Plan A School Change

Ryan Aker BEduc. 504 Plan A School Change Project University of Washington-Bothell

Part One:

Plan A School Change

An educational reform change I would like to implement is a uniform grading rubric across the math department at Lakeside High School1. Instructors at Lakeside are currently allowed to independently breakdown how grades in their courses are weighted, which can seriously affect grade discrepancies among teachers. For example, John and Sam take Math Analysis from two different instructors at Lakeside. They both do their homework regularly and get C+ grades on their quizzes and exams. John gets a B- for his final grade because homework assignments count for 10% of his grade, while quizzes and tests count for the other 90%. However, Sam manages to get an A- in the course because his homework counts for 40% of his total grade. This sort of inequitable student assessment can cause transcripts to misrepresent a students ability in a particular subject by either over or understating what the student is actually capable of. If John and Sam have otherwise equal grades on their transcripts and they are both applying to the same university, Sam could unfairly have the advantage over John. This is why I believe that equitable student assessment should be mandatory within Lakeside High Schools math department. Part Two: I was able to interview four individuals for this project:

Mark Bryant: Mark has been a math teacher at Lakeside for six years. He currently teaches Geometry, Algebra, and Calculus.

1 All names of individuals and locations used in this paper are pseudonyms

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John Collins: John has been the principal at Lakeside for five years. He was previously a history teacher at Lakeside for over ten years and able to earn his administrative credentials over the summers.

Barbara Anderson: Barbara has over 30 years of experience in the North Carolina school systems. She is an active member of the Lakeside community.

Randy Miller: Randy was on the school board for 20 years. He is currently a retired Certified Public Accountant living in the Lakeside area.

I asked the interviewees questions regarding implementation of a school change, in an effort to determine the most effective way to implement a universal grading rubric. School reform change can be a challenging endeavor. Resistance for a universal grading rubric can come from four avenues: the students, the teachers, the administration, and the community. According to Mark Bryant: Successful reform change begins with gaining support from the group you are assimilated with. For example, if a teacher wishes to implement some kind of reform, he or she should gain support from other teachers in the department before moving forward. (Mark Bryant) Mark admits that there are other successful strategies toward implementing change, but he has found this to be the most successful. Therefore, if I were a teacher at Lakeside, my first goal in implementation of a change would be to convince my fellow instructors in the Math Department that a universal grading rubric is a necessary and worthwhile pursuit.

Plan A School Change

Another essential to successful change implementation is earning respect from your peers within the teaching community. John Collins states: The catalyst of any change needs to be taken seriously. If this person doesnt have a base of followers because they are unknown or disliked, the battle will be over before it is even fought. (John Collins) Respect can be earned through one on one meetings in and out of school, as well as casual discussions conducted during any available free time. Going out of your way to be friendly can be a great start. According to John, the bottom line is that, in an educational environment, respect can only be gained through positive relationships. Controlling any conflict before it gets out of control can save a change project before it gets put out of commission by higher powers. Randy Miller explains: Diplomacy is an art. Dealing with adversity correctly can create a friend and eliminate an enemy. Any dispute by a determined colleague, parent, or even a student that gets out of hand could inspire them to make enough waves for administrators to take notice in a negative way. (Randy Miller) My goal would be to address any concerns about my change project personally as soon as I was aware of it. Setting up meetings in person or on the phone would be the first line of defense in containing a conflict. While meeting with the grievant individuals, I would need to be open to changing my proposal so that both of us are somewhat satisfied with how it looks. That isnt to say that I would automatically meet everyones demands. I would simply be flexible and understanding of their concerns.

Plan A School Change

Finally, if my project is not approved or fails miserably, I shouldnt hang my head. Barbara Anderson explains: I was a teacher for over 30 years. Ive seen all kinds of changes come and go. There isnt one educator in the world who hasnt tried to change something and failed miserably. The successful people in this line of work are the ones who pick themselves up and are eager for the next opportunity to make a change. (Barbara Anderson) I can only make educated guesses about the turbulence that I could face by proposing a universal rubric. Theres a chance that it would hit an unforeseen snag right away, or be voted down after a probationary period. Whatever the case, being an advocate for change regardless of the outcome is what I hope to become in my career as an educator. Explanation of Parts Three and Four Part Three includes a logic model of the steps that would be needed to implement a universal grading rubric. In Part Four, I am going to discuss this proposal from the CAIRO and Four Frames of Leadership perspectives. Within Parts Three and Four, I will act as though I am an actual math department faculty member at Lakeside in order to maximize my abilities to be a change agent throughout the process. Part Three Universal Grading Rubric Logic Model

Plan A School Change

Yes Professional Standards New Universal Grading Rubric

Measure is approved?

Next Seme a discussion CODR perman implement departme

Documentation and Grading

Equitable Student Assessment

Schedule available time with colleagues

No

Present Rubric idea to each individual faculty member in the department

Rework Rubric to fall in line with facultyrequested modifications No

No

Majority in favor of proposal?

Part Four: CAIROuniversal rubric the

The first perspective I will be discussing is through the organizational acronym CAIRO. According to Bolman and Deal (2002), within the term CAIRO, Each of the
Send out letters letters stands for of notifying parents a grading change No different kind of responsibility that someone can have in a decision any concerns with Matter parents in person or resolved? Personally discuss Yes

(Bolman and Deal p. 74). For example, the R in CAIRO stands for people who are on the phone ultimately responsible for the creation and implementation of, for the purposes of this
Yes

Plan A School Change

paper, a universal grading rubric for the math courses at Lakeside High School. I believe that responsibility would fall into the hands of the math department. As a math faculty member at Lakeside, I would have to be the catalyst of change within the department by meeting with each math instructor individually to discuss their opinions on grading. Within these meetings, I would be open to editing my proposal according to the feedback I received from the instructors. Once a generally agreed upon rubric had been designed, I would present it to the math department as a whole, letting them know that we are the ones who are responsible for upholding the rubric standards. The C in CAIRO stands for anyone who is to be consulted during the project. I believe that in this example, this would be the parents of the students at Lakeside. I could implement the Consulting aspect by sending out letters letting parents know that if they have any input regarding a universal rubric, they should call me. Comments and concerns should be discussed during department meetings and, if necessary, a parent representative would be allowed in the meeting to discuss their comments and concerns. Another group that I could consult with is the rest of the Lakeside faculty,

especially anyone from a department that has a universal rubric setup. If no other departments have implemented a grading rubric, I would determine if any of the faculty members have previously taught at a school that used a universal rubric. The input that I received while consulting with others would be invaluable in foreseeing any possible obstacles. The A in CAIRO stands for anyone who needs to approve the rubric. In order for a universal rubric to be a permanent standard, approval would need to come from two levels of authority within the school. The first level would be approval from the math

Plan A School Change

department. As discussed previously, the legwork to gain approval would need to begin on my end as a math faculty member through individual meetings with the faculty. After the math department has approved the rubric, it is sent to the principal for review. According to John Collins, if a department has approved a measure which isnt against any district regulations he will approve it on a probationary basis. He goes on to state: If an entire department is on board to change some kind of practice or grading standard, I would have to have an extremely compelling reason not to approve it. (John Collins) After the probationary period of one semester, I would present the rubric to the department as a possible permanent grading implementation. Concerns and comments would then be voiced and a final approval vote would be taken. If the measure were to fail, the proposal would need to either start from the beginning or be forgotten. The I in CAIRO stands for anyone who needs to be informed about the rubric. At Lakeside the students would have to be informed regarding the change in rubric standards. In addition, the principal should be informed of the decision as soon as possible of it so that he is aware of it before any approval is needed. Finally, the O in CAIRO stands for anyone who is out of the decision loop. The one group that I could think of would be faculty members who are neither in the math department nor have any interest in learning about a universal rubric. Even though this group could be out of the decision loop, we should still consider keeping them informed in the interest of maintaining a transparent work environment. The Four Frames

Plan A School Change

Being able to look at situations while serving in a leadership position, such as a school principal, from multiple perspectives is extremely advantageous. Bolman and Deal (2002) describe three advantages: (1) each (perspective) can be coherent, focused, and powerful; (2) the collection can be more comprehensive than any single one; (3) only when you have multiple frames can you reframe. Reframing is a conscious effort to size up a situation from multiple perspectives and then find a new way to handle it. (Bolman & Deal p. 3) They identify four frames of leadership that may be practical for people working in educational environment: the Human Resource Frame, the Political Frame, the Structural Frame, and the Symbolic Frame. The remainder of this section will be my view of how each leadership frame should be considered within the implementation process of a universal grading rubric at Lakeside. The Human Resource Frame focuses on the harmony within a work environment: It (the Human Resource Frame) highlights the importance of individual needs and motives. It assumes that schools and classrooms, as other social systems, work best when needs are satisfied in a caring, trusting work environment. (Bolman & Deal p. 4) In this case, I believe the Human Resources Frame could be the most useful of the four frames because relationship building appears to be the underlying key to successful implementation of a universal rubric.

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Without a sincere backing from the administration, faculty, and parents of the students, any proposal presented could be undermined from a source that I either didnt anticipate, or didnt care to consult with. My logic model attempts to address this issue by emphasizing the preemptive need to build support through meetings meant to both gain support for a universal rubric and create a positive dialogue with each vested party. I also feel that this could be the most important frame to consider for a long-term tenure at any institution. Positive relationships can build credibility and trust among ones coworkers that could carry over to change projects undertaken in the future. The Political Frame views leadership as a tool that is utilized to distribute limited resources that are envied and sought after by everyone within the system. Coalitions and alliances appear to be the key to obtaining anything of value. Conflict is not only anticipated, but expected within this frame. The resource within this project could be considered a collaborative policy change. The fiercest conflict could come from parents and faculty that are unwilling to change the status quo. I believe that diplomacy and flexibility through as much negotiation as necessary would make any implementation a success. The Structural Frame focuses on standards and accountability. Goals of the institution are clearly laid out and everyone knows what is expected of them. I would look at the Structural Frame as a reference to use in a debate that may come about throughout the course of implementation. The Structural Frame appears to advocate a universal grading rubric: Holding people accountable for their responsibilities and setting measurable standards are an important part of this rational approach (Bolman and Deal, p. 4). The purpose of a universal rubric is to maintain consistency and

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fairness within each math course, regardless of the instructor. The teachers are then assessed on a level that holds them accountable for their own ability. This falls perfectly in line with the goals of using a Structural Frame of leadership. The Symbolic Frame is committed to culture, meaning, and faithSymbols govern behavior through shared values, informal agreements, and implicit understandings (Bolman and Deal, p. 4). This approach could be used as a plea to unite the math department. I could use this frame in explaining to individuals that creating a universal rubric could be a symbol of the unity of values which everyone in the department would aspire to have. All of these frames could come in handy throughout the process of implementation. The key would be knowing when to use each one. There appears to be an appropriate and an inappropriate time to rely on each frame. Mastering the timing of use could shape me into the type of leader that garners both respect and admiration from my colleagues. Part Five: The main thing I learned during the course of this project is that a school has the same characteristics as any other business. There are people who look to you for guidance and support. There are also those that you must follow orders from. Interoffice gossip can have a drastic effect on your relationships with individuals. Most of all though, in order to implement change, you need to create some kind of harmonious environment with everyone. Whether you get along with them or not, there needs to be a mutual respect that is shown and felt.

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Originally, I had another idea for a change goal. It involved the funding of extracurricular sports in a low-income area middle school. I think for the sake of curiosity, I would choose to undertake that project instead. I would have chosen different individuals to interview and Im sure there would be dynamics that I would not have come across with my current change goal. I also believe that, because my contingency plan involved school funding, it could have been more interesting due to the confrontational aspect that funding appropriation can create. However, Im very satisfied with what Ive learned from this endeavor. Outside of this project, I hope to experience some kind of change venture within the school that I student teach at. Whether it is through observation or some kind of direct involvement, experiencing the pitfalls and obstacles that can arise when a change is proposed would be something that I could learn from and use for the rest of my career.

References Bolman, L.G. & Deal, D.E. (2002), Reframing The Path to School Leadership. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press Inc