WCPSS US History

1. WCPSS US History A JOINT PROJECT EVALUATION AND RESEARCH Glenda Haynie CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION Melinda Stephani

2. PROJECT GOALS • Study, Improve, and Implement a WCPSS Value-Added Instructional Improvement Analysis Model • Collect WCPSS specific data that will help teachers, school, and district leadership understand their current practices in US History. • Identify and share best practices in US History. • Contribute to a series of studies that identify targets for overall systemic improvement • Identify the role of teachers, academic departments, principals, schools, and central services’ administrators in the school improvement process. • Identify the practices of effective improvement.

3. Starting Points for the WCPSS US History Study • A High School Graduation Course Requirement • Entering HS class of 06-07 must pass EOC Exam • 90 teachers at 19 High Schools in 2005-06. • New curriculum in 2003-04, first tested in 2005-06 • 55% of classes are academic, 33% honors, and 11% AP. Two schools have honors and academic mixed. Two schools have a Paideia class.

4. DISTRICT-WIDE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT SUCCESS

5. 7661 Students Took U S History in 2005-06

7. Gaps in Performance 37.1% 9.2% Male Female White Black

8. Level Performance 2005-06 Level III Level IV Level II Level I

9. MEASURES OF SCHOOL SUCCESS

10. % AT LEVEL III OR IV 2005-06

11. AVERAGE SCALE SCORES

12. WCPSS EFFECTIVENESS INDICES

13. What are Student Residuals? • A student residual is the difference between a student's EOC scale score and the expected scale score of 'like' WCPSS students. It is a result of a regression analysis that uses previous pretest scores and controls for factors such as special program services, and free or reduced lunch status. • > + 1 standard deviation (+5.89 in 2005-06 U. S. History) is significantly higher than other ‘like’ WCPSS students. • < - 1 standard deviation (-5.89 in 2005-06 U. S. History) is significantly lower than other ‘like’ WCPSS students . • NOTE: Standard deviation is at bottom of student residual roster and varies by subject and year.

14. RESIDUALS SHOW VALUE ADDED BY TEACHERS and SCHOOLS Algebra I Regression Scatter Plot 100 90 80 Teacher A 70 2004-05 Algebra I Scale Score Teacher B 60 50 40 30 140 150 160 170 180 190 200 210 8th Grade EOG Score (Converted To Edition One Scale)

15. What are School EOC Effectiveness Indices? • A School EOC Effectiveness Index is a z-score calculated by averaging all of the student residual scores for a particular test (e.g. U.S.History EOC) at a particular school and standardizing on the z scale. It can be used to compare a school’s performance with other school’s in the district. • > + 1 is significantly higher than other WCPSS schools • < - 1 is significantly lower than other WCPSS schools

16. WCPSS School US History Effectiveness

17. Subjects in Study • Identified 29 2006-07 teachers of US History (32% of the 90 from 2005-06) that taught US History in 2001-02, 2002-03, 2005-06 and were teaching in 2006-07. • Calculated the average student residual by teacher across all classes for 2005-06, 2001-03 (2 years), and a combined 2001-03/2005-06. • Ranked teacher effectiveness from highest to lowest for 2005-06 and compared to previous and combined averages

18. Top Effective Teachers in 7 Schools • Top 10 teachers in 9 schools • Bottom 10 teachers in 7 schools • Three schools with top and bottom teachers. Bottom 4 teachers have a school colleague among the top teachers. • Residual averages ranged from -2.53 to 4.33 • B1- B4 taught at the same schools as T1,T2, and T5 .

19. Teacher School Res_mean Res_stdev T1 S1 4.33 5.03 T2 S15 3.65 5.29 T3 S11 3.65 6.27 T4 S6 3.20 5.26 T5 S10 2.88 4.40 T6 S4 2.78 5.31 T7 S3 2.69 6.13 T8 S9 2.67 5.62 T9 S10 2.36 5.45 T10 S2 2.32 5.45 B10 S7 0.50 5.53 B9 S5 0.46 4.58 B8 S8 0.29 5.66 B7 S14 0.15 5.48 B6 S5 -0.37 6.79 B5 S8 -0.68 5.12 B4 S1 -1.08 5.86 B3 S10 -1.22 5.60 B2 S15 -2.22 5.16 B1 S15 -2.53 6.00 Residual Means and Standard Deviations

20. EOC PERFORMANCE • Percent at Level III or IV • White Student Proficiency • Top teachers ranged from 77% to 100% with 9 teachers above 90% • Bottom teachers ranged from 25% to 99% with 1 above 90% • Black Student Proficiency • Top teachers ranged from 33 % to 100% with 5 teachers above 90% • Bottom teachers ranged from 30% to 86% with 0 above 90%

21. Teacher School % prof white n %prof black n T1 S1 94 66 100 9 T2 S15 100 79 100 4 T3 S11 77 48 75 12 T4 S6 94 32 100 12 T5 S10 94 32 100 12 T6 S4 96 118 100 7 T7 S3 93 88 50 2 T8 S9 97 29 33 9 T9 S10 93 92 64 11 T10 S2 98 50 na none B10 S7 83 54 71 24 B9 S5 99 86 86 7 B8 S8 73 40 53 40 B7 S14 25 12 30 20 B6 S5 72 78 56 25 B5 S8 86 15 50 6 B4 S1 87 47 41 22 B3 S10 75 36 56 16 B2 S15 65 79 42 31 B1 S15 83 18 80 5 Percentage Proficiency 2005-06

22. Student Assignments in courses that take the U. S. History EOC exam • Top Teachers • 3 AP only, 1 honors only, 1 honors and AP, 3 honors and academic, and 2 all three levels • Bottom Teachers • 1 honors and AP, 3 honors and academic, 3 academic, and 3 all three levels There were Top teachers who exhibited success with each level of student. Yet there were more AP classes among Top teachers and more academic classes among Bottom teachers.

23. Top Teachers Teach only American History

24. 100% IV top 90% 80% 70% IV bottom 60% 50% III 40% 30% II 20% 10% I 0% AP TOP AP Bottom Honors Top Honors Academic Academic ALL Bottom Top Bottom students Level Performance

25. Comparing Top with Bottom Studying Teacher Effectiveness • Teacher Survey • Classroom Observations • School Focus Groups • Teacher Focus Groups

26. RESULTS

27. Pacing of Curriculum Consistent • All teachers of the study (Top and Bottom) were teaching the North Carolina standard course of study using pacing consistent with WCPSS Pacing Guide.

28. How do teachers get to the top? • Top teachers had a more complete package of rigor, relevance, and relationship strategies than bottom teachers. • Bottom teachers were lacking in one or more key areas found in ALL Top teachers.

29. Four Areas of Comparison • A. Intellectual Demand • B. Intellectual Enrichment • C. Time Management • D. Student-Centered versus Teacher- Centered Classrooms

30. A. Intellectual Demand • Top teachers use: • higher-ordered thinking skills in questioning and in discussion • directed questioning. All students are called upon to participate and are kept engaged throughout the class period • Top teachers had high academic expectations of students.

31. Expectations of students • Top teachers expect that students can learn to read, take and organize notes, make connections, analyze, and respond to higher-order thinking skill questions. The acquisition of facts happens within a sense-making context. Examples: teaching how to read a history text, quizzing on pre-readings, requiring a set organization of notes, posing questions on connections and themes, using political cartoons and short video clips.

32. Examples of Higher-Order Questions • What is the difference between a colony and a protectorate? • Why is President Roosevelt drawn so large in this cartoon? • What role did heroes play in the 1920s?

33. Examples of Lower-Order Questioning • Who was the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court? • When did the Civil War occur? • Who was President during the Vietnam War?

34. Summarizing • Top teachers provide a clear note taking structure for students. • Top teachers lead students in seeing similarities and differences. • Top teachers hold students responsible for all history studied and use cumulative questions regularly on quizzes and tests.

35. B. Intellectual Enrichment • Top teachers: • have basic content knowledge and show evidence of continued learning as a professional. • infuse supplementary content information into the classroom • develop many of their own materials rather than relying solely on publisher-supplied materials. • More top than bottom teachers have efficient focused planning times with colleagues.

36. Teachers build content knowledge • ALL TOP Teachers use outside class time reading and studying their content knowledge. They develop background knowledge through outside pleasure reading. A representative quote was, “I teach history because I love to study and read about history. I am a history nerd”

37. Content Planning • Top teachers use their background knowledge to prepare student guides, graphic organizers, warm-up questions, etc. They do not rely solely on textbooks, handouts, worksheets that are prepared by commercial vendors. They plan with peers (in their schools or other schools) A representative quote was, “The textbook is not the curriculum. No boring worksheets used in my class.”

38. C. Time Management • Top teachers: • Teach bell to bell. • Use an invigorated delivery rate. • Use an effective Lecture/Discussion method.

39. D. Student-Centered Classrooms • Top teachers: • connect the content to current events and student’s lives. • teach students to be historians. • build positive relationships with kids.

40. Connections • Top teachers connect history to current events. • Top teachers connect history to their lives and their students, and help students imagine themselves in historical settings. • Top teachers connect history in themes across time into the present. Examples: student reports on newspaper articles, connecting Seward’s folly to Ms.----’s folly in class yesterday, asking the question, “What would happen if you ------?, explaining “safety valve” in connection to the teacher’s prom experiences in high school, connecting John Brown to Pancho Villa to bin Laden (all individual fugitives that were/are hard to catch)

41. Student Affirmation • Top Teachers consistently give positive feedback on the quality of student work, effort, and ability. Top teachers believe that all students can succeed at a high level. Representative quotes: ”You are the greatest kids. I am so proud of what my students can do.”, “My job is to connect the dots. You have so much knowledge.” “I know that you know this.” “You are so smart. The jeopardy questions are too easy for you.” A student said, “We did so good on this.”

42. Class Atmosphere • Top teachers create an atmosphere of mutual respect where inquiry, wrong answers, personal challenge, collaboration, and disequilibrium provide opportunities for learning for all students. • Top teachers are enthusiastic. Class is FUN! Students are actively engaged. There is no sleeping or off-task behaviors.

43. SUMMARY OF CLASSROOM OBSERVATIONS TOP VERSUS BOTTOM TEACHERS IN FOUR COMPARISON AREAS

44. Conclusions about Top Teachers • TOP TEACHERS: • Expected all students to participate in class, • Taught all students to read, take and organize notes, make connections and analyze historical texts, • Placed the acquisition of facts within a sense-making context, • Used directed higher-order thinking skill questions with all students, • Have basic content knowledge and show evidence of continued learning as a professional, • Infuse supplementary content information into the classroom, • Develop many of their own materials rather than relying solely on publisher-supplied materials, • Have efficient focused planning times with colleagues, • Teach bell to bell, • Use an invigorated delivery rate, • Use an effective Lecture/Discussion method, • Connect the content to current events and student’s lives, • Teach students to be historians, and • Build positive relationships with kids.

45. NEXT STEPS

46. SCHOOL LEADERSHIP • Develop a school plan that aligns to the standard course of study, emphasizing rigor and relevance. • Support and expect meaningful common planning for teachers. • Share results data with teachers including effectiveness rosters and indices. • Develop a scheduling plan that encourages a concentration in American history and places first-year teachers in non-EOC courses. • Support a school culture that promotes open discourse at all levels.

47. TEACHERS • Study standard course of study and EOC testing program. • Study goal summaries. • Study residual rosters . • Plan with other teachers. • Understand and implement Marzano strategies. • Use and/or develop a school plan. • Study American history to deepen depth of content knowledge and enrich classroom instruction. • Reflect on performance data and instructional practice. • Have high, rigorous expectations of all students.

48. DISTRICT LEADERSHIP • Make observations of most effective schools and teachers that can be shared district-wide. • Provide workshops on implementing Marzano strategies. • Support school wide improvement efforts based on top school models. • Support teacher improvement efforts. • Provide data to teachers and schools on their effectiveness.