Capacity Building Prevails - SEA construction

Leadership Question:

How to build processes and procedures around transition that every teacher owns?

Challenge:  Building SEA practices that are meaningful and manageable.

Context:

• By the end of each year, 6 teachers are involved with SEA assessment.  At least 3 of those teachers are typically new to Heretaunga Ararau and learning processes as they go.
• We intake over 100 students per to be tested.  A full class is a roll of 23.
• Teachers do not receive extra release to complete SEA assessments.
• The current test has different possible templates that each teacher could be using and it is not uniform or formatted so when displayed in Learning Journeys they can look 'hodge podge'.
• Not all teachers were completing all parts of the SEA.
• Not all teachers were administering the SEA in the same way.

Leadership focus:

I wanted to be able to change the process of SEA in Heretaunga Ararau so that all information was used to best inform practice, so it was the basis of further formative assessment and so it was manageable with the constraints of the classroom.  The SEA needs to be completed in its entirety and in a consistent manner across classrooms.

All teachers need to have a say around the process and reflect what is manageable in a classroom where the teacher has no release to complete the assessments.  Teachers need to be motivated to own the assessment as it is the building blocks of TAI and reporting information for parents as well.

Leadership style:

For this task it is very much an example of facilitative leadership as the measurable outcome is quite defined.  All teachers have the 'answers' and there is great practice happening in each room around assessment.  The concern around consistency and completion of SEA administration, is a hangover from how it's been done in the past that was not addressed earlier but not a teacher competency concern.  

"Individuals and groups are high capacity if they possess and continue to develop knowledge and skills, if they attract and use resources (time, ideas, expertise, money) wisely, and if they are committed to putting in the energy to get important things done collectively and continuously (ever learning)."
-  The six secrets of change.  Michael Fullan

Process:

• During team meetings the teachers were offered up the problem of SEA in a range of different ways since Term 1.  We would begin by discussing the ways in which we would manage the testing so that it was completed in a timely fashion without hindering classroom programmes getting off the ground.  Teachers shared ideas amongst each other.
• Then SEA showed how important it was going to be again when we were discussing TAI.  What information do you have?  How do you know?  It soon became apparent that teachers had a lot of letter and sound information but could not rely on the oral language test.  In fact our pass rate was disturbingly low and we could see that there was fault in the test.  SLT agreed.
• When Learning Conferences came around we realised that SEA was important again as it was what we would speak to to highlight student performance and progress.  Do you have the right assessments?
• As new teachers came into our team, they would discuss the processes that they had gone through in previous schools to test students new to school.  Can we take some of these ideas?

Change!

• After 2 terms of realisation and research, Heretaunga Ararau have a set of non-negotiables around SEA and templates that are uniform and accessible.
• Protocols have been written around how to perform the SEA that the team has written together and agreed upon as they have previously argued the case!
• SEA is seen as an integral part of any TAI.
• All teachers have taken a different role in order to make this happen.  
• Suzanne and Lucie have had a chance to share what happened at Massey and Churton schools for us to work from also.

Now what?

• Ashlee as our newest full time teacher has taken the lead on showing the other teachers the components of a 6 year net.  This is because our teachers had not been previously aware of what a 6 year neet entailed and many of our students are working towards this now.
• Tessa has been working to create templates that are now PDF and in OCD-friendly font.
• Oral language testing has become a focus for our COL.  I will continue to work on finding a 1:1 test for our severe cases and the teachers have been working on supports around indicators of oral language development at certain ages.  The University of Canterbury has some exciting tools available and the team will be asked to inquire into this soon!

Leadership findings:

My intended leadership style is usually transformational.  Having such a measurable outcome made it possible to be even more slightly facilitating.  It made me able to address the need for consistency and completion without highlighting flaw or fault and whilst still acknowledging the huge amount of effort put in by teachers. 

Also, by having a 'tidy' focus yet one that permeates many processes within the team, we were able to support our trusting culture and shared responsibility.