Are We Responsible For Grades?

The last few days our administrative team has met with the the 9th grade academy teachers. We discussed the use of intervention, scheduling, and semester grades. Much of the time was spent on the resources that are being allocated to the freshmen, and the expected results.

Grade distributions were given to teachers based on their students' grades, the grade in relation to the team, the grades in relation to the subject area, and the grades in relation to the 9th grade class. Grades are an obvious way to measure the success of a program. It is equivalent to grading the football team based on wins-loses. But, is there such a thing a quality loss? If students continue to fail, but are referred to the office less frequently, then can it be deemed that the 9th grade academy is successful?

Students are not motivated and don't come to school. This is why they fail. However, students are not motivated to do worksheets and listen to talk, and as a result don't come to school. Right? I think our students are smarter now and traditional teaching methods are ineffective. The "I talk and you listen" model cannot hold the attention of a digital native. The are used to watching television, listen to a mp3 player, and posting on facebook all at the same time. What is the value of listening to a lecture, when the topic can be googled in a millisecond? They can search a lesson on YouTube and have it delivered right to their computer.

I don't have all the answers, but I do know that creating one (1) lesson plan for six (6) classes isn't effective. Now, we must create six (6) lesson plan for (1) class in order to ensure that all students are engaged and learning. This puts a lot of pressure on the teacher to be knowledgeable and skillful in content and pedagogy.

January Push

January is bringing a push to help every senior who hasn't passed the state's graduation test. We are pulling schedules to see what classes can be replaced with preparation geared and aligned to the exams. Here is a look at our plan:

Step 1. Identify the senior students that have not passed one portion of the exam.
Step 2. Print their schedules to see if they are already in a course designed to pass the portion they need.
Step 3. Put them in the library for one period working on computer generated test material.

This will ensure that those that are very close to completing the testing requirement of our state will be learning material needed for their success.

Next, we need to identify the seniors that need to pass more than one portion of the exam. Their intervention will be more complex. We will look at their schedules to see if they are in a class that will prepare them for the exam, but we will also look at how close they have come to passing the state exam. This will let us know how intense the intervention will need to be. Will the regular class meet their need, will there need to be computer software that could get them over the hump, or will they need one-to-one instruction?

Finding ways to get the students to pass the exam is not an exact science. It takes ingenuity and creativity to get the desired results.

Merry Christmas!

The holiday break is among us, and as a building administrator work must go on. Well, it isn't much work when everyone is gone. It is time to clean the office, and let the custodians clean the building. I found myself today filing all of the articles, journals, phone logs, meeting notes, discipline files, medical notes, etc. It looks like my desk drawers had babies in the forms of piled high papers.

It is hard to stay on top of all the paper work that an administrator must do. How do you maintain order in a building and cannot maintain order in the office? I go home frustrated that I didn't get done what needed to be done. Only to return the next day to an office that isn't organized to maximize my day. So, I am using the break to create an environment that will keep me in the mindset to perform efficiently and effectively.

That leads to my New Year's resolution.

To keep my office organized--to bad my administrative assistant doesn't know this :). It will be just as much her duty as it is mine.

Here's to your year being great, and the second half of the school year full of professional growth and student achievement!

Structural versus Behavioral Change

I was fortunate enough to be at a conference to hear Dr. Anthony Muhammad speak about school culture. He gave a different look on education that opens your eyes to changes we make. Many are structural changes that are purposed to change adult and child behaviors. Such as, block scheduling, dress code, common planning time, etc. All of these structural changes cannot work if we do not address the behavior of the adults and children.

Block scheduling is suppose to give students and teachers more time on task. The change agents would want the teachers to provide intervention and enrichment during the class period. But, if that is the desired outcome, was it addressed? More often, it is not. We put the structure in place and it doesn't produce the desired outcome.

Dress codes are designed to make the climate of the school more professional. A leadership group in conjunction with the community and board of education come together to make a dress code or uniform code that will increase student achievement. But, if a student is out of code, then we punish them by making them miss educational opportunities by putting them in "In-school suspension." The structure change doesn't match the desired behavioral change.

This could go on and on with examples. So, the next time you want to change a behavior be sure to analyze whether the change will get the desired behavior. Do not be afraid to address the behavior, only then will you become a change agent.

Bond Issue Defeated

The Ohio School Facilities Commission (OSFC) was willing to pay for $70 million (about 43%) of our construction plan. Our voters defeated the issue 55% to 45%. Wednesday, the day after the election, many people were somber. I, for one, fealt like we had a fighting chance to pass the bond. Eddie George, OSU Heisman Trophy winner, came to our district to speak about the possibilities that modern schools could give children. Our administrative staff at the high school alone, donated $350 to the committee and gave numerous hours to help deliver literature.

Maybe we need to take a look at our neighbors. One district had the children line up on both sides of the town's main corridor. They were armed with signs stating what the new dollars would do for them. At least if the voter said no to their issue, they knew who they were saying no to. I think our community is saying no to the teachers, administrators, aides, etc., but they are really saying no to the children with this bond issue.

Two of our schools were built in the late 60's-early 70's with the open floor model. Soon after it was discover that this couldn't function walls were erected. This caused a bad floor plan to become worse. Students must pass through one room in order to get to another. Teachers must exit their room to turn their lights off, which in turn interupts the classroom next door. The airflow is awful, because the duct work was done for the open plan. Due to this, room temperatures are 20 degrees different.

It is not official, but we are putting the bond issue up in May. How do we educate our community differently next time around?

Maintaining Personal Goals

I started this year with three goals for myself and my administrative team. They are to be visible, effective evaluators, and to have critical conversations. These goals are easy to uphold and meet at the beginning of the year, but as we progress the states are great and the demands greater.

Visibility takes time away from the paper work associated with discipline and evaluations. Evaluations take away from visibility. Taking time to address situations and have the critical conversations takes away from being visible and parts of the evaluation process. I didn't realize that the 3 goals would work against one another. So, how does a leader make these work in harmony?

1. How does an administrator maximize their visibility in a minimal amount of time?
There are times in the day that we must be out. Lunch, exchange times, and am & pm bus duties. When lunch duty ends take the long way back to the office. Go outside and walk around the building and enter an unexpected door. On our campus we have 14 modular classrooms and a weight room outside the traditional walls.
2. How does an administrator complete evaluations without jeopardizing the other goals?
Being an effective evaluator of talent and teaching is a critical skill for an administrator. Focus your efforts on items that are non-negotiable. In the prior to the mid 90's this was probably classroom management. Although this is important, I believe instructional strategies implemented is a higher priority for teachers. Not all the teachers have problems that negatively effect the climate and culture. Help those that are willing to be receptive to constructive criticism.
3. How do you have the critical conversations so they don't take away too much time and take away from the focus on evaluations?
Nip it in the bud. The critical conversation isn't about you and the reluctancy that you have to tell someone they are doing something wrong. Focus on the fault, describe it in detail, and give the person the opportunity to fix the behavior. Don't wait until tomorrow, it will cause you to miss out on time for other duties.

Good luck. It is always wise to have goals, be able to articulate them, and evaluate the effectiveness of your work.

Stress Added

September 25th, my wife gave birth to our third child. We are an excited family, and welcome him to our family. My daughters absolutely love and adore him. Now, how do I keep the momentum that was created in the first month from home?

I have decide to take 7-10 days from work to enjoy and assist with him at home. This means I have missed out homecoming week festivities, including the dance, but was able to view nearly two quaters of our football victory. I will miss some inportant meetings while I am out, and don't know how to balance the new family with the new job.

Keeping the expectations high is important. I am relying on a great set of assistant principals to carry the flag, to keep the ball rolling, and to fight the good fight. I know they can do it.