From L to J

1. From L to J Sara Dixon Lana Balletti Gin Fisher Jen Grzenda

2. Fishbowl Activity

3. Focus for this session: To understand the purpose of moving from L to bell to J How to conduct random sampling of grade-level expectations How to effectively motivate students with individual and class charts

4. Numerical Goals? Improvement means that this year is better than the prior year. Continuous improvement means each year is better than the last. Numerical goals cause confusion. If a 5% goal is set and the school improves 3.5%, staff doesn�t know whether to celebrate or moan.

5. Failed Strategies Fear Blame Ranking Incentives These strategies are based upon the belief that you and I are the problem. ***Fear: Some teachers try to scare their kids into making good grades, administrators and legislators put fear into us as well. Blame: Although some teachers only teach in one way, that may not be the way the child learns, the child gets blamed for not learning. If a student does not do well, we sometimes blame them without searching for the root cause of the problem. Blaming the system, instead of changing your system.***Fear: Some teachers try to scare their kids into making good grades, administrators and legislators put fear into us as well. Blame: Although some teachers only teach in one way, that may not be the way the child learns, the child gets blamed for not learning. If a student does not do well, we sometimes blame them without searching for the root cause of the problem. Blaming the system, instead of changing your system.

6. The Wrong Statistics Education has patterned its statistics after athletics, whose aim is to have only one winner. Ranking keeps education from creating as many winners as possible. Education becomes a contest between children, teachers, schools, etc. when it should really be a contest within yourself. What we think is motivating is actually only motivating the top two or three students, everyone else is demotivated. ***Patterened after what? ***What keeps educ. from creating as many winners as possible?Education becomes a contest between children, teachers, schools, etc. when it should really be a contest within yourself. What we think is motivating is actually only motivating the top two or three students, everyone else is demotivated. ***Patterened after what? ***What keeps educ. from creating as many winners as possible?

7. A Little Math Five incentives per day� 180 days per school year� Thirteen years� Equals 11,700 incentives ******

8. Hope comes from: Understanding the root causes of educational frustration Having solutions to these frustrations

9. Root Causes:The Jefferson Memorial The granite base of the Jefferson Memorial was crumbling, yet the bases of other memorials were not deteriorating at the same rate. Why? Asked the maintenance workers, they said they had to wash it more often. Why? There was more bird dung there than anywhere else. Why? There were more birds there. Why? There were lots of spiders. Why? The spiders were there because there were more bugs. Why? ***The lights on the Jefferson Memorial were turned on an hour earlier than the other memorials. They changed the light schedule and the problem went away. To find the root cause keep asking why until you get to the root of the issue.The granite base of the Jefferson Memorial was crumbling, yet the bases of other memorials were not deteriorating at the same rate. Why? Asked the maintenance workers, they said they had to wash it more often. Why? There was more bird dung there than anywhere else. Why? There were more birds there. Why? There were lots of spiders. Why? The spiders were there because there were more bugs. Why? ***The lights on the Jefferson Memorial were turned on an hour earlier than the other memorials. They changed the light schedule and the problem went away. To find the root cause keep asking why until you get to the root of the issue.

10. Permission to Forget Beginning with first grade spelling, students know they have permission to forget. Sometimes after the test, but almost always by the end of the year. Teachers estimate they spend 1/3 of the school year teaching students content they should know prior to entering their class. ***Spelling tests are just one example of children �cramming� for a test. We want to make sure we are putting things in long term memory, not short term. We need to hold them accountable for the material throughout the year, not just for one week. Textbook authors (i.e. math) design their books with the first third being material they should have learned in the previous year.***Spelling tests are just one example of children �cramming� for a test. We want to make sure we are putting things in long term memory, not short term. We need to hold them accountable for the material throughout the year, not just for one week. Textbook authors (i.e. math) design their books with the first third being material they should have learned in the previous year.

11. Permission to Forget Four years of K-12 education is spent in review. Ten years of a teacher�s career is spent in review. ***Based on a 30 year career***Based on a 30 year career

12. Fishbowl Activity

13. Harry & Schroeder �When there is no system of measurements in place to gauge customer satisfaction, can an organization genuinely say that its customers are a top priority?� Substitute �students� for �customers�.Substitute �students� for �customers�.

14. Purpose of Analyzing Data Improving learning, not improving test scores Alignment and continuous improvement are both needed Improved learning will result in improved test scores How to have both high standards and high success rates

15. If you have low standards, you will have a high success rate, the easy �A�. When you have high standards but a low rate of success you have many children failing. We have been taught to expect the bell curve, but that really means that we have average standards and an average rate of success. We are leaving behind the children on the tail end of the curve, and not fully meeting the needs of the ones in the middle. No Child Left Behind demands high standards and a high success rate. How can we get there?If you have low standards, you will have a high success rate, the easy �A�. When you have high standards but a low rate of success you have many children failing. We have been taught to expect the bell curve, but that really means that we have average standards and an average rate of success. We are leaving behind the children on the tail end of the curve, and not fully meeting the needs of the ones in the middle. No Child Left Behind demands high standards and a high success rate. How can we get there?

16. Tracking Student Progress The classroom�s histogram shape should progress from an �L� to a bell and finally to a �J�. This can also be used to track grade level or school wide data.

17. L Curve This class is starting out with an L curve. You can see that the curriculum is appropriate because most children in this class are not familiar with the material. This class is starting out with an L curve. You can see that the curriculum is appropriate because most children in this class are not familiar with the material.

18. L Curve ? Bell Curve ***At this point in the year the children are starting to gain mastery of the curriculum. This is not where we would want to end up, look at all the children who are �left behind�.***At this point in the year the children are starting to gain mastery of the curriculum. This is not where we would want to end up, look at all the children who are �left behind�.

19. L Curve ? Bell Curve ? J Curve This is how we would like our histogram to look at the end of the year. The majority of the class has mastered the curriculum. ***This is how we would like our histogram to look at the end of the year. The majority of the class has mastered the curriculum. ***

20. Student Made Charts The place to start is with students graphing their own progress toward end-of-year grade level expectations. Data folders ***Data folders ***

21. Tracking Letter Recognition

22. Self-Reflection Dr. Jenkins told us a story about a little girl whose graph suddenly dipped down one week to a zero. He asked the teacher about the zero, and she said that with most kids she would skip that dot on the graph, but this little girl had a serious attendance problem. Seeing that zero and the valley it created on her graph was great motivation, and her attendance improved immediately.Dr. Jenkins told us a story about a little girl whose graph suddenly dipped down one week to a zero. He asked the teacher about the zero, and she said that with most kids she would skip that dot on the graph, but this little girl had a serious attendance problem. Seeing that zero and the valley it created on her graph was great motivation, and her attendance improved immediately.

23. Random Sampling Random sampling from end-of-year items provides students a constant review of what has been taught and a constant preview of what is yet to be taught. When the kids say we haven�t learned this yet, you can tell them we will learn about this after Christmas, etc. ***What provides a constant review and preview?When the kids say we haven�t learned this yet, you can tell them we will learn about this after Christmas, etc. ***What provides a constant review and preview?

24. Sample Size The square root of the total number of questions is an ample sample size for accurate data, if collected weekly or bi-weekly. For example, if there are 120 items to be mastered, you should ask 11 random questions a week.

25. Random Selection Drawing from a hat or fishbowl www.randomizer.org Popsicle sticks Rolling dice (numbered list) Numbered ping-pong balls Bingo numbers (tumbler) Transparency questions ***100-sided die from Gamescience***100-sided die from Gamescience

27. Class Run Charts Used to track class, grade level, or school wide progress Can be useful in identifying trends, valleys, and plateaus Can also be used to monitor attendance, tardiness, referrals, etc. ***Conduct class meeting to discuss trends, what can we do to keep making progress, etc. ***Measuring attendance, reading fluency Handout: things we can chart at different grade levels, ask for their input, have them take notes on handout***Conduct class meeting to discuss trends, what can we do to keep making progress, etc. ***Measuring attendance, reading fluency Handout: things we can chart at different grade levels, ask for their input, have them take notes on handout

29. All-time best celebrations are important for students to celebrate their accomplishments as a class. Promotes a team atmosphere. ***The only real goal is to do better than you have ever done. Ideas: special chant, cheer, dance, blow bubbles, etc. Pick two random names, let them go tell someone in the school, call home.All-time best celebrations are important for students to celebrate their accomplishments as a class. Promotes a team atmosphere. ***The only real goal is to do better than you have ever done. Ideas: special chant, cheer, dance, blow bubbles, etc. Pick two random names, let them go tell someone in the school, call home.

30. One for each subject (class run charts) You may want to start with one subject, and add more as you get comfortable with the process.One for each subject (class run charts) You may want to start with one subject, and add more as you get comfortable with the process.

31. Discuss appropriate curriculum and instruction.Discuss appropriate curriculum and instruction.

32. Fishbowl Activity

33. Conclusion Most test data is designed to rank and compare rather than to give insight; education is considered a contest to be won or lost. Insight is necessary to create a better future. The focus is year-to-year progress.

34. Ready,

35. Flush your fish� Grab the fishbowl� And move from L to J!