The First Step for Achieving Results

Lincoln Elementary School implemented a new reading program and saw amazing results for 2 years. Year 3 and year 4, their data “flatlined,” meaning there was no increase in test scores for 2 years in a row. This was discouraging and frustrating for the principal and teachers. They didn’t understand what was missing. They worked hard and felt like it made no difference. Have you ever experienced this frustration? 

When I began working with the principal at Lincoln, we started at data step one: Define. The principal thought they had completed this step because they had data and goals. There was no shortage of data at this school. They had plenty of program data and graphs for their test scores for the last 4 years. They also had a goal to increase scores by 15%. 

If you are an educator or an adult employed by a company, you know that most schools and organizations have goals and objectives. It is a common practice in the workplace and for good reason. Written goals provide the criteria or standards to measure our efforts and effectiveness. We often hear stories about how goal setting is the foundation for athletes, entrepreneurs, and individuals who achieve higher levels of success. 

Despite its importance, there are too many people and organizations who fail to meet their goals.  I see this all too often in schools.  Many schools have goals but often do not see long-term results. If goals really matter, then why are we not seeing better results? I believe it is not enough to have a goal, you must also know the specific steps to achieve that goal.  An outside advisor (from within or out of the district) is very helpful in identifying those steps.  

All the right pieces seemed to be in place at Lincoln, however, when we dug deeper, the principal realized that she failed to get teacher buy-in for those goals. While you, the leader, may be thinking you are painting a clear picture of what you need to accomplish, the staff may not understand the purpose behind the goal or their part in achieving the target. 

Student Achievement requires classroom teachers to implement and execute strategies that make a difference daily. There is no conceivable way to achieve your goals if staff do not buy into the goals. Everyone from the bottom to the top must work toward the same objective. There are ways to recognize this lack of buy in on your campus by asking these questions:

•   If I were to walk onto your campus today and ask any teacher, “What is your achievement goal?” can they tell me?
•  Walk around your campus and look for visible evidence of your goals. Are the goals visible to teachers on campus? Do you see them in the staff lounge or teacher training room?  
• Are goals shared with students? Do you see them in classrooms? Do students know the goal and what they need to accomplish?

If you do not see your goals on campus if teachers and students do not know the goals, then there is no buy-in and just like that, you’ve lost the battle to increase your results. Your goals have become a task and compliance exercise. They do not empower teachers to make meaningful changes.

At this point, you may be asking - What is the solution? If you are not meeting your school’s goals in the way you hoped, it is time to look at the process you are using to set goals and analyze data. Working from the bottom up versus the top down can change your direction to success. 

The first step at Lincoln was to involve teachers in the data analysis and decision-making process. They started with a school Leadership team and then grade-level meetings. In some schools, data and decision-making require more training. In other schools, this entails tweaking their current system. It depends on the strengths and needs of the teachers. Some teachers need more direction, while others only need a guide to point them in the right direction. Your strongest teachers, achieving consistent results, should be encouraged, and empowered to share what’s working and why. 

The next step at Lincoln was to be more specific in looking at their data and to look at the performance of different levels of students. Most states have test scores that reflect performance scores on multiple levels. For example, in Arizona, there are 4 levels:

1) Minimally Proficient (lowest level)

2) Partially Proficient

3) Proficient (at level)

4) Highly Proficient (above level)

I tweaked the data they had already collected and created a data profile for them that allowed them to look at students at these levels over time. They also let go of data that was distracting and not helpful.  Once we dug into the data and looked at the performance of students, Lincoln discovered one of the roots of their data problem. They were moving students into proficiency, but not keeping them there a year or two later. Their data flatlined because, for every student they moved into proficiency, another student dropped out of proficiency.  

Armed with this information, teachers worked together to implement strategies to address this problem. And yes, it worked!  Teachers connected to the data and used it to plan their lessons to meet student needs.  They saw increased achievement and better results year after year!