Educational Research Newsletter The Kennewick Model: How to get 90% of your students reading at their grade levels Lynn Fielding Educational Research Newsletter Ernweb.com webinars November 6, 2008, 1 p.m. EST

St Helens Kennewick Kennewick

Kennewick School District Enrollment: 14,950 Schools: 13 Elementary 4 Middle Schools 3 High Schools 1 Vocational Center Ethnic Make- up Anglo 74% Hispanic 22% Asian 2% African-American 2% Free and Reduced: 50% Range of F&R 9% to 89% Staff: Teachers 869 Classified 774 Administrators 60

Why Reading and Math? We deliver 85% of our curriculum with reading. Students who are behind in high school generally did not learn to read at grade level by 2nd and 3rd grade. The gateways to post secondary education are called reading and math. It has nothing to do with state tests.

If we want to be effective, we need to understand the space. The next 14 slides are a high level view of the space where we spend our lives. If we want to be effective, we need to understand the space.

Maxim 1 Babies are born learning. Within hours of birth, they begin to imitate the lip and tongue positions of their parents. 276

Maxim 3 About 20% of children make three years of growth in language and math their first five years of life. These children enter kindergarten with the skills of three-year olds. 276

Maxim 4 Another 20% of children make four years of growth in language and math in their first five years. These children enter kindergarten with skills typical of four-year olds.

Maxim 5 Other children make five to eight years of growth in language and math in their first five years. These children enter kindergarten with skills typical of five, six, seven and eight year olds. 278

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Maxim 6 On the first day of kindergarten, the range between students at the midpoints of the bottom and top quartiles is six years in reading skills and four years in math.

80-99% 60-80% 40-60% 20-40% 10-20% 1-10% K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Reading bands at 10th Grade +2 yrs +1 yrs Grade level -1 yrs - 2 yrs -3 yrs K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Math range at 10th Grade 2 ¼ yrs 5 ½ yrs

Clear Goals Choose strategically Assure measurability Create a direct line of sight from where you are to where you need to go. Think beyond state minimum requirements Create vertical agreement

Targeted Accelerated Growth TAG Targeted Accelerated Growth Diagnostic testing to determine the deficient sub-skills of those behind Proportional increases in direct instruction time Teaching to the deficient sub-skill Retesting to assure that adequate catch-up growth actually occurred

Diagnostic Assessments TAG Variety of sub-tests Get at the sub skills ‘Way better in elementary than middle and high school. Overlooking accuracy, fluency, phonemic awareness in middle school, high school to focus on vocabulary and comprehension.

NWEA TAG Equal interval scale Long-term stability Measures growth Turn around time creates ownership Reporting platforms which allow you to communicate in years

There is no point in testing if you don’t look at the data, don’t understand it, and don’t change.” Chuck Watson, former principal Vista Elementary TAG

Proportional Time TAG Tony has just scored at the 11th percentile on the spring 2nd grade reading test. His state set their reading standard at the 50th percentile. What should you do to assure that Tony will reach the state standard by the end of 4th grade?

Proportional Time TAG Total Minutes 50 11 39 70 70 70 70 35 35 175 175 a. State Standard in Percentiles is…….. percentile b. Tony’s 2nd grade status in percentiles percentile Difference is…………. ……………. Points Rough rule of thumb is 13 percentile points = 1 year of growth In elementary school the normal reading period has been 60-70 minutes d. Divide the gap in points by 13 points to convert the gap into instructional years……… yrs 3rd 4th Annual Growth minutes Catch-up Growth 1 extra year 1/2 extra year Total Minutes 50 11 39 3.0 70 70 70 70 35 35 175 175

TAG So how many years of growth does Tony need to make in 3rd grade and in fourth grade? Annual growth 2 years Catch-up growth 3 years Total 5 years Growth per year 2.5 years Rate of growth 250%

Use of Extra Time TAG Stating the obvious here, but… Need to use the extra time to focus on the deficient sub-skills. Middle school and high school models do not do that and are not working as well.

Prediction TAG In 1995 for the first time ever, we had good enough data that we could accurately predict student academic outcomes. When we could accurately predict student outcomes, we started taking responsibility for them. We began to understand the inter-connections within and without our education system.

What we learned The 90% Story It is 1999 when we actually said: “We do not know how to do this.” It was very liberating. As long as you know what to do but it is not working, the issue is just working harder at what you have always done. When you know what you are doing isn’t working, you are free to try other things.

How many believe that if you just work harder at what you are already doing: 95% of your students read and do math at or above grade level by the end of third or fourth grade.

What we learned TAG Students who are behind do not learn faster than students who are ahead. They need more time. You can mathematically determine how much more time. Not just time. Tailoring the time to their deficiency is essential Multiplying effect of improved instruction

Single largest factor correlating to achievement levels. TAG Prior year’s starting point Correlations .88 to .66 100% of the achievement gap in reading occurs before the beginning of kindergarten. 66% of the math gap occurs before kindergarten

Largest factors determining correlating to growth levels. TAG Largest factors determining correlating to growth levels. Minutes of instructional Time .18 Instructor .13 SES and Years in the District .13 Delivering on the Promise p 66

Major Strategies to Increase Tony’s Rate of Growth to 250%. Improve instruction Enhanced curriculum Decrease class size Increase Direct Instructional time

Individual Student 3rd Grade Scores at Thirteen Kennewick Elementary Schools, Fall 2002 Data Canyon View Sunset View Washington Hawthorne Ridge View Southgate Westgate Amistad Cascade Eastgate Edison Lincoln Vista

Standard Reading Block Minutes in Kennewick Elementary Schools by School by Grade for 2002-2003

Standard Reading Block Plus Intervention Block Minutes Kennewick Elementary Schools by School by Grade for 2002-03 Data 48

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Instructional Conferences Structure Instructional Conferences Grew out of the question of what constitutes good instruction. Purpose, engagement, rigor and results Split screen videos Changed the ‘talk’ in the district—celebrated great teaching

Instructional Conferences Structure Instructional Conferences ½ day five times a year Run a morning and afternoon session Initial issues Gates coaches, Jim Huge and Elaine

Learning Walks Structure Host principal, two-three other building administrators, several central office Principal debriefing with teacher/videoed Not tied to formal teacher evaluation

2/10 Structure Two hours a day, ten hours a week in class rooms Walk through time counts Look-fors --see page 26

Literacy Coaches Structure Concept developed out of a Lancaster, Pennsylvania model (now Gates Ex. Dir) Teacher-leaders Meeting with principals weekly about students below the 50th percentile.

Annual Growth Once in public schools, most students make “annual growth”. Yet a year of growth each year merely perpetuates the gap between the four quartiles. Catch-up growth is required to close it. 280

Catch-up Growth When students leave kindergarten three years behind in reading, they must make six years of growth in three years to catch-up by 3rd grade. This means they must make one year of annual growth and one year of catch-up growth each year. Or, said another way, two years of growth in each 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grades to catch up. 280

Achievement by High School on the Washington State Assessments

Reprinted courtesy Larry Wright and The Detroit News.