realizing the power of data in accelerating the

Drs. Kendra Johnson, Kandice Taylor, Lisa WilliamsApril 26, 2012

Santa Anita B, Lobby LevelDream Deferred Conference

Realizing the Power of Data in Accelerating the

Performance of Underserved Students

Presentation Outcomes:

• Examine the present state of teaching and learning.

• Differentiate between traditional school improvement processes and school transformation processes.

• Examine the array of real time data that can be analyzed to monitor the transformation process.

• Provide examples of practical applications

of transformational practices.

Giving the Presentation Participants’ Voice

• Principal – Red (LEVERAGE POINT)

• School-based staff (teachers, assistant principal,

resource staff, department chairs, and school

counselors) – Yellow (CRITICAL SUPPORT POINT )

• District superintendent, assistant superintendents,

executive directors –Green (SUPPORT POINT)

• District level staff (all curriculum and instruction, business, human resources, and professional development) – Pink (SUPPORT POINT)

What is the Practitioner’s Perspective?

• What is the reality or the face of the data? What does it look like in your building?

Teaching in a classroom near you!

• Let’s characterize this instruction

Why our experiences say we should change?

TURN AND CHAT

Equity

• African American Male National Graduation Rate: 48%

• African American Male College Graduation Rate: 28%

• African American Female National Graduation Rate: 59%

• African American Female College Graduation Rate: 32%

Sources: http://youngmenofcolor.collegeboard.org/sites/default/files/downloads/EEYMC-ResearchReport.pdf; National Assessment of

Educational Progress Report, 2009

http://www.manhattan-institute.org/html/cr_48.htm

Urgency

• Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) report, which compares the knowledge and

skills of 15-year-olds in 70 countries around the world, ranked the United States 14th out of 34 OECD

countries for reading skills, 17th for science and a below-average 25th for mathematics.

Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)

Common Core Standards: Ripe with opportunity

• Same standards for all

• Research emphasis starting in

kindergarten

• Emphasis in mathematics on

mastery and depth and in earlier

grades

• Science, Technology,

Engineering, and Mathematics

(STEM) emphasis

• Text complexity increases

• Writing begins earlier, in all

contents, and persists into higher

grades

In your experience, what’s the difference, if any?

Will it take school improvement or

school transformation?

TURN AND TALK

How will we ready ourselves for the Common Core Standards?

School Improvement v. School Transformation

• Small gains in one

specific area (typically

takes 1-2 years)

• No change at every level

of the organization

• The organization is

essential the same

• Significant changes in

all areas (typically

takes 3-5 years)

• Change at every level

of the organization

• The organization is

transformed into a

new entity

School

Improvement

School

Transformation

School transformation is defined as…

Albert Einstein said, “Problems cannot be solved by

the same level of thinking that created them.”

a holistic systems change that involves breakthroughs in the teaching

and learning dynamic, collaboration protocols, leadership, and heart

of all involved in the change. Staff members’ beliefs are challenged

and reconceived based on this notion that ALL students can and will

be academically and behaviorally successful.

CENTRALIZED TRANSFORMATIONAL MODEL FOR SCHOOL ACCELERATION

Accountability

Mechanisms

Completion of a

Root Cause

Analysis

School

program gap

analysis

Analysis of

school-wide

classroom

walk-through

data

Analysis of

curriculum

implementation

data

Implementation

of a year-long

strategic

professional

development

plan using

content experts

Analysis of the

outcomes from

surveys, journal

entries, and

observations

Standard Tools

Individualized

School Support

In-person

Conversations

On-line

Collaborative

Learning

Communities

Accountability

Measures

District-level RTTT Achievement Improvement Team Supports Identified Schools

with a Comprehensive Rigorous School Improvement Process

Curriculum and Instruction Implementation Checks

Individualized School Improvement Support Plans:

Professional Development for Teachers and Principals

Technical Assistance for Teachers and Principals

Creation of Networks to Support Capacity Building

Coaching, Support, Professional

Development, Technical Assistance

for School-based Teams

Schools Engage in Robust Comprehensive Needs Assessment and Planning

TRANSFORMATION, DATA, and

A “Real” Middle School transformation in progress…

GRMS Enrollment Data

Maryland State Assessment TREND DataTotal

Student

Population

African

American

Student

Population

Total

Math

Scores

African

American

Math

Scores

Total

Reading

Scores

African

American

Reading

Scores

2005 843 539 34.9 25.4 64.3 56.0

2006 795 532 33.9 25.9 56.3 51.3

2007 759 516 30.6 25.3 54.5 48.8

2008 699 482 37.9 30.6 63.1 58.3

2009 661 449 45.6 37.9 71.7 66.3

2010 637 440 48.2 41.7 70.0 68.8

2011 648 438 49.6 40.3 70.7 65.9

Additional GRMS Data

• Mobility Rate: 18.9%

• Student Attendance: 93.9% (State Standard was 93.7%)

• All teachers were certified

• Teacher Attendance: Combined total of 451 days of absence

• Discipline: 1509 discipline referrals, 130 students suspended once or more, 4327 hours of total instructional time lost due to suspensions

Where do you start? How do I begin the work?

Student Achievement

Quality InstructionSafe and Orderly

Environment

Perceptions

District Demands

State Demands Staff Retention

Common Core

ETC, ETC, ETC

PRESSURE

FACTORS

COMPREHENSIVE NEEDS ASSESSMENT

•Data associated with various components of the

school

•Use of the data to reflect on the current situation

and to focus on the issues not perceived issues

•Need a group of stakeholders with a range of

knowledge, skills, and expertise

•Analyze and extract from the data

ROOT CAUSE ANALYSIS

•Define the process

•Use of the data to reflect on the current situation

•Utilization of staff members vital to the movement

•Structure which lends to efficiency

•Eliminate factors outside of the school’s control

•Drill down through the “why” process

TEACHER LOW EXPECTATIONS

LOW PERFORMANCE OF STUDENTS

STUDENT NEEDS NOT BEING MET

ROOT CAUSE-TEACHERS ARE NOT HELD ACCOUNTABLE

FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF

TOOLS

EXAMPLE OF DRILL DOWNSTUDENT ACHIEVEMENT-INSTRUCTION

LACK OF UNDERSTANDING

(ADULTS) OF WHAT TO DO TO MAKE STUDENTS MEET WITH SUCCESS

TEACHERS DO NOT TAKE PD SERIOUSLY OR IMPLEMENT STRATEGIES

STRATEGIC THINKING AND NARROWING OF THE FOCUS

Achievement,

Accountability, and Student

Responsive Instruction

Quality Instruction and School Transformation

WHAT DOES THE RESEARCH SAY ABOUT THE ACHIEVEMENT GAP AND QUALITY INSTRUCTION?

What about this video clip represents quality instruction?

Poor and minority children don’t underachieve in school just because they often enter behind;

but, also because the schools that are supposed to serve them actually shortchange them in the one resource they most need to reach their potential – high-quality teachers

Peske and Haycock, 2006

Student Responsive Praxis: The road to improved outcomes

Instructional

Practices Rooted

In Students

Learning Needs

Gender

Race

Disability

Class

Values

Beliefs

Language

Mores

Access to quality instruction has a cumulative effect!

How do you know when its occurring??

OBSERVATION, REFLECTION, DATA COLLECTION THROUGH

INFORMAL OBSERVATION TOOLS

Real time DATA; real time implications

• Creation of an electronic observation tool

• Extracting of all informal observations to one excel spreadsheet

• Weekly instructional data discussions regarding informal observations of the entire school

Real time data; real time IMPLICATIONS

• Ability to generate user friendly reports

• Ability to add professional development (accountability for implementation)

• Ability to monitor instructional practices and address accountability measures

• Ability to have discussions centered on specifics within daily instruction

SO WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE…

• School climate and culture issues-Low Expectations

• Under performance of students –Low test scores

• High number of discipline occurrences

• Low quality instructional practices

SO WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE…

• Focused PD Calendar

• Accountability for the implementation of PD into daily instruction

• Increase in test scores for school system assessments

• Clear expression of expectations

• Being able to use real time data to address instruction immediately

• Weekly discussion on instructional practices

Instruction Vs Discipline

Before Transformation Process

• Discipline: 1509 discipline referrals, 130students suspended once or more, 4327hours of total instructional time lost due to suspensions

During Transformation Process

• Discipline: 565 discipline referrals, 72students suspended once or more, 1462 hours of total instructional time lost due to suspensions

OBSERVATION TOOL

OBSERVATION TOOL DATA (SEPTEMBER 2011)

OBSERVATION TOOL DATA (APRIL 2012)

SO WHAT DOES IT NOT LOOK LIKE…

• You cannot continue to do what is consider the status quo…outside the box is transformation

Student Voices

• In the words of a student

The Common Core Standards advances the National College/Workforce Readiness Agenda:

An opportunity whose time has come

School transformation is the only response to this opportunity, and realizing

the power of data will be the vehicle to address the “gaps” that have persisted

for decades between African Americans and their white counterparts.

• School Transformation Readiness Assessment• Honoring the presentation participants’

voice• The Teacher

• Considerations from Dr. Williams• The Principal

• Considerations from Dr. Taylor• The District

• Considerations from Dr. Johnson

Now What? Next steps for realizing

the power of data

Thanks for your participation

Realizing the Power of DataDream Deferred Conference

April 26, 2012