It Takes Guts


Tomorrow, all teachers across our district will attend a day long in-service at their own building focusing on school improvement. Planning and preparing for the day started with looking at all kinds of data. A core group of teachers gathered current state assessment data. And in Michigan, our state assessment is given in the fall so we just received recent, if you call October recent, scores to analyze.  Local assessment data was also collected. In addition to numbers, we used what I like to call, our teaching guts. Using our guts was actually quite formative. In my position as a coach, I am a listener, a watcher, but NEVER an evaluator, which is the job of an administrator. Because I am not an evaluator, I was able to watch how students responded to instruction in the classrooms I’m working in. Without judgment, I could attend to teachers as they talked about student progress and what they wondered about. I watched how administrators responded to teacher thinking. Then I rolled all those observations together with all the junk rattling around my brain. The other Title teachers and I were charged with the exciting task of narrowed bits of state data so teachers could quickly see trends and then translate those trends into instructional practice. And somehow make it relevant for teachers of all grade levels and special subject areas. Sounds pretty dull to me. Actually, I’m lying because I love digging into data but I know it is a yawner for lots of teachers. The test results of our student writers will be the focus of what I have to help present. Honestly, our student achievement in writing is nowhere near where it should. And our school is not alone. 

12 comments:

  1. Hi Diana,
    So many schools across the country are in the same boat when it comes to writing. The new Common Core should help teachers move in the right direction, don't you think? I work in Utah, and many of our schools are really behind. It's like writing is an after thought--when, in fact, it should be a way of thinking!
    Anyway, hope you get some sleep, give yourself a brain-break, and have a great day tomorrow!
    -Janiel

    ReplyDelete
  2. I also like digging...but we seem to just be looking at the fluency, guided and dolch...not writing and we all know it is about so much more. I get the yawners But I wish I could see your writing presentation.

    ReplyDelete
  3. In our state we do not test writing except I believe in 9th grade. While I'm not wanting more tests, I does seem like a lot less focus is put on writing in schools because it isn't tested. Enjoy your PD day! I hope it is productive and that your presentation goes well.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Writing seems to get put on the back burner a lot. I see it in classrooms and really see it from the top down. I think...many educators do not see themselves as writers and don't know how to get kids excited about something they don't fully understand. If you come up with something, do share. Each year I try to get members of my school to join this month of March writing. So far...only one has joined

    ReplyDelete
  5. Writing has been taken out of our state test last year and this year because it is too expensive to score. I was told they were using the money saved to work on a test for the common core.
    It's much easier to assess everything else. There are so many variables in writing. Many teachers I work with say they didn't do it until I helped them see how they could teach it.
    I hope you got some sleep and the day goes well for you.

    ReplyDelete
  6. We don't do the writing portion of our state assessment either--although it isn't a true writing "Test". It's find the error and fill in the bubble, no actual writing, which is why we don't do it. Writing has taken a back seat to reading in our district for awhile (although I don't know how you separate the two). But we are now looking at how we teach writing. Yea....only wish more of our teachers actually wrote!

    ReplyDelete
  7. This is all new to me & it sounds so challenging, although you make it sound easy Diana. Examining data & the responses of conversations plus synthesizing every bit into workable recommendations has to be challenging, but you seem to both enjoy it and already know some things because of your ending statement about achievement. I admire your abilities Diana! I also want to thank you for your kind comment on my post. Every word given to me on Tuesday was a blessing & I am thankful.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I liked how you switched back and said that you actually love digging into data! It sounds like there will be great discussions prompting deep thinking about how assessment can inform practice.

    ReplyDelete
  9. It is triangulating the formative assessment data, the classroom assessment and teacher observations that should give somewhat accurate picture of a student. Making generalizations about overall teaching is harder. I wonder what the discussions will be like tomorrow. I hope that at least some teachers will see value in looking at the data.

    ReplyDelete
  10. When will the powers realized they are moving in the wrong direction!

    ReplyDelete
  11. I like that you went back and said you liked digging in the data. I like data too (math teacher). And I'm glad you combine it with personal observations as well. Last night my eight year old son came home with a sheaf of 'fill in the bubble' writing practice tests in his backpack for the Colorado test. I asked him if he felt like he was becoming a better writer this year. He sat down and burst into tears and said "Mommy, my writing doesn't have any flow." So, with my feelings in a bit of a blender, I think the CO test could benefit from some rethinking about the data that it is collecting.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Your hard work will pay off. Whenever I look at data too long my eyes start to cross, so here's to keeping your eyes straight and having a successful PD day tomorrow!

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for reading my post. Please leave a comment.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...