April-8-2019-BoardWorkSession-Segment-3
[00:00:00] It was interesting. We all are approaching this in very different places. And so I mean this is how I'm looking at this which is very different from everybody else's is that what I think could be a really effective way of approaching. This is that we're getting these results in from these different assessments throughout the year is may be devoting 10 minutes at each board set work session or board meeting on today.
We're talking about map testing. Hey, we got the student wellness survey at this meeting and talking about and then having general questions. Like what is the purpose of this assessment? What are its strengths? What are your weaknesses what the results of District thinks are most important for us to look at are there differences among the schools so that we feel like so we can always have a pulse on how we're doing and then maybe towards the end of the year or some point having kind of a Roundup.
We've talked about all these assessments. What's the big takeaway here rather than once a year talking about it with principles. Which is effective in one way, but just a way of kind of thing on top of are we doing you're supposed to be doing and so I don't know how that really fits in everybody else's effect [00:01:00] doesn't doesn't like it fits in at all, but that's kind of where I'm coming from.
well, I'm going to take a risk here and harken us back to the days of the achievement compact one of the things that we were reminded by Ed Northwest research group is that there are. Powerful indicators that let you know where students are on a trajectory towards their learning and for students here the endgame is successfully completing School graduating moving on with a plan in place.
Whatever that is college career along the way. There are these indicators actions that we can control and factor that help a student gain more likelihood towards that end outcome. We know some things about third grade reading we know some things about. Eighth grade. We know some things [00:02:00] about attendance.
We know a lot about ninth grade on track meeting a number of courses that you've completed by ninth grade more likely students who have those completed. I will graduate it doesn't mean that a student who hasn't couldn't but when you look at students who don't graduate and you trace back and see what were the indicators along the way those are some of the milestones and some of the components.
That's what that achievement compact was supposed to get at is for. School districts to identify those baselines a goal and then report to the state how you were doing towards that it ended up becoming really a lot about compliance and then who was meeting a not meeting the focus kind of got conflated but the idea is still good that there are these indicators and the Team from Ed Northwest who's doing this research with us has pulled all of our data for the last.
Seven years [00:03:00] 2004 so talk about a huge data set has done a lot of regression analysis and presented to us at primary level middle and high school never coming back and meeting with our teams this week. These are the indicators for West Linn Wilsonville. Another school district might have other indicators, but these are the ones.
For your school district that seemed to really connect to school Success and outcomes for students and graduation. Then you look at those. They become the high leverage components. So my Wonder is if the board would like to join in on some of that learning and then pull out from there. What are the pieces you would like to hear from us?
On a regular basis about attendance about engagement about ninth grade on track third grade reading 8th graders so that we can be folding in this learning with you and that becomes your part of the framework and then we [00:04:00] can take these questions and say who's making growth in those areas. Who's not where are we putting resources?
A part of this was because we were spending a lot of money on measure 98 and we wanted to make sure we were spending it on the right. Leverages and so this was our work with Ed Northwest to say if we're going to put time and money into people or programs or processes. Are we putting it into the right things for our school district?
And that's what their data is telling us. These are the components to invest in because this is what's going to yield the results that we believe is going to be for your students. So it may be that as they're showing us giving us more of this information. We begin to fold you. To this journey and out of that may emerge for you as a board your top questions on your left side, maybe along those indicators and then how you want to stay monitoring that and stay on top of [00:05:00] it.
So I keep going back to the question. You asked Dylan. If I'm out on the street or in the elevator and somebody says how are kids doing in our district? I don't know what to say. So if we could say, you know, there's actually six indicators. We're tracking in our district about how our kids are doing and they have to do with reading and attendance engagement and being on track as a 9th grader and graduating and we as a board are monitoring those five or six areas really closely with our staff and we know our teachers are doing the heavy lifting in the classroom, but this is what our.
As a board, then we can make sure to focus that data towards you so I'm seeing some nods. Maybe I'm in the general right area. I don't know but and a lot more questions about Ed Northwest work Barb's got a lot of stuff here. She could share. Yeah and I go ahead. All right. I just wanted to say I mentioned earlier that the Department of Education.
Collects that data it's not just the district that's thats collecting the [00:06:00] data its Statewide so we can look at comparisons Statewide and with comparable districts, and that's what that's part of the beauty of forecast five is that they can aggregate the data and you know, how how we'd like to see it and what districts we want to.
Relax, that might be with whom we want to make comparisons. So what's nice about what you what what used to be achievement Compact and surprisingly was really rolled forward into the OTE report cards is it is longitudinal and there is a history.  And I think that ties into the other work we did with going to the different schools.
So I would also want to know then which of those indicators.  Are at primary level and which are at the secondary level so that when I'm going [00:07:00] to Rosemont, I'm thinking about the indicators that I can learn about their. And and how is Rosemont doing compared district-wide or to the other middle schools for those indicators?
So that's how my thinking is working. Yes, and then I want that overlay for when I'm looking at particular schools.  And I think you'd want to think about you know for certain children. You know our our language our language Learners in every school experiencing rigorous coursework and participating in AP classes.
You know, how are we increasing access to rigorous coursework for all students? Because that's another strong indicator towards graduation. That's the whole reason Corbett School District requires every student to take at least one AP class because the research shows if a student has taken AP class, they're more likely to think about I can apply this tour.
College where my next learning I've [00:08:00] already got it in the bank. I think I'm going to go ahead and commit to graduating and do something with this credit. So, you know, then you might say why are we investing in more AP classes? Is it linked to that research? Why are we investing in ninth grade success teams?
Is it linked to all the research around the indicators for ninth grade on track, so. And which students and I think our dual language learning has to be how do we see that tracking over time and in being impacted by these indicators and can we know that and what have we learned from that so that's there's a lot of questions.
That can come out of that and another aspect that's nice is that the data is disaggregated by subgroups and they're the ones you know, that might need attention. It might be economic and might be [00:09:00] ethnicity but sewing it stated is already collected and can be use longitudinally and Compares comparatively with other districts.
And you do have some of that what she's talking about here, but it is the smarter balanced. It's just one, you know, it's a summative assessment taken at a point in time. And so it doesn't show the growth like the maps does or whatever, you know other assessments. So when you're looking at the student achievement data inside forecast 5 that well do all the things Betty just talked about it.
Only one test so it's only one data source that could inform you but if you flip through this page and you can see I couldn't capture them all. I just tried to get a representation for you here but there's all students and then they're broken down by grade level and then they're broken down by economically disadvantaged students with disabilities.
[00:10:00] And then male and female your white students your American Indian Native Alaskan so on and so forth. So I did try to pull out a sample of those different groups of students on the way that the state measures them the groupings that the state uses. When it takes a test and I just a way of looking at English language arts over time and I really didn't do this until today because this wasn't a part of my original intent to bring you this to practice but it was just a feedback from another board and I thought if you went there then I'm prepared and if you don't want to go there find take them home using for scratch paper, you know, whatever you wanted to you know to do with that, but we have 10 minutes left of your scheduled time.
Until 7 p.m. And I know that this was the question that you guys were asking in August that kind of prompted this whole conversation that brought us to where we are today. Is that as a [00:11:00] board you wanted to be able to answer that question aren't those two questions really are they learning meaning the students and is a district making progress on its goals and you wanted to have a way of knowing that and so way of knowing that then was to figure out.
One what are the questions that you need to ask? What are the data sources that can inform you that the district has and then how do you want to see that? How do you want to get that data? And so tonight I suggested to you that you might want to have analysis sessions rather than reports. But if you have analysis sessions, you're going to need to know what questions you want to ask the data and It ultimately came down to.
This next piece of how do you know what for you what your Student Success is? What's going to tell you the answer that first question. Are they learning? Are they succeeding? What's your definition of Student Success? I often do an exercise with boards when I first [00:12:00] start working with them. I didn't do it with you because it wasn't appropriate for what we were doing but.
I asked for words to tell me what's the percentage of students currently succeeding at their current grade level you're going to lump them all together. What percentage would you say is succeeding here in West Linn Wilsonville and I get a range of percentages from board members. When I asked that question and then I ask them to tell with tell me.
Okay. What was it that informed the number you picked? There's no wrong answers, but you know, so some people look at well, this was our graduation rate and I remember that from a report that we had at a recent board meeting or I looking at the percentage drop out. So we have or I'm looking at a report that we had on the percent of students that we have in special education and I extrapolated backward from there or whatever.
But what is relevant what was revealed is that there's no uniform agreed upon Way by which these members of the board have [00:13:00] identified. What a Student Success and so it's awful hard for them to give me we are here. This is where we are and we know that because. And so my goal for you when we are having this conversation because you asked that question is that we can identify what's going to work here for the West Linn Wilson billboard and for your staff so that you could if somebody were to ask you you would be able to say here is where we are and here is how we know it.
And then boards that I have worked with don't do a data session once a year. It's not just once a year. There is a plan that's built into the the annual calendar and that they're looking at the different pieces of data at different intervals in the board calendar and they do it on a regular basis, but but it's beyond.
[00:14:00] A verbal report with written materials. It's really digging down having some meaningful conversations with your educational professionals and really digging down and asking questions about the data that is before you so whatever works for the West Linn Wilson billboard is what you need to do. There is no one size fits all and so it's what is going to serve your needs.
And so I suggested. Some possible processes, but you guys have come up with some really good ideas tonight yourself and some questions that I know you've been capturing and if not, she's definitely capturing them your minutes for all of you all the questions that you guys raised for the data.
That's a value to so we got 5 minutes left in. I think that you guys need to decide now where you want to go and if you don't really have time to do a facilitated process around a [00:15:00] Student Success definition in five minutes chair fit chair. I yield to you.
Well, there seems some interested in determining whether these indicators already defined our Student Success. Right.
I am very much appreciated. Dr. Ludwig. But you were suggesting how we could go about engaging in learning around the six indicators and then.  You know engaging in like professional development work and learning. I'm learning opportunities around the six indicators. Just because in that helps me know definitionally what it is those six indicators are about how they're applied looked for.
Well, and I hear director hide saying folding in something next year where every month we have a report that [00:16:00] maybe takes a different indicator and shares with you. How we're doing, you know the work around that some data let you kind of I'm challenged by the notion of don't just give you the data but how to also help you analyze it so how to do that in a way that feels genuine and workable because.
Data is enormous. I mean datasets are enormous and if people are like what am I looking at or looking for but give us some direction, you know, we can kind of create an experience like that and maybe that's what the retreat is more about is looking at the data around all that, but I'd like, dr.
Seuss and maybe share a little bit about. And we're using this term indicators and we had to do quite a bit of definition shared definition around that last Thursday as a group, but maybe first I think I've been writing down the questions and the directions from the identifying questions to looking at growth to having Baseline to looking at the big [00:17:00] picture and indicators are just what works and how do I know and so there's a research base of things.
Now have looked at so what do we do in K-12 that helps us know that they will not only graduate but they will have post-secondary success and that's defined as they are able to get a career type job be on subsistence living job and or in our terms have some post K-12 education. So there's been National work and the this achievement compact had some research-based.
We know that through 3rd grade reading matters. What we decided was what do we look like within that larger context? And so that's looking at all of the things that you mentioned so that analysis of. Smarter balanced data and that exercise of looking at that would have a [00:18:00] place within because for example one of the results that we have and it goes back to what chair Fitch was saying.
We have it by levels primary Middle High and post-secondary. Is it predicts if we start to do this in kindergarten? It leads to this in third grade. So we know that for West Linn Wilsonville schools that attendance in kindergarten first and second grade predicts. How children will do when they take the smarter balanced assessment in third grade.
And that might seem obvious like well, I suppose if they come to school. I'll do better on the assessment but then you can start to unpack what's behind some of those indicators and say how would you look at growth? How would we look at where we are now is Baseline and set some goals and what we are trying to do then is to say how are we going to set our goals and make [00:19:00] decisions about programmatic Investments starting with these measure 98.
Dollars based on this. So that's the purpose of this work is to give us very much the things that we're hearing you talk about that the bigger picture the what is success. I think that was the the focus this evening. So we will see and we will have these are the things we know that matter in West Linn Wilsonville we.
Started getting our results last week. We are spending sessions with our leaders at levels this week working with that but in talking about starting the work plans earlier, it's so what goals should we set and then we start looking at and what does that mean that we need to learn to be able to do that?
And then what is it that we're going to use to measure progress? So all the things that you're mentioning map smarter balanced those will be part of it, [00:20:00] but it's in that bigger context that that were working with.
It's the end of this process. I think villains overriding question of the beginning is yeah. Somebody asks us how our kids are doing. You know, I would like to know. But I also understand the value of the work and how there isn't a simple answer or simple data point to guide us in any One Direction and I find that I can easily become overwhelmed with all the different possibilities and the work and I think I'm still unclear of how I as a board member can best.
come alongside our district and help make. Goals decisions that actually helps the work and I think for me the the thing that is what is my what does my understanding the data need to [00:21:00] be in order to effectively do that film not clear, you know, even at the end of this I we have some tools we have some ideas that I think will bring me Clarity, but as is work including today, I still don't have that.
I'm the connection for me is I think we first get the data figure out where we're succeeding where we're failing. If anywhere where we can do better and then once you've identified the problem areas, then we can go back to the district the professionals and say, okay. What can we do with you? How can we support you to work on these areas that can be improved upon but a necessary first step is understanding where we need to improve upon and right now I'm going to be very Frank.
I don't have a clear understanding of. Where our weakest points are the district and that seems like kind of a big deal. So that's kind of where I'd like to be three six months from now.
[00:22:00] And just to company what you're saying. I also think it's not necessary weakest points, but also that companion piece of where are we are experiencing the greatest success and how would that translate across potentially to other areas?
Pair of that slide you had on the role of the board I think is helpful and you can share that. I'd appreciate it.  The area being discussed is.
Estimates really? No. I mean and you learning as a board. So you're identifying a lot of questions that you have. I literally would like you to share it by sending your PowerPoint to the board. It sounds like there will be and this discussion will be continuing maybe in three like this Frame. Yeah.
I just I just I just I think it's a nice nice [00:23:00] description of the board's role very sorry. I will happily send that framework to Kelly tomorrow. But I'm just going to put one more little plug-in for the work that that north-northwest is doing with us is there's a lot of data and you know part of when you mine the data is we can find I think to your point you can find the things that show.
There's something good happening. You can find something that it's not is it relevant data? Does it have validity to your out ultimate goal and one of the things Ed Northwest could do for us based on our district and our data and all of the longitudinal and the regression analysis is take a look and say for some school districts looking at discipline data.
Had a correlation to graduation students who were excluded from class and looking at our data, [00:24:00] you know, what they what they did their statistical analysis and they said it's not statistically relevant for your data doesn't mean it doesn't happen. Doesn't mean we don't want to keep kids in school, but it's not at a place where it's having a correlation to some things that are happening around graduation.
So we may not then want to put lots of time energy goals around certain components of that. We still want to take a look at it. We want to have inclusive practices. We want to make sure there isn't disparity with our discipline practices those kinds of things are paying attention to but there are some pieces where there's a lot of factors that impact the learning of students and what they were drilling down for us or what are the ones in your District that are indicators.
And you know one of the ones that came up was. Attendance is one for your District pay attention to it and not just who's walking through the door and filling [00:25:00] the seat and its compliance piece of gives you a percentage, but why are kids coming or not coming and what's the level of Engagement when they come?
And that was a big factor and then things like rigorous coursework. So they're ones that they did a statistical process for us that took quite a bit of time to say these are relevant ones for your District. That's helps us to know what's worth looking at when time is precious and you want to be strategic because you could look at a lot of things but we also want to be strategic about the things we feel can move that dial for us.
Did I tell you that I described that accurately barbing an AP class in 10th grade four West Linn Wilsonville students predicts whether they will enroll in college if they there's two pieces to the college pieces. Did they enroll and go the first year and did they persist and our data shows that?
Their grade point average [00:26:00] in high school shows not just whether they will enroll but whether they will stay and persist meaning work towards graduation in college. So for us programmatically when we look at courses and we look at how its set up for all students to take courses. That's giving us something to think of actionable e not just more AP courses, but what is it like now for students all students to be able to get into an AP course and or what is it that we are doing, you know within our AP courses.
So that's just an example of the kinds of things that are coming forward. In addition to the data that we have already looked at. We're look trying to look more towards some outcomes and especially ak-12 trajectory.
So the turkey roll that I find myself as a board [00:27:00] member playing in this is what I described before is what I think happens with data is you look at it. You get really. Valid information from different sources and you decide what's important. I'm and that's already done before it comes to me. You've already sorted out what goals you want to set as a district or as a building or as a level?
Before you brought it to me and what I'm trying to figure out is as a board member and as a board, let's say that there are nine indicators 10, I as a board member Health say these three. Are the ones we want to devote resources to and focus on as that my role as a board is determining that [00:28:00] those are the three that most are aligned with our district goals and that I think we could make changes.
Add a board level for Budget or for policy. Let's say it was a discipline was one of our indicators. Those are things we can affect as a board. That's a policy issue that that can be Staffing those kinds of things. So I think what I'm still struggling with is what is your job? What's your circle?
What's our Circle and and and and my experience again has been you've already. Done that work before you brought it to me. So is there a role earlier on where we have discussions about can we collectively decide what's important and what of those we want to focus on this year or in the next three years and that's not unlike the same comment teachers make to us when they say I already know.
What I need to [00:29:00] do with my students in first grade to get them to read, you know, do I need the district office, you know to identify that for me, you know, or you've come to me but I already kind of knew based on, you know, what happened so there and it's got to be remember that framework. The arrows were actually going both ways.
So teachers do know those high-level practices, they are identifying goals. They're looking at their data. They're not waiting sometimes for a principal to come and share the collective data, but sometimes they are because they're looking through their lens and want to see the bigger picture similarly.
We're sharing two principals across. Multiple schools or Triads? I think what I'd like to suggest is a session where we give you a little bit more information about this work with Ed Northwest you now have had a little primer where were using some shared understanding and terms. Let us tell you more about these indicators and what we've [00:30:00] learned and then I think let's practice at a board level identifying.
You know some of those that whether you're saying these I hope we're not saying these are the only three we would fund a resource, but I think to have more informed leadership around why we're funding them why we're keeping them a priority and in the time of a budget cut why you might as a board say.
We are not letting go of counselors or we are not letting go of you know, fill in the blank and also to hold us accountable. That's also part of your role that were using finances responsibly that when we bring a budget forward you should be able to see. Wise investment of the resources that align I think over the years because there's been increasing alignment.
We're not finding this big disconnect that you as a board or having to fix their is there has become more alignment. [00:31:00] The piece that we have been at fault with is bringing you more into the story of how we identified those indicators or those goals. We presented the work plan and. Previous boards, you know, every board has kind of their style of how they want to receive it.
What I'm hearing is that this board wants to get in earlier on looking at some of those data sources that informed and maybe even challenging or questioning some of tell me more about that bank of data tell me more about those kids tell me more about the practices so that you feel more involved and connected.
So maybe that's the next step is us to share more with you about these indicators and then move to some goal development. Maybe that might emerge from that with more information. To answer that question directly. This would inform the district goals and the district goals, you know, we have [00:32:00] been very influenced.
For example by just the changing board goal number three and about interacting and communicating and looking at those processes. So that determines then how we are going to look at our actions and our use of resources, so. Would see it that way that it wouldn't be done, you know, and it would fit in and as dr.
Ludwig said we're trying to better timeline our processes for that so that the goals aren't done after the actions have been taken sort of thing and correct that cycle.
OSB as getting to a place where we're recommending that boards look at. Look at the data and have someone a sense of where you are prior to the budget development process. And so that boards can set some goals in alignment with the direction the district [00:33:00] needs it feels it needs to go before the budgets.
Fully developed so that you can prioritize because Ginger I believe that is an appropriate role for the board say because you are representatives of your community who are here to say in West Linn Wilsonville. This is the education outcome we want for our kids. And as taxpayers were putting money into the system because we and we want our money spent this way to ensure this kind of an educational outcome for our kids and you are collectively the voices to bring that to this district and then to look at what the district where you are and then to be able to set some direction based on the resources that are going to be coming your way.
And to prioritize those and so I believe that's completely appropriate. So SBA is trying to get boards to move to a schedule of where your goal setting or at least you're reviewing of your goals to determine if they carry over or whether you need new ones [00:34:00] is more in January February timeframe and last in the summer because by the summer your budget set your programs are already much pretty much put into place, but it's going to take time to cycle into.
That kind of a timeline if that makes sense for you here in West Linn, Wilsonville, but it's one that we're trying to get boards to think about shifting that cold goal review adoption kind of thing in the middle of the of the winter. Thank you for inviting me here tonight. I hope this was helpful for you.
When I have done this work with few words before I tell you I spent hours and hours with them and multiple sessions over a year. It's not you know an hour and a half to two hours and we've got it worked out so. Thank you for inviting me if I can be of any other service in the future. I'm more than happy to but I you have a very capable staff to help you get to where you want to go as well.
Thank [00:35:00] you.
Thank you for your preparations. You were clearly very well prepared and thank you for all this information and just to summarize if I made helps me feel like we have a clear next steps and what I think I'm hearing is that we want to engage with the data education Northwest and that we would like to begin doing that probably in.
Sometime in the next four months or so and that we want to begin probably intermittent looking at data as well. So I'm hearing maybe like an intensive dive. What are these indicators and then we could have collectively decide what measurements are we looking at and that we would do that throughout the year and then prior to even going into a budget session we would have a pretty clear idea of what story were learning from our data and.
What sort of levers we're [00:36:00] looking at when we go into that budget process. Is that what I'm hearing?
what we agreed to.  we're going to do we're doing that this last piece of information. I just saw it forgot that I had it but it's just an article about assessments and kind of the board's role. It's just sure your personal edification. Just for information for my fellow board members Senator Loop Frederick is asking for an audit of smarter balanced assessment see if how much is it costing for districts to use that as a assessment and is it an effective tool and.
I think underlying if I'm understanding his sort of Next Step would be could be a cost-saving measure that if smarter balanced is not informing. Important work at the district level and the district is already using different measurements to measure Student Success and [00:37:00] perhaps they wouldn't have to use their funds to use Smart to do smarter balanced but could instead use it to do other things.
So if you're interested in that, I do recommend that you talk to Senator Frederick or contact your legislators and let them know it's something that you would like more information about.
Returned.