Are High-Stakes Tests Becoming Dinosaurs?

About a year ago on this blog, I wrote a piece  entitled 364 > 1, in which I tried to emphasize the importance of high quality instruction day in and day out rather that placing all the importance on a one day, high stakes test.  To this day, it remains my most read post.  I assume that meant that many of the educators that read it agreed with me.  However, since that time, the emphasis and pressure for students and campuses to produce on a given assessment has increased even more if that is possible.  Our state’s accountability system found a way to disregard the many other data sources available (and mandated such as House Bill 5) to recognize schools that were “perpetually underperforming”.  In some cases, “perpetual” has meant that schools with traditionally high student achievement scores that took a ONE year dip and found themselves on the state’s “most wanted” list.  There are documented cases of schools with pass rates over 90% that made the list because they didn’t make enough progress based on a complicated series of statistics.  Seriously?

My grandfather, who was about as wise a man as I have ever known, never failed to make simple points with strange analogies. He grew up poor in West Texas but became, by all measures a successful business man, husband, and father.  I will never forget him telling me, “Dinosaurs are extinct, but jackrabbits still run wild.” When I asked him what he meant, he talked about how too many people become frustrated reaching for the one “big event” that will prove they are successful that they lose sight of all the small things that mean so much.  I can’t help but think that we have somehow turned high-stakes tests into Dinosaurs….big, bad, and scary.  However, if we remain focused on the little, day to day, activities that improves student learning, we will not only survive, we will thrive…just like the jackrabbits in West Texas.

Daniel Venables, in his book “The Practice of Authentic PLCs” creates a data triangle that highlights the importance of daily lesson planning, formative assessment, and feedback that have the largest impact on student achievement.  The message is clear.  The results of an End of Course exam or STAAR tests, while important, do little to change teaching and learning.  It is the attention to daily results based on learning targets, formative assessment, and observations with feedback that have the potential to change results.   In addition, if we don’t use the daily information we gather to change and adapt our own skills, we will, like the dinosaurs, become extinct. 

From bottom to top: What a teacher and students do on a consistent basis has more impact than any high-stakes test!

Never forget why you started…..

At a training this week, the facilitator asked us to share an elevator speech on “Why you do what you do?”  It sounded simple enough, but as I fumbled through the one minute time limit I realized what a challenge that really was for me to articulate.  I’d like to believe that a bunch of baseball scouts missed the chance of a lifetime by overlooking me in high school and that is why I went into education, but the reality is that I decided to be a teacher much earlier.  When I was in second grade, in a private school in New Orleans, I can distinctly remember thinking to myself day after day, “I could teach better than Ms. ______” (name omitted to protect the guilty).  I had a few detentions and even a couple of “licks” that year to prove that she thought otherwise, but I survived.  The next three years, I had male teachers.  For me, that was the perfect scenario.  They were great teachers and role models for me. I don’t know where any of them are now, but I know they impacted my life a great deal and confirmed that I wanted to be a teacher! A series of circumstances caused us to move a great deal when I was a kid (10 schools in 12 grades), but what I always remember is that it was a teacher or a coach that made me feel comfortable and kept me on track.  How I wish I could go back and thank all of them. Later, while in college I got a job one summer working at a camp for diabetic kids. One summer turned into nine and I loved every minute of it.  Living in a cabin with 20 kids for 3 weeks at a time is only for someone that truly loves it!!  Making their lives better was my passion. When it came time to "grow up" and get a full time job, I intentionally found a place where I could teach a self-contained classroom because I wanted to have my “own” kids each and every day in hopes of helping them in the way so many helped me.  I wanted to make a difference in kids’ lives.  That is why I started! One of the most rewarding things in my career is the number of them that are now teachers themselves!!

Fast forward a few years and I find myself farther away from students than I ever dreamed. The same second grader that thought he could do better than his teacher also couldn’t keep his mouth shut about how things should be done better and was eventually asked to prove it in a series of "promotions".  If I have learned anything in my first year in a new job, it is that I don’t have all the answers.  That is humbling experience for sure, but one that has challenged me to remember even more why I started.  I have to keep that in perspective and believe that while I no longer interact with students on a daily basis, my role now is to do the best I can to support the adults that do touch their lives.

Simon Sinek, has a wonderful TED talk describing what he calls “The Golden Ring”.  (see the link below) The premise of his talk for organizations and its leaders is “People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.”  My hope for teachers everywhere is that you never forget “why” you do it.  I know my story is not unique...we all had teachers that impacted our lives, but more and more, we are “selling” education to kids and parents. Today's students are more skeptical and/or curious than ever before. They must know why learning is relevant and that starts with your passion for what you do.  It shows in all your actions and impacts students and their parents.  Again, they don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it!

Simon Sinek's TED Talk

I became an educator because I loved being with kids and because of the many teachers that helped me during my life...I figure, I owe them.  So there you have it, my elevator speech.  Why do you do what you do?

Don't Be a CRAB!!

Have you ever worked with people that go out of their way to make sure new things don’t work?  They don’t want to put in the extra effort it might take to get ahead, either because they are afraid of failure or they are content to do things the way they have always been done.  I have worked on campuses, where teachers were actually ostracized for going “above and beyond”!  Simple things like gaining praise for a great newsletter, an extra parent call, or even enthusiastically participating in professional development can sometimes make others jealous or even resentful.  In some places, this is called the “Crab Mentality”.  The crab mentality is a natural phenomenon that even scientists can’t explain, but it almost never fails.  You see, if you have a bucket of crabs, they easily have the capability to climb out of the bucket and save themselves, especially if they work together.  But they will not.  Sometimes the crabs seem almost malicious. They climb over one another and even work to pull those that appear to be making progress towards success downward to the group.  They are not interested in others success. 

We should all be on guard for the Crab Mentality. Even at schools with great culture and climate, it can creep in and pull others down.  Look around your own campus and your peers….I am willing to bet that everyone there is working hard and trying their best.  However, I am also believe that there are a few that stand out. Maybe it’s the way they teach a lesson with a smile, they make even lunch duty fun, or they have a way of getting along with that student/parent than no one else can seem to reach.  The question is, what is keeping them from falling into the crab mentality?  And more importantly are you one that is pushing them upward or pulling them down.

 The crab mentality is a reflection of the famous saying “we all like to see our friends get ahead, but not too far ahead.” Learning to recognize the crab mentality in yourself and others is a very good idea, especially in schools.  Our schools need teachers that “get out of the bucket” to seek adventure and try new things, not groups that are holding them back.  Don’t be a crab!!

Take Your Students on a Cruise in 2015!!!

What if all our students got to take a cruise during the course of the school year?  Now before you worry about your average daily attendance or all the missed assignments RELAX and let me explain.  All over education these days, educators and non-educators alike are calling for student choice and engagement for students and nothing provides more opportunity for both than a cruise ship.  If you have ever been on a cruise, you know what I mean, there are countless opportunities to explore interests, learn new things, and collaborate with others.  You also probably jump on a cruise with a ton of excitement and anticipation of things to come.  Nobody goes on a cruise and expects to be bored!  Wouldn’t it be great if our students looked forward to school in the same way?  They would know they were going to have fun and enjoy their learning, but would also anticipate a certain amount of choice and adventure.

However, there is more to it than choice and fun and games. The thing about a cruise is that everybody on the boat has the same destination!  Everyone gets on in the same place and everyone get off at the same place; it is what happens in between that differentiates their experience.  As a teacher, or cruise director, the responsibility is to make sure everyone has a great experience (no matter what baggage they bring on board with them), while taking them all to the same place.  Is the destination the end of the school year? Is it graduation? College? Whatever the port of call may be, the teacher’s (cruise director) job is to find out what students’ likes/dislikes are, push them to try new things, encourage them to meet/work with others, and provide a dynamic learning experience. 

So as we start 2015, take your kids on a cruise!  It will be an experience they will never forget!!

Are we talking or planning in our PLCs?

This week as I visited a campus, a teacher shared something that really resonated with me.  As we discussed the strengths of her campus she talked about how far her particular team had come in the area of planning lessons together.  She was proud of her PLC and shared that they had realized that last year they were “just talking” but when they really focused on things that mattered, like planning for the learning by looking at data that included student work and results from classroom formatives.  She also talked of studying the content and talking about what the expectations for students will be for the lesson.

What a genuine moment!!  And what I loved most about it was the real connection she had made from focused lesson planning to student learning. 

She was excited and so was I!! 

On many campuses this year, I have spoken with teacher teams about four characteristics of effective schools outlined in Jim Knight’s book, Impact Schools.  These traits provide a focus for campuses as they strive for increased student achievement.

1.       Content Planning- Do the teachers know exactly what is supposed to be taught and how they are planning to teach it?  Are they planning collaboratively or in isolation?  Are they just “talking” or are they designing lessons together?

2.       Instruction- How are the plans being implemented? Having an effective PLC is like having an effective game plan, but teachers still must execute the plan.  If teachers cannot effectively facilitate the learning, they will not have near the impact that they could have.

3.       Assessing for Learning- How do we know the students have actually acquired the knowledge that was expected?  Maybe the most difficult thing a teacher does is correctly diagnose students’ learning, but it is also the most important.  How well we assess our students learning is the ultimate measure of a school’s success.

4.       Community Building- This can be defined in a variety of ways.  Relationships among students, parents, teachers, etc. can define a school and have a great impact on the learning.  The best schools capitalize on positive relationships to make their planning and instructions stronger.

I have no doubts that the teacher I spoke to this week was part of a school that had all four of these traits.  I also have no doubts that it didn’t come easy….she talked about going through the motions of compliance and spinning the wheels of mediocrity, but once it clicked and “talking” turned to “planning” the sky is now the limit!

Managing a Baseball Team is Alot like Managing a Classroom

1954 World Series

Those that know me best know that I am a huge baseball fan.  I don’t follow it day to day like I used to, but after years of playing it as a kid, I have always been fascinated by the game.   I actually credit baseball for my love of reading.  I can still remember reading “The Baseball Life of Willie Mays” over and over when I was in third grade.  I remain convinced he was and is the best baseball player that ever lived and the main reason I was rooting for the Giants in World Series this year.  Once in college, I was fortunate enough to take a class called, “Baseball as a Metaphor for Life”.  It didn’t matter that it was an 8:00 AM class, I never missed it. It is with this theme that I will share my view of baseball with my passion for education.

Besides being fun to play and great to watch, real fans know there are two distinct philosophies  that separate baseball from other sports.  The first is “the book”.  You can’t really define “the book” but in your gut, you know what is right and what is wrong.  If you are around the game for any length of time you will hear someone talk about “playing by the book” and what they really mean is they are doing things that have been commonly accepted and therefore their decisions would not be questioned by others even if they don’t work.  Many teams and managers have been quite successful over time, by playing by the book.  Their decisions are sound because they are based on their own experiences and those around them.  They make decisions with their gut.  Many of our schools function in the same exact way….we do things because we have, over time, been successful and gained experience that allows us to make decisions because “we know best.”  However, there are times when our gut feeling or doing something the way it has always been done does not produce the best results.  For baseball traditionalists, this can be hard to swallow…it can be hard for educators to swallow too.

A second way of looking at the game, some call it “moneyball”, is to strictly look at the game through a numbers lens. Advocates of “moneyball” constantly look at data to make decisions. They do not base their decisions on their own experiences or gut feelings, but instead use numerical data trends to determine which players to use and when.  True disciples of this philosophy trust statistics rather than instincts to make decisions.  Sometimes these decisions go against traditional baseball moves (“the book”) and therefore many hardcore baseball people find them difficult to depend on.  Many would argue this approach has depersonalized the game and taken away the human side of decision making. Schools face the same dilemma. Teachers and Administrators are faced with an enormous amount of data and are asked/forced to make decisions in their classrooms and schools based on numbers rather than relationships. Sometimes the data forces us to admit that decisions and beliefs we have appear to be less effective than we would like to admit.

Thus a struggle between the two philosophies exists. In fact, it has torn apart organizations that trust one version over another and can’t seem to find a way to reconcile the two.  The truth is, the most successful baseball teams and the most successful classrooms must use both!!  We can’t forget about “playing by the book” because we are teaching kids, not robots. People bring variables that numbers just can’t predict.  However, gone are the days when numbers don’t matter.  It would be foolish for a baseball manager or an educator to not access the data that is available to them to help them make the  best decisions for their students.  The best and most successful baseball managers and teachers are the ones that can balance the humans as well as the numbers. 

I encourage educators everywhere….use your instincts and experience to make great teaching decisions, but don’t ignore the trends and results in your data.  We all owe ALL our students that….

Who Expects You To Be Somebody?

“Nobody Rises to Low Expectations”

As we close the end of the first six weeks of school, it is amazing to think that the school year is one-sixth of the way complete.  It may feel like it just started, but in truth we have learned a lot about ourselves and our students already.  Of course our students have learned a lot about us too!  They know what we will and will not accept, both in behaviors and with assignments (even in kindergarten!).  They have a pretty good idea of who the teachers’ pets are and where the popular kids sit at lunch. And above all, they have already decided if their teachers care about them or not.  I am not questioning if teachers care about their students.  I can honestly say I have never met a teacher that didn’t, but I do believe there are students that come to school every day that aren’t sure if their teacher cares about them and their success.  The point is, it doesn’t matter how you feel about someone, if THEY don’t know how you feel, they are left to their own perceptions and some of our students may not perceive the best.

A recent “Student Voice” survey of over 65,000 students conducted by the Quaglia Institute (www.qisa.org) showed that only 34%  of students believed that their teachers knew “their hopes, dreams, and aspirations”!  What a discouraging number!!  A lot of research has also been conducted about the value of high expectations as a vital tool for success. They have shown it will push us to do things we were not sure we were capable.  How and Why do we do this? Often we do it because someone else is counting on us. The question I have posed to kids as I have traveled to schools the last couple of weeks is one I read about in a story of highly successful people that came from less than stellar backgrounds.  It is a simple question:  Who Expects You to Be Somebody? 

As you can imagine, many students pick their family members, but often it is one of their teachers that students tell me about as the person that expects the most out of them.  I had one student tell me that they try to do their best because they don’t want to let their teacher down.  That is a huge impact. Our Superintendent recently showed the District Leadership team a short video clip of a brain surgeon who credits his middle school science teacher with “inspiring” him to be a doctor just by telling him he had “the hands for it”.  It was one comment to one child, but it had an enormous impact on him and his future.  Watch the video here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFs8P_TrAVQ

So as we near the end of the first six weeks, stop and reflect about the students you see every day.  Some of them are already behind the class academically. Some are struggling to fit in and belong. Some you have identified which ones need extra attention. No matter what you think you know about your students already, ask yourself: Who expects them to be somebody?  Is it you?  Do they know it?

“Teachers effect eternity, no one can tell where their influence stops.”