Chasing a number?
I worked for many years in a variety of positions, and there tends to be the search for the silver bullet. It is a challenging search and wasted effort because it does not exist. We have data to support that certain things work under certain conditions with a certain set of students. However, we also have data that shows if the same thing was presented to a different set of students in a different environment, it may not have the same results.
I have evolved in my thinking to promote the idea that we do not simply chase an assessment value—whether that is proficiency or growth. I believe after years of engaging in this process that we need to focus on the quality of implementation using research-based practices. If we are engaging in efforts that are beneficial for students, the data will improve on its’ own.
I will offer a non-academic example that can be applied to other scenarios. My boys recently experienced a valley in their grades at school. The goal for them was to improve their grade. I could have told them, “We need to raise your percent by ten.” First, they would not know what “raise their percent by ten” actually meant. Secondly, the goal is not actionable for them. Instead, we applied strategies that could be monitored. We took phones away, we established time in the day where we monitored their homework and completion, and we talked about how they are doing in their classes. Unfortunately for them, it took about a month for the data to show improvement. The time to define the strategies and monitor the behaviors made the difference in the data. It was not simply just chasing the number that saw the improvement.
How does this apply to the broader educational setting? I hear schools say, “I want to increase performance by 5% on statewide assessments THIS YEAR.” Then, they share these goals with educators to increase the performance THIS YEAR without providing actionable milestones. The educators are likely to disengage because the goal is unattainable without support. The better model would include strategies that will be established and monitored to develop lead indicators for monitoring. Again, 5% may not be a reasonable value, but by establishing research-based strategies and monitoring attainment of those strategies, the improvement is likely to occur.
If your team needs support on implementation and monitoring, we are here to support you.