INSIGHT—Spring 2009

TEXAS ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS PROFESSIONAL JOURNAL

Spring 2009

INSIGHT

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Spring 2009 Volume 24

No. 1 FEATURED Articles Change by Choice: Innovation or Creative Destruction

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by Dick Erdmann Shares analogies, research, and thoughts on reframing public education so that experimentation, evaluation, and innovation can occur to address the enormous gap that exists between the “haves and have nots”

The Impact of “Teaching to the Test” on High School Math

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by Sara Ptomey and Stacey Edmonson

From AASA: New study examines impact of the economic downturn on schools Page 45

Discusses how in an era of high-stakes testing teachers must not only focus on what tests are measuring but also vertical curriculum articulation in order to produce successful college-ready students

The Paradox of Alignment: Teaching for Accuracy and Precision

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by Elizabeth A. Clark Illustrates how alignment work requires an established process focused on closing the gap that exists between lesson design and delivery, and offers tools that educators can use to locate the root cause of variations in assessment scores

Exploring Programmatic Patterns

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by Sandra Harris, Stacey Edmonson, and Julie Combs Emphasizes that culturally responsive educators and leaders need to explore programmatic patterns and involve the school’s larger community in identifying bias in order to make progress in closing the achievement gap

TSTA Commissions Statewide Poll on Education Issues

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Conducted by The Tarrance Group and Harstad Strategic Research, Inc. Gives findings from an extensive poll of 815 Texas voters on education issues that deal directly with how Texas funds public schools, and confirms that large majorities of voters continue to support increased financial investment in public education

Legal Insights: The Superintendent’s Contract

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by Neal W. Adams, Richard E. Hill, and Jerry D. Bullard Discusses the five phases of the superintendent’s annual evaluation cycle and the important elements necessary for the success of each phase

TASA 2009 Spring/Summer Calendar – page 18

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Departments President’s Message Executive Director’s View 2009 Spring/Summer Calendar

7 9 18

Officers Rick Howard, President, Comanche ISD John Folks, President-Elect, Northside ISD H. John Fuller, Vice-President, Wylie ISD Thomas E. Randle, Past President, Lamar CISD

Executive Committee

TASA Headquarters Staff

Executive Director

Associate Executive Director, Administrative Services

Assistant Executive Director, Communications & Information Systems

Johnny L. Veselka Paul L. Whitton, Jr. Ann M. Halstead

Design/Production

Anne Harpe

Editorial Coordinator

Karen Limb

INSIGHT is published quarterly by the Texas Association of School Administrators, 406 East 11th Street, Austin, Texas, 78701-2617. Subscription is included in TASA membership dues. © 2009 by TASA. All rights reserved.

TASA members may reprint articles in limited quantities for in-house educational use. Articles in INSIGHT are expressions of the author or interviewee and do not necessarily represent the views or policies of TASA. Advertisements do not necessarily carry the endorsement of the Texas Association of School Administrators. INSIGHT is printed by Thomas Graphics, Austin, Texas.

Michael Sandroussi Henry D. Herrera, Alice ISD, 2 Larry W. Nichols, Calhoun County ISD, 3 Leland Williams, Dickinson ISD, 4 Philip Welch, Orangefield ISD, 5 Mike Cargill, Bryan ISD, 6 Mary Ann Whiteker, Hudson ISD, 7 Eddie Johnson, Harts Bluff ISD, 8 John Baker, Seymour ISD, 9 Jeff N. Turner, Coppell ISD, 10 Jerry W. Roy, Lewisville ISD, 11 Rod Townsend, Hico ISD, 12 Ryder F. Warren, Marble Falls ISD, 13 Kent LeFevre, Jim Ned CISD, 14 Russ F. Perry, Nueces Canyon CISD, 15 David G. Foote, Dalhart ISD, 16 Mike Motheral, Sundown ISD, 17 Kevin Allen, Iraan-Sheffield ISD, 18 Rudy Barreda, Tornillo ISD, 19 Richard A. Middleton, North East ISD, 20 Kay E. Waggoner, Grapevine-Colleyville ISD, Legislative Committee Chair

At-Large Members Jesus H. Chavez, Round Rock ISD Alton L. Frailey, Katy ISD Gloria Gallegos, Pasadena ISD Gaile B. Thompson, Abilene ISD

Editorial Advisory Committee Rick Howard, Comanche ISD, chair Jesus H. Chavez, Round Rock ISD Jeff N. Turner, Coppell ISD Kay E. Waggoner, Grapevine-Colleyville ISD Ryder F. Warren, Marble Falls ISD Leland Williams, Dickinson ISD

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INSIGHT

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Leaders of Distinction

A President’s Message No matter where I have represented you this year, the image of TASA promotes an immediate name recognition, acceptance, and respect from every audience.

Thank you for the opportunity to be a small part of such a great association of the giants in this noblest and most worthwhile profession!

s this year of service winds down for me as your president, I pause to reflect on the extraordinary experience it has been and marvel at the strength of this organization, its staff, and membership. Through the harrowing experiences associated with Hurricane Ike in the fall to the high-level discussions about a new vision for public education in Texas, and the demands of another legislative session, TASA staff and members continue to distinguish themselves as leaders of distinction in all matters relevant to public education. No matter where I have represented you this year, the image of TASA promotes an immediate name recognition, acceptance, and respect from every audience.

Thank you for the opportunity to be a small part of such a great association of the giants in this noblest and most worthwhile profession!

Since this edition of INSIGHT will be delivered to you in the midst of all your typical spring activities, I know that baseball and softball games, track, tennis and golf meets, academic meets, and planning for a new school year will be demanding a lot of your time and energy. Please stay informed of all the developments at the Capitols, both in Austin and Washington D.C., as important legislation is deliberated at the state and federal levels. With the development of rules and regulations associated with the implementation of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, don’t forget the faithful corporate sponsors of our organization when considering programs and services for your district.

I expect we all will be diligently and deliberately evaluating the value of all possibilities to improve academic achievement for the students of our local districts. Our corporate sponsors represent the leading developments in their respective fields and are eager to assist us in those endeavors.

With proms, banquets, graduations, and summer school looming on the horizon, I hope all your year-end activities go well and that you will be able to spend some time renewing and refreshing yourself. I look forward to seeing you at the TASA Summer Conference June 28–30 in Austin.

Best wishes in all your endeavors!

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Transformational Change

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ach year in July the TASA Executive Committee and Regional Study Group Chairs convene in a special planning meeting to review TASA programs and services and initiate planning for the coming year. In this year’s planning meeting, the participants will have an opportunity to reflect on the current legislative session and the continuing efforts associated with the work of the Public Education Visioning Institute. The original Visioning Institute superintendents and the additional 12 superintendents who were invited to join the group on April 1 will be invited to join the planning meeting this year.

Executive director’s VIEW The Visioning Institute’s work-in-progress document, Creating a New Vision for Public Education in Texas, provides the framework for our continuing efforts on behalf of Texas public schools and our members.

The Visioning Institute’s work-in-progress document, Creating a New Vision for Public Education in Texas, provides the framework for our continuing efforts on behalf of Texas public schools and our members. Those who participated in the various forums at the 2009 TASA Midwinter Conference, and in other seminars throughout the past year, know that this document not only provides a lens through which we can view the current legislative debate but also serves as a valuable resource to stimulate transformational change in policies and practices at the local level.

In the coming months, we will develop strategies for sharing examples of work in school districts throughout the state that embody the 6 principles and 73 supporting premises contained in the document. These statements reflect the vision for what students need to experience and the type of system needed to provide those experiences.

We will continue to incorporate the work of the Visioning Institute in a variety of TASA programs, including the three-part TASA/Syfr Conference beginning May 6, which is designed to encourage new ways of thinking about the challenges facing public education; the TASA/UT Summer Conference on Education; and regional activities. We will engage school board members in this dialogue as well as through special programs planned during the TASA/TASB Convention this fall.

Finally, as we approach the conclusion of the 81st Legislature, we are confident that legislative leaders will take steps toward the “new vision” for public education that is the product of our work. Much legislative discussion is already focused on the digital learning environment that requires schools to embrace the potential of new technologies and make optimum use of the digital devices and connections that transform learning in today’s classrooms.What’s important, also, is the critical need to address school finance during the remaining days of this session. With record numbers of districts adopting deficit budgets and cutting programs, it is imperative that legislators act and take advantage of the available State Fiscal Stabilization Funds, regular appropriations, and state’s Rainy Day Fund to fix the school finance system so that local school districts can effectively meet new standards for college and postsecondary readiness and the challenges of the global environment in which we live.

TASA will continue its strong advocacy efforts on these and other issues. I encourage you to remain active and engaged in the legislative process. Don’t hesitate to let us know how we can be of service to you and your district.

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Change by Choice: Innovation or Creative Destruction

by Dick Erdmann

More often than not change appears to be serendipitous. Someone invents a very weak glue with no obvious use and we have sticky notes. Another person removes some burrs from his dog, is inspired by nature’s design, and fabricates Velcro®. These changes, however, occur in a culture that permits, encourages, or even embraces change (in the case of Velcro® it was inside a very creative mind), which causes expertise to intersect with imagination. These changes, while they may be serendipitous, do not occur in a vacuum.

Another wonderful example of change is the transition from realism to modern art during the Second Industrial Revolution in France and how the work of the French Impressionists played a key role in this transformation.

Creating a New Vision for Public Education in Texas Creating a New Vision for Public Education in Texas, the signature document developed by superintendents involved in TASA’s Visioning Institute, has become a work in progress for superintendents across Texas. District leaders throughout the state are using the document as a platform for change within their schools and communities.

TASA is facilitating that process by continually offering related content in its publications and on the association’s Web site. This article by Syfr’s Dick Erdmann and the related TASA/Syfr conference, Tomorrow’s Education in Today’s Classroom, are related resources for Creating a New Vision.

In the early 1860s, one would have been hard-pressed to predict any massive change in the art world like Impressionism. The wealthiest and most successful painter in France was Ernest Meissonier, and he was anything but an Impressionist.

He was a meticulous recorder of detail, who loved to recreate history through his paintings. He painted Napoleon and somewhat heroic war scenes. His artwork was the most valuable of the time.

The Impressionists themselves were largely invisible in the French art market, but by the 1880s Monet had become France’s most successful painter commercially. Global influences, a museum, alternative avenues for expression, a curiosity about light and color, a willingness to experiment with new subjects, and even new technologies contributed the necessary ingredients for this transformation. Today in public education all of those elements are present, but change is not a foregone conclusion. It requires both leadership and collaboration—two things very present in the art world of France.

In education today we are looking for intentional change, and this is very different and more difficult than the spontaneous and serendipitous change in French art.

Innovation, creativity, and change are relatively messy. They require experimentation, moving in multiple directions at the same time, and diversity. The restrictions imposed by federal and state governments seem to run contrary to this messy kind of activity. Narrowing the range of possible solutions through narrow assessment, graduation requirements, and standards makes innovation less likely. The visioning document, Creating a New Vision for Public Education in Texas, by the Public Education Visioning Institute, provides an excellent foundation around which a conversation can develop about reframing public education so that experimentation, evaluation, and innovation can occur.

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How did we ever get into a position where change and innovation became a mandate, and how do we get beyond it?

Clayton Christensen’s first book, The Innovator’s Dilemma (1997), although discussing technology changes in the private sector, explains the problem in education, or at least how we got to this point.

Christensen discusses the S-curve, product performance over time, and disruptive technologies in explaining how and why change takes place. The S-curve looks like Figure 1 and describes how a product, company, or even industry grows over time (the x axis) against earnings, total revenues, or in Christensen’s book product performance (the y axis). He suggests that products, companies, and industries progress slowly up the earnings or performance axis over time while their product is going through an innovation and acceptance phase.

It then reaches a tipping point, and the growth curve accelerates rapidly until it reaches a point of maturity and plateaus.

Another book, Creative Destruction, by Richard Foster and Sarah Kaplan, includes Figure 2, which describes the typical evolution of industry earnings over time. In this case, the time frame was 90 years.

Figure 2 closely resembles a graph of high school graduation rates over exactly the same time frame!

If one considers the American high school as a disruptive innovation, to use Clayton Christensen’s term, it has a life cycle over time, and that life cycle looks almost identical to the graph in Creative Destruction.

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INSIGHT

Figure 1

Performance

Performance over Time

Performance

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Figure 2 Typical Evolution of Industry Earnings 0.9 0.8 0.7 0.6

Earnings

Let’s start with the premise that we are victims of our own success. Public education helped the United States become the world’s first knowledge economy, and other countries have now duplicated our educational success and even passed us. To maintain a prominent role in the world, excellent and equitable education is a necessity, not an option. The question now in Texas and throughout the United States is not “What did you do for me yesterday?” As educators, we did a good job. Instead, it is “What will you do for me tomorrow?”

The answer to that question requires the messy process of innovation and creativity.

0.5 0.4 0.3 0.2 0.1 0 10

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Figure 3 is an approximation of the graph of high school graduation rates used by Claudia Goldin and Lawrence Katz in their new book, The Race between Education and Technology. The similarities are striking and suggest that the same forces may be acting on public schools that act on private corporations.

Figure 3 Public and Private Secondary School Graduation Rates 0.9 0.8

Graduation Rate

0.7 0.6 0.5 0.4

In The Innovator’s Dilemma, Christensen tracks 116 new technologies that were introduced in the disk drive industry.

He categorized 111 of these as sustaining technologies—technologies that improved performance or profitability but that did not fundamentally change the business—and 5 as disruptive technologies. In all 111 cases of sustaining technological changes, the leading companies for change were the companies that led in the old technologies. In education, one might think of professional learning communities or reading reform as sustaining changes.They can be done inside the system without really changing it.

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Of the 5 disruptive technologies, all were developed by companies other than the 0.2 top companies, and all toppled the domi0.1 nant company in their industry over a rather short period of time. This was in 0 1890 1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 spite of the fact that these 5 disruptive Trend Years technologies were not new. In fact, in Line this case, the technologies were smaller disk drives that were slower. They were, In the private sector, this plateau, or top of the S-curve, is usually resolved with a dis- however, less expensive and could be ruptive event or technology causing a discontinuity; a new curve starts as a result of a manufactured and sold with the lower new product or company in the field as shown in Figure 4. margins that smaller companies are willing to accept. This kind of result exists Figure 4 throughout the private sector in industry after industry. This is why many persons Performance over Time making public policy for education favor introducing alternatives such as charters, choice, or digital schools outside of the public system. They want a disruptive change and do not believe public education is capable of making that change.

These changes discussed in Christensen’s book are all supply-side changes. They were innovations that the market did not Time Pre-Discontinuity Post-Discontinuity know it needed. The invention of the American public high school was a supply-side, disruptive change. No one knew In public education, we should be asking whether or not it always takes a new com- that we really needed it. pany to begin a new growth curve. Do we need a new education system? The advocates for private charter schools and digital classrooms believe that public education as For the past 30 years, we have lived with we know it may well not be able to respond, and education is simply too important stagnant graduation rates, and now it is to let public schools chance failure. These advocates of outside change have a wealth important that we increase these rates.

Why does it matter now? In large part, of research to support that position.

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This defines the fight for public education as we know it. Can we provide an increased supply of educated students?

The life of organizations in the private sector would indicate that any view of public education as a monolithic institution should lead to a parallel view of public education as a single organization and, therefore, public education is a long shot for a solution. Remember that none of the dominant companies studied by Christensen nurtured the disruptive technologies, and they all fell from the top position. Public education as a single institution is vulnerable. If, however, public education is viewed as 15,000 school districts or a few hundred thousand schools all learning from each other, the odds of public education providing solutions are considerably better.

The Public Education Visioning Institute challenges the norm relative to standards, assessment, accountability, and the statedistrict relationship. It asks public policy to create more independence among school districts, and schools to meet the challenge.

It is not that we don’t need standards. In fact, quite the opposite is true, but we need to minimize the breadth of standards, focus them on the skills most valued, provide a much wider range of available assessments, expand the avenues available for graduation once core standards are met1, and encourage local districts to experiment

with different solutions. The state should through 1999, and it should be noted that be willing to provide guidance and even the differences in income are expected to funding to encourage and structure the continue and widen. experimentation.

Additional research by both John Bishop Critical to the first four articles of the of Cornell University and Alan Krueger of visioning statement is the definition Princeton University indicates that within of valued skills and content. Consider- these categories technology skills will add able work has been done in this field by 10–15 percent to personal income.

Richard Murnane of Harvard University and Frank Levy and David Autor2 It is simple to look at these graphs and of MIT. Drs. Levy and Murnane wrote a walk away believing that we are doing a book in 2004 entitled The New Division good job in public education, but just a of Labor. The authors’ work with David few questions should suggest the oppoAutor divided the skills needed by the site. For example, look at your own comlabor market into five categories: expert munications curriculum and then look at thinking, complex communication, rou- communications in the world around you. tine manual, non-routine manual, and Does your current curriculum reflect the routine cognitive. They concluded that world? Expert thinking is a vague term, the demand for these skills formed a U but look at the success of your students with an almost insatiable demand for in algebra as a barometer for your succommunication and thinking skills on cess. Arithmetic is not a particularly anaone end of the U and a modest increase lytical skill; algebra is considered as such. in demand unaccompanied by money or To the extent that our arithmetic courses careers for non-routine manual work on do not transform the mental processes in the opposite end of the U. Figure 5 tracks students’ minds so that they can succeed these five categories in terms of income with algebra, the curriculum fails.

Figure 5 Economy-wide Measures of Task Input 15

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Percentage Change

it is because the demand side of the line has already created the first disruption.

The United States will lose its competitive position in the world if education does not improve, and technology is rewarding the well-educated student with higher incomes but leaving everyone else behind. This ever-increasing divide in personal income is inconsistent with our recent history and quite possibly inconsistent with any reasonable kind of political or economic stability. So, there is really no choice. The demand side in education needs the supply of educated students to grow.

5 Expert Thinking Complex Communication Routine Manual

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Revised version of figure from David Autor, Frank Levy, and Richard Murnane, “The Skill Content of Recent Technological Change,” Quarterly Journal of Economics

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We need to explore and experiment for solutions aligned with the four articles.

The state relationships, standards, assessment, and accountability as currently defined tend to work against that process.

They need to change. This exploration and experimentation can lead to strategic and tactical plans for real and lasting reform for the 21st century.

The visioning document, however, does not stop with four articles. These are just the easiest to resolve. The remaining two are the integration of the digital age into our schools and organizations, and organizational transformation. This article combines these two because integrating technology often forces organizational transformation.

the new research first. It will not have the power to force its way into public schools without our support. It can transform the organization of our curriculum, and radically change instruction, but it will not necessarily change educational organizations in the way technology will.

resources, or manufacturing processes.

We are challenged both internationally and domestically. The international challenge is that other countries have beaten us at our own game, and it is time to catch up. The domestic challenge is that personal income has responded to educational attainment, and the disparity beReturning to the short description of tween those having a good education and forces surrounding Impressionism, from everyone else has mushroomed in just a the beginning of this article, we learn that few short decades. The value of educaboth technology and neuroscience played tion for each and every American has a role in this artistic revolution. increased. Without the kinds of change in education outlined for us in Creating There were two technologies that allowed a New Vision for Public Education in Texas, Impressionism to flourish. One was the this enormous gap between the “haves” development of paints in tubes instead and the “have nots” will not be resolved. of unwieldy pigskins. This allowed the Creating a New Vision for Public Education painter to experience the landscape while in Texas provides an excellent framework painting it. The second was the advent of through which we can discuss the diverse the screw propeller and the triple expan- solutions that must come into play if we sion engine on the steamship, which re- are to be successful with either or both duced the cost of travel during the 1880s, challenges.  a time of great prosperity in the United States. These ships brought wealthy Americans (some would say without taste Dick Erdmann is CEO and founder of the or standards) to Paris.These buyers caused Syfr Corporation, a company dedicated to the price of Impressionist art to skyrocket initiating and nourishing a culture of change in and for some of the greatest collections of American education that embraces innovation Impressionist art to end up in the hands and creativity while expecting all students to excel, independent of their demographics. of American collectors.

It is Christensen’s contention that companies continually improve their products to the point where they over perform or provide more options than the average customer needs. As a result, a new company enters the field with a new technology or approach that, while it cannot provide the same number of options, can meet the basic needs at a lower cost. This was part of the theory behind making small high schools work. While there are numerous examples of successful small high schools, overall, they did not work. Painters during this time period in art were fascinated with one aspect of neu- Endnotes What will work? roscience: optics, specifically the way the 1 TASA/Syfr’s fall conference, September 9–10, 2009, at the Houston Hyatt, will Clayton Christensen’s new book, Disrupt- human eye perceived color and light. feature Robert Schwartz, Academic Dean, ing Class, helps us think about solutions, Pointillists, to take just one small subGraduate School of Education, Harvard but, independent of his book, there are at group of Impressionists, worked with dots University, who will discuss multiple pathleast two disruptive ideas that may cause of color adjacent to each other that were ways to high school graduation. the supply-side discontinuity that inno- essentially blended by the eye but not on vation requires. They are the application the canvas. Their experiments influenced of neuroscience in our learning environ- later painters like Mark Rothko and con- 2 TASA/Syfr’s spring conference, May 6–7, 2009, at the Hyatt Lost Pines, will feature ments and the use of technology.3 Tech- temporary painters like Chuck Close. nology as a discontinuity is probably unavoidable, and it will force change. Public education’s challenge is to stay in front of it rather than behind it. It will also transform the organizations involved in education and the organization of education itself. Neuroscience, however, is another matter. We will have to embrace 16

INSIGHT

We are at a crossroads in public education. Some say we are moving from a knowledge economy to a conceptual or creative economy. Regardless, we are in the midst of an economy dependent on human capital (knowledge and the ability to use it) rather than agriculture, natural

David Autor, Professor of Economics, MIT, whose topic will be The Truth about 21st Century Jobs.

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TASA/Syfr’s summer conference, July 19–22, 2009, at the Hyatt Lost Pines, will feature both Neuroscience and Assessment topics.

TASA/Syfr Conference ow’s Education in Today’s Cla r r o ssrooms Tom …a unique, three-conference series TASA, in collaboration with Syfr Corporation, has created Tomorrow’s Education in Today’s Classrooms.

This unique, three-conference series is designed to further a shared vision for public education. Participants are encouraged to create new ways of thinking about the challenges facing public education and collaborate to create solutions. The conferences explore characteristics of 21st century work and research, study its ramifications for today’s classrooms, and examine current and future assessment requirements and how to mesh them to meet current performance requirements.

A Unique Partnership The Texas Association of School Administrators believes that it is our duty to help reframe the “problems and challenges” of public education in the context of the digital revolution to improve learning opportunities and provide the engaging experiences our students deserve. As such, a group of Texas superintendents came together to create the Public Education Visioning Institute and to publish our recent work, Creating a New Vision for Public Education in Texas.

Part I: A Whole New World 1 p.m. May 6 through 3:30 p.m. May 7 Hyatt Lost Pines Resort, Lost Pines, TX

Part II: A Whole New Brain 6 p.m. July 19 through 11:30 a.m. July 22 Hyatt Lost Pines Resort, Lost Pines, TX

Part III: A Whole New Education 1 p.m. September 9 through 3 p.m. September 10 Houston Hyatt, Houston, TX

Register at www.tasanet.org

We have chosen to partner with Syfr Corporation, whose mission and vision, like ours, has been to reframe issues by bringing ideas and information from outside education to educators. The philosophy that drives Syfr is the belief that the intersections of diverse ideas create the climate for change and that real change requires that we put new ideas into daily and ongoing practice. Syfr is dedicated to initiating and nourishing a culture of change in American education that embraces innovation and creativity while expecting all students to excel, independent of their demographics. Syfr’s work is to motivate all those involved in the lives of students to build shared aspirations that result in constructing an enduring change that meets real needs for the economies of the 21st century.

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TASA 2009 Spring/Summer Calendar

April Date

Session

Presenter

Location

6

Budget Boot Camp for Superintendents

Experts in the Field

Richardson, TX

16–17 Mentoring the Reflective Principal, Session 3 Jan Jacob

Austin Airport Marriott South, Austin, TX

17–19 Texas Association of Suburban and

Mid-Urban Schools (TAS/MUS) Spring Conference

The Woodlands Waterway Marriott, The Woodlands, TX

20–21

Highland Park ISD, Dallas, TX

Leading Professional Development in Classroom Assessment

Jan Chappuis

22–23 First-Time Superintendents Academy, Session 4 Experts in the Field

Austin Marriott North Hotel, Round Rock, TX

May Date

Session

Presenter

Location

6–7 TASA/Syfr Conference, Part I

Hyatt Lost Pines Resort Lost Pines, Texas

7–8

Mentoring the Reflective Principal, Session 4

Jan Jacob

Austin Airport Marriott South, Austin, TX

12–15

Level I Curriculum Management Audit Training

Jan Jacob

Austin Airport Marriott South, Austin, TX

Date

Session

Presenter

Location

15–17

Questioning FOR Learning — Improving the Thinking and Achievement of ALL Students, ToT (formerly Improved Questioning)

Beth Sattes and Jackie Walsh

Holiday Inn Town Lake, Austin, Texas

June

18

16–19 Level I Curriculum Management Audit Training Jan Jacob

Austin Marriott North Hotel, Round Rock, TX

18–19 Improved Questioning, Advanced Course

Holiday Inn Town Lake, Austin, Texas

Beth Sattes and Jackie Walsh

26–28

Texas Council of Women School Executives (TCWSE) Annual Summer Conference

28–30

University of Texas / Texas Association of School Administrators (UT/TASA) 61st Annual Summer Conference on Education

INSIGHT

Austin Renaissance Hotel, Austin, TX

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Austin Renaissance Hotel, Austin, TX

The Impact of “Teaching to the Test”

on High School Math

by Sara Ptomey and Stacey Edmonson

math portions of the SAT and ACT. In total, there are 278 TEKS student expectations for grades 3 through Algebra 1 and 239 TAKS objectives that can be tested in grades 3 through 9. A cumulative total of TEKS for grades 3 through Algebra 1 shows that 86 percent of the TEKS could be tested. Thus, it is critical to remember that the TAKS objectives are merely a subset of the TEKS.

Figure 1. TEKS studentCompared expectations compared to TAKS Figure 1. TEKS Student Expectations to TAKS Objectives: Grade 3 through Algebra 1 objectives: Grade 3 through Algebra 1 50 45 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0

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The Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) create the curriculum framework mandated by the state. The Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) objectives are derived from the TEKS. As shown in Figure 1, the TAKS objectives in 3rd through 8th grade are a subset of the TEKS at each level, with more to be taught than is tested. The high school TAKS mathematics objectives are not course specific. According to the TAKS Blueprint (TEA, 2005), the 2005 9th grade TAKS mathematics is heavily weighted (54 percent) toward

8th grade mathematics, with 46 percent of the test assessing Algebra 1 objectives.

If a 9th grade campus focuses instruction on 9th grade TAKS objectives rather than on Algebra 1 TEKS, students might not acquire the requisite skills to fully comprehend the material in Geometry and Algebra 2. This inadequacy would further inhibit the students’ performance in higher-level mathematics courses and on

TAKS Objectives

In 2001, the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) expanded the role of the federal government in education and became the focus of education policy.

This legislation was designed to improve student academic achievement by holding states, school districts, and individual campuses accountable for the progress of every student. This goal was to be achieved through four key principles: (a) increased school district accountability; (b) more academic choices for parents and students; (c) greater program flexibility for states, school districts, and schools; and (d) putting reading first (U.S. Department of Education [USDE], 2001).

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and curriculum articulation. Curriculum coordination is the horizontal alignment across the curriculum, while curriculum articulation is the vertical alignment across grade levels. Figure 2 models the need for a vertically focused curriculum that extends the learning through all the schools in a vertical area in order for a student to do well on the exit-level TAKS in 11th grade.

Figure 2. Vertical and Horizontal Alignment Exit-level TAKS (11th grade) TAKS 8th grade

High Schools

Coordination: lateral alignment

Middle Schools TAKS 5th grade

Intermediate Schools Elementary Schools

Articulation

By focusing only on the TAKS objectives, teachers might not be able to provide adequate instruction to develop all the mathematical concepts and skills that build the foundation needed for students to perform well in future mathematics courses. As this pattern continues, gaps in student understanding and skills increase.

Students’ comprehension of mathematics may fall further behind as they progress through school, even though scores on the TAKS indicate adequate yearly progress. By the time a student enters high school, many of the prerequisite concepts and skills needed to successfully complete Algebra 1, long considered a gatekeeper course, might be missing.

Coordination: lateral alignment Coordination: lateral alignment Coordination: lateral alignment

Accountability and Alignment

In an era of high-stakes testing, teachers must focus on what the tests are measuring at each level as well as on a vertical curriculum articulation (English & Steffy, 2002).There are two kinds of curriculum connectivity: curriculum coordination

Note. Adapted from English and Steffy (2002).

English and Steffy (2002) provided a framework to ensure curricular quality control, a balance among the three forms of curriculum in education: the written, the taught, and the assessed (Figure 3). Establishing coordination and articulation within each form leads to deep curriculum alignment, allowing students to progress through the levels without developing gaps in understanding. In this context, the TEKS comprise the written and classroom instruction that is taught. What is assessed includes the TAKS, SAT, and ACT, as well as final course averages for Algebra 1, Geometry, Algebra 2, and higher level mathematics courses.

Wr itte nC u TE rricu KS lum

:

Figure 3. Model for a Balanced Curriculum

m: ulu on rric c ti Cu nstru I ght Tau sroom s Cla

In 1984, A Nation at Risk, published by the National Commission on Excellence in Education, provided five recommendations for defining the problems faced in education and the course to follow in order to successfully overcome the problems. One of the recommendations was for schools, colleges, and universities to adopt more rigorous and measurable standards. Following the recommendations of A Nation at Risk, structured reform of mathematics education began with the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) Standards first articulated in 1989 (NCTM, 2000). In contrast to NCLB, NCTM (2000) expressed six interconnected principles for school mathematics: equity, curriculum, teaching, learning, assessment, and technology.

These six principles influenced the vertical development of curriculum, lesson planning and instruction, and the design of assessments.

Curricular Quality Control

Tested Curriculum: TAKS, SAT, ACT, Final Averages Note. Adapted from English and Steffy (2002).

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Developing a district-level curriculum Figure 4. Development of Mathematical Skills in the Public School System plan involves a number of factors. The goals and objectives of the district, cam- Input Factors pus, and teachers are influenced by exterSocial Factors Educational System nal factors such as NCLB requirements, Family Influence Policies and Procedures current research, professional knowledge, Peer Influence Management Skills parents and the business community, and Cultural Influence Instructional Skills TEA as well as the bases of curriculum Media Influence Physical Plant Financial Concerns such as society, students, and prior knowledge. The goals and objectives provide 9th Grade 10th Grade 11th Grade 12th Grade 8th Grade the basis for curriculum design, what is 2001/2 2002/3 2003/4 2004/5 2005/6 written. Curriculum implementation involves decisions regarding instruction by TAAS TAKS TAKS TAKS TAKS teachers about instructional activities, inDistrict Test District Test District Test District Test District Test cluding instructional strategies, materials, Course Grade Course Grade Course Grade Course Grade and resources. Curriculum implementaSAT/ACT Mathematics SAT/ACT tion provides the basis for instruction, AP Course Grades what is taught. Curriculum evaluation AP Scores involves evaluating data to make instrucHigh School GPA Class Rank tional and assessment decisions. Curriculum evaluation provides the basis for assessment, what is tested.

Figure 4 shows the system in which mathematical skills in a typical sample school district are developed. Students arrive in the 8th grade with a variety of skills in place. Additionally, many factors work to influence these skills throughout a student’s academic career. All the factors play a role in the academic achievement of the student.

Mathematics Achievement Indicators The alignment of what is written, taught, and assessed in mathematics was tested through quantitative analysis of five large high school campuses within one very large successful district. Student achievement in math included TAKS scores,

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SAT/ACT scores, grade point average (GPA), and performance in Advanced Placement (AP) classes. The TAKS mathematics score was a valid, reliable, and useful tool for predicting a student’s performance in required high school mathematics courses and on mathematics college entrance exams (SAT and ACT), but only a marginal predictor of performance in AP mathematics courses. Within each of the five vertical areas for these high schools, the results were similar. Furthermore, the AEIS rating of a campus based on TAKS mathematics scores and student performance in mathematics were not related.

Apparently, a strong TAKS focus in elementary and middle schools accounts for student success in required high school mathematics classes but cannot be used to predict success in higher levels of mathematics. Thus, current vertical alignment of mathematics programs might not be optimal to build the necessary foundation

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suggest that students in this district, and perhaps districts across the state, perceive high school graduation as the end of formal education, especially in mathematics.

This raises questions regarding districts’ roles and responsibilities in encouraging students to continue schooling beyond high school.

achieve a passing average in an AP mathematics course. Despite this, numbers in AP courses fall significantly short. Why do apparently qualified mathematics students, based on TAKS mathematics scores, choose not to take an AP mathematics course? Do individual high schools and school districts aggressively promote AP mathematics courses? Do Findings such as these lead to a number of important questions. The first ques- The third question relates to college tools or assessments exist that would help tion concerns differences found between preparedness in mathematics. A fraction school administrators predict who will males and females. Males were underrep- of students demonstrate the basic math- and who will not choose to take an AP resented in the study population, raising ematical skills to be successful in college- mathematics course? Are AP mathematquestions about how well districts and level mathematics courses, despite TAKS ics students more motivated and thus do campuses address the educational needs mathematics scores proving to be a valid, well in advanced math courses? Do AP of male students. Within the measured, reliable, and useful tool to predict stu- mathematics students’ grades and/or exstructured classroom environment, fe- dent mathematical performance in re- ams in the classroom reflect mastery of males performed better, yet males per- quired high school mathematics courses the coursework? formed better in the competitive assess- and on college entrance exams. This rement environment of TAKS and ACT/ sult raises an additional question regard- These results raise questions about the SAT.This leads to questions regarding the ing the alignment between the written, vertical alignment of school districts’ difference in the environments and situa- taught, and tested curriculum. Where mathematics curriculum: Is what is writtions that comprise the total educational are the gaps in vertical alignment of the ten in your curriculum actually what is process faced by both female and male curriculum that allow students to build taught? Is what is taught what is tested? a foundation leading to success in basic And how does classroom instruction at students. high school mathematical skills, but caus- all levels fit into all three of these areas, The second question relates to the stu- ing most students to have deficits in the what is written, taught, and tested? These dents’ choices regarding proactive college mathematical skills needed to be success- questions impact students at all achievepreparation, by taking an AP mathematics ful in college-level mathematics courses? ment levels, from those struggling to pass TAKS to those taking AP and other course or a college entrance exam. Students were successful in high school math Do students’ grades in the classroom advanced-level courses. For this reason, a classes, yet less than 50 percent of the reflect mastery of the coursework? Do hard look at these questions—and your study population chose to take a college mathematics exams assess mastery of district’s answers to them—is critical for entrance exam. An even smaller number the coursework? We found that stu- producing successful college-ready stuof the students chose to take an AP math- dents scoring above 50 percent on TAKS dents in mathematics and other academic ematics course. These results strongly mathematics should, at least statistically, areas.  for success in these classes. As a result, the instructional focus of mathematics programs needed to be analyzed and revised.

Is the goal of high school math programs simply to pass TAKS, or is the goal to develop strong mathematics skills that assist students in becoming college ready?

Dr. Sara Ptomey is executive director of curriculum and instruction at Aldine ISD; and Dr. Stacey Edmonson is an associate professor at Sam Houston State University, Department of Educational Leadership and Counseling.

References English, F. W., & Steffy B. E. (2002). Deep curriculum alignment: Creating a level playing field for all children on high-stakes tests of educational accountability. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press.

A Nation at Risk. (1984). Cambridge, MA: USA Research.

National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM). (2000). Principles and standards for school mathematics. Reston,VA: NCTM. Texas Education Agency. Retrieved December 3, 2005, from http://www.tea.state.tx.us/student.assessment.

U.S. Department of Education. (2001). No child left behind. Retrieved July 15, 2004, from http://www.ed.gov/nclb.

24

INSIGHT

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The Paradox of Alignment: Teaching for Accuracy and Precision

by Elizabeth A. Clark

Any type of alignment work requires an established process focused on closing the gap that exists between lesson design and delivery so there is a concomitant relationship between the two for the purpose of improved student learning. This article emphasizes the tentative nature of the relationship of curriculum alignment and what is involved in strengthening the alignment relationship through accuracy and precision on the delivery side.

Fenwick English defines curriculum alignment work as a process to improve the “match or overlap between the content and format of the test, and the content and format of the curriculum, as well as the match between the formal instruction that occurs in the school and the classroom, and that which any test will measure� (English, 2000). Figure 1 illustrates the three components of English’s model: written, tested, and taught

Figure 1

curriculum. The paradox of this model (see Figure 1) is that alignment is more than just aligning the written curriculum to the tested curriculum; it is about the delivery once curriculum has been determined. Based on the work of English, curriculum design can be done by either frontloading, which is writing curriculum first and then designing a test to cover that curriculum, or backloading, which involves writing curriculum based upon a pre-determined assessment. Both methods have advantages and disadvantages.

In 1998, the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) were implemented as a frontloaded state framework that formed the basis for curriculum design work throughout the state of Texas. The Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) has been used since 2003 as the measurement of how well Texas students are learning the standards that comprise the TEKS. Now that districts have five years of TAKS data, they are using student performance data to backload curriculum in an effort to improve the overlap or match between the written and tested curriculum. In examining the alignment model (see Figure 1), design work constitutes only one-third of the alignment process. The remaining twothirds of this process have to do with the match or overlap that exists between the design and the delivery. The question is, how do districts control for random variation when fidelity to this model is primarily a decentralized function that resides within each classroom and is based

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upon the ability and willingness of teach- by teachers are sufficiently aligned with ers to make decisions about curriculum curricular standards, including a thorough knowledge of the context and cogdelivery? nitive requirements of assessments. Such The paradox confronting curriculum and knowledge prepares teachers to become instructional leaders, therefore, is what more accurate and precise with planning part of the teaching and learning process and delivering curriculum. is tightly held and what part is loosely held? What part of the alignment is actu- There are many examples that can be ally sacrificed when teachers decide what used to illustrate the importance of acis taught and how it is taught? Other curacy and precision. Certainly, no one questions that are legitimate to ask, where can refute the importance of a surgeon high-stakes accountability systems exist, being accurate and precise in a surgical include the following: Is the curriculum procedure. An airplane pilot must be acnon-negotiable? How do districts and/or curate and precise or the flight crew and campuses know if teachers use the cur- passengers are at risk. These are only two riculum? If there is some written indica- examples where human life is depention that curriculum documents are used, dent upon the professional being accuthen what evidence is there to substanti- rate and precise. Other examples where ate that delivery of instruction is actually commitment to accuracy and precision aligned beyond a surface level? In other are certainly important are in the area of words, once teachers close the classroom athletics and fine arts performance. Cerdoors and nobody else is around, what tainly, these examples don’t have life or actually gets taught and how is it taught? death consequences, but they illustrate What do districts hold tight and what do how excellence is achieved through acthey hold loose in the alignment process? curacy and precision. Even the developLeadership has to make these determi- ment of new products requires engineers nations, but, more importantly, teachers or researchers to establish quality controls need to understand the alignment process around accuracy and precision. Accuracy so they make informed decisions regard- and precision are present in many professions and become the hallmark of exceling their instruction. lence, in many ways protecting the safety Teachers have a great deal of autonomy. and well-being of human life.

Many would argue that this is not problematic since student needs must be con- This whole notion of accuracy and presidered when planning instruction for cision has great implications for educawhat is to be taught and certainly how it is tors, particularly in the high-stakes envitaught. Again, the paradox is how much ronment in which schools now operate. autonomy is too much. Quality control With so much at stake, it is imperative of the alignment process can’t be man- that educators learn how to incorporate aged if variability within the teaching and the principles of accuracy and precision learning process is allowed to be rampant. into the science and art of teaching and Variability becomes the villain if there is hold themselves more accountable for renot an understanding and commitment sults. After all, one could certainly make to the alignment process among the the case that the quality of human life is teaching staff. Curriculum and instruc- dependent on how well teachers practice tional leaders are constantly challenged their craft. with determining what is held tightly and what is held loosely, and how to dis- “Accuracy, in science, engineering, intinguish between the two.They must also dustry and statistics, is defined as the deestablish a system where decisions made gree of conformity of a measured and 28

INSIGHT

calculated quantity to its actual (true) value. Precision is the degree to which further measurements or calculations will show the same or similar results” (Street, 2006). These definitions formed the basis for four models that were developed by Anachem Ltd. Also, the two definitions were expanded and clarified to include the following: “(1) Accuracy—is the ability of a measuring instrument to give responses to a true value; (2) Inaccuracy— is the numerical difference between the mean of a set of replicate measurements and the nominal value. This difference (positive or negative) may be expressed in the units in which the quantity is measured; (3) Precision—is a qualitative term.

It is the ability of the instrument to provide similar responses (measurements).

Precision is often referred to as repeatability and/or reproducibility; and last (4) Imprecision—is the quantitative assessment of the random dispersion of a set of replicate measurements, such as standard deviation or coefficients of variation” (Street, 2006).

The Four Quadrant Model (see Figure 2) is a conceptualization of what is meant by accuracy and precision as first used by Anachem Ltd. It is based on the ISO/EN 8655 science standards and how these same standards can be graphically applied to explain a standards-based assessment such as TAKS. As the four quadrant model is examined, obviously the preferred quadrant is the one where results are Accurate and Precise, resulting in the bull’s eye being hit. However, the other variations include Neither Precise nor Accurate, Accurate but Not Precise, and Precise but Not Accurate. As the model illustrates, in the Neither Precise nor Accurate quadrant, results are random and no pattern has been established. In the quadrant Accurate but Not Precise, results are certainly not clustered, but when you average the various points, you achieve a score that represents close proximity to the center.

The desired value is error-free student responses. This requires both accuracy

and precision. A response is only accurate to the degree that it matches the correct response. Precision, on the other hand, is concerned with the closeness of student responses to each item. In the Precise but Not Accurate quadrant, results are clustered together, but the various points within the cluster do not hit the intended mark.

This illustrates uncertainty and variation that jeopardizes results. So, it is essential to take all steps necessary to maximize accuracy and precision and reduce the level of uncertainty that students have. This is done by searching for the root causes of this uncertainty and confusion and correcting the delivery.

Figure 2

The value of this graphic model is that teachers and instructional leaders can use it as a diagnostic and process improvement tool. It compares student responses found by using an item analysis report to isolate probable root causes for the results. Once this is done, it leads the professional to examine the curriculum delivery process using the accuracy and precision construct so that process corrections can be made. Once this practice is perfected over time, accuracy and precision become the hallmark of excellence within the teaching and learning process.

In essence, it expands data disaggregation to studying the design and delivery of

instructional leaders learn to truly become consumers of data, which expands to include process data as well as student assessment data.

In close examination of Figure 3, when results are random and there is no pattern of responses, the notion of alphabet soup becomes a mental model. The probable cause of such data is that curriculum is being ignored and data are really not used to improve alignment within the delivery system. When results show that no major gains are seen and that students do better on targeted objectives but non-targeted objectives decline, then our mental model is a “see-saw.” Probable cause of this data set is that there is a narrow focus on targeted objectives, with a failure to adequately teach all the standards, or covering curricular objectives at a surface level only. The depth of understanding is weak and the utilization of data shows a lack of understanding on how to apply data to adjust classroom instructional practice to achieve student improvement, thus producing a “see-saw” effect. When results show improvement on targeted objectives but minimal or no improvement on others, and no major gains occur, our mental model represents a bridge that is not connected. In other words, classroom curriculum so that professionals own the instruction is not being connected to the results and recognize reasons the system assessment situation. Fenwick English produced the results. Thus, teachers and would say that “pedagogical parallelism

The intent of the author was to take the scientific principles presented by Anachem Ltd., embed them in the Four Quadrant Model, and develop a tool that educators could use to locate the root cause of Figure 3 the variations in assessment scores. Once educators understand the random variation or lack of precision and accuracy, then corrective actions within the teaching and learning process can be taken.

In Figure 3, the concepts of accuracy and precision have been built upon to include two primary factors: (1) how scores appear on an item analysis sheet, and (2) probable cause within the curriculum delivery process. A variety of icons have been used to actually conceptualize the essence of each quadrant.

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or deep alignment� is weak or nonexistent. Clearly, this is an alignment issue. In all probability, there are misconceptions about objectives and the assessment standards on the part of teachers. The most frequent issue is that student work and practice are not consistent with the cognitive requirements for student success on the assessments. In all of these situations, the alignment of the delivery of curriculum must contain all aspects of the

testing requirements if students are to be adequately prepared to be successful on high-stakes assessments.

In conclusion, tools such as the Four Quadrant Model (see Figures 2 and 3) can help teachers begin to analyze not only student assessment data but also what they need to do to make corrections and connections within the teaching and learning process.This will begin to bridge

the gap that currently exists between the written, tested, and taught curriculum so that random variation is controlled at the delivery point by teachers who are the primary decision makers in the alignment process. It will also elevate the professionalism of teachers, because true responsibility and accountability for delivery of an aligned curriculum is accomplished as teachers engage in perfecting lessons around precision and accuracy. î ‘

Dr. Elizabeth Clark is the chief academic officer at Katy ISD.

Bibliography English, F. W. (2000). Deciding What to Teach and Test. Thousands Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

English, F. W. and Steffy, Betty E. (2001). Deep Curriculum Alignment: Creating a Level Playing Field for All Children on High-Stakes Tests of Educational Accountability. Lanham, Maryland, and London, England: Scare Crow Education.

Street, Charles (2006). Pipetting Accuracy and Precision Models. Luton, Bedfordshire, United Kingdom: Anachem Ltd., Anachem House.

30

INSIGHT

Exploring

Programmatic Patterns

by Sandra Harris, Stacey Edmonson, and Julie Combs We attended a meeting of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) in 2007 where it was reported that from 2000 to 2004 188,000 additional students enrolled in Texas four-year colleges and universities (THECB, n.d.). This was good news! The goal set in 2000 by the THECB in Closing the Gaps was to enroll approximately 500,000 additional students in Texas institutions of higher education by 2015 (http://www.thecb.state.tx.us/reports/ PDF/0379.PDF), raising the higher education participation rate from 5.0 percent of the Texas population to 5.7 percent. Based on the 2000–04 increase, it’s conceivable that 752,000 additional students could enroll in higher education by 2015!

However, when we looked at other related questions, some concerns were raised. How did Texas compare with other states? What if a population of 7th graders was followed? What about economically disadvantaged students? Was there a trend among ethnicities? These questions led to the following facts: • Compared to other states, Texas sent fewer students to higher education.

• When following 255,000 Texas public school 7th graders from 1992, only 82 percent were still in school in the 9th grade and only 58 percent graduated. While 45 percent of these 7th graders entered higher education, only 13 percent graduated with a college degree.

• Of the students who enrolled in higher education in Texas, economically disadvantaged students of all ethnicities (except Asian) were fewer in number. Of the 188,000 increase, 289.9 percent of the white target was met, yet only 70.1 percent of the Hispanic target was reached.

Although the numbers indicated that Texas had enrolled more students than ever before, as the data were analyzed it became evident there was still much work to be done. If educators had asked only the one question: How many students were enrolled in a four-year college during 2000–2004?—they would have had a false sense of success. Educators who are not sensitive to the achievement gap could look at the reported numbers of new college students and rejoice that Texas was already far ahead of projections. But, because of the concern about the different experiences of diverse groups of students, other questions had to be asked that looked at programmatic experiences of various demographic groups of students. In order to examine the ongoing processes of school improvement, it is critical to explore programmatic patterns.

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Achievement Gap The federal government has been documenting data to measure the achievement gap between majority and minority learners since 1969, according to Nelson, Palonsky, and McCarthy (2007). In fact, the central aim of NCLB was to close the achievement gap. Yet, according to Nelson and colleagues, although there have been gains in African-American academic achievement, the achievement gap between majority and minority learners continues to widen in some states.

Darling-Hammond (2007) reported that on national assessments in reading, writing, mathematics, and science, black students’ performance lags behind that of white students. In fact, black students’ performance during the 1970s and 1980s has reversed since 1988, with scores declining for 13- and 17-year-olds since that time. In 2002, the average black or Hispanic 12th grader read at the level of the average white 8th grader (National Center for Education Statistics [NCES], 2005).

Effects of poverty are reflected in the achievement gap. For all groups of students except white students, racially segregated schools (which are increasing in the U.S.) generally have high concentrations of poverty (Orfield, 2001). According to Orfield and Yun (1999), African-American and Hispanic students, with limited English speaking abilities, were more likely to live in urban areas where schools tended to be overcrowded with limited resources compared to majority white suburban school districts.

Rubinstein-Avila (2006) argued that most school districts were unprepared to handle the population growth of limited English-speaking students.

In Texas, for example, the state report card, the Academic Excellence Indicator System (AEIS), shows a learning gap between the white students and the students who 32

INSIGHT

make up the other groups in the report.

The learning gap is the disparity found by subtracting the minority percentage of passing from the majority percentage of passing a given test (“School Matters,” 2006). In Texas, minority students now represent the majority of students but are underperforming their white counterparts. In 2004–05, white students in Texas scored a 91 percent passing rate in reading while Hispanics scored 77 percent and African-American students scored 76 percent.The disparity is even worse in math and science where white students scored 84 percent in math and 81 percent in science while African-American students scored 57 percent in math and 49 percent in science (TEA, 2005a). Of course, what is happening in Texas is just an example. The same scenario is occurring in other areas. For example, according to Balona (2009), at a middle school in Orlando, Florida, 93 percent of the students who take high school geometry and 77 percent who take Earth-Space science are white. Meanwhile, 29 percent of all students at this middle school are white.

What Biases Are Part of Our Schools?

In order to promote a more just and equitable understanding of educational leadership, today’s administrators must examine the work with a vision for their schools that resonates with practices reflecting a moral obligation to educate all students with respect, compassion, and wisdom.

Cultural socialization begins in our homes where we are first taught the norms, beliefs, and values of our parents or those who raise us. By the time children come to school they have already been enculturated into certain behaviors, values, and practices. As educators, it is not for us to devalue a child’s culture, yet often there is a source of conflict in programmatic patterns embedded in our school cultures.

For example, textbooks are limited in their use of people of color. As we tell America’s story of settling the West, we rarely present Native Americans with a full acknowledgement of their contributions to an understanding of ecology.

High school students are still reading Shakespeare, but rarely reading Gabriel García Márquez.We tell students to “look at me when I talk to you” even though their culture may consider this inappropriate. We look to football players as the school heroes, rather than the academically gifted. Femininity is often only defined by the cheerleaders. Middle school girls want to be scientists, but by the 10th grade they quit taking the advanced sciences. Because of these trends, we must investigate institutional or programmatic biases within our schools.

How Do Biases Effect Inquiry?

It is imperative for culturally responsive educators and leaders of today to explore programmatic patterns and intentionally look for the existence of bias within our school programs and policies. Asking questions that go deeper than reported statistics will lead us to ask questions, such as why Hispanic and black students are not enrolling at the same rate as white, middle class students. Then our inquiry can begin to ask new questions, such as what can we do to recruit and retain a diverse teacher population? What can we do to ensure academic success for a diverse student population? It is unlikely that we would ask these questions if our eyes had not been opened to existing biases within our institutions.

Examination That Explores Diversity One way to examine the work we do for diversity is to conduct an equity audit.

An equity audit allows school leaders to examine school programs for equity in a variety of ways. For example, to examine programs for equity variables might

include special education, gifted and talented education, bilingual education, student discipline, and extracurricular participation. To examine achievement equity, variables might include such items as state achievement test results, benchmark testing, dropout rates, high school graduation tracks, and the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT). Scheurich and Skrla (2003) suggested a simple process for educational leaders to follow to address

inequities in schools and districts. These steps are: 1. Select an area for examination and disaggregate data collaboratively 2. Analyze to explore why the pattern of inequity is occurring 3. Collaboratively devise an appropriate solution 4. Implement the solution 5. Monitor the results (pp. 91–92)

Equity auditors disaggregate data according to race, socioeconomics, and gender in order to identify inequities within a school system.

Equity audits are user-friendly in that generally data are already collected and readily available to the educator. Table 1 provides examples of equity audits that have been conducted by students in our doctoral classes. Table 1 also briefly describes the findings and recommendations that were made based on these findings.

Table 1: Equity Audits Conducted

Problem Investigated – Data Collection Source

Findings

Recommendations

GT classes and ethnicity at 1 high school – TAKS test

80% population minority; only 25% of GT students were minority

Career and Technical Education (CATE) by gender in 2 districts – AEIS Placement of special education students in alternative discipline settings – AEIS 8th grade math and reading scores by discipline referrals and attendance – AEIS

72% in nontraditional CATE for females were male; 75% in CATE course for males were female Significant placements of special education students in alternative settings were found Suggested that reading and math scores were lower when attendance and discipline referrals were greater

AP programs and ethnicity in 2 high schools – AEIS

Inequitable number of minority students as compared to population

Review school policies

Representation of special education students by ethnicity in 1 district – AEIS

10% of population was African American; 25% of special education were African American

Create action plan

5th grade science TAKS scores by gender – 4 districts – AEIS

Girls’ scores lower in rural and suburban than boys’

Increase focus on science for girls

Academic achievement on state test by student and teacher ethnicity – 3 districts – AEIS

As number of minority teachers increased, achievement gap decreased

Recruit more minority teachers

Encourage self-referral Train educators to explain benefits to all students Identify faculty in need of assistance; revise policies Target tutorials to students and teachers; provide parent training

Note: AEIS – Academic Excellence Indicator System – Texas Report Card

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All of these audits were conducted by practicing superintendents, principals, and teachers who were concerned about examining their work for programmatic patterns. In every case, when these educators looked more closely at their programs or policies, their findings identified inequities that led them to make recommendations to their schools or districts.

Likewise, in every case, these recommendations when implemented resulted in greater programmatic equity at these schools.

Making Programmatic Reflection Happen The following list provides a sample of questions for educators to investigate to examine bias within Texas schools: • In what ways is there gender stereotyping at our school?

• What do we do to recruit men and women teachers equally?

• Do we enforce policies regarding sexual harassment?

• Does our school demonstrate racial or ethnic bias?

• Does our staff reflect the demographics of the student body?

• In what ways do we honor the languages and cultures of the diverse populations in our school?

• Do we provide training to staff to help them advocate for students from families of poverty?

• What groups are not represented in the mainstream of our school?

• What does our school do to include all groups?

• How can we involve all students in school activities?

• How invitational is our school to all parents?

• Am I aware of stereotyping in educator conversations?

As educators we are challenged to involve school boards, administrators, faculty, and parent partner groups in an effort to improve schools. When we involve the school’s larger community to ask deep questions about our institutions that identify programmatic bias, we make progress in closing the achievement gap. 

Dr. Sandra Harris is director of the Center for Doctoral Studies in Educational Leadership at Lamar University in Beaumont; and Dr. Stacey Edmonson is director of the Center for Research and Doctoral Studies in Educational Leadership and Dr. Julie Combs is an assistant professor at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville.

Note: This article is a revision of a chapter in the authors’ forthcoming book From Analysis to Action: Examining the Work to Improve Schools, published by Eye on Education.

References Balona, D. (2009). Higher learning: More middle-schoolers leapfrog into advanced classes—but are minorities being left behind? Retrieved on February, 26, 2009, from orlandosentinel.com/news/education/orl-middle1509feb15,0,7368875.story.

Darling-Hammond, L. (2007). The flat earth and education: How America’s commitment to equity will determine our future.

Educational Researcher, 36(8), 318–334.

National Center for Education Statistics. (2005). NAEP trends. U.S. Department of Education, National Assessment of Educational Progress. Retrieved August 10, 2007, from http://nces.ed.gov.

Nelson, J., Palonsky, S., & McCarthy, M. (2007). Critical issues in education: Dialogues and dialectics. Boston: McGraw-Hill.

Orfield, G. (2001). Schools more separate: Consequences of a decade of resegregation. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University, Civil Rights Project.

Orfield, G., & Yun, J. T., (1999). Resegregation in American schools. Civil Rights Project Report. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University.

Scheurich, J. J., & Skrla, L. (2003). Leadership for equity and excellence. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

School Matters. (2006). Narrowing the achievement gap: Schools in Texas that are making significant progress, 2003–04 to 2004–05.

Washington, DC: Standard’s and Poor’s McGraw-Hill.

Texas Education Agency. (2005a). Academic excellence indicator system. Retrieved on May 31, 2006, from http://www.tea.state. tx.us/perfreort/aeis/index.html.

The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. (n.d.). Closing the gaps. Retrieved on February 16, 2009, from http://www. thecb.state.tx.us/reports/PDF/0379.PDF.

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TSTA Commissions Statewide Poll on Education Issues Despite a tough economy, a Texas voter survey commissioned by the Texas State Teachers Association shows large majorities of voters continue to support increased financial investment in public education—and a growing majority is worried about using state standardized tests to decide whether a student passes a course.

Republican pollster Ed Goeas of The Tarrance Group and Democratic pollster Paul Harstad of Harstad Strategic Research conducted an extensive poll of 815 Texas voters on education issues during the week of January 26–29. Several of the poll’s key findings deal directly with the central issues of how Texas funds its public schools.

TSTA released the results on February 11.

The statewide survey confirms that large bipartisan majorities of voters consistently believe the state is not investing enough in public education or teacher pay, and think Texas is at serious risk of over-emphasizing the role of state standardized testing.

• Despite a declining national and state economy, a majority of Texas voters still maintain that too little is being spent on education. A 60% majority of voters believe the state government is spending too little on education versus 10% who say too much and 24% who say the right amount. This perception of underinvestment is held by majorities of Republicans, Independents, and Democrats, and it is essentially unchanged from the view held throughout our polling from 2003 through 2007.

Simply put, Texans—Republicans, Democrats, and Independents alike—know that in today’s global economy, education is a wise investment that will not crash in tough times.

—TSTA President Rita C. Haecker • Sixty-three percent (63%) of Texans think state funding for public schools should be increased. By contrast, just 6% believe state funding for schools should be decreased, and 27% say it should be kept at the same level. This majority support for increasing state spending on schools is held by 54% of Republicans, 62% of Independents, and 76% of Democrats.

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• If additional state money is provided for teacher pay raises, 57% of voters prefer a pay raise for all teachers to attract and retain better teachers, versus 35% who favor a pay • Furthermore, 71% of voters—with • Fully two-thirds of voters (66%) raise targeted to those teachers whose say that pay for Texas public school no partisan bias (Republicans 69%, students show improvement on state teachers falls short of what it Independents 71%, and Democrats standardized test scores. This prefershould be compared to 2% who be76%)—believe the state legislature ence for an across-the-board pay raise lieve teacher pay is excessive and 25% has more work to do to properly is shared nearly alike by Republicans who consider it about right. This supfund public schools, versus 20% who (by 56% to 35%) and Democrats (by port for higher teacher pay is virtually say it has sufficiently addressed the is62% to 31%).This preference is identinon-partisan, since it is shared by 62% sue. Although those who are saying cal to that measured in our 2007 and of Republicans, 65% of Independents, the Legislature must do more have de2006 surveys. and 74% of Democrats. clined from 81% two years ago to 71% now, the current 7-to-2 sentiment re Although 66% of voters say that teach- • Not surprisingly, public school mains overwhelmingly lopsided. teachers continue to be held in high er pay falls short, this percentage is esteem by the electorate, with 77% slightly lower than the cumulative avThis statewide voter survey underscores voicing positive feelings toward teacherage of 70% considering teacher pay the widespread perception that teacher ers and just 10% negative. inadequate from 2003 through 2007.

Despite the economic anxiety of vot- pay is inadequate and a preference for an ers, those who support increasing the across-the-board teacher pay raise over a funding of schools remain over 60%. targeted pay hike.

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Several questions about state standardized Importantly, the proportion of voters who think there is too much emphasis testing reveal a growing unease about on state testing has grown from 56% overemphasis on state testing of students three years ago to 64% now—to the and a pronounced resistance to standardpoint where today twice as many hold ized tests being a major factor in deterthis critical view as say there is the mining whether a student passes a course. right amount or not enough emphasis These verdicts on state testing are nonon state testing. partisan judgments shared by Republicans and Democrats alike.

• In a revealing new finding, only 18% of Texans believe the state test • Nearly a two-thirds majority of should be the only factor or a maTexans think there is too much emjor factor in determining whether phasis (64%) in their community on a student passes a course. Virtually state testing, compared to 23% who as many (16%) take the opposite view think there is the right amount of that the state test should not be considemphasis and 9% who say not enough ered at all in passing. But 63% instead emphasis.

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opt for this view among the spectrum of four choices given: “The state test should be included in determining if a student passes a course—but should not be more important than the work done during the school year.”

TSTA President Rita C. Haecker stated that, “On all of these key issues, a majority of Republicans, Democrats, and Independents agree that we can and must do better. We are encouraged that legislators are starting to hear that message.We hope they will develop a school funding solution worthy of our students, teachers, and taxpayers.” 

The TSTA-commissioned poll was conducted

by Ed Goeas of The Tarrance Group, a national Republican polling firm; and Paul Harstad of Harstad Strategic Research Inc., a national Democratic polling firm.

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Legal Insights The Superintendent Evaluation The success of any school district in fulfilling its mission to educate children depends on the ability of the superintendent and board of trustees to jointly establish and attain the goals and objectives of the district. The superintendent and the board must operate as a team in establishing the goals and objectives of the district.

An integral part of that teamwork is the recognition of the superintendent’s role as chief executive officer of the district.

See Tex.Educ.Code §11.201(a). Under state law, the superintendent has broad responsibilities and ultimate accountability for all district operations. See Tex. Educ.Code §11.201(d).

An effective means of providing focus and direction to the district leadership team is a well-conceptualized and well-developed evaluation process. A well-designed evaluation process for a superintendent creates ongoing opportunities for the superintendent and board to discuss student performance and clarify goals and expectations for the district. Under Texas law, a school district’s board of trustees is required to conduct an annual written evaluation of the superintendent’s performance. Tex.Educ.Code §21.354(c). Pursuant to section 21.345(d) of the Texas Education Code, “funds of a school district may not be used to pay an administrator who has not been appraised under

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this section in the preceding 15 months.”

Tex.Educ.Code §21.345(d). The superintendent’s evaluation process, including the criteria for evaluation, the timeline, and the instrument, must be conducted through the use of a written evaluation instrument. The evaluation instrument should be cooperatively developed and reviewed in advance of the evaluation so that the district, the board, and the superintendent can prepare for and benefit from the evaluation process. The Texas Administrative Code establishes minimum criteria for the evaluation process.

19 Tex.Admin.Code §150.1022. Those criteria, called “domains and descriptors,” are: • • • • • • • • • •

superintendent’s formal evaluation or it may develop an alternative process and performance criteria in accordance with section 21.354 of the Texas Education Code. Id.; See also Tex.Educ.Code §21.354(c). However, whether the district chooses to use the commissioner-recommended appraisal process or develops its own, the superintendent’s formal evaluation should mirror the goals, objectives, and expectations of the district.

The domains and descriptors used in a specific district’s formal appraisal will typically be found in its board policy BJCD (EXHIBIT). The Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) has promulgated a master evaluation instrument that is used by many districts in Texas. It Instructional management is an excellent resource and may be found School or organization morale School or organization improvement on the TASB Web site (www.tasb.org). By policy, the board should adopt procedures Personnel management Management of administrative, fiscal, outlining the superintendent’s evaluation cycle.This article discusses the five phases and facilities functions of the superintendent’s annual evaluaStudent management tion cycle and the important elements School or community relations Professional growth and development necessary for the success of each phase in Academic excellence indicators and building and conducting the superintendent’s evaluation process. campus performance objectives School board relations Phase 1: May, June, and July—Annual district may utilize either the com- Conference to Set Goals and Expectations

A missioner-recommended appraisal process and performance criteria for its

The superintendent and the board are required to annually participate together

in a team-building session. 19 Tex.Admin.Code §61.1(b)(2). The purpose of this session is to enhance the effectiveness of the superintendent and the board in working together toward the common purpose of the well-being of the children in their district. Id. This form of training also provides for the assessment and identification of continuing education needs for both superintendent and the board. Id; See also 19 Tex.Admin.

Code §150.1022. Successful board/superintendent teams elect to conduct the team-building training in conjunction with the annual conference to set goals and objectives for the district and the superintendent. The coordination of these activities provides the opportunity for the development of shared goals of the superintendent and the board for the district. The superintendent and the board are required to develop and identify the responsibilities to be carried out by the superintendent/board team. See Tex. Educ.Code §11.201(d)(14).

If the evaluation process is an open, results-based format, a superintendent and board action plan should be developed and prepared utilizing, at least in part, those performance domains and descriptors mandated by Texas law. See, e.g., 19 Tex.Admin.Code §150.1021. The action plan should include some agreed-upon prioritization of goals and objectives for the district and superintendent, with the delineation of maintenance and/or modifications of current goals and any addition of new goals and objectives. Along with the development of the action plan, as with any kind of plan development, it is critical that consideration be given to the resources necessary for the accomplishment of the specified strategies for meeting the goals and objectives for the district.

and expectations are explicit and fully understood by all members of the board and by the superintendent. Annually, an examination should be conducted of the district’s current qualifications and duties for the superintendent. A district’s qualifications and duties for the superintendent are typically found in the district’s board policies BJA (LEGAL) and BJA (LOCAL). In connection with this process, the qualifications and duties in BJA (LEGAL) and BJA (LOCAL) should be reviewed jointly by the board and superintendent at least annually to determine whether they meet the board’s current expectations for the superintendent. If not, these board policies should be revised so that there is a clear understanding of the superintendent’s duties by both the board and the superintendent.

Another critical component in this phase of the evaluation cycle is the delineation of roles and expectations. In an effective evaluation process, performance standards

At the same time, an examination should be conducted of the current district improvement plan, and the previously utilized superintendent evaluation process

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and appraisal instrument. Following a comprehensive examination of these critical aspects of the evaluation process and the analysis of district student performance indicators, written goals and objectives should be developed collaboratively by the board and superintendent for the district and the superintendent.

The use of a trained and experienced facilitator is recommended for both the team-building training and the planning and development of the superintendent’s evaluation process for superintendent evaluation. Planning should include consideration of the desired outcomes and the tools, activities, and processes that will be used to facilitate the active involvement of the superintendent and the members of the board.

Phase 2: August and September—Modify and Adopt Campus and District Plans Successful superintendents enhance the instructional effectiveness of a school

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district through a concerted focus on student performance and on the continual improvement of curriculum and instruction. The development and implementation of systems designed to formatively assess district curriculum and instruction are critical to the improvement process.

Superintendents should focus on curriculum and instruction through the collaborative development, implementation, and support of districtwide goals and the frequent articulation and documentation of these goals. The information in the district’s annual report describing the educational performance of the district is required by law to be a primary consideration in evaluating the superintendent.

See Tex.Educ.Code §39.054.

Phase 3: October and November— Conduct Formative Evaluation Formative evaluation is an ongoing process of collecting documentation related to the goals and objectives for the district and superintendent, and expectations

previously established by the board and superintendent. Periodically, the board and the superintendent should review information collected and compiled from formative evaluation processes, and the board should provide feedback to the superintendent. It is recommended that the board president and the superintendent compile the information gathered from formative processes into a single report to be shared with all board members. This is not the time to draw final conclusions regarding the superintendent’s evaluation or actions on the superintendent’s contract. The primary purpose of this informal conference is to check progress, problem solve, and redefine implementation of the goals and objectives for the district and superintendent as necessary.

In the event the board modifies the evaluation instrument, format, and/or procedure and such modifications require new or different goals, objectives, and expectations, the superintendent should

be given a reasonable amount of time to demonstrate performance prior to evaluation. This is an important and necessary safeguard that should be negotiated into the superintendent’s contract.

district will contain specific provisions setting forth the collaborative process between the board and the superintendent in designing the evaluation instrument and the formal evaluation. Most superintendents’ contracts in Texas contain these specific provisions.

the district. If the board fails to recognize this important point, the success of the formal evaluation is likely to be seriously compromised.

The formal evaluation should be conducted in a collaborative manner among all members of the board. The board The superintendent must have the au- should avoid any use of averages in comIt is difficult for board members to re- thority to perform the duties required pleting the evaluation. Texas law provides call or be aware of all aspects of the su- of the superintendent. The superinten- no authority allowing the board to avperintendent’s performance throughout dent’s duties, as set forth in Tex.Educ. erage scores on the instrument used for the year. It is critical, therefore, that an Code §11.201(d), in board policies BJA the superintendent’s evaluation. Conseaccountability report be prepared by (LEGAL) and BJA (LOCAL), and in the quently, strategies should be utilized by the superintendent and presented to the superintendent’s contract, are extensive. the board president to generate an evaluboard by the superintendent prior to the The members of the board and partic- ation instrument that reflects a consencompletion of the superintendent evalu- ularly new board members must be re- sus of the entire board. The board should ation process so that the superintendent minded annually of the explicit roles and vote on each component of the superhas the opportunity to share performance responsibilities of the superintendent to intendent’s evaluation with the majordata for each criterion in the superinten- lead and manage operations of the dis- ity vote of the board prevailing on each dent’s evaluation process with the board. trict versus the board’s role to set policy component. The final evaluation should This should be a very comprehensive re- and provide the resources for the district reflect the opinion of the majority of the port that details from the superintendent’s to be successful. If the board is to reason- board. No individual board member’s perspective the status of the district and ably hold the superintendent account- comments should be part of the evaluathe superintendent reaching their respec- able for the outcome of goals, objectives, tion unless, by a majority vote, the board tive goals and objectives, and, if not, why and expectations for the district, the determines that the comments should be not and when. Following this presenta- board must provide the superintendent included in the evaluation. tion, board members should be given the latitude and authority, as required by time to ask for clarification concerning statute, policy, and the superintendent’s Complete agreement between the board any aspect of the information shared in contract, to manage the district and pro- and the superintendent regarding evaluthe superintendent’s report. vide the superintendent and the district ation results is preferable; however, disthe appropriate resources to realistically agreements may occur. Should a disagreeIt is imperative to the district’s improve- meet the goals, objectives, and expecta- ment exist between the superintendent ment that the superintendent be fully tions set by the board for the district and and the board on the results of the evaluation, the superintendent is entitled by empowered by the board to make chang- the superintendent. law to submit a written response to the es and to carry out strategies designed jointly by the superintendent and the The board and the superintendent are final appraisal to be attached to the final board to achieve the district’s goals, ob- jointly responsible for achieving results. evaluation in the superintendent’s perjectives, and expectations. The superin- An assessment of the extent to which the sonnel file. Tex. Educ.Code, §21.352. tendent should be and is accountable for board fulfilled its roles and responsibilithe district achieving its goals, objectives, ties will be necessary to render a com- A superintendent is strongly encouraged and expectations. Therefore, an important plete and accurate conclusion about the to use this written response for purposes of informing the board of any failure(s) to task in improving the evaluation process is district’s performance. follow state law, board policy(ies), provito assess the statutory and contractual authority the superintendent actually has to The superintendent is the chief executive sions of the superintendent’s contract, or control the resources necessary to do so. officer for the district. See Tex.Educ.Code the requirements of the evaluation process §11.201(a). As a result, the formal evalua- adopted by the board. Furthermore, the A carefully drafted employment contract tion of the superintendent should mirror written response is an opportunity for the between the superintendent and the the goals, objectives, and expectations of superintendent to object to comments or Phase 4: December and January—Annual Evaluation Conference for Actions on Superintendent’s Contract

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should also serve as a guide for campus and district planning for the next school year. In addition, results of the formative evaluation should be used in the following year’s Phase I of the evaluation cycle to deThe superintendent’s written response to velop revisions to existing goals and objecthe evaluation should include a formal tives for the district and superintendent. request for the board to consider modifying the evaluation where appropriate, Continual improvement and growth and, if the evaluation is not modified, through constructive input from the the written response should be attached board is critical for the superintendent to to the evaluation in the superintendent’s develop and have the skills and knowlpersonnel file. Any written response or edge necessary to effectively lead today’s rebuttal must be submitted within ten schools. Educational organizations are (10) working days of receiving a writ- significantly more complex than ever beten observation summary, a written sum- fore. The superintendent of the 21st cenmative annual evaluation report, or any tury must be able to effectively respond other written documentation associated to a diverse constituency; highly charged with the superintendent’s evaluation. 19 political issues; and increasing standards Tex.Admin.Code §150.1005. At the dis- for students, teachers, and district percretion of the board, the time to respond formance among other issues. The most may be extended to fifteen (15) working effective school leaders are those individuals who continually strive to improve days. Id. their knowledge and understanding of Phase 5: February, March, and April— the roles and responsibilities of the board Conduct Formative Evaluation and superintendent and improvement of Reports generated during this final phase their district. of the evaluation cycle should be utilized to determine changes necessary in the Conclusion district’s programs and practices during The superintendent evaluation is unique the last few months of the school year. in comparison to how other professional Part of the evaluation cycle should be educators are evaluated. The superintenused in developing the budget for the dent’s evaluation can only be effective if next school year. The evaluative reports board members and the superintendent ratings that are not factually based or are based on misinformation regarding the superintendent’s and/or the district’s performance.

have knowledge and understanding of the legal, practical, and political implications of the evaluation process. In that regard, the most effective evaluation processes are those that are cooperatively developed and implemented by the board and superintendent in advance of the evaluation so that the district, the board, and the superintendent can prepare for and benefit from the evaluation process. The superintendent’s contract and district policies should detail the superintendent evaluation process with a foundational requirement for collaboration between the board and the superintendent in designing an evaluation process that clearly communicates in advance the board’s goals, objectives, and expectations for the district and the superintendent.  This article is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for legal advice. Specific questions and circumstances regarding the issues addressed in this article should be individually discussed with legal counsel.

Neal W. Adams Richard E. Hill Jerry D. Bullard Adams, Lynch & Loftin, P.C. General Counsel, Texas Association of School Administrators

TASA Summer Conference on Education June 28–30, 2009 • Renaissance Austin Hotel TASA’s governmental relations team will share highlights of the 81st Legislative Session.

Don’t miss it!!

Register online at www.TASAnet.org 44

INSIGHT

New Study Finds School Budgets for 2009–10 Take a Hit in Response to Economic Downturn March 25, 2009

National Survey Reveals Significant School Budget Cuts Despite Stimulus Funding for Education ARLINGTON, Va. – Schools across the nation are planning significant cuts in their 2009–10 school year budgets, in spite of some $100 billion in education funding included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, according to a new study from the American Association of School Administrators. The study, “Looking Back, Looking Forward: How the Economic Downturn Continues to Impact School Districts,” is based on a survey of school administrators conducted in February and March 2009.

the downturn reached across districts, regardless of geographic area, district type (rural, suburban or urban) or district size.

Response to the Economic Downturn The study asked what actions districts have taken in response to the economic downturn for the 2009–10 school year compared to the 2008–09 school year.

While budgets for 2008–09 were passed before the current economic crisis, 2009–10 budgets are being developed in the midst of significant state budget shortfalls. As a result, districts are planning deeper cuts for 2009–10, including cuts in areas that directly impact student achievement, including increasing class size, reducing academic offerings and eliminating teaching positions.

“The fact that schools are planning significant budget cuts for the 2009–10 school year underscores just how bad the economic situation is nationwide,” said Randy Collins, AASA president and superintendent in Waterford, Conn. “Although the federal stimulus commits an unprecedented amount of funding to public schools, it does not fill all the holes • The percentage of districts increasing districts are facing in their budgets. Furclass size more than tripled from 13 thermore, the education funds lack sufpercent in 2008–09 to 44 percent in ficient flexibility to allow for maximum 2009–10. use by local school districts.”

• The percentage of districts laying off According to the new study, the impact personnel quadrupled from 11 perof the economic downturn on schools is cent in 2008–09 to 44 percent in widespread and has worsened over the past 2009–10. six months. Seventy-five percent of administrators who responded to the survey • The percentage of districts cutting described their districts as “inadequately academic programs (such as academfunded.” That percentage has increased ic intervention and Saturday classes) eight points since October 2008, when more than tripled from 7 percent in 67 percent of administrators described 2008–09 to 22 percent in 2009–10. their districts as “inadequately funded” in the “AASA Study of the Impact of the • The percentage of districts cutting exEconomic Downturn.” In both studies, tracurricular activities almost tripled

from 10 percent in 2008–09 to 28 percent in 2009–10.

• The percentage of districts deferring maintenance increased from 21 percent in 2008–09 to 33 percent in 2009–10.

Stimulus Funds This survey was launched after the passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, a stimulus measure that provides some $100 billion in funding to help cash-strapped school districts avoid program cuts, prevent teacher layoffs, invest in school modernization and increase funding for Title I, special education and other important programs for children nationwide. AASA asked administrators to indicate and rank eligible uses for the stimulus funding they would be receiving. Exclusive of staff retention, which is currently under review because of issues concerning “supplement” and “supplant,” the top five “high priority” uses identified were: • classroom technology (57 percent) • school modernization/repair (54 percent) • safety/security measures (40 percent) • connectivity (39 percent) • professional development (37 percent) “Although the stimulus funds will help protect American children from devastating program and staffing cuts, students and schools are still vulnerable,” said Dan Domenech, executive director of AASA.

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“The stimulus funds could help districts retain and acquire essential personnel, services and equipment, but many of these expenditures may simply represent the return of resources and capacities the schools had cut in the early stages of the recession.

a three-week period in February and March 2009. AASA distributed the survey to school administrators via an email invitation and a link on the AASA homepage. While the sample of respondents was not random or scientific, the respondents represented all regions of the country and districts and communities of all types and sizes.

“Congress and the U.S. Department of Education must work to ensure schools have the resources they need in these Previous Studies challenging times to provide critical services, increase student achievement, and This study is the fourth in a series of studfuel economic recovery and growth,” ies conducted by AASA on the impact of Domenech added. the economic downturn on schools. The previous studies, available at www.aasa. org/policy/econstudies, are: About the Survey A total of 859 school administrators from 48 different states completed the “Looking Back, Looking Forward” survey over

• AASA Impact of the Economic Downturn on School Jobs Snapshot Survey (Jan. 16, 2009)

• AASA Opportunity for Federal Education Funding Survey (Dec. 15, 2008) • AASA Study of the Impact of the Economic Downturn on Schools (Nov. 12, 2008)

About AASA The American Association of School Administrators, founded in 1865, is the professional organization for more than 13,000 educational leaders across the United States. AASA’s mission is to support and develop effective school system leaders who are dedicated to the highest quality public education for all children.

For more information, visit www.aasa.org.

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Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Silver Bronze

Indeco Sales

TASA Corporate Partners 2008–09 TASA is grateful to our corporate partners for their support

PBK Scholastic Scientific Learning TCPN The Princeton Review Wireless Generation GOld Health Matters LifeTrack Renaissance Learning

Each level of the Corporate Partner Program is designed to offer our partners quality exposure to association members. Partners at the President’s Circle, Platinum, and Gold levels may customize special events and opportunities.

Silver Dannon Institute Horace Mann Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson, LLP SureScore

TASA recognizes our President’s Circle Partners, featured on pages 48–51.

Apple

Taylor Balfour TCG Consulting Learning Together Bronze Agile Mind Alton Lynch Associates

Pearson

Cambridge Strategic Services

Penn Foster

Laying the Foundation

SHW Group

LenSec

First Southwest Company Learning Through Sports Sodexo

Tango Software

The College Board VALIC Vantage Learning

SPRING 2009

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TASA President’s Circle Showcase n 2009

future.

envisioning the future.

You envision a strong academic future for your students and you work hard to ensure they reach their full potential. We want to partner with you in that process as we recognize what children experience today will directly impact their tomorrow.

At SHW Group, we share your passion for improving educational systems.

That’s why we are sponsoring the Visioning Institute — a task force of education leaders who have looked into the future and who are proactively looking at ways to transform our schools to meet the academic demands of a new era, where learning is high tech and teaching is no longer confined by time and space.

As your partner, we offer you our foresight, knowledge and expertise as, together, we create innovative learning environments that will help your students achieve future success in a rapidly changing, digitally connected world.

Dallas-Ft Worth | Austin | Houston | San Antonio | Detroit | Washington DC | Charlottesville VA

shwgroup.com

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For over 75 years, Penn Foster High School has been the school of choice for those who needed alternatives to traditional high school classes.

We have more than 46,000 active students and more than 7,000 successful graduates each year. Currently, Penn Foster partners with approximately 300 high schools across the U.S.

Penn Foster Virtual High School is: EFFECTIVE. Whether a school or district is seeking credit recovery, summer school courses, or career courses, Penn Foster Virtual High School decreases dropout rates and increases student graduations.

CONVENIENT. With Penn Foster Virtual High School, you select the courses your student needs and we handle the administration… including distribution of learning materials, testing, grading, and record keeping. And teachers and parents will have supervisory access to track each student’s progress. Upon completion, Penn Foster will report grades back to the school/district.

ACCREDITED. Penn Foster High School is regionally accredited by The Middle States Commission on Secondary Schools. Penn Foster High School is also nationally accredited by the Accrediting Commission of the Distance Education and Training Council (DETC).

To learn more about Penn Foster Virtual High School courses, call us toll free: 1-800-233-0259 ext. 4106, email: tracey.jerauld@pennfoster.edu, or mail: 925 Oak Street, Scranton, PA 18515, Attn: Tracey Jerauld

TASA President’s Circle Showcase n 2009

VIRTUAL

High School Courses for Schools and Institutions

TASA President’s Circle Showcase n 2009

Pearson Education is pleased to be a

TASA President's Circle Corporate Partner

™

iTouch Solution Coming Soon...

PK-12 PK-12 Handheld Handheld and and Online Online Assessment Assessment Solutions Solutions

Tango Software along with its integrated researched-based curriculum and assessment content modules will instantly let you know what your students know and can do. The Tango Software PK-12 handheld and online solutions make assessment, instruction, intervention and reporting for educators intuitive and easy.

sales@tangosoftware.com

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Copyright © 2009 Liberty Source, Tango Software. All rights reserved. Other product and brand names may be trademarks of their respective owners

TASA President’s Circle Showcase n 2009

Ensuring student success with the right touch

Presorted Standard U.S. Postage PAID Austin, TX Permit No. 1941

406 East 11th Street Austin, TX 78701-2617

sustainability.

sustainable design is good design.

As an Energy Star Partner, we implement cost-effective sustainable design practices that yield the best results – lower operations costs, reduced maintenance expenses and an enhanced learning environment.

To us, sustainable design is a way to exercise greater fiscal responsibility with taxpayer dollars by minimizing the total cost of ownership and adding value for the district.

As a result, we designed the state’s first LEED® certified public K-12 school, and more of our schools have been designed to earn the EPA’s Energy Star than any other firm in the nation.

Dallas-Ft Worth | Austin | Houston | San Antonio | Detroit | Washington DC | Charlottesville VA

shwgroup.com