The Assessments are Coming, the Assessments are Coming!

Yes, they are. But contrary to popular belief, the sky is not falling.

For the first time, our schools will all be administering state assessments in the spring. While this has been true in high school for many years, our K-8 schools are experiencing a shift from fall to spring testing. Even though this has been the norm in high school, change is occurring there as well -- the number of spring assessments at the high school level has been increased. Additionally, for the first time in our district, we will be administering the bulk of our assessments online. All of this has caused some to question instructional practices and what teachers need to do "to get kids ready."

In the words of Aaron Rodgers, R-E-L-A-X. First, there is absolutely no legitimate research that says the more we cover, the more kids learn. That bears repeating -- nothing supports the idea that the more we cover, the more kids learn. So, the idea that somehow we need to take a year's worth of content, and ignore what research does show -- that going slower, with more depth actually does enhance learning -- and get through it by the middle of April.

Second, I recently had the privilege of attending a meeting with approximately fifty local business leaders, as part of the resurrected Business Advisory Council. As this group of movers and shakers developed a list of traits and skills they wanted to see in the people they hire, not one said that being a good test-taker was important. When presented with a problem or issue, one is not given a finite set of four choices to choose a solution from; in fact, the problems and issues tend to be muddy and amorphous. What do business leaders look for? Things like this: 1) a problem-solver who will look for ways to make it happen and not wait to be told what to do; 2) someone who is comfortable with ambiguity in all phases of their work, because change is constant; 3) basic literacy skills such as spelling and grammar; 4) sophisticated skills in writing and verbal communication; 5) someone who is adaptable in unfamiliar circumstances; 6) a collaborative person, especially in face-to-face meetings; 7) a risk-taker who is willing to fail; 8) a self-starter; 9) someone who is punctual; 10) someone who understands the importance and structure of process and methodology, as opposed to someone who just seeks an answer; 11) an understanding of work/life harmony, as opposed to balance; and 12) someone who understands and respects generational differences in colleagues, customers, and clients. Racing through content is not only unsupported by research, but it flies in the face of those 21st century traits and skills our kids need.

Third, take a look at this image from Education Week:

What can we control?

• because the assessments (excluding the Classroom Activity, ACT, and Work Skills) will be administered online, each school can control dates and times to schedule testing sessions anywhere within the testing window; in other words, not all students need to be administered the same assessment at the same time, nor on the same day
• excluding the College Entrance and Work Skills Tests administered only to 11th graders, none of the test sessions are timed, and we have the ability to allow our students extra time beyond the recommended times if they need it
• our own attitude toward the assessments
• what we do every single day in our classrooms, not to "teach to a test" or race to finish early, but to build knowledge and skills that have wide application in the 21st century
• work our plan -- each individual school's improvement plan -- to achieve our stated school goals and our district vision of all learners achieving individual potential

What can we influence?

• because of a conflict between state law and federal accountability requirements at the high school level, as of today the state has only recommended that the Classroom Activity and Performance Task in both ELA and Math be administered; if we can influence a decision to forgo those this year, we can cut the testing time (and missed instruction time) for our high schoolers from 16 hours to 11 hours
• our students' attitudes toward the assessments
• our parents' attitudes toward the assessments
• our colleagues' attitudes toward the assessments

Everything else outside of our control and influence:

• the testing window
• the content of the assessments
• the format of the assessments
• the scoring of the assessments
• et cetera, et cetera, et cetera

So, if it is not something we can control or possibly influence, in the words of Disney, LET IT GO. This is a transitional year. We are transitioning to online assessments that will change again. The MDE is transitioning to a revised accountability system that will change again. Times of transition can be challenging, but they can also be opportunities to learn and to let go. Keep doing what you know is best for kids -- using research-based best practices with the Instructional Framework as your guide -- and the kids will not only survive but thrive.

-- J. Walton

If you want additional information on the new Michigan Student Test of Educational Progress ("M-Step"), go to www.michigan.gov/baa

Failure Was an Option

"Failure is not an option." We've heard it many times, in all different contexts. I myself have said it as a teacher.

So, when I heard Doug Fisher say it last Thursday during a day of learning at "Creating a Culture of Achievement," I nodded right along in agreement. Yep. That was me. No failure option in my class. But then Doug shook me to the core -- "then why was an E displayed in your syllabus grading scale?" Failure was an option. He was right, and I felt like the failure.

Right there, in black and white, in every syllabus I handed out, in every class, was this section:

The grading scale is as follows:

A         93-100%                                             C         73-76

 A-        90-92                                                  C-        70-72

 B+       87-89                                                   D+       67-69

 B          83-86                                                  D         63-66

 B-        80-82                                                   D-        60-62

C+       77-79                                                   E          0-59

My written words did not match what I said I believed. On the syllabus, I told every single student that failure was, in fact, an option.

In the last few days, I've given thought to how I might do it differently if given the chance. I know I would change the syllabus language, maybe to something like this:

Grading Scale

Our school has a percentage scale to assign letter grades for your transcript,

and you will find it in your student handbook. For purposes of this class,

know that no one will drop below a 70% in meeting the essential learning

outcomes for this class. It is not option, You and I will work together, and

do whatever it takes to ensure that you are learning. That means we may

 both have to commit to time together outside of our regular class time, and

 perhaps to different types of teaching and learning, but you are worth it.

A good first step, perhaps, but what else would I do to back it up? Words are not enough. Here is a list of ideas I brainstormed in 10 minutes. I have neither edited nor ordered them; this is my raw list:

• revise my summative assessments to be more than mere regurgitation, and share the learning expectations at the beginning of the unit by having the assessment already drafted (backward design)
• utilize formative assessments a lot more often so that both my students and I know exactly where the learning is and is not for each individual student
• less "sage on the stage" and more "guide on the side"
• sit side-by-side more often
• stand "over" students that need it
• build a relationship with every student
• call home more often, especially with good news, and stop using email so much
• encourage students to join parents at conferences, and even let students run the conference
• explain the "what" of the curriculum and the "how" of instruction to parents at every opportunity
• expand the daily learning topics I used to post to align with standards and learning expectations, and be in student-friendly language (i.e., the Instructional Framework)
• do what I tell kids is good for them: take risks, collaborate with peers, and ask for help

I don't know if it would make a difference, but it sure couldn't hurt. What ideas do you have?

I also thought about a book I recently read, entitled "The Art of Possibility." It was written by a husband and wife team, Rosamund and Benjamin Zander. She is a psychotherapist and he is a university professor/conductor of the Boston Philharmonic. As an experiment, Professor Zander gave all of his students an A at the beginning of the class. Each student had to draft a letter to him that explained what they would do over the course of the class to earn their A. He met with them at regular intervals to check on progress. If you read the book, you will see that many of the students were troubled by this process -- some did not believe him, some could not fathom a class that did not rank students against each other, and some had a hard time coming up with expectations for themselves because they were so used to others doing it for them. Interestingly, once the pressure for a letter grade was removed and students embraced the process, the students really focused on learning and meeting (or exceeding) the expectations they set for themselves. Now, I'm not advocating every teacher take the Zander approach, but it does offer a different perspective on the concept of "failure is not an option."

I truly look forward to the next opportunity that allows me a "do-over" on "failure is not an option." Not only will I hold that true for my students, but for myself as well.

-- J. Walton