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Hi, I'm John Hattie.  I hear Kazmierczak has been sharing my work with you.

"We should focus on the greatest source of variance that can make the difference - the teacher." -John Hattie

Mind Frame #4 - Teachers see assessments as feedback about their impact.

Effectiveness occurs when you become a master at adaptation and persist in finding ways to maximize learning.  Formative assessment data gives us valuable information about students' progress and is instrumental in shaping instruction.  You are the "change agent" that can mold student perception of "their potential." Success is achieved through the choices you make.  Use formative assessment as a measure to inform your decisions and as a reflection of your impact.

based on 10 Mindframes for Visable Learning:  Teaching for Success by John Hattie and Klaus Zierer

"One of the most powerful, high-leverage strategies for improving student learning availabe to schools is the creation of frequent, common, high-quality formative assessment by teachers who are working collaboratively to help a group of students develop agree-upon knowledge and skills.  (Fullan, Hargreaves & Fink)

We can not wait for assessment results to develop a plan of action to change the outcome of achievement.  This can only be accomplished through a structured look at student achievement through student work and daily assessments.  These assessments serve the purpose that others can not.  They measure daily learning and help to create target for you.  You have the power to influence achievement through the clear application of your learning intention and success criteria.  Your team can reflect and analyze on daily checks to create a "powerful synergy for learning."  

Dufour states in Learning by Doing:

"Common, team-developed formative assessments are such a powerful tool in school improvement, that, once again, that no team of teachers whou be allowed to opt out of creating them."

• What do your assessments look like?
• Do they directly measure the success criteria planned?
• What are your doing with the results?

Measuring student achievement is not enough you must develop an interal plan of action that seeks to change the outcome.  Assessments facilitate a systematic, collective response to students who are experiencing difficulty.  In the video below you can hear Emily coaching this pair on how to successfully navigate the workplace.  Her prompts, cues and questions do not do the thinking for the students, rather she helps them focus on the sucess criteria of using mutiple strategies to add two digit numbers with a sum less than 20.  You can develop a common understanding of proficiency and misconception when you have created a road map to guide students through a clear learning target implemented through a structure of gradual release.

Hattie recommends that teachers focus on three things: diagnose, intervent, and evaluate.
Don't hesitate or underestimate the power of feedback in your instructional plan!

Know thy impact!

PS
This week as we reflect on all that is going on please note the influence and positve affect you have on our culture and team. 

Alone we can do so little...Together we can do so much!

Reflection:
What is your plan as a team?  How will you make a difference in the achievement for all kids in your grade level?

Flying in Formation

Geese have a mission.  They fly south for the winter and then north in the spring.  The barriers are enormous.  Yet they do it.  Year after year efficiently with a collective effort to 'get it done.'  They communicate; they share responsibility; they trust one another.

Lawyers, scientists, policemen, physicians all use similar methods

What do they do when they reach a deadend? 

They enter into a dialoge and solve the problem collaboratively.

How do teachers collectively overcome barriers and limitations?  They work as a group with a collective belief in making a students' yearly growth in reading and math a reality.  They do not dwell on parental issue, lack of student motivation or preparedness rather they work together to find ways to address deficiencies.

Say...

"I cause Learning!"

Together...

"We get Results!"

The key to success is using an evidence-informed mindset and a belief that all of your students are capable of reaching one year's expected growth.  
Focus on the impact of your teaching not just the moves you deliver.  You and your team are stronger together and far more efficient when you have collective dialogue, triangulate data and student work.  Additionally, share what your students' voice as they learn.

Consider this formula and formation

Outcome:

I collaborate with my peers and my students about my conceptions of progress and my impact.

Success Criteria

1. I cause learning.
2. High expectation for all students. We are jointly responsible for each student.
3. Evaluate the impact of teaching
4. Use I skills:  I am self aware.  I am a student of my impact. AND We skills:  I am socially sensitive.  I trust and respect the views of others.
5. I work with others to seek evidence of impact.
6. I work with others to agree on levels of growth for the year.
7. I am prepared to focus on the diagnosis of  students and how to address their needs.
8. I work with colleagues to have a common perceptions of progress.
9. I maximize administrative support, trust and time.

based on 10 mindframes for Visible Learning:  Teaching for Success by John Hattie and Klaus Zierer.

Flying in formation at Bloomer means working together to make a difference in the lives of your students.  You have your own voice but it's through the collaborative efforts of your team can you write learning intentions and success criteria that produce results. . An example is from this week is a second grade math lesson in all three sections.  They were working with students using a 25 frame through the context of money.  They all implemented and focused on a common learning intention of skip counting by 5's and 10's.  As the week went on they used concepts of cardinality and maximized workplace opportunities with a common intention.  What were the results? 90% on daily formative assessments.  How did this happen?  Collectively planning, sharing ideas and working to evaluate their impact.  

Can you do it?  Yes, you Can! 

This week please reflect as a PLC on the following questions:  How effective are we on the 9 success criteria listed above?  What will we do to maximize our effectiveness to reach our goal on one year's growth?  

One last shout out to Samantha Mohr!  She is the star from our professional development session last week on workplaces!  Check out the pictures and note the clock.  She used time wisely and BAM hit workplaces at 1145 exactly!  Thanks for flying in formation Sam!

Keep It Clear Kid

     This is Alan Fry.  He is often listed as the man who invented post-it-notes.  He worked at 3M and used a colleague's low tack adhesive and put it on a slip of paper to mark his hymnal. and...  Voila'! the Post-It-Note is invented revolutionizing one's ability to jot down a note to remember essential information on a scrap of paper.    I can't imagine a day that I don't use one.  It helps me keep informaiton front and center and ready to use!

Clear ➽Concise ➽ Consistent

     The clarity you expect is directly related to where you post and how you use learning intentions and success criteria.  Posting allows the learner and teacher focus on what to expect for the day

• LI: describe what students should know, understand or be able to do by the end of the lesson/series of lessons
• SC: list what students should demonstrate to show they have accomplished the LI. They specify the main things to do, include or focus on



5th Grade Learning Intention 

• Together the LI and SC should help your students answer three feedback questions: What am I trying to achieve? How much progress have I made so far? What should I do next?
• Posted by the 2-3 team on their annotation doc

Clarity is maximized when classroom stakeholders have access to review, read, and respond to the posted intention/success criteria. The student, paraprofesisonal, teacher, coach, SAM or administrator won't need to infer what students are learning for the day or how to ask them about their progress. They can read or review a chart and know with immediate clarity what will be accomplished.

Options are only limited by your creativity.

We reviewed a variety of options last week, charts, questions, checklists, I Can statements, models, and pictures. The key is sharing it with your students and repeatedly referring to it throughout your lesson.

4th Grade Formula

Sarah and Becky post their intentions and success criteria in the exact space each day. It provides a formula and consistent routine. Students know were to look if they need to. When they write these it reminds them of what is essential for the day. Additionally, they refer to it throughout the lesson and often punctuates success criteria prior to the daily formative assessment.

Co-Constructed Model In Sarah K.'s room

Success criteria is front and center as students use the charts that accompany the posted descritions. Sarah used a co-constructed model that allowed students a crystal clear picture of what success looked like. They took their own notes on clipboards as a student modeled.

Becky used a chart with models she created. Students worked on problems at their tables and had the option to check their work.

Both teachers used the posted learning intention and success criteria with charts that supported student learning. These examples illustrate and support our work as we continue to make the learning visible for our students and maximize their achievement.

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Reflect on these questions and respond in the comment section this week.  Your interaction with with feedback allows our school improvement plan to advance and supports our professional development efforts.  Thank you!

• What are the benefits of posting learning intentions and success criteria?
• What are the ways you would like me along with other stakeholders know what your intentions/success criteria are?  What is your next step?

You are contributing to our vision and culture of making learning clear and visible.