Data-Driven Decisions and School Leadership: Best Practices for School Improvement Theodore J. Kowalski Thomas J. Lasley II James W. Mahoney This multimedia product and its contents are protected under copyright law. The following are prohibited by law: • Any public performance or display, including transmission of any image over a network; • Preparation of any derivative work, including the extraction, in whole or in part, of any images; • Any rental, lease, or lending of the program.

Chapter 9: Curriculum and Instruction

Problems with State Standards Too much consensus and too little vision Too few disciplinary specialists involved in developing standards State standards are too oriented to fads and are insufficiently rigorous State standards are too parochial and insufficiently comprehensive

The Positives and Negatives of High Stakes Tests Provide general evidence of student performance Test scores will rise particularly when students are in school districts with aligned curricula Fosters enhanced teacher and student attention on the importance of academic content coverage Insufficiently comprehensive May enhance student dropouts May encourage cheating as a means of “enhancing” student performance High Stakes Test - +

Things to Know about State Standards Standards vary from state to state (no national standards) Standards are but one ingredient of quality education Standards require professional development for new and veteran staff

Enhancing Student Achievement means teaching for: Memory Analysis Creativity Using all three means students have more opportunities to learn material

Types and Uses of Instructional Apparatus Teacher Centered Locus of Control Student Centered Inquiry Discovery Learning Problem-based Learning Lecture Direct Instruction Drill and Practice Instructional Strategy Critical Thinking Problem Solving Creative Thinking Skills Processes Procedures Learning Focus

Principles of Instruction The more skill oriented, the more teacher centered The less academically prepared the students, the more teacher centered The more important the academic focus/content, the more time spent on coverage The teacher organizes instruction for memory, analysis, and creativity The teacher should identify some academic power standards to teach for depth

Keys to Good Assessment Key 1: Alignment of standards, instruction and assessment Key 3: Know how and when to use both formative and summative assessments Keys to Good Assessment Key 2: Assess for learning