Quality in Education

"…this practice is the biggest breakthrough in communicating about student achievement in the last century. When students are well prepared over an extended period to tell the story of their own success (or lack thereof), they seem to experience a fundamental shift in their internal sense of responsibility for that success. The pride in accomplishment that students feel when they have positive story to tell and tell it well can be immensely motivational.  The sense of personal responsibility that they feel when anticipating what it will be like to face the music of having to tell their story of poor achievement can also drive them to productive work."  Rich Stiggins,Phi Delta Kappan, November 1999.

Many teachers using the student-led conference (SLC) model frequently report that, as a result of involvement in student-led conferences, parent and teacher bonds are strengthened. Both teacher and parent are more likely to initiate subsequent contacts throughout the remainder of the school year.

Although the format and content of student-led conferences may vary from school to school, the concept remains the same: the student is in charge of the academic conference with the parents. The teacher simply serves as a discussion facilitator when needed. The beauty of this model is increased accountability moving the student from passive to active participant in a three-way interaction among parent, teacher, and student. Students assume "equal partner" status in discussions concerning their academic progress.

During the conference, students share their data folders (see previous blog entry) which contain graphs and charts of academic and behavioral progress combined with other data collected.  In addition, students share their personal mission statement, SMART goals and other work samples that demonstrate performance.  Learn more about student-led conferences at the web sites below:

• http://www.naesp.org/ContentLoad.do?contentId=460
  
• http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/curr323.shtml
  
• http://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/admin/admin112.shtml
  
• http://www.phoenix.k12.or.us/tms/stories/storyReader$15
  
• http://www.nwrel.org/nwedu/fall_96/article4.html
  
• http://www.middleweb.com/CSLV2TchrConf.html
  
• http://ceep.crc.uiuc.edu/eecearchive/digests/1997/hackma97.html
  

What have been your experiences with student-led conferences?  What impact have SLCs had on parent attendance at conferences?  What challenges have you faced in the deployment of SLCs?

Jay

Posted by Jay Marino at 10:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Student data folders are an important component of the continuous improvement classroom.  Data folders are a way for students, teachers and parents to keep track of student performance.  Students take ownership, accountability and responsibility for their own learning by setting individual goals (see previous blog topic) and then tracking their own performance to determine their progress

(View a Power Point presentation on student data folders)

Student data folders help improve student performance and motivate learners.  Ideally, individual student data folders mirror the Classroom Data Center (See previous blog) and serve as a basis for data collection.  The benefit of having individual students collect data according to classroom and individual goals is that comparative data becomes available in the classroom.  Students are able to compare their individual performance with that of the class. 

Students are able to track and collect data in all content areas and behavior. Before implementing student data folders, teachers have found it beneficial to model the concept through the use of the Classroom Data Center.  As the classroom monitors and tracks class performance, students see how they could monitor and track their own performance. 

It is better to start off with easily measured items such as:  spelling tests, math facts, homework completion, attendance and behavior.  Once students understand the concept and skill of data collection, they can become more involved in measuring individual progress and multiple goals.  Teachers should also demonstrate how to set targets for their goals and how to graph and chart their progress.  Additionally, students need to understand how to use the data for continuous improvement.  Data folders should provide "in-process measures" that promote data driven decisions about student learning.

How have you used student data folders?  What types of data are you having students collect?  How do students select goals?  Have data folders had an impact in your classroom?

Jay

Posted by Jay Marino at 01:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

• District Strategic Plan
• School Improvement Goals
• Classroom Ground Rules (see previous blog topic)
• Classroom Mission Statement (see previous blog topic)
• SMART Classroom Goals (see previous blog topic)
• Graphical Displays of Progress Toward SMART Goals
• Other Information (Customer Satisfaction Data, Surveys, ect.)

CDCs are often referred to as "dashboards."  The term “dashboard” illustrates the necessity of available data that can be referred to often and is used to make data driven decisions.  In its highest form, CDCs are parallel to the student data folder. In other words, students collect individual achievement data that are averaged and displayed in the CDC and students write individual mission statements that are based on the classroom mission statement posted in the CDC.  In this way, the CDC incorporates the key measures and components of the student data folder as well.  To use an analogy:  The Classroom Data Center is to a classroom of students as the student data folder is to the individual student.

The CDC is really like a lighthouse tool that guides and steers the classroom toward continuous improvement.  In its most mature form, students use classroom data centers and become truly self-directed learners.  The Classroom Data Center can be a powerful tool to use with students to model data driven decisions.

View more examples of Classroom Data Centers

What are your experiences with Classroom Data Centers?  How should teachers use them?  What should be included in the classroom dashboard?  Can CDC really drive continuous improvement?

Jay

Posted by Jay Marino at 01:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

A goal with a measure... is simply hope.  Just as school districts set goals in the strategic plan and schools set goals in the school improvement plan, so too should teachers set classroom goals with their students.  (The operable word here is "with" their students.)

Another powerful component of the continuous improvement classroom is goal setting.  Regardless of what level goal setting is taking place, goals should be in a SMART format (see Focusing on the Critical Few previous blog entry).  SMART goals ensure specificity, accountability and measurement. 

Another critical component of classroom goal setting is ensuring that classroom goals are tightly aligned to school improvement goals.  Classroom goals should be based on classroom student achievement data- focusing on the greatest areas in need of improvement.  Once classroom goals have been developed, they should be posted publicly in the classroom data center. Through collaboration with students, classroom goals can help provide focus and direction for continuous improvement.

Lastly, individual students can set personal goals that are aligned to classroom goals.  Individual student goals should focus on areas in which the student needs to improve.  Individual goals are created with assistance from the teacher and in alignment with classroom goals.  Students can post their goals in their individual student data folder and monitor and track progress through run charts or other graphing.

Baldrige based classrooms ensure alignment- not only in goal setting but in every aspect of the classroom system (see Focusing on Alignment previous blog for more detail).  In summary, goal setting is critical to the continuous improvement classroom and helps develop ownership and accountability for learning.  An ideal goal is:

1. in a SMART goal format
2. is aligned:
• District strategic goals aligned to School Improvement Goals
• School Improvement goals aligned to classroom goals
• Individual student goals aligned to classroom goals

How do you approach goal setting in your classroom, school or district?  Have you used the SMART format before?  What are other "best practices in goal setting"?

Jay

Posted by Jay Marino at 11:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Another powerful strategy to encourage students to take ownership and responsibility for their own learning is the creation of a classroom mission statement.  It is not the creation of the mission statement itself, but rather the deployment of the mission statement that provides substance to continuous improvement in the classroom. 

Most organizations have a mission statement that cannot be recalled by its employees, customers or stakeholders.  Many times this is due to its lengthy nature or the fact that there was no ownership in the process of its creation.  Classroom mission statements, when created appropriately, can provide the framework for continuous improvement.  When students actively contribute to its creation and when it is lived out on a daily basis, mission statements can contribute greatly to student ownership and accountability.

Classroom mission statements should closely align and support school mission statements (which in turn are aligned to District mission statements).  Equally as important, is the individual student mission statement (which is aligned to the classroom mission statement and housed in the student data folder).  Individual mission statements connect the learner to the classroom and provide meaning and purpose and direction.

What have been your experiences with mission statements in the classroom?  Do you feel mission statements can have an impact on student ownership and accountability?

Jay

Posted by Jay Marino at 11:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)