High-Performance Schools

Media and Methods, Sep/Oct 2005 by Gogolin, Marilyn

In today's high-stakes educational environment, where educators are accountable for the achievement of every student, it is important to understand what makes a high-performance school.

Step 1

Defining the essential standards is the first step. Of the dozens of standards educators need to teach, which are the critical or foundational standards that students must master?

Step 2

In high-performing schools, classroom instruction is paced so that the essential standards are covered, and instruction materials are aligned to those standards. Gone are the days when children began the school year with Chapter 1 of a textbook and concluded with chapter 12. Today, educators are turning to whichever chapter covers the standard students need to learn, adding supplemental materials to bridge gaps.

Step 3

Formative assessments, or tests and quizzes administered throughout the year, give us a snapshot for evaluating student progress. Through regular assessments, teachers can see where their own teaching strategies are successful or falling short. If a majority of students miss a test question, the teacher may need to revisit the subject. If only a few miss the question, targeted intervention may help. In high-performing schools, formative assessments are aligned to state standards and are used to inform instruction and intervention. Formative assessments become catalysts in a cycle of continuous improvement, which translates into improved summative assessment results.

Step 4

High-performing schools recognize that structured teacher planning time needs to be a truly collaborative experience and an opportunity to coordinate instruction across grade levels. Teachers work together to pace instruction and share ideas and materials to increase student achievement.

It is crucial to have valid and accessible data and understand how to interpret and use it. As teachers see interventions and instructional changes producing higher achievement, they become empowered to take charge of their own school reform.

Marilyn Gogolin is the former Acting Superintendent of Los Angeles County Schools in CA. She is currently the chief operations officer for ETS Pulliam, maker of Focus on Standards and Instructional Data Management System services, www.etspulliam. org.