Erasing the Achievement Gap: Brazosport Schools

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Erasing the Achievement Gap Brazosport Schools

• EAS 611
• Spring 2002
• Chapter 5

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Brazosport Schools

• A K-12 District of about 14,000 students
• South of Houston Texas
• A wide disparity of affluent and those below the
  poverty line
• Economically disadvantaged range from 7 to 85
• Historically, an enormous achievement gap between
  poorer and affluent.

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Brazosport Schools

• 1992 Embarrassment over publicized achievement
  data
• Many of their schools placed on
  accredited/warned status.
• Parent group suggested switching faculties
  between an affluent school and a poorer school
• The superintendent and his Director of
  Instruction did not ignore their request.

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Breakthrough Improvements

• Educators can and should engineer serious
  improvement efforts to have an immediate effect
  (Schmoker 1996)
• One teacher made a terrific impact
• Within two years the school had significantly
  raised their achievement
• Within five years, Brazosport was the highest
  achieving school district in Texas.
• 90 of every subgroup achieved mastery

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A Simple Plan

• The power of having teachers closely examine
  student work working in teams
• Use of data to guide decisions
• Staff learning
• Student instruction
• The value of having teachers work together
  continually to tackle shared problems
• Brazosport very detailed and prescriptive

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Accountability

• Where do your test results go each year?
• Exposure in the media prompted movement
• Evidence that accountability promotes higher
  achievement
• Accountability has pushed up achievement
• What effect does accountability discussion have
  on you? How do you feel about accountability?
• (Fullan) External or state tests almost always
  the impetus for improvement

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New Thoughts About Accountability

• It often creates fear/concern in employees
• Many often make it the bad guy
• Vilify (1) to lower in estimation or
  importance, (2) to utter slanderous and abusive
  statements against defame, malign.
• More important to take the challenge
• Accountability made a huge difference for
  Brazosports economically disadvantaged kids.

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Covey and Accountability

• Accountability follows responsibility. If there
  is no accountability, little by little, people
  lose their sense of responsibility and start
  blaming circumstances or others for their poor
  performance. (Stephen Covey)

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READING
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Figure 5.4 Elementary Schools Economically
Disadvantaged (E.D.) (Least to Greatest)

• Reading
• E.D. All Students
• E.D. PASSING PASSING
• Beutel 7.4 100 100
• Brannen 11.3 92.9 99.3
• Roberts 17.1 95.7 95.6
• Ney 23.9 94.1 98.3
• Polk 29.4 96.5 98.0
• Austin 32.1 100 100

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Exceptional Alignment Common Standards

• One of the chief failings of school systems is
  the bewildering array of options teachers have
  for teaching, and the haphazardness this creats.
  (Rosenholtz 1991)
• Teachers pick and choose what and how
• Systems and States should have a common set of
  learning objectives and skills
• Alignment of these skills and the curriculum is
  critical

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Exceptional Alignment Common Standards

• Common standards will reduce the drift and
  confusion in the classroom
• Fullan spoke about Isolation, Group-think,
  and Overload.
• Schmoker spoke about Data analysis,
  Collaboration, Goals identified by the data,
  and limiting the number of goals to the doable.

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Brazosports System

• Explicit, assessed standards to
• The taught curriculum to
• Assessment aligned to the curriculum to
• Effective, curriculum-based teaching materials to
• Staff development linked to the standards to
• Remedial programs which target the most difficult
  assessed standards to
• Schedules and structures that manifestly promote
  success on assessments.

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Brazosports Strategy

• Everything is aimed right at the goal of helping
  all students master skills
• The results came from years of collaboration
• A new attitude about what could be accomplished
  working together.
• Collective, aligned learning doesnt occur in a
  vacuum

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A New Attitude Humility

• Effective collaboration requires a certain
  humility
• Improved results via collaboration (Fullan Har)
• The best is achieved through collective, not
  merely individual, effort and intelligence
• Learn to tap into the expertise at your
  doorstep
• Students dont always believe, so we have to
  believe for them
• Cooperation not competition
• Administrative support - insistence

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High Expectation from the Top

• Principals must allow for common planning times
  at least twice per month.
• Focused, instructional collaboration on a
  particular objective - strategy
• Monitor implementation efforts
• Early mornings for high school staffs start
  small
• Improvements come from the classroom teacher

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Instructionally Specific Sharing

• Identify areas of weakness, then start finding
  materials to address these areas
• Teachers are using the same lessons and
  assessments
• Everyone does the same things (subject groups)
• Everyone gives the same assessment
• Groups modify their material each year
• Collaboration helps new and veteran teachers

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The Tools of Teamwork

• Brainstorming Guidelines (Appendix C)
• Single clear purpose- improve student achievement
• Analysis of test scores - assessments
• Regularity
• Focused, productive dialogue
• Teaming Log (Appendix D)
• Topics for possible change/modification
• Record good ideas
• Share log with other teams
• Evaluation of current strategies good bad

See page 107 the right side of the page
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The Eight Step Process
No Silver Bullet Eight years

1. Start with the data
2. Time Line development
3. Instructional focus
4. Assessment
5. Tutorials
6. Enrichment
7. Maintenance
8. Monitoring

Started with the influence of one teacher
TQM
Continuous assessment and reteaching
See pages 108 - 118
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Demings Plan, Do, Check, Act Cycle

1. Plan plan on the basis of performance data
2. Do then teach on the basis of that analysis
3. Check assess the results of your teaching
4. Act Make adjustments to your instructional
   practices to get even better results

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The Eight Step Process

1. Test Score Disaggregation Plan
2. Time Line Development Plan
3. Instructional Focus Do
4. Assessment Check
5. Tutorials Act
6. Enrichment Act
7. Maintenance Check
8. Monitoring Check

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Test Score Disaggregation
Figure 5.5 Rank - Ordering Form Percent of
Students At/Above

• Math and subskills
• 64 Math
• 33 Geometric Concepts
• 42 Measurement
• 49 Statistics and Probability
• 58 Number Sense

Step 1 PLAN
See Appendix B
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Calendar Instructional Schedule Time Line Dev.
Other teachers reinforce
S
M
T
W
S
F
T
MATH FOCUS Objective 1 Number
concepts Integrate objectives 6 - 13
MATH FOCUS Objective 1 Number
concepts Integrate objectives 6 - 13
MATH FOCUS Objective 2 Number
concepts Integrate objectives 6 - 13
MATH FOCUS Objective 2 Number
concepts Integrate objectives 6 - 13
MATH FOCUS Objective 2 Number
concepts Integrate objectives 6 - 13
Step 2 PLAN
See Appendix B
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Figure 5.7 Instructional Focus

• Subject Math
• Grade Level 3rd (1st and 2nd use as guideline
  with 2nd grade objectives)
• Objective 1 The student will demonstrate an
  understanding of number concepts
• Targets
• 1a Compare and order whole numbers
• 1b use whole numbers place value
• 1c Use odd, evens, and skip counting
• 1d Recognize and compre fractijns using
  pictorial models
• 1e Translate whole numbers (name to
  numeral/numeral to name)
• Instructional Dates Aug. 21 Sept. 8
• Assessment Date Sept. 8

Step 3 DO
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Figure 5.7 Instructional Focus

• Things to Note
• Textbook Pages
• 1a 40- 41
• 1b Chapter 2
• 1c 36-37
• 1d 400-417
• 1e 32-33, 50-51, 52-53
• Please look at your Test Score specifications for
  samples of each target
• Target 1f (Recognize decimal place value0 will be
  taught at a later date

Step 3 DO
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Assessment Step 4

• After an Instructional Focus an assessment
• Periodic, common, collective assessments
• Short-term, formal feedback
• Placement of students during Team Time
• Scheduled, 4 item, State Test Specific, tests
• Turn in assessments on schedule to team leader

Step 4 CHECK
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• Teacher______________________
• Objective 1
• Compare and order whole numbers (1a)
• Use whole number place value (1b)
• Use odds, evens, and skip counting(1c)
• Recognize/compare fractions (1d)
• Translate whole numbers (1e)
• Recognize decimal place value (1f)
• Objective 2
• Use whole number properties (2a)
• Determine missing elements in pattern(2b)
• Number line representations (2c)
• Classify Objectives (2d)

Beth
Andy
Sam
Sue
Bob
Step 4 CHECK
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Tutorials-Enrichment - Elective

• Teacher teams modify the instructional schedule
  on the basis of data. Move along more quickly or
  collaborate, review, and reteach. Principal must
  know (Monitoring No. 8)
• Tutorials are electives classes students like
  to take. They must master their skills, or they
  take remedial work rather than electives.
• Move summer school into school year prior to
  the state tests. Teachers receive pay to teach
  after school and on Saturdays

Step 5 6 ACT
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Maintenance Review

• Ensures that learning endures
• Review carefully interwoven into the schedule
• More intense reviews just before state tests
• Research indicates that spaced repetitions are
  likely to encourage constructive mental processes
• Review follows specific guidelines for coded
  standards.
• Maintenance is not busywork

Step 7 CHECK
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Monitoring

• Principal instructional leader - leadership
• Familiar with all schedules and calendars
• Principal spreads collaboration by carrying ideas
  from one teacher to the next
• Drives home the message that school is about
  learning
• Part of the ongoing education of the school
  administrator

Step 8 CHECK
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An Emphasis on Monitoring

• The state test talk
• With teachers
• With students (principal meets every 3rd 4th
  grader)
• They like the attention
• Teacher and/or student color-codes the objectives
  on the test to become aware of their importance
• A clear, two-page procedure

Step 8 CHECK
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An Emphasis on Monitoring

• Central Office administrators participate
• Classroom visits
• Talks with teachers and students
• Discuss the importance of details
• The music is made between the notes
• Provide inspiration and support

Step 8 CHECK
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An Emphasis on Monitoring

• Quality and Climate
• Gauge how people feel about the work environment
• An opportunity to sense the attitude
• Become aware of concerns
• Teacher/student surveys
• Cash incentives for schools that improve
• Classroom equipment
• Supplies and materials

Step 8 CHECK