Kingsley  Area  Schools:  A  Culture  of  Sharing  

 
 
“I  came  to  Kingsley  with  the  idea  of  helping  a  really  good  district  become  great,”  says  Keith  
Smith,  superintendent  of  Kingsley  Area  Schools  in  northwestern  Michigan.  Smith  served  as  a  
high  school  principal  for  10  years  at  two  different  districts  before  becoming  the  superintendent  
4  years  ago,  and  he  has  seen  tremendous  growth  in  his  teachers  since  the  district  adopted  the  
Marzano  Teacher  Evaluation  Model.  “They  were  amazing  before,  but  now  they’re  out  of  this  
world,”  he  says.  
 
Before  adopting  and  implementing  the  Marzano  model,  Smith  simply  had  his  principals  rank  the  
teachers.  “Even  if  they  all  get  an  A,”  he  explains,  “someone  is  a  99  and  someone  is  a  91.”  
 
What  the  principals  did  next,  however,  shed  light  on  a  critical  issue.  “They  began  to  guess  at  
which  teachers  were  the  on  top  or  bottom  of  each  other’s  lists,”  he  says.  “This  was  done  with  a  
high  degree  of  accuracy,  yet  everyone  had  an  ‘acceptable’  evaluation—and  little  input  was  
added  to  help  people  grow.”  
   
Transparency  and  Collaboration  
 
In  the  early  stages  of  implementation,  Smith  and  his  team  set  an  ambitious  schedule.  They  
conducted  teacher  observations  in  groups  to  stay  calibrated  between  buildings,  and  although  
they  initially  expected  to  focus  on  a  small  set  of  elements  that  their  Independent  School  District  
recommended,  after  meeting  with  teachers  they  decided  to  add  more  elements.    
 
Smith  also  sat  down  with  the  union  to  review  the  group’s  overall  performance.  “I  think  it’s  
important  for  people  to  have  a  global  perspective  of  how  things  are  going,  instead  of  just  
hearing  from  a  few  individuals.”  
 
After  1  year  with  the  Marzano  model,  Smith  says  that  his  team  was  able  to  more  accurately  
determine  teacher  effectiveness  throughout  the  district.  They  were  also  better  able  to  identify,  
based  on  the  rubrics,  what  was  expected  of  each  staff  member.  Everyone  closed  out  the  school  
year  with  a  clearly  articulated  growth  path.    
 
We  should  be  supporting  each  of  these  people  equally,  but  in  different  
ways.              
—Keith  Smith,  Superintendent  
 
 
At  the  building  level,  Kingsley  teachers  have  received  formal  and  informal  professional  
development  support,  with  many  staff  meetings  focusing  on  specific  elements  of  the  Marzano  
model,  and  the  district’s  overall  success  is  indisputable:  
 
• The  elementary  school,  an  eight-­‐time  Beating  the  Odds  or  Reward  School,  has  received  
National  Title  I  distinguished  recognition  for  closing  the  achievement  gap.    

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• The  high  school  is  a  three-­‐time  Reward  School,  with  its  junior  class  earning  above  a  21  
composite  average  on  the  ACT.  
• Bridge  Magazine  has  twice  recognized  Kingsley  with  Academic  All-­‐State  honors.  
 
As  they  proceeded  to  drive  full-­‐scale  implementation,  focusing  on  the  elements  with  the  highest  
effect  size,  it  all  became  clearer.  “Like  a  sledgehammer  hitting  me  in  the  chest,  I  actually  heard  
what  was  being  said.  The  Common  Core  assessments,  when  implemented,  are  going  to  call  for  
different  sets  of  skills—nothing  shocking  there.  When  the  incremental  approach  to  showing  how  
these  problem-­‐solving,  higher-­‐order  questions  were  going  to  be  phased  in,  it  hit  home.  We  have  
got  to  start  doing  this.”  
 
A  Common  Language  
 
One  key  area  of  focus  has  been  the  establishment  of  a  common  language  of  instruction.  “I  
guarantee  that  every  classroom,  every  hour,  has  a  learning  goal  and  scale  that  the  kids  
understand,”  says  Smith,  and  the  common  language  often  reaches  beyond  the  classroom.  He  
shares  a  story  about  an  elementary  school  teacher  who  was  helping  to  organize  a  holiday  play  
outside  of  school:  
 
She  asked  the  kids  to  show  her  on  their  hands  where  they  were.  All  the  
kids  put  up  between  one  and  four  fingers.  While  the  adults  had  no  clue  
what  she  was  talking  about,  the  children,  regardless  of  grade  level,  have  
been  using  a  universal  scale  for  quick  checks  for  understanding.  
 
The  idea  of  evaluating  teachers  on  60  different  elements  and  scales  was  a  bit  daunting  at  first.  
“In  the  beginning,  it  took  a  bit  to  agree  on  what  the  dominant  elements  even  were,  but  as  our  
skills  have  developed  in  this  area,  so  has  our  confidence.  It’s  not  nearly  as  scary  as  we  had  made  
it  out  to  be.”  
 
After  the  first  round  of  observations,  Smith  and  his  team  realized  that  they  had  been  tougher    
on  their  strongest  teachers,  who  welcomed  constructive  criticism,  than  they  had  been  on  
developing  teachers,  who  were  not  quite  as  receptive  to  it.  Smith  discussed  the  matter  with  
administrators,  pulled  the  information  together  in  iObservation,  and  made  quick  adjustments  in  
training  and  practice  to  correct  the  inconsistency.  
 
In  addition,  Smith  was  concerned  that  teachers  could  artificially  inflate  their  scores  by  pandering  
to  the  rubric  while  observers  were  in  the  room,  something  that  had  occurred  with  a  prior  
evaluation  model.  However,  he  eventually  decided  that  it  wouldn’t  be  entirely  bad  if  that  
happened.  “We  concluded  that  if  gaming  the  system  means  implementing  the  elements  
frequently  enough  in  your  classroom  that  kids  can  seamlessly  do  it  when  you’re  being  evaluated,  
then  game  away.”    
 
Smith’s  teachers  are  inspired,  and  the  district  is  thriving.  “While  demonstrated  student  
achievement  is  the  measure,  come  look  at  our  classrooms.  What  is  going  on  is  not  window  
dressing  or  gamesmanship;  it  is  just  a  focus  on  excellent  teaching.”  

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A  Culture  of  Sharing  
 
Smith  attributes  much  of  Kingsley  Area  Elementary  School’s  success  to  the  leadership  of  its  
principal,  Karl  A.  Hartman,  who  has  been  there  for  29  years.  Hartman,  in  turn,  credits  his  
school’s  commitment  to  collaboration  and  collegiality.  
 
The  school’s  leadership  team  provides  support  to  colleagues  in  using  the  model,  whereas  its  
district  team  addresses  training,  teacher  rounds,  and  inter-­‐rater  reliability.  Through  online  
forums  and  local  networks,  teachers  work  together  to  develop  lesson  plans,  and  as  an  added  
support,  Hartman  and  his  staff  created  observation  “norms”  that  outline  how  to  collaborate  
areas  of  strength  and  weakness  in  a  positive  way.  
 
Hartman  shared  an  example  of  the  collegiality  that  has  solidified  within  his  staff:    
 
Last  year,  I  completed  an  observation  with  one  our  very  best  teachers,  
identifying  areas  that  needed  growth  (developing)  and  areas  that  were  
strong  (applying).  When  I  left  the  classroom,  the  teacher,  who  is  
respected  and  identified  as  highly  effective,  immediately  reviewed  her  
observation,  printed  it,  and  met  with  her  team  to  help  them  with  the  
feedback  and  suggestions  that  I  provided  in  her  observation.  Her  
colleagues  were  able  to  quickly  implement  the  suggestions  in  their  
subsequent  observation  and  received  higher  ratings  as  a  result  of  her  
amazing  collegiality.  We  have  created  a  culture  of  collaboration  to  be  
rivaled  by  few.  
 
Learning  Targets  
 
Educators  at  Kingsley  Elementary  have  always  been  focused  on  telling  students  what  they’re  
going  to  teach  them.  They  post  learning  targets  and  refer  to  them  frequently.  They  provide  
scales  with  increasing  complexity  to  help  them  examine  student  growth.  “We’ve  always  
attempted  to  keep  track  of  students,”  says  Hartman,  “but  tracking  student  progress  in  real  
time,  with  students  responsible  for  recording  their  progress,  has  been  a  remarkable  advance.”  
 
The  Marzano  growth  model  has  been  the  best  tool  that  I  have  used  in  my  
administrative  career;  it’s  the  best  thing  that  has  ever  happened  for  me.  
—Karl  A.  Hartman,  Principal  
 
Starting  as  early  as  preschool,  students  know  the  lingo:  learning  targets,  learning  scales,  
tracking  progress,  celebrating  success,  critical  information,  review,  reflecting  on  learning,  
digestible  bites,  guided  practice  …  Kingsley  students  all  know  that  they  will  have  a  learning  
target,  critical  information,  a  review,  and  a  lesson  agenda,  regardless  of  the  classroom  they’re  
in.  
 

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“Lessons  have  become  predictable,  and  students  know  what  to  expect  from  every  teacher,”  he  
adds.  “Students  know  that  they  will  keep  track  of  their  growth,  whether  it  is  on  a  chart,  a  graph,  
a  class  graph,  a  progress  folder,  a  passport,  or  countless  other  practices.”  
 
Refining  the  Use  of  Strategies  
 
Jennifer  Hoffman  has  been  teaching  first  grade  at  Kingsley  Elementary  School  for  12  years,  and  
she  finds  the  Marzano  model  helpful  for  tweaking  and  improving  upon  things  that  teachers  are  
already  doing.    
 
She  uses  the  example  of  Element  9  from  Design  Question  2  (chunking  content  into  “digestible  
bites”).  “Naturally,  I  was  internally  doing  this  in  my  mind  with  each  lesson  I  taught,  but  to  refine  
it  and  make  it  more  consistent,  I  named  each  lesson  part—or  ‘bite’—and  listed  [the  parts]  on  
the  board  for  the  students  to  see.”  With  the  lesson  parts  permanently  displayed,  she  uses  a  
pointer  to  move  through  them.  “This  has  kept  my  teaching  organized  and  the  students  involved  
with  the  parts  of  my  lessons,”  she  says.  
 
She  likes  the  flexibility  that  the  model  encourages.  “Our  principal  allows  us  the  creative  license  
to  take  the  information  provided  in  the  Marzano  model  and  make  it  our  own;  to  fit  each  unique  
grade  level  and  teaching  personality.”    
 
Hoffman  also  offers  some  advice  to  teachers  who  are  new  to  the  model.  “The  Marzano  model  
does  not  have  to  mean  reinventing  the  wheel.  It’s  an  opportunity  to  spice  up  what  you’re  
already  doing  …  to  put  life  back  into  your  teaching.  Embrace  this,  own  it,  and  make  it  your  own.  
Don’t  change  the  great  things  you’re  already  doing  to  fit  the  model.  Be  creative—it  doesn’t  have  
to  be  rigid  or  black  and  white.  Make  it  what  you  need  it  to  be  for  your  grade  level  and  teaching  
style.”  
 
“They  Truly  Strive  to  Do  Their  Best.”  
 
“I’ve  always  had  a  learning  target  for  the  day,  but  [the  targets]  were  always  tucked  away  in  my  
lesson  plans,”  says  Jenifer  Wolf,  who  has  been  teaching  first  grade  at  Kingsley  Elementary  
School  for  6  years.  “Now  that  I’ve  had  the  Marzano  training,  I  realize  that  learning  targets  
shouldn’t  be  a  mystery  for  students.  Posting  the  learning  targets  for  the  students  to  see  each  
day  gives  them  a  clear  idea  of  what  they  are  going  to  learn,  and  it  keeps  me  focused  during  my  
lessons.”  
   
Wolf  says  that  she  thought  she  was  tracking  student  progress  sufficiently,  but  something  had  
been  missing.  “Students  should  not  only  be  a  part  of  their  tracking,”  she  says—they  should  be  
responsible  for  it.  “Now  that  each  student  is  accountable  for  tracking  his  or  her  goals  and  
progress,  I  can  see  how  motivating  it  is  for  [all  of]  them.  They  truly  strive  to  do  their  best.”  
 

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This  is  just  a  way  to  organize  your  teaching  in  a  very  positive  way  that  will  
impact  your  students  for  a  lifetime.              
—Jenifer  Wolf,  Teacher  
 
Once  the  teachers  at  Kingsley  Elementary  started  learning  about  the  Marzano  elements,  they  
began  to  notice  the  things  they  could  do  to  help  students  even  further,  says  Jessica  Dear,  who  
has  been  teaching  there  for  13  years.  “It’s  not  like  we’ve  stopped  doing  what  has  always  
worked—we’re  just  making  it  better!”  
 
“We  take  and  share  pictures  of  ideas  we  are  using  so  that  others  can  take  them  and  make  them  
their  own,”  she  explains,  adding  that  Hartman’s  support  has  played  an  important  role  in  their  
collaboration.  “If  we  have  questions  about  elements  or  are  looking  for  new  ideas,  he  encourages  
us  to  visit  other  classrooms.  We  can  observe  some  of  the  creative  ways  teachers  are  
implementing  the  elements  into  their  lessons.”  
 
Kate  Leonard,  a  first  grade  Title  I  reading  specialist  at  Kingsley  Elementary,  has  also  experienced  
“aha  moments”  throughout  the  Marzano  training.  “Many  of  the  strategies  or  elements  are  so  
simple  and  have  enriched  my  teaching,”  she  says.    
 
Leonard  always  knew  to  tell  students  what  they’re  going  to  learn,  but  learning  targets  have  
made  that  easier,  whereas  scales  provide  feedback  that  helps  her  determine  who  needs  more  
instruction  and  who’s  ready  to  work  independently.  
 
Willing  to  Share  and  Change  
 
After  11  years  with  the  district,  Kristin  Goethals,  a  kindergarten  teacher  at  Kingsley  Elementary,  
feels  that  Marzano  training  has  made  her  teaching  more  deliberate,  and  she  wanted  her  
colleagues  to  collaborate  and  share  in  that  growth.  “I  felt  very  strongly,  after  going  to  trainings  
and  seminars,  that  there  is  too  much  information  for  teachers  to  absorb  all  at  once—and  one  of  
the  best  ways  to  implement  something  is  to  be  constantly  talking  about  it.”  
 
Every  Thursday  morning  during  her  prep  time,  she  facilitates  an  open  dialogue,  focused  on  one  
element,  so  that  teachers  can  seek  help  and  share  ideas  and  materials.  After  each  meeting,  she  
sends  the  ideas  to  all  staff  members.  “A  really  important  part  of  this  meeting  is  opening  myself  
up  to  ideas  and  input  for  others,  modeling  how  to  share  ideas,”  she  adds.    
 
The  norms  for  this  meeting  include:  Be  positive.  Be  open-­‐minded.  Share  
ideas.  Be  willing  to  share  and  change.              
—Kristin  Goethals,  Teacher  
 
Goethals  has  a  monkey  theme  in  her  classroom,  and  she  has  added  a  great  sound  piece  to  help  
students  focus  on  identifying  critical  content.  She  says  that  they’ve  become  so  adept  at  doing  it  
that  it  creates  awkward  situations  on  occasion,  relating  a  time  when  a  parent  was  in  her  
classroom.  “I  said  the  word  ‘important,’  and  all  of  my  students  made  monkey  sounds  and  gave  

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me  their  full  attention.  The  parent  seemed  surprised,  and  I  wrapped  up  our  discussion  with  
‘Maybe  we  should  schedule  a  different  time  to  talk.’”  
 
“Being  an  early  childhood  teacher,  movement  is  a  big  part  of  our  day,”  says  Amy  Alger,  who  has  
been  a  first  grade  teacher  at  Kingsley  Elementary  School  for  18  years.  “However,  now  including  
movement  is  more  deliberate  and  scheduled  within  my  daily  agenda.”  
 
Alger  also  has  found  that  the  Marzano  model  makes  it  easier  to  scaffold  instruction—and  with  a  
deeper  knowledge  of  her  students’  confidence  and  levels  of  understanding,  she’s  better  able  to  
adapt  her  teaching  to  meet  students’  needs.  
 
Alger  believes  that  Hartman’s  support  has  been  outstanding.  “Our  principal  provides  time  
before,  during,  and  after  school  to  study  the  model,  and  even  provides  snacks!  He  also  allows  us  
to  observe  other  teachers  by  doing  walk-­‐throughs  at  any  time.  He’s  always  ready  to  talk  about  
elements,  strategies,  learning  targets,  and  scales.  He  provides  clear  and  direct  feedback  during  
his  observations.  For  students,  he  celebrates  their  success  and  holds  them  accountable  for  their  
learning.  He  asks  them  their  status  in  subjects  and  what  their  goals  are  for  the  marking  period.”  
 
The  Marzano  model  prepares  students  for  college  and  the  workplace  by  “giving  them  tools  and  
the  power  to  construct  their  own  learning,”  says  Alger.  As  a  result,  they  ask  better  questions  to  
clarify  the  content  of  the  lessons,  she  adds.  “The  Marzano  model  helps  students  discover  their  
strengths  and  weaknesses.  This  should  aid  them  in  choosing  a  career  in  which  they  will  be  
successful.”  
 
The  common  language  supports  professional  sharing;  professional  
sharing  promotes  professional  growth.    
—Vaughn  White,  Middle  School  Principal  
 
Kingsley  Middle  School  teacher  Andrew  Sias  agrees  that  a  common  language  of  instruction  is  
crucial.  “We  all  use  the  Marzano  lingo  and  know  that  teachers  and  students  alike  understand  
exactly  what  we  are  talking  about.  For  the  most  part,  teachers  and  students  know  the  difference  
between  a  scale  and  a  rubric.  We  are  all  working  within  the  same  conceptual  framework,  so  it  
facilitates  dialogue  among  staff  and  students.”  
 
In  particular,  Sias  points  out  the  importance  of  Design  Questions  2  and  3.  “We  have  no  way  to  
predict  what  the  future  will  be  like,”  he  says.  “We  need  to  help  students  develop  the  abilities  to  
examine  similarities  and  differences,  examine  errors  in  reasoning,  develop  and  use  strategies  
and  processes,  revise  their  knowledge,  engage  in  cognitively  complex  tasks,  and  generate  and  
test  hypotheses.  These  are  skills  students  will  need,  whether  they  work  in  the  corporate  world,  
run  their  own  businesses,  or  opt  out  of  the  rat  race  and  start  their  own  permaculture  
homesteads.”  
 
Vaughn  White,  principal  of  Kingsley  Middle  School,  says  that  the  Marzano  model  supports  the  
transition  from  teaching  to  learning.  “It  begins  to  address  the  need  to  develop  grit  in  students,”  

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he  says,  adding,  “Students  have  increased  motivation  and  determination  when  they  track  their  
own  learning.”  
 
One  of  White’s  teachers,  Justine  Rinehart,  likes  that  the  Marzano  model  pushes  students  
toward  the  rigorous  instruction  that  will  prepare  them  for  the  future  and  encourages  
cooperative  work  among  students  who  didn’t  necessarily  choose  to  work  together.  “This  skill  
will  most  definitely  serve  our  students  when  they  enter  the  global  workplace,”  she  explains.  
 
Self-­‐evaluation  turned  out  to  be  quite  popular  with  Rinehart’s  students.  “One  of  the  biggest  
surprises  I’ve  had,”  she  says,  “was  when  I  handed  out  a  copy  of  my  first  unit  learning  scale  and  
saw  most  students  trying  to  evaluate  where  they  were  on  the  scale  before  we  even  discussed  it.  
They  were  much  more  interested  in  self-­‐evaluation  than  I  could  have  imagined,  and  I  was  very  
pleasantly  surprised.”  
 
Mike  Moran,  principal  of  Kingsley  High  School,  taught  for  a  decade  before  becoming  the  school  
leader.  He  feels  that  academic  rigor  is  essential  to  success  on  assessments  and  overall  college  
readiness,  and  he  sees  great  value  in  having  a  common  language  of  instruction  in  place.  “This  
comfort,  with  the  elements  and  the  model  itself,  has  allowed  staff  members  to  effectively  
communicate  and  build  skills  in  one  another,”  says  Moran.  
 
As  the  conversation  and  use  of  the  language  becomes  more  common,  the  
frequency  of  teachers  realizing  the  positive  impact  that  the  model  has  on  
instruction  also  increases.    
       —Mike  Moran,  Kingsley  High  School  Principal  
 
Moran’s  teachers  express  similar  thoughts.  Georgean  (Gigi)  M.  Krygier,  who  has  been  teaching  
at  Kingsley  High  since  2001,  is  enthusiastic  about  the  direction  the  school  is  taking.  “While  we  
are  in  the  beginning  stages  of  implementing  the  Marzano  model,  we  take  pride  in  being  ‘ahead  
of  the  curve’  here  in  northern  Michigan,”  she  says.  “It  is  with  great  satisfaction  that  we  hear  our  
students  exchanging  ideas  in  class  about  what  they  comprehend  and  how  they  can  best  master  
new  ideas  and  concepts.”  
 
“I  feel  that  I  have  always  been  a  good  teacher,  but  by  conscientiously  working  through  the  
elements,  I  feel  that  I  have  become  a  better  teacher,”  says  Sue  Graham,  who  has  been  teaching  
art  at  Kingsley  High  School  for  9  years.  As  an  art  teacher,  she  sees  growth  every  day,  but  it  hasn’t  
always  been  easy  to  produce  evidence  of  that  growth.    
 
Graham  has  developed  a  habit  of  writing  out  the  specific  strategies  that  she  will  use,  as  well  as  
the  learning  goals  that  her  students  need  to  meet.  “Following  the  Marzano  model  can  help  a  
teacher  focus  on  a  variety  of  elements  that  can  improve  teaching,”  she  says.  “If  we  focus  on  
some  of  the  elements  for  every  lesson,  our  students  will  most  likely  get  a  better  education,  
because  they  will  have  a  better  teacher.”  
 

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Upon  receiving  her  first  evaluation,  Kristen  Bauer,  now  a  Kingsley  High  School  teacher  for  10  
years,  wasn’t  ecstatic;  Moran  noted  her  accomplishments  but  put  her  in  the  developing  category  
and  asked  her  how  she  might  improve.    
 
“I  pouted,  quickly  went  through  the  five  stages  of  grief  for  my  own  perceived  excellence,  and  
came  to  the  conclusion  that  he  was  right,”  says  Bauer.  “While  having  initiated  the  focus,  I  had  
not  yet  given  students  the  opportunity  to  make  meaning  from  targets,  by  recording,  self-­‐
evaluation,  and  questioning—which  is,  of  course,  how  students  create  an  accurate  road  map  of  
their  own  learning.  My  students  and  I  are  in  the  process  of  creating  and  trying  new  ways  to  
better  accomplish  this.  We  are  going  toward  a  mutual  finish  line  together  more  so  than  we  ever  
have  before.”  
 
It’s  All  About  the  Why.  
 
Bauer  credits  the  Marzano  model  for  fostering  a  shift  away  from  a  pedagogy  where  teachers  
provide  an  uphill  push  and  then  micromanage  student  learning.  “The  old  system  of  teaching  
seemed  task-­‐oriented,  without  the  understanding  that  tasks  overlap  and  learning  isn’t  just  
about  one  part  or  piece,”  she  explains.    
 
This  model  instills  in  them  the  habit  of  starting  with  a  need  to  understand  
why  they’re  doing  what  they’re  doing—and  knowing  that  little  tasks  and  
pieces  interlock  and  form  pictures,  revealing  a  greater  understanding.            
—Kristen  Bauer,  Kingsley  High  School  Teacher  
 
Bauer  likens  it  to  giving  students  academic  “cleats”  that  remind  them  to  employ  deeper-­‐level,  
higher-­‐order  thinking  skills  as  they  navigate  their  own  learning  process.  As  a  result,  she  says,  
students  gain  a  deeper  knowledge  that  serves  them  well  as  they  work  in  groups  and  take  on  a  
variety  of  leadership  roles—things  they  will  eventually  need  to  do  as  adults.  
 
We  are  honored  to  be  working  with  the  wonderful  leaders  and  educators  at  Kingsley  Area  
Schools.  If  you’d  like  to  help  your  teachers  make  the  critical  instructional  shifts  they  need  to  
make  to  move  students  toward  increased  cognitive  complexity,  connect  with  us!    
 
We  provide  Michigan  districts  with:  
 
• A  clear,  well-­‐articulated  model  of  instruction,  Essentials  for  Achieving  Rigor,  to  move  
students  toward  mastery  of  the  cognitive  complex  tasks  in  a  standards-­‐driven  
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• A  hierarchical  evaluation  model  that  helps  everyone—district  leaders,  school  leaders,  
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