Closing the gap Evidence-based use of the pupil premium Robert Coe Closing the Gap in North Yorkshire, Harrogate, 27 June

∂ Outline  What can research tell us about the likely impacts and costs of different strategies?  How do we implement these strategies to … 1.Focus on what matters 2.Change classroom practice 3.Target areas of need 4.Produce demonstrable benefits 2 Improving Education: A triumph of hope over experience

Evidence about the effectiveness of different strategies 3

∂ Impact vs cost Cost per pupil Effect Size (months gain) £0 0 8 £1000 Meta-cognitive Peer tutoring Early Years 1-1 tuition Homework (Secondary) Teaching assistants Mentoring Summer schools After school Aspirations Performance pay Smaller classes Setting Most promising for raising attainment May be worth it Small effects / high cost Feedback Phonics Homework (Primary) Collaborative Small gp tuition Parental involvement Individualised learning ICT Behaviour Social

∂ Clear, simple advice:  Choose from the top left  Go back to school and do it 5 For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong H.L. Mencken

∂ Why not?  We have been doing some of these things for a long time, but have generally not seen improvement  We do not know how to get large groups of teachers and schools to implement these interventions in ways that are –faithful, –effective –sustainable 6

So what should we do? 7

∂ Four steps to improvement 1.Focus on what matters –Think hard about learning 2.Change classroom practice –Invest in good professional development 3.Target areas of need –Evaluate teaching quality 4.Produce demonstrable benefits –Evaluate impact of changes

1. Focus on what matters Think hard about learning

∂ True or false? 1.Reducing class size is one of the most effective ways to increase learning [evidence] [evidence] 2.Differentiation and ‘personalised learning’ resources maximise learning [evidence] [evidence] 3.Praise encourages learners and helps them persist with hard tasks [evidence] [evidence] 4.Technology supports learning by engaging and motivating learners [evidence] [evidence] 5.The best way to raise attainment is to enhance motivation and interest [evidence] [evidence] 10

∂ Impact vs cost Cost per pupil Effect Size (months gain) £0 0 8 £1000 Meta-cognitive Peer tutoring Early Years 1-1 tuition Homework (Secondary) Teaching assistants Mentoring Summer schools After school Aspirations Performance pay Smaller classes Setting Most promising for raising attainment May be worth it Small effects / high cost Feedback Phonics Homework (Primary) Collaborative Small gp tuition Parental involvement Individualised learning ICT Behaviour Social

∂ Poor Proxies for Learning  Students are busy: lots of work is done (especially written work)  Students are engaged, interested, motivated  Students are getting attention: feedback, explanations  Classroom is ordered, calm, under control  Curriculum has been ‘covered’ (ie presented to students in some form)  (At least some) students have supplied correct answers, even if they –Have not really understood them –Could not reproduce them independently –Will have forgotten it by next week (tomorrow?) –Already knew how to do this anyway 12

∂ Learning happens when people have to think hard A better proxy for learning?

∂ Hard questions about your school  How many minutes does an average pupil on an average day spend really thinking hard?  Do you really want pupils to be ‘stuck’ in your lessons?  If they knew the right answer but didn’t know why, how many pupils would care? 14

2. Change classroom practice Invest in effective CPD

∂ Improving Teaching  Teacher quality is what matters  We need to focus on teacher learning  Teachers learn just like other people –Be clear what you want them to learn –Get good information about where they are at –Give good feedback 16

∂ How do we get students to learn hard things? Eg  Place value  Persuasive writing  Music composition  Balancing chemical equations Explain what they should do Demonstrate it Get them to do it (with gradually reducing support) Provide feedback Get them to practise until it is secure Assess their skill/ understanding

∂ How do we get teachers to learn hard things? Eg  Using formative assessment  Assertive discipline  How to teach algebra Explain what they should do

∂  Intense: at least 30 contact hours, preferably 50  Sustained: over at least two terms  Content focused: on teachers’ knowledge of subject content & how students learn it  Active: opportunities to try it out & discuss  Supported: external feedback and networks to improve and sustain  Evidence based: promotes strategies supported by robust evaluation evidence What CPD helps students? Do you do this?

3. Target areas of need Evaluate teaching quality

∂ Why monitor teaching quality?  Good evidence of (potential) benefit from –Performance feedback (Coe, 2002) –Target setting (Locke & Latham, 2006) –Accountability (Coe & Sahlgren, 2014)  Individual teachers matter most  Teachers typically stop improving after 3-5 years  Everyone can improve  Judging real quality/effectiveness is very hard –Multidimensional –Not easily visible –Confounded 21

∂ Monitoring the quality of teaching  Progress in assessments –Quality of assessment matters (cem.org/blog)cem.org/blog –Regular, high quality assessment across curriculum (InCAS, INSIGHT)InCAS INSIGHT  Classroom observation –Much harder than you think! (cem.org/blog)cem.org/blog –Multiple observations/ers, trained and QA’d  Student ratings –Extremely valuable, if done properly ( it-raise-attainment-in-secondary-schools) it-raise-attainment-in-secondary-schools  Other –Parent ratings feedback –Student work scrutiny –Colleague perceptions (360) –Self assessment –Pedagogical content knowledge 22

∂ Teacher Assessment  How do you know that it has captured understanding of key concepts? –vs ‘check-list’ (eg ‘;’=L5, 3 tenses=L7)  How do you know standards are comparable? –Across teachers, schools, subjects –Is progress good?  How have you resolved tensions from teacher judgments being used to judge teachers? –Summative assessment includes teacher feedback 23

∂ Lesson Observation 1.Two teachers observe the same lesson, one rates it ‘Inadequate’. What is the probability the other will agree? a) 10% b) 40% c) 60% d) 80% 2.An observer judges a lesson ‘Outstanding’. What is the probability that pupils are really making sustained, outstanding progress? a) 5% b) 30% c) 50% d) 70% 24

∂ Evidence-Based Lesson Observation  Behaviour and organisation –Maximise time on task, engagement, rules & consequences  Classroom climate –Respect, quality of interactions, failure OK, high expectations, growth mindset  Learning –What made students think hard? –Quality of: exposition, demonstration, scaffolding, feedback, practice, assessment –What provided evidence of students’ understanding? –How was this responded to? (Feedback) 25

4. Produce demonstrable benefits Evaluate impact of changes

∂ A research-engaged school  Draws on knowledge and understanding of research to inform –Pedagogical practice –Decisions about strategy and policies –Attempts to implement and embed more effective practices  Robustly evaluates –Its ongoing performance on a range of outcomes –The impact of any changes made 27

∂  Clear, well defined, replicable intervention  Good assessment of appropriate outcomes  Well-matched comparison group EEF DIY Evaluation Guide Key elements of good evaluation What could you evaluate?

∂ RISE: Research-leads Improving Students’ Education  With Alex Quigley, John Tomsett, Stuart Kime  Based around York  RCT: 20 school leaders trained in research, 20 controls  Contact: 29

Summary … 1.Think hard about learning 2.Invest in good CPD 3.Evaluate teaching quality 4.Evaluate impact of changes 1.Think hard about learning 2.Invest in good CPD 3.Evaluate teaching quality 4.Evaluate impact of changes