Critical Writing... How Much is Enough

When I present to teachers I am often asked, “How often should I have my students engage in Critical Writing?”

The short answer is... Every period. Every day.

The long answer is slightly more nuanced.  In the typical classroom, critical writing occurs around 4% of the time.  That is not a typo and that includes reading and writing classrooms. And 4% is not a LYS finding. Mike Schmoker (one of the REALLY big brains in education) was the first to point this out.  Others have since documented similar findings.  So, we will accept 4% as typical.

At the best Fundamental 5 campuses, Critical Writing is observed 15 to 20% of the time.  So, it still does not occur all the time, but look at it this way, 20% is just a 400% improvement over the typical classroom.  That is significant.  But I also think it is reasonable. 

Let’s break this down to make the practice a little more actionable.  If we were to assume that the typical class period is 60 minutes long, then 20% of class time would be 12 minutes. Which means that I believe a reasonable goal in any core content classroom would be to embed a minimum of 8 to 12 minutes of Critical Writing in every lesson.

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

A Reader Asks... How Do I Recognize Critical Writing

A LYS Assistant Superintendent asks:

SC,

I have attended many of your sessions on curriculum.  Currently I am trying to support my district with its implementation of The Fundamental 5.  After conducting a classroom walk-thru the following question came up... 

“When you are in ELAR, does writing count as critical writing or does the ELAR teacher have to go beyond her current expectations to have the rigor of critical writing?”  

Our team was divided...I have reread the Critical Writing chapter in, The Fundamental 5 (Cain & Laird) and do believe essays in ELAR are critical writing but wanted to ask the source.

SC Response

Thank you for your fantastic question.  A question that befuddles a lot of educators, including me, when I got started.  We asked the same question after speaking to Mike Schmoker in the early 2000’s. He had reported that critical writing was occurring in less than 5% of the classrooms he studied, including ELAR classrooms.

As a Texas educator, I took that statement as a direct challenge and my team attempted to prove him wrong.  We didn’t.  

As teachers, we make an almost universal mistake. We operate under the incorrect assumption that when a students has "pencil on paper" that critical writing is occurring. This is not the case.  Critical writing equals critical writing. And that is what fools us in the classroom.  Students have their pencils on paper a lot, but the tasks they are completing do not elevate to the level of critical writing, even in the ELAR classroom.

So how do we determine if a writing activity represents critical writing, in any setting?  Look for the following:

A. The written identification of similarities and differences.

B. Written summarizations

C. Note making (not copying)

D. Any other writing activity that meets all elements of the 4-Part Critical Writing Test (which we will discuss tomorrow).

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: The Fundamental 5 National Summit (Multiple 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 Submits... The Common Assessment Process

An LYS Superintendent shares the following:

SC, 

A superintendent and a teacher asked me essentially the same set of questions yesterday - two different districts, two different roles, but the same dilemma. Both districts have just completed a testing cycle of "curriculum based assessments” with seemingly poor results. The following are my thoughts.

1. Great job doing common assessments!  I will add that waiting 6 to 9 weeks is too long. You are now finding out 9 weeks into the school year that your instructional practices are maybe, and I add MAYBE, not as effective as you thought they were.  You could have known that with a short assessment 6 weeks ago, after only 3 weeks of instruction had passed.  Teachers, if your district persists in doing 6 weeks and 9 weeks assessments, it falls to you to make 3 weeks assessments, in the same format as the district's common assessments.  These can and should be less than 10 questions long, and should not take an entire class period.  You can and should spiral questions from identified holes onto these assessments. In other words, follow the Cain model.

2. Both districts are implementing C-Scope for the first time this year.  Now it must be made clear to everyone that this is NOT the first year both of these districts made C-Scope available to the staff, it is merely the first year both districts have become concerned enough to mandate and monitor the implementation of the curriculum. Leaders, you may want to sit down, because this may sting.  What you have done as leaders, by not making an aligned curriculum mandatory, is an egregious leadership failure. You KNEW you needed a curriculum, which is why you bought it, yet you failed to lead the implementation of the curriculum.  Your responsibility to implement best practices, including curriculum implementation, does not end simply because you sent teachers to C-Scope training. Enough said, now don't beat yourself up over it, let's fix it.  Also, don't beat the teachers up either, as this situation is mostly a result of your leadership failure, not teaching failure.

3. Early testing results in both districts were, to be generous, poor. Neither of these testing results should be a surprise.  That is, I would bet a copy of the Fundamental 5 (Cain & Laird) that neither district had TEACHERS conduct a focused analysis of their student's deficiencies AND develope a viable plan to fill in holes.  Every teacher in my district was required to identify the most failed objectives from last year.  Once that was conducted, we remembered our Schmoker: we concentrate on the deepest hole and begin filling it weekly.  Schmoker tells us that if we try to fill all learning holes, we fill nothing. However, learning is a complex interconnected web. If we begin by filling in the deepest hole, we will address some learning gaps and misconceptions that are likely to partially or completely fill in other holes.  Once the deepest hole is filled, and that may take a while, start on the next one.  The catch here is two-fold.  One, your students have not been in an aligned scope and sequence, so there are certainly holes in the learning.  This will create low common assessment scores.  Two, this phenomenon of low scores was totally predictable had you put some thought to the problem early on.  This reflects back to point one: MAYBE the instruction was ineffective, or MAYBE it was effective but there are just too many unidentified and un-addressed learning holes.

4. The first year of common assessment implementation is likely to be chaotic.  Again, leadership created this chaos; so don't panic in the face of your creation!  Scores will be low, holes need to be identified, and strategies need to be developed to fill in the holes, one at a time.  The process is not as slow as it sounds, but don't be surprised when your common assessment scores remain in the tank all year long.  The trick is to look at next year's common assessment scores.  Are the scores moving up, overall?  If so, your system is beginning to add value to children, congratulations! Keep the word "system" in mind. You are now in the first stages of creating a system approach to educating children. Before you were simply treating symptoms. System work will be much harder.  Keep in mind too that it is likely you do not fully understand instructional systems at this point.  I started using an instructional system approach in 2006. It was not until 2009 that I would have called myself actually competent, three years.  The 10,000-hour rule as described by Gladwell is in full play here.

5. Common assessment data is valuable in the following ways: A. It puts a numerical value on the health of your instructional systems. B. It verifies if instructional strategies and deficit filling are occurring, over time. C. And this is a distant third, it is student performance data.  We seem to get common assessment data and then want to come up with student interventions, which is the LEAST valuable data from common assessments.  Student interventions are symptom treating, and that is OK as long as the main thrust is to treat the disease.  In our case, the disease is an ineffective instructional system.  I see teachers spending hours doing tutorials after school: symptom treating.  I see almost ZERO time spent anywhere trying to create a better instructional system.  Those priorities are 180 degrees out of synch.

In closing, don't panic in the face of common assessment scores.  Use the scores to improve your systems.  It took Lesa Cain three years of faithful and relentless systems building in order to produce an exceedingly high performing school with a student body consisting almost entirely of low SES students. Not to mention that Lesa had access to an incredible support network that too many of us don't have (but you can).  Just understand that system building is work.  Work this process diligently for several years and reap the rewards.  Leadership should concern themselves only with teachers who refuse to implement the curriculum, refuse to adjust instructional practices, and refuse to fill in student learning gaps. For teachers who are on board, pat them on the back and a give them a little cover and a little 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/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: 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 November 6, 2011

In regards to bootleg technology I often get the question, “Where should we start?”

Here’s an idea: Ask some students.  If there are expert bootleg technology users on your campus the odds are that they are students, even at the elementary level.  So create a ‘Principal’s Emerging Technology Advisory Committee.’  Populate the committee with students who are handpicked and volunteers.   Then have the committee answer the following questions:

1.     What bootleg technology tools do students use?

2.     How do students use bootleg technology tools

3.     Where do students use bootleg technology tools?

4.     Which common bootleg technology could be used in class?

5.     How can identified bootleg technology tools be used in class?

6.     What should be the rules for using bootleg technology?

7.     What should be the consequences for using bootleg technology inappropriately?

My guess is through the process of answering these questions your students will create a reasonable and actionable bootleg technology plan that will be the envy of your district.

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 November 6, 2011, as tabulated by the accountants at Price Waterhouse. 

1. We are still our own worst enemy. A teacher union quote, "Closing empty schools won't impact the overall budget much." Blatant inefficiency steals from kids and taxpayers.

2. How can you not have one documented teacher observation at this time in the year and look yourself the mirror, much less call yourself a school leader?

3. There are 205 school days in South Korea's calendar - 25 more than in the U.S. Over an academic career, they spend 2 more years in class. (@FareedZakaria)

4. "Studies suggest students should be praised for effort..." LYS'ers are surprised by how many are surprised by this.

5. Just because the standard is hard to achieve doesn't make the standard wrong. And a try and a miss still equals a miss. So try again.

6. I’m about to lead teams of teachers on some classroom observations. Always an exciting day. This is the first real step in creating an action oriented PLC.

7. Here's the goal. Morning announcements - 2 minutes or LESS. Every extra second of instruction is valuable.

8. It is time to pull back the curtain of truth. Teachers who do not want to improve should never be considered master teachers. (@CabidaCain)

9. If you haven't read Marzano (or Schmoker, Fullan, etc.), you don't get to debate the interpretation of Marzano (or Schmoker, Fullan, etc.).

10. Can anyone show me where the weekly spelling test is in C-Scope? So how come I keep seeing spelling tests being administered?

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

The Unfair Fight

I don’t know why, but it always surprises me when an obvious novice argues (not questions, but argues) with an expert.  I first experienced this when I watched a small group of principals argue with Mike Schmoker.  In the early 2000’s, Mike flew to Austin, Texas to meet with a small group of school leaders that were taking over failing schools.  In that room were a number of Old School LYS’ers (when they were rookies who had just taken jobs that nobody else wanted).  Most of the participants were furiously taking notes, trying to retain as much information as much as possible from one of the big brains in education.  But then there were the other three principals.  Every time Schmoker said something or made a point, their facial expressions were as if they had bit into lemons and them they would whisper knowingly to each other. Finally, after they had evidently had enough, one in the group challenged Schmoker on some of his arguably less important, but still correct points.  Schmoker was polite, but would not cede that the arguers were correct, because frankly, they weren’t.  It finally got to a point where the other principals in the room asked the arguers to either stop or leave. 

Looking smug the arguers simply turned their backs to Schmoker and talked quietly to each other.  I have to admit that I wasn’t surprised when each of those three principals quickly flamed out and were replaced.  But that’s another story.

All that to say there is significant value in picking your battles.  Experts are experts for a reason.  In their area of expertise they have read more, researched more, built more and/or done more than the typical person in the field. So when an AP decides he or she has taken umbrage with something E. Don Brown says, just know that the Old School LYS’ers aren’t laughing with you, they are laughing at you.  

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

On-going Professional Development and the Book List

I had an LYS principal call me last week with a question and a request. The question was this:

“What should I be doing to prepare myself for my next job, in terms of professional development?”

This is an excellent question. I told him that there are a couple of things he should be doing. First, he should focus on ensuring that his campus is working everyday to maximize student performance (Check – Middle School, Exemplary without TPM).

Second, he should begin attending the state and national principal conferences and also the state and national school administrator conferences (TASA and AASA). These conferences attract excellent speakers and have numerous sessions devoted to current issues and education.

Finally, he should add a measure of discipline and focus to his reading. Spend less time on fiction and devote more time reading about instruction, leadership and organizations.

I told him by doing this, he would begin to separate himself from the pack during the interview process.

As for his request, he asked for the list of ten books I recommend to school leaders. So here is the list again, just in time for your holiday reading:

The First Five

1. Results Now, by Mike Schmoker. This book sets the tone. If on the whole you disagree with what Mike writes in this book, you are going to disagree with LYS (the Organization and probably the Nation).

2. Corp Business, by David H. Freedman. The book I made every new AP I hired read. I have yet to find a book that does a better job of laying out the actionable ABC’s of leading people in the field.

3. Good to Great, by Jim Collins. There are hedgehogs and foxes. Reject your fox instincts and embrace your inner hedgehog.

4. The Tipping Point, by Malcolm Gladwell. The primer on the power of the few. Those who question the power of the LYS Nation just don’t recognize the implication of a network of the best Mavens, Connectors and Salespeople in our field.

5. Classroom Instruction That Works, by Robert Marzano. The final word on the research that proves the effect of best practice. This book is so critical to our profession that if you haven’t read it yet, you don’t deserve a seat at the table when the discussion turns to instruction.

The Best of the Rest (6-10)

6. The Moral Imperative of School Leadership, by Michael Fullan. You actually should read everything that Fullan writes, but if time is a factor, this is the one to start with. I do have one small problem with Fullan. He’s too smart. He understands the nuances that drive expert leadership and does a world class job of explaining this (perhaps better than anyone). Unfortunately, the smart/lazy manager type can use Fullan as justification for their repeatedly inane actions (or inaction).

7. How the Mighty Fall, by Jim Collins. Yes, it is a business book, but Collins lays out the doom loop that district after district is currently stuck in. Fortunately, he tells us how to get out of the loop and even prevent it. Unfortunately, most senior leadership doesn’t care and isn’t listening.

8. Who Moved My Cheese, by Spencer Johnson, M.D. The modern classic. I only appreciated it after I read it the second time. First, you have to have tried to manage significant organizational change and made a mess of it; than you are ready understand what Dr. Johnson is really teaching us.

9. The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, by John C. Maxwell. Maxwell is a former pastor. He writes about church leadership. In many ways, church leadership is a better model for school leaders than business leadership. Violate the Irrefutable Laws at the peril of your organization and you career.

10. Slot number ten is filled by a number of books, that depending on my mood, interest, or need of the person I’m working with, that I might recommend. Some of those books include:

33 Strategies of War, by Robert Greene for strategic and tactical planning.

The Federalist Papers, by Hamilton, Madison and Jay. If you are trying to lead an organization of more than three people who have competing self-interests, you might find this worth reading.

It’s Called Work for a Reason, by Larry Wingate. Admittedly a pulp book. But sometimes we have to get over ourselves, cut thru the BS and admit that we had a job to do and how hard we tried doesn’t matter if we’re not successful. Just looking at the title ought to give you a little boost when the going gets tough.

His Excellency, by Joseph J. Ellis. Think you have leadership all figured out? If this study of George Washington doesn’t convince otherwise, you must be pretty darn good.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

A Reader Writes... (A Convesation with One of the Smart Guys - Part 2)

In response to the post, "A Conversation with One of the Smart Guys," a reader writes:

“I am in GP and very proud to be a part of it. At the end of May, I was sitting in a meeting with other teachers from other GP schools. One teacher went off on LYS and asked to see the research and why it is so important. Another person said the same thing. In fact, I am pretty sure that (he or she) said, "I have asked to see the research on its effectiveness, but was told to be quiet and never ask again."

That is not verbatim, but close. Look at the growth that GPISD has had in the last 3 years. Right there is a validation of the research!!! What LYS and GPISD is doing, IS WORKING!!!”

SC Response
As you (and the majority of the GPISD staff) have proven, all it takes is the courage to let go of the stale practices of habit and embrace small changes that pay big dividends in student performance. Kudos to you.

The “research question” is the biggest crock of malarkey you can image and is simply a tool that the naysayer uses to stop change. The research is not secret, as we point out and share over and over again. LYS practices are entrenched in the works of Schmoker, Marzano, DuFour, Fullan, Schelecty and Caulkin just to name a few. Then, just as you have done, we point to the work of LYS that has been validated in the field over and over again. All the naysayer has to do is read a book and/or look at the data.

As for the the statement, “I was told not to ask.”

Again, made up garbage by someone who doesn’t want to change at a pace that is beneficial for students. One reason why LYS and GPISD works well together is because GPISD leadership is constantly is looking for the answers to the qestions, "what works, how do we know it and how do we start doing it?" As does LYS.

Plus, there is the blog. As regular readers know, I (and by extension LYS and the LYS Nation) will discuss any topic and address any concern that is brought forth in this forum. As I have written before, this is a forum of ideas and may the best idea win.

So when someone is throwing stones, consider the following options:

1. Say nothing. Often just knowing that you are right and they are wrong is enough.

2. Ask them to explain away the data that shows that things are improving.

3. Ask them if they have actually had a conversation with me or any of the LYS coaching staff. We are easy to find.

Regardless, don’t let the naysayers slow you down. In the short run, a little skepticism is healthy. In the long run, the continuous improvement and success of you and your students will either convince them to change or convince them to leave. Either way, their students win.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

A Reader Asks... 4 Books

A LYS Assistant Superintendent recently asked me what four books I would recommend to school leaders that best encapsulate the LYS philosophy.

I have to admit that I failed. I could create the top ten list and I could create a top seven list. However, try as I might I could not create a top four list. But I did get close; here are the five books that I believe that every member of the LYS Nation should read. These works are a critical part of the tapestry that is at the core of LYS beliefs and actions. Now in order:

1. Results Now, by Mike Schmoker. This book sets the LYS tone. If on the whole you disagree with what Mike writes in this book, you are going to disagree with LYS (the organization and probably the Nation).

2. Corp Business, by David H. Freedman. This is the book I had every new AP I hired read. I have yet to find a book that does a better job of laying out the actionable ABC’s of leading people in the field.

3. Good to Great, by Jim Collins. There are hedgehogs and foxes. Reject your fox instincts and embrace your inner hedgehog. Don't have a clue what I'm talking about? Read the book.

4. The Tipping Point, by Malcolm Gladwell. The primer on the power of the few. Those who question the power of the LYS Nation just don’t recognize the implication of a network of the best Mavens, Connectors and Salespeople in our field.

5. Classroom Instruction That Works, by Robert Marzano. The final word on the research that proves the effect of best practice. This book is so critical to our profession that if you haven’t read it yet, you have to question whether or not you deserve a seat at the table when the discussion turns to instruction.

There you go, my recommended initial reading assignment for the summer.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

A Reader Writes... (PowerWalks)

In response to the post, "A Reader Asks... PowerWalks", an LYS principal writes.

“You broadly categorized the types of observations which makes a debate difficult. But I’m game. I would break observations into two groups:

1. Coaching observations (regardless of time)

2. Assessment observations (regardless of time)

I am a firm believer in using the 3 minute or less observation to generate coaching tips. The original poster claims the 3 minute observations take far longer than 3 minutes. I will say that after thousands of formal and informal PowerWalks, I can be in and out of a class in less than a minute.

I believe that PDAS is generally misunderstood or misapplied. Most of PDAS is objective. Some of PDAS is subjective. The problem with the PDAS instrument is that it is not quick or easy. By not being quick and easy it is almost always poorly implemented. Properly implemented PDAS would lead to much lower scores than most teachers receive. Use a stop watch and count students at some point to find out.

The only area where I disagree with Cain is that I could care less about the dog and pony show. If a teacher does a great job in a formal observation but can't deliver quality instruction on a daily basis, then I question that teacher's commitment. Why do a great job when I am around, but slack at every other opportunity?

SC Response
I agree with the coaching / assessment breakdown. It is just our position that:

1. It must be very clear to the teacher which is occurring when the observer is in the room. “Sniping” teachers is a cowards move.

2. The data collected for coaching and assessment must be kept separate and unique. Much like constitutional rights that sometimes let criminals free, the need to protect teachers from bad leadership practices outweigh any efficiency arguments that can be made for combining the data.

I understand your 1 minute claim, but I fear most people won’t. Just last week I conducted over 300, three minute classroom observations on 12 different campuses. You are correct in stating that you can see everything you need to see in a minute. But here is the caveat, you can only see everything after you have completed 100’s of observations. Your eye takes the picture and then your mind dissects that picture. But the peripheral, yet critical details of the picture aren’t visible until you have done it enough. Schmoker says the secret to becoming on expert on instruction is to observe a lot of instruction. But now we know better, the secret to becoming an expert on instruction is to purposefully observe a lot of instruction. The difference is subtle, but critical. The coach who watches 1000’s of hours of game film has a better understanding of the game than the fan who watches lots game on TV.

I agree that PDAS, properly implemented is somewhat objective. But every time you give the teacher the benefit of the doubt, objectivity flies out the window. And I agree that for the most part PDAS is improperly scored. The personalities of the observer and observee have a greater bearing on the final score that what was observed in the classroom. Two quick examples of this:

1. Pull the PDAS results of the staff at any low performing school in the state. Less that 1% will have scored low enough to warrant a growth plan and a significant percentage of the staff will have “exceeded expectations.”

2. I was working with a principal recently that was trying to document a teacher off of his campus, not because of poor student results (which were good) but because of a poor attitude. Needless to say, I came down on the side of the teacher in this case.

Now for our point of contention. I think there is value in the dog and pony show because provides the coach with critical information. If the gap between typical behavior and exceptional behavior is small, then the focus has to be on increasing the skill level and capacity of the teacher. Technique, tools, stamina, planning and support are areas of critical need. On the other hand, if the gap between typical and exceptional behavior is great, then the focus has to be on increasing or improving tempo, urgency, planning, accountability, and instructional habits.

The accurate determination of “can’t do” or “won’t do,” dictates not only my course of action with the staff member but also the pace in which I expect to see noticeable improvement. Needless to say, the initial expectations for “Won’t do’s,” will be significantly different than those for the “Can’t do’s.” After all, the “Won’t do’s,” have demonstrated that their comfort and convenience outweighs the instructional needs of students. And that, I take personally.

So where did we disagree?

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...