1. Standards Alignment- Tools and Processes Douglas Reeves Center for Performance Assessment Presentation by Marta Turner/Suzanne Cusick

2. Alignment The degree to which the components of an education system-such as standards, curriculum, assessments and instruction work together to achieve desired goals. Do standards and assessments address the same content taught in the classroom?

3. Results Based Reform Specification of standards or educational goals-state performance standards. Also applies to interventions; instruction, teacher development, motivation….and publicizes results of tests and other measures of performance of relevant groups.

4. Quality & Coherence To be most effective there needs to be quality and coherence in the array of stated goals or standards. They should combine to exemplify the complete learner. There must be a known relationship among standards, benchmarks, targets, tests and information received by teachers and the generation of new, improved approaches.

5. More Coherence 1.Figure out what should be taught (DDDM) 2.Be prepared to teach it (MSW) 3.Help students learn it (Marzano) 4.Measure their learning (Data Teams) 5.Continue with cycle until desired improvement it met (System of Accountability) Coherence means each and every goal in an accountability system is clearly specified and is measured completely without added irrelevance.

6. Challenges Congruent states of alignment can be achieved in highly focused systems. It means instruction matches both the goals, the measures and covers their intentions completely.

7. More Challenges…. Congruence is especially difficult in two common cases in education: 1) Where the goals are broad and generally stated 2) Where there are too many goals to be adequately taught and measured

8. So what happens??? Logical course is to focus on something other than goals or standards as the basis for alignment. “In practice, because the test or set of measures is seen as an operational definition of the domain of interest rather than a sample of it, the test is used as a guide.” Aligning Curriculum, Standards and Assessments: Fulfilling the Promise of School Reform. Eva L. Baker, 2004

9. Question? If learning is the key condition, then how do we reconcile a system that uses 2 nd or 3 rd order indicators as a means to understand what is occurring in classrooms? Where is the transfer of skills occurring? Goal of a coherent curriculum? It exemplifies both broadly and concretely the intentions of the standards and the content and skills to be taught and learned.

10. Douglas Reeve’s Asks How is your school doing as a learning institution? Are all students learning? How do you know? What do you expect students to know and be able to do by the end of each year?

12. Strategic Leadership

13. A New Model

14. As a leader, what work do I do that feels like spinning plates? What work do I do that feels like interlocking gears? Barbara Miller-Education Development Center The Council of Chief State School Officers Spinning plates: Run up and down the line to keep it going Fast, accurate to determine amount of spin Gravity is our enemy Fear…if you ever stop or slow down, you’ll hear the crash of plates Not a powerful or comforting view of strategic leadership Interlocking gears: More complex system Gears must work in tandem Doesn’t require tremendous endurance or tennis shoes An engineer oversees process-trouble shoots Built in system of quality control Offers various roles as leaders

15. The Leadership and Learning Matrix Lucky High results, low under- standing of antecedents.Replication of success unlikely. Leading High results, high under- standing of antecedents. Replication of success likely. Losing Low results, low under- standing of antecedents. Doh! Learning Low results, high under- standing of antecedents. Replication of mistakes unlikely. Effects / Results Data Antecedents / Cause Data

16. Antecedents of Excellence “Those observable qualities in leadership, teaching, curriculum, parental engagement and other indicators that assist in understanding how results are achieved.” Douglas B. Reeves-The Learning Leader

17. Accountability Pyramid: Data and Goal Relationships Within a Comprehensive Accountability System Comprehensive Accountability System District Level Accountability Data  Gather results data from each school  Analyze “Vital signs” detailing health of district taken once a year  Provide focus for district-wide allocation of time, energy, and resources School Improvement Plan Building Level Accountability Data  Tailor to needs/current reality of individual building  Select instructional strategies, set and review yearlong goals for building  Implement practices and strategies to help building reach goals  Provide multiple, ongoing measurements of student performance  Data Team Action Plan Grade Level/Team Data lead to Team Goals  Tailor to needs/current reality of grade level/department  Provide multiple, ongoing performance measures  Set and review incremental goals Classroom Data Common Assessment Data lead to classroom goals Identify specific students with specific needs to be met by specific research-based strategies. Data Driven Decision Making 1. Find the data 2. Analyze the data in REAL time 3. Prioritize needs analysis- 4. Set, review, or revise annual goals- 5. Identify specific strategies 6. Determine results indicators: Data Teams 1. Collect data from pre-assessment, chart results 2. Analyze the strengths/obstacles and prioritize needs 3. Goal setting-SMART goals 4. Teachers select instructional strategies-best practices 5. Determine the results indicators-what evidence do you have? What do we as a system need to do to leave no child behind? What do we need to do collaboratively to help our building meet its goals? What do I need to do with my kids to help my team meet its goal? Where do we as a building need to focus our time, energy and resources to help our district meet its goal?

18. Data Decision Making Data Driven Decision Making Data Teams Student Achievement

19. CIP Process System of Accountability Data Driven Decision Making Data Teams Making Standards Work Instructional Strategies 1.What is the impact of the adult in the system? 2.School Improvement Process 3.Setting SMART goals/action planning/data summaries 4.Curriculum Alignment 5.Performance assessments 6.Targeted interventions based upon accurate data and curriculum analysis

20. Data-Driven Decision Making Six steps for DDDM: –Find the data (Treasure Hunt) –Analyze the data –Prioritize needs –Set, review, revise SMART goals –Determine strategies –Establish results indicator

21. Typical Data Team Questions Which students have mastered grade level outcomes/standards and proficiencies before explicit instruction? Which grade level concepts & skills are most of your students lacking (non- proficient) at the beginning of the school year? At semester? Just before state/and or district assessments begin?

22. Antecedents of Excellence “Those observable qualities in leadership, teaching, curriculum, parental engagement and other indicators that assist in understanding how results are achieved.” Douglas B. Reeves-The Learning Leader

23. Deciding What to Teach Within the Time Allotted “Given the limited amount of time you have with your students, curriculum design has become more and more an issue of deciding what you won’t teach as well as what you will teach. You cannot do it all. As a designer, you must choose the essential.” Heidi Hayes Jacobs, 1997

24. Identifying Power Standards All standards are not equal in importance. Narrow the voluminous standards and indicators by distinguishing the “essentials” from the “nice to know.” What do students need to know for life, learning (school) and the test?

25. Identifying Power Standards All standards are not equal in importance. Narrow the voluminous standards and indicators by distinguishing the “essentials” from the “nice to know.” What do students need to know for life, learning (school) and the test?

26. Category Impact on Reading Percenti le Gain 3 rd Grade 201 5 th Grade 215 8 th Grade 231 10 th Grade 239 Similarities & Differences 45 186 – 212 199 – 221 209 – 232 215 – 237 Summarizing & Note Taking 34 186 – 208 199 – 219 209 – 230 215 – 236 Cues, Questions, & Advance Organizers 22 186 – 204 199 – 216 209 – 226 215 – 231 Category Impact on Math Percenti le Gain 3 rd Grade 202 5 th Grade 215 8 th Grade 231 10 th Grade 239 Similarities & Differences 45 189 – 210 201 – 221 209 – 232 213 – 236 Summarizing & Note Taking 34 189 – 209 201 – 213 209 – 230 213 – 233 Cues, Questions, & Advance Organizers 22 189 – 204 201 – 210 209 – 226 213 – 228

27. Category Average Effect Size Percentile Gain Number of Studies Identifying Similarities & Differences 1.614531 Summarizing & Note Taking1.0034179 Reinforcing Effort & Providing Recognition.802921 Homework & Practice.7728134 Nonlinguistic Representation.7527246 Cooperative Learning.7327122 Setting Objectives & Providing Feedback.6123408 Generating & Test ing Hypotheses.612363 Cues, Questions, & Advance Organizers.59221251

28. What The Future Can Be “The image of the future would be a group of teachers sitting around a table talking about their students’ work, learning and asking, ‘What do we need to do differently to get the work we would like from the kids?” Dennis Sparks 1998, Executive Director of NSDC