Improving Student Academic Achievement and Closing Achievement Gaps Bringing Improvement to Scale at All Grade Levels

Improving Student Academic Achievement and Closing Achievement

Gaps

Bringing Improvement to Scale at All Grade Levels

“Getting the job done” for our public

schools means setting high expectations to

get all students to a minimum of grade

level proficiency.

This will ensure they are ready for college

and/or ready for the workforce.

The key starting point in improving California’s public schools is data.

Since our kids can’t wait years and because by its own admission, the CDE is years and tens of millions of dollars away from building a data system…

CBEE has partnered with Just for the Kids-CA

Just for the Kids-Californiawww.jftk-ca.org

Built and paid for by the CA Business community at no cost to government or schools

Publicly available data from more than 9,300 schools

Complete student level records from 3,500 volunteer schools

40% of all student level data in the state

Largest academic performance database in the nation

Now for the first time we have data to use as a tool to improve our schools.

And this is how we use the data to find out what is happening in our schools.

… we can make comparisons among look-a-like schools

… from there we can find higher performing, comparable schools

… we can measure improvement over time by each grade and subject

… we can measure strands of the CST and benchmark against higher performers

… we can measure achievement gap reduction over time

…we can see who is outperforming expectations

Stagg Street Elementary

… we can benchmark across the district by school, grade and subject

…we can measure “college readiness” for high schools through CSU Early Assessment Program results

…and backward map performance on the CST for those who are proficient on the EAP

Data must be used to find and implement

best practices.

We find schools that look just like yours and

then connect you to them to learn from

their proven strategies…

a “Best Practices Network” and collection of research and examples of practices based upon “what works”

a way to find local and state high performing schools with the goal of visiting and learning from them

an accountability system as a useable tool for school improvement

Inform

Improve

Inspire

through…

Disseminating ResultsJFTK Best Practice Study Process

Source: National Center for Educational Accountability and Just for the Kids

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ow

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All

oca

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Infl

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ces,

Rel

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ips,

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icat

ion

Define and UnpackSpecific Academic

Objectives by Grade and Subject

Provide Strong Instructional Leaders, HQ

Teachers, and Aligned PD

Provide Scientifically Based,

Evidence-Based Instructional

Programs

Develop Student Assessment and Data Monitoring

Systems: MonitorSchool

Performance

Recognize, Intervene, or

Adjust Based on School

Performance

Focus School Plan on Explicit Improvement of Performance on

Academic Objectives

Select, Develop,and Allocate Staff

Based onStudent Learning

Ensure the Use of Scientifically Based,

Evidence-Based Programs, Practices,

and Arrangementsin every Classroom

Monitor Teacher Performance and Student Learning


Adjust Based on Teacher and

Student Performance

Ensure Teaching Content

is based on Specified Academic Objectives

Collaborate in Grade/Subject Level Teams focused on

Student Work

Use Scientifically Based,

Evidence-Based Programs,

Practices, and Arrangements

Monitor Student Learning


Adjust Based on Student

Performance

Focus School PlanOn Explicit

Improvement of Performance on

Academic Objectives

Assure Teaching Content is based on Specified Academic

Objectives

Define and UnpackSpecific Academic

Objectives by Grade and Subject

Theme: Curriculum and Academic GoalsJFTK Best Practice Framework

Per

form

ance

Lev

el

Low

High

Middle

“Haven’t we already done this?”

“We use the state standards. They are clear. We trust our teachers enough not to have to

spell them out any more specifically.”

“There is ALWAYS work to be done to further understand and interpret the standards—especially in terms of the rigor and student

work expectations for each standard.”


121110987654321KGrade Level

Teacher Impact

100% 50% 33.6% 25% 20% 16.6% 14.3% 12.5% 11% 10% 9% 8% 7.7%

Teacher Accountability

7.7% 15.4% 23.1% 30.8% 38.5% 46.2% 53.9% 61.6% 69.3% 77% 84.7% 92.4% 100%

46.2% 23.1% 30.7%

School Impact

100%

District Impact


Select, Develop, and Allocate Staff based on Student Learning

Provide Strong Instructional Leaders,

Highly Qualified Teachers, and Aligned

Professional Development

Collaborate in Grade/Subject Level Teams focused on

Student Work

Theme: Staff Selection, Leadership, and Capacity BuildingJFTK Best Practice Framework

Rich and Deep Staff Selection Systems

Specific programs to develop quality teacher and principal candidates

Heavy emphasis on internal development of future leaders

Extensive partnerships with colleges and universities to encourage students to pursue teaching careers

Identification of staff who are “right” for school


Aligned Professional Development

Data-driven Content-and process-oriented Job-embedded/Individualized Classroom-based/Collaborative

Continuous and ongoing improvement strategies

Heavily aligned to standards and to chosen instructional resources


Assure the Use of Scientifically Based,

Evidence-Based Programs, Practices, and Arrangements in

every Classroom

Provide Scientifically Based, Evidence-

Based Instructional Programs

Use Scientifically Based, Evidence-Based Programs,

Practices, and Arrangements

Theme: Instructional Programs, Practices, and ArrangementsJFTK Best Practice Framework

Mixture of Prescription and AutonomyTight and Loose Governance

Instructional Time

Grouping Models

Instructional Planning Time/Collaboration

Basic Instructional Programs

Instructional Strategies

Use of Data for Decision-Making

Specific and Measurable Improvement Goals

Theme: Instructional Programs, Practices, and ArrangementsJFTK Best Practice Framework

Monitor Teacher Performance and Student Learning

Develop Student Assessment and Data Monitoring Systems:

Monitor Student Performance

Monitor Student Learning

Theme: Monitoring-Compilation, Analysis, and Use of DataJFTK Best Practice Framework

Strong Instructional

LeadersHighly-Qualified

Teachers

AlignedProfessional Development

Evidence-BasedTools and Resources

…and then assuring that we have provided the necessary staff, tools, and resources for them to learn it, we must ask:

After determining WHAT it is that all children are expected to learn by grade and subject,

“How will we know if they have learned it?”


State: Assessment

District: Benchmark

Assessments

School: Unit Tests

Teacher: Daily Monitoring

State: Assessment

Teacher: Daily Monitoring


Recognize, Intervene, or Adjust Based on Teacher

and Student Performance

Recognize, Intervene, or Adjust

Based on School Performance

Recognize, Intervene, or Adjust Based on Student

Performance

Theme: Recognition, Intervention, and AdjustmentJFTK Best Practice Framework

Strong Instructional

Leaders

Highly-QualifiedTeachers

AlignedProfessional Development

Evidence-BasedTools and Resources

“What are we going to do if a student does not learn what we said he or she would learn

in any particular grade or subject?”

The most important question of all…


Time to Learn

Resources and Support to Learn

If learning the stated objectives is NOT going to vary among students, then what must vary?

The Intervention


We can now find and recognize schools in every corner of the state that are

getting the job done.

Critical Elements for the Cycle of Improvement

Recognizes public schools that are consistently raising

achievement and closing achievement gaps

CBEE/JFTK-CA Honor Roll

Provides these schools a voice to share their Best Practice so others

can replicate what works

What if the practices in California’s schools should remain the same as they are today and the rate of improvement in our schools should not improve?

The answer is…

But, what if the rest of the schools in the state adopted the Honor Roll best practices?

And, what would happen if all schools in the state experienced the same rate of improvement as the Honor Roll Schools?

The answer is…

Our work now is to recognize those getting the job done and give them a voice to explain their best practices for others to copy.

And where

are these

STAR

schools?

www.jftk-ca.org/csued

What Can We Do?

Locate and connect to Star schools in your area

Form “Teaching Hospital” partnerships with high performers

Place student teachers in STAR schools

Use data and best practices to dispel myths and provide solutions

Improving Student Academic Achievement and Closing

Achievement Gaps

Bringing Improvement to Scale at All Grade Levels

www.jftk-ca.org www.cbeefoundation.org

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Improving Student Academic Achievement and Closing Achievement Gaps Bringing Improvement to Scale at All Grade Levels