Compliance hearing exhibits, ''Middle Schools''

MIDDLE SCHOOLSoo_>, zn zmm (A on Middle Schools 1. Memorandum to middle school principals from Bonnie Lesley in July 28, 1999, Learning Links: attached speech by Hayes Mizell, Six Steps to an Achieving Middle School. 2. Memorandum to middle school principals in March 3, 1999, Learning Links: attached article, Middle Grades Education Initiative from SREB. 3. Memorandum to middle school principals in March 3, 1999, Learning Links: attached article from SREB, Raising the Bar in the Middle Grades
Readiness for Success. 4. Memorandum to middle school principals in March 3, 1999, Learning Links: attached article from SREB, Improving Teaching in the Middle Grades
Higher Standards for Students Arent Enough. 5. 6. 1. Memorandum to middle school principals in Mar. 22,2000, Learning Links with attached copy of Quality Middle School Leadership by David Weller. Memorandum to middle school principals in Oct. 4, 2000, Learning Links
attached article, The Middle Years: Are US Middle Schools Up to the Task? E-mail from Bonnie Lesley to selected staff, July 14, 2000
attached speech by Hayes Mizell, Battling for Middle Grades Reform. -A/? 1 I I I -L '?/?5/'79 LITTLE ROCK SCHOOL DISTRICT INSTRUCTIONAL RESOURCE CENTER 3001 PUTASKI STREET LITTLE ROCK, AR 72206 I July 27, 1999 i TO
Middle School Principals II FROM: Dr. Bonnie Lesley
^ssociate Superintendent for Instruction SUBJECT: Advise to Middle Schools I Linda Austin found on the internet the attached copy of a speech by Hayes Mizell. You will want to share it, we think, with your staff. It is a powerful outline of how to improve student achievement! BAL/adg Attachment i i I i f i II Page 1 of 10 Home I LatgstUpdates | Ngws^ | MiddleWeb Index | Reforming Schools ! A | I j attended by middlejchool teachers and administrators from throughout was Director of the Program for Student Achievement the school district. Mizell is at the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation.] i Six Steps to an Achieving Middle School ! ! d aX wiih So PP'' Oilb say thal Fd t' Citing recent data from state assessments, the National Assessment of increase levels of student achievement. I assume hed,er schools ------need to you are here because you are professionals who recognize that many students are not performing up to their academic potential and state to demonstrate that you Student nArTnrmorr -.1^_____ , . or because you are student performance in your classrooms and schools. can increase levels of me say it again. mcrease student achievement. Yes, parents are their children's achievement ht H . i, their children's k or your experience. Yes, communities can and th developmental opportunities they need to build self-^ dence ^d the desire to achieve, but community support is no substitute for what should be the schools' academic focus. If you cannot help your studenU achieve at higher levels, who can? Will and Effort Produce Results 1 IJmow your work is complicated by great obstacles. There are classes that are too big. There are too -r--------------------------r* -------- a------xxiVAv oiv uiat arc 100 and learning. There roo many their minds but learning. There are even some of your students who seem to have eveiything on L....... colleagues unwilling to invest the time and effort are too many it takes to develop and apply the new attitudes. behaviors, knowledge skUls necessary ,o increase sr^fen, ichie^^ Xher Xes are daunting, and you know better an I that It is not easy to overcome them. It takes steady, hard http://www.middleweb.com/HMcharlotte.html unmI I I ! I Page 2 of 10 work. That is what you tell your students it takes to achieve, and it applies to you as well. We live in a culture that values convenience, short-cuts, expediency, and painless learning Teacher^
mboT'or of this culture. They look for the progrm, or TthTd T >' their jobs easier. Indeed, there are a bl of resources in the education marketplace, and some of them are helpful, but if educators properly, nearly all these resources require more rather than less work. There a ^2E|^I^H^^ntachieyen^ Raising the performance levels of your students means that yon as * to also EerfonumijgtoTj^ use them are no shortcuts to Let us assume that everyone here wants to increase student achievement, and that each of you has the will and IS prepared to exert the effort it.takes to reach that goal. How do you go about it? WeU I cannot develop and prescribe what I would call an IRP - an Individual Refon^ ! fo Jach of middfe^Lhoo!" T Z T Imou canhim your schools into achieving middlesclwls. In fact, I believe there are a series ofstens vou can tekp tn you go about it? Well, I next level. are a series of steps you can take to take your schools to the Not merely schools that include grades six through eight and that are now called "middle schools " Not merely schools that perhaps include teams, advisories, exploratoiy wheels, block scheduling and "-'y hoes , .lIo'iXT" about the developmental characteristics of the young adolescents they are teaching. These, cl^actenstics of "middle schools" but they do not automatically produce schools. " There are too many educators who' are ft, .are ,_____ _______'achieving middle -A satisfied with just being a middle school but who do Jand processes as the foundanonforlfanlfoiming '' their schools into achieving middle schoiilsl --------------------------------------~ What Is an Achieving Middle School? ^Mo I mean by "achjeyin^middle^^ whose mission, ethos, culture, structure _gani^n cumculum, co-curnculum, and instruction is explicitly dedicated tn the .^gryjtudeg^ every a^Tin the~building. It is a school where fromthe time a visitor walks in the front door there is no doubt that the schools focus is on advancing the achievement of every student ^d^eyety adult. It is not a school where the administrators and teachers assume they know all they Xe h",Th''d'^ In the achTeving teach Jd .To
ha.fliaa!lhave something to. ^d learn. This belief is stated and restated, and it is a fundamental of the school. operating principle I WMt to briefly outline six steps towards becoming an achieving middle school. But let up front that I am not going to include some "basics" in these steps. For example, I say that everyone m your schools, from principals to school secretaries W uvavh^L lu luuu service custodial staff must come to school each day prepared to care about every student they encounter. You cannot have an achieving middle school unless it is me say right am not going to to teachers to food service and an authentically caring middle school. I m not going to say that your schools have to be safe
not only free of violence, harassment, and mn TTll ri 3 II AM omAniT ct-nzl ante _x___i . intimidation among students, but between teachers and students. No school 7 ^tuuciits, out oeiween teachers and students. No school can be an achieving midglesc^ol unless both students and staff feel safe. But there i^^^^S^hS^Emd7fs^feW^ nvpr nnlTAn onH fhot ic 1110+ 00 vxvvix overlooked and that is just as basic. Middle schools have to be safe for student.s uiai Ddsic. .vname schools have to be safe for students and adults to express theu- opinions, disagree, and even debate. Students and adults have to know they will be heard and http://www.middleweb.com/HMcharlotte.html 7/27/99?age J 01 10 that constructive dialogue will be practiced and honored. I am not going to say that everyone in your schools, from administrators to teachers to classified staff to students, have to demonstrate respect for one another. No school can be an achieving middle school unless every person practices mutual respect every day. I am not going to say that your school has to be more dedicated to students who are low-performin
socially alienated, or otherwise at the margins than to all other students. No school can be an achieving middle school unless it allocates more talent, effort, and other resources to the students most in need. ig, I am not going to include any of these practices in the steps its takes to become an achieving middle school because all of them are fundamental. If there is anyone here who does not know that caring. respect, safety, and disproportionate attention to those with the greatest needs is basic to an achieving middle school, there is nothing I can say that will help you. No matter what other steps you may take, if you ignore these "basics" you will never have achieving middle schools. Now let us consider the six steps. Step One: Make Achievement the Primary Purpose Forge a consensus among all the adults in the school that advancing achievement is the school's primary purpose. This step may be obvious, but it is surprising how many schools are not really clear about their overarching purpose. These schools typically have a whole list of "priorities" even though it should be clear that not everything can be a priority. It simply is not possible to give equal attention to every issue or concem. Some things are more important than others and the most important of all is student achievement. If the adults in the school -- from the administrators to the teachers to the classified staff - do not agree on that, then it will be difficult, if not impossible, for the school to become an achieving middle school. I Of course, it is not easy to get agreement that the school's primary purpose is to advance achievement. There are teachers who, as one principal said, "consider themselves to be the last independent contractors." In other words, they believe that once they have been hired by the school system, it is their God-given right to do what they want in the way they want to do it. \\Tien administrators and other teachers in the school allow this attitude to prevail, there can be no achieving middle school. At one low-performing school I visited, I learned that some teachers act as though participating in faculty meetings is an optional activity
sometimes they participate, sometimes they do not. While it is essential for faculty meetings to be well-organized and substantive - many schools now use these meetings for staff development - it speaks volumes when teachers believe they can build a firewall between what they do and the welfare of the school. This is why in so many middle schools there may be one or two very good teams, but many more teams that are mediocre or worse. In the achieving middle school, teachers cannot do their own thing and principals cannot hide in their offices or devote themselves almost exclusively to adrninistrative tasks. Instead, there have to be visible manifestations of trust, give-and-take, extra effort, community, and mutual accountability among adults in the school, all focused on improving the performance levels of both students and adults. Unless there is agreement that this is the school's central focus, and unless administrators. 4 ii http://www.niiddleweb.com/HMcharlotte.html 7/27/99( Page 4 of 10 teachers, and classified personnel work together, there can be no achieving school. Step Two: Identify Everyone's Talents and Interests I 1 Systematically identify and use the talents, abilities, and interests of all adults and students in the school, as well as students' families. I I As most of us experience school, it is a place where there is an underlying assumption that students do not know certain things and it is the school's responsibility to help them learn those things. This is a deficit approach to education_where the emphasis is on what students do not know and cannot do rather than on what they do know and can do. In schools where there are students who come from low-income families, or those who speak little or no English, or those who are from an ethnic or racial group different from the majority of teachers in the school, it is not unusual that these factors influence educators' assumptions about what students know and can do, or their academic potential. The achieving middle school acknowledges this reality and seeks to compensate for it by systematically developing an inventory of the talents, abilities, and interests of each.student_and a^lt in the school. The purpose of this process is twofold: it makes concrete the school's belief that every I i person in the school is valued and has something to contribute, and it provides the school's administrators and teachers with a complete list of the human resources available to advance the achievement of individuals within the school community. The process of developing this inventory could commence with the new school year by focusing on the class of rising sixth graders and the school's staff. It could then be repeated with each successive class of sixth graders, as well as updated for each class as it progresses through grades seven and eight. The task of developing the inventory and the database of talents, abilities, and interests could probably best be organized and carried out under the leadership of a small committee of school staff, students, and representatives of students' families I It is important to understand that the use of the inventory would not be to identify people to perform support functions unrelated to increasing achievement. The purpose is not to find people who will bake more and better cookies, or answer the telephone in the school office, or accompany students on field trips, but to uncover and put to work the human resources that otherwise go unidentified, unacknowledged, and unused in every school. Even though people would have to volunteer to participate in the inventory and to share their talents with others, I am confident that most people would welcome the opportunity. Consider the possibilities: Students who speak a language that teachers and other students do not speak could provide basic, practical instruction in that language. Any teacher, regardless of the subject they teach, who likes youth literature could organize and facilitate book discussion groups with students. Students who are computer whizzes could help teachers improve their technology skills. School staff who have hobbies such as chess or gardening or photography could help students develop these skills. Each of these teaching and learning experiences might occur on a small scale, between individuals or in small groups, but the objective would be for them to be pervasive and sustained so that everyone in the school, not just students, is seeking to achieve a new proficiency. If these activities were pervasive, they could develop a powerful climate of achievement. Step Three: Use Standards to Define Learning Goals http
//www.middleweb.com/HMcharlotte.html 7/27/99Embrace and use content and performance standards to clearly delineate student learning goals, and engage teachers, students and families in understanding what these standards mean. 1 i I I i If your school system and schools want middle school students to achieve at higher levels, the students have to know what you expect them to achieve, and the level of proficiency they rnust demonstrate as evidenc^Tth^h^ have achieved it. In the past, and perhaps in too many classrooms 'today, the curriculum has been the textbook, even though schools did not really expect that students would learn everything in the textbook. Instead, the schools played a guessing game with students, saying, in effect, "Here is this book
we will cover what we can, and we think it is really important for you to learn some of what is in the textbook. We will not tell you what it is we expect you to learn, but at different points during the school year we will give you a test to determine if you have learned it. If you study what is in this textbook and if you are very good at guessing what we think you should learn, you will perform well on the tests." This, of course, is not a process that fosters either good teaching or significant learning. If schools really understand standards and use them effectively, standards can be a pathway tojaore effective teaching and deeperleaming. Standards should result from asking the question, "What should students know and be able to do as a result of dieir educational experiences in the middle grafres?" The challenge is for the standards that ansv ,
r that question to be concrete and limited. They should not be a long list of more standards than it is possible for teachers to address or more than it is possible for students to learn, but restricted to what is most important for students to know and to be able to do. ! I 1 i When standards meet this criterion, they can be a constructive force for better teaching and deeper student learning. The focus becomes what students should learn, and what and how teachers should teach to cause students to perform at standard. If a student does not meet standards, the responsibility is shared equally by the student, the teacher, and the school. The student has to make greater effort. The teacher has to change his or her instruction. The school has to provide the student more time for learning, perhaps different learning contexts, and certainly additional opporttmities to demonstrate that he or she can perform at standard. The purpose of standards is not to penalize students but for teachers and schools to take whatever actions are necessary to cause students to meet the standards. Step Four: Focus Staff Development on Student Achievement Reform staff development so it is rooted in what teachers and administrators need to know and be able to do to increase student achievement, and evaluate the results of staff development. If student achievement is going to increase, teachers and administrators will have to make it happen. But they cannot increase student achievement unless they have and apply the attitudes, behaviors, knowledge, and skills that are correlates of increased student achievement. We know that if for whatever reasons teachers believe that students cannot achieve much, the results will be that the students do not achieve much. We know that if teachers are not deeply knowledgeable about the subjects they teach, and if they do not manifest a contagious excitement about those subjects, students will not believe those subjects are important and they will not devote much effort to learning them. We know that if principals do not i J 1, http://www.middleweb.com/HMcharlotte.htinl 7/27/99focus their faculties on high quality instruction and student work, and if they do not consistently monitor and seek to improve teachers' instruction, then significant increases in student achievement will not occur. ( ( i { Even though we know all this, most school systems and schools do not effectively use the greatest resource available to them-- staff development -- to increase the performance leyels_qteachers and administrators. Most staff development is not carefully conceived or narrowly targeted to help teachers and administrators develop and use the specific skills they need to increase student achievement. Even worse, staff development is almost never rigorously evaluated to determine what educators learned or how effectively they applied what they learned to their classrooms and schools. Few school systems and schools invest enough in staff development, but most do not really know what their total expenditures are because staff development activities are diffuse, spread across many different functions and programs. In the achieving middle school, however, the principal and the school leadership team treat staff development as a precious resource. They carefully analyze the school's budget and its activities to identify both the money and the time that the school can use for staff development. They also identify staff development that is required by other entities such as the central office of the school system or the state department of education. With this information as background, the leaders of the achieving middle school then use student performance data to identify the students' and teachers' greatest learmng needs. If, for example, the math performance of students is not what it should be, the school's leadership team engages mathematics teachers and the central office's math consultant in developing staff development that will most likely increase the teachers' effectiveness in raising student achievement. The school does not stop there, however. It also creates and implements a process for determining whether and how the teachers benefited from the staff development, and whether and with what effect they are adapting their instruction to use what they learned. This process of evaluation helps the school learn from the professional development experiences of its staff, and over time increases the school's understanding of what types of staff development are most effective. ! I I I i I Step Five: Engage Everyone in Discussions of Student Work Collectively engage teachers, administrators, site councils, and students'families in analyzing and discussing the quality of student -work. How does a school know whether students are achieving? How does it know that the rate at which they are achieving is satisfactory? Sadly, most schools are dependent on the results of standardized assessments. In one sense these schools have turned over accountability for monitoring student progress to either the state or the central office of their school system. The schools rely almost totally on assessment reports from the state or district to gauge the academic progress their students are making. _ Given the high-stakes nature of these assessments I suppose it is not surprising that schools are so dependent on them for information about student progress, but this is not healthy for schools or their students. These tests serve a purpose, but at best they are snapshots of what students know and can do
they do not provide schools with a sophisticated, comprehensive understanding of students' levels of performance or their academic growth. 4 : http
//www.middleweb.com/HMcharlotte.html 7/27/99rdgc , 01 110 5' While the achieving middle school disaggregates and studies the results of standardized assessments to learn what to change about curriculum and instruction, it does not stop there. The achieving school also engages teachers and administrators, and as many representatives of students' families as possible, in systematically examining student work over time. This usually occurs in small groups, such as department or team meetings, but faculty meetings and special evening programs are also appropriate venues. At these meetings teachers bring samples of actual student work to analyze and discuss. -This works best in schools where teachers are committed to using rubrics that describe varying levels of the quality of student work, from excellent to poor, for a specific assignment. Rubrics can also help teachers engage students in understanding the quality of work the teachers are seeking. Some teachers involve their students in developing the rubric for a particular assignment while others collaborate with students to develop a generic rubric for all work students produce. In other words, rubrics can help students understand the teachers' expectations and the criteria teachers use to assign a grade to the work students submit. There are a number of different protocols for how a group of people might examine student work but - at one middle school it works like this
Once a week the social studies teachers meet after school for two hours to examine and discuss student work. A teacher brings to the group a selection of work students completed in response to a major assignment. The teacher begins the session by explaining the content standard for the assignment addressed. She goes on to explain why and how she developed the assignment
in other words, how she intended the assignment to help students develop the knowledge and skills necessary to meet the specific content standard. The teacher then describes the rubric she developed to assess the quality of the students' work. Finally, the teacher discusses several pieces of student work which are illustrative of the range of students' performance on the assignment. At that point, the teacher's colleagues ask questions and provide feedback. They may praise the link between the specific content standard and file assignment. They may make suggestions for strengthening the assignment, or critique certain elements of the rubric. But this process is not a show-and-tell for the teacher to proudly show off the best work of her class. Instead, it is an opportunity for a group of professionals to think hard about and discuss the relationship between their instruction and the performance of their students. This cannot occur unless each teacher is willing to learn from his or her colleagues, and unless there is enough trust and security among the teachers that they can give and take constructive criticism. The objective of the collaborative examination of student work is to improve teacher practice so it V' I i will improve studen?performance.~This can be one of the most effective types of staff development, buTlike other potentially powerful investments in education it requires sustained conumtment and li 1 j effort. Examining student work is important because the bottom line in the achieving middle school is what students actually know and can do, not just how they perform on tests. In fact, the focus on student performance is a higher standard than focusing on test performance. None of us earn our livings by how we perform on tests, but all of us earn our livings by demonstrating every day what we know and can do. Student work is the window that enables us to understand what students actually know and can do, and how well they know and can do it. However, this process is only one component of the I http://www.middleweb.com/HMcharlotte.html 7/27/99Page 6 01 10 framework for increasing student achievement. That framework includes these elements: (a) there_ must be challenging md engaging curriculum that is standards-based
(b) th^instruction of teachers must be rooted in their knowledge of the content they are teaching md then skillful use of pedagogy to engage students in learning that contentTfc) teachersjnust hsyelopTirgh-quanfy assi_g^nts for the specific Dumose of causing students to progress towards perfom^jl: stmdard
md (d) teactos mustcollaborativ^^d.consistently.analyzestudentwrkjodet^ineif^ete^ers instruction md assignments are producii^Jthe .quality of work students must demonstrate to perform at standard. If not then temhCTS must chmge their practice to achieve this result. It is only when all these pieces are in place, consistently md faithfully implemented, that student performance will increase significmtly. Step Six: Make High School Success a Primary Goal Focus the school on encouraging and preparing nearly all students in grades six, seven, and eight to enroll and succeed in high school courses leading to post-secondary education. statement that one hears often whenever there is a discussion about the purpose of There is a statement that one hears often whenever there is a aiscussion auoui j.c ux education: "Well, you know, not everyone needs to go to college or should go to college. It is quite possible to make a good living md be happy without going to college." This is usually followed by . . ..... ii________u..- IC moVino mnrp mnnp an anecdote about a relative who did not go to college but has a good job and is making more money than another relative who did go to college. It is of course, true that there are some highly motivated, strong willed, energetic, and creative people with only a high school education but who are successful in spite of it. It is also true that in the next millennium there will be fewer and fewer jobs for such people. But even before we get to the year 2000, there is compelling data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics about the value of college education: *In 1996, college graduates earned nearly 75 percent more thm high ^hool graduates. * Each year of post-secondary education raises wages by about eight percent. * By ages 28 to 32 the real earnings growth of men with a high school education or below is about one percent annually while male college graduates have m annual real wage growth of five percent each year. * The likelihood of a worker experiencing a period of unemployment decreases as the worker's education level increases. Now I ask you, in light of these facts, why would a middle school not intentionally encourage_ai^ prepare nearly every sixth, seventh, md eighth grader to enroll md, sucked in high school <^21^ tn post-secondary eaucation? If middle schools really wmt the b^for their students, if they r'e^ly^ttFpre^ them for the twenty-first century, why are they not encoura^ng and prepmng nearly every middle school student to seek md obtain as much education as possible. I believe this what m achieving middle school must do. I want to point out that when I use the term "post-secondary education", I mem my level of education beyond high school, not just four years of college. "Post-secondary should include '5 httD I //www .mi ddl ew eb. com/HMchsrlotte. html 7/27/991 Page 9 of 10 technical education, two-year colleges, or any structured educational opportunities that require a high school diploma and have other entrance criteria. The same type of post-secondary education is not appropriate for everyone, but it is both appropriate and necessary to encourage and prepare nearly all middle school students for some type of post-secondary education. This does not mean that the middle school has any business deciding or even suggesting a specific type of post-secondary education for a particular student. It certainly does not mean that the school should assign students to classes based on what the school believes or assumes about what class is best preparation for a specific type of post-secondary education for a particular student. This is not the role of the achieving middle school. Instead, the school educates all students about all the many different types of post-secondary education available to them. The school does not make judgments that some students are not smart enough or that their families do not have enough money for the students to pursue higher education. Rather, the school instills in all students the desire to seek additional education after high school. The achieving middle school seeds and nurtures students' interest in post-secondary education. It understands that student aspiration precedes student determination, and that in all matters the "what" must come before the "how." I I i I But encouraging students to pursue higher education requires much more than handing out brochures, or pairing students with mentors, or even creating opportunities for students to spend time at postsecondary institutions. Students have to develop the self-confidence that with effort they can perform at higher levels. This begins with middle school teachers and administrators consistently communicating their belief that higher education is a desirable goal for students, and each day driving home their expectations that students will produce quality work in middle school. This, of course, presents a problem. Many middle school teachers and administrators do not believe that nearly all students can or should prepare for post-secondary education, and they do not expect them to produce high quality work in middle school. In these cases, the attitudes and behaviors of the educators communicate so powerfully that anything else they may do has little effect. Middle school students are very discerning about how much their teachers care about and expect of them, and how well teachers prepare and how hard they work to help students develop academically. Therefore, it is essential for middle school educators to get their attitudes and behaviors straight before they_set put to encourage and prepare nearly all middle school students to pursue post-secondary education. Tackling this issue has other profound consequences for schools. To honestly prepare students to take high school courses leading to post-secondary education, it will be necessary to eliminate low level V __________J __________ 11 Jin nlrallonoinCT biah rnntAnt PAlir^P^ th^At flTft I courses and to ensure that nearly all students participate in challenging, high content courses that are aligned with the high school courses. I know what you are thinking: How is this possible when so _ many of your students come to middle school with poor literacy and math skills? Of course it is not possible if your middle schools are structured and operated as they do now. That is the point. No school can become an achieving middle school by merely tinkering here or tweaking there, making just a few changes at the margins and hoping for the best. If middle schools are to advance significantly the achievement of all students, the schools will have to restructure, retool, and reallocate. More teachers will have to invest more time and effort in developing mastery of the content they teach, and becoming more skillful in causing students to perform at standard. The curnculum will have to become more engaging and challenging. The school day, week, and perhaps even the school year will have to change to create more time for high quality staff development and much more time for student learning. Above all, attitudes will have to change. http://www.middleweb.com/HMcharlotte.html 7/27/991 Page 10 of 10 Educators have to believe that they can reform their schools fundamentally, and central office leaders to whom they are accountable have to believe it also. Unless teachers and principals believe that middle school reform is both necessary and possible, and unless they have both the permission and support of central office leaders, it will not be possible for middle schools to become achieving schools. Are You Really So Powerless? i 1 These, then, are the six steps to develop an achieving middle school. At best, they represent a fiamework, not a recipe. Because each middle school is different, each will have to take the six steps in its own way. This is not a process for the timid, and I encourage you to be courageous and bold. Though I know the challenge of these six steps is great, it is not as great as the challenges that will confiont your students if you do not take these steps. I During the next millennium they will face an increasingly complex and competitive world. Some of you may be tempted to shrug your shoulders and say, "It does not make any difference what I do. Whatever I do, some of my students will succeed, some will not." Yes, that is the human condition, but are you really so powerless that you cannot change lives? Are you really saying that you cannot make a significant difference in how your students prepare for the future? I do not believe that, and I hope you do not. But what is more important is what your students believe. Each day they take a leap of faith. They come to school believing that you have their best interests at heart and that no matter what, you will help them prepare for the future. I 1 I Your students almost never tell you that. Quite often some of them act as though they believe just the opposite, throwing your best efforts back into your face. But the truth is that even these students believe in you and are counting on you. I will bet there are some people in this audience who know that is true because once, many years ago, they were such students. In spite of their behavior or their apparent lack of motivation, some teacher convinced them that they could achieve. So do not ever believe that you and your schools cannot make a profound difference in the lives of all your students. The challenge is to reform your schools and your teaching so that all students, not just some students, achieve at significantly higher levels. This is why you must make middle schools work well, and move on to make them achieving middle schools. As it says in the scriptures^."those who are well do not need a physician" (Luke 5:31). Thank you. Back to the "Hayes Mizell Reader'2 LITTLE ROCK SCHOOL DISTRICT INSTRUCTIONAL RESOURCE CENTER 3001 PULASKI STREET LITTLE ROCK, AR 72206 March 2, 1999 TO
Middle School Principals FROM: SUBJECT
Dr. Bonnie Lesley, Associate Superintendent for Instruction Student Achievement and the Middle School Plan The Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) has three excellent articles opi their web page under the topic, Middle Grades Education Initiative. The first of these three is attached, Educations Weak Link
Student Performance in the Middle Grades. Note on page 5 the passage I have marked. The new awareness of the weak level of academic achievement at the middle school level is a heads-up for us as we plan our implementation of the middle school concept. We can avoid the mistakes made in earlier implementations. I Please see also on page 9 the results of state testing programs. Also, youll want to note at the bottom of that page the characteristics of a high performing school a very similar list to the one I gave you at the principals meeting. These ideas are again reinforced on page 13 in the list of differences between high and low performing schools. In LRSD we want to be high performing. Attachments I BAL/rcm I I ( I I Middle Grades Initiative 2/28/99 12:40 AM Middle Grades Education Initiative Intemation^, national and regional reports paint a picture of an American educational system in which childhood programs, begin lagging behind in the middle grades and finish high school near the back of the pack. uuuicgiaucs The Southern Regional Education Board, using a grant from the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation achievement in the middle grades. Through a series of four reports, the SREB s lyhddle Grades Education Initiative is focusing on problem areas in the regions middle grades the w^ link in education. In the reports are suggestions for how to improve the middle grades and student performance at that level and beyond. 1 suggestions for how to improve the middle grades and The following are the first three reports in that series. Educations Weak Link: Student Performance in the Middle Grades Raising the Bar in the Middle Grades: Readiness for Success Improving Teaching in the Middle Grades: Higher Standards for Students Arent Enough [ i Comments For additional information, please contact Sondra Cooney at (404) 875-9211, Ext. Home . About SREB Education Data Educational Policy Legisiativ Action Publications c Search SREB 1 http://www.sreb.org/Programs/MiddleGrades/iniddlegrades.html Page 1 of 1 ! 1 JEducation's Weak Link: Student Performance in the Middle Grades 2/28/99 12:41 AM SREB Educations Weak Link [Student Performance in the Middle Grades ^o^thern Regional Education Boards Middle Grades Education Initiative This ^s the first in a series of reports funded by a grant from the Edna McConnell Clark Foun^nrt nr, The middle grades grades five through eight are the weak link in Amoi-inon eignm graaers who twk the NAEP mathematics examination in 1996 scored below the h^c level _ indicting they lack the fundamental skills most Americans would agree high school. are needed to be successful in Tte Nalional Assessment stafsltcs for the SREB states patnt an even more disturbing picture. Consider Almost 50 percent of eighth-graders are below the basic level Even in thehiehest-np.rfnrmino -n. MbAw UA/Iun mv Uiaoiv level 111 Hiath the highest-performing SREB stotes (Maryland, Texas and Virginia) more than 40 percent of eighth-graders are below the basic level Virginia), more than 40 * nearly twothiris of eighth-graders are below the basic level. (Figure 1) A ^^tional Pattern of Underachievement Eighth-grade performance indicators from the National Assessment of ^u^tional ProBi^ .dkUwwlllO WIJILJ, Can do arithmetic but do not understand and OMI V wj A to memonze facte and answer specific science questions but cannot annlv the ^owledge nor understand the reasoning behind scientific mncontc- reasoning behind scientific concepts- and Have only some of the reading skills necessary to be successful in grade-level work. To be literate does not mean that we all must be physicists, astronomers mathematicians erarv cnties Tf Hope mpan tKot _u i___ui. A j , , inainemaucians I * J ----------**** xAAMoi. daiionoine literary critics. It does mean that we should be able to read and understand 1 --------------- aiiu uiiucrsta business or science and make good and accurate decisions about heal th an article about or our daily lives. and economic issues in Figure 1 1996 National Assessment of Educational Progress Percentage of Eighth-Grade Students Scoring Below Mathematics Level Basic http://www.sreb.org/Programs/MiddleGrades/Weaklink/weaklink hfEducation's Weak Link
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, 4( iW ' li >- WlwSuMMii Percentage of Eighth-Grade Students Scoring at the Proficient or Above on Mathematics Level chart2.gif (100841 bytes) NAEP J996 Mathematics: /depart Card/or the Nation and the States, National Center for Education Statistics * Fourteen of e 15 SREB sutes participated in the 1996 NAEP
Oklahoma did not participate. ^"8 science: Too many students do not have the basic skills. Students have not a^uired the solid foundation of knowledge and skills in core academic areas .J V 11 .... --------------------WAW cjtwAAj Hi WIV aUlUClIIIL flicks necessaiy to do challengmg work in high school or to go on to further education in colleges and umversities. In 13 of 14 SI^B states with National Assessment data, more students score below the basic level in mathematics in eighth grade than in fourth grade. The achievement gap is not only at the basic level. There are too few students in the SREB region who score at the proficient level on the National Assessment of Educational Progress. Fewer than 25 percent of eighth-grade students in all SREB states score at the proficient level in mathematics level that may signal that students are ready to do challenging work in high school. (Figure 1) Figure 2 Percentages of Eighth-Grade Students at Mathematics Performance Levels on the 1996 National Assessment of Educational Progress http://www.sreb.org/Prograins/MiddleGrades/Weaklink/weaklink.htm Page 2 of 11 I i I r 4^ I : 1 J R w s & r i ****** '**** i a u w K t u 1 a1 Education's Weak Link: Student Perfonnance in the Middle Grades 2/28/99 12:41 AM ! 1 I i I TOK White , SREB *
Nation Black SREB Nation Hispanic SREB Nation Total Percent of Students 59% 68 24 15 14 13 Advanced 3% 5 .1 .1 .7 .9 perfonnance levels Proficient and above Basic and above 1 Below Basic W 30'' 73 24 27 39 37 27' 76 73 61 63 3 4 8 8 j i Shading - StatisticaUy significant differences between SREB and nation 1 Basic and above includes proficient and advanced percentages Fourteen of the 15 SREB states participated in the 1996 NAEP
Oklahoma did I not participate. Assessment suggests tSZy E *> fr' National I Eighth-graders in SREB states who and science have lower NAEP nationwide. i receive B or C grades in mathematics scores than students with similar grades standards for middle graders than the rest of the nation what does this maAemati^ for^rS?And mean for course work in of low academic standards in the in the I Finally, how does the poor performance of our middle grades affect the - ernnnmiAc that -------------. i aiicvi me econoniies that depend on an educated work force to economies of SREB states ramate? If eighth-graders are not prepared to rva n Kl A ... i . be successful in high school the ?rpr rpoinn unit *8nt-graders are not prepared tc for business, indX SucLoT^ qualified gr^uates Where are the student performance gaps? There is a tendency to blame I i I I i not account for the range of differences in nation as a whole. SREB states have more lower-income families. The gap between NAEP scores for a f who are more often from when comp^ed with white students is sirnil^Ld unaaeptoW^gJ^fortoh^Sra'' d the nation. (Figure 2) a^cpuiuiy large, tor both the SREB region and I i ) 5 * """""'e families in the lower achievement SREB region have scores thMjowincome students across the nation. nr imhe, I, J J * with parents who graduated .?r Z? Sh =hool also hive lower - ------...J naiionwidc. . - _ J .t ** awTT-iiivi Added to this fact: In the SREB states, from high school . - - - scores than students from similar families Seto mS *e toyf oTgiS?" 'ent: where student live and Both male and female students in rural areas and small towns http://www.sreb.org/Prograins/MiddleGrades/We score nklinlrEducation's Weak Link: Student Performance in the Middle Grades 2/28/99 12:41 AM significantly below students in rural areas nationwide. In fact, eighth-graders in rural areas of the SREB region score about the same as their counterparts in inner cities. Nationally, rural students score higher than those in the central cities. (Figure 3) Female students more than half the school-age population in SREB states perform at a lower level in mathematics and science than other female students across the country and consistently below male SREB students. (Figure 4) The largest achievement gap among females occurs between girls who live in rural areas of the SREB states and girls elsewhere in the nation who live in rural areas. Figure 3 Percentages of Eighth-Grade Students at Mathematics Performance Levels on the 1996 National Assessment of Educational Progress by Location Central City SREB Nation Percent of students who scored at performance levels Total Percent of Students 33% 29 Urban FringelLarge Town SREB Nation Rural/Small Town SREB Nation 35 38 32 33 Advanced Proficient and above Basic and above 1 Below Basic 2% 3 17% 16 50% 48 50% 53 21 26 60 64 40 36 w 15 Ml 69 * 3 5 13 Shading Statistically significant differences between SREB and nation 1 Basic and above includes proficient and advanced percentages * Fourteen of the 15 SREB states participated in the 1996 NAEP
Oklahoma did not participate. Figure 4 Average Mathematics Performance Score by Content Areas on 1996 National Assessment of Educational Progress by Gender Gender Number of sense, properties, operations Measurement Geometry Male SREB Nation Female SREB Nation 269 272 269 273 267 269 Data analysis, statistics, probability Algebra 265 269 268 272 272 272 * * Shading Statistically significant differences between SREB and nation Fourteen of the 15 SREB states participated in the 1996 NAEP
Oklahoma did not participate. http://www.sreb.org/Programs/MiddIeGrades/Weaklink/weakIlnk.htm Page 4 of 11 Education's Weak Link: Student Performance in the Middle Grades 2/28/99 12:41 AM 'I' twofold?Hrto determine w^ perform more poorly when compared with similar students nationwide
and (2) to develop practices that help all students - those in cities and rural areas, girls and boys - raise their academic achievement. i j i i ( I Why do the gaps exist? HiSija for Jem^e students and rural students in SREB stotes? Are expectotions Hum rhigher grades than females nationwide, they score sigmficantly below other girls in the nation on the National Assessment. yet ^5^ standards different in mral ar^? Eighth-grade girls in rural areas of the wSSSw^SmSe Class they do fewer hands-on tasks involving concepts associated preparation forchallenoino ci-irsnvo rvm.rm, i for challenging science courses in high school. schools set clear, challenging standards for what eighth-graders should know before they enter high school? Are there also problems with what J taught? Do parents know what the standards and exoectotions are for the WOTkV^ children struggle with more difSt and challenging 1 content is being taught k. In virtually every PraS'^s point to weaknesses in middle Btades acmevernent. In Kentucky, for example, acommitteeis trying to determine whv middle school egging behind elementary and high school i inX evSSSXjf yf ? these questions._Part of the answer might be found 7.^ nauonwide phenoSj^onlhit^gSo deciaBT fhedata cited here, die explanation for the middle grades achievement to be even more comniev 7 **vvucutgap in the SREB stetes appears to be even more complex - rooted, perhaps, in a history of lower standards and expectotions. Standards and Expectations What should smdents know and be able to do to be successful in high school and hevond'/ Do expec. as much from our siudenls us other states do? luterrmtiouufnS Ste^^S XS '< expectations for ef^th-grade we What do we mean by high standards and expectations? ! We know that American students are comparisons of achievempnt v 7 77 ' I^rforming at the highest levels on international comparisons ot achievement. Yet education leaders in only two of the 15 SRFR have^mnared 7t. h oJ the 15 SREB stotes report that they mathemaucs and science with international benchmarks for k pertormance. What does that say about mathematics standards and expectations in stotes where students score significantly below the national average? expectations in stotes Algebra IS often described as the gatekeeper for advanced mathematics 11 TiZ 'ic gaicKeeper lor aavanced mathematics and for entrance into college. About 25 percent of students in the SREB states take algebra by the end of the natinnQl __j___r____ OI me c-oiuucuu, lu uic orvnn siaies laxe algebra by the end of the eiehth grade _ the same as the national average. Yet eighth-graders in more than half of the SREB stotes^score below the national average on the algebra part of the NAEP assessment. (Figure 5) i i AnoAer 35 percent of eighth-graders say they will take algebra in ninth grade leaving almost 40 percent who do not plan to begin a higher mathematics sequence - Algebra I, GeometJ and Algebra http://www.sreb.org/Prograins/MiddIeGrades/Weaklink/weaklink.litmEducation's Weak Link: Student Performance in the Middle Grades 2/28/99 12:41 AM II in high school. All SREB states require three years of mathematics for high school graduation and admission to postsecondary education, but the requirement can be met by a variety of mathematics courses. Currently, Algebra I is the highest level of mathematics required of all students. However, about one-third of SREB states have raised that requirement to include both algebra and geometry for future graduating classes. More entry-level jobs require technical, mathematical knowledge. Yet we still have a third of students in SREB states who reported that, if given the option, they would not take mathematics at all in high school. J Eighth-Graders: A World View American eighth-graders have improved their performance in aritlunetic, while the rest of the world has moved on to problem-solving, algebra and geometry. Basic mathematics for American eighth-graders is the same as seventh-grade mathematics for most of the world. Most American eighth-graders (86 percent) think that they are doing well in mathematics, while more than half of Japanese and Korean students (who are doing well) think they should do better. j Mathematics Achievement in the Middle School Years: lEAs Third International Mathematics and Science Studv 1996. Splintered Vision: An Investigation of U.S. Science and Mathematics Education. 1997. Figure 5 SREB State* Performance in Eighth-Grade Mathematics on 1996 National Assessment of Education Progress (" " = Below National Average," = Same as National Average," " = Above National Average) Content Topics Number Sense, properties, operations Measurement Geometry Data Analysis, statistics, probability Algebra AL AR FL GA KY LA MD MS NC SC TN TX VA WV 4* 4* 4* csD 4* ra~i 4* caj 4* 4* r=ri 4* 4* 4^ 4* 4* 4* 4* r=n 4* r=n 4* 4* 4* 4* 4* 4* mi 4* mi 4* mi 4* 4* caa 4* csjj 4* caj 4* r^ 4* 4* 4' 4* 4* 4* ran 4* i~=n 4* cm cm 4* 4* r=n psn 4* 4* rsn r:zn 4/ 4* cm cm 4* 4* If two out of five students fail to see the importance of mathematics to high school and career success, what should we do in the middle grades to motivate students to succeed in mathematics'/ What standards do we expect middle grades students to meet in mathematics and the other core subjectsand do those standards reflect the tougher high school graduation requirements most SREB states have now implemented? Parent support and school practices Deciding what we expect students to know and do is the first step in shrinking the achievement gap in the middle grades. Many states in the nation and the SREB region are developing or refining http://www.sreb.org/Programs/MiddleGrades/Weaklink/weaklink.htm Page 6 of 11.1 Education's Weak Link
Student Performance in the Middle Grades 2/28/99 12:41 AM academic stand^ds and expectations for students in all grades. But after standards are developed and PYTVPfahnnc HAfi-nAH mkot F\/-x ____ _ i _ * expectations defined, what next? Do students, teachers and parents know what the standards ^e and what perfonnance is expected? The next all-important step is to make sure that all parts of the education system are organized to achieve the standards. ! i 1 Wh^ do the National Assessment data tell us about how well schools in the SREB states communicate with students and parents about standards and expectations? Fewer schools in SREB states, especially in rural areas and small towns, report positive parental support. Eighth grade students in schools with positive parent support for student achievement in SREB states score the same as eighth graders nationwide. Fewer schools in SREB states report that parents are involved in classroom activities, parent conlerences and curriculum matters. Students in schools with parents involved in classroom activities, parent conferences and cumculum matters in SREB states score the same as eighth graders across the nation. i Are schwls m SREB states less welcoming to parents, less trusting, or less open about what is expected of students? The data suggest that schools with middle grades should find ways to involve parents in setting academic standards and building parent support for the standards. A first step is to mTTiTminir'aM ctii/iAnto ______________c ~ ^cggmuni^tejos^nts and parents alike a clear picture of the standards for completing eighth grade and wRaris^Scceptable^rtormance:----------------- i ! What does the Third International Mathematics and Science Study data tell us about how we organize content and develop activities within the curriculum? 10-15 topics each year in mathematics and study them in grater depth until they are mastered. In America, middle grade students cover or review as many as 35-40 topics a year-often the same 35-40 topics they have covered for several } In fact, while most countries introduce six or seven new topics in algebra and geometry during tnp minnlA oroHdc A -------- k J ------- 141 tugvwia aiiu g&uiu&u y uuiixj thTs^riod ^"^etican students can count on studying only one new topic during 75 percent of eighth graders in SREB states report doing problems from a textbook every da y Thes e studente do not perform as well as students nationwide who report daily textbook use Why the different result? How do teachers decide what to teach f rom the textbook, what to emphasize and how much time to devote to different topics? Is the textbook the only curriculum in too many schools? Without a set of standards and indicators of acceptable performance, curricular results may vary sigmiicantly from classroom to classroom and school to school. use. I I t i ! i 1 Interestingly, eighth grade students in the SREB sutes and across the nation perform better in scientx than in matiiematics on international comparisons. Studies show that the U.S. curriculum is more focused in science than in mathematics, giving students more time and opportunity to master concepts and study a topic in more depth. Whal do we know about classroom practices? Information gathered by the National Assessment of Educational Progress from teachers and students tells us that in comparison to the nation, the typical eighth grader in SREB states: is assigned less group or partner work in mathematics
) is assigned less project work in mathematics
j writes less about how to solve problems in mathematics
/ believes mathematics is mostly about memorizing facts
' deigns and carries out fewer scientific investigations
) gives fewer oral reports in science
and y http://www.sreb.org/Progranis/MiddleGrades/Weaklink/weaklink.htm P#I<T*> *1 1 1- lu tuc Aviiuuie orades has fewer discussions about material they have read. 2/28/99 12:41 AM leSS S Wyi"? what they have scores for eighth graders in SREB states when compared to eighth grata S?n" results in lower .X us about luow scboots in SHEB states assess student progress? Almost two/thirds of students in SREB states their teachers, and these students are tested at least weekly in mathematics by score about 30 points lower on the National Assessment of Kucadonal Progress dian students who are tested once or twice a month' iSSSr frequent testing does not lead to better It may be at students in classrooms that emphasize testing concentrate on learning bits of information that are not remembered or developed into a logical understandin p nf matt^p k science. Frequent testing coupled with fewer o^rtuniti^ to apply leanung fpS ' ichievement in c assrnnms appears student achievement in classrooms. to produce lower How Do States Evaluate Student Performance? performance. progress on state standards for knowledge and or report statewide data on science achievement at grSe ei^t a^d ^REB states one state looks at science in grade seven. However, comparisons are not always aSble fron^ZT NAFPkwS"tttllotatl goals. i^chveVT dompamtive data for these data are not linked to individual schools and districts. and assessments. The the SREB region, but Several SR^ states have launched studies to examine standards and exoectations in mathpm.tinc id science. For instance, Georgia has been concerned nivM.f .k., ^^P^^^^tions in mathematics standee Perfoance o[juniors and seniors on and the SAT. To try and understand the causes of lagging SAT the SAT given in seventh through tenth grades were conclusions. scores, results from preliminary versions of analyzed. Georgia reached the following 8ive-hc^rceiofamherwh=n,,wL'SSm*S Students do not know or understand geometric relationships. These shortcomings can be traced, in significant part to weakneccec in Aa mJHHu carmotbe The evidence of lagging achievement in the middle grades in SREB states is nvprwhAim- pervades the entire educational system. (Figure 6) To chance what^P I? ! overwhe imng and inabiliy in our schools and cl Jrooms, difcgSvXXSbk d achievemenl io examine data and consider what steps need Io be aken toSeme cow Middle Grades: The Weak Link http://www.sreb.org/Progranis/MiddleGrades/Weaklink/weaklink.htin Page 8 of 11Education's Weak Link: Student Performance in the Middle Grades 2/28/99 12:41 AM Results from State Testing Programs I Elementary In Kentucky over the last five years, statewide reading scores have risen 31 points and statewide mathematics scores have risen 22 points in the elementary grades. The overall accountability index rose 13 points Middle Grades High School In reading, scores rose only 11 By twelfth grade reading points over the last five years, - much less than the growth rate rose 34 points, a dramatic scores expected by the state in the middle grades. Mathematics improvement, and mathematics scores improved by 28 points ,, over the five-year period. The stores improved by 31 points, overall accountability index rose The overall accountability index by 15 points improved by 9 points, the lowest gain of the three grade groups J I f i During the 1994-95 school year, South Carolina's fifth graders scored about the same as a national sample in mathematics. Twenty-five percent were in the lowest quarter of students and 28 percent scored in the upper quarter. kt the end of the third grade, Oklahoma students scored as well as 60 percent of students on a nationally-normed test in reading, 62 percent in mathematics and 69 percent in science. By the end of fifth grade no fewer than 76 percent of students passes all state-developed curriculum tests. When these fifth graders were For students moving from ninth to eleventh grade during the tested as seventh graders in period, the percentage students in the lowest quarter of students scoring in the had grown to 30 percent and thehighest quarter grew and the percentage in the upper quarter ' slipped to 26 percent. percentage in the lowest quarter decreased. At the end of seventh grad reading, 58 percent in mathematics, and 55 percent in science. By the end of eighth grade, the percent-age of students who passed the state's curriculum tests was lower in every area. The degree in the percentages of grade except for reading where the percentage improved from eighth grade. Comparing a High-Performing and Low-Performing School school with a school in which students wun a scnooi in which students are not performing atantKceotahiehZi nfn'- snapshots of two such schools with a similar student ' majority of students from low-income families. of racial/ethmc groups and a are ! ! High-Performing As you enter the door of l&KrfSJ^hiimirScr^^ : Bright and attractive displays of student work a num ot activity greets your aurdcuve aispiays of student work are posted in the hallwavs'andin ^o^se as you make your way to the office. S^dents gSl ^^ou need help. The principal shares the standards for student leamine in the schnni thatj i j c immumty and parent advice. She sueeests that vnu inX developed with : community and parent advice. She suggests that you look for the http://www.sreb.Org/Progranis/MiddleGrades/Weaklink/w, ' content standards and samples 'ooVIimV- La rtWinrtw,wift<iiwSEducation's WeaK EinK: stuaent rertormance in tne Mioaie urades ix:*i Ajvi
of exemplary work to be achieved by students that are displayed in each and every classroom. She selects a student buddy for you to follow so that you get a flavor of what going to this school is like. Jordan, your eighth grade student buddy, is bouncing in his seat as the combined mathematics and science period begins. There are two teachers and a parent volunteer to work i with 60 students during this 90 minute block of time. The students are sitting at tables that i accommodate six students.
Ms. Jones begins the period with a brief review of the previous days work on distance, : speed and force and then asks, How many of you have seen a water wheel? Very few students
raise their hands, so she begins to elicit what students know about water wheels from pictures, : movies and stories. Students are directed to work in pairs and to identify the major characteristics of water wheels. After several minutes, students share their ideas with the whole class. i Next, each student is challenged to design an effective and efficient water wheel from the ' materials on the table. Students must sketch their design and estimate its speed and capability of lifting certain materials. After completing their sketch, they s hare their design with a partner and
develop one best design from the two. The exercise is monitored by both teachers who roam the room asking questions, observing discussions and checking designs. As the noise level subsides ' and the pairs begin to complete the activity, Mr. Smith signals for attention and asks for volunteers to share how they began and completed the given task. Approximately 30 minutes
have gone by quickly. Ms. Jones sets the boundaries for the next part of the days task. She instructs each table (of : three pairs) to come up with one best design for a water wheel, sketch it, write why they chose it, and estimate its speed and power capability. After completing those tasks, each table must get : a teachers initial on the plan and estimate and then begin constructing and testing their water
wheel. Ms. Jones and Mr. Smith remind the students to record the results of their water wheel
tests in their notebooks and write their observations and summary statements after completing the tests. The room begins buzzing with ideas, discoveries and disagreements. The teachers question the groups about their designs as they circulate through the room. The parent volunteer fill s pails of water and provides an empty and a filled bucket for each table. As the period draws to a close, Ms. Jones asks for volunteers to share the results of their : experiment and any summary statements they have developed. Students are eager to share their ' results, and they speculate freely on why some designs worked and others did not. As students dismantle their designs, Mr. Smith assigns the homework for the evening. Each student is to write how they would change the group designed water wheel to make it faster and more powerful if they were to do the task again.
During the teachers planning period, Ms. Jones and Mr. Smith explain that the activities
observed were part of the instruction designed to help students achieve the following science standards: Students will plan and implement investigative procedures. Students will collect data, organize, analyze, evaluate, infer and predict trends. Students will recognize how to apply formulas and equations. Students will identify physical properties of various materials. The observed task required students to learn about circumferences, diameters and radii and their relationship to each other as well as to rate and distance. The teachers wanted students to think about these concepts using the scientific process of hypothesizing, experimenting and evaluating. The task also supported content and skills being used by other members of the : teaching team in an English and social studies unit on colonial America. The lesson observed was but one of several the team has planned to investigate energy and the environment. The teachers shared a checklist they used to evaluate students work during the class period. This checklist was shared with students in advance so evervone knew what was exnected. Each http://www.sreb.org/Prograins/MiddleGrades/Weaklink/weakIink.htm Page 10 of 113 Education s Weak Link: Student Performance in the Middle Grades 2/28/99 12:41 AM student was checked on their imUal design and estimates and upon the groups final design and justification of that design. Each student was required to recordthe resSts o^f the water Xel expenments in a latoratory notebook and to develop a summatwe statemen?bSn die experiment that explained the relationships of circumference, radius, speed and power. Ms. Jones and Nfr. Smith also discussed problems students had with the task and strengths they noted dunng the period. They explain that later, when they have time to reflect more fSly they will examine the students work closely and ask pointed quest! ons of themselves about the quality of their lesson plan and how it could be improved. ncmscives aooui me Mr. Smith will begin the next days period with a review of formulas that help calculate circumference Md energy expended. His objectives are to help students undersold why the formulas work based on thmr pnvripnpA j , uciauuiu wiiy me other applications of the relationships discovered through the water wheel task i A visit to a low performing school reveals believe works for students. an equally dedicated principal and faculty who are trying to do what they t i ! i f i I ( i I ? i j I ! 0 I i ? ^iip-//^ssw.srcb.or^rograms/MiddleGradesrWeakniii./we!ikliBk.btm D.J vuucm rcnurmance in me iviiauie Grades 2/28/99 12:41 A 0 =11 il 1 J Ip a: Low-P^rf o r m i n g PerforminiMiddie School, a bkmkeTof'quTc reminded by large signs that you must report to the office or be >khr'y, y?r the principals office, the secretary is busy dealing with students. Student fill the office, and each has a piece of paper that requires attention. After cleanng out some of the crowd the secretary buzzes the principal to let him know you have pnncipal emerges from his office, welcomes you, and suggests that you come into his office for a briefing before you visit classrooms. no The principal provides a gener^ description of the community, staff and students that is clear and knowledg^ble. He explains, because so many of our students have little structure in their lives outside of school, we believe that we must provide structure so that they have an opportunity to learn what they need to know. There is research supporting the effectiveness of structured whole class instructionespecially for low-achieving students. We strongly believe tnatisngnt. After the briefing the principal walks with you to the science classroom, the first of four , cl^srooms you will visit He introduces you to the teacher and requests that you return to the rnU ralYif before you visit the next classroom. The teacher is completing a roll call of the class. He is about to begin a demonstration of how to construct a pulley one of Dunng the demonstration, some of the students have their heads down h" *,S^ appears to be mathematics homework. As the questions. No one raises a hand. He then instructs : the students to open their books to chapter 8. He moves to his desk to retrieve the textbook and asks the student sitting at the back of the first row to begin readme aloud from r.hant- 8 KftP^n : minutes have gone by. to begin reading aloud from chapter 8. Fifteen classroom, and there are commercial posters on the walls illustrating the six simple machines. Classroom rules related to clothing, iSavior and wrk are^so j^ted pe students continue to read from the chapter, a paragraph at a time. When a student hesitates on a word, the teacher quickly provides the correct pronunciation. As a student completes a paragraph, the teacher asks, What is that paragraph telling us? If no one wlunteers, he selects a student to Mswer. As the chapter is completed, he tells the students to h!o* quesuons at the end of the chapter. Complete these questions and hand them in at the beginmng of the class period tomorrow. , Smdents begin to search for paper and pencils
some do not have either and must admit that , to the tether or find someone to gve them paper and a pencil. The class is finally working on 50 minute class period rings. Students^surge toward the hall, and the noise level nses as they chatter and move toward other classrooms The tocher and princij^ explain later that you have observed a general science class. In this
cl^s students will ^mplete the textbook and do physical science^fOT the more advanced students) or consumer science, a course that concentrates ci health, nutrition and science project and a research paper by the i every^y s^nce for the less able student The science department examined student data to find Xw / to emphasize both process ^d content. To that end, they begin most class penods with a teacher demonstration of an : experiment or concept, and students spend one day each week in a laboratory replicating an expenmentand recording it in lab books. In ^ih of these schools and in the classrooms observed, teachers were planning and working to improve student achievement. One classroom emphasized student work, and the other classroom achievement. ernpr^neu siu^ni worK. and the other classroom was centered on the teacher's work. Their tchoob and teachers go about their business makes a difference in student Some differences between high and low performing schools http://www.sreb.org/Programs/MiddleGrades/Weaklink/weaklink.htin Page 12 of 11 3 r i? H 1 a I
? i 1 I aEducation's Weak Link
Student Performance in the Middle Grades 2/28/99 12:41 AM as Students in high performing schools are expected to do more, and high-performing schools provide more challenging curriculum. Successful schools emphasize higher level academics and the intellectual development of students in the middle grades... opposed to schools that concentrate most of their energy on social development and are satisfied with achievement on low-level skills. High-performing schools and districts align all the parts of the educational systemcurriculum, instruction, assessment and student supportand all the participantsthe community, school boards, administrators, teachers, students and parentsto achieve challenging standards. Expectations are clearly defined and widely supported. In high-performing schools, most parents and students have a clear vision and understanding of challenging standards for achievement by eighth grade. Schools, districts and states establish clear benchmarks for entrance into ninth grade and provide more time and more help for those students who have not mastered challenging content. Parents work with middle grades educators to define and achieve the standards in a challenging middle grades curriculum. Teachers in high-performing schools are prepared to teach challenging content In mathematics, science and reading and to teach young adolescents. Administrators oversee a system designed to emphasize plarming, collaboration and development of quality learning experiences by staff and faculty. Teachers and administrators believe that they can support the unique developmental needs of adolescents and offer a challenging learning experience. School boards and school and community leaders are ready to develop new policies to create a different system that ensures high performance for all students. These differences are conditions that legislators, state educational leaders, local educational leaders and middle grades educators, parents and community leaders need to consider as they work to help all schools and students become successful. Looking Ahead Three more reports will examine the current condition of middle grades education in the 15 states that comprise the region served by the Southern Regional Education Board. Observations in i schools and classrooms across the region will provide examples of current practice in the middle grades. The reports will incorporate data from the school visits to examine standards and expectations, teacher preparation and professional development and the best practices of schools whose students are achieving at high levels. I ! I i I i t- http://www.sreb.org/Progranis/MiddIeGrades/Weaklink/weaklink.htm Page 13 of 11 I i3 L. I I i i LITTLE ROCK SCHOOL DISTRICT INSTRUCTIONAL RESOURCE CENTER 3001 PULASKI STREET LITTLE ROCK, AR 72206 i March 2, 1999 I 1 i j i t I TO: FROM: SUBJECT: Middle School Principals Dr. Bonnie Lesley. Associate Superintendent for Instruction SREB: Raising the Bar in the Middle Grades The attached second article from SREB is very important. Exit Standards for Middle School See the bottom of page 1 through the top of page 3 for a list of indicators that grade 8 students are ready academically for high school. These are exit outcomes for middle schools - for all students, not just the ones at the Pre-AP level. The percent of your grade 8 students who achieve these standards is a good measure of your schools quality. Then youll see at the top of page 4 a list of some of the structural changes recommended in our own middle school plan. Now we know the reasons for teams, advisors, and block schedules. They are of no importance out of the context of improved academic achievement. There are some profound and, yes, sometimes upsetting, information in this article, but we have to know what works and what doesnt. The discussion on page 12 about classroom practices is excellent and should guide us all as we plan for improved instruction. Your faculty should spend a lot of time answering the questions on pp. 12-13 and then reflecting on the consequences of their answers. We are lucky in LRSD. We are reinventing alLour middle schools. The trick will be, however, in preparing "every student for rigorous work in high schools." Attachments BAL/rcm f rxaiaiug vuiv Raising the Bar in the Middle Grades: , Readiness for Success In the first of a series of reports on middle grades education, the middle grades were characterized as the "weak link" in the educational system. Data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress were used to support the conclusion that SREB states should raise standards and expectations for student performance in the middle grades. This report will suggest ways that schools and classrooms in SREB states can use standards to improve achievement. Recent international, national and regional reports paint a picture of an American educational system in which students get a jump-start through early childhood programs, begin lagging behind in the middle grades and finish high school near the back of the pack. Almost 50 percent of eighth- graders in SREB states are below the basic (partial mastery) level in math, as measured by the National Assessment of Educational Progress. Students in rural, small-town locations score significantly below students in rural areas nationwide. How can we raise our studentsachievement ahd close this gap? States and districts have set content standards and goals for learning at specific grades in an effort to define what must be achieved to be ready for success. But the standards and goals often are not clear and concise and are not easily understood by parents and students. Schools and teachers have not taken the next step: converting middle grades standards into clear examples of quality work that indicate students' readiness for challenging work in high school. The examples in Figure 1, gathered by the SREB from teachers, administrators, parents and students, illustrate what students might be expected to know and to do when they complete eighth grade. In simple, straightforward language, they describe achievement goals that too few students can meet today. Have your school districts, high schools and middle schools discussed and identified what readiness for challenging work in high school means for students completing eighth grade? Are middle grades students in your community ready for challenging work in high school? How do you know? On Expectations "There is something very important we are not sharing with our students: Not everything is going to be pizza
some things will be spinach. Students need to know how to determine what is important and get through it." A Tennessee educator >Teachers, parents and students often do not have clear examples of what quality work is or how to reach high standards. Without clear expectations for performance, they cannot judge the quality of assignments or real academic progress. And the expectations must be set at a level high enough to ensure that any student meeting them is ready to do challenging work in high school and then be prepared to learn after high school, either in postsecondary education or on the job. Once standards are in place and accompanied by examples of quality work, schools must be asked, "What are you doing to help all students perform at the highest achievement levels and be ready for success in high school?" HI Figure 1 Readiness for High School Reading Indicators completed pre-algebra or Algebra I with proficiency score Current Performance In SREB states 25 percent of eighth-grade students complete an Questions to Ask Have changes been made in mathematics instruction to ensure http://www.sreb.org/Programs/MiddleGrades/RaisingBar/raisebar.htinl Page 1 of 12Raising the Bar in the Middle Grades
Readiness for Success 2/28/99 12:42 AM on an end-ol-course test apply appropriate mathematic^ strategies to solve multistep problems algebra course and 34 percent complete pre-algebra. that all tilth-grade students will complete Algebra I orpre-^gebra by eighth grade? Are teachers asking all students to solve a variety of real-world and complex mathematical problems? read-widely - a standard of 30 books over the course of a year - on an eighth-grade level. Thirty-five percent of SREB eighth-grades report that they read five or fewer pages daily, compared with 25 percent of eighth-graders nationally. At least 70 percent of students nationally are below the Nation^ Assessment proficient level in reading - a level indicating masteiy of challenging work and readiness for the next level of schooling. Do all teachers know how to engage students in reading complex material? for example, do science teachers help students learn how to read scientific texts and materials? find, organize and present information in writing as a response to a problem or question> Forty-six percent of SREB eighth-graders report that they never have done a written report in science and 30 percent of math and science teachers say that they never ask students to write a report. Are students asked to produce frequent, short-term writing responses in all classes? Are all students expected to do intensive, in-depth research and writing? design, conduct, analyze and report on a science investigation Forty percent of teachers in SREB states report that they never ask students to do an extended report on a science project, and two-thirds of students say they never have design^ and carried out their own science investigation Are students expected to learn and use laboratory and research procedure,s in science? Are students required to develop and complete at least three science investigations each year? I f I present an oral report that is interesting and logically developed with scientific accuracy Sixty-one percent of SREB eighth-graders never have given an oral report in science, and 56 percent of teachers report they never ask students to give oral reports in science. Are students required to present and defend ideas through oral presentations developed for different audiences? http://www.sreb.org/Programs/MiddIeGrades/RaisingBar/raisebar.html Pape 2 of 12 Raising the Bar in the Middle uraaes: Keaainess lor success M.1V1 demonstrate writing competence Nationally, NAEP trend data show that in 1996 fewer 13 year-olds (66 percent) could write clear, focused responses to different writing task than in 1984 (72 percent). Are students asked to create, critique and summarize literary works? Are they required to use various writing strategies, such as comparison and cause-and-effect? What are the consequences of not "being ready"? Data from about 20,000 High Schools That Work students underscore the importance of being ready to do challenging work in high school. Ninth-graders in English/language arts courses described as basic or remedial have a 20 percent chance of attaining the HSTW proficiency goal for reading by their senior year. To attain the goal, students must meet a predetermined performance score on a test similar to the National Assessment of Educational Progress. The reading proficiency goal requires students to know how to analyze situations
organize and synthesize written information
and make written and oral reports. Only 42 percent of HSTW students who enroll in ninth-grade-level English courses achieve the reading proficiency goal, while 72 percent of students in accelerated or college preparatory ninth-grade English reach the HSTW proficiency goal. (Figure 2) A similar pattern is evident in mathematics. Of high school students who do not complete an algebra course equivalent to college preparatory algebra, fewer than 25 percent meet the mathematics performance goal set by High Schools That Work. Students who meet the goal are able to use concepts from algebra, statistics and geometry to reason and solve problems. Half of the students who complete a college preparatory course in algebra or its equivalent meet the HSTW performance goal by graduation. About 86 percent of those who complete Algebra II or geometry in high school meet the mathematics performance goal. (Figure 3) When High Schools That Work followed 6,000 students a year after graduation, it found that taking challenging academic courses and meeting proficiency goals gave students an edge in further education and employment For example: Students who met HSTW performance goals and were working full time or part time earned more per hour than students who did not meet the goals. Only 15 percent of graduates who met HSTW performance goals had to take remedial courses in college, compared with 31 percent of those who did not meet performance goals. Only 17 percent of graduates who met HSTW performance goals were unemployed at some time dunng the year after graduation, compared with 25 percent of those who did not meet the goals. Students who met the HSTW performance goals were much more likely (83 percent) to enroll in further study after high school than those who did not meet the performance goals (56 percent). i Getting students ready to take a high-level Enghsh course and a solid algebra course taught to college preparatory standards is the best way to ensure that they will be ready for the challenges of high school and further learning. I Why aren't students ready to do challenging work? How did we get into a pattern of lagging performance in the middle grades? There is no simple answer. There is, however, a pattern of practices in schools with lagging performance. That pattern can be altered by getting Ure right focus for middle grades education. When districts began establishing middle schools in the 70s and '80s, the focus was on a list of recommended practices and policies that would http://www.sreb.org/Programs/MiddIeGrades/RaisingBar/raisebar.htinl Page 3 of 12I Raising the Bar in the Middle Grades: Readiness for Success 2/28/99 12:42 AM provide students appropriate experiences for their ages and grade levels. The recommendations became a checklist of characteristics that "defined" a middle school
among them were teams, advisory' homerooms and longer blocks of time to do hands-on activities. -------- Accotnmodating versus expecting Every middle school visited by the SREB staff sorted students. For one group of students, the focus was on academic achievement and accelerated learning. For the rest, the focus was on textisook coverage, special short-term instructional programs and self-esteem improvement. In class after class, students were relearning content covered in earlier grades. High standards for all students became n reading a novel on the same theme," but honors students were expected to demonstrate deeper comprehension by doing more literary' research and writing. Figure 2 Percent of Students Meeting HSTW English Performance Goal Ninth-Grade Course Assignment 80% ... 72%. 60% j j5 (. I i 40% 20% 0% 19% Basic 42% Regular HighL 5 i I 1 ti Figure 3 Percent of Students Meeting HSTW Mathematics Performance Goal Courses Completed in High School 100% 86^ 80% 60% 40% 20% 24% 0% Basic yathemstics Algebra I Algebra Gegro http://www.sreb.org/Progranis/MiddleGrades/RaisingBar/raisebar.htinl Page 4 of 12 Raising the bar in tne iviiaaie oraues
Keauiness lui jullho -- Data from both the National Assessment of Educational Progress and the Third International Mathematics and Science Study report that sorting students leads to different expecUtions and lower achievement
what is taught (curriculum) and what is expected (standards) make a difference in student achievement. i Data from the National Assessment of Education Progress show that more eighth-grade students (50 percent) in SREB states are assigned to English courses according to their ability than are students across the country (33 percent). J) , Schools that accommodate students by sorting them into different levels limit their j access to further opportunities
students who are accommodated through lower license to "hide" from more challenging work. expectations are given a Social development versus academic performance What was missing from the checklist was the ultimate purpose of the middle school: academic achievement that would prepare students for challenging, rigorous work in high school. When parents and educators are asked about their vision for the middle grades, they frequently say that students should "feel good about themselves," "reach their full potential" or "enjoy coming to school." All of these are important, but where is the focus on learning? It is no accident that schools that focus on academic improvement have students who periorm at a higher level. No common expectations for performance Observations and conversations with students, teachers, administrators and parents in the SREB states confirm that too few students are ready for the challenges of high school. Eighth-grade students in schools visited b\SREB staff reported that they "read one or two books on their own during the year.' Teachers of pre-algebra and general math estimate that at least half of their students are not ready for algebra. Eighth-grade promotion policies in some states require that students must pass only two or three of the four core subjects
parents believe that passing grades are sufficient evidence that a student is ready for high school work. N In most school systems, there are no common expectations for the content knowledge and skills needed by all students to be ready for high school work. States may have set grade-by-grade standards, but the accompanying examples of quality student work have not been set by local districts and schools. As a result, far too many students trip and fall in ninth grade as they begin the last lap of secondary education. Doing the right things with the wrong focus One of the key recommendations for having effective middle schools is to create small, personalized communities for learning. Many middle grades sites organize teachers and students into teams to obtain smaller learning units within the school. These sites also may set aside advisory periods so that students and teachers can develop closer and more supportive relationships. Vision and Purpose We want all our students to have choices when they leave this middle school. If they want to take accelerated courses, we want them to be prepared by knowing the content that they need." A Memphis, Tennessee lead teacher Unfortunately, having key practices becomes more important in some schools than usInglEhe key practices to improve teaching and learning. littp://www.sreb.org/Prograins/MiddleGrades/RaisingBar/raisebar.htinI Page 5 of 12I Raising the Bar in the Middle Grades: Readiness for Success f I i If i Tecun teaching across subject areas 211^199 12:42 AM f In a 1993 study by the National Middle School Association, 45 percent of schools reported organizing tochers into teams in core academic areas. About 75 percent of schools with such teams provided two planning penods for teachers to work together. However, according to logs of team meetings the fnr.115 nf the fpam ic liV-Ak trv Ra manoninn Ptii/4A7kAkotMz^,^r,iKz. 2..* J___ ---:----::--- focus of e team is likely to be managing student behavior, filling out pai^nvnrlc and nbnn^ Cltpn uc fia1 H triro onrl r.....___- JT__ i.'---------- - xo xmvijL yy
aiuuciu uciiAv lUK lining mil papenvork and planning events such as held tnps and assemblies. In rare cases, teams focus on examining student achievement data aniTctlirlAnt xtzr\rV rnmnlon. a.* .^1 zs. __i_______: ---------------------------- .------- J-T ---------------------------J--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------^^^*****AA***jg, jkUMvin. avmcYcxxicui u and student work .samples
on planmng and reviewing lesson strategies
and on analvang stiiHenr responses. Yet ifisthat locus on student learning and performance that acceleraleT^ademir' achievement ! pi f ! Guiding and advising students Likewise, the National Middle School Association study reported that in 1993 nearly half (47 percent) of all middle schools had teacher-based guidance programs, compared with 39 percent in 1988. Two-thirds of these advisory programs meet daily for 15 to 30 minutes. Adyis^ periods are supposed to provide early adolescents with social and emotional aL,4. -----------------------------IT----------------- I _________t____________________s* ---------------Tw auviai aiiu ClllUtlUllU sufipo^jece^gry^for acadiinic. success jn school. H^iTeVer, they are more likely tn consist of roll call, school announcements and unstructured social'time for stucfents. i 5 f { If a school believes that teacher guidance is important, it will develop or adapt a guidance curriculum trv'llCAC nn lonHomiri z^ :_____r_______ , / C--------- I ----------- that focuses on academic counseling in addition to issues of concern to adolesomts "Uniiy i 20-minute periods are not long enough to implement an effective guidance curriculum Forthat scht^ls should schedule longer periods once a week or twice a month
teachers should work together to plan a senes of topics with well-developed lesson plans. For instance, one topic for an eighth-grade advisory curriculum might be "What is high school really like?" Former students might come back to tai If Ahnnt fhAir pvrvmorioflf' iirkn* +l.-zxz^ z,z.l.:-.z. ______1 _ talk about eir experiences and what it takes to achieve in academic courses. 1 Dr. James Stigler I t I i & I "I once asked a group of American teachers to create a lesson plan. They took 15 minutes to do It. ... 'Hie AfiKrican plans always say what the teacher is going to do. the Japanese plans ask wtMt the students are going to think if the teacher does this. ... Then 1 asked on of the American teachers to teach the lesson... It was a complete disaster
everything went wrong. ... American teachers don't have any experience jointly talking about instruction. When they get together, they don't talk about lessons. They talk about all manner of other professional and personal issues but almost never discuss how they actually teach their 1 I "Lessons in Perspective
How Culture Shapes Math Instruction in Japan, Germany, and the United SUtes" The California State University Institute for School Reform Block scheduling A quote from a recent Third International Mathematics and Science Study summarizes the dilemma over time in schools
"It's not just how long you make it but how you make it long." The study found that longer classes meant more repetition and boredom if the extra time was not used effectively with specific goals in mindi ---------------------------------- Many middle schools have lengthened their classes. In education lingo, they have adopted "block scheduling." There is much debate over how long the blocks should be, which courses should be taught every day and what happens to students who miss these longer classes. Teachers often say that their preparation for the change to block scheduling included one or two workshops but that they learned mostly from experience. What did they leam? Teachers say they do more projects but the .protects are_gften add-ons or time fillers and not an integral part of instnictio^ I 'he kiHs fep them" is a one or two workshops but that they common comment. And block schedules are often just rigid as the traditional 45- to 50-minute http://www.sreb.org/Programs/MiddIeGrades/RaisinaBar/raisebar.html Dperiod-just longer. rxiTx 5 scheduling to improve student performance have changed 1 sgn>f>cant ways. Teachers work with students to studv fewer topics in greater depth and to demonstrate greater understanding of content through comparing. analvSng, summ^zing and rej^rting Lesson plans foci^ on what students will do rather than what the teacher will do. Students are challenged with problems and issues that have more than one solution or perspective- solutions, decide which is best and defend their choice both oraUy have changed or perspective
Teachers and administrators who see longer blocks of time as essential to learning also emphasize the "g b^ed on academic purpose. For instance, EnghsM^guage sav tn tniv Tnakf rnnnArtmnc _______i- ai lo icacuci b often say to truly make connections among readin
Q wri ting, speaking, research and grammar requires *.u 1 VI Jr . i^sarcn ano grammar r more time than is avmlable even in 90-nunute blocks. Schools that are focused on students and academics are more likely to allow teams to schedule learning time based on purpose rather than organizational need. man md Louisville, Ky., teams are free to create their own schedules based on their ac^emic needs. For example, math classes may be shorter (but more frequent) than social studies classes. Science classes may be longer on "lab days." This level of flexibility is too rare in scnoois loaay. A Kentucky Educator i The most dranMic change due to state testing has been that classroom practice has been more content-dnven, nwre focused on what students need to know, because we reauired students to do son^thing with what they learned - make a graph, summarize what they read in their own words, organized results into a table." H A Tennessee Eighth-Grader . *nniV.^w<-^'av^<ir<'/avinw>v.'.v science teacher teaches real science, things that you can do, and it
s a lot more interesting. She really n-igs to teach us. Some teachers haven't really tried to teach us they teach the book. Good teachers want you to learn and find any way they can to help you." Getting itb^kward: Finding the standards that fit rather than fitting instruction to standards States and distncts have set content and student achievement standards at specific grades. But settine standards is only the first step. AlLschools need to convert standards into descrintion.sofwnrV ,SXEgc^ of all students prepmng for college and employment. When teachers have examples of the quality.ot_work ej^ted to meet the stand^ds, they will use standards iFa'annine in.stnictinn nnd ^sessing acluevement. Without ei(amples ot quality work, teachers will conPnue to plan and tSch they-^ways have and, when asked, will find a standard that fits the lesson. One teacher said "In a middle school classroom, I can find a standard that will fit anything I plan to teach" use stydards in planning instruction a^ as States have developed smdards based on higher-level thinking and skills, but they may continue to use tests that measure lower-level skills, such as the ability to recall isolated facts. And in classrooms in every district and every state, teachers drill students on sample test items of isolated facts
In a school visited by an SREB staff member, one English teacher designed a lesson on the state standards relating to vocabulary development, writing and poetry in a way that was creative eneaeed students and resulted in an onginal poem. In the other Engl ish classrooms, teachers assigned U/rrVch^*tC' /itk vrv'oKill'an/ lictc 'inri ri Till ^>-5 _________i _ worksheets with vocabulary lists and drilled students on sample items from the state uA,-i . V f j' 1. .-J ------------------1'------assessment test. While one teacher focused on havmg students actually use new words to create a poem, the others http://www.sreb.org/Progranis/MiddleGrades/RaisingBar/raisebar.htinl Page 7 of 12Raising the Bar in the Middle Grades: Readiness for Success emphasized isolated bits of information that may be forgotten quickly. 2/28/99 12:42 AM Effecuve teaching balances the need to know and remember with the ability to apply know-ledge 1 real-world problems. When students who are achieving at high levels talk about what is different about their classes, they often say they are doing "real science" or using numbers that "mean something." In other words, they are thinking for themselves and finding new- w'avs to use the knowledge they are acquiring. to HSgad&gre grg no concrete indicators or examples of quality student work, the textbook or the latest .prpgrqm^omes the curriculum and the instruction, hducators talk about the impnrtanrp nf curriculum, instruction and assessment. They say that they want to determine content topics plan experiences necessary to leam the content and check to see whether students know the content and how to use It. Eight very different middle schools in five states visited by SREB staff all have the same commercial reading program - a "quick fix" to low reading scores. None of the schools visited could sh^e models of exemplary student work that educators used to judge acceptable student performance If there are no specific learning goals and no examples of work that meets the goals, how can schools determine what content students need to leam and whether they have learned it? A Texas Middle School Principal 5 I M 'We have a whole quick-fix culture that says, 'Get your test scores us if you buy this program.' when other principals ask me how I turned my school around, they really expect me to say 1 bought this or that, they are really disappointed when I say to them 'We did it with a lot of hard work!' " I n I I i i i I f System structures that slow higher standards Schools do not exist in a vacuum. They are subject to outside forces and inside pressures. Good schools are part of a larger system that allows them to focus on what is important for students In far too many systems, the organization and policies that are designed to support successful learning often have the opposite effect. For instance, teachers know that students do not learn at the same rate. Some need more time, and some may need different teaching. Yet students are moved through the system at the same rate and in the same way. Common sense tells us that students learn better in smaller settings, but as many as 3,000 students are housed in the same building in the name of efficiency. Students who have difficulty learning need expert teachers, yet experienced teachers use their seniority to choose schools and classes with the easiest-to-teach students. In other countries, students learn more by studying fewer topics, yet in the United States students are asked to learn a wider range of topics, making it difficult for them to achieve a deeper understanding of essential concepts. Leadership Developing a sense of academic purpose and a commitment to high-quality learning for all students arises out of effective leadership. Yet very few districts have administrative support programs or match new principals with formal mentors. While principals are expected to be instructional leaders, most do little or no teaching after leaving the classroom for an administrative position. Others spend little time on curricular and instructional matters. Principals admit that they need training in how to build understanding among students, parents and teachers about what students should know and be able to do. I I 1 Leaders focus attention on what needs to be done to improve student achievement, and they make sure Jthappens. If teachers need help planning curriculum and instruction tied to example.s of high-quaEty" performance in the classroom, good leaders find ways to provide that help. If students need more time to accomplish achievement goals, leaders find ways to add extra time. I http://www.sreb.org/ProgramsZMiddIeGrades/RaisingBar/raisebar.htinl Page 8 of 12i
*1 naisiug me oar lu me iviiuuie uraaes: Keaainess lor success Time 12:42 AM Controlling the use of time is a critical factor in focusing on academics and student achievement Most lu UI ling uic uoc UI ulub lo a UI luuiu laciui 111 luuuaiiig uii uuauciiues ana sluaeni acmevement y districts use the same length of school day and year for all students. But schools can control how time ,.Lr^ icncpH Tnnnftpn crbnnl c licp vtalnoKlo l/aominn timia t/^ rl/-\ *-or.b-r. ^-u___ is used. Too often, schools use valuable learning time to do administrative tasks or for the school's convenience rather than to meet the real needs of students. Principals who are instructional leaders make sure there is uninterrupted learning time. If schools are to focus on students and academic achievement, then students who are having difficulty in the middle i^rades must be eiven extra time and every opportundv to succeed. Extra time may mean ~before-school and after-school tutoring, Saturday school and summer school: it may require different schedules for teachers and students alike. Extra opportunity may mean constant checking on student understanding and a rethinking of how content is being taught. If students cannot reach performance expectations on the first try, teachers must have time and support to find another way to help students learn. Sorting and labeling All teachers say they want their students to be creative, to be critical thinkers, to be active participants and to be problem-solvers. But how they define those terms and what they think their students will achieve are often alarmingly different. Students' opportunities are limited through sorting that begins in kindergarten and continues through high school. Students labeled as "at-risk" or "disadvantaged" often carry a more subtle label of "can't be expected to do the work" or "needs to be in a lower-level class." Sorting ^d ladling in SREB states have the greatest negative effect on students in classes lower than "honors" level. Students assigned to average-ability maematics classes in SREB states scnred significantly lower than similar eighth-graders across the United States. We should challeng^aiO. students to meet performance expectetions sinular to what is expected of students in college preparatory co^ufses. One set ot expectations and one set of criteria for quality work should be applied to all students. If we are going to group students, the groups should focus on providing extra opportunity' and extra time to accomplish challenging work, not on lower standards and expectations. A similar sorting process happens to teachers through teaching assignments. The system of seniority most often matches the newest and least experienced teachers to schools and classrooms that have students with the greatest needs. Interrupt Class? America, Yes
Japan, No "We measured how many times the lesson was interrupted by someone coming into the classroom or an announcement coming over the public address system. This ^ppened during 31 percent of the American lessons, 13 percent of the German lessons and none of the Japanese lessons.... They couldn't believe that someone would interrupt a moth lesson or disturb students like this." II ,n 'Lessons in Perspective: How Culture Shapes Math Instruction in Japan, Germany, and the United States A South Carolina High School Principal "1 got my better teachers to teach 'other' [not honors] students, and amazingly these 'other' students passed Algebra and Algebra II. They could do it. If teachers believe they are good and students know they have good teachers, the changes are remarkable. I would change middle schools and mix students and teachers." I ! 1 ny http://www.sreb.org/Programs/MiddleGrades/RaisingBar/raisebar.htinI Page 9 of 12Raising the Bar in the Middle Grades
Readiness for Success 2/28/99 12:42 AM One Texas middle school principal reassigned teachers and students as one of his first acts as principal.' Teachers who had taught the "best" students were assigned to "other" students, and test scores began to rise. The best teachers had higher expectations and a broader range of teaching strategies, and students began to meet the higher expectations. When students began to experience success attendance went up and the climate for learning improved throughout the school. / Likewise, the teachers in that Texas middle school who began to teach "honors" students for the first time began to believe they were "good" teachers. Faculty morale went up, and teacher expectations were raised. I Changing the focus to student achievement Recently, a representative from a large urban district spoke out in frustration: "Too many teachers and administrators just don't get it! They think that when they open the doors to the school, the kids will come whether they are doing a wonderful job or not. With choice and charter schools, that may not be the case. I ask them, 'Do you want the kids to say "I love coming to this school," or do you want to hear "I hate this school"?' Many teachers don't understand that we could be like the dinosaurs." What they don't get is the importance of putting student academic performance at the center of education. ( i I Discussions about poor performance often provoke discomfort, blame, finger-pointing and fear. By providing time and help in coming to agreements on the quality and quantity of student work that is acceptable, leaders can allay fear and confusion and develop cooperation and focus. Developing, refining and updating curriculum and changing the focus to student achievement require time, expertise and resources, information and financial support National, state and local standards can guide schools, but teachers, school leaders and parents can come together to examine student performance. What all students are expected to know and do should be described by performance criteria and supported with examples of quality student work that provide evidence that students are ready to tackle challenging work in high school. An Eighth-Grade Language Arts Teacher n '/ teach eighth-grade reading improvement. 1 had 40 students on the first day of school
some had passed the state test, and some had not. I can tell you right now that passing the test does not mean the student can read on an eighth-grade level." Every middle grades teacher should know what is to be done at every grade level to ensure that all students who complete eighth grade have attained eighth-grade standards and show readiness for a challenging ninth-grade program. Meeting high expectations and challenging standards requires continuous, coherent effort and progress through the middle grades. Passing a test does not guarantee that students can do challenging work. By agreeing on examples of work expected at every grade level that correspond to expectations in "honors" courses, teachers can align instruction and assessment with the standards. Research Paper Assignment http://www.sreb.org/Programs/MiddIeGrades/RaisingBar/raisebar.htniI Paee 10 of 12Raising the Bar in the Middle Urades: Readiness for Success 2/28/99 12:42 AM All students will express a strong opinion or assertion and support it through research to be presented in oral and written forms. Performance Criteria $ 3 1 ! Students will: use at least three research sources and one mteiv'iew
complete a narrative using all standard English conventions of grammar punctuation, spelling, and word usage, as well as logical organization and coherent writing
use a variety of thinking and writing strategies - for example, comparison and facts and details
or opinions
include a summary' of their research that explains how it supports or rejects the study questions or opinions explain how the researched information is connected to the reader and author through explicit examples of the relationship - usefulness, interest, relevance. 1 I Sample Scoring Guide Advanced: The student has located exceptional informatior from a wide range of resources. The method of organizing and summarizing is ef. xtive and comprehensive. There are no English usage errors in the final product. Proficient: The student has used at least four sources for information, including an interview, that are clearly relevant to the chosen topic. The information is organized so that it is retrieved easily and can be connected to main ideas or questions under study. References are noted properly, and English usage errors are minimal. I Performance criteria not met: The student has relied upon one or two resources. The information is not well organized, and the paper lacks focusing questions or main ideas. References are not noted properly, and the report contains numerous English usage errors. No attempt or off-task: The student did not do the assignment or did not use the performance criteria guidelines. Changing old patterns What happens in classrooms in which students are challenged to do high-level work? What happens to students who are judged to "need lower-level classes"? There are practices that distinguish challenging high-level classrooms from classrooms in which students struggle to achieve. Some of those practices are outlined in Figure 4. There is a hidden curriculum in low-expectation classrooms for students who are thought to be less able. The hidden curriculum is built on a b^e of repetition and monotony, and it sends a message to students thatthey can't do challenging work. We can change this message to one that says "This is what is acceptable eighth-grade work, and this is what you need to do to achieve it." What will it take to change all classrooms into high-expectation classrooms? i I cj http://www.sreb.org/Programs/MiddIeGrades/RaisingBar/raisebar.htniI Page 11 of 12I i Raising the Bar in the Middle Grades: Readiness for Success Fi gure -4 Classroom Practices 2/28/99 12:42 AM High-Expectation Classrooms spend more time on learning !E I clearly state goals and performance criteria for all students aim for clarity and understanding of content and factual knowledge appropriate for the grade level believe all students can do tasks and solve problems successfully require students to think and reflect, analyze, synthesize and evaluate use a variety of methods and materials and communicate a joy for learning and doing provide time for students to cooperate and try out various learning strategies t! i support and encourage a sense of teamwork and challenge all students to participate connect learning to student lives I I Low-Expectation Classrooms allocate more time to discipline and classroom management go from chapter to chapter or activity to actinty without goals tied to standards emphasize working quietly, following directions and using only teacher-demonstrat^ strategies have fewer opportunities for students to try different learning strategies ask students only to recall facts and follow one- or two-step procedures substitute low'-level tasks such as fill-in-the-blanks for written analyses, discussion and in-depth study lack enthusiasm and optimism about learning and doing among both teachers and students focus on those students who are easiest to engage focus on isolated skills disconnected from any meaning to students E Successful schools focus on students and learning rather than on sorting and labeling. Learning is based on challenging standards for all students, and quality is upheld consistently through descriptions of acceptable performance. Teachers know their subject and how to teach it in many ways so that all students can leam. There are successful schools and classrooms in each of the SREB states. The challenge is to make sure that every school in every state is successful with every student. E J F. 1 Asking the right questions Many educators believe that the most important part of teaching and learning is helping students know what questions to ask to get the information they need. Ensuring readiness for high school means asking schools the right questions about the middle grades. 1 i What evidence of readiness for high school is required of every student by the end of eighth grade? Do performance criteria describe the skills and qualities needed to do challenging work in high school? How has the school changed what is taught, how teachers teach and how student performance is measured to better prepare all students for high school? Are there samples of student work to show parents and students what is expected for every standard? Is student work evaluated consistently according to known criteria across classrooms and subjects? Do all teachers expect essentially the same quality of work? How do the standards at this school compare with those in the rest of the state? Nation? World? How does the school make sure that all parents and community members know what the standards are? How does the school help students who are having difficulty achieving the standards? Does the school publish information on how many students achieve performance standards? For example, how many students complete Algebra I by the end of eighth grade or enroll in Algebra I in the ninth grade? Does the. .school re.nort information on how different uroiins of .students nerform in different http://www.sreb.org/Progranis/MiddleGradesZRaisingBar/raisebar.htinl Page 12 of 12 auca, ncttuiucss lui OQVUCbS 2/28/99 12:42 AM subjects? For example, how many male students complete the reading and wiitin'o ......... requirements? How many female students design, conduct, analyze and report on^science expenments? How is the school helping teachers learn to use standards and performance criteria in planning their instruction? h *6 I I Looking ahead If we want students to be focused on academic achievement, we also need teachers who believe in academe achievement and are prepared to teach content and to guide students toward high-qualitv work. Without adequate preparation and continued learning for teachers, agreement on standards is a hollow exercise. A recent Public Agenda sun-ey identified some stumbling blocks to raising expectations and improving student achievement
Teachers generally support the call for higher standards, but they do not view low standards a.s a widespread or urgent problem
Teachers seem more concerned about students' social skills and values than about hieh-level academe skills. It I I a li ! Despite these discouraging findings, sgmgjniddle schools are "reinventing" themselves and making the changes nec^sary' to prepare every student foTn^orous work inTugE school. WrffronrPvreFinFinb tethers in these schools are involved in professional development programs that encourage them to delve deeply into their teaching and to accept responsibility tor student ----------------------------- success. Dr. J^es Stigler, who 1 ed the videotape studies of American, Gennan and Japanese classrooms for the Tmrd International Mathematics and Science Study, says the key to improving teaching in the United States is for t^hers "to ask the question over and over: Can you think of a way to make agents learn more. "The SREB's next report on middle grades'education will examine what teachers should know and be able to do to help students get ready for challenging studies in high school http://www.sreb.org/Programs/MiddleGrades/RaisingBar/raisebar.htniI Page 13 of 124 13/ Y7 LITTLE ROCK SCHOOL DISTRICT INSTRUCTIONAL RESOURCE CENTER 3001 PULASKI STREET LITTLE ROCK, AR 72206 March 2, 1999 L. TO: Middle School Principals FROM: Dr. Bonnie Lesley .Associate Superintendent for Instruction SUBJECT: SREB: Improving Teaching in the Middle Grades: Higher Standards for Students Aren't Enough' This article is about improving the quality of middle school teachers, and we can do a great deal in this area. 1. 2. Note the emphasis on content-specific teaching strategies on page 7. Note on page 10 that teachers may need as many as 50 hours of instruction, practice, and feedback to become comfortable using new teaching strategies." 3. j? f S 4. 5. 6. Note also on p. 10 the importance of content knowledge in improving student performance. See the top of page 11 for advice to low-performing schools. See also on page 11 the discussion about teachers reading professional literature and other informal learning opportunities. Remember that I discussed with you the importance of teachers being a part of a professional learning community? See p. 12 for ideas on how to support that. H I $ 45 E 7. 8. We have to know the barriers to change. Note the bottom of p. 12 and top of p. 13 for a list. The next to last sentence is the message: Academic standards will not make a difference if policies and practices do not also change. Attachments BAL/rcm 2/28/99 12:43 AM Improving Teaching in the Middle Grades: Higher Standards for Students Arent Enough j 4 i i Recommendations ,9 How are middle grades teaHieis selected and educated, introduced into schools, assigned c!as,sroc>ms and_subjc5cts, and encouraged to grow profes.sionally? In two previous repf.)ris, the SREB focused on the importance Oi raising standard,s and expectations for student performance in the middle rades. But e.^f^cted to (X'rlorm at the highest levels, .shouldnt we expect ihe .same from hiacher Shouldn t we set high standards tor those who seek to become teacher
, ' \ v teacheix to bt' prepaixxl to teach ligorous academic oMlent and to apply research on the best teaching practices in cla,ssiwm3? 9 And shouldnt we expect I 9 Teaching in the middle grades today never Bec^e of praciices in teacher preptirdlion, licensure and assignment m elassTTOms, too many jgacher^mth^iddle^^^^^^^^^ have too little knowledge of the rubjects they ^ch n^v - have uiken ad^'anced English courses, physic.s, chemistry or college filgebra can teach seventh- and eighth-grade pre-algebra, algebra, physical science and English in most SREB states. In SREB states those who teach eighth-grade mathematics and science are less likelv than their peers nationwide to have had co lege courses m their content area during the last two years. The results are predictable: lagging student achievement in the middle grades in mathematics, science and language arts. Do teachers have the jmntent knowledge needed to teach their assigned classe.^? ticm one SREB state were available to study teaching assignments by class. The SREB believes that if data were available throughout the region, the findings would be similar. In the state for which data were available: Almost two-thirds of sixth-grade mathematics classes are taught by teachers with elementary education majors. More than two-thirds of eighth-grade mathematics classes are taught by teachers who majored in mathematics or mathematics education. About half of seventh-grade mathematics classes and only one out of five sixth-grade classes have teachers who majored in mathematics or mathematics education. In eighth-grade science, two out of five classes are taught by teachers without a science major, and only 11 percent of science classes are taught by teachers who majored in a science content area such as biology, chemistry or physics^ In grade eight, 70 percent of the English classes are taught by teachers with a major in either elementary education or home economics education. Researchers in lexci.s and Tennessee have found that studenls yvho have less effeclive teachers for even one year perform at losver levels over time., even if the quality of teaching improves in subsequent years. Teacher qualitymaitefs /or studem achievemenl.. Education Week. Feb. 18, 1998 While compiehensive legional data are not available at all grade levels, we can sav wi th some confidenix that at least a third of the middle grades teachers in the SREB states texlay hold elementary teaching licenses. A study in Kentucky also concluded that at least a third of middle grades math bttp
//yfTirw.sreb.or^rogramsfM.iddleGrades/higher_st&ndards/report.htm} Page 1 of 125r Middle Grades teachers ha ve elementary cerliilcation. 2/28/99 12:43 AM Table 1* Middle Grades Classes and Teacher Qualifications Percentages of Classes Taught by Teachers with Different College Majors Subject Area, Grade Level Math, 6th Math, 7th Math, Sth Algebra, 7th Algebra, Sth English, 6th English. 7th English, Sth Science, 6th Science, 7th Science, Sth Heraentary Education 64% 31 16 22 2 82 57 36 33 24 15 Secaidaiy Education 9% 75 37 25 4 5195 4 English Education Major 6 15 Math Educaticn Major 6% 40 53 41 56 Science Education Major 43 46 48 Artsand Sciences English, Mathematics or Science Major 14% 11 18 12 56 47 11 Other** Education Major 7% 11 8 5 14 27 42 11 18 18 * Data was gathered in one SREB state ** Most of the other education majors in eighth-grade English are home economics majors
in eighth-grade science, they are mostly health and physied education majors. In rural areas of the SREB states, eighth- graders trail the nation in student achievement by a laiger margin than do students in urban and suburban areas of the region. In these rural areas, a greater percentage of eighth-grade mathematics teachers (29 percent) have elementary education majors than do eighth-grade teachers in the rest of the nation (16 percent). - bational Assessment of Educational Progress. 1996 In the traditional teacher-preparation program, those who wish to teach in tlie elementary grades enter a general course of study to complete institutional retjuirements for graduation. Ty'pically, this course of study takes two year,s to complete. <Dnce students are admitted to the teacher education program, they begin learning to teach tlie numerous subjects taught by elementary teachers. 'I'heir tdectives fire concentrated in courses on teaching methods for various academic areas, and they graduate with a major in elementary education. A Traditional Teacher-Preparation Program Bachelor of Science in Education (Elementary Education Major) By contrast, secondary et
This project was supported in part by a Digitizing Hidden Special Collections and Archives project grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and Council on Library and Information Resoources.