Why Is It Important to Move from Compliance to Quality when Implementing the LEARNING-FOCUSED Model?

Brenda Hill
Oct 11, 2010

Compliance has been defined "as a willingness to follow a prescribed course of treatment" or "a disposition or tendency to yield to the will of others." Many times the implementation of the Learning-Focused Strategies Model begins with compliance. Evidence of the "yielding to the will of others" is often observed and heard when meeting with teachers during conferencing sessions, through classroom observations or walkthroughs, and in conversations with a school's administrator(s) or leadership team. Compliance may be the result of a lack of understanding on how the Learning-Focused Strategies Model positively impacts student performance and achievement, an individual's natural reaction to any "change," an overwhelming sense of frustration about what quality implementation "looks like," an underlying, unexplained belief about the ability of students to learn (or students' inability to learn), or a combination of any or all of the above mentioned. Whatever the reason for compliance, teachers and administrators must get past the compliance issues and strive toward quality implementation. We can say we don't want to do it, we don't have time to do it, but we can't say the Learning-Focused Strategies Model doesn't work. The data disproves this excuse.

So.....How do we move from compliance to quality when implementing the Learning-Focused Strategies Model?

Quality implementation takes time and requires a consistent, dedicated effort from teachers, administrators, and district personnel. In an effort to increase student achievement and improve ! test sco res many schools or districts try to do too much at one time resulting in compliance rather than quality. Here are some suggestions to help resolve the issue of compliance and move towards quality implementation:

  • Limit the number of practices being implemented at one time and focus on doing them well. Use school data to determine the focus components for quality implementation. For example, a school may want to focus on the consistent use of collaborative pairs, summarizing strategies with student writing, and vocabulary instruction based upon areas of need as indicated by the data from state tests, formative assessments, and summative assessments. 

  • Set realistic goals and timelines for implementation of strategies. Timelines for implementation should give teachers time to practice and experiment with the strategies or components before they are held accountable for using them on a consistent, pervasive basis. During the time period teachers are given to practice using the strategy or component it is imperative that administrators and instructional coaches support and encourage them with implementation. Support may be provided by helping teachers plan for and choose a particular research-based or evidence-based strategy, by observing teachers using a strategy, and/or by giving constructive, specific feedback to teachers following classroom visits and observations. The planning sessions, professional discussions, and debriefing sessions should be to provide support for professional growth toward quality implementation and should be non-evaluative in nature. Though implementation timelines should be realistic - giving teachers time to use and practice strategies - they should not extend for indefinite periods of time. Six to eight weeks is the suggested time frame for practice before teachers are expected to use the practices. During the 4 - 6 week "expected" period, support is provided as asked or deemed necessary. The last implementation step is holding teachers accountable for the consistent use of a practice of a predetermined area of focus.Conduct daily walkthroughs and monitor the implementation of strategies. Provide assistance and encouragement to teachers, if needed. Hold everyone accountable to the same level of implementation.

  • Evidence of the building focus should be in every lesson plan.

  • Use Teacher Reflection Meetings or Professional Learning Communities to focus on the specific focus components and/or strategies. Opportunities are provided for teachers to share what is going well and discuss areas where additional support is still needed.

  • Continue to use informal and formal data to monitor progress and to document student growth.

  • If possible, allow teachers the opportunity to visit other teachers (or even other schools) where the Learning-Focused Strategies Model is being implemented with quality.

Compliance often seems a natural first step in the implementation process, whereas, quality takes time and effort. Do not be discouraged if you are dealing with compliance issues, but focus on continuous improvement for quality implementation through the use of school data, walkthroughs and observations, Teacher Reflection Meetings, realistic timelines for implementation, and a limited number of components on which to focus. Student performance and achievement will increase for ALL students when we move from compliance to quality implementation of the Learning-Focused Strategies Model.

Reference:

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.