopter), teach, advocate and help you fellow educators.  Much sooner that you realize, sheer peer pressure will force the laggards among us join the 21^st century. Even if they do so kicking and screaming.  Have a great 2012 / 2013 school year!

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 August 19, 2012.

1. With grades, you have to ask yourself, "What am I measuring? Who got it first? Or, who got it?" 99% of schools measure the wrong thing.

2. If you want to count student formative assessment as a test grade, you either have missed the point or we don't share a common vocabulary.

3. Promising meeting with my teachers on the Fundamental Five. Why would we NOT use these strategies? Can't wait for PowerWalks! (By @GloffMona)

4. Talked PowerWalks with faculty today. Touted its benefits as a coaching assessment. Transparency, with data. Goal of 400 by Christmas. (By @blitzkrieg607)

5. Tired of people picking on school districts whose people elected to build facilities for their children/community to use for years to come. (By @DrJerryRBurkett)

6. To the guy who is mad because I caught him reading a magazine during my presentation. Thanks for demonstrating the power of the Power Zone.

7. Traditional homework and parents working with their children at home have as much in common as hot dogs and warm puppies. (By @txschoolsupe)

8. ‪So, The Fundamental 5 (Cain & Laird) is the best book on instructional practices... What's #2 on your list? (By @mike_metz)

9. PowerWalks are a fundamental leadership practice. The Instructional Leader's, ‘Power Zone!’

10. Best introduction I've had in a long time, "He's not Rich Allen. But he's a pretty good second place."

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: Region 10 ESC Fall Leadership Conference (Keynote), Advancing Improvement in Education Conference (Multiple Presentations), TASSP Assistant Principals’ Workshop (Featured Speaker), American Association of School Administrators Conference (Multiple Presentations), National Association of Secondary School Principals Conference (Multiple Presentations)
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation

Top LYS Tweets From the Week of May 20, 2012

I just came across an app that allows the to student alert the teacher if he or she is confused or needs some assistance. Seemingly a great use of bootleg technology and a tool that makes the teacher more efficient. Except that it isn’t.  

The power of bootleg technology isn’t its ability to replace good teaching practice (the teacher in the Power Zone, making micro-adjustments to instruction based on real-time formative assessment).  The power of bootleg technology is that it places the depth and breadth of human knowledge in the palm of your student’s hand.  Beware of the app and the degradation of teacher practice that makes your live classrooms more like an impersonal virtual classroom.  

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 May 20, 2012.

1. The change in adult practice is the leading indicator. The change in student performance is the lagging indicator.

2. The deeper the deficits in student knowledge, motivation, and courage, the longer they have to be exposed to better instruction to improve.

3. Let me sum up your STAAR data analysis: "We know we have a lot a work to do. Now let's do it."

4. Remember, until we see disaggregated statewide data, your STAAR test results are just raw info. Good and bad are relative terms.

5. $30 million to administer the STAAR? What budget crisis? (By @cheadhorn)

6. And now the uncomfortable reality of sole teacher accountability for test results begins to set in.

7. THE critical factor in the pursuit of greatness is pain threshold. Good rarely hurts.

8. Life is a contact sport. Buckle your chinstrap and have fun!

9. Before you debate the merits of a student dress code, ask if the adults are willing to model the code. If the answer is "No," drop the issue.

10. Bigger classes, lower-paid teachers, public money diverted to private schools, $1 billion to Pearson. If you aren’t standing up now, when will you? (By @johnkuhntx)

Vote. Vote. Vote.

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
• 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)
• Confirmed 2012 Presentations: TASSP Conference (multiple sessions); Region 10 ESC Fall Leadership Conference (Keynote)

A Reader Writes... (Assessment vs. Benchmark - Part 1)

In response to the 9/21/11 post, “Assessment vs. Benchmark,” a reader writes:

SC,

I disagree. A benchmark test on what has been taught to a certain point is a diagnostic test. Correct me if I am wrong.

SC Response

It’s a matter of definition. 

LYS defines an “Assessment” as a test of content that has been previously been covered.  The appropriate (though exceedingly rare) use of an assessment is to determine how much of the covered material was effectively taught. 

LYS defines a “Benchmark” as a test of the entire course curriculum.  Benchmarks are often (inappropriately) administered prior to the entire curriculum being covered.

The problem with administering an early benchmark as a diagnostic instrument is that I have yet to witness any school that actually accelerated instruction due to students demonstrating mastery of material that had yet to be covered.  Instead, the pace of instruction slows because based on the benchmark results the campus has already “arrived.”  As for identifying students that need support and instruction, the benchmark only confirms what classroom teachers could already predict with near perfect accuracy.  Thus, the benchmark is an unnecessary and irrelevant encroachment on already limited instructional 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

Confirmed 2012 Presentations: NASSP Conference; NASB Conference

Quit with the Early Benchmarks

My head nearly exploded last week, and it wasn’t due to the sinus infection that I am currently fighting. I was in two different districts during the 2^nd week of school where they had already shut down instruction to give a release TAKS to every student, to see where they are. At these struggling, high poverty districts there is absolutely no valid information that will come from this test. On day seven of instruction, the students have regressed a little from the results that the actual TAKS reported in May. That is to be expected. And that is all you really need to know. You start teaching at full speed on day one of instruction, assess (not benchmark) at short-term intervals and adjust on the fly. That is the formula for academic growth and success.

When asked why they were administering the release test, staff in both districts told me that their state monitor suggested it. These people could not be more wrong with their advice. Benchmarking this early in the year is the instructional equivalent of bleeding the patient to release the bad blood. It is simply superstition masquerading as professional practice. Just because the person the state send to you has good intentions (they do) doesn’t mean that they have any idea what they are doing (many don’t). We have to be critical consumers of advice and information. If someone advises you to do something that does not quite make sense, ask some questions and challenge some convictions.

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

Come visit us at the LYS Booth at the TASA/TASB Fall Conference

A Reader Writes... (Mythology)

In response to the post, “Mythology” a reader writes:

I enjoyed this article. Student engagement and purposeful talk are an informal way of assessing "who gets it and who doesn't" in a jiffy. Most students lack descriptive words in their speech and can no more write than speak appropriately. They use the same words over and over again. This is my second year to use purposeful talk and the more I use it the more I learn about our society: There is no one for many of our students to talk to at home, therefore, our students have TV language and their cognitive language is lacking. It is so difficult for them to speak about a science experiment we just completed. Consequently, I end up doing the same experiment until they have the vocabulary to speak about it. The most interesting conclusion - now the student can talk about it at home. I wanted to share and agree with your article.

SC Response

Thank you for sharing and thank you for validating the power of this Fundamental 5 practice. You are correct in pointing out that in many households, for any number of reasons, our students get little opportunity to converse. Much less, converse about academic topics. The more we model this behavior and provide students frequent opportunities to practice, the more our students blossom and begin to enjoy learning. Plus, as the teacher you get the added benefit of being able to sneak in a little rigor and relevance on the fly.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

Worst Advertisement of the Week

I had an advertisement show up in my e-mail this morning that read, “… Our test helps confirm teachers' opinions about a student’s readiness…”

It was comments and products like the one mentioned above that was one of my primary motivations for starting this blog. Assessments are not about confirming a teacher’s opinion. Assessments are about providing information to teachers so they can better meet the needs of their students in order to ensure that everyone is moving forward. Teachers and administrators need to know where their students are in terms of mastering the content. Our opinion of that fact is at best neutral to our students and at worst a detriment to our students.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn…

Get Stuff For Free

I just read, How to Get Free Classroom Supplies: Educators share tips for stocking up - without reaching into their own wallets. By Tamar Snyder.
http://www.edutopia.org/free-school-supplies-fundraising-donation

It’s a quick and timely read. As budgets get tighter, classroom supplies always get squeezed. This article reminds us that showing a little initiative can go a long way in solving the little problems that slow us down.

There were a couple of interesting factoids in the article. One of the example teachers who is well know for his students performance on AP tests, points out his need to copying access due to the considerable amount of formative assessment that he does in his classroom.

The article also provides a number of links to organizations that help supply classrooms.

At the very least, you may want to send the article to some of your more motivated teachers.

T.W.A. – Your turn…

Formative Assessment

The following post was inspired by the article:

Learning a click away in Danville High School class
By Noelle McGee
Saturday, February 14, 2009 7:00 AM CDT

http://www.news-gazette.com/news/local/2009/02/14/learning_a_click_away_in_danville_high_school_class

Check out the article above. Bottom line, it is a story about a teacher who has an electronic tool that allows him to embed lots of formative assessment (checking for understanding) in his class. Since doing this, he has noticed that both student engagement and student performance has increased and based on those factors he is adapting his instruction more often and enjoying his job more.

Here’s what the story and the teacher missed. It’s not the tool, it’s the practice. Sure the tool helps. It’s new, it’s novel, it’s fun. But a teacher checking for understanding is a critical best practice that most teachers completely overlook. Not on purpose; but because they get rushed to cover material and become too task centric.

In the R4 Active Teaching Academy, a significant amount of time and practice is spent with teachers to train them on how to embed formative assessment in their lessons and how to do it frequently. The R4 Hyper-Monitoring protocol tracks how often teachers engage in formative assessment, giving teachers the frequent feedback they need to gauge the quality of their instruction.

Without tools, support, training and discussion a typical teacher is observed checking for understanding only about 20% of the time. With tools, support, training and discussion that increases to 70% to 80% of the time. The results? Just as reported in the article; increased student engagement, increased student performance, and increased enthusiasm by the teacher.

Now, thumbs up or thumbs down if this makes sense.

Your turn…