Annual Score Review: Time for Progressive Tests?

Prior to the school year, I typically analyze a host of scores that provide one illustration of individual and collective student achievement.

As I looked over the scores, I thought about last year's program and this year's program to come.

I continue to be somewhat frustrated with the grade-level approach to scores since students who struggle and score many years behind the grade level continue to take tests that are several levels above their skill/knowledge level. These grade level tests provide a steep climb that sometimes results in teaching-to-the-test since teachers feel the pressure to try to move a child up several levels. Teaching-to-the-test generally results in dull teaching rather than an inspiring, engaging program--the kind of program that will truly help a struggling student love learning and persevere.

For example, let's say you're a child that for some reason scores a 1/5 in third grade. That means out of five levels where levels 4 and 5 are considered "grade level," you've scored a 1 which is three levels away from reaching what's considered grade level. Then you move to the next grade, and now according to the tests you're even further behind because to catch up with the previous and next grade standards.

This reminds me of when I used to climb mountains with my family. I was the slowest hiker. I'd work so hard to get up to my family members who would wait for me now and then. As soon as I reached them, ready for a rest, they'd take off and start running up to the next level. I could never catch up. As I look back on this, I realize that allergies had a lot to do with it. I simply couldn't breathe as well as my family members which slowed me down during the woodsy portion of the climb.

Now most of our test takers do catch up by high school--few to none in our system do not pass the high school tests. As students mature and learn about themselves and the academic knowledge, concept, and skill, they are able to meet the requirements of the tests.

I wish the tests would not be tied to grade levels, but instead be a progression of skill, knowledge, and concept. That way your goal would be to keep edging up the the knowledge, concept, and skill trajectory. That would help us to look at a child's growth overall rather than his/her connection to the grade-level. Tests like this would help our students who score at the highest levels too because these students consistently score at the top of the grade level with little room for advancement. In a progressive test, there would essentially be no end as students could just keep learning more and scoring higher.

I continue to be a fan of streamlined standardized tests. I don't think that tests should be tied to teachers' performance, but instead tied to an overall school's efforts and progress. I think that the key with tests is to get an overview of the individual student's knowledge, concept, and skill that can be tested as well as an overview of a school's performance. It's one way to assess how students are doing and should be combined with other types of formal and informal assessments to gain a holistic picture of a school's work. We know that successful, happy, contributing citizens didn't necessarily score high on standardized tests, but instead found areas of work and study that inspired them, propelled them forward, and helped them to achieve with strength. We can't forget that as we analyze test scores.

With that in mind as I analyzed the scores, this is what I noticed:

• One area of attention continues to be students who struggle on these tests. These students typically work with a host of educators, and it's very important that we carefully target our collective efforts to support these children well. Students who struggle with academics demand the best possible teaching and a sensitive holistic approach. Over the years, I have been impressed with these students' long term success, and the one common factor leading to that success, is the steady support, care, and attention from the child's family and educators.
• Again, time on task matters. Steady learning and practice leads to success.
• And a solid weekly learning routine that involves feedback and parent communication--the more we can let parents know how students are doing, the more we will gain their support which is integral to helping every child succeed. Also a weekly pattern helps students to keep track of their performance and learning.
• Match tests to the curriculum. In some cases we have tests that are not well matched to the curriculum and these tests require time and attention that could be focused on the curriculum content instead. 

Fortunately our students do well on tests overall, so the worry is not the same as in schools where most students face challenge with the tests for many varied reasons. 

The yearly review and analysis helps me to gear up for the new year on my own and with colleagues. Our collective attention to this one area of school life helps each of us to continue to support students with past and new successful approaches. 

The Challenge of Designing Special Events With and For Students

We can't let this define us, but instead we need to work
towards dynamic, holistic schools. 

As I read Emdin's book, For White Folks Who Teach in the Hood. . .and multiple other texts, I am reminded of the rich learning that takes place wth hands-on, student-centered, experienced-based learning. I am a big fan of embedding the standards and other worthy learning points into these kinds of rich learning endeavors. Yet, I must tell you, the challenge of planning such events is HUGE in the schoolhouse. So many administrators fear the impact special events will have on standardized tests. They worry that if I have an expert visitor, plan an innovative unit, visit a museum, or go to the nature preserve with children, that those children will not perform as well on the year's standardized test. Hence, rather than a conversation where a teacher proposes a well-researched event and an administrator says, "Yes, let's try it," teachers are often met with multiple questions, permission protocols, funding needs, long conversations, and in the worst of circumstances, disapproval. I am aware of the pressure that administrators and educators are under with regard to test scores as everyone likes good scores, but in some cases these scores don't necessarily indicate inspiring, engaging, and deep learning--the kind of learning that support a students' long range investment and success. It's important to achieve a good balance in this regard.

I've seen reports lately that field trips are dwindling, and this is happening more often in urban settings. Then as I read Emdin's book which is all about deep, rich, experiential, culturally proficient, and student-centered pedagogy, and I clearly see the mismatch in the desire to get good test scores and eliminating rich, deep, hands-on learning experiences. I have actually heard teachers say, "My students can't learn that way and they can't go on trips like your students do." I've actually heard administrators question the value of hands-on learning, field experiences, and utilizing the rich, and often free, resources that the community offers to enrich learning.  I have to work double time on my own just to justify bringing students out to the field, working with wonderful community members, planning field trips, and more because more often than not there is little to no support for this kind of learning in the typical school environment. I am continually surprised by this because if you think about the world our students will move into--it's a multi-modal, experiential, flexible world of learning. Also if you consider where children's passions and success are born, it's typically not sitting at their desk doing a worksheet. It's more often a rich, deep, integrated learning event--something that moves them. Yet I realize that we have to strike a good balance between a strong foundation of essential skills, knowledge, and concept and rich, deep meaningful learning experiences.

As I think of pushing forward to continue to create a varied, multi-modal, in-school-out-of-school learning environment, and the use of community experts and experiences, I have to go back to the image of a challenged student that I taught last year. This child's will to learn and interest in learning was extraordinary despite many personal and experiential challenges he faced. When he went on our outdoor adventure into a beautiful nature preserve, one supported by local grant money, he commented about how wonderful the event was. He found peace and interest in that beautiful place in nature, and I won't be surprised to see him replicate that experience in his future, and let that experience possibly lead him to his future livelihood or career.

I had a similar inspiring experience as a young Girl Scout when I visited a farm. That visit inspired me to garden, bring my students to farms, work for a CSA, and support my son's path to horticulture and agriculture.

No test has ever inspired my future choices or efforts. No test has ever made me who I am. Instead it's the energy, connections, experiences, and learning I gain from real world experiences and the study those experience inspire that have moved me and others forward.

As I write, I implore all citizens to support hands-on, experiential learning events for students. Yes, I like to be standards-centered, but I like to embed those standards into empowering, engaging, multi-modal learning experiences that result in enthusiastic, bright, flexible, and creative students. Please don't let schools limit experiences like this, but instead prompt your school systems to embrace these experiences and support educators who want to research and plan these events. Choreographing a wonderful mix of learning experiences that range from quiet reading to project based STEAM to the field study is the way to go. Broadly assessing that choreography throughout the year will help you to determine the program's future movement as well.

I've already decided to work double time to see if I can truly teach the kind of teaching/learning program I believe in. I don't think teachers should have to work double time to do a good job, but with the way most systems work today, that's the only way we're able to really create and implement the rich paths possible.

You can help educators who want to foster rich learning by asking school administrators how they support educators who want to be innovative, child-centered, creative, and experiential with regard to teaching children well? You can look carefully at systematic structure, roles, and routines to determine the kind of support that exists for teacher voice and choice? You can ask parents and students what they like about school and what they want more of? You can analyze what makes a school experience inspiring versus what makes it tedious and boring, and you can work with school systems to figure out what role tests will play. Are we going to eliminate all rich experiences to raise test scores by a few percentage points, or are we going to decide what's good enough when it comes to test results in favor of teaching in more holistic, inclusive, engaging ways?

The new ESSA legislation invites voices from all school stakeholders to get involved in school decisions. This new law gives voice to the parents, teachers, paraeducators, and others who have day-to-day contact and responsibility for children. ESSA supports distributive leadership that maximizes the "collective genius" of an organization.

I believe that we can do a better job in schools, and I believe that better jobs lie at the potential good systems and process hold for inclusive voice and choice of all stakeholders when it comes to teaching well. It's important that all stakeholders learn about ESSA and advocate for their role and potential with this new law. It's similarly important that we all find ways to work together, listen to each other, and collaborate around the holistic needs students have and the potential they hold.

We are fortunate to have public schools. We are lucky to have an institution that educates the populous--an institution that holds great potential to be a strong, innovative "nation builder," child advocate, and human resource. Let's not narrow what schools can be, but instead work towards the incredible potential and promise education holds for the lives of every child, communities, our nation, and planet. Don't give up and please support teachers :)

The Classroom Family: Emdin Teaches

Chris Emdin is teaching me how to build a more inclusive, collaborative teaching/learning space by introducing me to many, many teaching/learning points and strategies via his book, For White Folks Who Teach in the Hood. . .and the Rest of Y'all Too: Reality Pedagogy and Urban Education.

Barber and conversationalist, Marcus Harvey, infers through his examples in the book that this learning will require practice since Emdin urges us to go deeper, get better, and reach out in ways that matter with regard to educating all of our students well.

I'll start to employ his wisdom in the following ways:

• Create significant opportunity at the start of the school year as well as throughout the year to get to know students, and to let them get to know one another in safe, welcoming, open ways.
• As I mentioned in my past post, slowing down the teaching/learning to make space for listening, thoughtful response, and co-creating the classroom environment with students.
• Working with colleagues, students, and families to find out how we can better get to know the places where students live and spend time.
• Beginning the year with a focus on names.

I'll also gauge my success with the following questions:

• Do students seem comfortable in the room?
• Is everyone willing to speak up, share, and contribute?
• Have I made the time to get to know each child on an individual basis? Do I know what matters to each child?
• Are students engaged in the learning? Are they continuing the learning at home on their own?
• Are students willing to ask questions and advocate for themselves?

And, I'll think with my colleagues about the possibility of the following events:

• Inviting parents to a PLC to talk with us about what's working for their children and what could be better.
• Thinking of ways to develop our TeamFive "Family."
• Incorporating curriculum that reflects the diversity of culture, race, gender, interests, and needs in our classrooms.
• Teaching together and independently in ways that invite students in--choreographing our pedagogy in ways that elicit positive response, engagement, and significant learning. 

Finally, I'll return to the notes below again and again to right my direction in this regard--powerful words from Emdin and those he quotes to lead us to stronger, more inclusive, and meaningful schools. Thanks Chris!

What's That Name: First Day of School

A few years ago, a group of children ran into my room and asked if "that guy" could help out.

I asked, "Which guy?" and then they pointed to our school custodian, a man who had worked at our school for many, many years. It struck me that the students didn't know our faithful, highly qualified (actually over qualified) afternoon custodian's name. Our custodian, at that time, was a teacher who had chosen to be a custodian when he immigrated to the United States so he could take care of his family.

As I think of that situation and the funny and eye-opening Saturday Night Live skit, "What's That Name," I am reminded that names are very important, and it's imperative that the students and I get to know the names of everyone that works with us in our school community. Similarly it's important that the students, family members, and you get to know each others' names as well.

Yet, it's not always easy getting to know everyone's name in the school environment, that's why I believe this takes a concerted effort. There are many actions we can take to help everyone get to know everyone else's name. For example, at the front of our school, we have a staff board with names and pictures. I'm creating a similar "staff board" on our class website so students and family members can look up all the teachers' names and see their pictures. We also post class lists on the board and website for easy reference. In addition, I'd like to create a video of every child saying their name and their three words--a take-off from the GMA video from a few years ago and an approach my colleagues have used in the past. I made a small version of what the video might look like below, and will work with colleagues to refine the approach prior to the start of school. I imagine we may have students create a small poster or words on paper prior to the filming.

When students film, I'd like the to do the following:

• Place themselves in front of a place that has meaning for them.
• Use the iPad to film themselves.
• Say their full name clearly and their three words.
• Film repeatedly until they come up with a video they're satisfied with.
• We'll create one long video of all the short videos. 

We'll share the video on parents' night as one way to introduce all the students and their names. We'll also post the video privately for the students and families, just in case they want to match a name with a face as the year rolls along. 

With our multicultural population at our school, it's challenging to get all the names right. This might be one way to help us out, and to also let every child know that they and their name are important to us. 

Note: One other aspect of this project that's great is that it helps student to increase their comfort level and experience with videotaping their words--a skill they'll need in the future, and one I'm still getting used to. :)

Here's a nice example of students using the three words. I like this, but I really want to include students saying their names correctly and proudly:

@Jessicalura sent me this great link about the name project. 

For White Teachers that Teach in the Hood. . .Perspective

Chris Emdin wrote the book, For White Folks that Teach in the Hood and the Rest of Y'all Too: Reality Pedagogy and Urban Education, to help educators like me teach all students, particularly urban youth, well. I bought the book months ago when it was first published, and have finally found the time to read it with care. I will probably read a chapter a day because the book is deep and has a lot to teach me.

When I read of the book, I knew I wanted to buy it. I heard Emdin speak many years ago at the Educon Conference at The Science Leadership Academy in Philadelphia. You can always count on Chris Lehmann, Science Leadership Academy's Leader, and Educon to open your eyes and provide you with new ways to see and perform your work as an educator. And, when I heard Emdin speak, that's what he did for me.

Then, in the last few years, I've paid closer attention to cultural proficiency and the many ways I can reach out to teach all students better. I've made progress, but I haven't been satisfied with the efforts to include students most distanced from success in school--students for whom, I believe, we can do a better job. Our urban youth, students who travel from Boston out to the suburbs every day to learn, stand amongst the students I want to serve better. That's why I'm reading Emdin's book--I want to apply his expertise and approach.

Chapter one immediately gives me great ideas to use as I improve my craft to better serve my urban youth and all students. First, he affirms the fact that we have to co-construct our teaching/learning environments with students. This co-construction which he describes as reality pedagogy is one way to make sure that every child's culture, perspective, emotions, needs, and interests are included in the curriculum. By co-constructing the teaching/learning environment, we push our preconceived notions about individual students aside, and allow those students to describe themselves and what they need.

How can I apply this perspective and effort into my classroom? First, I need to s-l-o-w down the classroom in order to give greater voice and choice to all students. When the classroom runs too fast, there isn't time to listen to a child's perspective or to hear what each individual student truly needs to succeed. Next, I need to employ lots of open-ended learning efforts at the start of the year to give students a chance to show who they are and what's important to them. And, I can't jump to conclusions quickly or climb the inference ladder as some would say. Instead, I have to take the time to let a child tell his/her story. Finally, I can't group students by race, culture, religion, gender, but instead see every child as the individual he/she is.

Further Emdin prompts us to get out and get to know the neighborhoods and communities our students live in. I want to explore this further and will work with my colleagues, students, and their families in this regard. How can I do this? For starters, I may make some time to have lunch with small groups of students and talk about places they like to play, foods they enjoy, friends, and good times. Then I'd like to make an effort to visit students' neighborhoods.

Emdin's book is a must-read for every teacher because it teaches us how to better teach every child, and gives us a guide to teaching urban youth with sensitivity, personalization, and respect. I collected a number of specific quotes and connections in the Storify below. One connection is a TedX talk given by an urban youth that attended our suburban school--it's a thought provoking talk. I'll continue to post as I read chapter-by-chapter. In the meantime, if you have anything to add, don't hesitate to let me know.

Related Posts
Chapters 2 & 3 Reflections