The Beginning, the Middle, and the Now of my Student Achievement Story
LET’S START AT THE BEGINNING
I became a teacher in 1995 in the time before the internet, social media, and Amazon wish lists. No Facebook groups, You Tube videos, blogs, or online classes. I learned effective teaching strategies by reading books, talking to colleagues, trial and error, and the occasional training or professional development.
If there were grade level specific academic standards, I was not aware of them (there were). I figured out what to teach from the scope and sequence in the curriculum adopted by my school district and guidance given to me by my colleagues. When I wanted to supplement the curriculum, I drove to the local teacher supply store and purchased supplementary materials and workbooks.
Oh, and I had a dinosaur as a class pet. HAHA!
Let’s just say that the expectations of students and the teaching profession as a whole were VERY DIFFERENT back in the stone age.
FORTUNATELY, I was hired in a coveted local school district committed to training teachers in research-based best teaching practices.
DOUBLE FORTUNATELY, I was placed at an AMAZING K-5 elementary school with quality leadership and a close-knit community of teachers that collectively worked together to plan instruction, share ideas, and share resources.
For my first 18 years of teaching, the staff of my school as a whole, was fully committed to doing what was best for students. We were provided opportunities for staff development, trained to use intervention and enrichment programs, mentored new teachers entering the classroom to ensure their success, and cultivated a positive school culture of community.
In those 18 years, there was immense change in the expectations of students at each grade level; required standardized testing became the norm, Common Core Standards were adopted, and technological advances changed the way we delivered instruction.
THE GOOD: Based on our diverse demographics in a middle-class suburb, our standardized test scores were reputable.
THE BAD: Year after year, student scores minimally improved and we were consistently NOT meeting the needs of our most at risk students. We weren’t helping the students that needed to improve the most.
We had tried THIS and THAT and the OTHER. Grade level teams had deep seeded traditions and teaching styles. Some teachers were averse to changing the systems they felt were working for them and their students. We relied on the fact that we lived in a community where most of our students had a quality home life with supportive parents. This allowed us to maintain decent scores.
Excuses were made:
“The standardized tests are too hard and too much is expected of kids nowadays. The schools scoring higher than us have better demographics and naturally should have higher scores.”
“60% - 70% proficiency in Reading and Math is good! Much higher than the national average and higher than other schools within our district!”
Was this really the best we could do for our students?
THE MIDDLE - MEANINGFUL CHANGE
If you are going to make a commitment to ensure the success of students, it needs to be ALL students. There are no exceptions. For the sake of our students, we needed to make MEANINGFUL change.
READY, SET…
In the mid 2010’s, district and school leadership announced changes in the expectations of teachers and teaching practices. Principals and teachers were trained in new practices to prioritize instruction, collaborate with colleagues, and use students’ data to track academic progress. We dipped our toes in the waters of change and made slow and steady, incremental progress.
COVID
In the middle of change and progress, COVID hit. Everything STOPPED. We had a new focus. Virtual Teaching. Hybrid Teaching. Survival. Enough said.
After a year and a half of crazy and seeing the effects of virtual learning, we entered the 2021-2022 school year with a sense of normalcy and renewed purpose. We took a few steps back, reflected on our practices, and we were off again! There was no stopping us from ensuring that ALL students could achieve at high levels. We were 100% committed to student achievement.
THE NOW – Meaningful Change and Visible Results
In 2021, I became the MTSS Specialist (Multi-Tiered Systems of Support) for my school site in a large school district with over 30 elementary schools; approximately 1/3 Title 1/EL/Bilingual, 1/3 diverse middle class (my school), and 1/3 higher SES.
As of May 2023, my school that once ranked in the middle of the pack, now has some of the highest proficiency scores across all district diagnostics and California state standardized tests.
High Fives all around!
Check out our data from pre-COVID and post-COVID. Then continue reading to see HOW we did it.
As other schools saw our scores increase, we were asked A LOT of questions and received A LOT of interesting comments.
“So what program are you using? How do you teach reading? How do you teach math?”
My school district has adopted curriculum for all subject areas. Schools can get permission to use other research-based programs that enhance that curriculum. But, the majority of the 30+ elementary schools are using the same resources and materials. It is not about programs and curriculum.
“You already had good proficiency rates. My school is struggling with 30% proficiency. Our students come from challenging home lives in troubled communities. For many, English is their second language. What can I learn from you?”
It is not about the overall percentage of students performing at or above grade level. That is an end goal. It is the PROGRESS and IMPROVEMENT shown each school year on your way to 100% proficiency. ANY SCHOOL would celebrate a 10-15% improvement in proficiency over a 1-2 year period, regardless of where they started.
“A traditional public school could NEVER have 100% student proficiency. There’s just some kids that will never perform at grade level. They will always struggle, right?”
There are always exceptions. My school has its share of needy students: English Language Learners, structured autism classes, general education students with disabilities, IEP’s or 504’s, and social emotional needs.
Research shows that with consistent use of evidence-based teaching practices, 95% of elementary students can learn to read complex text proficiently. I am unable to locate similar findings for math, but I assume it is the same. 95% is an achievable goal, but that doesn’t mean we give up on the 5%.
So HOW did you do it?
THE WHOLE SCHOOL APPROACH: Best Teaching Practices for Elementary
We have a saying in my district, ALL MEANS ALL. This doesn’t just apply to our goal of students achieving proficiency.
ALL MEANS ALL also applies to ALL adults at a school site from the principal, to teachers, paraprofessionals, campus supervisors, the office staff, and custodians.
ALL adults have the same MISSION. Increase student achievement.
All ADULTS. ALL IN. ALL THE TIME.
The keys to our increased student achievement were:
Professional Learning Communities
Horizontal and Vertical Alignment of Priority Standards and Teaching Practices
Determining Students’ Needs and Tracking Student Progress with Data
Collective Commitments to All Students
Great First Instruction - Evidence-Based Teaching Practices
PBIS with Fidelity (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports)
Multi-Tiered Systems of Support – Intervention and Extension
“My principal and my staff are not ready or able to implement school-wide change. If student achievement comes from ALL adults at a school site, I am only ONE person.. How does this information help me and my students?”
In Part 2 of Increasing Student Achievement: Meaningful Change and Visible Results, you will learn about each of the KEYS to increased student achievement. Details and examples will be given for how to incorporate these changes at your school site AND your individual classroom. Discover the best teaching practices for elementary school so you can make meaningful change and see visible results at your OWN school!
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