Ofsted : Part of the Problem or Part of the Solution ?

1. Ofsted: Part of the Problem or Part of the Solution? Robert Coe, Durham University Association of Colleges Annual Conference, 19 November 2013

2. Ofsted: Part of the Problem or Part of the Solution? • Both • The case for evidence and rigour • Accountability dos and don’ts • Problems with judgement and classroom observation • What could be improved?

3. Evidence and rigour in the search for real improvement www.cem.org/attachments/publications/ImprovingEducation2013.pdf

4. (Updated from Coe, 2007)

5. School ‘improvement’ often isn’t • School would have improved anyway • Those willing to improve will (misattributed to intervention) • Chance variation (esp if start low) • Poor outcome measures • Perceptions of those who worked hard at it • No assessment of pupil learning • Poor evaluation designs • Weak evaluations more likely to show positive results • Improved intake mistaken for impact of intervention • Selective reporting • Dredging for anything positive (within a study) • Only success is publicised (Coe, 2009, 2013)

6. www.educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/toolkit Impact vs cost Most promising for raising attainment 8 May be worth it Feedback Meta-cognitive Peer tutoring Early Years Homework (Secondary) 1-1 tuition Effect Size (months gain) Collaborative Behaviour Small gp tuition Phonics Parental involvement Smaller classes ICT Social Summer schools Individualised learning Small effects / high cost After school Mentoring Homework (Primary) Teaching assistants Performance pay Aspirations 0 Ability grouping £0 £1000 Cost per pupil

7. Monitoring the quality of teaching • Classroom observation • Much harder than you think! • Multiple observations/ers, trained and QA’d • Progress in assessments • Quality of assessment matters • Student ratings • Extremely valuable, if done properly

8. Accountability

9. Accountability cultures • Trust • Confidence • Challenge • Supportive • Improvement-focus • Problem-solving • Long-term • Genuine quality • Evaluation • Distrust • Fear • Threat • Competitive • Target-focus • Image presentation • Quick fix • Tick-list quality • Sanctions

10. Ways to avoid gaming • Choose measures that are genuinely aligned with what is valued (& hard to distort) • State general aims, but be vague/flexible about specific targets/measures • Actively look for (and publicise) gaming and unintended consequences; encourage whistle-blowing on counter-productive gaming • Build in loophole-closing mechanisms (eg to re-align credit with difficulty/value) • Combine statistical measures with face-to-face observation & judgement • Measure a wide range of outcomes • Look at distributions, not just thresholds (Bevan & Hood, 2006; Bird et al., 2005; Smith 1995; Fitz-Gibbon 1997)

11. Problems with judgement and classroom observation

12. Do We Know a Successful Teacher When We See One? • Filmed lessons (or short clips) of effective (value-added) and ineffective teachers shown to • School Principals and Vice-Principals • Teachers • Public • Some agreement among raters, but unable to identify effective teaching • No difference between education experts and others • Training in CLASS did help a bit Strong et al 2011

13. Obvious – but not trueWhy do we believe we can spot good teaching? • We absolutely know what we like • Strong emotional response to particular behaviours/styles is hard to over-rule • We focus on observable proxies for learning • Learning is invisible • Preferences for particular pedagogies are widely shared, but evidence/understanding of their effectiveness is limited • We think learning depends on what the teacher does • We assume that if you can do it you can spot it • We don’t believe observation can miss so much

14. Poor Proxies for Learning • Students are busy: lots of work is done (especially written work) • Students are engaged, interested, motivated • Students are getting attention: feedback, explanations • Classroom is ordered, calm, under control • Curriculum has been ‘covered’ (ie presented to students in some form) • (At least some) students have supplied correct answers (whether or not they really understood them or could reproduce them independently)

15. Hamre et al (2009)

16. Simons & Chabris (1999)

17. “We generally recommend that observers have some classroom experience. However, we sometimes find that individuals with the most classroom experience have the greatest difficulty becoming certified CLASS observers. Experienced teachers or administrators often have strong opinions about effective teaching practice. The CLASS requires putting those opinions aside, at least while using the CLASS, to attend to and score specific, observable teacher-child interactions.” (Hamre et al 2009, p35) “Becoming a certified CLASS observer requires attending a two-day Observation Training provided by a certified CLASS trainer and passing a reliability test. The reliability test consists of watching and coding five 15-minute classroom video segments online … Trainings with a CLASS certified trainer result in 60-80% of trainees passing the first reliability test … CLASS Observation recertification requirements include annually taking and passing a reliability test.” (Hamre et al 2009, p37-8) In the EPPE 3-11 study, observers had 12 days of training and achieved an inter-rater reliability of 0.7. (Sammons et al 2006, p56)

18. Reliability Percentages based on simulations

19. Validity Percentages based on simulations

20. Part of the solution • Accountability is here to stay • It should definitely include site visits and classroom observation • Recent policy changes and statements from Ofsted are positive

21. Requires Improvement • Ofsted must demonstrate that all inspectors are able to interpret complex data • Ofsted should use a validated protocol for lesson observation, with appropriate training • Ofsted should demonstrate the validity of all aspects of inspectors’ judgements • There should be ongoing, transparent, independently verified processes for QA