Getting Serious About School Reform

1. Getting Serious About School Reform • Three Critical Commitments Districts and Schools Should Make Robert J. Marzano

2. 40 Years • Same Problems

3. The problem isn’t at the classroom/teacher level. • The problem is at the systems level.

4. Tentative Findings: Reading

5. Tentative Findings: Reading

6. Tentative Findings: Reading

7. Tentative Findings: Reading

8. Tentative Findings: Reading

9. Tentative Findings: Mathematics

10. Districts and schools must find ways to ensure effective practices occur in every classroom, but still provide flexibility to the classroom teacher.

11. Three Critical Interventions (COMMITMENTS) • A system of individual student feedback on learning goals at the classroom, school, and district levels(i.e., standards-based grading using formative assessments) • Ensuring effective teaching in every classroom • Building background knowledge for all students

12. All three can be approached at the school level, but are more powerful at the district level.

13. Three Critical Interventions (COMMITMENTS) • A system of individual student feedback on learning goals at the classroom, school, and district levels (i.e., standards-based grading using formative assessments) • Ensuring effective teaching in every classroom • Building background knowledge for all students

17. Phase I: Track student progress using a formatively based system.

21. Scale

22. Phase II: Design learning goals in all subject areas and redesign reporting system (i.e., report cards).

23. Reporting Topics for Language Arts • Word recognition and vocabulary • Reading comprehension • Literary analysis • Spelling • Language mechanics and conventions • Research and technology • Evaluation and revision • Listening comprehension • Analysis of oral media • Speaking applications

24. Many districts like to organize reporting topics into strands.

25. Language Arts Strands and Topics • READING • Word recognition • and vocabulary • Comprehension • Literary analysis • WRITING • Spelling • Language mechanics and conventions • Researchandtechnology • Evaluation and revisions • LISTENING and SPEAKING • Listening comprehension • Speaking applications

26. 3.00 – 4.00 = A 2.50 – 2.99 = B 2.00 – 2.49 = C 1.50 – 1.99 = D Below 1.50 = F

27. 3.50 – 4.00 =Advanced 2.50 – 3.49 = Proficient 1.50 – 2.49 = Basic Below 1.50 = Below Basic

28. 3.00 – 4.00 = A =95% 2.50 – 2.99 = B = 85% 2.00 – 2.49 = C = 75% 1.50 – 1.99 = D = 65% Below 1.50 = F = 60%

29. Report Card with Overall Grades

33. If an individual teacher really wants to, he or she can be standards-based in their classroom . . . even within the context of a traditional system.

38. Students track their progress the entire year.

43. This represents a shift from an approach in which grades are interpretable only in the context of individual teachers’ classrooms to an approach in which grades can be interpreted uniformly from teacher to teacher.

44. Phase III: Implement in a staged fashion.At this point, you’re pretty serious.

45. If you really want to get serious, then . . .

46. If you really want to get serious, then . . . replace the time-based system with a performance-based system.

47. The time-based system is over 100 years old.

48. Requirements of a Time-Based System Students: • Must be in class the entire year • Must behave appropriately • Must complete the work assigned • Must figure out what each individual teacher expects of them • Can be passed on without adequate knowledge if they are successful at 1–4

49. Some Unintended Consequences of a Time-Based System • Students succeed if they can figure out and are willing to follow the rules. • Those students who do not figure out the rules or are unwilling to follow them get so far behind (relatively quickly) that they have a high probability of dropping out.

50. Requirements of a Performance-Based System Students: • Must demonstrate competence in important content knowledge • Must behave appropriately if they wish to be involved in classes • Must take some responsibility for their own learning • Cannot be passed on until they demonstrate competence in important knowledge