Monthly Archives: September 2007

Value Added Training

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I am at Erie 2 BOCES today with our elementary principal, Janice Stokes, and our middle school consultant teacher, Diana Palcic. We are here to learn about and implement Value-Added Analysis from Heather T. Adams, facilitator from the Capital Region BOCES. I’m intrigued by the start to this five day training because it isn’t all about the data yet. Instead, Heather starts the training with a discussion about the flat digital world in which we live and how it impacts our students and schools. Participants in this group gather from nine different school districts and two BOCES. Their opinions differ about technology and its role in our schools from “we’ve been good the way we are” to “how will we ever get up to speed in schools for a three year old learner who’s got her own website now.”

As the session progresses, we begin to look at the progress measurement across subjects within a year for a third grade cohort. Based on prior achievement, what does a year’s worth of growth look like? Sounds simple, right? It’s not, it’s extremely confusing and I’m not sure if it’s me, the presenter, or the topic. Maybe if I move to the front of the room, I’ll get it through proximity.

The conference is moving along because our presenter shows a video that explains the “big picture” of value added—something I need for my own learning. Following are notes blogged from this conference.

Value added analysis helps us to measure the individual progress of students. Children enter the classrooms at different levels, above, at, and below grade levels. We need to help all students progress during a school year, “adding value” through student progress and student achievement.

Achievement is measured by a student’s performance at a single point in time, relates to the student’s family background and compares the student to a standard. Progress measures between two points in time and compares students’ performance to their own past performance.  Progress measures allow us to set reasonable goals at the school level. State accountability systems should be looking at the progress that individual students make in addition to achievement.

Value Added Analysis evaluates this progress.  With value added information teachers can monitor their students’ progress and make adjustments to teaching to give the most growth to their students. This should be used as a diagnostic tool, measuring the impact of their educational practices and make better informed decisions about where to focus their resources, curriculum and best practices.  

“Value added analysis confirms that teachers make a big difference.” Now we’re talking, I can understand where we’re headed with this conference.

We will work on grades 3-8 data, the Regents data is not part of this plan yet. As my good colleagues are explaining to me, we are in on the ground floor of an analysis that is expected to be mandated by 2010-2011. It’s important that we begin to look at data in the way New York State will expect, but it’s more important that we use this analysis as an opportunity to look at our students’ progress in a way that will help us to monitor and adjust teaching to help all of our kids maximize their growth.

If we can learn more about the progress our students are making, or not making, we can make more meaningful adjustments than through our current method of achievement focused testing on that single day in time.

Building to District

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I’m thinking like an assistant superintendent instead of a high school principal. I realize I’ve turned a corner because I’m no longer feeling anxious or guilty when I’m at a meeting or in another building. I always worried when I wasn’t here as the high school principal because I felt the weight of responsibility for the safety and well being of every child and staff member in the building. When I was out, there were a thousand things waiting for me when I returned. Now, with Principal Bob Anderson on the front line of that responsibility, along with Dean of Students Dan Cassidy, I’m really letting it go.

It’s Homecoming this week and as principal I would have been checking out every decoration and thinking about the detail of the spirit days and the pep rally and the game. I would have been problem solving high school issues, meeting with kids over both minor and major dramas, and managing the building. Instead I’m thinking about the materials for the reading pilots and engaging the right people at all three levels in our district in the forums set up for Math, ELA, Science, and Social Studies. I’m meeting with colleagues who can teach me more about reading and curriculum design and grant writing. I’m organizing and facilitating meetings focused on our instructional program and our staff development. Homecoming and the surrounding festivities make for a nice week, but not all that important on my agenda now.

And suddenly I walk through the middle school and the elementary school and I feel welcome. I almost feel at home. It’s not like before, when I’m in someone else’s building. I serve a purpose here too. And it’s incredible. The teachers are inviting me in–can you imagine?! They email and say, “stop by any time.” I’m focusing on the ways we teach reading, but I’m learning about different grade levels and behavior cues and how passionate little kids are about school.

I’m learning how to be responsible for a district instead of a school. This may be the most valuable year of my career and just last week I wanted to trade it back for the high school principal’s position that I loved so much. Working through the transition, through change, can definitely land us in a better place. I’m glad I took the risk and stepped forward. I’m glad others gave me this opportunity.

Journey to the Other Side

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While I’ve worked at the middle school level, teaching 7th and 8th grade for ten years and as an assistant principal for a year and a half, I’ve spent the majority of my career at the high school, which I’ve loved. I’m certified in elementary education, but I only taught there my first year of teaching: science, literature and Spanish at a local private school, St. Joe’s. That was many years ago.

Today I spent a couple of hours in our elementary school and it was an incredible experience for me. What did I learn? First of all, those elementary teachers work their butts off, non-stop. Second, they spend a lot of time talking about behavior cues and expectations with students. I assume this is because it’s only the second full week of school and the children are learning the routines of their new teacher. I don’t know yet if it was a typical day, but I was struck by how well-behaved the students were.

The incredible part for me was realizing how varied the reading level is in a second grade classroom. I know this may seem like an obvious observation to many readers, but high school kids are pretty skilled at hiding their stuff–they figure out how to keep us from knowing what their problems are. Everything from poverty to home problems to reading levels. High school kids figure out how to keep that below level. What I observed today was something very different.

With elementary students, it’s all out there. One group of students read from a book that had only one sentence on a page while another group had four to five sentence paragraphs. I would not have guessed that the abilities of a group of second graders were that disparate. I wanted to sit and help them read all day–I still believe there is no more critical skill on which we spend our time. This integrated classroom was cooking, the teacher, consultant teacher and teaching assistant were working like clockwork to maximize learning for their students.

I also saw a new teacher work with first graders who looked like she was born to teach that class. And a special needs teacher who was working with five students on journal writing, building patterns, reading and testing one–all at the same time. I defy anyone to spend time in that classroom without falling in love with those kids.

There was an overwhelming positive atmosphere, one in which I wanted to stay. I imagine and hope that our children and staff feel the same exact way.

Thank You

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So the incredible readers who responded to my last post remind me why I blog as a professional practice. Each person who commented gave encouragement either in pointing to resources, saying “I get that!”, or the best by Jonathan, by taking the pressure off.

G-Town Readers said eloquently what I needed most, thank you. And I probably needed a little of what my mother said too which was, “quit your crying about it and get to work.”

Still Struggling

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Okay, here’s the deal. Several readers have emailed to encourage me to keep writing. You’ve said we need your voice out here, especially now, as an assistant superintendent.  On the contrary, my friend David, who does a job similar to my new job in another district, called today and said, “see, that’s why I was struggling to blog when as a principal, you were writing away.” And readers know my own superintendent has tried and struggled to find a place for a superintendent’s voice on the blog. So if I’m going to write at this point, it’s going to be about the transition because that’s what’s on my mind, as I drive home and when I wake up.

About transitions, I’ve been through them before. From teacher to dean of students in Pine Valley. To Assistant Principal at Frontier Middle. To High School Principal at Randolph. To High School Principal at Gowanda. I like change. The transitions went well.

Maybe I was able to write as a principal because I was confident in that position.  It served as a great reflective practice for me. Often, comments received were about how transparent and authentic I was. Risky. Some colleagues questioned the wisdom of my honesty, my putting it all out there. I was so passionate about my topic, my job, and my kids that I wrote fearlessly, secure in the knowledge that I always had everyone’s best interest in mind.

What do I write now? Do you really want to read about our upcoming staff development? Or my need and search for training in grant writing?  Do I write about my research on annual professional performance reviews? How about gradebook training or the decision about who’s getting the 18 interactive whiteboards and why? I’m not sure anyone really wants to read all that. And if I’m as transparent and honest as I was when writing for the past 14 months, I’m not sure I’m ever going to be as passionate about those responsibilities as I was about my principal responsibilities.

A little perspective. My friend with the same job says it will get better. We’re only seven days of school into it and next week I’m planning to spend time in the classrooms at the middle school and elementary school. That should be very good for me. Problem is, they’ll be someone else’s kids in someone else’s classrooms in someone else’s school. Does that problem make sense to anyone? Maybe I just need to get my butt in gear and make this job what I want it to be, what it should be to drive our district forward. Or maybe I just gave up the best job of my life.

See why I’m not writing?

“You Can’t Always Get What You Want. . .”

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I’m still struggling to resume my blog practice. I’m scarcely reading online or writing. I just went into my bloglines account and seriously limited the number of feeds I’m reading, down from 24 to 10. Maybe that will help because I won’t skim so quickly with the idea that I’ve got to get through it all. Maybe if I can take the time to read fewer blogs I’ll give each more serious consideration.

Everyone I come into contact with in school or our community asks me how I like my new job. Since I’ll NEVER be a poker player, I answer honestly with, “I really like my new responsibilities, I just seriously miss my old ones.” I can’t stand it when a kid comes into the office with a problem or a parent calls because she’s ticked off about something and it’s no longer my primary responsibility to respond. In fact, I should be asking the parent to talk to our new principal. A mom called me this week and asked me to talk to her son about his schedule, transition to high school, and possible honors/non-honors course work. I was so delighted that I promised to see her son and told our new principal, “I know this is stepping on your toes a bit, but I really want to do this. I’ll step away, but let me take baby steps.”

We had to solve a busing to vocational problem that’s interfering with lunch or lunch is interfering with the busing. I was stoked when our principal and dean of students discussed it with me, because I realize I LOVE that kind of problem solving.

I do like the new job, the planning and coordinating of staff development. When our superintendent let me take the lead on the second day of staff development, it was awesome. There’s lots of new learning for me too.  For example, I’m reading books like Charlotte Danielson’s “Enhancing Professional Practice” and determining how we can incorporate this into our current APPR plan. I also need to learn much more (since I know nothing now) about grant writing and I’m looking for training in this area. I have plenty of new responsibilities to occupy my mind, like an articulated K-12 curriculum with planned assessment, community education, the mentor teacher program, and after school programs.

I just miss the action. The right this minute, listen to this problem or situation and solve it stuff. I love watching an irate parent or upset kid or frustrated teacher walk out the door feeling listened to and helped –that’s the part of my job I think I was best at and I miss it. I like my new job but I really wish I still had that other piece of the old job too. I want it all. Is that so much to ask for?