The FOCUS Process
and Science
Instruction
Copyright ©2008 The William Cecil Golden School Leadership Development Program. This resource was
developed by the Panhandle Area Educational Consortium serving as a Program Partner.
Florida’s Vision for
Educating All
Children is Clear
There are:
No Excuses
The Mission
“ In effective schools, not only do teachers
believe the students can learn, but they
also believe that they, the teachers, can
teach them. Teachers in effective schools
go about their business of teaching with
the confidence that they will succeed.
They are continuously seeking ways to do
their job better, not looking for excuses for
not doing it.”
Dr. Larry Lezotte
To Achieve the Goal
• Florida Schools will employ the
process known as:
– FOCUS on Student Achievement:
Florida’s Continuous Improvement
Plan
• Student Achievement in Academics
will Increase
Steps of the FOCUS
Process
• Formulate a Plan
• Optimize the Timeline
• Concentrate and Collaborate
on Teaching FCAT Standards
• Utilize Assessments
• Sustain Learning with Tutorials
and Enrichment
(Davenport et al. “FOCUS” 8-9)
Advantages of the
FOCUS Process
• Fosters a climate of high expectation
• The academic needs of students are
clearly identified as a result of the ongoing
analysis of data
• Moves us from random acts of school
improvement to focused improvement
efforts
• Works well with any curriculum, content
area or grade
• Helps to ensure that the curriculum is
aligned with the Sunshine State
Standards
• AND ensures that the Sunshine State
Standards are taught
(Davenport et al. “FOCUS” 8-9)
Expected Outcome of
the FOCUS Process
Students in Florida Achieve!
“ …Test scores will take care of themselves
if educators commit to ensuring that each
student masters essential skills and
concepts in every unit of instruction, align
their practices and resources toward that
purpose, and discontinue many traditional
practices that do not serve that purpose.”
Dr. Richard DuFour, 2004
Basis of Florida’s FOCUS
• Is an integrated system, based
on three sets of research-
evidenced ideas
– Effective Schools Correlates of
Lezotte, Edmonds and Brookover
– PDCA or the Shewhart Cycle
– Total Quality Management of
Deming
(Davenport et al. “FOCUS” 8-9)
Effective Schools
Research
• Effective schools movement was begun in
the mid 1960’s in response to claims that
schools made no difference
• Key individuals in the compilation of the
research were Drs. Larry Lezotte, Ron
Edmonds and Wilbur Brookover
• A study to identify key elements common
among schools shown to do an
outstanding job of educating poor and
minority children was conducted
• Their work goes on with research
continuing to support the key elements or
correlates of effective schools
(Lezotte)
The Correlates of
Effective Schools
• Safe and orderly environment
• Climate of high expectations for success
• Clear and focused mission
• Instructional leadership
• Frequent monitoring of student progress
• Opportunity to learn and student time on
task
• Good home-school relations
(Lezotte)
An Effective School
“ An effective school is defined in the
research as one in which equal
proportions of low and middle income
level children evidence high levels of
mastery of the essential curriculum. In an
effective school, there are no differences
in the proportion of students mastering
the basic skills as a function of the group
to which they belong.”
“ No child is condemned to educational
failure because of family background,
race, socioeconomic status, or gender.”
(Davenport et al. “FOCUS” 5)
Plan – Do – Check - Act
• The PDCA Cycle comes from the work of Walter
Shewhart, a teacher of W. Edwards Deming
• Florida’s FOCUS strongly aligns with PDCA and
the 8 Step Continuous Improvement Model (CIM)
• The Eight steps of the Continuous Improvement
Model are
– Data disaggregation
– Calendar Development
– Direct Instructional Focus
– Assessment
– Maintenance
– Monitoring
– Tutorials
– Enrichment
(Davenport et al. Closing)
Total Quality Management
or TQM
• A business management model
developed by W. Edwards Deming
• Practices are designed to improve any
organization at any level
• Philosophy embodied in the idea that if
quality is to be improved; processes that
define, produce, and support products
must be improved
“It is not enough to just do your best or work
hard. You must know what to work on.”
W. Edwards Deming
(Total Quality Management (TQM) Tutorial/Help Page (Overview))
Application of TQM in
Schools
• Identify, analyze and solve problems
• Establish quality goals and objectives
• Measure results
• Focus the strategic vision on the needs,
requirements and expectations of its
customers
• The bottom line is that schools will:
– Become more data driven
– Establish quality goals and objectives
– Identify, analyze and solve problems
– Focus the vision on the needs, requirements,
and expectations of the students
Relationship
among
Florida’s
FOCUS,
PDCA and The
Continuous
Improvement
Model
FCAT SSS Science
Test
Many questions require a high level
of cognitive demand
• Since 2004, the cognitive classification
system for FCAT SSS Science has been
based largely upon Dr. Norman L. Webb’s
work with “Depth of Knowledge” levels
(Cognitive Complexity Classification of FCAT SSS Test Items)
FCAT SSS Science Test
The FCAT SSS Science Tests, given at
grades 5, 8, 11 have
– 15-25% of points at a low cognitive
complexity level
– 40-60% of points at a moderate level
– 25-35% of points at a high level
(Cognitive Complexity Classification of FCAT SSS Test Items)
FCAT SSS Science Test
• Low Complexity Items
Recall and recognition of concepts and
principles
Students aren’t required to come up with
original methods or solutions
• Moderate Complexity Items
More flexible thinking and choice among
alternatives required
Student must make decisions
• High Complexity Items
Heavy demands on student thinking with
thinking in an abstract and sophisticated way
Often involves multiple steps
(Cognitive Complexity Classification of FCAT SSS Test Items)
Work of Norman L. Webb
For additional information
Webb, N.L., 1999, Alignment Between
Standards and Assessment,
University of Wisconsin Center for
Educational Research.
http://www.firn.edu/doe/sas/fcat/pdf/cog_complexity-fv31.pdf
(Cognitive Complexity Classification of FCAT SSS Test Items)
Works Cited
Works Cited
