How to Implement Appropriately Ambitious Educational Goals

Lawsuits and people doing the wrong things cost districts and educators time, effort and money. We know. We hear about schools and entire school districts being distracted from educating students because of costly, time-consuming litigation. A solution to this problem is implementing a staff training program that is research-based; A program that will stand the test of time by teaching all your staff to use evidence-based tools.   Tools designed to enhance the quality education outcomes you are looking for with your students.

The U.S. Supreme Court had something to say about quality education. On this subject they ruled unanimously.  When was the last time you heard of that happening? What SCOTUS agreed on was that schools have an obligation, under the law, to offer students programs of education that are “appropriately ambitious.”  That might sound sufficiently vague and somewhat legalistic so that you might not worry about being held to what seems like a low standard. But, take a step back and think about the implications of the statement. It assumes that a school district can “demonstrate” that their program of education challenges all students to advance. Embedded in the SCOTUS ruling are two challenging mandates:

1. How to measure the specific areas of student achievement?
2. How can you measure the progress and protect yourself from lawsuits and parent/stakeholder complaints?

The answer goes back to basics: You can’t manage what you can’t measure, is a Peter Drucker quote of great value in this day and age. The Registered Behavior Technician^tm(RBT®) credential offered by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB) is increasingly valued for its use in providing a systematic way of training staff in the art of tracking progress through data collection. Due to its power, RBT training can be used across a variety of curricula.

We acknowledge not every class is going to be graphing student performance data as is required for any program based on Applied Behavior Analysis principles and best practices. However, every class in the USA is legally obligated and may be required to provide documented evidence of the “progress” for all students it serves. If that progress isn’t measured, you are vulnerable to complaints from parents and/or costly litigation.