Building and Sustaining a Multi-Tiered System of Supports: The Wichita Way Virginia Department of Education March 1, 2011 Virginia Department of Education March 1, 2011

Fullan has shown that real change is possible but only by taking a truly systematic approach. 2 Senge in Fullan, 2010

Mobilizing the sort of cooperative Whole-System effort Fullan proposes: 3 1. We must believe that real change is possible. -Transforming the fatalism that currently afflicts far too many starts with a conviction that change is possible with a clear framework and practical tools for engagement and moving forward. 2. We must imagine a vision for school that is far more compelling than fixing a broken system. Fullan, 2010

The System 4 Big Ideas for Whole-System Reform 1. All children can learn 2. A small number of key priorities 3. Resolute leadership/stay on message 4. Collective capacity 5. Strategies with precision 6. Intelligent accountability 7. All means all Fullan, 2010

Elements of a Successful Reform 5 1. A small number of ambitious goals 2. A guiding coalition at the top 3. High standards and expectations 4. Collective capacity building with a focus on instruction 5. Individual capacity building linked to instruction 6. Mobilizing the data as a strategy for improvement 7. Intervention in a nonpunitive manner 8. Being vigilant about “distractors” 9. Being transparent, relentless, and increasingly challenging Fullan, 2010

Making All Systems Go 6 1. Resolute Leadership 2. Intelligent Accountability 3. Collective Capacity 4. Individual Capacity 5. Moral purpose/High Expectations These five components represent a complex resource, one that compounds and multiplies its effect through interrelated use. Fullan, 2010

Michael Fullan

MTSS is the Work!

MTSS Steering Team September 2, 2009 There is no such thing as a dysfunctional organization, because every organization is perfectly aligned to achieve the results it currently gets. --Jeff Lawrence

The Strategic Plan MTSS is the WORK! Vision Strategic Plan Support and Direction from the District

MTSS District Leadership Team Began in Fall Member Team Work based on The Strategic Plan Work measured by the MTSS Innovation Configuration Matrix

Are we a system of schools… … or a school system?

Fullan Paschal: “The Change Sandwich” PRINCIPLES ( Beliefs, Work, Objectives, Action Plans) INNOVATIONS (that fit within the principles)

Let us put our minds together and see what life we can make for our children. -Sitting Bull MTSS Steering Team September 29

Inviting Collaborative Partners Stevan Kukic Stevan Kukic: Strategic Reform James Baker James Baker: Academic Structuring and Implementation Robert Pipik Robert Pipik: Performance Management Randy Sprick Randy Sprick: Positive Behavior Supports George Batsche George Batsche: Leadership and RtI

Defining District Non-Negotiables 1. The culture of PLC is embraced, expected, and supported at the school and district level as operationalized by the MTSS innovation configuration matrix. 2. District level standard protocols, in the areas of academic and behavior assessment, curriculum, intervention, instruction, and operations are established, implemented and supported with fidelity. 3. The focus of Professional Development is expecting and supporting fidelity of implementation. 4. Results-driven leadership is expected and supported.

The Plan Evolves Defined Six Cohorts of Feeder Schools 3 Cohorts: Behavior Focus 3 Cohorts: Academic Focus Flipping Focus

Other System Considerations Reorganization Comprehensive Assessment System Systems of Support for All Implementation with Fidelity System of Data-Driven Decision Making

Reorganization Functioning in a Data-driven accountability system Time of reduced financial resources Dimension of one delivery system that’s sole focus is student learning

Comprehensive Assessment System: What is different?

Assessment Protocols

Systems of Support for All

Implementation with Fidelity

System of Data-Driven Decision Making Performance Management System Facility Stat School Stat

How we educate our children shapes the future, because they in turn will be the ones who create that future At no time in history has there been a more powerful need for a new vision of the purpose of education…No institution has a more crucial role to play in the historic changes coming than school because no institution has greater potential to impact how society changes over the long term. How we educate our children shapes the future, because they in turn will be the ones who create that future. The growing gap between what they need to be able to understand (such as alternative cultures and social-technological-ecological systems) and to do (such as work collaboratively to solve complex interdependent problems) and what we have traditionally taught is the primary reason so many young people find school less and less relevant for their lives. And they are right. Peter Senge

MTSS is the Work!

We treat urgency like a performance-enhancing drug, as if calling for speed will hasten change, despite the evidence that authentic transformation requires more time than we ever imagined. Peter Block

Innovation Configuration Matrix Leadership and Empowerment Assessment Curriculum Instruction Data-based Decision Making Integration and Sustainability Overall Leadership and Empowerment Assessment Curriculum Instruction Data-based Decision Making Integration and Sustainability Overall

Innovation Configuration Matrix Making sense of the Innovation Configuration Matrix

Innovation Configuration Matrix Staff Survey on Survey Monkey (2600+) District Leadership Team Activity (17)

District Leadership Team Activity – Team Analysis

Team Sharing

ICM Survey Results

Where are we now? Professional Development Implementation of the Plan Focus Areas for Spring 2011 Anchoring BOE Objectives Identifying Grade Level Benchmarks Wichita Problem-Solving Model Wichita “Brand” Monitoring and Accountability Professional Development Implementation of the Plan Focus Areas for Spring 2011 Anchoring BOE Objectives Identifying Grade Level Benchmarks Wichita Problem-Solving Model Wichita “Brand” Monitoring and Accountability

Are you a Mover? Shaker? Thinker? Doer?

Marzano and Waters, 2009 Nonnegotiable Goals For Achievement Nonnegotiable Goals For Instruction Collaborative Goal Setting Board Alignment Allocation of Resources Relationship between collaborative goal setting, board alignment, allocation of resources, and nonnegotiable goals for achievement and instruction

Consensus building among diverse team members: Steve

Building Non-Negotiables with Steve Practicing consensus building

The concept of PLC is embraced, expected, and supported at the school and district level as operationalized by the MTSS innovation configuration. District level standard protocols, in the areas of academic and behavior assessment, curriculum, intervention, and instruction are established, implemented and supported with fidelity. The focus of Professional Development is expecting and supporting fidelity of implementation. Results-driven leadership is expected and supported at all level Wichita Public Schools: District Level Non-Negotiables

47 May 4, 2010 meeting with Wichita PS MTSS Leadership Team All Systems Go 5 year plan Years 1-3: Primary emphasis on implementation Years 4-5: Primary emphasis on sustainability Supporting schools in the context of district non-negotiables and MTSS One team for school improvement /school Synergize school improvement with MTSS Synergize state department with MTSS Validate, Refine, Change, Develop—in that order Focus on Academics, Behavior, and Operations simultaneously Use social networking for lateral capacity building Develop a list of “Stop Doings”. What are we willing to give up? Remember that transition is Ending, Neutral Zone, New Beginning

District Leadership – What is your role?

Characteristics of an Effective School District FOCUS DATA LEADERSHIP RESOURCES REDUCE DISTRACTORS COMMUNITY COMMUNICATION ESPRIT DE CORPS

In his state of education address in 1987, Secretary of Education William Bennett attached the nickname “the blob” to administrators and the administrative system in public schools. The blob, he argued, is made up of people in the education system who work outside of classrooms, soaking up resources and resisting reform without contributing to student achievement (Walker, 1987). According to Bennett, the term blob is an acronym for “bloated educational bureaucracy.”

The primary research question in this work was: “What is the strength of relationship between district-level administrative actions and average student achievement?” The computed correlation between district leadership and student achievement was.24 and was statistically significant at the.05 level. This finding stands in sharp contrast to the notion that district administration is a part of an amorphous blob that soaks up valuable resources without adding value to a district’s effectiveness. To the contrary, these findings suggest that when district leaders are carrying out their leadership responsibilities effectively, student achievement across the district is positively affected.

The second research question was: “What are the specific district leadership behaviors that are associated with student achievement?” Five district-level leadership “responsibilities” or “initiatives” with a statistically significant (p <.05) correlation with average student academic achievement were found. They are as follows: 1.Ensuring collaborative goal setting 2.Establishing nonnegotiable goals for achievement and instruction 3.Creating board alignment with and support district goals 4.Monitoring achievement and instruction goals 5.Allocating resources to support the goals for achievement and instruction.

Why MTSS (RtI)?

Building and Sustaining a Multi-Tiered System of Supports: The Wichita Way Virginia Department of Education March 1, 2011 Virginia Department of Education March 1, 2011

MTSS is the Work!