1. The Kennewick Story The story of one district What are some similarities between your district and Kennewick? Where are you in this process? Where do you want to be? 1

2. What is our story? We all have a story. Is our story worth telling? Are we drifting through our story or are we taking on challenges? Are we overcoming challenge and conflict? Donald Miller A Million Miles In A Thousand Years 2

3. Topics for today Focus Leadership Implementation Assessment Time/Resources 3

4. Learning Communities What we want for our children … we should also want for their teachers (and administrators) that schools should be places for learning for both of them, and that learning should be suffused with excitement, engagement, passion, challenge, creativity, and joy. Andy Hargraves 4

5. Performance Growth Curves for Quartile 1-4. 5 1.7 1.3 1.7 3 1.5 3.7 3 3+

6. Change Improvement 6

7. What is your school or district focused on? 7

8. The 90% Reading Goal 90% of our third grade students will read at or above grade level

9. BACKGROUND Study of high school grades found a correlation to English classes and failure rates 1996 literacy became the district focus Establish the 90% reading goal for third graders White Paper Expectations for Schools and Principals School Board sets aside a reading fund Implemented a reading and math assessment system Implemented professional development for reading instruction Increase time for reading instruction Receiving the Gates Foundation grant expanded our focus on instructional leadership External coaches – Hoffman and Huge Harvard Institute for School Leadership (HISL) Instructional Conferences

10. 10

11. Focus What are you focused on in your school or district? Can you name just one or two things that are a focus? Does the staff agree? How will you know when you get there? 11

12. The key to success 12

13. Leadership Leadership is a systems issue Do all levels of the organization agree on the mission or the goals?

14. Leadership A school will not outperform the principal Most schools are set up to get the results they are currently achieving 14

15. The 90% Reading Goal 90% of our third grade students will read at or above grade level 15

16. Leadership is not Slogans, Readers are leaders Plans that are written down, but never actually get implemented A philosophy 16

17. Leadership is … A clear, practical, actionable vision Action Results Success 17

18. Implementation Tips from Successful Principals Have plan Have clear expectations Take Action/Make Action Relationships 18

19. Implementation Tips from Successful Principals Have plan Simple Actionable Not a philosophy Build the box 19

20. Implementation Tips from Successful Principals Have clear expectations You get what you inspect Provide feedback 20

21. You get what you inspect Inspection Yearly school board presentation Scores Strategies Mid Year Predictions Public sharing of strategies and scores Data analysis at principals meetings School Visits by groups of principals Time and Focus reports 21

22. Implementation Tips from Successful Principals Take Action/Make Action Have clear expectations Well communicated Inspect what you expect Be willing to reward those who follow the plan and to confront those who do not 22

23. Implementation Tips from Successful Principals Be prepared to hold staff accountable to those expectations use gentle pressure relentlessly applied to implement the plan Vicki Phillips To chose not to reinforce expectations is the same as not having expectations 23

24. Implementation Relationships Be fair Be consistent Be respectful * Listen 24

25. Implementation Relationships Leadership is not about one person, its about building a shared commitment and building a leadership team. Wallace Foundation, Becoming a Leader: Preparing School Principals for Todays Schools 25

26. Instructional Expectations Top Ten Instructional Strategies 1. Clear purpose focused on specific skill. 2. Purposeful use of a variety of engagement strategies. 3. High level of questioning techniques. 4. Use of informal and formal assessments. 5. Use of different teaching modalities. 6 Fidelity to the curriculum. 7. Evidence of mutual trust, respect and relationships. 8. Actively and enthusiastically engaged learners. 9. Great classroom management. 10. Bell to bell teaching and learning. 26

27. Expectations for a Principal The principal is solely responsible for the school Performance matters Safety Staff Academic progress Strategic plan Discipline Be visible to the school community Manage the building Be engaged with students, staff, and parents Be responsive to them Follow on requests and questions Listen to the school community Participate in school training and activities Know the social network of the school Know the social network of the community 27

28. Expectations for a Principal Develop and implement a shared vision for the school Know the achievement data – Own the data – Confront the facts Know the curriculum Develop relationships – Listen a lot, speak little – Be situationally aware Have clear, well communicated expectation for staff – Instructional expectations – Management expectations – Curriculum expectations Have clear well communicated expectations for students – Academic standards – Behavioral standards Use common sense 28

29. Expectations What are your expectations of your school in relation to reading instruction? Does your staff know what those expectations are? How do you know where school is in relation to your expectations? 29

30. Third Grade Reading Percent to Standard

31. 31

32. The Brutal Truth 32

33. Accountability Who is responsible for school achievement? 33

34. The Principals (Coaches) Role Know the data Share the data Know where all students are in their progress Be sure that staff members know the progress of students Be sure that students are receiving the appropriate interventions Implications for the reading program Have a plan Be a part of the plan 34

35. Kennewick School District Third Grade Percentage of Students at Grade Level Spring MAP Reading Scores 35

36. Percent of Third Graders Reaching a Fall RIT of 188 and a Spring RIT of 194 on Reading Level Tests 36 Percents are based on total enrollment.

37. The Results

38. Reading Level Test History ( WG) Percent of Students Reaching the Spring District Reading Goal 38 Goal: 3rd Grade RIT of 194 4th Grade RIT of 199 5th Grade RIT of 207 The Control Group is a set of students tracked from 3rd to 5th Grade

39. Reading Level Test History WA Percent of Students Reaching the Spring District Reading Goal 39 Goal: 3rd Grade RIT of 194 4th Grade RIT of 199 5th Grade RIT of 207 The Control Group is a set of students tracked from 3rd to 5th Grade

40. Effective Interventions 40

41. Assessment History Literacy S98S99S00S01S02S03S04S05S06S07S08S09 Kinder Spring Assessment**929094 9798 9798 1st Grade DRA **617578948776908391 2nd GradeDRA **7294938793949610098 2nd Grade Reading MAPS*90979994878893859586 3rd Grade Reading MAPS6878949699949899989599 3rd Grade WASL Reading********868587 4th Grade Reading Maps6967828793949396939594 4th Grade WASL Reading6660787679849192949891 4th Grade WASL Writing26344456 806671838092 5th Grade Reading MAPS7077717788828988839691 5th Grade WASL Reading********938490 * Assessment not administered this year 41

42. MAP Growth By Quartile 3 rd Grade Reading Fall 2008 – Spring 2009 42

43. 43

44. 44

45. 45

46. 46

47. Program Evaluation Questions What is the end of year goal for each student or group? Did they make that goal? What are the patterns? Within each pattern – What was the treatment the students received? – What was the effect of the treatment? – What changes need to be made to improve student performance? Pacing Instruction Materials Grouping 47

48. Program Effectiveness Questions The 4 Questions 1. Are we teaching the right thing? 2. Are we teaching enough of it? 3. Are they learning it? 4. Are they generalizing and applying the information? 48

49. I thrive under a lack of accountability 49

50. In organizations goals erode because of a low tolerance for emotional tension. Nobody wants to be the messenger of bad news. The easiest path is to pretend there is no bad news, or better yet, declare victory- to redefine the bad news as not so bad by lowering the standard against which it judged Peter Senge 50

52. Dancing With the Politicians 52

53. Time and Focus Reports Monitor Individual and School Progress 53

54. Time and Focus Reports 54

55. Reading Schedule 55

56. Topics for today Focus Leadership Implementation Assessment Time/Resources 56

57. What do we want our story to be? Maybe once in our career we get to be part of something special as a group. 57

58. Footprints You cant leave footprints in the sands of time by sitting on your butt 58

59. Footprints You cant leave footprints in the sands of time by sitting on your butt, And who wants to leave buttprints in the sands of time? 59