Each of the six schools received $25,000 to conduct a two-year, research-led intervention to improve students’ literacy or numeracy levels. The programs were developed in consultation with all school partners and involved 50% or more of the students and staff at each school. Activities to improve student outcomes resulted in professional development, new instructional materials and resources, planning and collaboration time, articulated assessment and diagnostic processes, and innovative ways of analyzing and managing data.
To document the schools’ efforts and results, SAEE contracted with Dr. Cynthia Lewis to visit each school, assist in the development of a research-based intervention, monitor progress, and write the final report. There were 3,800 students and 100 educators involved overall.
Lewis’ report School Improvement in Action: Lessons in Sustainability weaves together the findings from each of the six case studies, identifies successes and challenges, outlines strategies, and provides recommendations. Following the report’s release in November 2006, principals and teacher leaders from each of the six schools came together to share the results of their two-year projects at a SAEE-sponsored knowledge-sharing forum in the resource center of the Delta School District.
SUMMARY OF FINDINGS
The focus on understanding learning, along with the integral role of assessment, was clearly at the center of efforts to improve student achievement in these schools. Assessment FOR learning has become part of the school culture. A balance of standardized and school-based tools, including quantitative and qualitative data, disaggregated and tracked by cohorts and interest groups, provided the most powerful information for educators, students, parents, and the broader community.
A key component of action research is the understanding that schools develop the capacity to improve student achievement when continuous learning becomes part of the school culture. In these case studies, meaningful collaboration was enabled through focused dialogue about diagnostic data and detailed samples of student work. Research shows that the implementation of educational adaptations at the classroom level should be based on teachers’ own judgments and reflections on the quality of their students’ work. Teachers need support as they “try out” new approaches and reflect on their effectiveness.
The report emphasizes that school success is related to school leaders who provided structural and philosophical support, parents who were informed and involved in the process, and community services that were integrated and coordinated at the school level.
SCHOOLS AND PROGRAMS
Harwin Elementary, Prince George
At Harwin, staff conducted research on how to improve and get more writing out of students in the younger years. The staff developed more precise descriptors to reflect the emerging growth of their students. Portfolios were implemented and collaborative writing samples were collected and evaluated three times a year. Teachers used daily writing and a variety of direct teaching strategies. In the second year, a school-wide guided reading program was implemented that involved students from all classrooms grouping together to receive level-specific reading instruction.
Parkside Centenary, Langley
Parkside was interested in a process of developing student and parent understanding for active use of key reading strategies through the use of assessment rubrics for self-assessment. The interventions were multifaceted. Collaboration time was spent deepening understanding of assessment, establishing assessment tools, and implementing a set of four reading strategies (Predict, Clarify, Question, and Summarize). Additional interventions were tailored and implemented for students most at risk.
Twelfth Avenue Elementary, Burnaby
The action research process initiated by the Twelfth Avenue staff was in the area of reading achievement. Smaller, more flexible skill groups for reading were formed at all grade levels with the involvement of learning support staff to form the smallest possible groups for students most at risk. Numerous level books were purchased and arranged in bins. A peer mentoring program was also established. Intermediate level students read with elementary school children and track their progress. Staff collaboration time focused on student groupings, instructional materials, assessment and evaluation tools, collective problem solving for processes and plans, and efficient and effective data collection and analysis.
Armstrong Elementary, Armstrong
The action research proposal developed by Armstrong Elementary was aimed at building literacy partnerships between home and school in implementing a balanced literacy program for all students. Strategies included the Write Traits writing program, the use of school-wide writings as assessment tools based on the British Columbia Writing Performance Standards, and the implementation of the Four Blocks model. This included structured time in each classroom for guided reading, self-selected reading, writing, and word work (vocabulary, spelling, and phonics).
Jarvis Elementary School, Delta
The purpose of the action research grant at Jarvis was to help K-4 staff work together to unpack their own thinking about when and how math “sense” develops and implement instructional strategies to make this process explicit. with students and parents. . Detailed assessment data provided the baseline for diagnosing student strengths and gaps in number concepts to inform instruction and collaborative teacher dialogue. Several teachers tested the integration of children’s literature and mathematical thinking. In the second year, instructional strategies and interventions were refined to target students not yet meeting expectations and promote parental understanding. Data was used to assess learning for each period, with the common understanding that “meeting expectations” on the report card means achieving 100% of the core learning outcomes. Staff also developed a process-based template for parent workshops with a special invitation for parents of at-risk students.
New Westminster High School
The first year of the grant budget was used primarily to free up the original research team and the Department of English to establish the reading assessment protocols. In addition, a teacher research team was voluntarily formed among the staff to engage in reflection on how to teach reflective reading and how to assess it. “Learning rounds” were used as a structure for teachers to collaborate and observe instruction using new strategies and debriefing. In the second year, staff refined the assessment tool to increase authenticity, requiring students to reflect on their reading and thinking at the end of the assessment process. Teachers also added a qualitative element to the data collection about their classes, in order to better adjust to individual classes and share commonalities across the grade level and department. Time was spent disaggregating the data, discussing general trends and specific details regarding groups such as grade cohorts, gender, ESL, Aboriginal, high achieving and at risk students. In service and ‘coaching’ by the learning facilitator they continued to refine aspects of critical thinking skills and task analysis. During the second year, professional learning opportunities and small group work were extended to the ESL Department, Social Studies Department, teachers of at-risk students, and Special Education aides.
School Improvement in Action: Lessons in Sustainability concludes with five recommendations for schools and districts as a whole. Lewis calls for more focused attention on the relationship between assessment tools, educational interventions, and student progress over time. She says that schools must provide systemic structures to track individual students’ progress from grade to grade, level to level, and school to school. In addition, she says it’s important to examine parent and community engagement strategies and create innovative solutions to issues of time and expectations around staff teamwork. Lewis also recommends that the principal’s role in ensuring the quality of instruction be made more explicit.
To view or order this report, visit http://www.saee.ca