Getting Ready for Kickoff

The following is a note that LYS Coach, Lesa Cain, sent to the Principals that she works with:

LYS Principals,

I am thinking about you as you get back to work and nail down plans for the upcoming adventure!  As you prepare to kick things off in a new school this year I just wanted you to consider a couple of things.  

The first time you talk with your new staff is the only first time you have. After that, they've heard you before.  What will you say to impact them like no other Principal ever has?  How will you make them proud to teach with you as the leader? How will you decide what your message for the year will be?

Teachers on your staff want to know what you expect from them. But more importantly, they want to know what they can expect from you.  Be sure to tell them HOW you plan on leading the campus.  Will you be visible?  Are you a positive person that sees the glass half full? Will you greet them each day?  Will you get to school an hour early, or will you be like me and stay until all hours of the night?  Will you talk to them in the classroom or will you ask them to come to the office?  Will you begin meetings on time or will you wait for late people to arrive before you start? Can they text you, or would you prefer a call?  Do you remember staff birthdays, or do you need to let them know that you have a hard time remembering what day it is?  Your staff needs to hear you say these things and anything else you can think of so that they know what they can expect from you and then you will get what you expect from them. :-)

It may sounds like I'm talking about "administrivia," but the point I want to make is that just like a phenomenal teacher models what she wants, you must model what you want.  If you want teachers to plan together, then you must attend the planning meetings.  If you want teachers to know the students in their classes, then you have to know the students in your school.  If you want teachers to call parents, then you must call parents.  If you want teachers to be kind, respectful and positive... then YOU must be kind, respectful and positive.

Above all, tell the truth about who you are and how you will make decisions.  This may sounds simple but when you begin to think about it things get muddy very quickly.  That's why we have the summer to figure all this out, hire new staff, make a plan for central office, and make sense out all the new initiatives they throw at us. Whew, I'm tired just typing this! 

In an effort to support you, I'm attaching a couple of the summer letters I emailed to my staffs over the years, and some beginning of the year speeches that goes with them (NOTE: Send LYS an email if you would like to review a couple of these). You will notice a pattern and I never changed it much except for the unifying theme. I always tried to have some sort of central theme and then we used that theme for a staff t-shirt, team building, teacher appreciation events, and any other way we could think of to tie everything we were trying to do together so that everyone was on the same page.

If this is of no help at all, or if you are way ahead of the game, or if you just think "who the heck is this lady?” then feel free to ignore this. You will not hurt my feelings.  I do not think that this is the Only Way, it just worked for us.  Let me know what you think and if you need anything else.

L. Cain

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... Sometimes It Pays to Play the Game - Part 5

In response to the 7/9/2103 post, “Sometimes It Pays to Play the Game– A Necessary Revision,” a LYS Assistant Superintendent writes:

SC,

We are going with a modified version...

9th and 10th will still take the English I and English II due to a huge number of our students taking duel credit college courses with English III and IV.

US History will be taken during the 11^th grade.

Algebra I will be moved to 10^th grade this year and Geometry will be moved to 9^th grade.  

Granted, to do this does involve some risk.  Our whole High School math rating will be based on last year’s failures taking the test.  Nobody else will be taking Algebra I this year... AHHHHHHH... Scary, but it is too important to get the course moved up to 10th grade.  

We had very good success at Biology and again the problem with the dual credit classes.

So for the 2013/2014 school year, two course adjustments work for us and two do not.

SC Response

Good for your students, good for your district and good for you!

Two steps forward in the right direction is much better than one step, no steps or backward steps.

And it puts better positions you to make more forward steps in the 2014/2015 school year.

Keep us informed on potholes and progress.

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 Asks... What Will Districts Do Now?

A LYS Teacher asks:

SC,

I really like the alignment component with CSCOPE... and the scope and sequence helpful as well. What will districts do now?

SC Response

At this point, the only thing that won’t be available in CSCOPE will be the lessons. And the lessons were simply an add-on.  The power of CSCOPE is the vertical and horizontal alignment to the TEKS.

Who is hurt by CSCOPE being FORCED to remove the supporting lessons are TEACHERS.  Not the master teacher, teaching a familiar content.  But everyone else...  The rookie teacher who has no lessons or doesn’t yet recognize a good lesson from a bad one.  The long-term sub who is trying to keep a class moving forward.  The veteran teacher who is teaching a new grade level or course. The coach in the middle of a season.  And the teacher dealing with a temporary crisis in his or her life.  These teachers now have had a resource/safety net STOLEN from them.

And we can pin the THEFT to one man, a state senator who has no experience in education and represents no school districts that actually use CSCOPE.  That man, Senator Dan Patrick, who proudly supports vouchers, reduced school funding, increased testing and the dismantling of teacher resources.  And now he is running for Lieutenant Governor, highlighting his enlightened education policy leadership.

So I ask you... What will teachers do now?

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 July 14, 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 July 14, 2013.

1. Congratulations to LYSer, Trig Overbo! He is the new Superintendent in Jayton-Girard ISD. Who will be next?

2. Congratulations to LYSer, Rick Kershner! He is the new Assistant Superintendent in Splendora ISD. Who will be next?

3. Relevant classrooms are those that allow students to create and produce, not simply consume information. (By @EkCoulson)

4. Today's Quote: "Nothing is taught if nothing is learned.  Nothing is learned is nothing is applied." (By @DrRichAllen)

5. Stop trying to figure out how to punish students into compliance and spend your energy on figuring out how to engage them with purpose. (By @justintarte) 

6. "Being visible” means more than people can physically see you although that is a great start. Approach, Interact, and Respond. (By @TroyMooney)

7. It's painfully obvious that our bureaucrats and politicians don't know the differences among curriculum, standards, lessons, etc. (By @tlonganecker)

8. The higher a student’s test scores, the farther from home the student is likely to go for college. (By @anniemurphypaul)

9. If you really think about it...isn't public education technically a business subsidy? (By @cheadhorn)

10. You can be the best in the business by merely doing the basics better. - Coach Krzyzewski. Sounds familiar, "Fundamental 5." (By @jaredpeters23)

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... Sometimes It Pays to Play the Game - Part 4

In response to the 7/9/2103 post, “Sometimes It Pays to Play the Game – A Necessary Revision,” a LYS Superintendent writes:

SC,

I find this all interesting. I was thinking of moving a few things around to. How about US History to 9th grade since 8th grade U.S. History should preview the tested content?

Is our only purpose to move tests away from 9^th grade?  I would think at least one test in a grade is better than none.

I’ll respond to your answer.

A.P.

SC Response

I would argue that the dual purposes of proactive scheduling are to better prepare students for academic success and graduation (primary importance) and to protect the school/district from draconian sanctions that inhibit the ability to teach and lead effectively (secondary importance).  The course offerings I have shared will effectively address both purposes.

Here is why I work to protect 9th graders from high stakes tests…  As you well know, if you randomly select a group of high school students you will find that Fragile Students are overrepresented in the 9th grade. For those of you who need objective proof, this fact manifests itself in when campuses have 500 9th graders and 300 seniors. This isn’t because 200 students graduated early. It is because fragile 9th graders become mired and eventually drown in academic failure.  Your strongest 9th grade students are ONLY dealing with transition issues, social issues, and lack of content experience issues.  Then throw into that mix the students who been previously retained and/or have failed any 8th grade courses. So my challenge is this, “Why would any rational educator subject this group of students to ANY test that has life changing implications and repercussions?”   

Bottom line, I wouldn't.  I would create a teaching and learning buffer to better prepare ALL of my students for success. This means altering traditional student schedules that grease the rails of a state mandated testing system that in the best-case scenario borders on Social Darwinism.   Let Social Darwinism drive the enrollment / retention practices of private schools (as is their right).  In public schools let’s embrace our sacred, democratic mandate of purposefully increasing opportunities for every student that walks through our doors, not just in word, but in practice.

And the burden of occupying your chair is that you are the one person in the system in best position to make this happen.  Unleash your inner Brezina!

I look forward to your response.

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... A Drop In Scores

A LYS Superintendent writes:

SC,

I need some therapy.  We received our STAAR scores today.  We saw some slight improvements in some areas, and some slight decline in others.  Of course what we want to see is significant improvement in all areas.  What troubles us is significant decline in several areas.  This comes after we have worked really hard to assess and revise instruction throughout the year. 

I know what to do from the ground up, but have never experienced this.  What advice can you give us?

SC Response

There are a number of factors at play in the shift from TAKS to STAAR.  And what confuses people is the vain attempt to find a correlation between TAKS and STAAR scores.  They are vexed by the same patterns you have experienced, TAKS scores on an upward trajectory while there is essentially no pattern to STAAR scores.  Here is the short version of why this is the case... TAKS and STAAR are different games, so you have to change how you play the game.

The TAKS test was aligned to the TEKS.  The TEKS that were tested stayed primarily in the low to mid-rigor area and from a pacing standpoint, clustered towards the middle of the year.  We had release tests to confirm this and about 9 years to adjust instructional practices to point where most schools could get most students to meet minimal performance standards.

The STAAR test is aligned to the TEKS.  The TEKS that are tested are primarily in the mid to high-rigor area and from a pacing standpoint, clusters towards the end of the year.  And we have no release tests to guide instructional planning. This means if we do what we have always done (and what was seemingly working), we are guaranteed to fail at the new game.

ASIDE: This is like the IRS changing the Tax Code and telling the taxpayer, “Take your best guess and good luck.  Oh, and if you guess wrong, be ready to lose your savings, house and career.”  Remember this when you head back to the voting booth.

So what to do?  As with so much that we deal with, the action plan is easy to comprehend and exceedingly difficult to execute.

1. We have to teach the right thing.  This means we must follow the scope and sequence with fidelity.  Anything less is unacceptable.

2. Pacing is now king.  Every grade must move at full speed in order for every grade to cover the content that will be tested.  In short, if the test is weighted towards days 120 thru 150 of content, we better get there or else our students will suffer.  Note that inadequate pacing is the hidden cancer of instructional delivery.  Almost universally, we start the year slow and then get slower. 

3. The rigor of student activity must increase.  Which means if we don’t have more students operating at the upper levels of cognition for longer periods of time, we are only creating the illusion of forward progress.  An illusion that is shattered when the test results come back.

4. We must extend time on task, especially for the students who have been exposed to slower paced, lower rigor instruction for multiple years.  This does not mean “During the day interventions” where we pull students out of the content to catch them up on the content.  This is perhaps the most asinine practice currently in play across the country.  Extending time on task means before school, extended period, during lunch, after school, extended week and extended year instruction. And this extended time instruction must be aligned with points 1, 2 and 3, otherwise don’t bother.

Now some will say the test is defective (doubtful), or the test is unfair (debatable), or some students will never achieve at the demanded level (defeatist).  What I say is this, “If we know we aren’t following the scope and sequence, aren’t on pace and aren’t having students operate at the appropriate level of rigor, then external factors are moot.  Because we know that WE are creating a significant level of slack in the system.”

This isn’t an indictment, just an understanding that we still have room to step up our game. The vehicle for achieving this? The implementation and continuously improved execution of the Foundation Trinity and the Fundamental 5.  So your scores are disappointing, it happens. The adversity you, your staff and your students WILL overcome will simply make the inevitable success taste that much sweeter.

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