A Reader Asks... STAAR Review

A LYS Principal asks the following:

SC,

Just checking in to see if we’re on the right track.  We have our 18-day embedded STAAR review set up and running in our 8^th grade classes. But I’m wondering if this is the most effective way to provide additional support for struggling students.  Right now, before school we have 2-days per week we can use for additional Math support and 2-days per week for additional Reading support. Is there is any format that would be better?

SC Response

I checked with another LYS coach and here is what she shared.

The review structure is good, stick with the plan.  You should take a deeper look at the STAAR Test. Study which TEKS are assessed the most and cross reference that with your campus common assessment data. Then during the before school sessions tutor on the deepest holes that are also the most assessed, then next most assessed and so on.  That way you get the biggest bang for your buck.

Also, make sure you are have students practice with multi-step process and STAAR similar questions.  Facts in isolation work is of little use. 

Finally, don’t forget your 6^th and 7^th graders.

Visit Classrooms…  Beat Cancer!

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: The National Principals Conference; The Fundamental 5 National Summit (Keynote) 
• 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 Posts From the Week of May 1, 2016

If you are not following @LYSNation on Twitter, then you missed the Top 10 LYS Tweets from the week of May 1, 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. If you are the smartest person in the room, look for a new room. (By @TinneyTroy)

2. The only true purpose of power is to serve others. - President George H.W. Bush (By @LeadershipCures)

3. Think of accountability as the 'dependent variable' not the 'independent' one. Focused collaboration causes accountability, not vice-versa. (By @MichaelFullan1)

4. Word searches and crosswords are not STAAR review. They are a waste of instructional time and student effort. (By @LYSNation)

5. The nation will find it very hard to look up to the leaders who are keeping their ears to the ground. - Sir Winston Churchill (By @LeadershipCures)

6. In Texas, the average school district spends $8,075 per student, which is less than the nationwide average. (By @RYHTexas)

7. Amazing what an encouraging word will spark in someone. (By @5to1_Leadership)

8. If I had to give you one piece of advice it would be this: Don’t be intimidated by opinions. (By @paulocoelho)

9. "Color neatly, this is for a test grade" is not a rigorous assessment item and I must've missed the coloring standard in the secondary social studies TEKS. (By @LYSNation)

10. 15-year-old John Lennon's report card said, “Too many wrong ambitions & his energy is too often misplaced." (By @BeschlossDC)

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: Texas Association of Secondary School Principals Conference (Multiple Presentations); Texas Elementary Principals and Supervisors Association Conference (Multiple Presentations); LYS / TASSP Advanced Leadership Academy (Keynote) 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook

A Reader Writes... Reasonable Accountability - Part 5

In response to the 1/14/2016 post, "Reasonable Accountability – A Primer for the Texas Legislator,” a reader asks:

SC,

I am interested in what you base the 75% standard for passing. Your use of the term "mastery" is relative. This is extraordinarily high especially for assessments such as 3rd grade reading. At the state level, only 77% of students passed at the phase 1 standard which was 50%. Perhaps the 75% passing standard would be appropriate if the assessments were appropriate for the grade levels or courses. Run the 3rd grade reading passages through a readability test. They are not written on a 3rd grade reading level, but more like 5 or 6th grade level.

SC Response

Let's start with some presuppositions:

1. The standard for “passing” the STAAR test is lower than 70%.  Meaning that students can answer fewer that 70% of the questions on the test correctly and pass.

2. On teacher selected assignments, the vast majority of teachers require at least a 70% on the assignment to receive a passing grade.

3. The STAAR test is 100% correlated to the TEKS required for the STAAR tested course.

4. The required TEKS are not a secret.  We have been accountable to teach all the required TEKS for a given course since... 2002.

5. If we teach the required TEKS at the required rigor, students should be expected to answer questions related to TEKS at a moderate level of success.

Based suppositions 2 – 5, I’m suggesting that it would not be unreasonable to set a 75% correct answer rate as an expectation.

As for your contention that the readability of the STAAR exceeds the reading level of the grade tested (you used 3^rd grade as an example), I conducted an experiment.  I took three sample reading passages from the 3^rd grade STAAR and ran them through an online LEXILE filter.  Here are my results:

3rd Grade Passage 1 – 830L (4^th grade equivalent)

3rd Grade Passage 2 – 1,000L (5^th grade equivalent)

3rd Grade Passage 3 – 820L (3^rd grade equivalent)

Granted, this was an unscientific sample, not the entire test, and I cannot validate the accuracy of the on-line LEXILE filter.  But, based on your contention and my findings, it would not be unreasonable for the state to share its determination the readability level of each test. Because it would be patently unfair to have a grade level test that uses text more difficult than is required for the grade level.

Still, based on all of the above, IF the test is appropriate for the grade level, I stand by my recommendation.

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: Texas Association of Secondary School Principals Conference (Multiple Presentations); Texas Elementary Principals and Supervisors Association Conference (Multiple Presentations); LYS / TASSP Advanced Leadership Academy (Keynote) 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook

A Reader Writes... Reasonable Accountability - Part 3

In response to the January 14, 2016 post, “Reasonable Accountability – A Primer for the Texas Legislator,” a reader writes:

SC,

First, let me also state that I too am a public school advocate and proponent for accountability. With the proposed accountability revisions, I offer the following for consideration:

Use the ACT as the exit level assessment for high school graduation.

SC Response

Actually, this is not a bad idea, in theory.  In practice it has a rather significant flaw. But a flaw that can be easily corrected.

First the flaw.  The ACT is not aligned to the mandated state curriculum (TEKS).  Because of this, if a campus were to teach only the TEKS (which should be done), ACT questions not addressed in the TEKS would be difficult to answer.  Meaning that a student who met state curriculum standards could miss meeting state testing requirements.  Also, though I won’t walk through the reasons why in this post, such a system would put low SES students at a significant disadvantage to high SES students.

Now the fixes.

Fix number one would be to align the TEKS to the ACT.  This wouldn’t be hard to do.  In fact there is a great blueprint for doing this. It’s called.... the Common Core.  So I guess fix number one isn’t going to happen.

Fix number two is more workable.  Allow two accountability pathways. 

Pathway One – Pass the required STAAR/EOC tests.

Or

Pathway Two – Earn a predetermined ACT (or SAT) score.

If the student does either one, for graduation and school accountability purposes, the standard has been met.

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: American Association of School Administrators Conference; National Association of Secondary School Principals Conference (Multiple Presentations) 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook 

A Superintendent Writes... Reasonable Accountability - Part 2

In response to the January 14, 2016 post, “Reasonable Accountability – A Primer for the Texas Legislator,” an Old School LYS Superintendent writes:

SC,

Your plan is better than what we have now and obviously written with a heaping dose of common sense.  But... here is your big flaw.  You are still basing your plan on the current system.  When a house has a flawed foundation, you don't fix it by updating the curtains.  

If you strive simply to fix/change the over-testing problem ask the question, “What tests do the Feds require that all kids take?”

The answer is 3^rd and 8^th grade Reading and Math.  Why would we test more than that?  The answer is probably superstition. 

All other tests should be a local decision.  

The next question that needs to be addressed is why have a social studies test? 

Usually an answer addresses something about citizenship, knowing your heritage, etc. Well if that is the case, why not give all 8th graders a version of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services civics test? It’s rigorous and meets the above stated goal's and immigrants have to pass it to become citizens and vote. So why not do he same those of us fortunate enough to be born here?

Next, what should we do about high school testing?  If we are truly interested in college readiness, there is only one test that colleges use to measure readiness for college in Texas (and by the way, it's required now) and that is the TSI (Texas Success Initiative) test. Any other test is a waste of time and resources.  All schools should prepare their students for this and administer it during their Junior year.  

What I have just presented only addresses the number and type of tests.  It does not address the flawed testing instrument that we currently use, the flawed measures in reporting, the excessive curriculum standards, and a flawed public school funding structure and reporting requirements. This would just be the lipstick that we put on the pig every spring.

So in summary.

•                Test only what is required by the Feds.

•                Give the U.S. Immigration Services civics test to cover all social studies.

•                Prepare and administer the TSI test to high school juniors.

•                Anything beyond this should be decided on and paid for by local ISDs.

SC Response

Not surprisingly, I have no material disagreements with what you have shared.

The early accountability advocates (of which I worked for three of the pioneers: Rod Paige, Bob Brezina, Shirley Neeley) believed in the end of course exam.  So I see the current EOC system as a bastardization (or negative politicization) of the original idea. So yes, I’m a proponent of actually fixing the state’s accountability system, not abandoning it.

I also think the state should have higher expectations and standards than the Feds.  We should consider the Fed’s requirements to be the floor or the minimum standard.  And meeting the minimum standard just means that you are “Not Bad,” which in no way should be construed as meaning that you are good. All of that to say, that I’m OK with having more tests than what the Feds require.  And you and I both know if the entire accountability issue is placed in local hands, too many local communities are OK with undeserving the underserved.

I do like your idea of just having one social studies test in the 8^th grade addressing U.S. citizenship that is at least comparable to the citizenship/naturalization test that immigrants must pass.  And the idea of the using the TSI, which tests reading, writing, and math skills is worth consideration, if the TSI is aligned to the TEKS (Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills). If the TSI is not aligned to the TEKS, then that puts schools in a no win situation. One, either teach the state mandated curriculum which only tangentially prepares students for the accountability test. Or two, ignore the state mandated curriculum to prepare students to pass the accountability test.

I can’t argue that the STAAR is flawed.  Hard? Yes. Aligned? Yes. Issues with how the test is administered? Yes. Flawed? Not so much. 

I completely agree that the TEKS are too broad, as does every curriculum expert that has examined them. And the legislature did pass a law last session to narrow their scope.  But remember, our Governor, The Honorable Greg Abbott, vetoed the law due to the misguided and ignorant fear of turning the TEKS into the Common Core. Nothing like pandering to the lowest common denominator.

As for your summary solution? I could easily live with it. But I would also want to strengthen it.

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: American Association of School Administrators Conference; National Association of Secondary School Principals Conference (Multiple Presentations) 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook

A Reader Asks... Better Checkpoint Implementation

A LYS Principal asks the following questions. I will embed my answers after each question for easier reading.

SC,

I love the daily e-mails addressing improving schools (The LYS Nation Blog) and love The Fundamental 5 (Cain & Laird) and The Foundation Trinity (Cain).  As you know I have moved to a new district and I have a couple of questions about the 3-week Checkpoints we are implementing on my new campus this year.

1.  My teachers are having a difficult time "creating" their mini-assessments (Checkpoints) for each 3-week period.  We admit that we are not test writers.  We have lots of resources but finding stems with answer choices over the TEKS taught to that point has caused difficulties for us.  This is especially true in the area of Reading. 

SC: This is the most difficult part of the assessment process.  The easiest way to tackle this is to:

A. Map the curriculum in 3-week increments, identifying the critical TEKS that must be taught in the 3-week window. The YAG provides too broad of a brushstroke.

B. Identify questions that assess the identified TEKS.  STAAR release tests, district benchmark tests, TEKS Resource System unit tests (if you saved them), and test banks are the place to start.  A teacher actually writing checkpoint questions is the last resort. 

C. With reading assessments, identifying good reading passages is the first step.  Look for passages that can be used for numerous questions on a given assessments and used on multiple assessments.  Remember, with a hot read (a passage a student has seen before) you can ask more questions and more difficult questions in a given testing time.

2.  What are your suggestions for review of the mini-assessments while maintaining the pace of the YAGs (Year At A Glance pacing guide)?

SC: Do not review for an assessment.  To do so means that the Checkpoints are actually assessing the quality of the review, not the quality of first instruction.  Do not review after the assessment.  Instead re-teach the deepest holes over the course of the next 3-weeks.   

3.  Do you recommend DMAC (a data analysis tool) for data analysis for each mini-assessment (Checkpoint)?  If not, what should we use?

SC: No. In-depth data analysis of 3-week assessment data is a waste of time. The data sample is inherently unstable.  Instead, do a quick 1-page trend analysis, adjust, and move forward (LYS has a process it trains campuses to use).  Save the heavy data analysis for the Fall Finals and EOC / Spring Finals.

4.  What do you recommend for transparency of student/teacher data and do you have recommendations on how to keep it meaningful but not losing the valuable instructional time.

SC: There should be team transparency of assessment data.  However this should be implemented in a purposeful and methodical manner.  Doing it too early, when the data is overwhelmingly invalid destroys trust.

5. Thank you for you input.  I realize these are loaded questions.

SC: Yes, I realize these were loaded questions.  I do suggest that you schedule a LYS Coach to come to your campus and meet with your leadership team and lead teachers and walk them thru the process.  The LYS Coach will let your team know where they are on the right track, what corrections need to be made, and if the adversity you are dealing with is normal or unique.

I hope to hear from you soon.

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: American Association of School Administrators Conference; National Association of Secondary School Principals Conference (Multiple Presentations) 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook