You Can't Cheat the Process

For several weeks there has been a great deal of debate and speculation about returning to school and the end-of-course standardized testing and assessment protocols for this school year.  The AccelerateEd committee for opening schools recommended that we waive the standardized testing requirements for this school year and yesterday the South Carolina Senate voted to forego standardized testing for this school year.  Many people have asked what we will do without testing and how this will change our work, like we won the lottery or a free pass for the school year.  My reply to this type of question is simple...we are going to not only do what we always do, but we will work harder than ever because our focus is on the process and not the outcome because we believe the outcome takes care of itself when we focus on mastering each part of the process  in providing students the best possible education in a safe environment. 

The things we’ve done that have raised test data tremendously is simply effective best practices and personalizing learning to help each child grow and perform at their best.  Our focus is on the process each day.  Coming from a coaching background, I’ve always been a believer in focusing on the things we control and giving our all to each part of the process of preparation.  In his book, “They Call Me Coach”, John Wooden said that he never talked about winning with his players.  He always focused on proper technique, effort, conditioning, and teamwork.  He believed if you prepared properly, winning would take care of itself.  In his book “Faith in the Game”, Tom Osborne said his Nebraska football teams focused on the process in making sure they did everything they could to give them the best chance to be successful and each player playing to their maximum ability and as a team.  Osborne saw winning as a by-product of sound preparation.  Vince Lombardi conducted an entire coaching clinic around one play, for an entire day, over eight straight hours on the Packer Sweep.  Every detail down to each step every player took, where their eyes should be focused, the angles of every movement, what they should anticipate, where the play should be run and the sill to run to daylight. In his book “Finding the Winning Edge”, Bill Walsh says that confidence is found in preparation.  Some of the greatest quarterbacks of all-time, Joe Montana and Steve Young, describe Bill Walsh’s West Coast Offense like a choreographed dance or ballet where every intricate detail of every step and movement is calculated and taught for every player on the field to have perfect timing and placement.  The focus is on the process and not the outcome, the results take care of themselves when we focus on doing the process to the best of our ability.    

As a coach, we wanted to emphasize with our players is how they play the game – the process of preparation, the effort they display during the game, the attitude they carry on the field.  These are all things that we can control and that reflect on the process of athletics and also in the process of education.  Many times the end result – the win or the loss – we cannot control.  It may hinge on the bounce of the football, it may depend on who has the better athletes, it may depend on an official’s call or could depend on how a child feels on the morning of testing. .    As we move into the new school year and the much anticipated return to school from the coronavirus pandemic, not only should we do all of the best practice instruction strategies and a multi-tiered system of supports, but we should be even more intricate and detailed in our planning…..both instructionally and for the safety of our students!  We will ensure our curriculum is aligned and blend standards for multiple exposures more than ever.  We will integrate technology and have a more detailed plan for remote learning than ever.  We are going to prepare for social distancing and cleanliness procedures more than ever.  In classrooms, our focus will be on our high impact instructional strategies that are best practice in every classroom to include: Clear Learning Goals, Instructional Pacing, Explicit Teaching/Questioning, Data Motivated Instruction, Cumulative Daily Review, Classroom Discourse, Literacy Across the Curriculum, Formative Assessments, and Reflective Practice.  As a team, we are going to create a system of peer feedback and a culture of collaborative support in becoming masters of our profession.  These are all parts of the process of effective and high-performing schools.  This is our focus, the outcome will take care of itself with our without a standardized test.  Providing our students with the best possible instructional experience is what we must be committed to....regardless of the format when we return to school.    

Ultimately, we have to look in the mirror and answer to ourselves about our dedication to mastering each part of the process.  Is our curriculum aligned and integrated, blended, and differentiated to reach each student?  Do we implement a common instructional framework of best practice instructional strategies in every classroom every day?  Do we focus on the most highly impactful instructional strategies for students’ success?  Do we have a plan in place and utilize this plan to make sure our classroom assessments are planned, predictive, and have a plan to remediate with students as needed?  Are our instructional practices equitable and not just equal so that it fits each child?  Do principals, as instructional leaders, practice what they preach with high instructional expectations and does their practice reflect this priority?  Do we integrate technology effectively and have a detailed plan in place for remote learning if needed?  Have we embraced the transition to technology based instruction to give our students the opportunity to learn during a pandemic?  Do was have a community of instructional learning to support teacher growth in a safe setting? Does our professional development align to instructional expectations and follow up with support and guidance for continued growth and improvement?   Does the culture of our school support teachers?  Is the best interest of students prioritized over what’s easiest for the adults in school?  We must be committed in our culture and leadership actions that “You Can’t Cheat the Process” to be successful and outcomes will take care of themselves, no matter whether we test or not, as we focus on mastery, personalizing education, and creating a safe environment for learning.