From Messaging to Connecting:Engaging the Community as Partners in

the Transition to Standards-Based Grading

Iowa School AdministratorsNovember 17, 2015Tim Westerberg, Ph.D.

Intended OutcomesParticipants will:1. Describe the options available along the SBG continuum and

suggest where their school/district is and where it needs to/can go. 2. Identify the purpose and components of an effective

communication plan. 3. Distinguish between messaging and connecting and the

appropriate uses of each. 4. Critique proposed ground rules for authentic community

engagement. 5. Select and justify the one-and two-way methods of messaging and

connecting that best fit their school communities interests and needs.

Outcomes (continued)

6. Explore, analyze, and earmark specific strategies for communicating with parents and students.

7. Consider and select strategies for supporting teachers in understanding and communicating the purpose and essential tenets of SBG.

8. List major “take-aways” from the experiences of pioneering IA schools/districts.

9. Articulate the positions of IA college and university officials regarding SBG and college readiness.

10. Develop “starter” communication and engagement plans, and share those plans with other districts.

Approximate Agenda• 9:00-9:10 Welcome & Introductions• 9:10-9:30 Charting a Course to SBG• 9:30-10:00 The Communication Plan• 10:00-10:15 Messaging & Connecting• 10:15-10:40 Break• 10:40-11:00 Messaging & Connecting • 11:00-12:00 Local Practitioners Panel• 12:00-12:30 Lunch + Assignment (pp. 43-49)• 12:30-1:30 Directors of Admissions Panel• 1:30-1:50 “Takeaways” from Panels• 1:50-2:10 Authentic Community Engagement• 2:10-2:20 Grading Committees• 2:20-2:45 Starter Communication Plans• 2:45-3:00 Cross-District Sharing• 3:00 Session Ends

Destination 1: AddressingCounterproductive Practices & Beliefs

• Goal: “Tighten up” a traditional approach to classroom assessment and grading.

• Examine common practices and beliefs: Zeros Formative and summative assessments Homework Extra credit Reassessment Averaging Combining academic performance and work habits

• From “doing your own thing” to common practices & expectations based on best practice research

Destination 2: A Guaranteed & Viable Curriculum

Rethinking, repackaging, and redeveloping curriculum, instruction, and assessmentCourse units of study that encompass essential

elements of relevant state/national standards.Descriptive scoring scales (0-4) for each

measurement topic of each unit of study.Formative and summative assessments targeting

each level (2-4) of each measurement topic.Instruction (materials, activities, assignments) aligned

with each level (2-4) of each measurement topic.

3.00 - 4.00 = A

2.50 - 2.99 = B

2.00 - 2.49 = C

1.50 - 1.99 =D

Below 1.50 = F

Just an

example!

Converting Scaled Scores to Letter Grades

Destination 3: Standards-Reference Reporting

• Report cards are organized around standards• Report cards can include both performance on

standards and traditional letter grades (secondary level)

• Calls for extensive school community education and engagement

• Software implications

Destination 4: Competency-Based Education

• Students advance based on demonstrated performance on individual standards/clusters of related standards rather than by passing courses

• Offers a way to personalize education• Requires a total rethinking of the purposes,

nature, and structuring of schooling

Charting a Course to SBG

• Your current location?

• Your destination?

• Your timeline?

Alan Tenreiro Named 2016 National Principal of the Year

Tenreiro… invested in the school’s current standards-based system, which has led to more uniform expectations for students, clearer feedback to students, and a focus on reporting what has been learned—not just what students have done.

Cumberland (RI) has seen increases in academic achievement , graduation rates, and the number of students gaining admission to some of the best colleges and universities in the country.

NewsLeader. Vol. 63, No. 3 (November 2015): p. 1.

“This is not a task for the faint of heart….All reform on a districtwide scale is tough, but moving a system to true standards-based grading is extraordinarily tough, long-term work and requires district leadership to tenaciously do the right thing for students. Waging war against the status quo requires the willingness to tackle layer after layer of difficulties in order to lead the way to new and purposeful assessment and grading practice.”

A School Leader’s Guide to Standards-Based Grading. Heflebower,

Hoegh, and Warrick. Marzano Research, 2014. P. 87.

The Communication Plan

A communication plan must proactively answer people’s questions and concerns with clear and consistent messages delivered through a variety of communication channels.

The Communication Plan

A communication plan must proactively answer people’s questions and concerns with clear and consistent messages delivered through a variety of communication channels.

Communication Plan

• What are you trying to accomplish?• What will success look like?• How will you track and measure success?• How does SBG fit into the bigger picture?• Who else is doing this? Has it been successful?• What research supports this change?• What process will be followed?• Which stakeholders will be involved, and how?• How will stakeholders be kept informed?• How will this change impact me/my kid?

(Handout, pp. 8-12)

Communication Plan Analyses

Divide and Conquer:1. What’s the question?2. What are the recommended response

components?3. Is this question typically addressed in

communications to your publics when initiating significant change?

The Communication Plan

It is important to clear about audience, medium, and message.

Handouts:Internal Communication PlanExternal Communication PlanEngagement Strategies Chart(Handout pp. 13-15)

Messaging

InformingWell-thought-out messaging can be useful• Conveying specific types of new information• Countering misperceptions• Addressing gaps in knowledge among the broader

public• Putting ideas on the table

Avoid insider jargon and shop talk—use language and examples that are human, compelling, and concrete

Connecting/Engaging

It’s about dialogue—Listening and understanding rather than advocating and persuading

It’s looking for common groundIt’s about asking people to join leaders in

problem solvingIt’s not a debate

Public Sentiment

“In this and like communities, public sentiment is everything. With public sentiment, nothing can fail; without it, nothing can succeed.”

Abraham Lincoln, first Lincoln-Douglas Debate, August 21, 1858

Ground Rules for Authentic Public Engagement

1. Take a big-tent approach. Include all stakeholders (diverse constituencies) from the beginning and develop genuine relationships.

2. Be sure to talk and listen.3. Sing from the same songbook. Focus on internal

communications and consider everyone a messenger (knowledgeable and able to explain the rationale behind SBG):a) The most important messengers are those closest to the kids and

families,b) Specific talking points for teachers and principals, andc) Publish a statement about the district’s beliefs about classroom

assessment and grading.

4. Use existing communications methods and structures (PTA)

Ground Rules (continued)

5. Ensure that you use simple, clear, consistent messages for all and differentiate for key audiences.

6. Methods matter. Communication tools and delivery mechanisms are important.

7. A good defense is a better offense. Start communicating early.

8. Be proactive rather than reactive. Educate the school community on the truths of SBG. Let them in on how hard this is—risks, cost, tradeoffs.

9. Provide community members with URLs that give them information about SBG.

Community Meetings: Enlighten or Polarize?

How much time will be devoted to presenting versus hearing what people have to say?

How will you respond when people disagree with you?

What will you do afterwards?

Overcoming Resistance

Go for the heart, not the brain. Tell stories. Put a human face on SBG.

Listen to complaints. Identify underlying concerns. Build on/focus on strengths.

Invite participants to tell their stories.Handout: “Have you Ever….” p. 50)

Assessment Toolkit

http://www.nysed.gov/assessments-toolkit

Reflection

Think about a time when your school/district wanted to engage the school community in solving a problem or addressing an important issue.

1. Which ground rules of community engagement were employed effectively?

2. Not employed but could have been helpful?

Messaging & Connecting

One Way• Newsletters• Fliers• Back-to-school nights• Computer calls• Email blasts• Online postings• URLs

(Handout pp. 18-29)

Two Way• Community forums• Focus groups• Home coffees• Parent-teacher conferences• Phone calls• Email• Facebook• Twitter• Hashtag• Crowdsourcing• Webinars• Blogs• Google Voice• Google Forms• Google Hangouts• District/school App• Voxer

Voxer

• Voxer is a San Francisco based mobile app development company most well known for its free Voxer Walkie Talkie app for smartphones. Founded by Tom Katis and Matt Ranney, Voxer Walkie Talkie is both a live "push-to-talk" system and a voice messaging system. Messages on Voxer are delivered live as they’re being recorded and then delivered as a voice message as well. The app works on Android, Windows Phone and the iOS operating systems. In April 2012, the company raised $30 million in venture financing from Institutional Venture Partners, Intel Capital and other angel investors.

Using Now?

One-way? Two-way?

Could/Should Use?

One-way? Two-way?

Structure the Message to Parents(Vatterott)

Focus on school improvement, not grading Parents are concerned about their children—not the

features of the system “The changes we propose for our students’ learning:

• are research based,• are about improving student achievement, and• Will better prepare our students for college and careers.As a result of our goals, it makes sense that we would

change these things about grading.”(Handouts pp. 30-38)

Structure the Message for Teachers

Handout:“FAQs Regarding SBG @ JCHS

(Handout pp. 39-42 plus…)

Elevator Speech

“As you may know, the role of our staff is to educate all students to proficient levels. In order to do so, we are revising our grading practices to be aligned to the standards students must meet. That way, grades will be a clearer indication of what students have learned, not simply a measure of how much work they can turn in or how hard they might try in class. Learning is the indicator of success.” A School Leader’s Guide to Standards-Based

Grading. Heflebower, Hoegh, & Warrick. Marzano Research, 2014. P. 95.

Reflection

1. How have/will you help teachers support the initiative?

2. Do you have the capacity internally to provide this necessary support?

If so, who? If not, to whom will you turn for help?

Grading Committee:Qualifications

• Do they have high influence with others?• Do they bring a complimentary gift to the table?• Do they hold a strategic position in the

organization?• Do they add value to the organization?• Do they positively impact other committee

members?• Do they contribute to inclusiveness/diversity—

representing all stakeholders?

Grading Committee:Roles and Responsibilities

Oversee the SBG Implementation Plan(Handout pp. 16-17)

Serve as a conduit of information and feedback to and from the larger community

Make recommendations to district leadership regarding key implementation decisions

Pilot proposed SBG procedures, practices, and tools.

Year One: Inquiry & Communication

Year Two:Capacity Building

Year Three:Development

Year Four:Implementation

Review the research on best practices.

Establish a grading practices leadership committee.

Conduct focus group sessions re school/district grading practices—teachers, students, parents.

Conduct a gap analysis—best practice/current practice.

Build a rationale/moral purpose for change.

Develop a communication plan.

Determine the need for outside consultants/resources.

Educate teachers & administrators on the tenants of SBE.

Provide PD re necessary prerequisite knowledge.

Provide time & tech support for teams of teachers to develop learning goals, scoring scales, and leveled assessments for a unit of instruction. Teach the unit.

Equip teachers/administrators to explain the initiative & it’s purposes & answer FAQs.

Educate students, parents, & BOE members re grading issues, best practices, & SBE.

Begin exploration of report card formats.

Continue developing SBE units of instruction.

Align instructional materials.

Develop core beliefs.

Develop a school/district grading policy.

Explore/create SBE-grading software alignment.

Determine project evaluation criteria & processes.

Adapt/adopt/pilot SBG report card.

Continue student, parent, BOE education.

Continue implementation of communication plan.

Ongoing training of new teachers.

Carry out project formative assessment activities.

Continue implementation of communication plan.

Monitor implementation and provide ongoing support, modeling, & coaching.