From the beginning of their children’s lives, parents are taught to observe, monitor, and celebrate their children’s growth and development. At least, this is the case until children enter school. After the first day of kindergarten, our focus often shifts from growth and development to achievement. I saw this happen with my own son as my delight at his first drawing in preschool—a smiley face with a circle over the head that he told me was an angel—turned into worry about his skill development in kindergarten.
Achievement, as measured through standardized tests, has been the basis for school accountability systems since the 2001 No Child Left Behind Act. School leaders are encouraged to focus exclusively on raising student achievement. While an achievement orientation is important, it seldom improves outcomes for low-income, BIPOC, or striving learners. This is because educators tend to concentrate on students who perform near the grade-level standard (sometimes called “bubble kids”—students who are within a few points of a passing test score), and students performing significantly below or above expectations are routinely neglected.
When the U.S. Department of Education allowed states to modify their accountability systems in 2015, my home state of Illinois was one of 48 that adopted growth measures. This means that each student’s test score for the current year is compared to their score from the previous year. The growth score is then compared to the statewide average, and students and schools are given a percentile rank based on this score. A school’s growth percentile rank accounts for up to 50 percent of the school’s accountability score. Other measures such as proficiency and student attendance make up the rest.
It soon became clear to me that the growth students demonstrated each year varied as widely as their levels of achievement. As a principal, I could not predict growth by income, race, or prior performance, as I could with achievement. Many previously low-achieving students demonstrated high growth, while some routinely high-achieving students demonstrated low growth. While adding growth measures did not perfect the school accountability system, analyzing growth along with achievement gave me a glimpse of the extent to which our school was meeting the needs of every group of students.
An achievement orientation and a focus on growth need not be mutually exclusive.
An achievement orientation and a focus on growth need not be mutually exclusive. A growth focus is a powerful tool to improve student learning beyond accountability. By emphasizing growth, instructional leaders can (1) raise student achievement over time; (2) improve short, moderate, and long-term student outcomes; (3) increase educator efficacy by showing the impact of teachers’ practices on student learning; (4) teach students to see themselves as learners with the capacity to improve; and (5) promote effort and improvement for students, educators, and leaders alike.
Building a Growth Infrastructure
Individual schools need growth measures. These can be benchmark tests administered multiple times each year or pre- and post-tests in key areas of instruction. Educators should use these measures to assess growth, analyze their patterns, define how much growth is expected, and identify students who don’t progress as hoped.
Instructional leaders must proactively schedule time to assess student growth, engage students in performance tracking, set achievement and growth goals, and reflect on the progress that has been made. They must also provide teachers with access to assessment results, professional development to analyze scores, and dedicated time to use growth data to plan instruction.
Cultivating a Growth Culture
Establishing growth as a universal goal is the first step to cultivating a growth culture. When leaders prioritize growth, teachers and students are empowered and challenged to pursue it. If children are performing below grade level, their growth matters even if it doesn’t get them to grade level this year. If children are performing above grade level, their growth matters even if they can pass the test without any instruction.
Schools must routinely monitor, recognize, and acknowledge student, educator, and team growth. That includes frequently reminding children and adults about the growth they have made. Recognizing, acknowledging, and telling the story of growth communicates that it is valued and builds confidence for future progress.
Promoting a Growth Pedagogy
Growth pedagogy is teaching that is designed to maximize the growth of all students no matter where they start. Teachers start where students are and progress as far as possible in the time allotted. They use standards as the starting point for planning, but they don’t stop at grade-level standards if students can do more, and they don’t stop at students’ individual goals if they can do more. This requires teachers to thoroughly understand where students begin, and how their students can grow to meet the standards for their grade level and beyond. Educators must set the curricular table, raise the floor, and lift the ceiling.
Educators must set the curricular table, raise the floor, and lift the ceiling.
First, set the table with the knowledge, skills, processes, vocabulary, and tools that all students must learn. This understanding is critical to planning for growth. Instruction must be designed to help all students access the table. How will we give each child the instruction, experiences, and practice necessary to benefit from what’s on the table?
Next, raise the floor for striving and diverse learners. Instead of teaching students different or “remedial” skills, educators must plan ways to help striving and diverse learners access the table. What supports and accommodations will we provide each child to ensure their exposure to the knowledge, skills, processes, vocabulary, and tools on the table?
Then, lift the ceiling for high-achieving students. Students performing above grade level need to expand upon the knowledge, skills, and processes on the table. What opportunities will we provide for high-achieving students to expand upon, deepen, or extend their learning?
Reserving Room for Growth
Instructional leaders must not allow pressure for high achievement to drown out their growth focus. Instead, leaders should pair an achievement orientation and a growth focus to improve learning for all students. To start:
- Communicate your growth focus to all stakeholders. It is important for parents and school board members to understand why we focus on growth. Students may receive different feedback, honors, and accolades based on growth. Stakeholders who understand the importance of growth can support children as they improve.
- Build growth into school systems for grading, reporting, and recognition. How will students receive credit for their growth? Credit for growth need not replace credit for achievement, but it must contribute to the overall picture of student success.
- Plan resources around growth. In planning for student success, remember that students who do not grow need support regardless of their level of achievement. What instruction, intervention, practice, and time do students need to make progress?
By embracing a growth focus, instructional leaders can make full use of our natural desire to observe and celebrate growth and development. Not only does improving student growth shrink achievement gaps, but it also brings about improved achievement for all students. In fact, it is the only thing that does.
The Instructional Leader's Guide to Closing Achievement Gaps
All the tools that educators need to improve student outcomes and close achievement gaps.
