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Quarterly Journal - April 2022
Why Are We Still Doing That?
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A Letter from the President
Trending 6
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Whole Child
Book Review: The 19 Burnout Cure Book Review: 21 Teaching with the Heart in Mind
Belinda Veillon, President bveillon@nsd2.com
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Resource Corner
Incentivized Rewards 28
What a great question..
for All: Why Are We Still Doing That?
“Why are We Still Doing That?
Changing Times Call 33
The recent years have been a disruption to our traditions, our thinking, our operations. We have all been bombarded with scenarios and situations that were beyond our control and our wildest imaginations. In a strange sort of flip, the educators have become the students, which is not necessarily a comfortable place to be. Thinking back to one of my professors in my postgraduate studies, he would remind us as he placed more mental demands on us, “Learning happens on the edge of chaos.” This does not vary from what Lev Vygotsky would tell us related to our students and their development and learning, that “the present state of development is enhanced when confronted with new tasks.” In addition, this development is not done in isolation, but in the presence of 3
for Changing Practice
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Injecting
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Why
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Using
New Life into New Teacher Induction Programs Are We Still Treating Teachers Like Robots? Standardized Test Data
Upcoming Events 58 School Spotlight 60
A Letter from the President (cont.)
ILASCD Leaders
“cooperation and collaboration with a knowledgeable other.”
Belinda Veillon, President bveillon@nsd2.com
If Zone of Proximal Development makes sense for our students, it makes sense for us. It is important to remember to take some time to turn to the research and more knowledgeable others as a guide to what is working and what is not related to what we are doing. Even if we feel like we have no more mental, emotional, or physical capacity, it is important to abandon what is not working.
Akemi Sessler, Past President asessler@sd25.org Scott England, President-elect escottengland@gmail.com Amy Warke, Treasurer amy.warke@Maywood89.org Debbie Poffinbarger, Media Director debkpoff@gmail.com Amy MacCrindle, Secretary amaccrindle@district158.org
Task Force Leaders:
We often hear or think, “I cannot add one more thing to my plate,” which now more than ever is true. And, now more than ever is a perfect time to clean that plate of what does not support the best teaching and learning, the best care and attention, and the best future.
Membership & Partnerships Denise Makowski, Andrew Lobdell
Belinda Veillon, President IL ASCD
Ryan Nevius, Executive Director rcneviu@me.com Bill Dodds, Associate Director dwdodds1@me.com
Communications & Publications Joe Mulikin, Jeff Prickett Advocacy & Influence Richard Lange, Brenda Mendoza Program Development Bev Taylor, Terry Mootz, Sarah Cacciatore, Dee Ann Schnautz, Doug Wood
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May 5, 2022 8:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. at Medinah Shrine Live Hybrid/In-Person and online
The 7 #FULLYCHARGED Practices for Effective Education Leaders Featuring Julie Adams
Get “FULLY CHARGED” in 2022! Join CEO, Author, Educator of the Year, & Coach, Julie Adams, for a fast-paced, highly engaging workshop that will provide you the WHAT, WHY, and HOW to increase social-emotional and cognitive success across your WHOLE School System. Illinois Administrators Academy #932: Culture Counts: Constructive Leadership that Promotes Student Success
Workshop participants will laugh and engage while learning the neuroscience and strategies that enable them to: ✓ understand how the young brain differs from the mature brain and how to strengthen it even during stressful times ✓ address ACEs and pandemic implications on brain development to increase success ✓ enhance positive school culture ✓ practice SEL and critical thinking strategies to increase student engagement and achievement ✓ identify and support the 8 mental health issues on the rise and learn how to mitigate them ✓ increase support and engagement with families and staff ✓ plant the “S.E.E.D.S.” –the 5 ingredients most influential to our mental and physical health that can be practiced throughout a school system
Come join us as we deepen our understanding of the impact that current stressors have on the brain and become #FULLYCHARGED with immediately applicable strategies and resources to increase both SEL and instructional success in our schools. Registrants who select the add-on book option will receive a copy of #FULLYCHARGED for an additional cost of $20. Books will be distributed to in-person attendees at the event and mailed to virtual attendees’ school address.
Julie Adams is a Nationally BoardCertified Teacher and International Keynote Speaker, who combines humor, stories, research and strategies for a fantastic learning experience! Mrs. Adams taught for 14 years in Kindergarten through Graduate School and has nearly 20 years of experience in the corporate sector as the Founder and CEO of Adams Educational Consulting, MB Enterprise, and is the inventor and CEO of Sticky Shox. She specializes in neuroscience as it relates to critical thinking and engagement, cognitive capacity, mental health and wellness, digital leadership, system efficiency, positive and systemic culture, social-emotional learning, and cognitive and instructional coaching. Julie has trained hundreds of thousands around the world—leaders, educators, athletes, and parents—in the science and strategies that skyrocket personal and professional success.
Includes Continental Breakfast, Lunch, Free Parking and 5 PD Hours Admin Academy Credit Available Audience: Teachers, Teacher Leaders, Administrators and all Leaders
Trending Why are we still doing that? The Pedagogy of Panic
Pérsida Himmele, Ph.D.
William Himmele, Ph.D.
Click to view on ASCD.
Why are we still doing that?: Positive Alternatives to Problematic Teaching Practices, our most recent ASCD book, focuses on problematic classroom practices that persist despite credible evidence that these practices may do more harm than good. In this article, we’d like to address those harmful practices to which we may instinctively revert due to pandemic-related learning gaps. We’ll then make a case for focusing on formative assessment, a tried-and-true approach toward accelerating learning in K-12 classrooms without the negative side effects. COVID-19’s Discriminatory Impact It is no secret that the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted K-12 students’ performance in fundamental ways. It has changed our realities, from taking the lives of precious colleagues to inconveniencing our forms of instructional delivery. But the academic impact of the pandemic has not been evenly felt by students across socioeconomic realities. The pandemic has saved its hardest blow for those students whose performance has historically lagged that of their peers. For example, between fall 2019 and fall 2021, students in Illinois experienced an overall drop of 3 and 10 percentiles in reading and mathematics, respectively. In comparison, for those in moderate to high poverty schools, that decrease jumped to an overall drop of 11 and 14 percentiles in reading and mathematics, respectively (NWEA, 2022). 6
instructional practices that we adopt as a result of being faced with the need to accelerate learning. Unfortunately, these panic-driven measures have often resulted in an unhealthy focus on quick measurable results, such as standardized test-based practices, that may actually do more harm than good.
This same reality is true across the nation, with 2021 student performance for historically marginalized groups lagging further behind that of their peers when comparing 2021 to the norms for 2019 pre-pandemic growth. This is especially true for students in the early grades and for overall progress in mathematics (Lewis & Kuhfeld, 2021). Male students of color and students of color attending high poverty schools were least likely to make their typical learning gains (Kuhfled, Ruzek, et. al., 2021). As far as progress toward
Recently the term “accelerating learning” has caused some educators to groan. Whenever teachers groan, the first reaction of those in leadership shouldn’t be an attempt to stifle the groan, but
Whenever teachers groan, the first reaction of those in leadership shouldn’t be an attempt to stifle the groan, but instead to seek to understand why they are groaning. instead to seek to understand why they are groaning. What do teachers notice that others (leaders, administrators, professors, policy makers) fail to notice? For too many educators, the groans emerge from a discomfort with what they’re being asked to do. Not because it is challenging, but because they have tasted this form of control before and have realized that it debilitates essential decision-making abilities. Worst of all, in return for this debilitating loss of control, it only provides short-term gains for longterm losses. What we need is a reminder
educational equity, “the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated longstanding education inequities for BIPOC communities in the United States” (p. 8). The Pedagogy of Panic Certainly, in light of these inequities, there is a clear need to support students by filling in essential learning gaps and accelerating growth wherever possible. However, there are ways to accelerate student growth without resorting to, what we call, the pedagogy of panic. The pedagogy of panic includes those hurried 7
Trending (cont.) multiplication or division, is it likely to help a student if teachers were to ignore the fact that a student struggles with addition or counting up? While they may certainly get students to memorize abstract multiplication facts, if they expect the learning to stick, they’ll need to backtrack to help students develop
of what works, but equally important is a warning of how pedagogies of panic can hurt student learning. The Temptation to Panic What are some of these pedagogies of panic and why is it that they often provide short term gains in exchange for long
These rigid pacing guides also assume that there will be little “getting lost in the learning” and few opportunities to pursue teachable moments that arise throughout the learning cycles. term losses? From our book, Why are we still doing that?, we’ll highlight some of the counter-productive practices that we’re currently seeing emerge as a result of the need for accelerating student learning.
more fundamental understandings of number sense. The same is true in literacy. If a student doesn’t have the understanding that words are made up of individual sounds that can be blended and segmented (phonemic awareness), it does little good to teach a student the C and the G rules (that C and G both usually make their soft sounds when followed by i, e, or y). Unfortunately, forcing teachers to stick to a rigid pacing guide can cause them to ignore these fundamental needs.
Panic Reaction #1: Rigid Pacing Guides Though pacing guides are usually meant to provide helpful roadmaps, when they are overly prescribed, they can end up forcing teachers to ignore the needs of their students in favor of a schedule that needs to be maintained. Recall earlier that the greatest lags have been found in the early grades and in mathematics. What good is it to ignore where a student’s current status is in favor of moving on to what “should” be taught? For example, when it comes to developing basic number sense as opposed to developing knowledge of
Rigid pacing guides make several dangerous assumptions. They assume that all students will progress and experience success with content at the same rates and at the same time. They assume that all students are functioning at the same levels. They assume that the calendar is doable, that the need for 8
scaffolding is all the same, that every year will be the same. Today, more than ever, this could not be further from the truth. These rigid pacing guides also assume that there will be little “getting lost in the learning” and few opportunities to pursue teachable moments that arise throughout the learning cycles. They do not take into account the needs of English language learners, students who are gifted or twice exceptional, or students with special needs. However, in too many schools, what starts off as a skeletal guide can quickly become a mandate that hurts our most vulnerable students more than any other students.
Ruzek, et. al., 2021), our personal experiences point to a noticeable lag in primary grade literacy skills for many children in our local areas. Students currently in first, second, and third grades seem to represent a wide array of reading skills and needs that make pre-pandemic primary classrooms seem homogenous in their skill development. The response by some school districts has been to require a strong emphasis on the building up of decoding skills using highly scripted curricula. That all sounds fine until you take into account the variety of needs in a typical classroom. Additionally, in our home state, legislation is being proposed that could potentially set us back to the days of the type of micromanagement not seen since No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and Reading First. For those new to the profession, neither ended well. Though the amount of time spent teaching reading increased, only decoding of first graders increased, with no reported increase in third graders’ reading comprehension, even though the whole point of reading is comprehension (NCEE, 2008). One could argue that increasing the amount of time spent learning a topic (reading) with little to no evidence of long-term benefits is actually a step backwards.
When the teacher voice inside of us says, “this just feels wrong,” we ought to be encouraged to stop and take notice. And therein lies the greatest indictment against rigid pacing guides: they do not encourage formative assessment and any resulting adjustments that need to be made to our instruction. When the pacing guide determines what is taught, it can result in teachers not noticing the very students who are being taught, particularly our most vulnerable students who have been most negatively impacted by the academic effects of the pandemic. Panic Reaction #2: Ignoring the complexities of literacy instruction In line with what researchers at NWEA found (Lewis & Kuhfeld, 2021; Kuhfled,
We know that building decoding skills is essential for developing readers. 9
Trending (cont.) We’re not arguing this fact. Again, we feel that we need to repeat that we are not arguing against building decoding skills. But the science of reading includes a focus on various important dimensions that include cognitive, metacognitive, and affective processes, not simply decoding. For example, there is no reading comprehension without language comprehension. Similarly, if struggling students have been so turned off by reading that they no longer want to read, you may end up with strong first grade decoders who do little reading by the time they end their third-grade year. It will be students living in poverty who have had fewer experiences with the read aloud, limited access to books, and fewer opportunities to practice reading on their own, who will need the greatest exposure to a well-rounded literacy curriculum, but under a pedagogy of panic, they’ll be the least likely to get it.
to be later debunked by comparing state standardized test scores with more difficult to manipulate NAEP scores. Because states provide schools with test samplers to help educators know what to expect on their standardized tests, schools have easy access to a type of ready-made test-based curricula. When schools place a heavy emphasis on the test samplers, the content of the overall domain can be ignored or swapped out for easier to cram “test-eligiblecontent.” In turn, schools are rewarded with higher test scores that aren’t necessarily reflected on other tests that are measuring similar content. Unusual test score increases might actually be a measure of how much time was taken away from meaningful learning (Koretz, 2017, Kohn, 2015). Whether it takes the form of alternative tests, used to measure the same students’ progress, or lessons presented years later that depended on foundational principles that were skipped, the core of the problem with teaching to the test is this: students only gain a shallow understanding of what is asked for in the test samplers. The test samplers are an incomplete slice of what we ought to be aiming for. They are woefully inadequate in reaching the larger goal of deeper understandings in the content that we are striving to
Panic Reaction #3: Teaching to Test Samplers One of the biggest problems associated with teaching to the test is that, at face value, it seems to work. Teaching to the test can, unfortunately, produce higher test scores. But while teaching to the test may provide a temporary bump in scores, overall learning seems largely unaffected (Koretz, 2017). For example, during the NCLB years, in several states, district scores seemingly ballooned only 10
teach. As hard as it is, we have to force ourselves to resist the temptation to teach to the samplers, and instead, to meaningfully teach the domain that the sampler is supposed to be representing. Instead of being sidetracked by those things that are easily measured, let’s focus on developing deeper understandings of the content we teach.
of learning, just imagine what six to nine months of extra learning per year could do for the students who have been most impacted by the pandemic or for those who struggle the most. Wiliam explains that numerous costly attempts at supporting student learning, including curricular changes, charter schools, high school redesign, provide no overall evidence of effectiveness. Meanwhile, five reviews synthesizing more than 4,000 studies provide clear evidence supporting the use of formative assessment. In fact, it’s not just effective, “When implemented well, formative
How do we actually accelerate student learning? There is strong and consistent support for the ability of formative assessment to accelerate student growth. Some of
There is strong and consistent support for the ability of formative assessment to accelerate student growth. the most influential research in this field are meta-analyses that review hundreds of studies that adhere to a certain list of criteria. Time and time again, research has supported the effective use of formative assessments as a way of both increasing instructional effectiveness and accelerating student growth (Black & Wiliam, 1998; Hattie, 2009).
assessment can effectively double the speed of student learning.” (Wiliam, 2007/2008, p. 36-37). Despite the fact that these understandings have been around for well over a decade, the term, formative assessment, is still not commonly used in everyday educational conversations. Instead, the meaning is often linked with paper and pencil tests and commercial interim assessments that are marketed as “formative,” but that are far from the type of formative assessment that has been proven to dramatically increase learning. Effective assessment is too often
Wiliam (2007) explains that the use of formative assessment can add an extra six to nine months of learning growth per year. Think of the students currently within your classrooms. While a typical school year consists of ten months 11
Trending (cont.)
every student an active learner, has 51 techniques for providing teachers with evidence of student learning (Himmele & Himmele, 2017). It is one of many tools that can help teachers implement formative assessment strategies in their classrooms.
associated with scheduled tests or semiformal, district-mandated measures of student progress. While well-written tests can be helpful to learning, these tests typically report student learning rather than affect student learning, meaning they don’t typically impact students’ progress today, at this very moment.
Now, more than ever, we need to set aside our pedagogies of panic and review what has been proven to work. If we are looking to accelerate growth, we already know that one of the best ways to do that is through effective formative assessment. Formative assessment places the focus on teaching effectiveness by continuously gathering evidence of what is being learned. It defines good teaching. There is no better way, in our opinion, to spend professional development dollars than to focus on helping teachers become excellent at formative assessment.
With as many books as have been written on the topic of formative assessments, classroom structures are often still dominated by traditional schedules of teaching and assessing, where content is presented, and an assessment is planned as a calendar item. But unlike summative assessments, classroom formative assessments are rarely ever written in the calendar, instead, they happen every day, several times in every lesson. They should be happening so often, that writing them down would be impractical. Formative assessment provides teachers with constant ongoing feedback on student learning. It is a teacher-powered, stop and check, and then stop and check again, type of intuitiveness that comes from taking the attention off of “getting through curriculum,” and placing that attention on student learning. This backand-forth cycle continually asks these questions: What do they need? How do I teach it? At the risk of being accused of making a sales pitch, our book, Total Participation Techniques: Making
References Black, P. & Wiliam, D. (1998). Inside the black box: Raising standards through classroom assessment. The Phi Delta Kappan, 80(2), 139–148. Hattie, J. (2009). Visible learning: A synthesis of over 800 meta-analyses relating to achievement. New York: Routledge. 12
Himmele, P. & Himmele, W. (2017). Total Participation Techniques: Making every student an active learner. Alexandria, VA: ASCD. Kohn, A. (2015). Schooling beyond measure and other unorthodox essays about education. Heinemann. Koretz, D. (2017). The testing charade: Pretending to make schools better. The University of Chicago Press. Kuhfeld, M., Ruzek, E., Lewis, K., Soland, J., Johnson, A., Tarasawa, B., & Dworkin, L. (2021). Understanding the initial educational impacts of COVID-19 on communities of color. NWEA. Lewis, K.., & Kuhfeld, M. (2021). Learning during COVID-19: An update on student achievement and growth at the start of the 2021-22 school year. NWEA. NCEE. (2008). Reading First impact study. Washington, DC: National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance. Retrieved March 2, 2022, from http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/ pdf/20094038.pdf NWEA (2022). Exploring the educational impacts of COVID-19, student achievement trends by state. https://www.nwea.org/researchdata-galleries/exploring-theeducational-impacts-of-covid-19/
Wiliam, D. (2007). Content then process: Teacher learning communities in the service of formative assessment. In D. Reeves (Ed.), Ahead of the Curve: The power of assessment to transform teaching and learning. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree. Wiliam, D. (December 2007/January 2008). Changing classroom practice. Educational Leadership, 65(4), 36–42.
Dr. Pérsida Himmele is a Professor in the education department at Millersville University. She has been an elementary and middle school teacher in bilingual and multilingual classrooms and a district administrator serving ELL students in a high-incidence district. Dr. William Himmele is an Associate Professor at Millersville University in southeastern Pennsylvania. He has served as an ESL teacher and a Speech Pathologist, a higher education administrator, an international consultant and a speaker on issues related to increasing student engagement. They are the authors of several books, articles, and resources, including the ASCD bestselling book, Total Participation Techniques: Making every student an active learner, as well as the accompanying video.
Whole Child Improving Approaches to Behavior Change: Applying the ASCD Whole Child Tenets Dr. Jessica Zanton
Dr. Louise M. Yoho
Introduction In the book Why Are We Still Doing That? the authors identify out-of-date teaching practices and recommend alternatives that are more supportive of the academic, behavioral, and social-emotional learning needs of children. These recommendations align with the five Whole Child tenets of ASCD. According to the tenets, students should be Healthy, Safe, Engaged, Supported, and Challenged. The focus of this article is on the outdated practices of using behavior charts and taking away recess as strategies for managing student behavior. Specifically, these practices will be analyzed in relation to the ASCD Whole Child Tenet #2: Safe, which states that “Each student learns in an environment that is physically and emotionally safe for students and adults.” When thinking of the concept of safety, many people first think of the physical aspects of an environment: Is the space free of dangerous materials? Are furnishings and materials designed for the needs of students who are in that room? Is there an evacuation plan, should the need arise? We cannot deny the immediate importance of these issues. But increasingly educators have focused on 14
disruptive, defiant, or even forgotten their homework! According to Massey et al. (2021), 77% of schools report removing recess as a behavior management strategy (p. 200). Yet the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and other national groups recommend that elementary children receive a minimum of 20 minutes of recess daily (Massey et al.). There are numerous benefits to physical activity in schools. Students often have “improved attention, working memory, and mood” after physical activity (Dendy, 2021). Research also shows that children develop social skills through unstructured play. Additionally, the emotional benefits are substantial (Massey et al.). When recess is taken away, the student, teacher, and classmates all suffer. Consider the impact on students who are fidgety, bouncing in their seats, disorganized with their materials, or overwhelmed by sensory stimuli. Without recess, these students’ struggles only increase as the day goes on. Physical activity is an outlet for them to organize their thoughts and bodies. It releases tension. It helps them participate in school more successfully. And yet, schools still choose to punish students by removing the opportunity to get their excess energy out.
the emotional safety of an environment. In Whole Child Tenet #2: Safe, ten factors are identified that make a school an emotionally safe environment for students. In this article we will address how the practices identified in Why Are We Still Doing That? relate to this tenet. The problems “Our students feel valued, respected and cared for and are motivated to learn.” In an ASCD article titled “Tear Down Your Behavior Chart,” Jung and Smith point out that teachers don’t generally enter this field to “show students who is boss”— they want to make a positive difference in the lives of children! Behavior charts do not communicate respect for students. Instead, they teach compliance; and students who are not compliant are publicly called out on the class’s behavior chart. Students who are repeatedly “put on red” internalize this idea that they are bad. This stigma is long lasting and risks not only school failure, but social and emotional difficulties. Other students will begin to see them as “bad” when they are repeatedly punished for non-compliance. As the authors state, “Behavior charts are a way to excuse ourselves from the hard work of meeting a student’s selfregulation and behavior needs.” Another common method of punishing a student for misbehavior is taking away recess, whether they have been
Our school staff, students, and family members establish and maintain school 15
Whole Child (cont.) and classroom behavior expectations, rules and routines that teach students how to manage their behavior and help students improve problem behavior. Generally, students do not learn to change or manage their behavior from a behavior chart or
Teaching the desired behavior is key to changing behavior! Rather than focusing on punitive strategies, teachers must learn to use supportive, preventative strategies that enable students to be their most successful selves in the
It cannot be stressed enough that any effort to change undesired behavior must simultaneously include teaching and reinforcing a more acceptable behavior. from having something taken away. And teachers who rely on these strategies don’t necessarily pair it with teaching more appropriate school behaviors. They inadvertently create a vicious cycle: a student behaves in a way the teacher considers inappropriate, the student is punished through shaming or removing a preferred activity, the child doesn’t know how else to behave so they continue to use their challenging behaviors. This cycle becomes more damaging to the student as the years go on.
classroom. The following sections describe research-supported strategies that do just that. Alternatives Challenging behavior should be addressed in a respectful, private manner whenever possible. The entire classroom does not need to know that a child is struggling. Some of the most concerning aspects of the use of behavior charts and missing recess are that they exclude and shame students, putting their emotional safety at risk. As such, these discipline policies help to create a school climate that has negative consequences for all students, not just those who are on the receiving ends of them. Research has repeatedly shown that not only are they not effective in actually changing student behavior for the better, but they may actually interfere with students’ normal healthy development (McNeill,
It cannot be stressed enough that any effort to change undesired behavior must simultaneously include teaching and reinforcing a more acceptable behavior. If students don’t know what else to do, they will continue doing what they’ve always done. Those who consistently end up “on red” or lose recess may not understand how to do what their teachers want them to do. 16
2016). Add to this the consistent evidence that these discipline policies are often administered in way that disproportionally impacts students of color, those living in poverty, and those with disabilities (McNeill, 2016), it is imperative that classroom teachers and administrators use alternative means to positively shape student behavior.
Reinforce and replace Not all behaviors are the results of a skill deficit. Sometimes undesirable behaviors are the result of a performance deficit that can be remedied through arranging reinforcement to occur when, and only when, the appropriate behavior occurs. Teachers can use antecedent strategies that prevent challenging behavior from occurring in the first place, and use strong reinforcers to encourage the use of new, more acceptable behaviors. Have the student earn rewards rather than take away preferred activities. The ability to earn extra computer time rather than take away recess could be both more motivational to the student and avoids the shame and missed physical activity that would accompany a missed recess punishment.
Teach new skills Student misbehavior is often the result of an unmet need or a skill deficit. Teachers and support staff can begin by asking themselves 1) if the student understands the behavioral expectations for the situation, 2) if they are capable of controlling the behavior, 3) if they have the skills necessary to perform the desired behaviors, and 4) if they understand when it is ok to engage in the behavior (like throwing an object) and when it is not. If the answer to these questions is “no”, the behavior might be a skill deficit that can be addressed by explicitly teaching the student the appropriate skills. Teachers can engage the student in identifying behaviors to reduce and new skills to learn, and include them in planning how to implement and monitor their changing behavior. These skills are often connected to behaviors that are then socially validated by their peers, making the changes all the more reinforcing.
Restorative practices “Restorative practices” refers to an approach to school discipline that focuses on mending the harm that was caused by inappropriate or dangerous behaviors. This mindset shifts the focus to asking “Who was harmed, and to what extent?” instead of “What laws/ rules were broken?”; “What needs that gave rise to the event?”, instead of “Who did it?”; and finally, “How can this harm be repaired, relationships restored, and future harm prevented?” instead of “What punishments does the perpetrator 17
Whole Child (cont.) that affect decision-making and selfregulation. This means that students who have experienced trauma are likely
deserve?” (Thompson, 2016; Amstutz & Mullet, 2005; Ortega, Lyubansky, Nettles, & Espelage, 2016). One way that teachers
Restorative practices help students feel physically and emotionally safe in school, even when they make mistakes... to have dysregulated emotions, poor concentration, difficulties staying on task, disruptive behaviors, and even show aggression towards other students or staff. Teachers and other staff members might unintentionally make these situations worse by escalating the situation through punishment instead of seeking to reduce harm. The exclusion and shame that accompany the use of behavior charts and missed recesses could certainly fall into this category, and are not considered trauma informed.
can bring this into their classrooms is through the use of circles. These circles provide a time and space for students and teachers to talk about conflicts and support each other. A 2020 article in The Educator’s Playbook notes that “even at their most basic, circles can be a check-in to set classroom norms and reinforce communal goals”, and that harm circles can help students to “understand actions, take accountability, and, when possible, begin to repair harm” (Garrett, McInnis, Rogers, Thompson, & Whitfield, p. 1). Restorative practices help students feel physically and emotionally safe in school, even when they make mistakes, and can teach them “valuable skills in building and repairing relationships with their classmates, teachers, family, and community” (McNeill, 2016, p. 174).
Discussion/conclusion As stated in the Whole Child Tenet: Safety, it is imperative that students have the opportunity to learn in environments that are physically and emotionally safe for them. Student and faculty safety is often at the heart of well-meaning discipline policies, but many of these policies miss the mark. While it may feel like punitive measures such as taking away recess and using behavior charts are effective strategies for managing student behavior, in actuality these strategies can
Be trauma-informed Being “trauma-informed” means understanding that the way students and staff in schools perceive their safety impacts their brains and bodies in ways 18
References
cause more harm than good. Teachers may feel they have maintained the power in their classroom, but they can cause immense harm to a child’s socialemotional wellbeing and even cause the child to display increasingly challenging behaviors. And what’s more, use of these policies leads to students missing valuable opportunities to learn new skills and foster positive relationships with peers and staff. There are many lessharmful alternatives available—strategies that minimize disruptive behavior while supporting the child as a person. Classroom management needs to shift to trauma informed, restorative practices that decrease the likelihood of challenging behavior while teaching new skills and reinforcing the use of those skills. These positive practices create environments that may require less behavior management in the future, because they are responsive to students’ needs.
Amstutz, L. S., & Mullet, J. H. (2005). The little book of restorative discipline for schools: Teaching responsibility; creating caring climates. Good Books. Dendy, C. Z. (2021). Why taking away recess is a counterproductive punishment. ADDitude Magazine. https://www.additudemag.com/ the-right-to-recess/ Garrett, J., McInnis, C., Rogers, D., Thompson, L., & Whitfield, L. (2020). Bringing restorative justice into your classroom. The Educator’s Playbook. University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education. https://www. gse.upenn.edu/news/educatorsplaybook/restorative-justice Jung, L. A., & Smith, D. (2018). Tear down your behavior chart! ASCD. https:// www.ascd.org/el/articles/teardown-your-behavior-chart McLoughlin, G. M., Massey, W. V., Lane, H. G., Calvert, H. G., Turner, L., & Hager, E. R. (2021). Recess as a practical strategy to implement the whole school, whole community, whole child model in schools. Health Education Journal, 80, 199-209. McNeill, K. F., Friedman, B. D., & Chavez, C. (2016). Keep them so you can teach 19
Dr. Jessica Zanton is an Assistant Professor of Special Education at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, Illinois. A former educator of students with moderate-severe disabilities, she is passionate about the use of evidence-based behavior supports, Universal Design for Learning, and inclusive out-of-school care for all students. Her email is jjzanton@eiu.edu
them: Alternatives to exclusionary discipline. International Public Health Journal, suppl. Special issue: Social work and health inequalities, 8(2), 169-181. Ortega, L., Lyubansky, M., Nettles, S., & Espelage, D. L. (2016). Outcomes of a restorative circles program in a high school setting. Psychology of Violence, 6(3), 459–468. doi:10.1037/ vio0000048
Dr. Louise M. Yoho is an Assistant Professor of in the School of Education at Southern Illinois University. Dr. Yoho has an M.S. in Special Education from California Baptist University and a PhD in Educational Studies from Claremont Graduate University. Her research, writing, and teaching focus on the policies and practices that impact diverse students, especially those in rural areas. Her email is louise.yoho@siu.edu
Song, S. Y. & Swearer, S. M. (2016). The cart before the horse: The challenge and promise of restorative justice consultation in schools. Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation, 26(4), 313-324. DOI: 10.1080/10474412.2016.1246972 Thompson, J. (2016). Eliminating zero tolerance policies in schools: Miami-Dade county public schools’ approach. Brigham Young University Education & Law Journal, (2), 325–349.
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Book Review Why Are We Still Doing That? by Pérsida & William Himmele
Review by Joe Mullikin
Click the cover to view on ASCD.
Take a moment to think about why you chose to become an educator. Was it because of an impactful teacher that you had as a student or was it the connection and passion that you had for a specific subject? For many, it may be the desire to see young people learn and grow both as students and as individuals. Now think about where you are at right now. Does your day-to-day instruction and practice align with the reason why you entered into education? Do you find yourself stuck in, what can become, a monotonous routine with unengaged or disconnected students? At some point in each of our careers, we’ve all been in this place and we reach a critical point where
we either make the decision to change or we stick with the seven most dangerous words in education; “that’s the way we’ve always done it”. As we begin to move beyond the previous two years of disjointed, abnormal, and reactive teaching and schooling, now becomes the best time for us to collectively review the practices and pedagogy within our classrooms, buildings, and districts. Persida and William Himmele’s book Why are we still doing that? Positive alternatives to problematic teaching practices provides a foundation for educators to do just that. Identifying problematic 21
Book Review (cont.) of each chapter, the authors provide multiple potential solutions, many with examples, templates, and gradespecific suggestions.
practices that still permeate the educational environment and providing alternative practices, this book is the perfect read for every educator, whether in the classroom or the office. Quite simply, if we want to provide the best opportunity for students to learn and grow to their full potential, we must ensure that the practices we’re using allow them to do so.
The book goes through six of the primary problematic practices which still permeate much of the educational system today: (1) Round Robin Reading, (2) Teaching to Learning Styles, (3) Homework as the Default, (4) Formative Assessment Imposters, (5) Standardized Test-Based Practices, and (6) Behavior Charts and Withholding Recess. Through each of these chapters, the Himmeles provide both the why and the next steps in order to allow teachers and educational leaders to make adjustments based upon the needs of their classroom and schools.
Throughout the book, the authors work to provide a foundation to not only change practices but change beliefs. Oftentimes we, as educators, are presented with books and articles that provide new strategies to old problems, new solutions to outdated practices, or new ideas for breaking the monotony, but fall short of changing the heart and belief of the reader. The Himmeles follow a consistent pattern throughout the book:
Ultimately the goal of engaging with any educational book is to gain knowledge that spurs changes in our adult behavior. In the opening of the book, Persida and William Himmele talk about their experiences speaking together, watching practices come and go, and the hard work of education. Simply put, teachers are and have been working incredibly hard, especially over the past two years. The question though is, while we continue to work hard, are we doing the right work hard? If we continue to engage in practices that are problematic for our students, it is unlikely that we will
• The Why - core to changing beliefs is an understanding of why a practice itself is problematic. Through this component, they talk in detail about why each practice is problematic for students, parents, teachers, and other stakeholders. • What Now? - while understanding why practices are problematic is important, what ultimately is of most importance are the potential alternative practices to implement instead. In this section 22
are easier, more comfortable and help to “soothe their ego” (Himmele & Himmele, 2021, p. 62).
continue to see the outcomes we want to see. When this happens, teacher efficacy declines, and ultimately school culture does as a result.
I cannot recommend this book strongly enough to every teacher and educational leader. At the time of writing this article, we are 717 days removed from the state
Many of the components of these practices we already know are problematic but become lost as we are
This book is an incredible foundation for School Improvement Teams, PLCs, Administrative teams, or Instructional Coaches to gain an understanding of how to move and support teachers through changing their pedagogy. of Illinois and schools being closed. Since March 13th, 2020, education has been transformed in a multitude of ways and teachers have transformed their practice over and over again. We are now approaching an educational environment that is seeming more and more normal, but we must not simply fall back into our old practices, especially those that were ineffective and problematic. This book is an incredible foundation for School Improvement Teams, PLCs, Administrative teams, or Instructional Coaches to gain an understanding of how to move and support teachers through changing their pedagogy. It is an incredible book for any teacher who worries that what they are doing is not best for their students or any teacher
unable to see the forest through the trees. In Chapter 4, the authors talk about formative assessment imposters. Imposters # 2 and # 3 are in direct conflict with what is well known to be best practice (p. 60). Imposter #2, “does everybody understand?” and Imposter #3, “the traditional Q&A” both are characterized by asking for universal understanding and providing universal and generalized feedback. As we look at what is characterized as best practices, we know that both of those components are in direct conflict with what has been articulated both by Charlotte Danielson (2007) and Robert Marzano (2003). Even when components of our practices are problematic, many educators continue to utilize and implement them because they 23
Book Review (cont.) Joe Mullikin is the principal at Highland Elementary in Meridian CUSD 223. He also serves as the Director of Data & Assessment, the Director of Continuous Improvement, and the Title and IDEA Fund Coordinator. He previously taught HS Science and continues to teach both science and leadership courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels. He holds Masters Degrees in Secondary Education and Educational Leadership. Joe is currently finishing his Ed.Doc. through Western Illinois University, completing his dissertation on the impact of COVID-19 on school culture. In addition, Joe serves as the Equity and Diversity Chair for the IPA Northwest Region Board and as a publications co-chair for ILASCD.
who simply wants to ensure they are doing what is best for kids. In the end, all of what we do is to support students to learn and grow to their fullest potential. When we sit back and think about why we got into education in the first place, was it to be comfortable and do what we’ve always done, or was it to support and push students in the best way possible? Simply put, if we want to do what is best for our students, we must ensure that our practices are in alignment with what is best for them. This book is an invaluable resource for educators at every level of education and every role. If not us then who, if not now then when. We have the perfect opportunity to make growth in every moment, let’s choose this one.
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Resource Corner LEARNING RECOVERY: THE RESEARCH ON TUTORING, EXTENDED SCHOOL YEAR, AND OTHER STRATEGIES The evidence points most strongly to the value of high-dosage tutoring, but other approaches also have merit. READ MORE...
6 SMALL INSTRUCTIONAL CHANGES TEACHERS CAN MAKE FOR BIG RESULTS What is a “small teaching move” that you think is not as common as it should be? A “small teaching move” in this context is an action that would require very little prep, can easily be made into a routine or habit, and is likely to result in increased student engagement and learning. READ MORE...
REIMAGINING EDUCATION IN A POST-PANDEMIC WORLD “We need a new normal,” Linda Darling-Hammond, the Charles E. Ducommun professor of education emeritus at Stanford, told a panel during NCSL Base Camp 2021. And this is a good time to redesign the century-old approach to education in this country, she added. READ MORE... 25
Resource Corner (cont.)
Fixing What’s Broken in Education WATCH
REINVENTING EDUCATION POST-PANDEMIC Reich presented three potential trajectories for post-pandemic education: a return to the status quo, a focus on remediating learning loss, or an organized effort to reinvent education to be more humane. READ MORE...
SCHOOL SUSPENSIONS DO MORE HARM THAN GOOD New study finds more severe suspensions have greater negative effects on learning outcomes, attendance, and future behavior; educators have better solutions. READ MORE... 26
HOW NOVICE AND EXPERT TEACHERS APPROACH CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT DIFFERENTLY A 2021 study reveals the ways in which new and experienced teachers think about discipline—plus 6 takeaways for managing your classroom effectively this year. READ MORE...
3 NEW TEACHING STRATEGIES FOR THE RETURN TO CLASSROOMS Many educators have already shared how their teaching has fundamentally changed for the better during the pandemic. Adapting to remote and hybrid teaching and learning has inspired teachers to focus on what is most important as well as what is possible. READ MORE...
LET’S STOP MAKING “GROWTH MINDSET” A BUZZWORD We teachers have been riding the word-of-the-year roller coaster for a while now, and we barely feel the thrill, even as these words are printed all over coffee mugs and bumper stickers. Remember “rigor” and “resilience”? Remember “grit”? READ MORE... 27
Article Incentivized Rewards For All: Why Are We Still Doing That?
David Hutchison When my grandson was in second grade the teacher, as is typical, spent time over the first few days working to establish classroom norms for the year. But she did not begin by tacking a list of rules to the wall. Instead, she asked her students what they thought the rules should be. What they came up with was pretty much what you would expect: no running in class. no pushing, take turns. With a little guidance, these 8-year-olds came up with pretty much the same rules as the teacher would have. As a result, there would be no ‘stars’ for good behavior, no names on the wall chart (good or bad); instead, there would be the pride of ownership. This is our class: our rules. By the way, this seems to me to be a pretty good definition of a democratic society: citizens working together to establish the rules and norms that will govern their interactions. We’ll come back to that. But tragically (from my perspective, anyway) there was no follow through in 3rd or 4th grade. Fast forward to 5th grade—a pandemic year, with all those masking protocols. The teacher, of course, set the rules, and the students, by 28
tune the whole thing out! In fact, they were rather proud to share this insight with visiting school board members!
and large, obediently followed them—until they were out-of-sight of the teacher. Then, all bets were off. Every man or woman for him or herself! (My grandson described it as chaotic.) Why? Because the goal wasn’t to act in a way that helped to create a positive classroom environment for everyone; the goal was to “not get caught.”
The kids are clearly on to us. So, one might ask, “why are we still doing this?” The short answer is that we are creatures of habit; change is hard. But the longer answer is that significant change requires rethinking our assumptions across numerous interwoven systems.
The truth is that students see through our adult schemes fairly quickly. In
...the longer answer is that significant change requires rethinking our assumptions across numerous interwoven systems. our middle school, our administrators attempt to mitigate the optics of having the ‘good’ kids get all the good behavior stickers, and watching as the ‘not-asgood’ kids quickly tune out. (It should be noted that many of our ‘good’ kids aren’t so thrilled about being singled out for this recognition.) So the administrators developed a process in which these extrinsic awards would be evenly distributed to every student over the course of the year. (Which kind of misses the point, but nonetheless…)
The skills for developing an emotionally and psychologically safe classroom community is typically not part of the training for new teachers. Few school administrators have much experience with developing a positive ‘school climate’ at the system level. And our current accountability systems are typically based on punishing teachers and administrators for low standardized test scores, rather than focusing on helping our students develop the set of skills needed in the 21st-century.
The result? The students quickly came to understand that once they got their ‘sticker’ (pizza coupon?) they were done for the year, and they were now free to
So we fall back on what we know—and we have a long history in education of relying on extrinsic motivators to get our students to do what we think they 29
Incentivized Rewards (cont.)
The realization that you have the power to make a difference in the world is a far greater reward than any pizza coupon. One problem with extrinsic reward systems is that they often appear to work in the short term. Even the most enlightened of parents will resort to the occasional bribe to get out of a tight spot, and there is a time and place for “because I said so!” But this is not a long-term strategy. In the long run, it is a waste of time and resources we cannot afford.
should be doing. (Beginning with grades— but that’s a subject for another day.) We should consider whether rewarding a student for ‘doing the right thing’ actually diminishes the sense of value they receive from doing the right thing. The realization that you have the power to make a difference in the world is a far greater reward than any pizza coupon.
As every educator knows, public education has long operated under a ‘rank-and-sort’ model. But it’s worth considering that this model used to work, more or less. Notwithstanding the inequities inherent in the sorting process, our economy needed only so many “leaders.” As for everyone else, if you could read, write, and follow instructions, you had a pretty good chance for a middle-class job and a house with a picket fence.
One thing that’s changed over the last couple of decades is the accumulation of research on how our brain works. The results are in: intrinsic motivation is far more powerful than extrinsic: the effects last longer, and this is especially true for activities involving the frontal cortex. We can no longer be of two minds on this. :) It’s relevant to understand incentivized reward programs were initially developed for particular special education students—students who can benefit from having very clear, explicit expectations. In other words, incentivized rewards are now being broadly used in ways that were never intended, and that the research does not support.
But that was a long time ago. Students today need to develop the ability to think critically, to communicate clearly, to listen for understanding and without judgment, to work with others to solve real problems, and to be creative. Why? Because in the world they will soon be entering, anything that doesn’t require 30
understand that they have an essential role to play in the broader school environment, and beyond.
collaboration and human creativity will be done by robots and artificial intelligence. You cannot reward your way to critical thinking or creativity.
According to the National School Climate Center, (2007; 2012) the goal of school climate efforts is to “support students, parents, school personnel and community members learning and working together in a democratically informed manner to foster safe, supportive, engaging and flourishing schools that support school—and life—success.” The goal of incentivized behavioral programs, however, is narrower: to “prevent the development of problem behaviors.”
Furthermore—and finally—these are precisely the skills that our students will need if they are to become active, engaged, and effective citizens. (Which, by the way, was the original argument for public education. Ask Ben Franklin!) I believe this is a large part of what’s missing in our current political environment. The sense that “my opinion doesn’t matter” has caused many Americans to disconnect from politics. Nobody likes to be told what to do, but people tend to be a lot more accepting of decisions if they feel that they have had a say in their creation.
So why are we still doing that? We could do so much better.
So, if over the course of their educational career, students begin to develop the sense that they can work with people they might disagree with, including school personnel and community members, to solve real problems, that feeling of competence will be powerful and likely to last. When students have a say on behavioral expectations, beginning in elementary school, when they are older they will
David Hutchinson was an 18-year member of the State College (PA) schoolboard; the 2019 president of the Pennsylvania School Board Association (PSBA), a member of the National School Climate Council, and is currently host of the Discomfort Zone, on TheLion.FM, at 9 am Thursdays.
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Article Changing Times Call for Changing Practice
Carie Walter
Introduction For decades in public school education, improving academic performance in the core competencies has been the main driving force for school districts across the country. Year after year, we spend countless hours developing strategic plans and setting academic goals that net the same results, so why are we still doing that? Now more than ever, we need to prioritize mental health as we know students are not able to access curriculum if they are in a constant state of distress. Likewise, staff are experiencing more stress than ever before with increasing demands and maneuvering a greater number of students with social and emotional needs that they feel ill equipped to handle. Have you ever considered implementing Social Emotional Learning with your staff to support the formulation of a solid school culture? Building a strong school culture through Social Emotional Learning starts with the staff in the building, and not just the teachers. The following will outline simple, easy to implement approaches around the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) Framework covering relationship skills, self-awareness, social awareness, and self-management, beginning with the first day staff meeting to monthly activities that will not only bring staff together, but also transform staff attitudes and perspectives as they go back to their 33
Changing Practice (cont.) staff with locations in the building, follow prompts or clues like “this is where you would go to pick up important messages
classrooms and offices (What is the Casel Framework? CASEL, 2021). As a result, you will learn how to seamlessly
The first day should encompass the heart of what makes a school function: building collaborative relationships. transition the approaches to student Social Emotional Learning without the need for endless professional development which is difficult for teachers to find time to attend and leads to additional stress on the school culture. Building Collaborative Relationships It all starts on day one. Do you sit through hours of meetings listening to someone speak to you or are you the one who is speaking to the group? Consider what it is that you want to convey on the first day. Is it all the policies and procedures that could be read in an email or delivered in another format? The first day should encompass the heart of what makes a school function: building collaborative relationships.
left for you,” or “in this room you would be able to find your creative side.” The first clue location is the staff mailboxes. Have notecards for the team to leave positive messages for five staff members as they start the school year. The second clue location would take teams to the art room. Here, the team will collaborate in creating a banner that will represent them as a team and will be hung in the hallways for the school community to see. Now just think how this could apply to students in the classroom. What student would not enjoy a scavenger hunt to discover the classroom rules and procedures instead of reading them from a slide? The possibilities are endless. Be creative and think outside the box!
Start by putting your staff in teams and turning your first day meeting into a scavenger hunt. You can incorporate any of the typical first day items into your hunt and attach tasks to each location that promotes teamwork and collaboration. For example, to familiarize
Creating Self-Awareness by Identifying Your Emotions Understanding who you are as an individual and being able to identify your own emotions is a critical component in school culture; but more importantly being able to share your emotions 34
within the culture will lead to a greater sense of acceptance and belonging. An activity to consider would be to start a faculty meeting or class with each participant searching for a meme that represents the emotion he is feeling at that moment and post to a Google Slide that is projected for all to see. As the leader or teacher, validate what you observe through the memes. The more you do this and validate, start asking if anyone would like to share which meme is theirs and if they would care to expand. This is where the magic begins and the culture starts to grow and develop. When acknowledgement is given to others about how they are feeling, comfort levels thrive, barriers break down, and what is learned from a simple meme can be used to support staff and students throughout the day. You can offer to sub in a classroom for a teacher who is feeling overwhelmed or write a personal note to a student who is feeling sad because he had an argument with his friend. Simple activities like these will continue to strengthen the culture.
sense of connectedness can all start with a ball of string and a prompt to build a spider web. Have your group stand in a circle and proceed to toss the ball of string to another person in the circle. The receiving person responds to the prompt and tosses the ball to another person. Once the web is built, discuss how the connections we make as a group helps build a system of support. Now pull on a section or cut one of the strings and have a conversation about how one person’s actions can affect many in the group even if they are not directly connected (Icebreakers-creative youth ideas, n.d.). The prompt to this activity can be personalized to your population and the discussion can go deeper into building social awareness within the group. Examples include, “name a unique quality about yourself,” “tell us of a strength you have that could help others in the group,” or ask how a particular event made them feel. These examples can expand to discussions around diversity, school and community support, and validating others’ feelings.
Expanding Social Awareness Developing connectedness among the faculty and students through the ability to understand others’ perspectives and having compassion and concern for others feelings is key in expanding social awareness (What is the Casel Framework? CASEL, 2021). Fostering a
Strengthening Self-Management by Building Emotional Resilience Self-management begins with identifying causes of stress. Often, stress can manifest from the “baggage” we carry around and keep bottled up inside. “The Baggage Activity” created by middle school teacher Karen Loewe, asked 35
Changing Practice (cont.) current planning practices that net the same results and disrupt by placing a focus on Social Emotional Learning. Remember building a solid school culture does not happen overnight; start small, be mindful, and do not give up. I started with my staff doing an activity once a month that they in turn did with
students to write down on a piece of paper their baggage after a discussion on what it meant to have baggage. After crumpling all the “baggage” into paper balls, students then threw the paper across the room to be picked up by another student to read (Wunderlich Loewe, 2019).
Providing an anonymous forum for people to share their stress and face their worries and fears is the first step in building emotional resilience. their students once a month. Within a few months, the ripple effect began to happen and staff started building activities for other staff members and student groups for students. This included the service team delivering java and juice on a cart to all the staff and the students organizing a week to write kindness cards and paint kindness rocks. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to receive positive staff feedback, like “It was nice getting to hear from people and helps getting to know other staff,” “It made me feel included,” “I feel I could use some of these elements,” and “I hope the students like this as much as I did,” or student feedback, like “I really enjoyed the SEL activity today and I look forward to the next activity,” “I’m stressed a lot because my parents divorced so this helped,” “I definitely did feel way more
As I completed this activity with my staff on the first day of school, things like loss of housing, a recent breakup, and not feeling like they belonged were just a few of the items that were shared. Providing an anonymous forum for people to share their stress and face their worries and fears is the first step in building emotional resilience. The activity also helped participants develop a sense of empathy as they discovered the traumatic events impacting others. Let them know it is okay and as a collective group you are here to support. Your support can be in the form of working with them or providing time to establish personal goals, promoting follow through with a specific action plan, and celebrating successes. Conclusion Make this your last year for repeating 36
What is the Casel Framework? CASEL. (2021, October 11). Retrieved February 15, 2022, from https://casel. org/fundamentals-of-sel/what-isthe-casel-framework/#interactivecasel-wheel
better walking out with an even better positive attitude,” and “I would love to have these more often than once a month since I feel like it’s good for not only me but a ton of other people?” With consistent and meaningful interaction through any combination of activities connected to the CASEL Framework, you will begin to experience the ripple effect through your building. It only takes a few individuals to start the change. Why wait any longer, start planning your Social Emotional Learning journey today and you too will see the results a positive school culture can have on instruction and student learning.
Wunderlich Loewe, K. (2019, August 23). Home [Facebook page]. Retrieved August 5, 2021, from https:// www.facebook.com/502559948/ posts/10151312837249949/?d=n Carie Walter is a Principal at Central Middle School and has been an active administrator at the elementary and middle school levels over the past twenty years. She started her career as a middle school math and science teacher of 7th and 8th grade students. During her tenure, she completed a Master’s in Educational Administration from Northern Illinois University and has since added an endorsement in English Language Learning.
References Icebreakers – creative youth ideas. (n.d.). Retrieved February 16, 2022, from https://www. creativeyouthideas.com/resources/ category/icebreakers/feed/
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Article Injecting New Life into New Teacher Induction Programs for Increased Satisfaction, Retention, and Effectiveness Dr. Bobb Darnell
Richard Lange
Education has not been immune to the negative effects of the pandemic. Why are we still doing new teacher mentoring the same way that we’ve done for the past number of years? Challenges in recruiting, hiring, supporting, and retaining teachers, paraprofessionals, and other school personnel have caused serious shortages. Schools have had to be canceled, settle for non-qualified teachers, and pivot to virtual learning and services. It’s no wonder that millions of teachers, students, and parents have had to meet the challenges of a rapidly changing work and learning environment. Schools have gone from face-to-face instruction to virtual instructional delivery to hybrid models, and now mask-to-mask instruction back in the classroom. Each delivery system has its challenges. One thing is for sure, there are growing gaps in student achievement and there is a great need for new teachers. School leaders and teachers are much more aware that bringing the newest teachers into our education communities who are 21 years of age, fresh out of college, and have no teaching experience, is no longer 38
to feelings of being overwhelmed. The lack of differentiation for induction and support can also be a significant drain on time, human resources, and money. Figure 1 Types of New Teachers 1. ____First year out of college 2. ____2 or more years experience from other schools/district/state 3. ____Have been out of the teaching profession for 5 or more years 4. ____Changing from educational setting (e.g., private, public, charter, university, state, country)
5. 6. 7. 8. 9.
____Changed content area ____Changed grade level ____Moved from administrator to teacher ____Career changes from industry, military, business, etc. to education ____Teachers starting mid-year
days of activities that were delivered the norm. It appears that sometimes only Differentiated support features must not only consider theofrange of orientation before the start school. Those a small percentage of new teachers that traditional programs provided a join a school fall into this stereotypical induction activities; it must also be sensitive to the need for varied on-going support for deluge of information about school/ category. Many “new teachers” that are districtthe policies, procedures, curriculum hired a givenFor school/district may how to address new for teachers. example, consider needs of a teacher with over ten guides, and methods of accessing already have as much as ten years of employee benefits, school resources, and experience and haveintaught years of experience publicin orother private school systems. How does the school address the services. And that was it, nothing more. schools with a diversity of learners. Figure of thisthe teacher whoof may feel that any form of mentoring mayresist not be needed and Schools must now a “one size fits 1 needs illustrates diversity teachers all” approach to new teacher induction that may be new to a school. Induction that only some induction activities are necessary? think of how the design andOr, support. Presented in this of article programs are necessary to get teachers are valuable tools to approach new ready for a new learning environment and induction activities and ongoing support may be different for teachers who just graduated teacher induction. Those planning these provide the support they need to help programs can moreand effectively identify students learn.and The of finding, from college arechallenge in their first teaching position. The induction support must be the types of new teachers, determine inducting, and supporting highly qualified andall new and teachers never more complex. varied tohas meet theirbeen professional needs and not school treat them theteacher same as needs, in the past. match those needs to orientation Schools musta face thedo challenges What does school to addressofthe needs of aactivities teacher who to asupport school midyear and comes ongoing services. differentiating, prioritizing, and scheduling New teacher induction and support new ongoing andteacher or needsorientation of teachersand coming from private industry, business, or the military? Each programs can be effective if schools support activities. Historically, many “new differentiate their activities and support teacher” induction program activities !4 based upon various types of professional may have only included one to three 39
New Teacher Induction Programs (cont.) experiences and career settings. An examination of the types of new teachers in Figure 1 illustrates that new teachers can differ with regard to years of
teacher with over ten years of experience in public or private school systems. How does the school address the needs of this teacher who may feel that any form
Failure to vary the activities and support based on teacher characteristics can result in a range from boredom to feelings of being overwhelmed. teaching experience, educational setting, previous career settings, educational content area, grade level, and previous role. Several background factors must be addressed when deciding how to meet the professional development needs of these newest school members. The school must now vary the type of learning needed, the depth of training, the length of induction activities and topics, and even vary the specific context for learning. Failure to vary the activities and support based on teacher characteristics can result in a range from boredom to feelings of being overwhelmed. The lack of differentiation for induction and support can also be a significant drain on time, human resources, and money.
of mentoring may not be needed and that only some induction activities are necessary? Or, think of how the design of induction activities and ongoing support may be different for teachers who just graduated from college and are in their first teaching position. The induction and support must be varied to meet their professional needs and not treat them all the same as in the past. What does a school do to address the needs of a teacher who comes to a school midyear and or needs of teachers coming from private industry, business, or the military? Each new teacher requires a type of individualized new teacher plan that results from analyzing the characteristics of the new teachers, determining required induction content, and examining the professional support that is specific to teachers’ professional needs.
Differentiated support features must not only consider the range of orientation induction activities; it must also be sensitive to the need for varied on-going support for new teachers. For example, consider how to address the needs of a
In addition to analyzing the characteristics of new teachers, the needs and requirements of the school must be considered. Figure 2 40
also provides optional induction topics that may be relevant for specific new teachers. Creating the right menu of topics for each teacher can be an efficient and effective way to meet individual teacher needs.
illustrates a sample of required school and optional topics that are needed to assure educator effectiveness. Those responsible for new teacher induction and support activities must be clear about the required topics such as policies and procedures, safety requirements, teacher evaluation system, and employee benefits and responsibilities. Figure 2
Differentiated induction and support programs must be matched to required
Figure 2 Types of Teacher and School Needs Required of All New Teachers
Options for Individual New Teachers
1. 2. 3.
1. Instructional practices 2. Assessment practices 3. Behavioral management and intervention practices 4. Data collection, analysis, and use 5. Working with PLC/teams 6. Use of technology for instruction 7. Preparing for and conducting open houses and parent-teacher conferences 8. Supervising co-curricular activities
4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13.
School/State policies and procedures Curriculum Special Ed law and ELL placement, policies, and practices School improvement process and goals District/school traditions and rituals Community demographics Student Information System Employee benefits Union information Safety (e.g., avoiding injuries, bloodborne pathogens, hazardous materials, Covid protocols) Sexual harassment policies, procedures, and respectful behavior Grading policies, procedures, and practices Teacher evaluation system components, processes, and procedures
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New Teacher Induction Programs (cont.) be sensitive to differences in teacher learning preferences and styles. It is important to vary the delivery systems of professional learning to address the ways adults can learn.
induction topics and to topics specific to the years of teaching experience, previous education and career settings, educational content area, grade level, and role. New teachers find value in professional learning that is sensitive to their readiness to learn relevant strategies and ideas and to induction and support that is aligned to their interests.
Figure 3 provides a range of delivery techniques that can support professional development. Professional literature recognizes the importance of different multi-modal (e.g., visual, auditory, kinesthetic, tactile, social-emotional) ways that match learning preferences and styles for students. These modes of learning are just as important for adults. Figure 3 also represents an organizing scheme for selecting induction activities.
Just analyzing new teacher characteristics and school and individual needs will not be enough to make new teacher induction and support programs more relevant and effective. Designers of school/district induction and support programs must
Figure 3 Forms of Support for Teachers 1. 2. 3.
____Peer observation and coaching ____Curriculum mentoring ____Instructional mentoring/ coaching 4. ____Small and large group presentations 5. ____PLC/team meetings 6. ____Content/job-alike meeting 7. ____Independent technology-assisted instruction 8. ____Observing peers teach 9. ____Co-teaching 10. ____Using data from instructional walkthroughs 11. ____Journaling
12. ____Teacher evaluation process 13. ____Data analysis of student work and setting improvement goals 14. ____Recording instruction and reflection 15. ____Taking graduate courses 16. ____Using professional networking 17. ____Joining professional organizations 18. ____Attending conferences and professional workshops 19. ____Study groups
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Regardless of the delivery systems selected to provide new teacher induction and
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.
Figure 4 Resource People Involved in the Induction and Support Program
School Principal/Assistant Principals Dean/Administrator responsible for behavior/discipline Administrator responsible for curriculum and assessment Teachers (e.g., content area, grade alike) Counselor Special education teacher or coordinator ELL teacher or coordinator
8. 9.
10. 11. 12. 13.
Technology director or media specialist Support staff (e.g., clerical, paraprofessionals, aides) Instructional coach Union representative Mentors Second- and third-year teachers within the school
observers, and instructional coaches. Induction and support activities can It is challenging for schools/districts to bring in new teachers and hope that These practices have the capacity to provide content in larger groups (e.g., however coaches and presentations, video broadcasts), they select teachers who will effectively meetdifferentiate, the learning needs of students, gain mentors require training to effectively however large group activities in the parental workoverload collaboratively with colleagues. can be both support the newItteachers. past oftensupport, result in and content
and boredom. Individual activities challenging and exciting for new teachers to Regardless become included a positive school of the in delivery systems (e.g., computer-assisted instruction, selected to provide new teacher induction reading, in teacher webinars) can culture.participation Effective new induction andand support programs canit facilitate the to support activities, is important be used efficiently and effectively. recognize the most well-suited staff to accomplishment of these goals accurately identifying the types of new teachers, New teachers can be required toby watch provide the various forms of professional videos or engage in interactive computer development activities andtosupport. determiningtoschool and new teacher needs, and matching those needs a wide applications gain knowledge of safety Figure 4 provides a list of possible procedures, evaluation systems, or range of professional development delivery systems. Effective newprovide teacherorientation stakeholders who can other topics. Professional development activities and support services. delivery systems can also include the and support activities can facilitate a programs that differentiate induction use of small groups such as lesson study It is challenging for schools/districts commitment to ongoing professional learning retain teachers if they groups, PLC’s, or group troubleshooting. toand bring in new teachers andresist hopethe Still, other methods of learning include that they select teachers who will “one sizesuch fits all” approach toorteacher and support.meet the learning needs of partners as mentoring peer inductioneffectively 43
New Teacher Induction Programs (cont.) Dr. Bobb Darnell is a teacher for over 25 years, a professional developer, author, international speaker, and he consults for schools, professional organizations, and national task forces. He has served on the Boards of the Illinois Everyone Reads, Learning Forward, and Illinois Staff Development Council.
students, gain parental support, and work collaboratively with colleagues. It can be both challenging and exciting for new teachers to become included in a positive school culture. Effective new teacher induction and support programs can facilitate the accomplishment of these goals by accurately identifying the types of new teachers, determining school and new teacher needs, and matching those needs to a wide range of professional development delivery systems. Effective new teacher programs that differentiate induction and support activities can facilitate a commitment to ongoing professional learning and retain teachers if they resist the “one size fits all” approach to teacher induction and support.
Richard Lange is an adjunct faculty member for National Louis University and supervises student teachers in the Chicago area. He is an active board member of Illinois ASCD as he chairs the Advocacy and Influence Committee. Richard is a regular presenter on education issues for US and international organizations. He is the co-author of the book, Life Saver for New Teachers, (2011) and has helped schools design mentoring and new teacher induction programs.
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IL ASCD Area Representatives In 2014 when IL ASCD reorganized our leadership team, the role of Area Representative was created. Our “Area Reps” as we call them are a link to and from the various regions of our state. IL ASCD follows the same areas established by the Regional Offices of Education. Our Area Reps are led by two members of our IL ASCD Board of Directors, Denise Makowski and Andrew Lobdell. Scott and Andrew are the Co-Leaders of our Membership and Partnerships Focus Area.
Denise Makowski Chicago 773.535.7252 dmakowski@cps.edu
Andrew Lobdell
Principal of the Junior High School in the Lena - Winslow School District # 202 815.369.3116 lobdella@le-win.net
Current Area Reps AREA 1: (Green)
AREA AREA AREA AREA AREA
2: 3: 4: 5: 6:
Chicago North Cook South Cook (Dark Blue) (Yellow) (Pink) (Light Blue) (Gold)
April Jordan Jennie Winters Josh Barron Chad Dougherty Heather Bowman Kelly Glennon Annette Hartlieb Clarence Gross
Contact information for them can be found HERE.
The roles of the IL ASCD Area Representatives are: •
Encouraging IL ASCD membership to educators in their local areas;
•
Assisting with professional development;
•
Attend board meetings and the annual leadership retreat, when possible;
•
Disseminating information from IL ASCD board meetings or other sanctioned IL ASCD activities to local school districts or other regional members
•
Being a two-way communication vehicle between the local IL ASCD members regarding IL ASCD or any educational issues.
•
Keeping IL ASCD Board of Directors apprised of pertinent information regarding personnel issues (e.g., job vacancies, job promotions) and district program awards/recognition within the local area.
•
Communicating regularly with IL ASCD Executive Director and the Co-Leaders of the Membership and Partnerships Focus Area.
Article Why Are We Still Treating Teachers Like Robots?
Emily Gasca
When Luke walked into my classroom back in September, he refused to do any work and barely spoke, only pointing and uttering a few words when he wanted someone’s attention. He relied on others to do everything for him, and early on he refused to walk in line unless someone held his hand. Luke was very capable, but he was accustomed to being held. So when it was time to line up, I reminded him of how brave and independent he was. Before long, other students picked up on what I was saying to Luke and started chanting together: “You can do hard things! You can do hard things!” I saw a big smile spread beneath Luke’s mask, his eyes lit up, and he walked off in line with his friends.
It’s beautiful to see how affirmations have built a community of learners who know how to lead and speak life into each other. Nothing in my fifteen years as an educator prepared me for what this year would bring both in and out of the classroom. In my Kindergarten classroom I was faced with language barriers, students’ inability to express basic needs, a lack of socio-emotional support and academic vocabulary, and a skill set ranging from two-year olds to 46
I am brave.
first grade. On top of that I took on a new leadership role as a Change Agent with Teach Plus, working to align literacy and oral language development in our Bilingual program.
I am strong. I am bold. I am love.
If I could sum up the hardest yet greatest lesson this school year has taught me, it’s this: what worked before will never work again. As our students process two years of uncertainty, anxiety, and trauma, we must be very intentional about the words we speak and consistent in affirming our students and each other. This school year, I shifted from teaching in English to teaching a dual language class in Spanish, and as I am forced to think more intentionally about the language I use I’ve also been more thoughtful about the impact of affirming words on myself, my students and my colleagues.
I am peace. I am patient. I am unique. I am joy. It doesn’t stop there; throughout the day as students face challenges or emotions we cheer each other on, as we did for Luke. It’s beautiful to see how affirmations have built a community of learners who know how to lead and speak life into each other. As teachers, our goal should always be to help students feel empowered and independent, and words of affirmation allow them to see and feel their power.
I began to be more intentional about using affirmations in the classroom after I attended a conference where I reflected on the language I use in the classroom—and the atmosphere it creates. Many of the children we serve have experienced some form of trauma, and I saw how using affirmational language could inspire, motivate and equip students with the tools to be successful. Every morning my students and I say our words of affirmation from a list students helped create:
Students aren’t the only ones who’ve faced trauma and anxiety. This year I’ve seen educators have mental breakdowns and walk away from the profession as the fire that once burned so brightly inside them diminished in the face of seemingly endless challenges. In response, I’ve also brought affirmation to my work as a teacher leader to build connections and trust within the team I lead. 47
Robots? (cont.) As we began our work, I started the first few meetings with empathy and affirmation circles. In small groups, each teacher had the opportunity to share the worries and anxieties on their mind as the rest of us listened. Once they were done sharing, the group responded not with solutions or agreement but with affirmation and validation of the speaker. For instance, one teacher shared that she was trying to balance being a mom, educator, and wife, and struggling to pour into others in each role. What was shared as a worry quickly shifted to affirmation as the group reflected back how these concerns showed how proactive, caring, and loving she was. I could see the physical change in her posture and the brightening of her expression as she was reminded of her strengths and her spirit was uplifted.
pick up where we left off, and the team is more committed than ever to making the changes needed to serve our students. Teacher needs are at their highest peak— not just professionally, but personally. It really surprised me to know that a lot of what was on our minds had nothing to do with our classrooms, but more so our families and personal lives. Teachers aren’t robots. To bring our best selves as educators we need to be seen, heard, and poured into. We need to be encouraged, to feel safe and loved. As a teacher and teacher leader, I’ve seen colleagues and students rise to meet new challenges over and over again after being reminded of their strengths. Now more than ever, our words shape our world, and school leaders everywhere need to be intentional about using words of affirmation. It won’t be easy to put aside the external pressures that call us to focus on the negative, but just like we told Luke, “You can do hard things!”
Through affirmation, our team created a safe environment where everyone could be vulnerable, and over time a group of worried, busy, anxious team members became a trusting team that supported each other in the midst of our challenges. We poured into each other and would leave meetings feeling heard, valued, seen, and loved. This laid the strong foundation needed to persist in our work despite the challenges of this unique year. We’ve faced plenty of obstacles, from unprecedented student needs to pandemic interruptions, but we always
Emily Gasca is a dual language early childhood educator in the city of Chicago. Emily teaches Kindergarten at Sadlowski Elementary on the east side of Chicago and is a change agent through a partnership with Teach Plus Illinois. 48
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Article Why are We Still Doing That? Using Standardized Test Data for Monitoring Student Growth in Teacher Evaluation Jennie Winters, Ph.D. Since the enactment of the Performance Evaluation Reform Act of 2010 (PERA), school districts in Illinois have been challenged by the inclusion of student growth data in their teacher evaluation systems. PERA required districts to evaluate teachers using both professional practice and student growth measures, but Milanowski et al (2015) found that student growth has been the greater challenge of the two components, noting assessment literacy, development of assessments, infrastructure, and data warehouse development as problematic elements. Part of the difficulty centers around the dual purposes of teacher evaluation: 1) supporting continuous improvement (formative) and 2) rating for employment decisions (summative). Multiple researchers have found that districts struggle to balance these two objectives (Gilles, 2007; Lillejord et al., 2019; Papay, 2012). Although both purposes have been found to influence teaching practices, Malunda et al. (2016) found that formative evaluation led to increases in the quality of teaching practice. Pennington and Mead (2016) recommended 50
improvement in schools. Garet et al. (2017) found that monitoring student growth using standardized tests made no impact on teachers’ interest in improving
that student achievement data remain an element of teacher evaluation, but that data should be used with a focus on continuous improvement.
Most importantly, test-based student growth is not fostering continuous improvement in schools. Districts have incorporated student growth measures using either statistical or goal-based approaches. Statistical models, such as value-added models (VAM), student growth percentiles (SGP), or simple growth. VAM and SGP require complex calculations and assume some facts that are not accurate. For example, statistical models are only valid if students are randomly assigned to classrooms, yet most classes are not developed randomly (Everson, 2017; Geiger & Amrein-Beardsley, 2017; Lash et al., 2016). Shneyderman and Froman (2015) found that statistical models are “regrettably inadequate when it comes to measuring teacher effectiveness or even its narrower facet of teacher effect on student assessment results” (p. 9). Haertel (2013) recommended that statistical measures like VAM should not be used because “the scores may be systematically biased for some teachers and against others” (p. 23).
practices and Amrein-Beardsley and Holloway (2019) found no evidence that test-based, student growth data improves teacher practice, nor does it improve student achievement. Why aren’t student growth models based on standardized tests supporting teacher and student growth? Standardized tests are primarily developed for their comparative nature. In other words, they provide information about how well students compare to each other. In order to make such comparisons, they test a wide array of objectives. Such assessments do not provide descriptive information with the appropriate level of specificity or “grain size” for guiding instructional planning decisions. If they did, the amount of information provided to the teacher would be overwhelming. Then, what about the alternative to standardized testing? Goal-based models utilize student learning objectives (SLO), also referred to as student learning outcomes, student
Most importantly, test-based student growth is not fostering continuous 51
Teacher Evaluation (cont.)
...a goal-based system requires time to develop and the educators in the system require sufficient assessment literacy to develop it. growth goals, measures of student learning, analysis of student work, and student learning targets. Researchers have noted numerous benefits of goalbased models:
• Support teachers in assessment development (Joyce et al., 2016; Lachlan-Hache, 2015; Winters, 2021) • Support instructional improvement (Marion, 2015; Slotnik et al., 2014; Slotnik et al., 2015)
• Promote collaborative discourse among teachers and administrators (Plecki et al., 2016; Reform Support Network, 2014; Slotnik et al., 2015; Winters, 2021)
• Promote alignment among standards, curricula, assessment, and instruction (Reform Support Network, 2014; Winters, 2021)
• Promote data-driven instruction (Lachlan-Hache, 2015; McCullough et al., 2015; Slotnik et al., 2014; Slotnik et al., 2015; Winters, 2021)
• Support monitoring students with disabilities using goals and targets aligned with both classroom objectives and IEP goals (Joyce et al., 2016; Kearns et al., 2015)
• Promote reflective practice in assessment and instruction (Crouse et al., 2016; Plecki et al., 2016; Slotnik et al., 2015; Winters, 2021)
So why are we still using statistical models based upon standardized testing? Because developing a goalbased system requires time to develop and the educators in the system require sufficient assessment literacy to develop it. According to W. James Popham, assessment literacy refers to the understanding one has about the fundamental procedures and concepts of assessment that are apt to influence educational decisions (Assessment
• Can be applied to non-tested subjects and grades (Joyce et al., 2016; Marion et al., 2012; Marion, 2016) • Actively engage and empower teachers (Briggs, 2013; Joyce et al., 2016; Marion et al., 2012; McCullough et al., 2015) 52
Learning Network, 2018). It is, therefore, essential to understand the nature of standardized tests.
who use standardized tests to monitor student growth experienced a decrease in satisfaction, while those in districts that did not focus on standardized tests can experience an increase in satisfaction. Ford and Hewitt (2020) stated, “feedback which points the way to better teaching and learning on the part of students will, in the long term, sustain teachers’ intrinsic motivation for the work” (p. 22). Let’s build new teacher evaluation systems that promote student learning, teacher learning, and educator satisfaction.
Building a goal-based system requires educators who understand valid, reliable, and fair assessment practices. As educators are not required to take classes in assessment concepts, many do not feel comfortable developing their own assessments without guidance. Researchers examining SLO implementation have identified challenges educators faced. Some researchers found that teachers struggled with selecting and developing assessments (Lachlan-Hache, 2015; Marion et al., 2012; Plecki et al., 2016; Slotnik et al., 2015; Thompson et al., 2016). Some found that teaches and evaluators struggled to analyze data (Lachlan-Hache, 2015; McCullough et al., 2015; Plecki et al., 2016; Slotnik et al., 2015). Therefore, Prizovskya (2018) recommended that educators be trained in the essentials of assessment literacy in order to implement goal-based models.
References Amrein-Beardsley, A., & Holloway, J. (2019). Value-added models for teacher evaluation and accountability: Commonsense assumptions. Educational Policy, 33(3), 516–542. https://doi. org/10.1177/0895904817719519 Assessment Learning Network. (2018). Assessment Literacy Essentials – James Popham: What is assessment literacy? https://www. michiganassessmentconsortium. org/event/assessment-learningnetwork-2018-19-event-1/
Why should teacher evaluation systems change? Teachers are currently leaving the profession at alarming rates. In a recent EdWeek Research Center survey (2021), 54% of respondents shared that they are likely to leave the profession in the next 2 years. Smith and Holloway (2020) found that teachers
Briggs, D. C. (2013). Teacher Evaluation as Trojan Horse: The Case for Teacher-Developed Assessments, 53
Teacher Evaluation (cont.) Measurement: Interdisciplinary Research and Perspectives, 11(1-2), 2429. https://doi.org/10.1080/153663 67.2013.784153
D. (2017). The Impact of Providing Performance Feedback to Teachers and Principals (NCEE 2018-4001). National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education.
Crouse, K., Gitomer, D. H., & Joyce, J. (2016). An analysis of the meaning and use of student learning objectives. In A. Amrein-Beardsley & K. Kappler Hewitt (Eds.), Student growth measures: Where policy meets practice. Palgrave Macmillan.
Geiger, T., & Amrein-Beardsley, A. (2017). Administrators gaming test- and observation-based teacher evaluation methods: To conform to or confront the system. AASA Journal of Scholarship & Practice, 14(3), 45-54. https://aasa.org/uploadedFiles/ Publications/JSP-Fall-2017. pdf#page=45 Gilles, 2007
Loewus, L. (2021). Why teachers leave or don’t: A look at the numbers. EdWeek. https://www.edweek.org/ teaching-learning/why-teachersleave-or-dont-a-look-at-thenumbers/2021/05
Haertel, E. H. (2013). Reliability and validity of inferences about teachers based on student scores. Lecture presented at the National Press Club. Washington, D.C.
Everson, K. C. (2017). Value-added modeling and educational accountability: Are we answering the real questions? Review of Educational Research, 87(1), 35-70. https://doi. org/10.3102/0034654316637199
Joyce, J., Harrison, J. R., & Murphy, D. (2016). Evaluating students with disabilities and their teachers. Use of student learning objectives. Teachers College Record, 118(14), 1-22. http://www.tcrecord.org/Content. asp?ContentId=21542
Ford, T. G., & Hewitt, K. (2020). Better integrating summative and formative goals in the design of next generation teacher evaluation systems. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 28(63). https://doi.org/10.14507/ epaa.28.5024
Kearns, J. F., Kleinert, H. L., Thurlow, M. L., Gong, B., & Quenemoen, R. (2015). Alternate assessments as one measure of teacher effectiveness:
Garet, M. S., Wayne, A. J., Brown, S., Rickles, J., Song, M., & Manzeske, 54
Implications for our field. Research and Practice for Persons with Severe Disabilities, 40(1), 20-35. https://doi. org/10.1177/1540796915585105
Marion, S., DePascale, C., Domaleski, C., Gong, B., & Diaz-Bilello, E. (2012). Considerations for analyzing educators’ contributions to student learning in non-tested subjects and grades with a focus on student learning objectives. The National Center for the Improvement of Educational Assessment.
Lachlan-Hache, L. (2015). The art and science of student learning objectives: A research synthesis. American Institutes for Research.
Marion, S. (2015). Two sides of the same coin: Competency-based education and student learning objectives. The National Center for the Improvement of Educational Assessment.
Lash, A., Makkonen, R., Tran, L., & Huang, M. (2016). Analysis of the stability of teacher-level growth scores from the student growth percentile model. (REL 2016–104). U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance, Regional Educational Laboratory West. http://ies.ed.gov/ ncee/edlabs
McCullough, M., English, B., Angus, M. H., & Gill, B. (2015). Alternative student growth measures for teacher evaluation: Implementation experiences of early adopting districts. Institute for Educational Sciences (IES), 1-53. https://ies. ed.gov/ncee/edlabs/projects/ project.asp?projectID=445
Lillejord, S., Elstad, E., & Kavli, H. (2018). Teacher evaluation as a wicked policy problem. Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy & Practice, 25(3), 291309. https://doi.org/10.1080/09695 94X.2018.1429388
Milanowski, A., Ristrow, L., Finster, M., McKithen, C., Doll, M., Lewandowski, H., Roseland, D., White, B. R., Carl, B., Gawade, N., Kang, H., Marlin, D., Meyer, R., Ponisciak, S., Steele, C., & Wang, Y. (2016). Evaluation of the Performance Evaluation Reform Act: Interim report. Illinois State Board of Education. https://www. isbe.net/Documents/pera-finalreport-160630.pdf
Malunda, P., Onen, D., Musaazi, J. C. S., & Oonyu, J. (2016). Teacher evaluation and quality of pedagogical practices. International Journal of Learning, Teaching, and Educational Research, 15(9), 118-133. https://www.ijlter.org/ index.php/ijlter/article/view/753/pdf 55
Teacher Evaluation (cont.) Papay, J. P. (2012). Refocusing the debate: Assessing the purposes and tools of teacher evaluation. Harvard Educational Review, 82(1), 123-141. https://doi.org/10.17763/ haer.82.1.v40p0833345w6384
Shneyderman, A., & Froman, T. (2015). Using student growth to evaluate teachers: A comparison of three methods. Miami-Dade County Public Schools, Research Services. https:// eric.ed.gov/?id=ED570129
Pennington, K. & Mead, S. (2016). For good measure? Teacher evaluation policy in the ESSA era. Bellwether Education Partners.
Slotnik, W. J., Bugler, D., & Liang, G. (2014). Real progress in Maryland: Student learning objectives and teacher and principal evaluation. (A report from the Mid-Atlantic Comprehensive Center at WestEd.) WestEd and Boston, MA: Community Training and Assistance Center. https://eric. ed.gov/?id=ED559701
Plecki, M. L., Elfers, A. M., St. John, E., & Yeh, T. L. (2016). Practitioners’ response to Washington’s required use of student growth measures in teacher evaluation. In A. AmreinBeardsley & K. Kappler Hewitt (Eds.), Student growth measures: Where policy meets practice (pp. 95-116). Palgrave Macmillan.
Slotnik, W. J., Bugler, D., & Liang, G. (2015). Change in practice in Maryland: Student learning objectives and teacher and principal evaluation. Mid-Atlantic Comprehensive Center.
Popham, W. J. (2018). Assessment literacy for educators in a hurry. ASCD.
Smith, W. C., & Holloway, J. (2020). School testing culture and teacher satisfaction. Educational Assessment, Evaluation and Accountability, 32, 461– 479. https://doi.org/10.1007/ s11092-020-09342-8
Prizovskaya, V. (2018). Identifying New Jersey Teachers’ assessment literacy as precondition for implementing student growth objectives. Journal of Education and Learning, 7(1), 184207. https://doi.org/10.5539/jel. v7n1p184
Thompson, J., Lyons, S., Marion, S. F., Pace, L., & Williams, M. (2016). Ensuring and Evaluating Assessment Quality for Innovative Assessment and Accountability Systems. KnowledgeWorks and The National
Reform Support Network. (2014). A toolkit for implementing high-quality student learning objectives 2.0. ICF International. 56
Dr. Jennie Winters enjoys supporting school districts to improve curriculum, instruction, and assessment practices through systemic innovations. By collaborating with teacher and district leaders, she facilitates program evaluation and implementation in such areas as assessment literacy, learning progressions, and teacher evaluation. Her experience collaborating on state-wide mathematics curriculum and assessment work has allowed her to work with many school systems to design and implement standards-based systems. In the recent years, she has been helping districts use classroom assessment data to address student learning gaps.
Center for the Improvement of Educational Assessment. Winters, J. (2021). Teacher perceptions of using standards-based rubrics for monitoring student growth in teacher evaluation. ProQuest Dissertations Publishing. https://www.proquest. com/docview/2598446843?pq-origs ite=gscholar&fromopenview=true
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Teaching Writing in Small Groups with Jennifer Serravallo April 19th | 9:00am - 3:00pm Live Online or Asynchronous Drawing from Jennifer Serravallo’s newly-released Teaching Writing in Small Groups, this session will show you how just a few minutes of purposeful, responsive teaching can have a big impact on your students.
All Learning Is Social & Emotional Featuring Dominique Smith May 2nd | 8:30am - 3:30pm Century Junior High Along with a toolbox of strategies for addressing 33 essential competencies, you’ll find real-life examples highlighting the many opportunities for social and emotional learning within the K–12 academic curriculum.
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Step-by-Step Differentiation for Advanced Learners Featuring Lisa Van Gemert April 28th | 8:30am - 3:30pm NIU - Naperville, Livestreamed, Asynchronous You will learn the practical skills of differentiating in your classroom, as well as all the insider tips and tricks to do it with ease. You’ll save hours of preparation and instructional time while meeting the needs of your high-ability students better than you ever have before.
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School Spotlight Isn’t Recess Supposed to be Fun? Practical Solutions for Outdated Practices
Rachel Leckrone
While the kindergarten and first grade students at Bethalto East Primary School eagerly looked forward to recess each day, the paraprofessionals, school nurse, and building principal certainly did not. Even the teachers, who undoubtedly appreciated the planning time recess granted, grew to anticipate all of the problems which would soon cross the thresholds of their classrooms following the recess bell. Students were engaged in unsafe behaviors, battling with conflict resolution, and struggling with emotional regulation, consequently resulting in a revolving door to and from the nurse’s office. Paraprofessionals were feeling frustrated and defeated. Teachers were attempting to navigate recess issues with only limited information. And the principal was reviewing video footage from the playground, following up with students, and calling families to inform them of occurrences. Everyone recognized that a change needed to be made but what exactly needed to change was a source of debate, to say the least. Throughout this article are the purposeful steps the staff at Bethalto East took to foster a sense of collective responsibility for improving safety on the playground through shared decision-making and solution-focused 60
ages 5 to 9 may have the potential to be the most effective in terms of reducing accidents and injuries on the playground (Phelan, Khoury, Kalkwarf, Lanphear, 2021). Armed with similar information, the staff at Bethalto East recognized and accepted the responsibility of providing a safe learning environment but also noticed a growing number of playgroundrelated incidents. This resulted in a shared sense of urgency and a collective call to action.
dialogue, the subsequent impact on entrenched beliefs relating to traditional practices, along with the quantitative data results which succeeded the replacement of outdated strategies with current evidence-based approaches to problem solving. Bethalto East Primary School, located in Bethalto Community Unit School District 8 and situated in the southern part of the state in Madison County, Illinois, is home to 410 preschool, kindergarten, and first grade students. Each day, students reap the physical and social-emotional benefits stemming from a cumulative daily total of 40 minutes of recess.
According to data collected within the school’s student information system, the school nurse was treating an average of 90 students per week due to recess-related incidents. The principal, paraprofessionals, and school nurse gathered together to review the data and brainstorm potential solutions. The well-intended group quickly concluded
A longitudinal six-year study revealed that approximately 98,000 children visit the emergency room each year in the United States due to injuries that occur
The well-intended group quickly concluded that additional staff at recess would alleviate all of the recess issues, only to find a few months later that, even after adding an additional three to four staff members to each recess, their data remained the same—no significant gains resulted from adding staff. on the playground with the majority of injuries occurring at school. Conclusions were that school-based prevention efforts targeting student populations
that additional staff at recess would alleviate all of the recess issues, only to find a few months later that, even after adding an additional three to four 61
School Spotlight (cont.) staff members to each recess, their data remained the same—no significant gains resulted from adding staff. This led to additional discussion and collaboration in an attempt to determine a viable solution that would yield the results they were after. When engaging in collaborative problem solving, teams are often quick to determine additional staffing as the answer or solution to the problem; however, additional staffing alone without consideration to necessary professional development and changes to include more evidence-based practices may lead to bad results, which begs the question, why are we still doing that?
make everyone into a believer, though, as several team members still disagreed on the direction that needed to be taken. Notwithstanding some healthy conflict amongst individuals, action steps were put into place under the pretense that everyone agreed to attempt the strategies discussed and the team would reconvene after at least four to six weeks of implementation. Supervision zones were established, more recess equipment was purchased, students were provided with ongoing instruction on safe recess behavior, videos of staff modeling appropriate behavior were created and utilized, and staff participated in online professional development on playground supervision and safety. The results of their combined efforts for the 2021-2022 school year—which students have attended in-person in its entirety thus far—now show that Bethalto East is averaging only three recess-related visits to the nurse’s office a week!
The team researched playground and recess supervision and safety practices and found targeted, research-based interventions, such as: • supervision posts to ensure all areas of the playground were viewable by a staff member • adequate amounts of equipment to help alleviate conflict, and
When asked about the changes to recess supervision practices, Bethalto East school nurse, Sherri Verdun, stated
• intentional behavior-specific teaching strategies to establish and reinforce the necessary skills.
“Before we put anything into place and first started reviewing the data, it was shocking to see how many students were actually visiting my office during recess. I used to spend hours a day treating students
Articles and videos on playground safety and the primary causes of injuries were also reviewed by staff. Working collaboratively, sharing ideas, and learning together did not immediately 62
and then making those dreaded phone calls home to communicate incidents with parents. Now I see significantly fewer students, which is really great because it means fewer students are getting hurt.”
collaboratively to tackle this challenge through similar practices. Not only did recess safety improve, but potentially unbeknownst to anyone at Bethalto East at the time, so did the learning culture. The seemingly quick and easy solution of additional staffing may still be an idea that is tossed around, but it is important to note this practice alone is not likely to create results unless strategies are also adjusted accordingly.
As noted throughout current research, the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the social-emotional learning needs of students, with school staff reporting an increase in behavioral concerns across academic settings at every level. Effective as of July 1, 2021, Illinois schools have also been tasked with providing 30 minutes of playtime for all kindergarten through 8th grade students. Illinois Public Act 1020357, coined “The Right to Play Every Day Act,” also restricts schools from withholding recess or playtime as a form of discipline or punishment.
References Phelan, K. J., Khoury, J., Kalkwarf, H. J., & Lanphear, B. P. (2001). Trends and patterns of playground injuries in United States children and adolescents. Ambulatory pediatrics : the official journal of the Ambulatory Pediatric Association, 1(4), 227–233. Racheal R. Leckrone is the principal and early childhood director at Bethalto East Primary School in Bethalto Community Unit School District 8. She has served in this capacity for the last four years. Prior to transitioning to her current role as a building administrator, Racheal worked with students having moderate to severe disabilities as a special education teacher. She holds a B.S. in elementary education, M.S. in special education, Ed.S. in administration, director of special education endorsement, and is currently completing an Ed.D. in curriculum design and instruction.
In light of the unfinished social-emotional learning resulting from the pandemic and in consideration of the amendment to school code, now more than ever school personnel are searching for proactive and restorative practices aimed at improvements in learning and behavior. When it comes to safe behavior on the playground, opportunities for growth certainly remain; however, what the staff at Bethalto East may have viewed as an insurmountable problem in the past, is now being analyzed from a more solution-focused lens as they work 63
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