All Means All: Data-Driven Leadership that Grows Every StudentBy Sherri Stengel, Principal, Oostburg Middle School As school leaders, we are constantly searching for ways to maximize impact around student learning. Yet for years, many of our accountability conversations have centered on proficiency, an outcome that often tells us more about which students are already successful than about how well we are serving all learners. In the Oostburg School District (OSD), we made a deliberate leadership shift several years ago by redefining success through student growth, rather than proficiency alone. Grounded in Richard DuFour’s assertion that effectiveness must be measured by evidence of student learning, we transitioned in 2021-22 to growth based goals for every student. Proficiency does not capture the full story like growth does. This shift required intentional leadership strategies around this goal that are ongoing and deliberate. Redefining success was our first major shift in this process. Growth is now the shared language across classrooms and teams. However, this shift does not occur without key nonnegotiables solidly in place. First, clarity on essential learning goals is critical. K-12 content area vertical teams identify essential standards and discuss assessment questions in their discipline, ensuring curricular alignment and rigor sufficient to meet the needs of the majority of students so interventions are not overloaded. Equally important in our pursuit of growth for every student is trust and psychological safety around data. Data conversations can either empower or paralyze. By embedding our district-defined trust accelerators into daily work and responding to external data with clarity and inquiry, not pressure, students and staff feel safe to be vulnerable, take risks, and “fail forward.” Data is used as an opportunity to learn together, seek root causes, and be intentional in our planning, instruction, and assessment. Finally, sustained improvement requires relentless consistency. Growth for all is not achieved through isolated initiatives, but through repeated, aligned actions over time. At OSD, this work has been ongoing for more than a decade, with continual refinement, intentionality, and consistency driving student success. The impact of this leadership approach becomes visible when examining ACT, Forward, and MAP results, as well as District and School level state report cards. At Oostburg Middle School, our greatest leverage in growing all students comes from comparing quadrant data points throughout the year, allowing us to analyze what has worked and what needs to be adjusted in core instruction, targeted interventions, and boost sessions. We redesign or adjust Tier 2 supports to better serve students demonstrating both low growth and low achievement. At the same time, we intentionally focus on students who show low growth despite high achievement. This work prompts close examination of core instruction and the design of boost sessions. Additionally, high growth across the achievement spectrum is intentionally celebrated, and effective practices are replicated. The result of this approach is clear: students grow at exceptional levels because adults respond purposefully to what the data reveals. Ultimately, growth is the greatest gift we can give students and staff. When educators see their impact, a culture of learning and collective efficacy in collaborating together emerges. Likewise, students believe progress is possible, and engagement in their learning increases. When growth becomes the measure of success and leadership protects clarity, trust, and consistency, all truly means all.
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