Stephen L. Pruitt, Ph.D. Commissioner of Education Effective School Leadership: Leading During a Time of Change and Transition Stephen L. Pruitt, Ph.D. Commissioner of Education

Leadership Visionary Wise Courageous Daring, but not reckless Action, but understands change is hard

Top Questions for Leadership: Kids or Adults? Quality or Compliance? Does everyone in your community (administrators, teachers, support staff, parents, students and community members) know that Kentucky has a new accountability system?

A Choice Must Be Made: Quality or Compliance? Accountability for All Managing Change Managing Politics

Highlights of Kentucky’s Draft Proposal for an Accountability System 5

Proposed System Highlights The system keeps students at its center. It includes: personalized options for students to be transition ready with content knowledge and critical essential skills; a focus on instruction with student achievement and growth; opportunities and access measures that go beyond tests and tested subjects to allow for a well-rounded education and a broader picture of school performance; data requirements that shine a light on closing the achievement gap; and an innovation pilot for a competency-based model.

Dashboard Mockup

Proficiency The desired level of knowledge and skills for all students to achieve on academic assessments. Measured on standards-aligned state assessments in reading/writing and mathematics Student performance levels are: Novice Apprentice Proficient Distinguished Goal is for all students to reach proficiency or above. Points earned based on student performance level; equal weight for all subjects tested.

Separate Academic Indicator Same as Proficiency indicator, but measured on standards-aligned state assessments in science and social studies. Student performance levels are: Novice Apprentice Proficient Distinguished Goal is for all students to reach proficiency or above. Points earned based on student performance level; equal weight for all subjects tested.

Proficiency/Separate Academic Indicator Questions you as a leader should ask: Is proficiency or above the expectation for every one of our students? Are all students being taught the same rigor of standards? Is instruction focused on learning or test results? What supports are provided to students who are struggling? What supports are provided to students who are high performing?

Growth (Elementary and Middle) A student’s continuous improvement toward the goal of proficiency and beyond. Students have an annual personal target for improvement based on a 2-year individual student trajectory toward proficiency and above. Additionally ELs measured on WIDA ACCESS 2.0 toward English attainment. Schools earn credit based on whether and how much they “catch up, keep up or move up” their students’ performance toward proficiency/English attainment (ELs only). Student regression earns a negative credit.

Growth (Elementary and Middle) Questions you as a leader should ask: What are we doing to help students: Catch up? Keep up? Move up? How do parents/students know what the student’s annual growth goal is? Do they know how we are supporting the student to reach his/her growth goal? What supports are we providing ELs and their families to ensure greater English fluency?

Graduation Rate (High School) Percentage of students completing the requirements for a Kentucky high school diploma compared to the cohort of students starting in 9th grade. A 4-year rate is produced as federally required. A 5-year rate is produced to recognize the persistence of student and educators un completing the requirements of a Kentucky High School Diploma. 4-year and 5-year rates are averaged to produce graduation rate for accountability rating.

Graduation Rate (High School) Questions you as a leader should ask: What are we doing to support students toward graduation? How are we providing a personalized pathway to graduation? What interventions are we providing to students who are not on track for graduation in 4 years? 5 years? How do we ensure every student graduates with a degree that will lead to success in college, career and/or the military?

Achievement Gap Closure Reducing the disparity in performance between student groups with a goal of reducing or closing the gap by moving all students to higher levels and moving those at the lowest levels more rapidly. Measured on state assessments in reading/writing, mathematics, science and social studies (aggregated). Credit earned based on student performance level (N, A, P, D). Gap to Group – Student performance compared between reference student group and comparison student group. Gap to Proficiency – Student group performance compared to goal of proficiency. Gap to Group (33%) and Gap to Proficiency (67%) combine to produce rating. Individual student groups reported for transparency.

Achievement Gap Closure Questions you as a leader should ask: Do we have an achievement gap? For what student groups? What are we doing now and what do we plan to do differently to close the achievement gap for these students? Are we really committed to improve the performance of every student and every student group? What are we doing to support our teachers/schools in closing the achievement gap and improving achievement of every student in every group in every school?

Transition Readiness A student’s attainment of the necessary knowledge, skills and dispositions to successfully transition to the next level of education, career or life. Elementary/Middle School Foundational learning – the number of students who attain benchmark cumulative score on state assessments in English, mathematics, science and social studies by end of 5th and 8th grade.

High School Transition Readiness High School Diploma (minimum High School Graduation Requirements) AND Meet Requirements of ONE type of Readiness For English Learners (only) Academic Readiness Career Readiness Military Readiness Language Readiness Meet CPE benchmarks on college admissions exam; OR A grade of B or better on 6 or more hours of KBE-approved dual credit; A score of 3+ on exams in 2 or more Advanced Placement Courses; A score of 5+ on 2 or more International Baccalaureate Course exams; Meet benchmarks on 2 or more Cambridge Advanced International exams Meet benchmarks on Industry Certificate (approved by Kentucky Workforce innovation Board on an annual basis); Earn KOSSA as appropriate for articulated credit; Score B or netter on 6+ hours approved CTE dual credit courses; KDE/Labor Cabinet-approved apprenticeship; KDE-approved alternate process to verify exceptional work experience Meet the benchmark on the Armed Forces Qualification Test of the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) Enlist in a branch of military service. English language proficient for any student who received EL services in high school

Transition Readiness Questions you as a leader should ask: How do we know each student is ready for the next level of his/her education? How do we identify students who are not on track for readiness and provide supports that will ensure their readiness? How do we offer students multiple opportunities for academic and career readiness?

Opportunity and Access The equitable availability to research-based student experiences and school factors that impact student success. Includes measures beyond test scores. Points earned for rated areas of Rich Curriculum; Equitable Access; School Quality; Whole Child Supports REQUIRED Measures (Rated) SELECTED Measures (Rated) Opportunities for access/course completion in: standards-based, visual and performing arts; health and physical education; science; social studies; CTE (MS/HS); cultural studies and/or world languages (MS/HS); essential skills (HS) Gifted and talented services Advanced course work Chronic absenteeism; school safety; grad rate; Local measure (district and charter only) Access to: Counselor/mental health services provider; Nurse/health services provider; Library media specialist; FRYSC; Career counselor/coach(MS/HS) Teachers with certification in their specialized area REPORTED ONLY Measures State Preschool Rating (district) Kindergarten (half vs. full day) Teacher Turnover; 1st year teachers Demographics of out-of-school suspension

Opportunity and Access Questions you as a leader should ask: Does every child in my school/district have access to a rigorous, standards-based instruction in all subjects? Do all of our students have access to a well-rounded education? How can we collaborate with other schools to provide more opportunities for our students? Do we proportionally identify students for gifted and talented services and provide a level of service and advanced coursework that will challenge these students to expand their knowledge? Are essential skills overtly taught and reinforced as part of our curriculum? How? Do all students have access to school supports that will help make them successful? How do we assign our teachers? Do our academically neediest students have access to the most effective teachers?

Overall Accountability Rating

Overall Accountability Rating Questions you as a leader should ask: In what areas are we strong? Weak? How do we ensure that our policy and budget decisions are research-based and data-driven? How do we recognize and reward students, teachers and schools that meet or exceed performance goals? What are the consequences and interventions for students, teachers and schools that have not met goals? How are results reported to teachers, parents, the public? How do I evaluate my role in accountability?

Goals Every Student Succeed Act (ESSA) requires long-term and intermediate goals Kentucky goals: To increase student achievement rates significantly for all students in the state. (Specific goal set for each student group). To decrease the achievement gap of lower-performing student groups by 50%. To increase the proportion of EL students making significant progress toward becoming proficient in English language. To significantly increase the graduation rate all students and each student group to: 95% (4-year rate) 96% (5-year rate)

Goals Long term goals to be achieved by 2030. Intermediate goals will be set for every three years. Performance against the intermediate goals will be reported annually to guide improvement.

Goals Questions you as a leader should ask: How do staff and students know what is expected? How is success or failure assessed? What are the system’s rewards and consequences for success and failure? How do we support low-performing students to improve? How do results factor into staff evaluations? What are we doing to ensure all our students and schools are continuously improving?

Resources on Kentucky ESSA webpage: www.education.ky.gov

Stephen Pruitt, Ph. D. Stephen. Pruitt@education. ky Stephen Pruitt, Ph.D. Stephen.Pruitt@education.ky.gov Twitter: @DrSPruitt Kentucky Department of Education www.education.ky.gov Twitter: @kydeptofed