Mississippi Reading Discussions: Part 2
Proof of Concept
As I have continued to ponder the impact of how Mississippi went about making tremendous growth, state-wide, in their reading scores, the more I think we can make the case that DPS Chalkboard might be onto something. When you look at the principles & concepts we have espoused over the past few years, I think you can, at least anecdotally, make a case for them having a positive impact on the “Mississippi Miracle.”
It would be quite presumptuous of us to claim our thoughts & suggestions are validated by what transpired in Mississippi. Even saying “this is confirmation of what we’ve been writing” could be a stretch. However, we do think that an objective review of our positions over time points toward “proof of concept” – that, when properly implemented, the concepts we have championed & promoted can clearly lead to educational success!
Let me explain…
My Hero – Roland Fryer
In October 2022, DPS Chalkboard published an article titled The Keys to Effective Schools. This piece highlighted Dr. Roland Fryer’s extensive work to understand what makes schools effective. As a result, he and his colleagues were able to delineate what they believed to be the five (5) keys to effective schools
More time in school
Use data to drive instruction in the classroom
Small group instruction (aka tutoring)
Human capital in the classroom (hiring, training & retaining teachers)
High student expectations regardless of socio-economic conditions
When you delve deeper into the success realized in Mississippi, it becomes quite clear that two of the five are most assuredly at work here – use data to drive instruction in the classroom and high student expectations regardless of socioeconomic status.
In terms of the data, once a student begins their education, an assessment is established and their progress towards the goal is extensively monitored. In his 1992 book The Great Game of Business, Jack Stack shares a story where managers at a machine shop established a goal of reducing the amount of scrap they produced – which was a large operating expense for them – by 10%. After failing to achieve that benchmark, leadership realized they were struggling because they had not shared the actual amount of scrap that was produced with the people responsible for reducing that same number – their workers. In other words, how are the workers supposed to reduce scrap by 10% if they do not first know how much they actually produce to begin with?
Mississippi has this covered! Each student’s test scores, and their ongoing progress towards the state’s goal, is anonymously (and openly) displayed in the classroom for the teachers & the students to see. On any given day, both the teacher and the student know exactly where they stand in relation to the established benchmark and from there, both know exactly what needs to happen for each student to close that gap!
Further, high student expectations not only play a part in Mississippi’s success, we at DPS Chalkboard believe them to be the most important success factor. In a clearly defined & direct way, everyone knows, with the true exception of individual student special needs, that if you do not reach the established minimum reading score by the end of third grade, you do not advance to the fourth grade. Yes, immediate accommodation is offered to those who fall short in an effort to move them along but, if that bridge is not crossed, the student is retained & every effort is made to help them obtain the desired test scores the following school year. As Fryer contends in all of his public conversations, children will work directly towards the expectations (high or low) you set for them.
Teachers Make the Difference
A reader’s comment from our initial posting about Mississippi’s education success story leads us to another point where DPS Chalkboard appears to be “on to something.” A veteran teacher had indicated that an experienced educator can clearly identify the students that are struggling in the early grades, so why wait until third grade to do something. We at DPS Chalkboard appreciate that sentiment. Obviously, the work done in Mississippi over the years resulted in making third grade a hard “gate”, however we concur that teachers can often identify who will need help much earlier. How is that possible, you ask? We believe it is the result of teacher autonomy.
Most of our readers know that one of the core beliefs at DPS Chalkboard is the concept of “autonomy, mastery, and purpose,” as outlined in Daniel Pink’s outstanding book Drive. They are the secret to performance & satisfaction at work, at home and at school (see our May 2022 article on Teacher Autonomy). We believe that once the bell rings & students are at their desks, it is the classroom teacher who becomes the sole arbiter of ensuring successful educational outcomes. If you empower that teacher with full autonomy in the classroom, not only will they immediately know which students struggle, which ones need a little nudge and which ones will likely exceed expectations, they will assuredly know exactly what to do to make sure each child has the opportunity to flourish and realize the goals outlined in the state standards. As we encouraged all teachers to do in that particular article: “just close your door, ignore the distractions, and do what you know how to do that will help your students flourish!”
Lastly, I think we can make a case that the successful test scores in Mississippi can likely be traced to homogeneous student grouping (Our Non-Strategic Plan, March 2023) as well. We feel one could make the case that this concept, coupled with the notion that autonomy allows the teacher to identify where students need help & then group them together based on those parameters for more individualized instruction, is also a major driver for success. It is critical, especially in reading, that targeted instruction based on ability rather than simply presenting a concept at “30,000 feet” will have true impact on the students when it comes to moving the needle regarding test scores.
Looking Ahead
Emulating Mississippi reading scores is clearly a difficult project where half measures simply will not work and will set the district up for failure. Leave out small group or individual homogenous tutoring, leave out teacher autonomy, leave out the science of reading (phonics) practices, or leave out student expectations vis-à-vis the third-grade gate, and we will be left scratching our heads, wondering how we spent so much time & money only to have the plan fail. At a minimum, we feel it is worth a good hard look at what worked, and what did not work, and then develop a plan that meets our specific needs right here in District 61.
Again, Mike and I are not here to say, “we told you so”, but we do believe that the application of many of the ideas, concepts, and initiatives that we have been championing since launching DPS Chalkboard in 2021 could yield results similar to those in Mississippi right here in Decatur Public Schools.
As Mike pointed out in his initial piece, there is no reason for Decatur Public Schools to wait for direction from Springfield. We should act now and let them (the State of Illinois) come to us – asking how they can mirror our efforts through out other school districts statewide!