An Assistant Superintendent Shares... Thanks to the Fundamental 5

A (brand new) LYS Assistant Superintendent shares the following:

SC,

Monday night I was promoted from Middle School Principal to Assistant Superintendent in my mid-sized 3-A district.  I implemented the Fundamental 5 at my campus this past year.  We sent a copy of the Fundamental 5 to every teacher on campus during the summer and we had the best inservice day I have ever witnessed.  My campus was focused.  I attribute many of the successes we had to the implementation of the Fundamental 5.  This implementation was (in my opinion) a major factor in my being viewed as an educational leader in my district. 

I appreciate good solid ideas that teachers can truly use. 

Thank you!

SC Response

Congratulations on the well deserved promotion.  The success of you and your campus is a testament to the fact that when you focus on the practices the leverage teacher effectiveness, students will respond accordingly and others will take notice. Now take what you now know district-wide.  And call if we can help.

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

Sometimes It Pays to Play the Game

There are way too many educators celebrating because of the passage of HB5.  As if it changes something.  It does not.  Funding has not been restored to previous levels and nothing has changed on the testing front.  All the tests that are kicking schools in the teeth are still there.  The only tests that are going away are the tests that haven’t been administered yet.  So again, what has changed?

But at the high school level, WE are in a position to make significant changes to protect both our students and our campus.  All it requires is some simple tweaks to our master schedules.  Which of course means that 99% of the campuses and districts will not considerer this a viable solution.  An ongoing phenomenon that I attribute to one-dimensional thinking.  This, on the other hand, is three-dimensional thinking.

The HB5 High Performance Schedule

There are now five End of Course exams (seven, if you are not a politician crowing about your enlightened leadership): Algebra I, Biology, U.S. History, English I (reading and writing), and English II (reading and writing).  Now most schools consider Algebra I, Biology and English I to be freshman courses, U.S. History to be a freshman or sophomore course, and English II to be a sophomore course.  This means that the most fragile, least mature and least prepared students on a campus are taking tests that impact both their ability to graduate and the “performance” of the campus.  That is, unless the campus schedules proactively.  Here is how I would schedule my students.

Algebra I is now a sophomore course.  Geometry becomes the default freshman math course. If the Geometry course has some embedded Algebra I elements (hint), so much the better.  Now students who are more mature and have had an extra year of math instruction take the Algebra I EOC. 

Biology is now a junior course for the vast majority of my students.  Chemistry becomes the default freshman science course. IPC (Integrated Physics and Chemistry) becomes the default freshman science course. The sophomore science course now becomes an environmental science focused course. If the environmental science focused course has some embedded Biology elements (hint), so much the better.  Now students who are more mature and have had two extra years of science instruction take the Biology EOC. 

U.S. History is now a junior course for the vast majority of my students.  World Geography and World History become the default freshman and sophomore social studies courses. If the World Geography and World History courses has some embedded U.S. History elements (hint), so much the better.  Now students who are more mature and have had two extra years of social studies instruction take the U.S. History EOC. 

Now this is where you double down on proactive scheduling.  English courses are driven by PEIMS numbers, not the year the course is taken.  Meaning that English IV (British Literature), which is traditionally taken by seniors, can be taken at any time, by any student.  Which means now...

English I is a sophomore course and English II is a junior course.  Either English III or English IV becomes the default freshman course (let your English Department decide what is the best fit). If the English III or English IV course has some embedded English I elements (hint), so much the better.  Now students who are more mature and have had an extra year of English instruction take the English I EOC.  And two years of extra English instruction before taking the English II EOC.

What we know is that the more mature the student, the more motivated the student, and the longer the student has been exposed to good instruction, the more successful the student will be on accountability tests.  If you take this one step further and load your freshman classes with your absolute best teachers, your EOC performance problems will become significantly less severe and your students significantly more successful.  Where's the downside to that?

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

A Reader Writes... What Do You Really Think - Part 1

In response to the 3/19/2013 post, “What Do You Really Think,” a reader writes:

SC,

Yellow journalism is used to sway public opinion. When you use the term "loonies" to refer to people who object to CSCOPE, you are using an editorial devise to sway the reader. That immediately alerts the savvy reader that you have an underlying motive.

SC Response

Let’s get real. In no way should I ever be considered a journalist. I’m a practitioner that moderates an on-going conversation about the pursuit of school excellence.

Second, I have made exceeding clear that having questions, concerns and even objections to CSCOPE does not make one a Loony.  Heck, that makes you an informed consumer.  That is entirely different than arguing that CSCOPE is a Marxist Conspiracy, or part of a plot to create a New World Order, or that CSCOPE is stealing money from school districts (all actual claims).  That is Loony.  For those offended by that distinction, all I can offer is, “If the shoe fits...”

Third, if it takes anyone more than three sentences to realize that I have an opinion and an agenda, by definition, they are not a savvy reader. But just to make sure that my agenda is clear, here it is.

As educators, our job is to maximize opportunity for all students.  Not just the students that are easy to teach, or the students that I like, or the students that have parents who look and think like me.  All of them.  To not do so is state, community, district and campus sanctioned theft.

Those who let their self-interest get in the way of this, I have a problem with.  In the LYS Nation, we call each other on this, we work through this, and sometimes have to agree to disagree. For those who aren’t part of the LYS Nation, they’re not going to be reading for very long so I’m not losing any sleep worrying about how they feel.

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 Tweets From the Week of June 16, 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 June 16, 2013.

1. (SBOE member) Thomas Ratliff about Texas Senator Dan Patrick on CSCOPE: “It’s difficult to get a man to understand something when his paycheck depends on his not understanding it.” (By @tra_hall)

2. As public educators we can't put a sign out that says "No Vacancy."  We have to educate all students. (By @lhilliowa)

3. In interviews, you should ask the candidate to list the levels of Rigor. Stop the interview if they can't. Know your craft. (By @LYSNation)

4. Here's a good rule of thumb: If students are not building, manipulating, talking or writing, Rigor is no higher than comprehension. (By @LYSNation)

5. Another great rule of thumb: Instructional Rigor does not mean harder. It means more complex. Anyone can do hard. Complex requires planning. (By @LYSNation)

6. Always start with the assumption that opportunities for improvement exist...seek out errors, then work to fix them. (By @brandyjbaker)

7. "Isolation is the enemy of improvement." (By @DrJerryRBurkett)

8. The discovery that reading fiction is good for your brain is "like finding out that ice cream is healthy." (By @anniemurphypaul)

9. Twitter is the most powerful free professional development I have ever seen. Nothing else even close. (By @ToddWhitaker) 

10. Is it just me? Or is the quality of the average rubber band much lower than it used to be? (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

A Reader Writes... A Little Love for the Curriculum Department

After a recent presentation to 300+ school leaders, a reader and audience member writes:

SC,

I know you hear this often but Thank You! Thank You! Thank You! 

Your presentation to our district was exactly what our leadership teams needed to hear.  You present from such a strong, experiential background it gives so much credibility to your message. 

When you are the person responsible for a robust, viable curriculum for grades Pre-K through 12 in a district with approximately 39,000 students there is a little bit of pressure!  Your presentation helped solidify some of the initiatives we are doing and gave us other new ideas.  As in your words, "We must correct areas of concern and leverage areas of strength."  Keep up the great work and thanks again for sharing with us.  I look forward to working with Lead Your School as we go forward.

SC Response

No, thank you!  You all were a fantastic audience... informed, reflective and engaged.  If anything, the room lifted me up. 

I have nothing but respect for curriculum staff and there is no way I would take that job. It is the least loved position in education.  First, you actually know more than the people that you are supporting, but the supportees never seem to admit or appreciate this. Then add to this the fact that I have never met a teacher who says anything like, “Man, I really like our curriculum.  I would be lost with out it.” 

Instead, we blame any and all our problems on it (myself included).  So I emphasize with the pressure of your position.

I am glad that you found validation and inspiration in our discussions, and I too look forward to an opportunity to work with you and your team in the near future.

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

A Superintendent Writes... Remember Who You Voted For

A LYS Superintendent writes the following:

SC,

I'm lamenting the crippling blow inflicted on CSCOPE.  I'm sorry to see this happen and I know this is not the ESCs’ wish. It’s all part of a public school witch-hunt.

So last session, Senator Dan Patrick votes to strip away our funding, which requires us to cut the very staff that might have had some time to write a little curriculum, votes to increase the number of accountability tests (when there was no money). Now this session he fools us with a few more bucks added back this session (though not as much as was cut). Then he conducts a witch-hunt over a handful of lessons, out of over 1,600, in order to eliminate an inexpensive way for small to mid-sized districts to have a curriculum.  Then he and his cronies celebrate that loss.... amazing.  

Then he votes to eliminate a few tests, but keep ALL the TEKS testable.  But now with CSCOPE weakened we are back to relying on textbooks, which are at best, TEKS correlated.  Which makes passing Texas accountability tests even more difficult.  I'm not a conspiracy theorist... but there is a conspiracy to make public school look like they are failing.

I'm waiting to see which private company "steps up" with a CSCOPE replacement product that is FAR more expensive to fill the gap. Any guesses on which Senators and Representatives will “consult” and lobby for those very same private companies after they leave governmental service (the Shapiro shuffle)?

As a district we have spent a year and a half spent aligning lessons to our mini-assessments and now it’s all gone.  I would like to thank Senator Patrick and his Far Right colleagues for allowing us the opportunity to re-organize staff to write lessons for 2013-14 implementation. There is nothing like re-inventing the wheel with not enough staff, time and money.  And the long overdue staff salary increases that we were planning on?  Now we get to reduce them in order to have funds to get a new lesson bank in place.

But this session wasn’t a complete loss, our Senators and Representatives did vote to increase their pensions.  As long as you don’t think about it, that seems fair.

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