The Embarrassment of "Low" Common Assessment Scores

So you buy into the concept of short-cycle common assessments but the embarrassment of “low” scores are causing teachers to freak out.  Calm down, take a deep breath and repeat after me, “All low scores are not equal. And all low scores are not bad.”

If fact, if your common assessment score are too “high,” you are probably doing them wrong.  So let’s look at the three common reasons that are the drivers of low scores and assess them as good or bad.

1. The scores are low, but we are not “cheating” the system by reviewing or ignoring selected questions.  This is good. We may not like the results, but at least we know where we are at a given point of time.

2. The scores are low, but I barely covered the material.  This is good. At least I’m close to being on pace with the scope and sequence.

3. The scores are low, but I didn’t get to teach the material as well as I wanted too.  This is good. I’m on pace and I should still have time to teach the material to greater depth of understanding.

4. The scores are low, but I didn’t teach the material.  This is BAD.  I’m off pace.  Now I have to figure out how to teach the missing material and the material I’m supposed to be teaching right now. This requires strategic curricular surgery and if I don’t do something now, the situation will only get worse.  The only silver lining is at least I know this is an issue that needs fixing (rare) as opposed to being oblivious to the situation (common).

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

PowerWalks Hero Schools (September 2016)

In furtherance of a LYS Nation tradition, we will take this time to tip our caps to the campuses that have embraced the most important step in creating and maintaining an action oriented professional learning community.  These are the campuses that have conducted an extraordinary number of formative classroom observations in a given month.  For the month of September the PowerWalks Hero School Targets were as follows:

September Hero School Targets

High Schools – 225 PowerWalks Observations

Middle Schools / Junior High Schools – 175 PowerWalks Observations

Elementary / Intermediate / Combined Campuses – 150 PowerWalks Observations

Alternative Schools – 50 PowerWalks Observations

Since October is a full month with limited testing, we’ll raise the bar a little bit.

October Hero School Targets

High Schools – 275 PowerWalks Observations

Middle Schools / Junior High Schools – 200 PowerWalks Observations

Elementary / Intermediate / Combined Campuses – 175 PowerWalks Observations

Alternative Schools – 55 PowerWalks Observations

In September, all of the schools using the PowerWalks Instructional Observation System conducted a total of 20,075 classroom observations. A commendable job, LYS Nation! But now, without further ado, here are your forty-four PowerWalks Hero Schools for the month of September 2016.  Congratulations!!!

Elementary Schools & Combined Campuses	Middle Schools & Junior High Schools	Alternative Schools	High Schools
McFee ES (CFISD) - 822	Cleveland MS (CISD) - 815		Valley HS (JCPS) - 931
Southside PS (CISD) - 753	Rockport-Fulton MS (ACISD) - 523		Rockport-Fulton HS (ACISD) - 469
Duryea ES (CFISD) - 690	Rawlins MS (CCSD1) - 294		Fairdale HS (JCPS) - 423
Bill W. Wright ES (WISD) - 522	Ector MS (ECISD) - 291		Cleveland HS (CISD) - 383
Rawlins ES (CCSD1) - 449	Marlin MS (MISD) - 266		Dublin HS (DISD) - 314
Eastside ES (CISD) - 437	Big Spring JH (BSISD) - 229		Sanger HS (SISD) - 307
Willbern ES (CFISD) - 433	Bear Branch JH (MISD) - 195		La Porte HS (LPISD) - 276
Live Oak Learning Center (ACISD) - 395	Farley MS (HISD) - 183		Iroquois HS (JCPS) - 275
Northside ES (CISD) - 392	Hutto MS (HISD) - 183		Odessa HS (ECISD) - 271
Colonial Hills ES (NEISD) - 355			Weatherford HS (WISD) - 256
Fulton Learning Center (ACISD) - 309
Dublin ES (DISD) - 304
Goliad ES (BSISD) – 296
Little Bay Primary Schools (ACISD) - 271
Poteet ES/IS (PISD) - 242
Marlin ES (MISD) - 233
Little Snake River Valley School (CCSD1) - 217
Henry B. Gonzalez ES (EISD) - 203
Hutto ES (HISD) - 182
Dublin IS (DISD) - 179
Cottonwood Creek ES (HISD) - 177
Gardendale ES (EISD) - 168
Big Spring IS (BSISD) - 166
Veterans’ Hill ES (HISD) - 153
Raymond E. Curtis ES (WISD) - 151

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

Top LYS Tweets From the Week of September 25, 2016

If you are not following @LYSNation on Twitter, then you missed the Top 10 LYS Tweets from the week of September 25, 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. “The underlying art of teaching is assisting others in self-discovery.” (By @DrRichAllen)

2. Formative Observations are critical for cueing new practices, improving quality of practice; and creating "game film" for teachers. (By @drjolly)

3. Make classroom discussion purposeful with rigorous questions and keep it accountable with multiple response strategies. (By @abforehand)

4. Texas Baptist Pastors oppose vouchers.  Private school education is not a civil right or constitutional. (By @DrMarshaFarney)

5. Your best organizations are crystal clear on their WHY. (By @jackson_carrie)

6. School vouchers a civil rights issue? 'No,' says Pastors for Texas Children - Baptist Standard (By @TxProChild)

7. If you understand your WHY, it will help you make the big decisions. (By @jackson_carrie)

8. Without feedback, people invent their own based on their personality and beliefs system. (By @jackson_carrie)

9. Does your grading policy measure who gets it, or who gets it first? (By @sixoclock)

10. “I no longer want school sanctions; I want positive rewards for positive school accomplishments.” – S. Cain (By @jackson_carrie)

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

Lead From the Front

The following is a note that a LYS Superintendent sent to his Principals just two weeks into this new school year. 

Campus Leaders and Colleagues:

Here are the most up-to-date results of PowerWalks, by building, to this point so far:

The Elementary School is leading the way with 177 PowerWalks.

The Middle School is in second with 142 PowerWalks.

High School 1 has 90 PowerWalks.

High School 2 has 65 PowerWalks.

The Alternative High School has 1 PowerWalk.

These are good starting numbers, but remember, frequency matters! We need to be in classrooms and not offices. Office Jockeys will not have the powerful practices in their classrooms at the quality and quantity that our students need and deserve.

As we go forward, know that our Central Office Directors and myself will visit at least 10 classrooms per month, on each campus. Fridays are traditionally are weakest instructional days, so those will be the days that I will be coming through. We will not improve by luck. We will improve through focused cueing, support and coaching.

Have a great weekend and thank you for your hard work and a great start of the school year.

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

Enemies to Instruction

We just wrapped up the two-day TASSP/LYS Leadership Academy, a fantastic experience with almost 250 campus-based school leaders participating and networking. One of the presenters was the Maverick Superintendent of Wyoming and LYSer, Fletcher Turcato.  In his presentation he talked about Enemies of Instruction. His premise, which I agree with, is that we allow too many infringements to teaching and learning because we don’t assign enough value to the infringement.  My example is that we ignore the mosquito, because it is just a small irritant, something to work around or through.  But the mosquito is not a small thing; it represents malaria, zika and a host of other diseases that will kill you.

So what are the Enemies to Instruction? It depends on the campus.  For example, it could be the 5-Minute Passing Period when 3 minutes will suffice. It could be the Open Campus Lunch Policy where 5% of students are late getting back to school every day.  It could be the Weekly In-School Pep Rally. It could be the Annual Charity Can Drive. The point being, if teaching and learning are being negatively impacted, identify the enemy and eliminate it. That is leadership. Or ignore the enemy, avoid the conflict, and leave student performance on the table. Which is leadership failure.

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

The Current Educator is Just Better

I do not question the fact the being an educator today is tougher than it has ever been. Public education policy being dictated by dedicated Anti-Public School Advocates. Reduced funding, salaries that do not keep up with inflation, and trolls that lurk and attack at any and every paranoia fueled slight.  Yet in the face of this, the quality of delivered instruction is higher than ever.  More students, with greater diversity, achieve at now historic levels.

There are a number of factors driving this success: accountability, better tools, better practice, etc. But I don’t believe these are the most critical factors.  Instead, I believe the critical variable is the sea change in teacher expectation of student success. Compared to 25 years ago, this change is nothing less than miraculous.

Today’s educator honestly expects every one of his/her students to achieve at least at a floor level of success.  And when a student does not, this bothers the teacher.  It bothers the teacher enough to change practice and/or intervene. The loss, for whatever reason, weighs heavy.

Juxtapose this to my first conversation with my principal, my first year teaching.  He said, “Mr. Cain, if too many of your students FAIL your math class, you are a bad teacher. Also, if too many of your students PASS your math class, you are a bad teacher.”

Which means that when I first started teaching not only was there an acceptable failure rate, academic casualties were just part of the game.

I reflect on that one fact a lot.  And remind myself that no matter how fondly I look back on my teaching career... Today’s educators are flat out better.

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