Creating a Culture of Student Choice

Tuesday I attended the Governor's 2016 Future Ready Iowa Summit, and after returning to my hotel, jumped on the #personalizedPD Twitter chat.  While it was a lot like "drinking water out of a fire hose", I can't believe how rejuvenated I am for Iowa Public Education; thanks primarily to the learning I received from both of these sessions.  Changes are happening all around our State to move away from content delivery and standards, and move instead towards individual passions and creativity.  These are systemic changes to an institution that is in heavy need of change.  If you think about it, our current school system model was developed to meet the needs of the industrial revolution.  As our economy has now surged ahead into the technology revolution, our education system largely remains unchanged.

One speaker at the Summit showed the gap existing between rural and urban districts in terms of post-high school education.  I'll be the first to admit, I am jealous of our larger school districts that have colleges located in their school districts and places like the RAMS Center in Oelwein, Waukee's APEX program, and Iowa BIG in the Cedar Rapids area just to name a few.  It is undeniable that with these expanded resources at their fingertips, more opportunities exist for their students.  Centers like these are popping up all over the country as it is easier to build new in a larger district over implementing systemic change district wide.  If you click on any of the links above, you will take a virtual tour of striking new buildings with state-of-the-art technology and a philosophy built around student choice and innovation.  You will also find a strong partnership between education and the business community.  As superintendent of a small, rural school district, I know I can't compete on the same scale of building a new center for this type of learning.  I also know that I do not have access to a college (nearest center to Central is a 40 minute drive) and the Central staff I currently have can barely cover the mandatory "offer & teach" classes the State says we must provide.  So how do we in rural Iowa (which is the heavy majority of school districts) keep pace and make systemic changes we all know needs to happen to prepare our students for a future workforce?

Believe it or not, whole scale systemic change can actually be easier to accomplish in our rural districts due to our smaller size.  Example, imagine changing the district calendar to a more balanced calendar in a district the size of Cedar Rapids.  Unlike here at Central, Cedar Rapids has numerous buildings they have to align as a district and a much larger population they need to foster "buy-in" to move any new idea forward.  This is why you see "centers" of change in our larger school districts but not whole scale systemic change. Systemic change on that scale moves much slower.  

So what are some things we can do in our rural school districts to allow more students choice and opportunity?  Let me share a few of my thoughts and seven things we are doing at Central:

1.     First and foremost, it takes strong leadership.  Without strong leadership, any attempt to change a system as long standing as public education will fail.  Leaders in schools of change share many of the same qualities, which include; ethics, vision, approachability, delegation, trust, collaboration, humility, and a sense of humor.  Leaders must cultivate their vision and grow buy-in from not only the staff, but also the school board, students, parents, and community.  Leaders must also have the courage to tackle and stand firm against staff trying to sabotage the vision. I have found this to be the one thing many leaders in public education are weakest in.

2.    We must develop and recognize teacher leaders and give all teachers access to coaches.  Larger districts had teacher leaders and coaches in place well before Teacher Leadership & Compensation (TLC) came along, and for good reason. With TLC being fully implemented in Iowa, all school districts, no matter the size, can implement some form of teacher leaders and coaches.  Central is working in partnership with three other school districts (Starmont, East Buchanan, and West Central) and I believe we are the only four-district partnership in the TLC program.

3.    If we want teachers to personalize their learning environments, then we need to do the same with our professional development times.  Central has implemented Personalized Professional Development that takes places ever second Friday of the month.  This gives teachers the opportunity to pursue their own passions.  If a teacher is passionate about something, wouldn't it make sense that teacher's students would feel that passion?  More information can be found on our Personalized PD Website and by following the personalized PD hashtag I shared above.

4.    Small districts must share their resources to offer our students more opportunities and choice.  In the 2016/17 school year, Central and Clayton Ridge will have a common calendar.  This will allow Clayton Ridge students access to Central's Early Childhood Duel Credit classes and Central students will have access to Clayton Ridge's Duel Credit Advanced Carpentry classes.  Another advantage to the common calendar is stronger PD.  How often do our small districts state concerns about "singletons" for PD purposes?  By having PD at the same time, we can match "singletons" from both districts.

5.    School districts must move away from traditional grading practices that don't give a true representation of what a student really knows.  In the 2016/17 school year, Central will move into year two of implementing Standards Based Grading.  I've shared my thoughts in a previous post on why I believe this change is needed in public education. 

6.    Utilize research and best practices.  Why are schools denying Dyslexia and best practices surrounding Dyslexia when research shows one in every four students is affected by some form of Dyslexia?  If students can't read, it makes it very hard to do any other type of learning, correct?  Central is wrapping up its first year of implementing the Fundations and Wilson literacy programs specifically designed for Dyslexic learners. What is good for Dyslexic learners is good for ALL learners. Our data is showing great gains with these programs, which should free up more time for teachers.  And time is a scarce commodity!

7.    Last, and maybe most important, less is more.  Research states that if teachers were to spend just 30 minutes (not a lot of time to teach to mastery) to cover each standard of the Iowa Core, we would need another nine years of education.  We MUST move away from a direct content and standards delivery model and embrace student choice through STEM and project based learning opportunities that cover multiple curriculum areas.  Central has made some really awesome gains in this area over the last few years.  This starts at our school board meetings where we added a Leadership & Learning agenda item.  In the past year we have had student groups present to the school board on why we need to move toward plastic milk bottles (which we ended up doing because of their research and presentation), two elementary students raising money for the hungry, and another group presented solutions to keeping used tires out of the landfill.  Currently, Central has a group of students that have developed a student-led composting project (the only student-led composting project in the state).  These students have started a Go Fund Page to raise money for their project and made many connections throughout the state that we could never teach through our typical content and standard delivery model.  Let me share a very rewarding email I received in regards to this project:  

        Good afternoon Nick,

My name is Jenny Trent from the Iowa Waste Reduction Center at the University of Northern Iowa.  I have visited Central Community School three times this school year and have been working with a group of students on their food waste composting project.  These students are Jacob Jansen, Brandon Hach, Blake Rochleau, Tom Shirborun, and Ben Whittle.

I personally have been working on the issue of food waste through out the State of Iowa for four years now.  I've met many people in many different industries and have discussed the issues associated with throwing away so much food in Iowa landfills.  This is a "hot button" issue with the USDA and EPA joining efforts to reduce food waste in the United States by 50% by the year 2030.

Not once, have I had the experience I've had with your students.  They are committed, engaged, interested, and compassionate about making a difference in our state.  There is not one other school I know of throughout the entire state that is doing what your students are doing.  There are larger corporations that won't or can't do the things your students are doing.  Your students are a cut above the rest when it comes to dealing with food waste and the issues associated with throwing away food.  

There are other schools in Iowa that are composting their food waste, but they simply hire a private hauler to take the food waste to a county landfill or a large private composting operation that offers this service (there are only four of these permitted composting sites in Iowa that accept food waste).  Very few communities in Iowa have access to permitted food waste composting sites. The schools that are composting food waste also generally administrator or teacher led initiatives.  

So, the students at Central Community School are indeed special.  They have worked very hard to get a food waste composting site in operation before they graduate this spring.  This undertaking is huge.  They forge ahead and solve problems as they arise.  They find solutions, do research, speak at meetings to get community support, and understand the regulations for such an operation.  They have spearheaded a project that will put Elkader and Central Community School on the map in a positive environmental and sustainable light for the rest of Iowa and the Midwest to follow as a model for replication in reducing food waste in both schools and landfills.

It has been a sincere pleasure working with these outstanding kids from Central Community School!

Jenny Trent

Environmental Specialist

Does anyone think Ms. Gritzner (teacher of the class) had all of these answers she could have taught the students?  Of course she didn’t, instead she peaked her students’ interest and gave them the freedom to soar.  Did these students learn more than just science (which Ms. Gritzner teaches)?  Absolutely, just look at Ms. Trent’s last paragraph. 

These are the opportunities ALL of our students need in order to create a "Culture of Passion and Choice".  To accomplish this, school districts will have to embrace systemic change and stand-up against the Federal & State push for test driven classrooms.  I am excited about the direction of Central and confident a move in this direction will meet the needs of a future workforce far better than reading a set amount of words per minute or any other standardized test.  We have a few other things in the works so I plan on writing more about this topic in the near future.  Until then, stay tuned and thank you for your support!  Oh, and don't forget to donate on the Go Fund Page!

A Personal Analogy on Standards Based Grading

"Change is the law of life.  And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future" - John F. Kennedy.

Last Monday's Central School Board meeting, two of our board members shared about their recent visits to our classrooms.  The common message, education doesn't look a thing like it did when they were in school.  Many people that have strong opinions about public education, have not recently visited our schools and hold onto these opinions from a time that has long ago passed.  Our public schools of the past were built on a factory (one-size-fits-all model), with a grading system that echoed that model.  Our current schools are transitioning to a focus on the individual child, and with that transition we also need a grading scale that echoes the emphasis of the individual learner.  That system is standards based grading.

Before you can fully wrap your head around standards based grading, you have to have an understanding of the many faults of our traditional grading system.  The traditional A-F grading system actually did not have a strong emphasis on learning.  Instead the emphasis of this model was largely based on a students prior knowledge, work ethic, attitude, and ability to play the game of school.  The traditional grading system takes everything into account when developing a student's grade and gives the largest weighting (60%) to an F grade while all other grades have a 10% weighting.  The traditional grading system also leaves no room for error by our students, and I would argue how do you really learn anything without failing at it first?  In a traditional grading system, those early failures count against your grade and in many cases may eliminate a student's ability to ever achieve success (A or B grade) even though they may have mastered the learning by the end of the grading period.

I was recently asked some questions in regards to standards based grading by the Clayton County Register.  In my response (which should be found in a future publishing) I shared the conversation I had with my daughter about standards based grading.  My daughter is a junior here at Central and is a very good student with nearly a 4.0 GPA.  She obviously knows how to play the game of school.  She shared with me that she was not in favor of the change to standards based grading.  Through that conversation, I quickly learned she did not have a strong understanding of what standards based grading was, or why the change was needed.  Ironically we were on our way to Scheels to find her some hunting boots when this conversation took place.  So I seized the moment to put standards based grading into a simpler analogy (remember my truck analogy in a previous post!).  I asked her if I also bought her a bow at Scheels, imagine both of us practicing the next day.  In that practice I asked, do you think you will instantly hit the target consistently.  She said "no" and admitted it would take some practice and fine tuning of the bow to become consistent.  I asked her to think about the two grading systems.  In a traditional grading system, that practice and fine tuning would all be graded.  Those early failures to hit the target would count toward her grade.  I asked her to then consider a standards based system.  If after that practice and fine tuning she can consistently hit the target, did she not meet the learning goal?  Reluctantly she said, "well yes".  I then placed myself in the picture and asked her, how do you think I would do?  She stated, you would probably do pretty good and hit the target right away because you already own a bow and practice regularly.  She is correct.  I said in a traditional grading system, I would get a high grade, not because I necessarily learned anything, but because I knew a little something about the subject before it ever started (background knowledge).  Who is to say after some practice, my daughter doesn't become just as good if not a better shot than me?  In a traditional grading system that would never show, in a standards based system it would.
Standards based learning is a focus on the mastery of a specific learning target and does not take into account the practice and time it takes to reach mastery.  Mastery towards these targets depends solely on the individual learner.  A teacher can facilitate this learning, but the student still has to put in the practice and work to reach mastery.  They can't copy homework from someone else and get a good grade.  They can't turn in extra credit that has nothing to do with the learning target and get a good grade.  A student actually has to prove to the teacher they have mastered the target.  Some students may be able to master a target very quickly, others it may take multiple tries.  Our duty as public educators is not a one shot and done approach then move on whether students "get it" or not.  It is our sole responsibility to ensure ALL students have mastered essential learning concepts so they can build on that mastery at the next level, whatever that level may be.
The Central administration and staff look forward to discussing standards based grading in person on March 1st at our public forum being held in the auditorium starting at 7:00pm.  I also welcome any comments or questions on my Blog and will do my best to answer promptly.

District Website

During the Volga public forum, some in attendance commented on how the "News Updates" feature of our new district website was not working.  Since that meeting we have done a little research on this and I believe we have solved the problem.  Follow these simple steps to receive updates every time our district website is updated:

Sign up to receive News Updates now.

Step 1: Click on "Sign up for the News Update" at the bottom of our website.

Step 2: Enter your email for where you would like updates to be sent. Ex: johndoe@email.com

Step 3: Select which items you would like to receive updates from Ex: Elementary News, Middle School-High School News, District News.
              Note: You may select more than one.

Step 4: Hit Subscribe

Step 5: You will receive an email to confirm your address. When you receive this email hit reply. You MUST reply to this email to be subscribed.
              Note: If you sign up for more than one of the options you will receive separate emails for each one. You will have to reply to each email separately.

Step 6: Once you have replied back to each email you will be placed on our email list. 

If you have any questions please contact Melissa at mhunt@central.k12.ia.us

Spring is in the Air!

Spring is in the Air!

As I write this we are a week away from putting January in the rear view mirror.  Second semester has come to an end and already we are looking ahead and planning for the 2016/17 school year. 

While it may not yet feel like spring outside, inside our K-12 building we have begun work that very much resembles the feel of spring.  When I think about spring, thoughts of new life, growth, and freshness come to mind.  I bet if you ask any of our students their thoughts on our K-12 building, few if any will say the words new or fresh, and rightly so!  The last time our hallways were painted, Darwin Winke was superintendent of the school district.  The color scheme of that era resembled a time when color was not allowed in schools.  Everything done in schools was very institutionalized, the color included. 

Current HS/MS hallway is blue     Remaining hallways are parchment

 

Not only do these two colors have nothing to do with our school colors (red & white), they add to the darkness and age of our building.  We know through research that color can have a significant impact on emotion, which can ultimately influence a student’s study and work habits.  Color also helps define a room’s purpose, and I would argue we are defining the wrong purpose with our current color scheme.  Because of this, the Central Board of Directors has supported my recommendation to begin a major paint project that will “freshen” our hallways and promote our school colors.  The new paint job will also be enhanced with some new furnishings as we look to promote the use of our building.  As superintendent of Central, I love the fact that at anytime day or night I can walk through the foyer of our building and see students collaborating and working together in a safe environment. 

The news of a new look at Central unfortunately will mean the end of some of the student artwork located in the hallways, specifically located in the blue HS/MS hallway.  Central will be contacting all of the known artist and allowing them a chance to come in and take pictures of the work before the hallway painting begins.  Central will also take pictures of each of the artworks with the plan of putting everything together into a book, which will be made available to the public.

With appreciation for our school history, we must also have an appreciation for our future and the students of today.  Thank you for the many positive comments I have already received in regards to the new look in the foyer area and our high school gymnasium.  Tying our building together with our school colors I believe will enhance the culture and pride of our school district.  Enjoy the new look!

Ready, Set, Go!

Ready, Set, Go!

 

What if you had exactly 60 seconds to do something and the trajectory of your future depended on that 60 seconds?  Would you be nervous before that performance?  Do you think your action in those 60 seconds is a clear picture of your real talents or ability?  I pose these questions because this is exactly what the State of Iowa is doing to our children.  Recently, I, as well as administrators across the State, had to send a letter home to parents that labeled their child “substantially deficient” if their child did not read a certain amount of words in 60 seconds.  The letter was scripted by the Iowa Department of Education and “substantially deficient” is written into the Iowa Code.

The above requirement is a part of the Early Literacy Implementation (ELI) law.  The law states all schools should have an approved universal screener, progress monitor students who exhibit a “substantial deficiency” in reading, send a notice to parents that their child is “substantially deficient”, provide an evidence-based summer reading program, and retention of any student not proficient in reading by the end of 3^rd grade. 

With so many flaws in the ELI law it is hard to pick where to begin.  Let’s start with the universal screener.  A universal screener is defined by the American Institutes for Research as “Screening is conducted to identify or predict students who may be at risk for poor learning outcomes. Universal screening assessments are typically brief, conducted with all students at a grade level, and followed by additional testing or short-term progress monitoring to corroborate students' risk status.”  The important piece to take away from this definition is that once a student is flagged, further evidence is needed before determining if a student is at risk, or as the State of Iowa puts it, “substantially deficient”.  This is not happening in the ELI law as schools are using one universal screener without any other data being used to label students “substantially deficient”.  The National Center for Learning Disabilities discourages this practice stating, “screening students in the early grades lends itself to at least two common errors: false positives and false negatives. False positives occur when students are deemed at risk when, in fact, they are not. False negatives are cases in which students who are deemed not at risk then go on to perform poorly on a future criterion measure” (Jenkins, 2003).  A “screener” by all definitions is simply to scratch the surface of a possible problem and should be used to dig deeper into that individual student.  In the State of Iowa, a 60 second screener is being used to determine if you child is “substantially deficient” and in need of 3^rd grade retention. 

Another flaw in regards to the universal screener is the norming.  All tests have a set of norms.  Norming compares the results of a statistically selected group of test takers.  Central has been a part of the FAST assessment (screener) for going on three years now (we were a pilot school in the State of Iowa) and the norms of that test have changed three times!  Three times in less than 3 years the number of words per minute a student is supposed to read at a given grade level has changed.  So if your child misses this moving target by one word per minute, they are termed “substantially deficient”?  The changing of the norms shows that the test we are using is not reliable, yet the consequences for our children remain.

Most, if not all educators, will agree that reading is so much more than how many words a person can read accurately in one minute.  Think about our upcoming Christmas holiday.  Many of us get the “joy” of putting together the presents Santa brings our kids.  What if I told you that you only get 60 seconds to read the directions and then put together the toy?  How many of you think you could do it?  I know I could not.  Even though I am positive I could read the entire directions in my 60 seconds, what good is reading fast if we can’t comprehend what it is that we are reading?  Fluency is a strong indicator of reading success, but it isn’t everything and it sure doesn’t mean a child is “substantially deficient”.

So what can we do about this?  There really is only one thing we can do and that is to contact our local politicians and share your concerns.  Here are some suggested questions/thoughts to pose:

·      Name something you do in 60 seconds and your future depends on it.

·      Do home school and private school students have to follow the ELI law?  If not, why?

·      Do Iowa employers want an employee who can read a set amount of words per-minute, or do they want an employee that can comprehend what they read?

Contact Information:

Darrel Branhagen: (515) 281-3221

Patti Ruff: (515) 281-3221

Michael Breitbach: (563) 920-7399

Linda Fandel (Governor’s Special Assistant for Education): (515) 725-3522

Governor Branstad: (515) 281-5211

References

Jenkins, J. R. (2003, December). Candidate measures for screening at-risk students. Paper presented at the National Research Center on Learning Disabilities Responsiveness-to-Intervention symposium, Kansas City, MO. Retrieved May 15, 2008, from http://www.nrcld.org/symposium2003/jenkins/index.html

Universal Screening. (n.d.). Retrieved November 9, 2015, from http://www.rti4success.org/essential-components-rti/universal-screening