Slides for Dr. Kitching's 093 Class - Spring 2019

1. Planning for Strategic Coherence
Focus & Connect
Central Connecticut State University
March 19th, 2019
http://www.slideshare.net/jpcostasr
costa@edadvance.org
Jonathan P. Costa

2. The Public School Mission
To prepare
EVERY student
for learning, life,
and work
beyond school.

3. The Strategic Goal
To realign systems of
learning to ensure as
many students as
possible are prepared for
learning, life, and work
beyond school.

4. Yes, It’s Happened Before Our Eyes

5. New Economy
Motivated by the desire
to increase profits,
performance and
productivity, digital
workers offer improved
decision making, the
elimination of errors,
and the reduction of
labor costs.

6. Displacement…
…is not just
about factories
anymore.

7. Vaunted human
intuition is in reality
pattern recognition.
These intellectual tasks
will be performed more
effectively by
algorithms than they
could ever be by live
workers.

8. Automation, Artificial Intelligence, and Algorithms
Laying waste to the non-creative workforce.

10. McKinsey Global Institute – Skill Shift Discussion Paper, May 2018

11. In which
quadrant
do your
students
spend
most of
their time?
McKinsey Global Institute
Skill Shift Discussion Paper, May 2018

12. Homo Deus
For most of human history,
we learned and then we
worked.
In the foreseeable future,
we will need to continuously
learn or there will be no
work.

13. Essential Questions for Planning
• There is a consensus that automation, artificial intelligence,
and algorithms will drive a dramatic shift in the labor force
over the next two decades. What skills/attributes do you
believe students will need to be prepared to thrive in this
new environment?
• What would you do as a Superintendent to systemically
ensure that the students under your care have mastered the
skills/attributes you just identified?

14. District-Wide Planning as Backwards Design
Compared to
Leading to

15. Goals for
Learning
Assessment
& Measurement
Policy and
Regulation
Community
Engagement
Instructional
Practices
Resource
Deployment
Leadership
Focus
Coherence/Focus

16. What We Want Definitions
1. Goals for Learning – a clear sense of the goal setting
processes at work in the district and their potential for focus
and alignment on the vision of a graduate (most important
goals for learning).
2. Teaching and Learning Systems– an understanding of the
most effective instructional practices that support the
district’s most important goals for learning and the degree to
which they are consistently and regularly implemented.
3. Assessment/Accountability practices – the district’s capacity
to collect reliable data/evidence at each level of the
organization to inform improvement practices for those most
important goals for learning.
4. Systems Alignment and Coherence – the capacity for
alignment of all supporting systems with these priorities.

17. Connect Systems Across the Organization

18. Organizational Coherence for
Goals, Measures and Practices
Student Level
Professional Level
Building Level
District Level
Your District Focus
Skills for Student Success
School 1
G, M, P
Teachers
G, M, P
Student
Learning
School 2
G, M, P
Teachers
G, M, P
Student
Learning
School 3
G, M, P
Teachers
G, M, P
Student
Learning
School 4
G, M, P
Teachers
G, M, P
Student
Learning
Informed by…
Not driven top-down…
… just from organized there.

19. Strategic Coherence Planning Process
Commit to
Principles
of Coherence
Planning
- Focus/Connect
- Recommit to
Mission/Beliefs
and the skills
and attributes of
a successful
graduate.
Data Scan
Internal and
External
Performance and
alignment of
foundational and
supporting systems
of student learning
– community
engagement.
Aligning
Actions With
Strategic
Focus
- Innovation
Configuration
Mapping
- Actions
- Outcomes
- Timelines
- Responsibilities
Results
Analysis
Identifying
patterns and
priorities
Defining the gap
between desired
and current
state.
Focus
Setting
Identify
Priority
Strategic
Actions
Indicators of
Success

21. D
a
t
a
S
c
a
n
Costa - Strategic Coherence Planning Focus – Measure - Connect
Concerns/Biggest Gaps
1. Inconsistency in using assessment in driving learning forward 21
2. Inconsistency around the use of digital learning 4
3. Definition and assessment of rigor and higher order thinking skills 11
4. Parents feel there is a lack of communication regarding children’s progress throughout the school year 8
5. Concerns about mutual respect and not being heard 0
6. Lack of vertical and horizontal alignment for SEL/Curriculum K-12 (perseverance, ethical, self directed) 37
7. Lack of understanding about roles within district or school 1
8. Assessment needs to be aligned with district vision and goals more consistently 7
9. Lack of curriculum alignment (horizontal and vertical) K-12 36
10. Need a balance between teacher autonomy and consistency/coherence 7

22. Costa - Strategic Coherence Planning Focus – Measure - Connect
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Strategy One: Define, promote, and consistently assess the most important student skills and
attributes required for success in life, learning and work beyond school and use the results of
those assessments to continuously improve the district’s capacity to support student achievement.
Strategy Two: Appropriately define rigor and higher-order thinking so that feedback systems on
teaching and learning can be aligned with these high-leverage forces.
Strategy Three: Align definitions, scope and sequence of Pre-K to 12 Social and Emotional
Learning curriculum resources and include the critical attributes of perseverance, ethical
behaviors and self-directedness.
Strategy Four: Build or complete the vertical/horizontal alignment of Pre-K to 12 academic
curriculum resources and include integration of problem-solving, communication, and
critical/creative thinking.

23. Costa - Strategic Coherence Planning Focus – Measure - Connect
P
l
a
n
s
Strategy One: Define, promote, and consistently assess the most important student skills and
attributes required for success in life, learning and work beyond school and use the results of
those assessments to continuously improve the district’s capacity to support student achievement.

24. Costa - Strategic Coherence Planning Focus – Measure - Connect
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Impacted Systems:
 Collective Bargaining Agreements
 PD & TE
 School level data teams
 Assessment calendar
 Data collection, assessment systems, and data collection
 Professional learning schedule and calendar
 Board Policies that are associated with teacher evaluation
and administrator teacher evaluation
 Curriculum Development committees
 Federal, state, and local mandates
 Financial implications
 IT Department
 Evaluation program and plan

25. Costa - Strategic Coherence Planning Focus – Measure - Connect
P
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a
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26. Universal Planning Challenges
Aligned Curriculum & Instruction
Traditional Accountability Measures
Lack of a Systems Orientation

28. Every
learner
needs
1:1
access.

29. Until everyone can
have the same
thing, no one can
have anything.
Equitably deficient.

30. Align Your Systems With Your Goals for Learning
Type of
Assessment
Required
Subject Area
Responsibilities
Everyone’s
Responsibility
Content
(Declarative)
Facts
Content Skills
(Procedural)
Discrete Skills
High Leverage Goals
(Contextual)
Type of
Knowledge
Desired
Type of
Instruction
Required
Lecture, video,
films, assigned
readings and
memory activities.
Classroom or textbook
problems, experiments,
discussions, practice and
repetition.
Complex projects,
real time explorations,
authentic and relevant
skill applications.
Amount of
Time
Required
Discrete units,
spiraled and
predictable.
Ongoing, systemic and
without a finite
or predictable end.
Discrete units,
spiraled and
predictable.
Recall & recognition
based quizzes, tests,
and activities. Multiple
choice, matching, etc.
(SAT/AP/Exams)
Checklists,
analytic rubrics,
or other agreed upon
skill standards
(AP/SB/CAPT/Exams)
Holistic and,
analytic rubrics,
or other agreed upon
standards of rigor
(Portfolios, Exhibitions, SB)

31. Universal Planning Challenges
Aligned Curriculum & Instruction
Traditional Accountability Measures
Lack of a Systems Orientation

32. When Learning Is
Supported by Assessment
Value
Reliability

33. Credits, credits and more credits…
Including not fewer than:
(A) 9 credits in the humanities, including civics and the arts;
(B) 9 credits in science, technology, engineering and mathematics;
(C) 1 credit in physical education and wellness;
(D) 1 credit in health and safety education, as described in section 10-
16b;
(E) 1 credit in world languages, subject to the provisions of subsection
(g) of this section; and
(F) a 1 credit mastery-based diploma assessment
There are provisions for mastery based and multiple pathways – but
very few – if any – actually use them.

34. Where are the high-leverage skill indicators?
No: Indicator 2016-17 2017-18
1a. ELA Performance Index – All Students 90.3% 89.5%
1b. ELA Performance Index – High Needs Students 75.6% 74.5%
1c. Math Performance Index – All Students 81.9% 82.9%
1d. Math Performance Index – High Needs Students 66.5% 67.3%
2a. ELA Avg. Percentage of Growth Target Achieved – All Students 63.8% 55.4%
2b. ELA Avg. Percentage of Growth Target Achieved – High Needs Students 58.3% 49.8%
2c. Math Avg. Percentage of Growth Target Achieved – All Students 65.0% 61.7%
2d. Math Avg. Percentage of Growth Target Achieved – High Needs Students 57.4% 53.7%
4a. Chronic Absenteeism – All Students 81.4% 80.4%
4b. Chronic Absenteeism – High Needs Students 57.7% 56.8%
5 Preparation for CCR – % taking courses 90.1% 94.2%
6 Preparation for CCR – % passing exams 54.2% 57.4%
7 On-track to High School Graduation 90.5% 93.4%
8 4-year Graduation All Students 92.8% 93.0%
9 6-year Graduation - High Needs Students 83.6% 87.2%
10 Postsecondary Entrance 95.9% 96.0%
11 Physical Fitness 33.7% 68.8%
12 Arts Access 79.2% 84.2%
Percentage of Points
Earned

35. The most important
lesson of “The
Goal” is that if you
are measuring
things that are not
related to your core
purpose you are
going to fail.

36. The SAT is a
norm
referenced
test which is
totally
predictable
by zip code.

37. Difficult, but
not
impossible.
Critical Thinking
Assessment Test
Tennessee
Tech University

38. Universal Planning Challenges
Aligned Curriculum & Instruction
Traditional Accountability Measures
Lack of Focus and a Systems Orientation

39. The main thing…
…is to make sure
“The Main Thing”
remains
the main thing.

40. The Pareto
Leverage Principle
Vital
Few
Some things
are more
important
than others.

41.  Systemic
 Predictable
 Controllable
Common
Causes
 Random
 Unpredictable
 Beyond
Control
Special
Causes
Common and Special Causes
One of Deming’s most significant insights.
Mission
Driven
Decision
Making
In-Context
Problem
Solving
85
15