Alignment of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment

Alignment of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment

EDAD 531: Instructional Leadership Texas A&M University-Texarkana Fall, 2012

by

Michele Walker November 26, 2012

Alignment of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment

As you enter the room you smile sweetly to the members of the interview committee seated at a long conference table. You take a seat as they welcome you and immediately get on with the business at hand. They begin with the initial ice-breaker questions. Like most other interviewees you draw upon your previous teaching experience to answer their questions. Question after question you answer to the best of your ability. Then the questions begin to grow a little harder until finally they ask a question that sounds like a foreign language. Your palms are sweaty, you have butterflies in your stomach, and your mouth feels like it is full of sand. Alignment? Data to drive instruction? Developing curriculum? What are they talking about? How can this school be so different from your current school? You realize that even after years in the classroom you still have a great deal to learn. Over the course of two days of back-to-back teacher interviews I had the uncomfortable pleasure of being on an interview committee searching to hire teachers for our campus. Time after time scenes very similar to the one described above played out in our school conference room. We interviewed many teachers ranging from a few years of experience to veterans well into double digit years of experience. After all of the interviews were over our current principal mentioned that many of the teacher candidates that we interviewed did not seem to understand how to use the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills to plan instruction. Our principal was also shocked that the interview candidates did not seem to grasp the importance of using data to drive instruction. Generally speaking the interviewees did not have an understanding of the value of aligning curriculum (what) with instruction (how) and then to the assessment (to

Alignment of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment

what extent) as described in Instructional Leadership Development (2011). Our conversation caused me to stop and ponder my own journey as a teacher. Before our campus and district implemented Professional Learning Communities (PLC), did I really understand the alignment of curriculum, instruction, and assessment? As we interviewed the candidates I began to think about the campuses and districts where they currently worked. Did that campus use data to make instructional decisions? Did that campus have an aligned curriculum? Was the curriculum teacher created or mass produced? Did the campus provide training for the teachers so that they could become well versed in the alignment of curriculum, best instructional practices, and assessment? Did the principal of their campus work at growing teacher leaders? Was their principal really as instructional leader? Because of the results driven nature of Texas Public Schools, it is vital that teachers and instructional leaders understand that curriculum, instruction, and assessment work in consort. The state of Texas has given teachers the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills so that we know the student expectations and the level of rigor. Individual districts and campuses must then decide the scope and sequence that they will use, the type of instructional practices, and ensure vertical as well as horizontal alignment. The interviews we conducted seemed to generate more questions than answers but one crucial question kept coming to mind. Since the principal is the instructional leader of the school, what role does the principal have in growing teacher who understand the importance of alignment of curriculum, instruction, and assessment? For the answer to

Alignment of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment

that question I took a closer look at our very own principal Cristi Parsons and the role she played in transforming the way the teachers on our campus think. According to Brooks, Solloway, and Allen (2007), a shift has occurred in education so that the principal is no longer seen as a manager of the school. The principals role has been rewritten so that now the focus is on being an instructional leader. Many of the studies conducted on the effective schools model point towards a strong principal as instructional leader as an essential factor (May & Supovitz, 2011). As the instructional leader of the campus the principal has a daunting role to play. Several works list the roles and many responsibilities required by instructional leaders some of which are: 1) Retain and recruit effective teachers. 2) Develop good teachers into great teachers through the use of supervision and evaluation. 4) Provide opportunities for staff development that will positively impact instruction. 3) Meet the requirements for standardized testing as determined by the state. 4) Ensure that the written, taught, and tested curriculums are one in the same. 5) Manage the day to day business of the school (Holland, 2008; Horng & Loeb, 2010; Marzano, Waters, and McNulty, 2005). A highly effective school leader can have a dramatic influence on the overall academic achievement of students. (Marzano, et al., 2005, p.10) But, what exactly does it take to be an effective leader? The skills that an instructional leader needs depends

upon the role and responsibilities that leader will have. According to Educational Administration: A Problem Based Approach by Cunningham and Cordiero (2000), educational administration is often divided into two areas of responsibilityleadership and management. Leadership has to do with guiding improvement and infusing an organization with meaning and purpose, whereas management is involved with

Alignment of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment

stewardship and accountability for all types of resources. (Cunningham & Cordiero, 2000, p.4) In this example the authors are speaking primarily to principals as leaders in the school. In reference to principals the following role is suggested Leadership is shifting from a role of directing and controlling to one of guiding, facilitating, supporting, and coordinating efforts on behalf of schools. (Cunningham & Cordiero 2000, p.192) Horng and Loeb state A different view of instructional leadership emphasizes organizational management for instructional improvement rather than day-to-day teaching (Horng & Loeb, 2010, p. 66.) What do all of these have in common? The instructional leader needs to be able to organize and manage. You have to realize that the ability to organize as it applies to an instructional leader doesnt mean someone able to clean out a closet. And manage means so much more than someone able to complete their to-do list for the day. Strong managers develop the organizational structures for improved instruction more than they spend time in classrooms or coach teachers. Strong organizational managers are effective in hiring and supporting staff, allocating budgets and resources, and maintaining positive working and learning environments. (Horng & Loeb,2010, p.67). It would seem that has both an organizer and a manager part of a

principals responsibility would be to lead teachers to understand the importance of curriculum, instruction, and assessment alignment. Because of the various roles and responsibilities tied to the principal truly how much time can the principal afford to spend on teaching teachers how to be teachers? As Lara Cavin, assistant principal of North Elementary stated in her interview, The principal usually gets sucked into the legalities and other issues. There are only 24 hours so it goes to the wayside. Teaching teachers to align curriculum, instruction, and assessment must become a part of the normal

Alignment of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment

working of the school. Because of the alignment of curriculum, instruction, and assessment Lara Cavin explains in her interview how the campus and district can look at data overtime to note any systematic issues. As noted in Cristi Parsons interview questions, she expects teachers to use the aligned curriculum that has been decided upon, use the best instructional practices, and then use data from assessments to drive further instruction. The principal of North Elementary, Cristi Parsons, has found a way to accomplish that daunting task. The answer isProfessional Learning Communities. In a Professional Learning Community there is a shift from isolation to collaboration and from teaching to learning (Eaker, DuFour, and Dufour, 2002). PLC is a collaborative framework in which all of the stakeholders have the same mission, vision, and goals. As an effective instructional leader in a PLC the principal creates structures and processes that foster collaboration in all decisions. The principal also ensures that professional development in ongoing and focused on the shared mission, vision, values, and goals (Lunenburg, 2010). At the core of PLC are four big questions that are used to keep the focus on student learning. 1) What do we want the students to learn? (Curriculum) 2) How will we know if they have learned it? (Assessment) 3) What will we do if they dont learn it? (Instruction and intervention) 4) What will we do if they already know it? (Instruction and enrichment) (Eaker, et al., 2002). After sitting through the teacher interviews I became acutely aware of the fact that these four questions had become ingrained into the daily life at North Elementary. Teachers and administrators alike valued the questions for the critical role they played.

Alignment of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment

Our principal truly was an instructional leader focused on student learning through an aligned curriculum, best instructional practices, and both formative and summative assessment to drive decision making. Cristi Parsons shows through her actions that she believes that teachers as well as administrators must understand the alignment of curriculum, instruction, and assessment (Parsons, 2012). One common definition of alignment is the extent to which expectations and assessments are in agreement and serve in conjunction with one another to guide the system toward students learning what they are expected to know and do (Roach, Niebling, and Kurz, 2008). How do you know if a student has learned? You assess. Therefore, if you want to measure student learning your assessment has to measure what it is the students have learned. If you want to determine if a student has learned their multiplication facts you are not going to measure how well they use correct verb tense in their writing. You are going to measure the use of multiplication facts. You use the data from the assessments to make future decisions for the group of students and individual students. Once again, we were shocked to hear from teachers that did not use data to make decisions. Is it possible that their principals never showed them the connection and cycle between teaching and assessing for real learning. Throughout their interviews the teachers exhibited a disconnect rather than an alignment of curriculum, instruction, and assessment. In a PLC the focus is on student learning (Eaker, et al., 2002). Therefore, it is crucial that all teachers work together to create a quality curriculum that is both guaranteed and viable. A quality curriculum is one in which the written curriculum is aligned with the state standards (recommended curriculum), however it shouldnt be a

Alignment of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment

mere laundry list of TEKS covered or activities strung together (Glatthorn, Boschee, and Whitehead, 2009; Wiggins and McTighe, 2005). This written curriculum must become the supported, taught, tested, and learned curriculum. (Glatthorn, et al., 2009) As per Understanding by Design by Wiggins and McTighe (2005), the curriculum writers should begin with the end in mind. A major change from common practice occurs as designers must begin to think about assessment before deciding what and how they will teach. (p.19) This would lead you to believe that there should be a very strong connection between what is taught and what is tested. An aligned quality curriculum would be one that essentially follows the structure of the 4 Big Questions from Professional Learning Communities as made famous by Drs. Richard and Rebecca Dufour: 1) What do we want the students to learn? (Taught curriculum) 2) How will when know they have learned it? (Assessment) 3) What will we do if they dont learn it? (Instruction and Response to Intervention) 4) What will we do if they already know it? (Instruction and enrichment). The breakdown in this process usually happens when the written curriculum is not supported by either the teachers or the school leaders. (Glatthorn, et al., 2009) For curriculum to make the jump from paper to the classroom the teachers must have ownership; not a close my door and teach attitude. (Glatthorn, et al., 2009) The ownership or buy-in of the written curriculum is supported by the PLC philosophy. Teachers collaborate to determine the nature of the curriculum. That being said, a quality curriculum should be one that is both guaranteed and viable. In School Leadership That Works: From Research to Results by Marzano, Waters, and McNulty on page 83 there is a definition of both viable and guaranteed.

Alignment of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment

Viability refers to whether the stated curriculum can be adequately taught in the instructional time available to teachers (Marzano, et al., 2005, p.83). The curriculum should fit together like a jigsaw puzzle that creates a beautiful picture. Fitting the pieces together to create a quality curriculum is a daunting task. It takes a great deal of instructional planning and foresight. This is where the guaranteed part comes in to play. A guaranteed curriculum is one in which the teachers must address specific content in specific courses at specific grade levels (Marzano, et al., 2005, p.83). It is the responsibility of the instructional leader to observe in classrooms to ensure that the written curriculum is being taught, research- based teaching strategies are being used, and student data in used to drive instruction. (Glatthorn, et al., 2009) The curriculum is not just what is written on the scope and sequence document. It is the written document plus the instructional practices used to put it in place. In the PLC of North Elementary a cohort of teachers create the viable curriculum in the form of a scope and sequence document. Then during the weekly meetings all of the teachers in the subject and grade level work together to create the guaranteed curriculum (Cavin, 2012). Marzano, et al. (2005) state that it is more reasonable for a team to be responsible for the curriculum, instruction, and assessment rather than an individual. The PLC philosophy of collaboration in all matters especially in curriculum, instruction, and assessment aligns with this belief. An effective instructional leader understands that implementing, monitoring, and assessing a quality curriculum are intertwined. It requires all three parts to have a quality, guaranteed, viable curriculum. If any one piece was missing the process would

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not be effective and it would possibly fall apart. Cristi Parsons, Lara Cavin, and the teachers of North Elementary believe this and live this. Because North Elementary is a true Professional Learning Community the new teachers that have been hired have seen first-hand the importance of alignment. It has become a part of their vocabulary; it is what they do every day. It would be interesting to go back and ask some of those interview questions again. I wonder how much their answers would change?

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References

Brooks, N.J., Solloway, S.G., & Allen, L.A. (2007). Instructional supervision and curriculum monitoring: Reinterpreting the principals role through the arts of inquiry. Journal of Personnel Evaluation in Education, 20(1-2), 7-16. Cunningham, W.G. & Cordeiro, P.A. (2000). Educational Administration: A ProblemBased Approach. Massachusetts: Allyn & Bacon. Eaker, R., DuFour, Richard & DuFour, Rebecca. (2002). Getting Started: Recultuting Schools to Become Professional Learning Communities. Indiana: Solution Tree. Glatthorn, A.A., Boschee, F. & Whitehead, B.M. (2009). Curriculum Leadership: Strategies for Development and Implementation. California: Sage Publications. Holland, P.E. (2008). The principals role in teacher development. Journal of the Southeastern Regional Association of Teacher Educators, 17(1), 16-24. Horng, E. and Loeb, S. (2010). New thinking about instructional leadership. Phi Delta Kappan. 92(3), 66-69. Instructional Leadership Development: Moving Texas Forward. (2011). Texas Education Agency. Lunenberg, F. C. (2010). The principal as instructional leader. National Forum of Educational and Supervision Journal, 27(4), 1-7. Marzano, R.J., Water, T. & McNulty, B.A. (2005). School Leadership that Works. Virginia: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

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May, H. & Supovitz, J.A. (2011). The scope of principal efforts to improve instruction. Educational Administration Quarterly, 47(2), 332-352. Roach, A.T., Niebling, B.C., & Kurz, A. (2008). Evaluating the alignment among curriculum, instruction, and assessments: Implications and applications for research and practice. Psychology in the Schools, 45(2), 158-176. Wiggins, G. & McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding by Design. Virginia: Association for Supervision and Development.

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Appendix A Action Plan

STRATEGIC ACTION PLAN: Michele Walker Research Paper Goal: Complete a research paper to gain new learning that will impact future as campus level administrator. Objective(s): 1. Determine the topic for research and submit a proposal. Alignment C/I/A 2. Create action plan to complete the research paper project. 3. Collect 8 to 15 professional articles or books pertinent to the topic. 4. Read the articles and books to synthesis the pertinent information. 5. Create 3-5 interview questions for campus level administrators. (Cristi Parsons and Lara Cavin) 6. Interview the administrators. 7. Write the research paper using APA format. Action Plan Resources (activities/strategies) Needed Determine topic for list of topics from research and submit syllabus proposal Create action plan syllabus for research paper project Collect, read, and synthesize reference materials Create interview questions and interview principal and assistant principal Write the research paper in APA format. Include title page, reference pages, appendices for action plan and interview. EBSCOHOST Previous textbooks from ETBU Interview questions Cristi Parsons Lara Cavin reference materials interview questions Timeline Week #2 Sept. 5, 2012 Week #3 Sept. 12, 2012 Week #4#11 Expected Results Topic accepted by Dr. Hamilton Detailed plan to facilitate the completion of the paper Body of work to reference Person Responsible? Michele Walker Michele Walker

Michele Walker

Week #11 Nov. 7, 2012

Week #13#14 Nov. 28Dec. 5, 2012

Completed interview to use as a reference source for paper Completed research paper

Michele Walker

Michele Walker

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Appendix B Interview with Cristi Parsons and Lara Cavin

The following interview questions were asked on November 7, 2012, to Cristi Parsons, principal, and Lara Cavin, assistant principal, of North Elementary in Hallsville, Texas. The answers were typed directly from the interview notes. 1. What do teachers need to know about the alignment of curriculum, instruction, and assessment? Cristi Parsons- They need to be aligned. If it isnt you have to use your data to determine the breakdown. For example: less than 80% mastery across the campus would indicate an instructional or curricular concern. If the data shows weird stuff that is not consistent then the problem could be with the assessment piece. If your data is high then you could actually have issues with assessment or instructional. Suggested that I refer to the Lead4ward website and the data training we attended. You have to see trends across time. You have to know how to look at data. The district level must look at data. It takes more than just the principal. Lara Cavin- (piggyback on Cristi Parsons response) You can tell how decisions made years ago in younger grades impact on higher grades. Look for systematic problems. Teachers need to know how what they teach fits in the puzzle of a childs education. Teachers should be an expert in their part and a generalist in all of it. What you teach (do) impact the rest of their (children) lives. Care deeply.

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2. How do you evaluate the alignment of curriculum, instruction, and assessment across grade levels and in specific classrooms? Cristi Parsons- The alignment of curriculum across grade levels in seen in every Professional Learning Community (PLC) meetings each Wednesday. For instructional alignment you have to listen as the teachers plan from one grade level to the next. (Background information- Every Wednesday all of the teachers in each grade level meet in PLC meetings to plan for the following week. Teachers in second and third grade further divide into the English Language Arts team and math team. The teachers use the district created curriculum document.) As the grade levels plan first with kindergarten and then on to first grade, second grade, and finally third grade you can see where you need to go deeper. The principal has to go into classrooms. Be visible. Use Dana Center walkthroughs. Have a purpose for the walkthroughs. Our assessment is not aligned

yet. We are not looking at the data TEK by TEK across grade levels. We need to think about it in terms of the K-5 ELA TEKS alignment document that we use. Lara Cavin- During the meetings (PLC) you see the whole picture and the whole document to get the gist for the grade level. It plants a seed of understanding for when you visit classrooms. In the classroom you see the students faces and their responses or products for understanding and learning. Look at the formal and informal assessment. Ask the children. What are you learning?

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3. What role should the principal play in assuring that teachers are knowledgeable in curriculum, instruction, and assessment alignment? Cristi Parsons- Find the best teachers that know how and put them together. The principal doesnt have time so use the experts on the campus as mentors. Lara Cavin- In another district where I worked that did not occur at all. The teachers and sometimes the principals didnt understand the need for alignment. Teachers do not come out of college understanding alignment. It is a missing component. The principal usually gets sucked into the legalities and other issues. There are only 24 hours so it goes to the wayside. In this current district, starting to see how all of the pieces fit together. 4. What connection do you make between teacher evaluation and/or supervision and the alignment of curriculum, instruction, and assessment? Cristi Parsons- Yes. The current teacher evaluation system does not impact instruction. PDAS does not allow for real growth. A coaching model impacts real growth; teacher sets goals. Carrollton ISD is an example. Lara Cavin- Do not care for the current PDAS system. You grow through dialogue because you get to the heart of what we need or want to learn. PDAS is subjective. Student learning is part of (focus of) the evaluation, but not as a gotcha. Evaluations should not be a surprise. Evaluation should be ongoing. Student learning should be talked about all year. More than specific skills; learning of the whole child.

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5. Tell me about the process that teachers on your campus use to make instructional, curricular, and assessment decisions. Cristi Parsons- Instructional, curricular, and assessment decisions are made collectively by the teachers during the PLC meetings. The basis of the PLC meetings are 4 big questions. 1) What do we want the students to learn? 2) How will we know if they have learned it? 3) What will we do if they dont learn it? 4) What will we do if they already know it? The curriculum and assessments are written by the teachers. The teachers and administration make decisions that lead to the collective goal. Lara Cavin- The wacky Wednesday schedule is used for PLC meetings. Curricular decisions are made by a cohort of members from different campuses. The cohort determines the scope and sequence of TEKS that makes the best sense for student learning. The district provides ongoing training through various sources such as region 7 and Lead4ward to help teachers and administrators make those decisions. Teachers are charged by the district with a great responsibility. It gives teachers the power to impact for student learning. It challenges teacher thinking. Teachers make the ultimate decisions.

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