RRMR Student Achievement Initiative

Keith Turner
Educational Leadership and Systems Change
EDLEAD 7311
Spring 2014

School administrators play a vital role in leading learning,

service, and change in a PK-12 school district. Leadership is the key in
determining the direction of the educational organization and its ability
to positively affect change that leads to improved student
achievement.(Waters and Marzano, 2006) For educational leadership to
be effective and bring about positive system change, it must begin
with vision. The vision must be one that is shared among all the
stakeholders of the district, and become the guiding force in setting
realizable goals that drive decision-making and resource allocation
toward the improvement of student achievement. For these goals to
be realized, they must be clearly communicated; supported by district
resources and research-based, sustained professional development;
monitored for implementation with fidelity; and regularly evaluated for
their effect on student achievement.
Rudd Rockford Marble Rock (RRMR) CSD is, and will be going
through second order change for the next several years. Student
population trends and low-test scores have necessitated significant
change within the school organization. The identification and increased
emphasis on the structural, political, human resource and symbolic
frameworks have become invaluable tools in reframing the
organization to put the right drivers in place. (Bolman and Deal,
2009) This is the first year of the PLC process at RRMR, which
incorporates the right drivers to bring about the desired result for the

school system. First, the entire process is based upon the principles of
capacity building and group solutions. Teachers work collaboratively
around four constant conversation questions to identify the areas of
need, pinpoint instructional changes, implement those changes, and
measure the results. (DuFour, DuFour, Eaker and Many, 2010) In the
next two years the plan is for RRMR to send all of its additional thirtysix teachers to Solution Tree PLC training.
Shared leadership, through strengthening professional
communities, has the greatest impact on student learning. (Leithwood
and Seashore-Louis, 2012) Leadership with the purpose of redesigning
organizations, requires a systemic approach that includes consistent
expectations for curriculum and instruction. Structure is necessary so
that PLCs target outcomes, encourage innovation, and evolve to meet
the varied needs of students. The first step in making change is to
create standard expectations with a high degree of fidelity.
Standardization of expectations for instruction, without the human
element, will not create significant and long-lasting change. At RRMR,
PLCs have led to more lateral coordination, which has resulted in a
looser and more flexible vertical structure. The structural frame will be
further enhanced next year, as I move into the
superintendent/principal role. This will thrust several other teachers
into key leadership roles within the district. Two teachers will get three
hours each to be the dean of student discipline in the middle and high

school. This movement allowed the school to keep all teachers at full
time FTE as the schools first one section class section of 29 students
will be moving into the middle school.
Successful school leaders understand that they do not lose
power when others gain power, because schools are not a zero-sum
game. Therefore, empowering staff members to have collective
ownership of curriculum with a focus on student outcomes is
imperative to overall school improvement. Empowered teachers, using
evidence-based pedagogy, will result in increased professionalism and
better learning outcomes. The recent structural change, created by
PLCs, has allowed teachers more support and empowerment through
distributed leadership, resulting in higher job satisfaction and
reinforcement of the human resource frame. Distributed and
coordinated leadership practices are effective in developing human
capital for schools. This assertion is supported in a study conducted by J. Timothy
Waters and Robert Marzano and published in the paper, School District Leadership that
Works: The Effect of Superintendent Leadership on Student Achievement. In summary,
their research found:
a substantial and positive relationship between district-level leadership
and student achievement when the superintendent, district office
staff, and school board members do the right work in the right
way. (Waters and Marzano, 2006)
Teacher empowerment has been instrumental in making
significant curricular changes and utilization of improved teaching

methodologies, which have brought noteworthy improvement in

student achievement. Teacher empowerment and the resulting
achievement gains have made teachers more receptive to second
order change. Thus, the structural change, resulting in distributed
leadership, has led to strengthening the human capital of the
organization. The strengthened human capitol pours into the political
framework, as teachers are more receptive to putting the right
drivers in place. Thus, student learning (not testing) is now the focus at
RRMR, and the school is building capacity in groups to change the way
business is conducted system-wide. Ultimately, this will lead to
leadership working in the symbolic frame, through rediscovering the
vision and mission of the RRMR and making it a prominent centerpiece
of everything we do.
This years Iowa Assessments results showed significant (even
remarkable) gains by all secondary grades (7-12) on the Iowa
Assessments. The following graphs show the growth in the National
Percentage Rank (NPR) as well as the number of proficient students in
each discipline. This is based on the need to identify growth in all
sectors of the school and not to just focus on the number of proficient
students. The National Percentage rank increased an average of 8.4
points, while student proficiency numbers rose by 15.6%.
Graph A

Graph B

Similarly, RRMR showed impressive gains in student

achievement for Math, with a 10 point average increase in NPR and an
average of 8% more students scoring proficient in Math. (11th grade
97% proficient)
Graph C

Graph D

Grades 7-12 also showed significant increases in student

achievement numbers in Science. 7-12 students showed an increase
of 11.4 % more students proficient in Science, whereas they showed
an 8.2% increase in NPR. (Note that the number of proficient students
in 8th grade science rose from 56% to 89%)
Graph E

Graph F

In debriefing the test results with teachers, they came to the

conclusion that there were several reasons our test results increased
so dramatically. The teachers responses for change included staff
empowerment, goal setting with students, examination and use of
data, targeted instruction and re-teaching, test item analysis,
addressing the motivation behind testing, and changes to the
curriculum through the use of MAP testing data to guide teaching. All of
these seemed to re-enforce the concepts that were described in
Linking Leadership to Student Learning, which discussed the factors to
that really affect student learning. (Leithwood and Seashore-Louis,
2012)
Significant curriculum changes can be at least partially attributed
to the dramatic student growth. For example, the district implemented
a reading/writing classes for all 9th graders. In the intensive writing
class, each student was required to complete a writing portfolio based
on the Iowa Core Standards. This was RRMRs first attempt at
standards-based grading. The reading portion of the class utilized
MAP assessment data for targeted instruction. The results were rather
dramatic with a 28%(Graph B) increase in student proficiency and a
27% improvement in National Percentage Rank. (Graph A). Likewise,
instructional changes were made in most Math classes, where the
classes were flipped for the first time this past school year. For
example, most freshman take an Algebra class that is entirely flipped.
Proficiency rates increases by 25%(Graph D) and the National

Percentage Rank increased by 17%. (Graph C)

Non-negotiable goals became a focus with the teachers as part

of the PLC process. This made district administration cognizant of the
desired focus for school goals and fits into the tight, loose model of
effective, distributed leadership. As a school, staff have spoken much
more about student achievement, specifically the non-negotiable
goals, than in past. The jump in test scores can also be attributed to
the schools changing attitude toward its diverse student population.
This past year, the instructional focus has been targeted toward
individual student needs. An area of needed improvement for RRMR is
the use of 5-year goals. In the past, the creation of these goals was
viewed as hoop jumping, rather than a necessary part of school
improvement. With improved test scores, it should be easier for the
school to become focused on specific areas needing significant
improvement and the utility of 5-year goals in helping achieve that
improvement.
The natural progression from the first year of PLC
implementation is to add student supports through RTI. The model
RRMR will be using is Pyramid Response to Intervention. Although
the school has pockets of excellence, there is a need to create a
systematic process that ensures every child receives support needed
to achieve at high levels (Buffam and Matoos, 2009). As a school,

RRMR has invested a great deal of time and money into the PLC
process. The school has become significantly more results oriented
with an increasingly collaborative culture. Several areas are still in
need of improvement though: identification of essential outcomes for
each class, creation of common assessments, and effective use of
data. The next step of this process will be to add a specific time in the
school day for re-teaching and enrichment.
RRMRs practices need to evolve into a systematic approach
designed to target instruction for students, providing more
opportunities for re-teaching and enrichment. Currently, the district
does not provide a set-aside time in the school day specifically for this
purpose. Rather, RRMR operates in the traditional school model with
students and teachers using before and after school time for reteaching/relearning. A systemic approach to create added time in the
day for different levels of intervention will require a cultural overhaul of
the teaching and learning paradigm. Likewise, this systematic
approach will require more work on common assessments tied to
mastery of essential skills and expectations need to be standardized in
order to realize educational equity through implementation with
fidelity.
To achieve this degree of change requires a great deal of time
and a multi-step process. First, it is necessary to build consensus, a
process that has already begun, and will create the buy-in necessary

for success. Second, structural flexibility in the school day is needed

to provide targeted instruction and remediation time. This will require
alterations in the master schedule. For schools that have already
started down the road to being to PLC, implementing RTI will not be a
new initiativ , but instead a validation and deepening of their current
practices. (Buffam and Matoos, 2009) Next, teachers must adapt their
beliefs about assessment and grading, and utilize RTI to target student
deficiencies and provide remediation.
Finally, the essence of leadership is the ability to create synergy. With synergy the
group works as a symbiotic whole and is able to accomplish much more than the
combination of individuals working separately. To reach this desired state, relationships
are the key. Effective leaders understand the system and utilize the power structures
within to bring about change. By doing so, effective leaders serve their district through
strategically recognizing and empowering others in their shared quest to improve student
achievement. Bycarefulplanningforthissystemicchange,continuedgainsinstudent
learningshouldberealized.Thus,theultimatemeasureofsuccesswillbethedegreeto
whichthisinitiativechangesstudentslearning,notjustteacherpractice.
While this type of goal-focused leadership is the crux of effective leadership and
systems change, alone it will not bring the desired result in a school district. The
surprising and key characteristic that is needed for significant, effective change, is
defined autonomy in the relationship between the superintendent and the school.
(Waters and Marzano, 2006). This type of relationship supports buy-in to the
system goals and encourages innovative approaches to teaching and learning. This

increased flexibility, when coupled with regular monitoring and evaluation of goals, is
highly correlated with improved student achievement trends. This is where RRMR is
headed.

References

Bolman, L. G., & Deal, T. E. (2009). Reframing organizations. (fourth ed.). Jossey-Bass:
A Wiley Imprint. DOI: www.josseybass.com
Buffum, A., & Mattos, M., & Weber, C. (2009). Pyramid response to
intervention. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree Press
Dufour,R.,&Marzano,R.J.(2006).Leadersoflearning:Howdistrict,school,and
classroomleadersimprovestudentachievement.Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree
Press
Dufour,R.,Dufour,R.,Eaker,R.,&Many,t.,(2010).Learningbydoing:Ahandbookfor
professionallearningcommunitiesatwork,(2nded.). Bloomington, IN: Solution
Tree Press
Leithwood, K,. & Seashore-Louis, K. (2011). Linking Leadership to
student learning. A Wiley Imprint. San Francisco, CA: DOI: www.josseybass.com
Waters,J.T.,&Marzano,R.J.(2006).Schooldistrictleadershipthatworks:Theeffect
ofsuperintendentleadershiponstudentachievement.Denver,CO:Midcontinent
ResearchforEducationandLearning.