UCLA SMP EdNews, February 2006

by Esperanza Trujillo, UCLA SMP Faculty

What thread does a school pull when it is inundated with data? What pieces does it choose to examine? The task of looking at school-wide data can be intimidating.

The staff at Fremont Elementary School in the Santa Ana Unified School District put their natural curiosity to the task. Jennifer Major, resource teacher at Fremont, says, “We were looking at samples from English Language learners to see how our students’ writing changes across grade levels. We wanted to look at the evolution in writing of our English Learners (K-5).” Because they were driven by a question that required a look at more than one grade level, they used a process that allowed them to take a vertical slice of the school’s data.

They chose one writing sample from each grade level and used a structured protocol for examining the pieces of student work. They chose a sample that was representative of most of the English learners in each grade level. There were no student names involved, no teacher names. In fact, removing the names of teachers and students made the daunting task of looking at school wide data safer. In about an hour and a half, they made detailed observations about the work itself and surfaced questions that can be pivotal in the transformation of an EL instructional program.

“I think it clearly showed the gaps between the grade levels and where our EL students seem to be getting ‘stuck’ in the evolution of their writing,” explained Major.

This inquiry process is driven by natural curiosity – by a nagging question or concern that teachers have. The inquiry is supported by a protocol that provides a systematic look at a school’s data. If a number of EL students seem to struggle past the Intermediate Level of English Language Acquisition (Stage 3), then a question might be, “What can we learn from our students and from our teaching when we examine a few level 3 samples and a few level 4 samples (Early Advanced)?”

For Major and Fremont Elementary School, the inquiry into what student work samples could suggest about teaching English Learners was enlightening. “This protocol gave a clearer global picture of our writing than I have seen in the past", she said. "It solidified the ownership that we all need to feel in the achievement of our students no matter what grade level we actually teach.” With a new, common focus, Fremont teachers will be able to make instructional decisions based on observed patterns in written EL student work. The connection between improved student results and teacher practice will be enhanced.

Below are links to articles and protocols mentioned in this month’s issue:

• ATLAS – Learning From Student Work Protocol (National School Reform Faculty)

• Slice Protocol

• Guidelines for Learning from Student Work (View online version from CES Horace)

• Slice Protocol Guiding Questions

• Slice Protocol Focusing Questions

• Slice Protocol School Check List

In our December issue, we asked our readers, How have Small Learning Communities made an impact in your school community?

For this month’s topic:

How do you tailor the language of your instruction and provide various formats for student participation that promote both language and content learning?

taken from Reading, Writing and Learning in ESL, Chapter 3,
by Suzanne F.  Peregoy and Owen F. Boyle

We invite you to share your stories.  Please click here to email us your responses to this month's Combined Brainpower. We look forward to sharing your thoughts in future issues of EdNews.

“We operate from the self-fulfilling conviction that only a small percentage
of children are intelligent enough to become well educated.
 This belief engenders a lack of confidence in children and indifference to
data that demonstrates that virtually all of them can learn.

Each child should finish every academic year not only with an increased
knowledge base, but with a stronger faith that 'I am the kind of
person who can learn whatever is taught to me in school.'”

Jeff Howard, The Efficacy Institute
Getting Smart: The Social Construction of Intelligence,  January 1992

February 2002 saw the beginning of a two-year contract between SMP and El Monte Union High School District.  The purpose of this contract was to support the efforts of its three high schools to meet Comprehensive School Reform Design Program (CSRDP) improvement goals and build leadership capacity and alignment across the school’s leadership team. These leadership teams included a large cadre of teachers, administrators and other representatives from each of the three schools participating in the contract: El Monte High, Mountain View High, and South El Monte High. Representatives from the EMUHSD District Office were regular participants in retreats and school site work.

• Using the Arts in All Content Areas

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A nonprofit school reform initiative of the Graduate School of Education & Information Studies and The Anderson School, the UCLA School Management Program (UCLA SMP) is devoted to the sustainable transformation of public schools into learner-centered organizations where all students can achieve at high levels.

UCLA SMP works with educators, administrators, and community members to create well-managed schools, to enhance teacher effectiveness, and to improve student achievement through professional development leading to personal transformation and community building.

Since the program was launched in 1992, UCLA SMP has worked with over 800 schools in districts throughout California.