Ed Partners Perspectives
On Track for Success at Azusa
The Azusa Unified Improvement team is approximately halfway through its second year of the 8th/9th Grade On-Track collaboration. They are poised to host a comprehensive professional development day for all secondary teachers.
The Improvement Team has been diligently implementing classroom changes, monitoring data to identify areas for further improvement, and reflecting on their progress to ensure the long-term sustainability and systemic nature of their efforts. Their goal is to enhance the graduation rate of students with their A-G credits, equipping them for diverse college and career aspirations.
Last month, the team convened to review the latest available data and outline their next steps. They promptly transitioned into a more detailed planning session for the upcoming professional development day, where all colleagues will receive training tailored to their efforts in aligning their learning and grading systems.
The team has identified a set of practices that, when combined, provide a more accurate assessment of students’ abilities in relation to course expectations and the Common Core State Standards. These practices are collaborative and foster the ongoing professional development of teachers and staff who adopt them. Drawing from firsthand experience with both positive student and adult outcomes, the team is eager to share their insights with colleagues and witness the positive impact they can have.
During their planning discussion, the team experienced a pivotal moment of collective understanding, where all the pieces of the puzzle suddenly fell into place. They had been grappling with the significance of their work within the broader educational community, which had not been directly involved in the same research, testing, and analysis as they had been conducting through the On-Track collaboration. Suddenly, a realization dawned on them: the collaboration’s efforts were integral to the district’s overall objectives. This subtle adjustment generated a renewed sense of energy within the team and will undoubtedly support their long-term efforts to ensure the sustainability of their work and ultimately replicate Azusa Unified’s proven success model.
Supporting Superintendent Leadership
Last month, superintendents gathered in San Diego to build their capacity as leaders and collaborate to support the work of their improvement teams in both the preschool to third grade and 8/9 On Track networks.
The keynote speaker was AJ Crabill from the Council of Great City Schools. He reminded the group of the importance of School Boards focusing exclusively on student outcomes. As AJ wisely reminded us “student outcomes won’t change, until adult actions change”.
