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Learning, Accountability, and Assessment – High Performing Leaders
monitor the success of all students in the learning environment, align the
curriculum, instruction, and assessment processes to promote effective student
performance, and use a variety of benchmarks, learning expectations, and
feedback measures to ensure accountability for all participants engaged in the
educational process.

Uses data to assess and monitor school improvement

Uses multiple sources of data to inform decisions and improvement
processes

Monitors and assesses student progress

Monitors and assesses the progress of activities

Demonstrates an understanding of the methods and principles of program
evaluation

Develops and demonstrates skills in evaluating instructional strategies and
materials

Understands how to use diagnostic tools to assess, identify, and apply
instructional improvement

Works with staff to identify strategies for improving student achievement
appropriate to the school population
High performing school leaders must continually monitor student learning
through multiple venues ensuring accountability of all participants engaged in the
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educational process. The technical-scientific approach is the most prevalent
curriculum development method today (Ornstein & Hunkins, 2004, p. 196). I see
this as the reality. With the focus on standardized tests and state standards being
mastered, there is no way to argue that curriculum development of the 21st
century focuses on the Backward Design Model which emphasizes three major
phases: identify expected end points, determine evidence, and plan learning
experiences (Ornstein & Hunkins, 2004, p. 202-204). The State of Florida
established the Sunshine State Standards which are planned learning objectives
for each grade. Then the state established an assessment to test the “important”
standards at each grade to ensure accountability of teachers. In the State of
Florida, the end points referenced in this model are the standards tested on the
Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT).
Administrators must continuously monitor the progress of activities by
revisiting the schools’ aims and goals. Aims are starting points which suggest an
ideal or inspirational vision that will guide the educational process. These aims
are often delineated by Federal mandates. We then must translate our aims into
goals. Goals are statements of purpose with some specific intended outcome.
Goals are often outlined by state mandates. Finally, we must translate the goals
into objectives. According to Taba, objectives can be divided into two sorts: those
which describe school-wide outcomes and those which describe behaviors of a
particular program (Ornstein & Hunkins, 2004, p. 273). The important thing to
remember is the objectives must be specific, clear, attainable, and representative
of the school or program for which they are intended. A school’s objectives are
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generally outlined in the School Improvement Plan (SIP) (artifact 4) and focus on
the aims and goals.
Self-reflection would be an essential component for a school administrator. It
would help determine if the school is on track, while continually monitoring the
progress of the obtainable goals and objectives. As a third grade teacher and
team leader in the State of Florida, the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test
(FCAT) seems to loom over my head throughout the year. This state process is
taking over education. The test is a good measure and contains important
concepts which require mastery. However, tremendous emphasis being placed
on a single test mandating promotion and/or retention is inflexible. This testing
emphasis has impacted students and teachers negatively. All students in grades
3 and up take the FCAT, and those in K-2, when asked know about the infamous
test which is in their future. Regardless, FCAT is here to stay; therefore teachers
and administrators must embrace it and utilize its data. Charlotte County Public
Schools utilizes Performance Matters for data analysis
(www.performancematters.net artifact 44).
One major drawback of the Backward Design Model and stringent
accountability methods is the tendency for teachers to teach to the test. During
my practicum experience, it became apparent to me which teachers and
administrators are apprehensive towards teaching anything that is not tested on
the FCAT. Instead of teachers enjoying their job and sharing their knowledge
with students by creating life long learners, the trend is now to create good test
takers. Teachers are putting aside science and social students to implement test
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preparation. Unfortunately we will not have any scientists or inventors in 10 years
if we continue to extinguish creativity and illuminate testing.
As a third grade teacher, I have realized that good teaching overshadows test
taking preparation ten fold. Although, students do need to know how to take a big
test, they do not need to participate in heaps of test preparation. Best practice
focuses on objectives, in Florida that would be the Sunshine State Standards.
When students enjoy what they are doing, then they will benefit from the
experience by learning. Student learning is directly related to their experiences. If
students have positive experiences, then they will learn. However, if we are
giving them test preparation packet after packet, will they enjoy it? Will they learn
to become productive citizens who are inquisitive and creative? Will we have
scientists who can invent a cure for cancer? Will we have engineers who can
design massive highway structures to accommodate the influx of people moving
into our nation? FCAT is secondary in my classroom to learning and enjoyment.
I will value the test results, but in determining my teaching effectiveness not the
end all of student success. Student success must be measured more
comprehensively through multiple sources of data.
Through my interactions as a clinical educator, I promote the alignment of
curriculum, instruction, and assessment processes to promote effective student
performance. I encourage the use of a variety of benchmarks, learning
expectations, and feedback measures. Typically new teachers are in survival
mode during classroom instruction and lack the knowledge to analyze student
achievement data. During my practicum, I worked with new teachers to
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understand how to use diagnostic tools to assess, identify, and apply
instructional improvement (artifact 38). Teachers in Charlotte County have a
plethora of data to analyze. Throughout the regular school year, discipline and
referral data is available to teachers. I demonstrated how a teacher can use the
data to ascertain patterns in behaviors or weaknesses in classroom
management. As administrator during the Summer Reading Academy (SRA), I
worked with teachers to examine students’ strengths and weaknesses. The SRA
curriculum provided teachers and administrators with pre and post test data. The
curriculum contained an online component which organized data into charts and
graphs. Utilizing this data, I worked with staff to identify strategies for improving
student achievement appropriate to the school population (artifact 15).
The high accountability standards placed on teachers and administrators has
extended to students and parents. The increased amounts of homework which
are prevalent in our society are a direct result of accountability pressures. During
my graduate studies, I completed a research paper on the effects of homework
for students (artifact 45). A study conducted by Stephen Krashen exemplifies the
homework dilemma with possible solutions (2005). Krashen’s conclusions signify
a relationship between access to print and high achievement on standardized
test scores (2005). He further states that large quantities of traditional homework
will increase student performance in schools but will not increase student
achievement on standardized tests (Krashen, 2005). His results showed that
recreational or pleasure reading was the only practice which significantly
increased student standardized test scores (Krashen, 2005). As a teacher and
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future administrator, my position on assigning homework changed (artifact 46).
My position agrees with Alfie Kohn’s sentiments on student’s self-selected nightly
home reading in his recent book The Homework Myth (2006).
In viewing myself as a high performing leader, I will continue to monitor the
success of all students within my school through such methods as Performance
Matters. I will continue to align curriculum, instruction, and assessment
processes to promote effective student performances through my interactions
with teachers I mentor. As a school leader, it is my duty to adhere to the
Sunshine State Standards teaching objectives. These standards will be prevalent
in my school’s aims and goals. I will model and encourage authentic learning
experiences with appropriate feedback measures to ensure the best possible
educational engagement.
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References
Kohn, A. (2006). The homework myth: Why our kids get too much of a bad
thing. Cambridge, MA: DaCapo Press.
Krashen, S. (2005). The hard work hypothesis: is doing your homework
enough to overcome poverty? Multicultural Education, 12, Retrieved
February 15, 2007, from
http://proquest.umi.com/pdqweb?did=867275641&Fmt=clientId=8631&RQ
T=309&VName=PQD
Ornstein, A.C. & Hunkins, F.P. (2004). Curriculum foundations: Principles
and issues (4th ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon.