CAT: building capacity for success

Leadership, Sept, 2001 by Jane Moore

The bottom line for public schools in Riverside County is increased student achievement, particularly in core academic subjects. Riverside County's Office of Education is committed to improving student achievement -- student by student, school by school -- in the county's lowest-performing schools.

Through RCOE's County Achievement Teams, content and leadership experts are helping these low-performing schools move toward excellence. We believe that this model program can help push student learning to higher levels throughout the state. The California Department of Education agreed, sponsoring a two-day statewide training this past March that was presented by RCOE. The training focused on replicating the CAT model to help ailing schools in the state's 58 counties. Thirteen county offices attended.

The giant shift in the field of education regarding how success is measured (by SAT-9/STAR); cutting-edge, research-based knowledge about what can be done to increase student learning and significant changes in student populations require a new model for continuing guided assistance and accountability.

What is CAT?

The CAT process is a district-funded review and assistance program for low-performing schools. The county office audit team focuses on curriculum, instruction and assessment. Through classroom observations, interviews and development of a data-driven school profile, the team analyzes the:

* integration of school plans (WASC, PQR, Digital High School, etc.);

* integration of student programs and services, including programs for students who need catch-up interventions;

* performance of students overall and student subgroups;

* areas of the tested curriculum on which students do not achieve;

* use of assessment data to guide curriculum and instruction;

* curricular and instructional alignment with state standards and testing;

* leadership/management practices that focus on student achievement; and

* professional development that supports standards-based leadership, assessment, curriculum and instruction.

The CAT process uses three vehicles to move a school forward: a Principals Institute, Phase I and Phase II services.

What do we promise to do? The Principals Institute

The principal of a CAT school wants to know where he's headed. The Principals Institute is the map we give principals and, if they wish, their leadership teams. The one-day institute begins with the data profile of what our schools look like in Riverside County, particularly the principals' schools. This is the reality check.

Though the demographics of these schools may differ slightly, their numbers are actually not unlike the high-poverty, high-performing schools we read about in other counties and states. We share what those schools look like -- their common characteristics that are replicable in this county, in these schools -- then lead into an explanation of the reasons for CAT teams, the process and the principal's role.

The new principals hear from a panel of veteran CAT principals about what to expect in the way of process and results. The principal and CAT team sign a list of "we do" and "they do" commitments.

The critical factor throughout this process is the realization that the principal has to commit time and willingness to the success equation. Without time, without the enabling leadership, CAT is merely a litter box activity.

At the end of the institute, it is our hope that the CAT principals will attend the periodic network meetings -- three to four a year -- to experience the power of a learning team. The intent is to build professional learning communities within their own schools. The guide for the networking meetings is Defour and Eaker's book, "Professional Learning Communities at Work: Best Practices for Enhancing Student Achievement."

What do we do? Phase I

The Principals Institute allows the CAT team and school to begin the journey down the same track. The ultimate destination is improved student learning and achievement. Along the way, however, we know there will be derailments from disbelief, fear of change or lack of enabling strategies. Unless we provide data on the reason for even beginning the journey, staffs are unwilling to risk change regardless of the leader's intent.

Ultimately, in order to address student individual and specific group needs, the school needs information. In Phase I, the assessment coordinator prepares a comprehensive school profile. Through charts and graphs, the profile presents the basic, program, demographic and performance data.

Since Riverside County is one of the largest geographic counties in the state -- 7,300 square miles -- the county fields three regional teams, each with a minimum of four individuals: a lead, and coordinators of assessment, reading and math. Specialists for English language learners, special education and others are added as appropriate for the specific school.

Using their expertise, the team gathers additional information on the school through classroom observations and interviews that focus on five major areas: