Believing in Achieving Through Improved Systems
Improving Schools and Achievement
For years educational leaders have been frustrated with underperforming students and low state assessment scores. Teachers work harder, new resources are purchased, but student performance does not improve. Leaders know something is wrong or missing to have such a large learning gap but the question of “what to do?” lingers. Is the mission hopeless or are there practical solutions school leaders can implement to solve the learning gap?
There are district and building leaders in Missouri who have believed in innovative approaches and have seen the achievement rise. They started with refining current curriculum systems and refocusing the mindset of teachers to make it happen. Below are the steps innovative leaders have used to make change.
Step 1: Understand a guaranteed and viable curriculum
A common myth leaders addressed with teachers is that resources are not curriculum. According to Robert Marzano, a guaranteed and viable curriculum in each state is the state standards. This common myth is the leading cause of underperformance. Oftentimes, the instruction and lessons in a resource do not match the question type and proficiency expected on state assessments. Therefore, if teachers rely on resources to teach students and those resources don’t always cover all of the state standards or they cover them by name but not in proficiency, there is an alignment gap. Therefore, when students are given a state test that strictly assesses mastery of state standards, we see a large learning gap and glaring underperformance. This is because many teachers have not been teaching to the rigor of state standards, but rather the objective set by their resources.
To close this gap, leaders shifted from a focus on resources to a focus on state standards. Teachers worked on creating pacing guides that clearly lay out the priority and supporting standard in each core content in a viable way throughout the year.
Step 2: Audit current resources to ensure they cover all of the MLS
When creating guaranteed and viable pacing guides to the standards, it was found most effective to help teachers see the connection to when standards were taught within their current resource. This strategy supported teachers to see the connection between their pacing guide (standards) and their resource, it will also audit if their resource even covers all of the Missouri standards. What many districts have found is that resources do not always tightly align with every state priority standard. In fact, when audited closely, some resources do not cover every priority or supporting standard that a student would need to master (even those resources approved on the State Approved Literacy List). This is crucial information for districts to know and address.
Step 3: Calibrate the Understanding of State Standards to the State
Once teachers have audited their resources and shifted to a clear understanding of a guaranteed and viable current curriculum, the last step was to make sure their understanding of the standards aligned with the state’s level of proficiency. Many districts’ assessments and instructional resource’s level of proficiency did not align with the rigor and questions type of the state. This type of work was done by accessing powerful state documents such as the Item Specifications, MO LEAP items, and past released assessment items. Teachers that find ways to leverage these documents to clarify their understanding of the standards, can create assessments that mirror the MAP/EOC assessments. This approach supported teachers in a clear vision of end of the year proficiency while also supporting the students to take state level assessment items throughout the year.
The low performance of students is not the mystery that we have made it to be and many schools are believing in a different approach. Districts like Cameron Intermediate, Pilot Grove, La Monte, Belton, Thayer, Grandview, Center, and many others are taking specific actions to lay the groundwork for success. By believing in a different approach and taking risks with new system frameworks, Missouri kids are achieving.
