Home runs, RBIs and batting averages — how today’s educators measure up by Dr. James W. Mahoney executive director, Battelle for Kids rowing up in the ’50s and ’60s, I us tools to capture part of a teacher’s influence on student learning over Gloved collecting baseball cards. contribution to student learning. Is multiple years it becomes clearer the Laying out the 1960 New York Yankees value-added data the sole measure? No impact he or she makes. But, we need cards on my bed by position still more than a baseball player’s batting other measures beyond testing results to resonates. I read about each player on average. But, it’s a critical measure and help paint the true picture. the back of his card. There was previous shouldn’t be ignored, especially over Certainly teachers are promoting performance data and highlights that time. Reducing teaching quality to achievement for individual students. included RBIs, batting average, home statistics on a baseball card is not the Progress measures are critical because all runs, fielding percentage and hits. There intent. But the analogy has meaning. students start at different points. was also descriptive information about How do you capture the whole Measuring the observed scores against where he had played before coming to story? What are the correct, multiple the predicted scores across students and the big leagues, that he batted measures? Imagine a teacher’s “baseball time give us a valid measure of impact. right-handed and threw left-handed, card.” Similar to a player’s home runs, The way to get to higher achievement is and his hometown. Could this card that batting averages and stolen bases, to consistently accelerate progress. fits in my hand fully describe a player’s consider what might give an important There are several, rubric-style contribution? No. Were they important snapshot of a teacher’s impact. instruments that observers can use to measures? Absolutely. give classroom and teacher observations. A child today might look at Yankee The more pixels, the clearer Charlotte Danielson’s and Robert shortstop Derek Jeter’s card. While the picture Pianta’s models are great examples. The there’s something to learn, it won’t fully The only way to suppress errors of power of these models is to give describe his contribution as captain, measure is to have many data points. teachers feedback on their practice. And team leader, role model and community An individual student can fail a test the models are linked to improved philanthropist. Some measures are more because she broke up with her student results, which is central to our easily captured than others. But let’s boyfriend or simply doesn’t perform goal of improving student achievement. face it — those that are harder to well on tests. That single student capture can be just as important. doesn’t negate the impact of the Greener grass Let’s consider educator measures. teacher. There are many students whose The grass isn’t greener on the other Today’s modern testing regimen and aggregated scores determine that side of the fence; the grass is greenest sophisticated statistical techniques give impact. When you look at a teacher’s where it’s watered, according to Robert 18 OSBA Journal Fulghum, and he is correct. Having a firsthand how relationships carried over annual student test converted to a set of vital metrics creates focus for into the classroom. Teachers find many simple score. Equally dishonorable, everyone. They help leverage all others. ways to connect with kids, and though, are those who believe test This is why test results alone will never cocurricular activities such as the results should never be used as a suffice. We need measures that give us yearbook, school newspaper, athletics measure. Of course they should — signals along the way to make and others all add to the impact. The student results are part of a teacher’s improvements. connecting relationship may be an performance. It’s an important piece of Woody Allen once said, “Ninety imperfect measure, but a willingness to data — just not the whole story. percent of life is just showing up.” Do direct student activities that build The challenge is to create a set of students and teachers show up regularly students’ skills still matters. measures that remain integrated and where they want to be? Sure. What about student perceptions? A help accelerate a new system. This is a Attendance is a great indicator, and variety of measures are being used in developmental process and the clock while it doesn’t predict student success this space. Gallup Inc. has created a has started. In baseball phrasing, it’s any more than cold predicts snow, we student poll that measures student akin to having an extra inning. Right know if students and teachers don’t hope, engagement and well-being. They now, we need to think and select well. show up, learning can’t happen. aren’t tied to test scores, but few would At the heart of those discussions What about school climate? Do the argue their importance. It tells us an must be what really is best for conditions in which someone works important story of contribution to students. q impact performance? Yes. For example, student outcomes, beyond test results. Gallup argues in its Q12 survey that In Gallup’s work, these results have been Jim Mahoney, Ph.D., is executive predicts organizational outcomes that linked to higher graduation rates, and director of Battelle for Kids, a the two most important baseline thus are connected to hard outcomes. Columbus-based not-for-profit questions that have to be answered The point in this is not to construct organization that works with hundreds of positively by individuals in an a teacher “baseball card,” but to school districts in Ohio and across the organization are: encourage constructive dialogue about country to improve teaching and learning. l Do I know what is expected of me? what measures should be considered. He can be contacted at jmahoney@ l Do I have the right tools to do my Focusing solely on student results leads battelleforkids.org. job well? to judgments, and, over time, a loss of Many effective teachers would trade the processes it takes to improve. stipends, days off and recognition for a Focusing solely on processes misses the terrific leader. And right next to my point. You need both. It’s where the Yankees player cards was one of the brilliance of “and” trumps the manager, Casey Stengel, and his stats. divisiveness of “or.” There are the measures that might WE HELP YOU: ‘Not everything that can be include parental observations, student counted counts and not portfolios, peer reviews or Organize Your Supporters everything that counts can be performance-based student assessments. counted’ But just because you can collect it, Albert Einstein’s quote offers doesn’t mean you should collect it. We Identify “Yes” Voters instruction. We know teachers have the do a giant disservice by simply ability to cause students to want to power-ranking teachers, which then can Pass Your Levy work harder and do better. So, how do lead to a misdiagnosis followed by you measure inspiration? We know a misapplication. person’s positive energy can influence Daniel Pink argues in Drive: The VISIT US AT: not only student learning, but also the Surprising Truth About What Motivates www.PassTheLevy.com ethos in a building, making it a place Us that mastery is a fundamental piece OR CALL: where teachers want to teach, students of intrinsic motivation. When teachers 1-800-447-1739 want to learn and parents want to send receive regular feedback and coaching their children. How do you measure a to improve their craft and they begin to teacher’s contribution to culture? Let’s see improved student results, it creates a acknowledge the difficulty of these success cycle. measures and create imperfect measures The reason multiple measures are so around those worth measuring. important is because teaching and I remember hearing a speaker talk learning are complex. It would be a about how in his district, “If it’s not disservice to the teaching profession if about instruction, it doesn’t matter.” we thought the only contribution of a I’ve coached too many athletes to see teacher could be measured by one November 2010 19.