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4 Ways to Improve Transition Planning in Special Education

Providing individualized special education services in school is crucial to fulfilling the mission of the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act (IDEA). However, in-school services only get you partway to accomplishing IDEA’s goals for students with disabilities.

The preamble to IDEA illustrates its long-term vision: “Improving educational results for children with disabilities is an essential element of our policy of ensuring equality of opportunity, full participation, independent living and economic self-sufficiency for individuals with disabilities.”

Transition planning is the vehicle educators use to help students with special needs live as independently and self-sufficiently as possible after high school.

Yet, for busy educators it can be easy to get caught up in daily planning and lose sight of a student’s post-secondary goals.

By following these four best practices, you can increase your confidence that students are well-positioned for a successful transition to life after high school.

The following best practices were taken from the video The IEP and Transition Services by special education author, consultant and national speaker Carol Kosnitsky. Content has been edited for brevity and clarity only.

1. Start the transition services process before it’s required

Formal transition planning may not be required before the age of 16 in your state. However, starting early can help kids identify strengths, needs, self-awareness and the ability to engage in self-determination skills, which include not just self-awareness but self-evaluation and decision-making.

Starting early also helps educators pick developmentally appropriate skills for kids. The process can begin in elementary school and be as simple as asking a student, “What are you interested in?”

Invite kids to physically participate in IEP meetings as early as possible. The sooner you’re able to get kids to physically come to their IEP meetings the better. This way, by the time the student is expected to be a fully-fledged team member, she/he is comfortable and confident about that roll.

[ctt template=”9″ link=”V8BuC” via=”yes” nofollow=”yes”]Invite kids to physically participate in #IEP meetings as early as possible to make the transition planning process less daunting for them. Click here for more tips. [/ctt]

2. Make sure post-secondary goals are measurable

Measurable post-secondary goal can be a confusing term because the word “measurable” in every other part of the IEP process is about collecting data and being accountable for a student achieving the goal. When thinking about “measurable” post-secondary goals, you are really thinking about “observable” goals.

Help your students articulate what they want to do after leaving high school as it relates to two or possibly three different areas. The two post-secondary goals that are required for all students are:

  1. An education and training goal
  2. An employment goal
  3. If appropriate, you would also engage kids in planning a third goal around independent living

Measurable post-secondary goals begin with, “After high school, I will _____” statements. They should be results-oriented and specific. The specificity is how you make them observable.

Real-world example:

Your student mentions wanting to go to college. You’re not going to measure if he ends up attending a four-year college, but now that you know it’s his goal, you’re able to take steps to help him prepare. You can determine the criteria to get into college and what course of study that student should take in high school to prepare for that post-secondary goal. You’ll also be able to consider if any of that student’s disability-related needs could prevent him from meeting his goal.

3. Keep referring to present levels of performance

While IDEA doesn’t specifically mention present levels in the transition process, you should always refer to present levels to understand the gap between a student’s actual performance and the skills and behaviors you know she/he needs to make a smooth transition. Always go back to the rest of the IEP to look at strengths, interests, preferences and kids’ skill levels.

What is required in transition services is a clear statement of the student’s course of study. To build this statement, you’ll need to consider the following question: Given what a student’s post-secondary goal is, are you planning the appropriate course work and opportunities that will increase the likelihood of that transition?

A big part of course-of-study planning is helping students see the relevance of classes they take in high school and how those relate to their future.

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4. Coordinate a transition “action plan”

The last part of transition planning is called transition services. This is the coordinated set of activities that make up your “action plan” for a student. If you know what the student wants to do after high school, and you know the courses that she/he is going to be engaged in, what other things are on the to-do list that you – as a student-support team – need to take care of over the next four, six, seven years?

Your action plan should be a long-range plan that can be changed every year. It could include the school, the special education team, the guidance department, the parent, the student and representatives from any other agencies the child is or will be involved with.

The law requires that you look at seven different areas to say, “Is there an action plan necessary around this big area of instruction?”

Seven areas to review

  • Course of study/instruction
  • Employment
  • Functional volitional assessment
  • Community experiences
  • Other post-school and adult-living objectives
  • Acquisition of daily-living skills
  • Related services

Not every student needs services in each area. These seven are a kind of checklist to make sure you’ve covered the full range of things that are not course-related in your action plan for that student.

Real-world example:

A student who was receiving special education in high school is going to college, where any support and protection he has will come under Section 504. Do you need to do any instruction around that change?

In summary: begin with the end in mind

You want to be able to think forward and say, “10 years from now, I know this child is going to have experienced economic self-sufficiency, is living to the maximum extent possible, as independently as she can,” and that’s really thinking with the end in mind. Allow post-secondary goals to influence everything you do and the decisions you make for that student, and fulfilling IDEA’s vision will be well within your reach.

Transitioning a student from an IEP to a Section 504 plan to prepare for college? Frontline Special Ed & Interventions can help you lead a smooth transition. Schedule a demo to learn how  

What Can MASH Teach Us about Position Control in Schools?

There’s a reason that shows like “Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?” and books like “All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten” quickly became so popular. While it may have been a while since you were running around on the playground with your classmates, don’t you remember how intensely strategic some of the games were?

One of the games that stands out to me as having real-life applications in the K-12 Human Resources world is the game MASH. No, I’m not talking about the popular TV series. The playground game MASH, where just a few scribbles on a composition notebook could determine your fate.

Take a trip down memory lane and explore what that game teaches us about position control in schools!

What Does a Game Have to Do with Position Control?

Let’s start with a refresher on the game (just in case the rules are escaping you right now).

With some friends in the school yard, you’d write out the letters M.A.S.H on a piece of paper. Each letter stood for mansion, apartment, shed, house, then you’d proceed to list out a ton of different options.

  • The name of your spouse?
  • The number of kids you’ll have?
  • Which city to live in?

The entire objective of the game was to cross off options from the list until you ended up with a choice from each category. In the 90’s, most kids were trying to rig the game to end up in a mansion, married to Brad Pitt or Jennifer Aniston, maybe with a handful of kids in Honolulu.

It’s fun to dream and have options, but in the world of K-12 HR you want processes to be reliable and predictable. When it comes to position control and management in schools, you need more than simply a grasp on all the available options.

When you don’t have a strong position control strategy in place, it can feel like you’re playing this game every time you hire — except it’s less fun when there are real-world implications. Shuffling through mountains of options and permissions to finally end up with the designations for that specific position and the corresponding new hire.

 

What’s the Difference Between Knowing and Controlling Positions?

School HR professionals undoubtedly know all the information necessary to build out a position. However, there’s a huge difference between having an expansive list of all the available designations for a position and having a comprehensive position management plan in place to support district-wide operations.

Manually sorting through the pay structure, data and security permissions, and reporting for each individual employee who comes and goes is incredibly time-consuming and error-prone. It’s not nearly as fun as playing a game like MASH during recess, so it’s not something you want to spend hours on. With position control, you can be confident that each position proactively has the appropriate designations, and employees automatically inherit the settings for the positions that they’re hired into.

When you have this level of transparency and control, district-wide processes run more smoothly, and the information that you have access to becomes more reliable.

Want to learn more about implementing a position management and control plan in your school district?

Take a look at the Position Management & Control Playbook.

How to Beat the Teacher Shortage by Broadening Your Recruiting Horizons

In many school districts, teacher recruitment efforts tend to be localized and rarely focused out-of-state — unless, of course, your district is near a border. And while localized recruitment strategies can be very effective, if you’re struggling with teacher shortages, it’s time to branch out.

Most likely, you and your team work with finite resources to attend all the out-of-state job fairs you can but you know that there are plenty of qualified educators around in the country who might be looking to relocate to your area.

Invest In Recruitment Materials

Put the time into perfecting your district’s recruitment materials so that you can send it into the world to do the work for you. Consider investing in your:

  • Your district’s brand: Across your materials, what story are you telling about what it means to work in the district?
  • District website: The first thing most people do when exploring something new? Google it.
  • Recruiting page: Have a dedicated page on the district website for interested applications and keep it useful and updated
  • Job postings: Make each one great since they’re likely a candidate’s first exposure to the district

Out-of-state applicants probably need a little more motivation to seriously consider your district, especially since they would have to relocate to work for you. So, talk up your location and community too. Is it a gorgeous rural setting, ideal for nature lovers or people with an outdoorsy side? Or is it bustling with activity and culture, with something new happening every weekend? There’s something great about where your district is, but out-of-state candidates may not know about it until you tell them.

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Making Your Mark: Building Your District Brand

Out-of-state applicants probably need a little more motivation to seriously consider your district, especially since they would have to relocate to work for you. So, talk up your location and community too. Is it a gorgeous rural setting, ideal for nature lovers or people with an outdoorsy side? Or is it bustling with activity and culture, with something new happening every weekend? There’s something great about where your district is, but out-of-state candidates won’t know about it until you tell them.

Tip: Your job posting may be an applicant’s first exposure for your district, so make sure it makes a great first impression. Check out our blog post 3 Characteristics (and Examples) of Great Teacher Job Postings.

Make It Easy for Job-Seekers To Find You

Make sure that applicants hear about your districts and can easily find open jobs in your district. Have a clearly-labeled link to your job postings in the main navigation of your district’s website; don’t let open positions languish, hidden. Local candidates who already know about your district and are interested in applying might be willing to do a digital scavenger hunt to try and find a job application, but others will give up and look for districts with a more streamlined site.

Advertise your district’s and its openings:

  • If your district has someone dedicated to public relations or communications, work closely with them to ensure that your district’s story is told.
  • Post vacancies on online job boards and social media pages.
  • Consider the generations you’re targeting and whether local classified ads or billboards are necessary at this point.
  • Reach out to local publishers and the media to see if they’ll run a story about working in your district

Journalists are more likely to pick up the story if you can give them more to go on than the fact that you have open positions. So, make sure to tell them what you’re doing differently, like offering a signing bonus for certain shortage-prone districts or setting up a new mentoring program for new hires. Shine a light on the wonderful work happening in your districts, and have the media do the work of spreading the word.

Invite Qualified Applicants to Apply

That’s all great for having job-seekers find you — but what if you can be proactive about finding them? On certain certain online job boards and career sites — Frontline’s proactive recruiting tools, for instance — you can invite qualified candidates to apply. With our applicant tracking system to automate your outreach strategy, so you don’t have to sink hours of your time into messaging applicants individually.

Another idea for proactive outreach is networking with teacher preparation programs. You probably already have partnerships in place with local colleges of education, but why not try reaching out to out-of-state universities as well? It might not lead to an official partnership, but it can only help if professors mention your district in class, or if your vacancies are announced in their newsletter. Even if they aren’t within driving distance, they may have many students looking to move somewhere new after graduation.

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Remove Obstacles From The Hiring Process

Effectively recruiting from further afield means you have to be willing to put yourself in a qualified candidates’ shoes and adjust your hiring process accordingly. It’s all about providing a great applicant experience. To put it simply, the easier your processes are, the more candidates you’ll have.

Look at your hiring process from their perspective:

  • Is it an effecitve use of their time doing their job search?
  • Is it a cost-effective effort for them? (A plane ride may not be feasible.)
  • Can they see a realistic path for an out-of-state applicant to go through your process?

Lastly, look for ways to make the transition easier for candidates who need to move closer to your district. For example, can you offer a list of affordable housing or moving resources? This doesn’t mean you have to spend your own valuable time compiling a list of nearby apartments or moving companies — see if a local realtor already has something similar and is willing to share, perhaps in return for being recommended to employees new to the area. Ultimately, you know more than they do about the area.

In addition, seamless onboarding systems make the process easier for all new hires, but especially those who aren’t able to pop into your office for an hour or two to fill out forms in person. It’s all about making a great first impression and showing that your district is a fantastic, supportive, modern place to work.

 

7 Things You Should Know About Micro-credentials

 

 
Micro-credentials are picking up steam in the professional learning world. From what you’ve heard, you might think of them as merely a series of badges learners can earn (more on that later). But there is far more to micro-credentials than that.

Micro-credentials are in fact an incredibly effective way to implement a competency-based learning model. Here’s how they work: Learners like teachers, paraprofessionals, principals and others can select a micro-credential to pursue. As they learn, they submit specific evidence to demonstrate mastery of the subject at hand — whether that be content knowledge, specific pedagogical techniques, skills like classroom management, procedures like dealing with bloodborne pathogens, or many others. Then, this evidence is weighed by an assessor, who determines whether to award the micro-credential or ask the learner to keep working on it.

Intrigued? Here are a few more things you should know about what micro-credentials can bring to your professional learning program.

1. Micro-credentials measure the demonstration of skill and knowledge, not time spent learning.

Time spent on professional development is not a good indicator of the value of that learning — that’s not news. Simply spending time isn’t the goal — in fact, most of us would probably say that if increased knowledge and skill in teaching can be achieved in less time, it would be a good thing. Still, time tends to be the most-measured factor in professional learning.

Wouldn’t it be better to measure the growth demonstrated, the skills learned, the knowledge acquired? Micro-credentials require evidence of knowledge and growth in order to be completed.

[ctt template=”9″ link=”1RAaQ” via=”yes” nofollow=”yes”]Micro-credentials measure the demonstration of skill and knowledge, not just time spent learning. [/ctt]

2. Micro-credentials honor existing competence and respect learners’ time.

We all know what it’s like to sit through unnecessary training, the litany of “better things to do” running through our heads when a seminar covers the same material we’ve conquered long ago. A veteran teacher who’s an expert in formative assessments may not need to sit through a course that a first-year educator finds helpful. With competency-based learning, she won’t have to. She can simply demonstrate her skill and knowledge in this area and earn the micro-credential, while the new teacher takes a course or other learning experience to gain that knowledge.

This means that teachers can spend their professional learning time focusing on learning opportunities that are meaningful and relevant to them.

3. Micro-credentials are a tremendous way to meet ESSA’s professional learning requirements.

The Every Student Succeeds Act sets a high bar when it comes to professional learning, and micro-credentials can help to meet each of the criteria specified in the law. ESSA calls for professional learning to be:

Sustained. Developing a set of skills requires more than going to a one-time workshop, and with micro-credentials, the timeline can flex to meet the needs of each individual learner.

Intensive. Professional learning that is focused on a discrete concept, practice or program is exactly what competency-based learning brings: a particular area of focus and the steps needed to achieve it.

Job-embedded. While some learning elements of a micro-credential may be offered online, skills are mastered and demonstrated within the context of the job.

Collaborative. One of the best ways to learn within a competency-based model is from experts: colleagues, coaches, mentors. And when submitting evidence, an in-district assessor weighs evidence and provides feedback to the learner.

Data-driven. While time is often viewed as a data point, the most important data at an individual level is whether or not the participant can show he has learned the required skills.

Classroom-focused. Micro-credentials allow learners to truly focus on the skills that will make the most difference to teaching and learning.

[ctt template=”9″ link=”14KvH” via=”yes” nofollow=”yes”]How micro-credentials help meet ESSA’s professional learning requirements: [/ctt]

4. Micro-credentials break down learning into manageable chunks.

Meaningful learning needs to focus on discrete units that can be practiced. This kind of “microlearning” often involves a series of sessions that take 45-90 minutes each and are delivered over time. Not only does this put ambitious projects within reach, it provides a sense of accomplishment when each unit is practiced and implemented.

5. Micro-credentials ≠ badges.

As we look at what micro-credentials are, it’s helpful to also look at what they are not. By now, you can hopefully see that micro-credentials are way more than just badges. Badges are simply a way to incentivize (or even gamify) learning with micro-credentials. While the micro-credential codifies how competence must be demonstrated through the submission and assessment of evidence, a badge signifies that competence has been demonstrated.

It comes down to rigor. Looking at whether an individual attended a workshop, put a certain number of hours into a learning experience or watched a series of videos doesn’t have the same level of rigor as determining whether they can effectively put a skill into practice in the classroom. High-quality micro-credentials may award badges, but only when a participant can show mastery.

[ctt template=”9″ link=”kC2Ui” via=”yes” nofollow=”yes”]Badges vs. micro-credentials: A micro-credential codifies how competence must be demonstrated through the submission and assessment of evidence. A badge signifies that competence has been demonstrated. [/ctt]

6. Micro-credentials can help build a district’s brand.

A challenge many school systems face today is when good teachers leave — either the school itself or the profession entirely. The job market is competitive, and building a solid brand can give your district an edge in attracting and retaining high-quality teachers.

One way to do this is by providing meaningful professional development for teachers, including micro-credentials. Competency-based learning honors what teachers already know, is flexible, and is an effective way to acquire critical skills – and that can all add up to a big differentiator for your district.

7. Micro-credentials can provide leadership pathways.

Beyond offering effective learning, micro-credentials can also provide a way for teachers to advance in their careers. At a certain point, the next logical step for a teacher is to leave the classroom and become an administrator. But what about those who don’t aspire to the principalship and want to remain in teaching?

One of the unexpected benefits of micro-credentials is opening a door to leadership. Imagine a master teacher who’s highly skilled at formative assessment. You might ask that teacher to become an assessor: someone who looks at the evidence other teachers submit in order to earn micro-credentials. This puts that master teacher in a position of leadership, where they can provide feedback, collaborate with peers, share expertise and be seen as an expert by colleagues. Better yet, this leadership opportunity doesn’t remove that teacher from the classroom. It’s a fantastic way to build internal capacity in your district for a rich set of skills and create a culture of collaboration and sharing.

To learn more about micro-credentials and why teachers love them, visit our page “It’s All About the Outcome: Unraveling the Confusion Around Micro-credentials.”

3 Ways Evaluating Your Classified Staff Can Make a Positive Difference in Your School (and Where to Start)

It was always cold when I walked to the bus stop, at least in my memory. Down the hill to the corner store, fumbling with a cassette for my Walkman, lugging a far-too-heavy backpack. Every day of the school year, Ms. Nuse was the first school employee I’d see, and at the end of the day, the last one, too. She was no nonsense, but kind. She drove bus 23.

Teachers are often the first to come to mind when we think of school (and rightly so), but the vast number of non-certified staff also play a pivotal role in education: bus drivers, food service professionals, office staff, security, custodians, crossing guards and many others. Yet when it comes time to think about evaluations — especially evaluations designed to result in professional growth — the focus is almost entirely on teachers.

Yes, many districts evaluate classified staff. Others do not. Still others may conduct quick-as-possible evaluations to stay compliant with state or district requirements, but without putting significant resources toward ensuring those evaluations result in employee growth.

That’s not surprising. Evaluating employees in a way that prioritizes growth and emphasizes feedback takes time. Yet there are some compelling reasons for taking that time, even when doing so is not strictly required.

Why Evaluate Classified Staff?

1. Classified staff are vital to the success of your school and students.

No shock here, right? Without caring people to bring students to school, prepare breakfasts and lunches, ensure a clean facility, set up computers, welcome visitors, keep students and employees safe and countless other jobs, instruction would grind to a halt, and quick! Doesn’t it make sense to invest in the continual development of these men and women?

[ctt template=”9″ link=”neLj_” via=”yes” nofollow=”yes”]Why take the time to evaluate classified staff? Because they are vital to the success of schools and students. [/ctt]

Simply making sure jobs are performed more effectively isn’t the only reason, however. Most of us can tell stories of favorite teachers over the years, but the other employees working in a school can make a powerful impact, as well. Especially for students who may not do as well academically, positive relationships with adults who aren’t teachers can make a difference in their wellbeing.

2. Evaluations make it possible to offer targeted professional development.

That professional learning should be targeted to specific needs and strengths won’t raise many eyebrows. But without a systematic way of identifying those needs and strengths, how can we expect that to happen? Employee evaluations that are part of a broader culture of continual growth for every employee can help inform professional development offerings and shed light on trends and patterns across the district, showing what kinds of learning opportunities are worth investing in for your people.

3. Evaluating classified staff can increase retention.

This is not to imply that only having a summative score on a spectrum of “Developing” to “Highly Effective” will increase employee satisfaction and bring new job applicants through the door in droves. A score by itself will never do that.

But consider: what happens when classified employees receive the same level of care and interest as teachers and other certified staff?

When people feel valued, invested in and cared for, when their roles are viewed as important to the success of students, when they can truly take part in the mission and vision of the school, they tend to be happier. They are more engaged and pour more of themselves into their work. And notably, they tend to stay in their jobs longer.

The key, of course, is making sure evaluations aren’t ‘gotchas,’ that there is a strong feedback component, and whenever possible, that employees are included from the beginning and have input into how the process is constructed.

[ctt template=”9″ link=”E17wr” via=”yes” nofollow=”yes”]School employees who feel valued and invested in are happier and more engaged — and that means higher retention rates. [/ctt]

Where to Start When Evaluating Classified Staff

For districts that want to begin the journey toward evaluating classified staff, consider starting here:

  • Begin with each job description. You may already be halfway to creating your evaluation rubric: start with each position’s job description to create a rubric for each job category. This way, each individual will see how their specific job contributes to the overall success of the district, and will have a clear lens through which to view strengths and areas for growth.
  • Scale up existing practices. Many schools may already do some form of evaluations for non-certified employees. In such cases, see where you can supplement those efforts with formative, growth-oriented conversations. Say you’re already spending 30 minutes twice a year evaluating employees, yet aren’t seeing the benefits noted above. Rather than trying to scale the mountain of forming a brand-new program, see if spending 45 minutes with each employee would be doable instead — and spend those extra 15 minutes in real conversations about goals, performance, career ambitions and areas to improve or strengthen.
  • Train evaluators to give feedback and conduct reliable, unbiased evaluations. Evaluating classified staff shouldn’t necessarily be the work of one person. If all evaluators have a common understanding of performance criteria and are trained to provide meaningful, relevant feedback, employees will be more likely to respond positively to evaluations.

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White Paper: “Feedback That Matters: Using formative feedback and meaningful conversations to grow teaching practice and foster a collaborative educational environment.”

Every employee in a school district affects student learning in some way, so everyone can benefit from honest conversations about performance and growth.

Rekindling Connections Between HR and Finance in Schools: Position Management

Making sure that your people are being paid the right amount, consistently and on time is among the most critical responsibilities of a school business office. An unintended consequence in many districts, however, is that Finance and Payroll tend to be an island instead of working alongside Human Resources.

Those siloes often result in redundant data across HR and Payroll. It also leaves many Human Resources professionals trying to make finance-driven processes work for their purposes too. That might get you most of the way there… but it all starts to fall apart once team members resort to supplemental spreadsheets or manual paper-driven processes to track peripheral (but critical) parts of the HR function.

Any of this sound familiar?

One of the ways that schools are rekindling the connections between HR and Finance is to implement a comprehensive position management plan.

How Does Position Management Connect HR and Finance?

Position management and control in schools is more than managing the actual people staffing your schools. It requires attention and detail to be dedicated at the position level, not the person. You identify critical information that will be associated to that unique position, and that information follows that position code no matter which human is filling it at any given time.

Let’s look at an example.

You start with a position category like “Professionals: Instruction”; this encompasses all your instructional positions across your district. Let’s say you have 2,000 possible instructional positions that are categorized as “Professionals: Instruction,” then within you have sub-categories like English, Math, and Science Instruction or First, Second, Third Grade; whichever makes the most sense for your organization.

Beyond assignment details, like subject-matter and/or grade-level, in a position management plan you’ll also associate the following information at the position level:

  • Pay structure
    • Steps
    • Stipends
    • Grade
    • Cycle
    • Supplemental
  • Access to data
  • Reporting
  • Security permissions
  • And more

Without this type of plan, districts are often struggling to keep up with the unique designations for the array of position types in a school district. People are being hired in and out of positions and pieces can get missed during a manual/paper-driven hiring and onboarding process. When the errors are buried in the details of complex information without immediately recognizable consequences they can go unnoticed. Worse yet, this could present non-compliance issues with security and access to information. This results in timely, and often costly, measures to rectify missteps with error-prone processes.

Once all this information is designated at each category and position, it’s clear and concise what happens as personnel come in and out of your schools. If it’s so beneficial, then why are so many school districts struggling?

 

Well, imagine tracking all that intricate information across grades K-12 for 2,000 educators with varying years of experience and credentials. Sure, identifying broad strokes of common permissions for like positions is one thing, but as they say, the devil’s in the details. If you’re managing critical information like pay structures and security permissions on spreadsheets or on paper, it becomes almost impossible to scale this process.

That’s why so many school districts are relying on human resource management software, where HR and Finance are connected through embedded vacancy/approval conditional workflows configured specifically for the needs of K-12 schools.

“Because it’s all in one piece, it has allowed us to make good use of taxpayer money as it relates to employees – we can make sure that they spend the fruit of their work in doing what’s right for onboarding.” Rick Rodriguez – Assistant Superintendent of HR, Lubbock ISD

In case you’d like to read the second installment of this series, you can check it out here:

“Rekindling Connections Between HR and Finance in Schools: Funding Distribution”

7 Steps to Monitor Progress on Tier 1/Classroom Interventions

When I visit schools as an RTI/MTSS consultant and talk with teachers about Tier 1/classroom academic interventions, I often hear frustration over the difficulty of collecting and interpreting data to monitor student progress. Yet, the critical importance of data is that it ‘tells the story’ of the academic or behavioral intervention, revealing the answers to such central questions as:

  • what specific skills or behaviors does the student find challenging?
  • what is the student’s baseline or starting point?
  • what outcome goal would define success for this student?
  • has the student reached the goal?

If the information required to answer any of these questions is missing, the data story becomes garbled and teachers can find themselves unsure about the purpose and/or outcome of the intervention.

While following a guide does not eliminate all difficulties in tracking Tier 1/classroom interventions, these 7 steps will help the educators you work with ask the right questions, collect useful data and arrive at meaningful answers at Tier 1.

STEP 1: What skill or behavior is being measured?

The first step in setting up a plan to monitor a student is to choose the specific skill or behavior to measure. Your ‘problem-identification’ statement should define that skill or behavior in clear, specific terms.

Keep in mind that a clear problem definition is a necessary starting point for developing a monitoring plan[1]: “If you can’t name the problem, you can’t measure it.”

STEP 2: What data-collection method will best measure the target skill or behavior?

Next, select a valid, reliable and manageable way to collect data on the skill or behavior the instructor has targeted for intervention. Data sources used to track student progress on classroom interventions should be brief, valid measures of the target skill, and sensitive to short-term student gains.[2]

There are a range of teacher-friendly data-collection tools to choose from, such as rubrics, checklists, Daily Behavior Report Cards (DBRC), Curriculum-based Measures (CBMs), teacher logs and student work products.

STEP 3: How long will the intervention last?

When planning a classroom intervention, the teacher should choose an end-date when he/she will review the progress-monitoring data and decide whether the intervention is successful.

A good practice is to run an academic intervention for at least 6-8 instructional weeks before evaluating its effectiveness. Student data can vary significantly from day to day[3]: Allowing 6-8 weeks for data collection permits the teacher to collect sufficient data points to have greater confidence when judging the intervention’s impact.

[ctt template=”9″ link=”yebN9″ via=”yes” nofollow=”yes”]Run an #RTI / #MTSS intervention for at least 6-8 instructional weeks before evaluating effectiveness. Read why here [/ctt]

STEP 4: What is the student’s baseline performance?

Before launching the intervention, the teacher will use the selected data-collection tool to record baseline data reflecting the student’s current performance. Baseline data represents a starting point that allows the teacher to calculate precisely any progress the student makes during the intervention.

Because student data can be variable, the instructor should strive to collect at least 3 data points before starting the intervention and average them to calculate baseline.

STEP 5: What is the student’s outcome goal?

Next, the teacher sets a post-intervention outcome goal that defines the student’s expected performance on the target skill or behavior if the intervention is successful (e.g., after 6-8 weeks). Setting a specific outcome goal for the student is a critical step, as it allows educators to judge the intervention’s effectiveness.

Teachers can use several sources to calculate an outcome goal[4]:

  • When using academic CBMs with benchmark norms, those grade-level norms can help the instructor to set a goal for the student.
  • Classroom Norms. When measuring an academic skill for which no benchmark norms are available, the teacher might instead decide to compile classroom norms (i.e., sampling the entire class or a subgroup of the class) and use those group norms to set an outcome goal.
    Real-world Example:

    A teacher with a student who frequently writes incomplete sentences might collect writing samples from a small group of ‘typical’ student writers in the class, analyze those samples to calculate percentage of complete sentences, and use this peer norm (e.g., 90 percent complete sentences) to set a sentence-writing outcome goal for that struggling writer.

  • Teacher-defined Performance Goal (Criterion Mastery). Sometimes, the instructor must write an outcome goal — but will have access to neither benchmark norms nor classroom norms for the skill or behavior being measured. In this case, the teacher may be able to use his or her own judgment to define a meaningful outcome goal.
    Real-world Example:

    A math instructor wishes to teach a student to follow a 7-step procedural checklist when solving math word problems. The data source in this example is the checklist, and the teacher sets as the outcome goal that — when given a word problem — the student will independently follow all steps in the teacher-supplied checklist in the correct order.

TIP: For a student with a large academic deficit, the teacher may not be able to close that skill-gap entirely within one 6-8-week intervention cycle. In this instance, the instructor should instead set an ambitious ‘intermediate goal’ that, if accomplished, will demonstrate the student is clearly closing the academic gap with peers. It is not unusual for students with substantial academic delays to require several successive intervention-cycles with intermediate goals before they are able to close a skill-gap sufficiently to bring them up to meet their grade-level peers.

STEP 6: How often will data be collected?

The more frequently the teacher collects data, the more quickly she/he will be able to judge whether an intervention is effective.[5] This is because more data points make trends of improvement easier to spot and increase instructors’ confidence in the overall direction or ‘trend’ of the data.

Ideally, teachers should strive to collect data at least weekly for the duration of the intervention period. If that is not feasible, student progress should be monitored no less than twice per month.

STEP 7: How does the student’s actual performance compare with the outcome goal?

Once the teacher has created a progress-monitoring plan for the student, she/he puts that plan into action. At the end of the pre-determined intervention period (e.g., in 6 weeks), the teacher reviews the student’s cumulative progress-monitoring data, compares it to the outcome goal and judges the effectiveness of the intervention. Here are the decision rules:

  • Outcome goal met. If the student meets the outcome goal, the intervention is a success. The teacher may decide that the intervention is no longer necessary and discontinue. Or she/he may choose to continue the present intervention for an additional period because the student still appears to benefit from it.
  • Clear progress but outcome goal not met. If the student fails to meet the outcome goal, but the teacher sees clear signs that the student is making progress, that educator might decide that the intervention shows promise. In this case, the next step would be to alter the existing intervention in some way(s) to intensify its effect. For example, the teacher could meet more frequently with the student, meet for longer sessions, shrink the group size (if the intervention is group-based), etc.
  • Little or no progress observed. If the student fails to make meaningful progress on the intervention, the teacher’s logical next step will be to replace the current intervention plan with a new strategy. The instructor may also decide to refer the student to receive additional RTI/MTSS academic support.

Key Takeaway: Let Data Be Your Guide

The goal in monitoring any classroom intervention is to let the data guide you in understanding a learner’s unique story. When teachers can clearly define a student’s specific academic or behavioral challenge, collect data that accurately tracks progress, and calculate baseline level and outcome goal as points of reference to judge intervention success, the student’s story will be truly told.

Are your struggling learners in the right Tier? Collect the data you need to answer this question with Frontline’s RTI & MTSS Program Management software.

[1] Upah, K. R. F. (2008). Best practices in designing, implementing, and evaluating quality interventions. In A. Thomas & J. Grimes (Eds.), Best practices in school psychology V (pp. 209-223). Bethesda, MD: National Association of School Psychologists.

[2] Howell, K. W., Hosp, J. L., & Kurns, S. (2008). Best practices in curriculum-based evaluation. In A. Thomas & J. Grimes (Eds.), Best practices in school psychology V (pp.349-362). Bethesda, MD: National Association of School Psychologists.

[3] Hixson, M. D., Christ, T. J., & Bruni, T. (2014).  Best practices in the analysis of progress monitoring data and decision making in A. Thomas & Patti Harris (Eds.), Best Practices in School Psychology VI (pp. 343-354). Silver Springs, MD: National Association of School Psychologists.

[4] Shapiro, E. S. (2008). Best practices in setting progress-monitoring monitoring goals for academic skill improvement. In A. Thomas & J. Grimes (Eds.), Best practices in school psychology V (pp. 141-157). Bethesda, MD: National Association of School Psychologists.

[5] Filderman, M. J., & Toste, J. R. (2018). Decisions, decisions, decisions: Using data to make instructional decisions for struggling readers. Teaching Exceptional Children, 50(3), 130-140.

Are Teacher Evaluations Worth It?

DR. JAMES STRONGE ON THE GATES FOUNDATION’S INTENSIVE PARTNERSHIPS FOR EFFECTIVE TEACHING INITIATIVE.

Last June, the RAND Corporation published research[1] looking at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s Intensive Partnerships for Effective Teaching initiative. The initiative worked with three school districts and several charter management organizations to redesign teacher evaluations that factored in not only classroom observations, but also student growth measures.

The Gates Foundation’s goal? To improve teaching effectiveness and, as a result, student outcomes.

The results? The researchers found that while most teachers believed that the redesigned evaluation systems had a positive impact on their teaching, it failed to improve student performance and graduation rates.

The research brief goes into much more depth, of course, pointing to incomplete implementation, potentially conflicting goals and changes in budgets, statewide tests, leadership and other factors as possible reasons for this lack of success.

In a recent episode of Field Trip, Frontline’s podcast about leadership in education, we spoke with Dr. James Stronge, president of Stronge and Associates Educational Consulting, LLC, to get his thoughts on the report. Here are some of the highlights. (Note: the text below is from select portions of the interview, and has been edited for brevity and readability. To hear the entire interview, please listen to the podcast.)

 

Do you agree with the findings of the RAND Corporation’s report?

I don’t think there’s much in the report to disagree with. They’re reporting the facts and then interpreting what they found. The place that I would disagree is on the causes. I doubt seriously that the design of the evaluations in those districts was the serious problem. I think instead it had to do with flaws in implementation.

[ctt template=”9″ link=”07G9g” via=”yes” nofollow=”yes”]“I doubt that the design of the evaluations was the serious problem. I think instead it had to do with flaws in implementation.” – Dr. James Stronge on the Intensive Partnerships for Effective Teaching Initiative [/ctt]

One of the problems that I see in the implementation in the Gates Foundation-funded projects is the emphasis that was placed on how data are collected and interpreted, what data were used. And in many of those districts, there was still a very heavy emphasis on classroom observation. Classroom observation is flawed as well. There’s been a great deal of writing and controversy around using value-added measures, but what people sometimes forget is that observation is flawed.

Were principals following the implementation procedures properly? The end result that you can’t argue with is that in the vast majority of cases, teachers are perfect. All teachers receive whatever the highest rating is. If it’s a five point scale, they get a five. If it’s a four point, they get a four.

Ultimately what happens in many schools is the evaluations get reduced to a one- or two-point scale. The districts think they have a four point summative scale, but they don’t. They never use the bottom two points. And consequently, the only distinction is between “effective” and “highly effective.” That’s a flaw in implementation.

Should schools abandon the focus on teacher evaluations?

Teachers have an enormous impact. We know that, and we know what good teachers do. The fallacy comes in how we assess that effectiveness. My worry is that because of reports like [the one released by] the RAND Corporation, and pushback that is constantly being felt across all the states, this initiative will be completely dropped, and we won’t return to it for another decade or so, and we’ll realize the mistake we’ve made.

There were mistakes made in implementation, mistakes made in rushing to design, but to throw all of that out and to say that, “Well, okay, evaluation is not worth doing. What’s next?” — that’s a huge mistake.

I don’t think that evaluation is the only reform that we need by any means. In fact, I have a bit of skepticism about evaluation being the best place to start. But I do think it’s an important reform, and quitting at this point will waste not hundreds of millions of dollars, it will waste billions of dollars.

[ctt template=”9″ link=”sU468″ via=”yes” nofollow=”yes”]“If we give up on distinguishing between effective, highly effective and less effective teaching, we’re never going to improve in our schools.” – Dr. James Stronge [/ctt]

And more importantly, it’s going to impact the lives of kids. If we give up on distinguishing between effective, highly effective and less effective teaching, we’re never going to improve in our schools. We’re going to be exactly where we were in the past and we’re going to remain there in the future, if we give up on that effort.

How can schools maximize the impact that evaluations have on teaching practice?

Hire and retain the absolute best principals. There is evidence that suggests it takes four or five years for a principal to begin to have a real footprint in that school, and if it’s an effective principal, that’s going to be a positive footprint.

[ctt template=”9″ link=”0yiao” via=”yes” nofollow=”yes”]How can schools maximize the impact that evaluations have on teaching? Dr. James Stronge: “Hire and retain the absolute best principals.” [/ctt]

We’ve known for a long time from research from the Dallas Public Schools that the quickest way to turn around a school, for good or bad, is to change the principal. Quality principals get quality results. And a quality principal will know good teaching. That person will be a medical practitioner, essentially, and be able to diagnose what’s effective and what’s not effective that’s occurring in a classroom, and then be able to prognose and say, “Here’s what you can do to get better and to improve.”

That good principal will follow up, give support, not just say, “You need to get better,” but will say precisely, “Here’s how you can get better, and we’re going to be there to support you in getting better.”

And then finally, he’ll follow up to verify that improvement has occurred. One additional thing we know from research on the best principals is that they will not condone poor teaching. They help teachers find another job if they don’t get better. Principals, while their direct influence on student achievement is in the range of five to ten percent of the total amount, they have a much greater influence. They hire teachers, they support teachers, they develop teachers, they keep teachers. If I could do anything immediately, that would be it.

How can you promote growth opportunities for your educators and administrators? Learn more about the research-based Stronge Effectiveness Performance Evaluation System, powered by Frontline Professional Growth, with specific components for teachers, educational specialists, principals, central office administrators and superintendents.

James H. Stronge is President of Stronge and Associates Educational Consulting, LLC, an educational consulting company that focuses on teacher and leader effectiveness with projects internationally and in many U.S. states. Additionally, he is the Heritage Professor in the Educational Policy, Planning, and Leadership Area at the College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, Virginia. His research interests include policy and practice related to teacher quality and teacher and administrator evaluation. His work on teacher quality focuses on how to identify effective teachers and how to enhance teacher effectiveness. Dr. Stronge has presented his research at more than 350 regional, national, and international conferences and conducted workshops for educational organizations throughout the U.S. and internationally. Additionally, he has worked extensively with local school districts and states on issues related to teacher quality, teacher selection, and teacher and administrator evaluation. Dr. Stronge has been a teacher, counselor, and district-level administrator, and has authored, coauthored, or edited 30 books and more than 150 articles, chapters, and technical reports.

[1] Stecher, B. M., Holtzman, D. J., Garet, M. S., Hamilton, L. S., Engberg, J., Steiner, E. D., . . . Chambers, J. (2018, June 21). Intensive Partnerships for Effective Teaching Enhanced How Teachers Are Evaluated But Had Little Effect on Student Outcomes. Retrieved December 18, 2018, from https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_briefs/RB10009.html

Better Early Hiring & Retaining Recruited Teachers

Is hiring at the top of your mind right now? If you want the most outstanding teachers in your classrooms, it should be.

Research shows that the strongest candidates are hired early, and are less likely to tolerate hiring delays. They prefer to withdraw from the hiring process in order to accept positions in districts with faster hiring processes. This leaves slower districts with a less-qualified applicant pool to choose from over the summer.

Candidate quality should be enough of a reason to hire earlier, but there are other advantages as well. You can avoid the last-minute hiring crunch, lessen the impact of teacher shortages and ensure that new hires have plenty of time to prepare for the first day of school.

How to Move to an Earlier Teacher Hiring Timeline

To be competitive, your district should hire all new teachers by May 1st at the latest. That’s an achievable goal, as long as you have the right processes in place and visibility into your district’s data. The most important number to know is how many teachers you will need to hire. To determine this, look closely at the following:

Historical Trends and Averages

How many vacancies have you had in the past few years? What’s your historical turnover rate? It’s unlikely that every teacher who plans on leaving will notify you before they’re committed to another job.  However, looking at retention and vacancy data from the past few years should give you an idea of how many positions you should plan on filling for the upcoming school year.

Teacher Retirement and Resignation Notifications

How many teachers are retiring or resigning? Keep track of how many teachers are eligible to retire by subject area and school building, and have teachers notify you as early as possible of their intent to retire or leave. Some districts offer an incentive to educators who submit retirement notifications by an early deadline, such as December 31.

Tip: it’s easier to collect retirement and resignation notices with an automated document management system.

New Staffing Needs

Do you have any new academic programs or schools that will need to be staffed? Also, consider if any new buildings opened over the past few years that might skew your historical data. Gather input from principals and other departments in the district (Academics and Business, for example.) By working closely with others across the district, you can be sure that you have a clear picture of any plans that may require additional staffing.

Beyond Early Hiring

The more confident you are that you have an accurate forecast of your staffing needs, the earlier you can begin to hire new teachers. To take it a step further, consider partnering with local colleges and universities to offer early commitments to education students in their final year of coursework, and student teachers who have shown aptitude. Some districts who take this approach have agreements with students in place as early as October.

This is not the same as offering the students a contract or any sort of binding agreement. If it were, it’d just be called early hiring. Instead, it’s putting a structure in place to build relationships with new teachers early, before they start looking for jobs in earnest. The important part is getting your district’s foot in the door and being the first to make an impression on teaching candidates. The early bird gets the worm (or, as the case may be, the best educators.) But if you can’t offer early commitments, hire earlier. And if you can’t hire earlier, hire faster.

[ctt template=”9″ link=”tTDd1″ via=”yes” nofollow=”yes”]The early bird gets the worm: if you can’t offer early commitments, hire earlier. And if you can’t hire earlier, hire faster.[/ctt]

The Most Important Part: Retaining Recruited Teachers

You know that employee engagement is key. An engaged educator is less likely to leave the district, and more likely to go above and beyond to ensure student success. But too often, engagement is seen as something to focus on after school is back in session, well after new hires have formed an impression of your district’s operations. This can leave a broad gap between the excitement of accepting an offer and the impact of any employee retention strategies in place — especially if they were hired months before, in March or April.

A fantastic orientation experience early on sets the stage for engagement as the school year goes on, and helps your new hires feel welcome. It starts all the way back at the application stage: making it easy for job-seekers to apply, so their enthusiasm for your district isn’t curbed by avoidable application-related frustrations. Communication is key as well — most hiring managers don’t have the time or means to communicate with applicants, so even an automated email or visibility into the status of their online application will have a positive impact. If there are any delays in the hiring process, it is crucial to continuously communicate in order to keep top prospects engaged. Plus, your district’s reputation will benefit, and candidates will tell other talented teachers in their network about their experience.

Onboarding, too, is a great opportunity to set the stage for lasting retention. If you can set up Welcome Days to help new hires meet their colleagues, the start of the school year will go much more smoothly. The same goes with mentoring or coaching relationships: starting over the summer shows that your district is committed to each teacher’s success, and they’ll have the chance to prepare more effectively for the first day of school.

Survey Results: How is RTI/MTSS Going in Your District?

ESSA requires districts to adopt a systematic approach for data-based decision-making to enable a rapid response to students’ needs. As a result, many district leaders are considering or re-validating RTI/MTSS models.

Yet, these frameworks are infamously complex with many stakeholders and moving parts, and can be tricky to implement – and maintain – with fidelity.

“MTSS not only focuses on meeting students’ academic needs, inherent within RTI, but in addition addresses the social, emotional and behavioral development of children,” notes Jo Ann Hanrahan, Director of the Frontline Research and Learning Institute.

Given these complexities and ESSA’s focus on agile, data-based student support, how do administrators and educators feel about current RTI/MTSS efforts in their districts? What changes need to be made?

Findings from a recent Frontline Education survey shed some light.

RTI/MTSS Frontline Education Survey Results

Graph showing breakdown of districts that use an RTI/MTSS model

Graph showing breakdown of how long districts have been using an RTI/MTSS model

Graph showing how effective RTI/MTSS programs are at identifying struggling learners

[ctt template=”9″ link=”TeVte” via=”yes” nofollow=”yes”]52% of survey respondents have their doubts that students are being placed in the right #RTI / #MTSS tier. How does this impact teacher effectiveness?[/ctt]

Graph showing how confident districts are that struggling learners are being place in appropriate Tier

Graph showing districts' confidence that their Data Analysis Teams enforce valid entry/exit criteria for Tiers 2/3

Graph showing the breakdown of RTI/MTSS staff training process

Graph showing staff understanding of districts' RTI/MTSS goals, processes and best practices

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Graph showing the breakdown of what districts hope improve about their RTI/MTSS programs

Food for Thought

While results show that school staff are confident in their ability to identify struggling learners, 52% said they have their doubts or are not confident that students are being placed in the right Tier. And 59% reported they have their doubts or are not confident that their school’s Data Analysis Team consistently enforces valid entry and exit criteria for Tiers 2/3.

Could this lack of confidence be related to gaps in a district’s RTI/MTSS training procedures? And, if staff lack confidence in the process, how does that impact student outcomes?

Consider how RTI/MTSS stakeholders in your district would respond to these questions. If, like 63% of survey respondents, RTI/MTSS-focused trainings are only sporadic in your district, think about how integrating district-wide best practices can help raise staff buy-in of your RTI/MTSS efforts.

When navigating the complexities of RTI/MTSS, a little staff confidence goes a long way. Give your team  a common language and base of operations for assisting struggling learners.

11 Ways to Get Teacher Buy-in to Micro-credentials

 

Micro-credentials have been making waves in schools around the country for several years now. Maybe you’ve had the opportunity to earn them, or see them implemented into professional learning programs.

Maybe you’re thinking about taking the leap, offering competency-based learning for the teachers you serve.

Our world moves fast, and teachers can get inundated with new things to do: Chromebooks, and one-to-one initiatives, and iPads, and every other strategy or philosophy or piece of technology that promises to transform the classroom. How can school leaders who believe in the value of micro-credentials gain buy-in from teachers and see that the promise of competency-based learning is realized?

[ctt template=”9″ link=”S2jVh” via=”yes” nofollow=”yes”]How can school leaders who believe in the value of micro-credentials gain buy-in from teachers? [/ctt]

The Weilenmann School of Discovery, a charter school in Utah, has seen tremendous success with micro-credentials. When we spoke with several of their administrators and teachers, they offered some suggestions for getting teachers on board.

1. Prioritize new plans based on research. This helps to prevent Shiny Object Syndrome. “If you don’t make good research-based decisions, you’re bound to be kicked around by every fad,” said Cindy Phillips, Weilenmann’s Executive Director. “You look at the research on the efficiency to time of this kind of professional development, and you just can’t beat it.”

Welcome to weilenmann school of discovery sig

2. Set goals collaboratively with teachers. “We ask our teachers to set very specific goals that are aligned to our state standards of professionalism. And we identify the micro-credential that goes with that goal.”

3. Offer choice. “Instead of assigning a micro-credential, we asked them to choose,” said Kat Mitchell, Lower School Director. “And when we asked them to choose, we had far better success in them wanting to do it.”

4. Incentive. Perhaps this isn’t appropriate for every organization, but Weilenmann offers teachers a small monetary incentive for every micro-credential completed, up to three. Incentives don’t need to be financial, however — recognition and career pathing can be motivating as well.

5. Connect people together for support. Perhaps multiple teachers are pursuing the same micro-credential at the same time. If so, grease the wheels for collaboration.

6. Take strategic advantage of the school’s schedule. Is winter break coming up? That might be a great time to encourage teachers to pursue a micro-credential. Or perhaps include them as part of summer PD.

7. Ask administrators to complete micro-credentials, too. At Weilenmann, administrators are teachers as well, and they take part in the same professional learning that the rest of the certified staff does. Cindy said this helps keep them aware of what teachers need on an ongoing basis.

Outside photo of weilenmann school of discovery

8. Have fun. “Students will always do something that they perceive as fun, and that they see that there’s something meaningful about it,” said Cindy. “One of the best ways to get buy-in before the first year even starts is to have a fantastically fun moment with your teachers, where you’ve previewed all kinds of great curriculum, assigned it out, and have the teachers demonstrate how they’re going to use it the very first day, so that your buy-in is almost immediate because it’s fun and meaningful. The same way you would hook your students in.”

9. Give teachers freedom to use what they’ve learned. “There is no point in developing qualities of great teaching, or leadership abilities or whatever it may be, and having it hidden away in some corner of the school. You need to not only allow your teachers the autonomy to innovate and to utilize new skills in new ways, even if it wasn’t exactly what you had planned, because they’ve now learned something — they’ve grown beyond what they were doing before and want to try it out. As an administrator, if you snuff that out, you have completely undermined the credibility of all the premises on which you say that your school is based.”

[ctt template=”9″ link=”b8JIw” via=”yes” nofollow=”yes”]Allow teachers the autonomy to innovate and utilize new skills in new ways, even if it wasn’t exactly what you had planned — they’ve grown beyond what they were doing before and want to try it out.[/ctt]

10. Ask teachers to share success stories. Micro-credentials provide a rich opportunity for conversations about teaching, said Steve Williams, Weilenmann’s Middle School Dean. “One thing I’ve seen is that teachers are talking about things they’ve learned. They would talk about things that they would improve… I have seen that among all of our teachers, and I think they want to do this. I think 90% of the teachers that I have talked with are interested in doing more micro-credentials.”

11. Be open to feedback. “I don’t think anyone appreciates a push-down initiative,” said Steve. Communicating early and being up front with faculty about the what, why and how of micro-credentials, and giving teachers a chance to discuss, ask questions and react to them is important. “That there’s opportunity to talk about it, and it’s not just something you have to put your head down and do. And I think that gives people strength and a sense that they’re a part of this, and that their feedback really does matter in the process.”

Photo of 2nd grade teacher from Weilenmann school Kacey

Like anything worth doing, enhancing professional development with micro-credentials takes work. But Kacey Warburton, a 2nd grade teacher at Weilenmann, says it’s worth it. “If you are thinking about introducing micro-credentials to your staff, I say you should definitely do it. The professional development is more collaborative, more relevant, and more effective for each specific teacher than ‘regular’ professional development.”

Weilenmann’s journey in competency-based learning is fascinating — we created an entire podcast episode about it. Here’s their story, and how they got started.

How “Cultural Fit” Could Be Masking Unintentional Bias in Teacher Hiring

According to a new report from the Frontline Research & Learning Institute, hiring managers believe cultural fit is one of the most influential characteristics in deciding which teachers to hire — even above experience or training. But here’s the problem. Few districts have any clear, systematic way of defining or measuring cultural fit throughout the hiring process.

From the Institute report:

“While over 80% of respondents indicated that their school or district had standardized the hiring process…, only 70% of those with a standardized process indicated that their school or district uses a specific protocol to ensure consistency… and fewer than 5% of respondents reported using a quality protocol.”

Both the research and popular literature on cultural fit strongly suggest that the fundamental ambiguity in the term “cultural fit” has made it a shroud for unspoken, and perhaps unrecognized, hiring biases. As a result, teachers who weren’t the best fit may be less likely to stay in the district long-term, and talented educators may never even be seriously considered as candidates.

Undefined Cultural Fit and Bias Often Go Hand-in-Hand

Let’s be clear. It isn’t wrong to consider how a candidate will fit in your school culture — you want to hire teachers who believe in your school’s mission and share your commitment to helping students succeed. Cultural fit is not the boogeyman. But unconscious bias is, and it thrives in the gray space (“gut feeling”) that exists when cultural fit is not clearly defined and measured.

[ctt template=”9″ link=”8fd4d” via=”yes” nofollow=”yes”]Unconscious hiring bias thrives in the gray space that exists when cultural fit is not clearly defined and measured. #edchat #K12[/ctt]

Without a clear definition of cultural fit, hiring decisions may be inadvertently driven by unconscious bias and justified by nebulous rationale that a candidate is (or isn’t) the perfect cultural fit.

For example, when it comes to hiring, studies have shown that interviewers are significantly more likely to hire candidates who are similar to themselves or are very likeable. It’s surely not a conscious decision but as the very term “unconscious bias” suggests, it’s completely unintentional, and people don’t realize when they’re falling victim to it. That’s what makes it such a sneaky, pervasive problem. Unconscious biases, judgments and assumptions roll up into a gut feeling that this candidate is the right one.

Is There Room for Cultural Fit in Teacher Hiring?

In a nutshell, yes. But it can’t be based on gut feelings that could leave the door open for unconscious bias to flourish. Instead, define what cultural fit truly means for your district:

  • What values should new hires have in order to support the school’s mission and vision?
  • How can you objectively measure those values during the selection process?
  • How can you standardize your hiring process using research-based, quality protocols to ensure that all candidates are being equally evaluated on the same indicators?
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For example, let’s say a district has a strong belief that its educators should share their commitment to continual improvement. So, they have candidates give a sample lesson and a post-lesson reflection in order to help the hiring committee understand if the candidate possesses a growth mindset. In this way, they are both articulating the value they are looking for in a new hire (a growth mindset) and standardizing their evaluation of that value (via the post-lesson reflection.)

By defining cultural fit and establishing clear, consistent methods for evaluating candidates’ fit, you’re empowered to find talented teachers who align to your school’s values, without sacrificing diversity.

Consider Cultural Adds

Perhaps instead of looking for cultural fit, your district may be better served by looking for cultural adds — new hires who bring innovative ideas to the school and positively contribute to building a stronger school culture, rather than merely fitting in.

Either way, standardizing the hiring process and setting clear guidelines for how candidates should be evaluated should be a priority for district leaders. Standardized selection protocols can reduce the risk of unconscious bias, protect the district from discrimination claims and ensure that the most qualified candidates are hired to work in your schools.

“A commitment to cultural fit without a clear definition or evaluation scheme is simply a commitment to likeability bias.” – Repairing the Leak: How “Cultural Fit” Rusts the Teacher Pipeline