Leadership and Learning Framework Case Study:
West Carroll Parish School Board
District ProfileWest Carroll Parish School Board serves 2,300 students and is located in rural Oak Grove, LA.
District Needs
Four of the district's schools were failing to make AYP. West Carroll wanted to close the achievement gap that existed between students at those four schools and the rest of the district.
Solution
West Carroll chose the Learning Framework, a comprehensive training program from the School Improvement Network.
Benefits
West Carroll Parish School Board recently eliminated its achievement gap because of remarkable gains in student test scores on the Louisiana Education Assessment Program (LEAP). The test score data verifies the impact of the School Improvement Network's Learning Framework, which West Carroll participated in during the 2006-2007 school year. Teachers' participation in the professional development program solidly improved student achievement and students' attitudes, as well as the attitudes, confidence, and skills of the participating teachers.
The Learning Framework is a comprehensive teacher and administrator training program that that helps struggling schools increase student achievement through improved educator practice. A year ago, West Carroll, a rural district in northeastern Louisiana that struggles with high levels of poverty, chose the Learning Framework to improve the district's four lowest performing schools. As part of the program, the School Improvement Network provided an independent evaluation service called Proof of Impact to assess the effect of the professional development.
Forty teachers participated in the year-long program. Collectively, the students of those teachers scored an average of approximately 7 percentage points below the rest of the district on their LEAP tests in the year previous. After implementing the Learning Framework, those students' LEAP scores finished nearly 8 percentage points above the rest of the district�an almost unheard of improvement in the first year of a professional development program. This improvement was achieved while the rest of the district's test score averages remained statistically unchanged from 2006 to 2007.
Results of the Proof of Impact evaluation are extraordinary. Dr. Steven Shaha, head of the evaluation team, said, "This is remarkable. These students started at a significant disadvantage and ended up exceeding their peers. Teacher participation clearly distilled down to the students and had the inspiring impact every teacher and principal would hope for."
Proof of ImpactThe Proof of Impact evaluation focuses on providing answers to the following four questions:
- Did students' skills and achievement improve as a result of the professional development program?
- Did students' attitudes and confidence improve?
- Did teachers' knowledge and skills improve?
- Did teachers' attitudes and confidence improve?
Impact on Student Skills and Achievement
To measure the impact of the Learning Framework (LF) on student achievement, the Proof of Impact team compared the 2006 LEAP math and ELA scores of LF students (a group of about 540 students whose teachers participated in the Learning Framework training) to their 2007 LEAP scores. The LF students began the 2006-2007 school year at a disadvantage according to their 2006 LEAP scores, which were well below the district's average.
Math Scores
In 2007, 12.7% more LF students passed the Math portion of LEAP (meaning they scored at Basic, Mastery, or Advanced levels) than in 2006. This 21.4% increase in the number of students who passed the LEAP eliminated the previously existing achievement gap and surpassed the rest of the district's passing rate.
In 2006, approximately 60% of the LF students passed the Math portion of LEAP, compared to approximately 70% of the rest of the district's students. In 2007, the passing rate of LF students increased significantly to approximately 72%, while the passing rate of the rest of the district remained statistically flat.
English Language Arts Scores
The results were similarly impressive for the ELA test scores of LF students. In 2007, 16% more LF students passed the ELA portion of LEAP than in 2006, representing an increase of 27.7% in the number of students who scored at Basic, Mastery, or Advanced levels and again closing the gap and surpassing the rest of the district.
In 2006, less than 60% of LF students passed the ELA portion, while the rest of the district's passing rate was just under 70%. In 2007, the rest of the district's passing rate remained unchanged. However, the passing rate of LF students rose from under 60% to approximately 72% to close the achievement gap and exceed peer performance levels.
Impact on Student Attitudes
On a survey taken by LF students at four schools in grades 3-12, the LF students reported learning better, feeling more confident as students, putting more effort into learning, and liking teachers and school more because of what the Learning Framework taught their teachers. Students also reported seeing teachers consistently practice what they learned during their professional development. When asked if they were learning better this year than last, well over half the LF students reported a 4 or a 5 on the 0-5 rating scale, with a mean score of 3.6. Approximately 70% of students responded with a 5 when asked if they felt their teacher cared for them.
Impact on Teacher Skills and Knowledge
The 40 teachers who participated in the Learning Framework reported feeling significantly expert and confident cumulatively for all the areas covered in the training, and for each and every skill covered in training. Not a single teacher surveyed had an average response pattern below 2.5 on the 0-5 scale.
Impact on Teacher Attitudes
Teachers who participated in the Learning Framework showed significantly favorable attitudes about the training and its perceived impact on their students. Teachers were asked to respond on a scale of 0-5 on such statements as, "I make a personal difference in the success of students," "We have a clear vision," "We have active and mutual support," and "Leadership is investing in front-line teachers." Only 1 teacher out of 40 had a response pattern below 2.5 on the 0-5 scale.
These statistically impressive results can be traced primarily to the Learning Framework, which provides educators with a system for effective instruction. The research-based Framework trains teachers to use instructional strategies in order to hit learning targets that are aligned to state standards. During the training, teachers learn how to make instruction intentional and engage students immediately in learning at the start of each and every lesson. Teachers also examine how to design integrated lessons, maximize planning time, utilize immediate feedback assessments to gauge student understanding, use higher level questions, and differentiate instruction to meet the needs of every student. As they participate in training, teachers consistently see and participate in exemplary modeling of each instructional strategy and practice taught.
The head trainer at West Carroll, Steve Olsen, is a seasoned educator with years of experience as a teacher, principal, and trainer. Olsen began with a day of kick-off training and then returned throughout the school year to provide one-on-one coaching to teachers. Participating teachers also received additional reference resources, like manuals and classroom posters, to help them remember and apply their training on a consistent basis. Olsen's ongoing coaching and the individual resources provided teachers with continuous follow-up that helped them successfully implement new practices and strategies in their classrooms.
Bobby Cockerham, Director of Title I at West Carroll, said, "The Learning Framework is a great program and the best money we have ever spent on professional development. I liked the comprehensive approach and, in particular, Steve Olsen's dynamic presentations."
Unlike other school interventions that often do not yield significant results, the Learning Framework is a results-driven program focused on building internal capacity and sustainability to enable schools and districts to maintain and continue improvement on their own. West Carroll is not the only district that has seen measurable change through the implementation of the Learning Framework; an additional district in Louisiana, as well as schools and systems in Utah, Hawaii, and Wisconsin have shown significant improvements after providing Learning Framework training to their teachers.
After seeing such positive results, West Carroll plans to continue implementing the practices and skills taught through the Learning Framework. Due to the success of the ongoing training provided during the Framework training, West Carroll will keep building internal capacity with instructional coaches based in the district.
The School Improvement Network is pleased with the results in West Carroll and what these positive changes in student achievement and teacher practice mean for students, parents, educators, and the community as a whole.
About the School Improvement Network
Founded in 1991, the School Improvement Network (SINET) has worked with thousands of schools and districts in every state and around the world to provide comprehensive solutions that get results in student learning. As the producer of The Video Journal of Education, TeachStream Online Courses, and PD 360, SINET is the nation's leader in professional development. SINET provides onsite training to help schools make Adequate Yearly Progress, improve student learning and engagement, and increase achievement. To produce over 130 Video Journal of Education programs, the School Improvement team has documented best practices in over 3,000 classrooms across North America and has worked with dozens of the most respected experts in education. Learn more at www.schoolimprovement.com.
For more information, contact:
School Improvement Network
800-572-1153
www.schoolimprovement.com