Sedro Woolley on Student Growth – September 12, 2013
Phil Brockman, Superintendent
Mike Olson, Assistant Superintendent
Background
Sedro Woolley has been working on 1st order change with STAR protocol and RTI for interventions. Have
progress monitoring around interventions; need to know more about what is happening in the core
instruction. Now working on Theory of Action that says IF we improve teacher skill and student
engagement in the instructional core THEN we will see success for every student. Have been working on
Cycle of Inquiry (Copland’s work) and inquiry feedback protocol where principals have been sharing their
work to date on a the Cycle of Inquiry in a Problem of Practice format. This Cycle of Inquiry is to frame
the schools’ problem of student performance and root cause(s) related to instruction to create an
instructional Theory of Action to improve the teaching/learning process leading to improved student
learning and the closing of the achievement gap.
Implementation –
Teaching Framework is UW CEL 5D+. Piloted 2012-13.
Timeline. One-third will be on comprehensive in 2013-14.
Waiver. Considering waiver for MSP … to go to Smarter Balance one year early at grades K-8.
Training. Principals are participating in calibration training including Supt, Asst. Supt and district staff.
Will use two waiver days in Sept/Oct to provide training to cohort one on comprehensive this year.
Want to define student growth and build assessments that will inform instruction. Want to change the
culture from testing to grade to testing to learn.
Observation Tool. Scripting observations and coding using the eVAL tool
Principal Framework is AWSP. All principals piloted last year; all are on comprehensive this year. Really
want all principals using data to improve instruction.
Collaboration: Steering committee of 20 teachers and principals have provided guidance for
TPEP/PGESP implementation.
Research –
What systems are in place, consistently, across the district? How do you know?
Common Core Standards –
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Math leadership team has done scope and sequence for CCSSS
Working on reading – Open Court adoption
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Writing needs attention: read, think, discuss, write
Beth Niemi has been working on reading in the content areas with secondary
District Goals – Yes they have board benchmarks at each level. Working on acceleration. Eg: Board goal
is for 80% of students to reach DIBELs benchmark. Based on RIT scores and MSP scores, will need to
raise the MAP benchmark goal to a level where 67% are likely to pass the MSP.
Progress Monitoring – Students exceeding typical growth but start below standard. Implemented RTI;
Assessment committee for the last two years has focused on high stakes screening that moves students
into interventions:
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K-2 uses EBCM (math) and DIBELs (reading)
3-6 is using MAZE (reading)
3-8 uses MAP (reading and math) and RIM
Secondary looking at materials based benchmark assessments
Have been a part of the ESD CBA PLC
Data Reporting – Using Home Room (not Home Room Plus). User friendly dashboard for parents,
teachers, principals. Reporting on MAP and End of Unit Assessments. Data is still housed in too many
places and not utilized well. Teachers can put their own tests into Skyward and have them scored.
Instructional PD … Wanting to shift the culture from interventions to core instruction. Want to move
from fixing the kid to fixing our practice. Have had coaching turnover; have three new coaches. Want to
move to an inquiry model based on the skills needed: at classroom level; building level; district level.
Need to get better at providing good instructional feedback.
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Working on vision, equity for EVERY student.
Working on cultural competency; want teachers to get to know each student.
Implementing superintendent rounds using critical friends protocol.
Data Teams: Some are using DuFours four questions: Are students learning what we want them to
learn? How do we know? What do we do when students don’t learn? What do we do if they have
already learned it? Elementary day is shortened to provide PLC time during teacher day. Middle
school is trying to organize around PLCs but finding it challenging. Have limited ability to control PLC
time; would like to have more time to look at student work and classroom practice. Would like to
change data meetings from interventions to core discussions. Middle schools have flexible schedule
with Mondays devoted to Nav 101; T-F rotating through interventions, pre-teaching, open study hall. 7th
grade team worked together on core instruction assessments and interventions and saw big increases in
MSP.
Student Involvement in tracking their own assessments. Looking at student engagement, accountable
talk and locus of control. Working on motivation concepts from Drive by Pink.
Theory of Action. Have done lots of good inquiry work. Theory of Action that says IF we improve
teacher skill and student engagement in the instructional core THEN we will see success for every
student. Phil is modeling inquiry and has now had two principals share their problem of practice and
inquiry question at admin meeting; more to come. Developing nested inquiry cycles wherein the
teacher’s focus on student growth inquiry cycle is related to the school level Cycle of Inquiry. Both
school-level and individual classroom-level inquiry are related to each other and concentrated on
common aims and outcomes.
Student Growth Next Steps
Examples. Need to define what student growth looks like. Grow the concept that we are grading to
inform instruction (formative) not to place students (summative). Want to learn from others in the
region about processes that are working well.
Criteria. Want to tie student growth assessments to standards. Interested in HS non-core areas.
Thinking they will use materials based benchmark assessments; going to existing materials, looking for
benchmarks that match common core, use pre- post to improve teaching and learning. Can we access
ESD CBAs? NWEA is partnering with a firm that will have assessments tied to different RIT scores.
ELA at Secondary. Should goals be ELA for all content area teachers? Reading in the content area is key
to success in every subject area.
Inquiry Questions. How do we truly use student growth to inform our practice? Good coaches are good
instructors. They constantly do informal assessments and constantly give feedback to improve
performance.