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EC IVE DEC 13 2001 Extended Year Education (EYE) Report SY2000-2001 Planning, Research, and Evaluation September 28, 2001 Abstract National research on Extended Year Education (EYE) programs has indicated a number of key variables. Achievement is similar to or better than traditional calendar year schools. Students and teachers have a positive perception of their school. Most parents are satisfied with the EYE program. EYE schools cost more to operate than traditional calendar year schools. Demographically the three EYE schools (i.e., Mabelvale, Stephens, and Woodruff) are more different than similar. They share similar ethnic and SES ratios. The schools are of different size, their instructional programs are different, and they are allocated varying levels of resources. Stephens is a new school that opened in January 2001. Achievement data is mixed. 4th grade Benchmark scores improved at Mabel vale. On some subjects measured by the Achievement Level Test (ALT), schools are growing faster than the national comparison sample. The three schools also performed well in comparison to other schools in the District on the Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA) readiness to read percent. Other variables indicate mixed results. Discipline sanctions, compared to Woodruff, appear high at Mabelvale and Stephens. Surveys of EYE parents, students, and teachers indicated a positive perception of the EYE program and in particular, parents are satisfied with the EYE program. The cost of implementing the EYE program adds $23,993 to each school's operating budget. Teacher behavior (i.e., sick and personal leave, professional development, and inservice days) has not measurably changed. The new District reporting system indicates mixed results, with Woodruff performing above the District average in the percent of teachers with 30+ professional development hours It is uncertain whether the aforementioned results were due to calendar change or to the continuity of instruction (e.g., intersessions). Continued annual reports will help to validate EYE program success or lack thereof. Concluding remarks indicate a need for the District and schools to review their allocation of resources and intervene where possible, to work on improving the amount of professional development, and to incorporate not only achievement goals and data, but also EYE survey goals and data into each school's improvement plan. 2 Introduction and Method Description of the EYE Program In August of 2000, Little Rock School District opened the school year with three of its elementary schools (i.e., Mabelvale, Stephens, and Woodruff) operating on an extended year calendar. Below is the calendar for the upcoming SY2001-2002. August 8 - School begins October 15-18 - 1st intersession October 22-26 - Vacation Dec. 2-January 1 - Winter break February 4-8 - 2nd intersession February 11-13 - Vacation March 25-29- Spring break April 17-19 - 3rd intersession June 19 - Last day June 24-29 - 4th intersession EYE is a concept, which reorganizes the school year so that the standard instructional period is distributed throughout the year with regularly scheduled breaks or vacations interspersed. Educational instruction and vacations are organized into smaller segments and spaced throughout the year for more continuous learning and more frequent breaks. EYE has emerged nationally as a way to offer all students a better education, regardless of their ethnic background, social status or academic performance. This is just another avenue that the Little Rock School District is employing to offer all students an opportunity for outstanding achievement. Little Rock's design is a single track 45-10 calendar where all students and teachers in the school are in class or on vacation at the same time. The 45-10 refers to 45 days in a quarter then 10 days of intersession/vacation. Intersession is a five-day program and attendance is voluntary. Comparison of EYE and Traditional Calendars EXTENDED YEAR CALENDAR 178 STUDENT DAYS 30 STUDENT INTERSESSION DAYS ONE MONTH SUMMER VACATION (JULY) 4 NINE WEEK QUARTERS 3 TRADITIONAL CALENDAR 178 STUDENT DAYS SUMMER SCHOOL 2 MONTHS BREAK 4 NINE WEEK QUARTERS Expected Outcomes from Implementing EYE Section 2. 7 of the Revised Desegregation and Education Plan. LRSD shall implement programs, policies, and/or procedures designed to improve and remediate the academic achievement of African-American students, including but not limited to Section 5 of this Revised Plan. Less time needed to reteach. In order to start a new year effectively, teachers tend to devote four or more weeks on reviewing and reteaching. Time is recognized as a major factor that leads to loss of learning. Increased reading skills. Reading is the biggest hurdle for disadvantaged children in the primary grades. The gap between disadvantaged and average children widens between September and June as well as over the span of several calendar years. Studies show that low socioeconomic students lose as much as 1 to 2 months during the summer without the benefit of compensatory programs. It is true that all students regardless of ability or background forget, but for the disadvantaged the problem is greater. Disadvantaged children acquire new skills and knowledge during the school year only to have their gains dissipate over the months when schools are not in session. Intersession. For students working below grade level, extended year schedules offer an opportunity to gain individual help. The traditional calendar makes these students wait until the end of the year for summer school. It does not provide the opportunity for additional help close to the times of the learning problem. Balanced holidays. Most people in a working community are not limited only to summer vacation. Scheduling vacations during times other than when most people travel is attractive to many
the cost of travel, lodging and admission costs are often reduced. Large crowds can be avoided. Vacations can be scheduled at times that are better for the working parent and the employer. Families whose children attend extended year schools can easily plan for a wider variety of family vacation experiences. Children in schools on the traditional calendar and the extended calendar will find that all of the major holiday periods are the same. Less burnout. Frequent breaks result in less stress and burnout. The intersession/vacation periods refresh teachers and students, resulting in improved teachers' and students' attitudes and decreasing teacher burnout. Teachers and students return from breaks refreshed and motivated. Results of National Research National research has indicated that EYE type schools have outcomes similar to or better than traditional calendar schools. This national research has reached the following conclusions. Achievement is similar to or better than traditional calendar year schools. Students and teachers have a positive perception of their school. Most parents are satisfied with the EYE program. EYE schools cost more to operate than traditional calendar year schools. 4 National research is uncertain as to the reasons that certain EYE type schools have demonstrated an increase in achievement schools versus traditional calendar year schools. Researchers have speculated that the remediation and enrichment activities provided during intersession have an effect and also, the reduction of the summer vacation may contribute to a lessening of the traditional summer fall off (Kirk, 2000). Methodology This report will examine a number of variables to determine the impact of EYE on student achievement, teacher behavior, parent, teacher, and student attitudes toward the EYE program, and the cost of the EYE program. The variables to be reported and discussed in this report are: 1. Demographic and equitable allocation data. 2. Observation Survey (OS) and Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA) scores for grades K-2. 3. Achievement Test Level (ALT) growth scores in reading, language usage, mathematics, and science for grades 2-5. 4. SAT-9 for grade 5 and Benchmark scores for grade 4. 5. Teacher use of sick, personal, professional development, and inservice days. 6. Survey data of EYE program parents, students, and teachers. 7. Additional EYE program costs. Data will be reported in aggregate and disagregate form. However, given the high percentage of Black students at the three EYE schools and the importance of improving the achievement scores of Black students, concluding remarks will focus on Black student performance. 5 Results Demographic Data 10/1/00 Enrollment by Grade level and Ethnicity PreK Kindergarten 1st 2nd 3rd 4tn 5'n Black/Non-Black Black/Non-Black Black/Non-Black Black/Non-Black Black/Non-Black Black/Non-Black Black/Non-Black Mabel vale 919 35 / 14 35 / 15 46 / 5 40 I 13 46 I 20 47 I 12 Stephens 32 / 3 54 / 3 45 / 3 36 / 4 45 / l 49 / 4 46 / 2 Woodruff 42 /l 1 35 / 4 37 / 3 35 / 4 34/7 27 /7 30 I 5 Ethnicity, SES, and Instructional Program School N Ethnicity %SES Instructional (PreK) Black/ Non-Black Strategies Mabel vale 346 75%/25% 83% (18) ELLA Stephens 327 94%/6% 90% ELLA (35) Woodruff 281 85% / 15% 85% SFA (53) 6 Equitable Allocation Worksheet Data Scores are based on a 1-8 scale, with the higher score indicating more resources allocated to that school. Scores were calculated in December 2000 and derived from the 10/1 /00 enrollment report. Caution is advised in comparing Stephens to Garland. The mid-year changeover from Garland affected several of the variables ( e.g .. % of new teachers, computer/pupil ratio, and sq. ft. per pupil). Except for these three variables, scores tend to reflect the status of Garland at 10/1/00 rather than Stephens. Given that most data is based on 10/1/00 enrollment, it will be at least another two years before a reliable comparison is available for Stephens. Mabel vale Stephens Woodruff 98-99 99-00 00-01 98-99 99-00 00-01 98-99 99-00 Teacher/Pupil Ratio 4 3 4 6 6 6 5 6 Staff/Pupil Ratio 4 5 6 7 8 8 6 6 Sq. Feet per Pupil 5 7 8 5 6 3 5 5 % of Staff with MA, +9 1 1 I I I 2 3 I years Experience % of new Teachers 6 4 7 3 .., ., 1 2 4 School Size 4 3 4 6 7 5 6 7 Computer/Pupil Ratio 6 5 7 4 3 8 3 1 Per Pupil Expenditure 5 3 3 6 7 6 5 6 Volunteer hours per Pupil 1 1 1 4 4 4 4 4 Donations per pupil 5 4 6 4 5 4 2 2 Total Score 41 36 44 46 50 47 41 42 Conclusions Woodruff is the smallest school but has the largest Pre-K program and is due to the temporary placement of some Pre-K students from Stephens until Stephens opened in January 2001. There is some variability in ethnicity with a range of 75% Black students at Mabelvale to 94% Black students at Stephens. However, all three schools are above the District average of 68% Black. With a range of 83% to 90%, there appears to be less variability for the SES variable. Woodruff is the only SF A school, with Stephens and Mabelvale using ELLA instructional strategies. Mabel vale has a lower enrollment in Kindergarten and 1st grade than other grade levels at Mabelvale. Woodruff has consistent grade level enrollments. Stephens has a comparatively large Kindergarten class. Equitable allocation worksheet scores for Mabelvale and Woodruff have increased over time. For SY2000-200 I, Mabelvale had an increase in the computer to pupil ratio, and donations per pupil. 7 00-01 7 7 5 5 5 7 2 5 2 7 52 There was less teacher turnover at Mabelvale. Mabelvale has remained consistently low on the volunteer hours per pupil variable and % of staff with MA +9 years experience, with a score of 1 for all three years. Woodruff had an increased number of staff with MA +9 years experience and per pupil donations. However, Woodruff has remained consistently low in the ratio of computers per pupil. With some minor variation, the three EYE schools are similar on the other allocation variables. There appears to be more differences than similarities in the demographic make-up of the three EYE schools. The three schools share similar SES and ethnic makeup, teacher and staff per pupil ratio, and per pupil expenditure. Differences between the schools are Enrollment and grade level size. The instructional programs, with two schools using ELLA and one a SF A school. The ratio of computers, volunteer hours, donations, and % of staff with MA +9 years experience. Observation Survey (OS) and Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA) scores for grades K-2 The OS and ORA are observational measures used to guide student work on tasks related to reading and writing. The OS consists of five measurable tasks: Letter Identification (Letter) records the letters a student knows. Word Test (Word) records the number of words a students knows. Concepts in Print (Cap) records what a student is attending to on the printed page. Writing Vocabulary (Voe) records all the words a student can write in ten minutes. Writing Records (Diet) identifies a student's writing behavior. The ORA is considered a pivotal task in which student reading behavior is recorded as text is read aloud. During this observation students read materials that are typically used within the classroom and the observer (i.e., the classroom teacher) records the directional movements that are made and errors or miscues. The student is assessed on deriving meaning, structure and information from the material. The OS and DRA were administered in the fall and spring to Kindergarten through 2nd grade students. The OS and DRA is written for classroom teachers who want to become careful observers of young children as these students learn to read and write. The OS and DRA are useful to teachers who work one-on-one with students who are having difficulty in learning to read and write. Where appropriate, the OS and DRA are administered to all students. A student is considered to be ready to read at the next grade level with a DRA score of 2 in kindergarten, 16 in 1st grade, and 24 in 2nd grade. Growth scores on the OS and DRA by District and the three EYE schools are reported in Appendix A. The table below reports the percent of students by ethnicity and grade level who are considered to be ready to read at the next grade level. SY2000-2001 scores are derived from 8 the DRA assessment completed during April 2001. Data for schools in which there were less than five non-black students will not be reported. Percent of students at the readiness level Kindere:arten 1st Grade 20 Grade Black Non-Black Black Non-Black Black Non-Black 99-00 00-01 99-00 00-01 99-00 00-01 99-00 00-01 99-00 00-01 99-00 Mabel vale 61.5 86.4 75 100 51.1 87.5 66.7 87.9 32.4 60 68.8 Stephens 40.4 87.5 24.1 36.6 39.3 58.5 ,, Woodruff 68.6 48.6 - 84.4 65.7 . 82.9 84.8 District 69.3 77 84.7 88.8 48.3 57.4 71.2 77.3 63.8 69.8 81.6 Conclusions For Black students, at the kindergarten level, Mabelvale and Stephens exceeded the District cohort improvement scores. At the kindergarten level, Mabelvale and Stephens exceeded the District average in percent of students at the readiness level. At the I st grade level Mabel vale and Woodruff exceeded the District cohort improvement scores and the District average in percent of students at the readiness level. At the 2nd grade level Mabelvale and Stephens exceeded the District cohort improvement scores, with only Woodruff exceeding the District average in percent of students at the readiness level. Except for Mabelvale the number of Non-Black students is small. Actual Black student growth performance from Fall to Spring is mixed (See appendix A). In Kindergarten: Mabelvale performed above the District in hearing and recording sounds and the DRA. Stephens performed above the District average in letter identification, word test, writing vocabulary, and hearing and recording sounds. Woodruff performed better in letter identification and word test. In I st grade: Mabelvale preformed better than the District in word test, writing vocabulary, and DRA. Stephens performed better in concepts in print and hearing and recording word sounds. Woodruff performed better in letter identification. In 2nd grade: Mabelvale performed better than the District in letter identification and hearing and recording word sounds. 9 00-01 83.3 ' 86.8 Stephens performed better in writing vocabulary, hearing and recording word sounds, and DRA. Woodruff performed better in hearing and recording word sounds. Achievement Level Test (ALT) Growth Scores The AL Ts include a series of mathematics, reading, language usage, and science achievement measures that increase in difficulty across levels. The tests are designed to document growth by assessing students at the "cutting edge" of their individual achievement level. Spring administration across grades 2 - 9 permit measurement of growth within and across school years expressed in two kinds of scores: percentile scores and scale or RIT (Rasch Interval Scale) scores. Percentile scores can be used to compare students to the large group of test takers using the ALT developed by the Northwest Evaluation Association. This is a "comparative group" currently involving 104 schools districts and 500,000 students and growing 4 to 13 points annually. This is not a norm group configured to represent public school populations. Demonstration of growth within and across an individual's matriculation, spring to spring, in grades 2 - 9 is documented using the RIT score designed to make direct comparisons to a criterion performance level along a scale from 160 to 250. Students typically start at a RIT score of about 160-190 in the spring of the 2nd grade and progress to the 230-260 range by high school. Along the scale, scores have the same meaning regardless of the individual student's grade level. This type of measurement allows some students to start at a higher RIT level and some low-achieving students to never reach the top level. The design provides an accurate measure of each student's achievement where the typical standardized test, by its nature, provides inadequate measures for many students, especially those at the high and low ends of the scale. The AL Ts are aligned with The Arkansas Mathematics, Reading, and English/Language Arts, and Science Curriculum Frameworks, thus enabling the District to determine impact and effectiveness of its instructional programs. The pool of test questions, developed by the Northwest Evaluation Association, has been extensively field tested to insure items of the highest quality and fairness. Teachers and curriculum specialists balanced by race, gender, and grade level matched the pool of questions to the standards and their attending benchmarks included in the aforementioned Frameworks. During test development activities, questions were calibrated for difficulty and assigned to a level ( e.g., Math levels 1-8). For example: An appropriate expectation of a Level 1 student is to multiply whole numbers, while a Level 6 student should be able to multiply fractions. This calibration makes it possible to calculate the RIT score which is tied directly to the curriculum. ALT median and median growth scores by District and the three EYE schools are reported in Appendix B. A median score represents data in which 50% of the students scored above the median score and 50% of the students scored below the median score. The outcome scores for this report are the Spring 2001 results. EYE Spring 2001 results for Black students will be compared to District Black students. The target scores listed in appendix B were derived from a nationwide comparison group of 500,000 students that have taken the AL Ts. ALT data will be reported in two ways. First, Black student scores will be reported by school, grade level, and subject in which these students performed equal to or better than the District median scores. None of the EYE schools met or exceed the comparison group median target scores. Secondly, Black student scores will be reported by school, grade level, and subject is which these students performed equal to or better than the District and comparison group growth scores (i.e., target scores). Below are the Black student median outcome results for Spring 2001 that were equal to or greater than the Black student District median. Mabel vale Reading 2nd grade 4th grade Garland/Stephens Reading none Woodruff Reading 2nd grade 3rd grade 4th grade 5th grade Language none Language none Language 2nd grade Math 2nd grade 4th grade Math none Math 2nd grade 5th grade Science 3rd grade Science none Science 3rd grade 5th grade Below are the Black student one-year growth results or EYE schools that were equal to or greater than the Black student District median. An * means than the students grew at or above the target score. Mabel vale Reading 3rd grade* 4th grade* 5th grade* Garland/Stephens Reading 4th grade* Language 3rd grade 4th grade Language 3rd grade 4th grade* 5th grade* 11 Math 4th grade* Math 3rd grade* 4th grade 5th grade* Science 5th grade Science 4th grade Woodruff Conclusions Reading 3rd grade* 4th grade* 5th grade* Language 4th grade* Math 3rd grade Science 4th grade While median outcome results for Black students at Mabelvale and Woodruff had mixed results, reading appears to be a strong subject primarily at Woodruff. Growth scores appear optimistic. In all three schools a number of grades are growing not only faster than the District median, but also faster than the target score. SA T-9 for grade 5 and Benchmark scores for grade 4 SAT-9 and Benchmark data report a cohort of students in time. The SA T-9 is given in the fall to 5th grade students and the Benchmark is given in the spring to 4th grade students. SA T-9 for the District and three EYE schools are reported in Appendix C. Black student percentile scores for SAT-9: Complete battery 1996-1997 1997-1998 1998-1999 1999-2000 2000-2001 Mabel vale 29 28 24 19 17 Garland/ 18 17 23 24 24 Stephens Woodruff 30 32 22 14 34 District 26 25 30 26 29 Percent of Black students at or above the proficient level on Benchmark exam Mathematics Literacv 1998-1999 1999-2000 2000-2001 1998-1999 1999-2000 Mabel vale 0% 16% 18% 15% 21% Stephens 0% 0% 0% 13% 13% Woodruff 4% 20% 19% 4% 34% District 8% 15% 16% 20% 29% Conclusions The SAT-9 data for 2000-2001 was collected at the beginning of the EYE program and will be useful in future EYE reports. The Benchmark data was collected in the spring 200 I and is somewhat a reflection of the change to EYE. Obviously what a student has incurred in the years prior to the EYE program will have as equal or greater affect than the one year in EYE. Mabel vale had an increase in the number of Black students at or above the proficient level, while Stephens and Woodruff had no change or a decrease 12 2000 2 4 1 2 4th Grade Benchmark Exam - -~ Grade 4 Benchmark Examination Mathematics School Summary Report: General Population Mabelvale Elementary Below Basic Basic Proficient Advanced # 98-99 # 99-00 # 00-01 # 98-99 # 99-00 # 00-01 # 98-99 # 99-00 # 00-01 # 98-99 # 99-00 # 00-01 All Students 42 81% 34 67% 33 66% 10 19% 6 12% 7 14% 0 0% 7 14% 8 16% 0 0% 4 8% 2 4% Asian/Pacific Islander 1 100% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 1 100% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% African/American 22 76% 30 75% 26 76% 7 24% 4 10% 2 6% 0 0% 5 13% 4 12% 0 0% 1 3% 2 6% Hispanic 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 1 100% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% Native American 5 100% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% White 12 80% 4 40% 6 43% 3 20% 2 20% 4 29% 0 0% 1 10% 4 29% 0 0% 3 30% 0 0% Grade 4 Benchmark Examination Literacy School Summary Report: General Population Mabelvale Elementary Below Basic Basic Proficient Advanced # 98-99 # 99-00 # 00-01 # 98-99 # 99-00 # 00-01 # 98-99 # 99-00 # 00-01 # 98-99 # 99-00 # 00-01 All Students 29 60% 27 53% 22 44% 14 29% 13 25% 17 34% 5 10% 10 20% 11 22% 0 0% 1 2% 0 0% Asian/Pacific Islander 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 1 100% 1 100% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% African/American 15 58% 25 63% 17 50% 7 27% 7 18% 11 32% 4 15% 7 18% 6 18% 0 0% 1 3% 0 0% Hispanic 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 1 100% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% Native American 3 60% 0 0% 0 0% 1 20% 0 0% 0 0% 1 20% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% White 10 71% 2 20% 4 29% 4 29% 5 50% 6 43% 0 0% 3 30% 4 29% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 13 - - Grade 4 Benchmark Examination Mathematics School Summary Report: General Population Stephens Below Basic Basic Proficient Advanced # 98-99 # 99-00 # 00-01 # 98-99 # 99-00 # 00-01 # 98-99 # 99-00 # 00-01 # 98-99 # 99-00 # 00-01 All Students 24 89% 28 88% 43 91% 2 7% 4 13% 4 9% 1 4% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% Asian/Pacific Islander 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% African/American 22 92% 28 88% 42 93% 2 8% 4 13% 3 7% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% Hispanic 2 67% 0 0% 1 50% 0 0% 0 0% 1 50% 1 33% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% Native American 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% White 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% Grade 4 Benchmark Examination Literacy School Summary Report: General Population Stephens Below Basic Basic Proficient Advanced # 98-99 # 99-00 # 00-01 # 98-99 # 99-00 # 00-01 # 98-99 # 99-00 # 00-01 # 98-99 # 99-00 # 00-01 All Students 16 62% 17 53% 35 74% 6 23% 11 34% 9 19% 4 15% 4 13% 3 6% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% Asian/Pacific Islander 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% African/American 14 61% 17 53% 35 78% 6 26% 11 34% 8 18% 3 13% 4 13% 2 4% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% Hispanic 2 67% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 1 50% 1 33% 0 0% 1 50% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% Native American 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% White 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 14 - Grade 4 Benchmark Examination Mathematics School Summary Report: General Population Woodruff Below Basic Basic Proficient Advanced # 98-99 # 99-00 # 00-01 # 98-99 # 99-00 # 00-01 # 98-99 # 99-00 # 00-01 # 98-99 # 99-00 # 00-01 All Students 25 76% 23 68% 19 66% 4 12% 3 9% 4 14% 2 6% 6 18% 2 7% 2 6% 2 6% 4 14% Asian/Pacific Islander 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% African/American 22 81% 20 69% 17 77% 4 15% 3 10% 1 5% 1 4% 5 17% 1 5% 0 0% 1 3% 3 14% Hispanic 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% Native American 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% White 3 50% 3 60% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 2 67% 1 17% 1 20% 0 0% 2 33% 1 20% 1 33% Grade 4 Benchmark Examination Literacy School Summary Report: General Population Woodruff Below Basic Basic Proficient Advanced # 98-99 # 99-00 # 00-01 # 98-99 # 99-00 # 00-01 # 98-99 # 99-00 # 00-01 # 98-99 # 99-00 # 00-01 All Students 20 59% 11 32% 11 38% 12 35% 11 32% 10 34% 2 6% 12 35% 8 28% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% Asian/Pacific Islander 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% African/American 18 64% 10 34% 10 45% 9 32% 9 31% 8 36% 1 4% 10 34% 4 18% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% Hispanic 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% Native American 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% White 2 33% 1 20% 0 0% 3 50% 2 40% 0 0% 1 17% 2 40% 3 100% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 15 Discipline Sanctions Number and Percent to student population . Sanctions minus repeat offenses School of Sanctions (Grades 1-3) Mabel vale 30 (19.5%) 23 (15%) Stephens 55 (41%) 32 (23.9%) Woodruff 2 (1.7%) 2 (1.7%) Conclusions Both Mabel vale and Stephens had a number of repeat offenses. However, Stephens had almost 25% of their 1st through 3rd grade students sanctioned. In addition, the 15% single sanctions at Mabelvale is also high. Teacher use of sick, personal, professional development, and inservice days Data from Garland is used for SY's 1998-1999 and 1999-2000. There appears considerable variability in the tables for professional development and inservice days. Since this appears to be so, the last table combines both these data. The first set of tables are data received from the Financial Services Department and reflect the number of days a teacher was out of the school. The last table are data received from the Staff Development Department and reflect staff development hours teachers received either during or after school hours. Average Sick Days School 1998-1999 1999-2000 2000-2001 Mabel vale 12.45 9.69 11.1 Stephens 7.21 * 8.11 * 7.99 Woodruff 12.8 9.13 7.12 District 8.84 8.74 8.99 Average Personal Days School 1998-1999 1999-2000 2000-2001 Mabel vale .76 .87 .94 Stephens .89* 1.12* .86 Woodruff 1.06 1.29 1.16 District 1.01 1.05 1.13 16 Average Professional Development Days School 1998-1999 1999-2000 2000-2001 Mabel vale 1.61 3.00 .17 Stephens 1.62* 1.80* .37 Woodruff 1.13 1.03 .49 District 1.61 1.68 2.42 Average Inservice Days School 1998-1999 1999-2000 2000-2001 Mabel vale 0 0 2.34 Stephens .13* .14* 1.67 Woodruff .35 1.5 1.61 District .33 .57 .32 Average Combined Professional Development and Inservice Days School 1998-1999 1999-2000 2000-2001 Mabel vale 1.61 3.00 2.51 Stephens 1.75 1.93 2.04 Woodruff 1.48 2.53 2.09 District 1.94 2.25 2.74 Average Staff Development Hours, using the District's new reporting system, provided by the Staff Development Department. Data is not available for years prior to 2000- 2001. School 2000-2001 Mabel vale 33.4 Stephens 40.3 Woodruff 50.1 % below 30 hours % 30 to 60 hours % above 60 hours Mabel vale 35% 35% 31% Stephens 27% 33% 40% Woodruff 4% 39% 57% District 32% 38% 31% 17 Conclusions Average sick days. The District trend is mixed, but appears to be on the increase. Woodruff s use of sick days shows a decreasing trend, while Mabel vale and Stephens are mixed. Stephens and Woodruff are below the District average, with Mabel vale above the average. Average personnel days. The District trend is on the increase and also at Mabel vale. Stephen's data may indicate a downward trend, with Woodruff data mixed. Mabelvale and Stephens are below the District average, with Woodruff above. Combined professional development and inservice days. While both the District and Stephens have an increase trend in these days, all three schools are below the District average. Staff Development. The minimum required yearly hours for teacher certification is 30. Woodruff by far has the highest average staff development hours and the most teachers with 30+ hours of professional development. Survey data of EYE program parents, students, and teachers The survey results by the combined three schools and the individual schools are reported in Appendix D (parents), E (students), and F (teachers). Typically school results do not vary greatly from the combined report. Thus, concluding remarks will be directed towards the combined data. The purpose of the EYE program survey was to determine parent, student and teacher perception of their school. Several key survey questions, asked across all groups, are reported below by combined results. Interest in educational program. Parents, students, and teachers perceive a greater interest by students in the educational program this year as opposed to last year. Short vacation periods. Most parents and teachers feel that their children/students like the shorter periods. A little over half (56%) of the students liked the shorter periods. Students achieve higher than at their traditional school year. Many parents (57%) felt their children performed better during the EYE calendar year rather than during a traditional calendar. Less than half ( 46%) of the teachers felt that their students did better during the EYE calendar. However, 68% of the students felt they performed better during the EYE calendar. Continuation of the EYE program. Most parents (76%) want the EYE program to continue. Students (63%) as well as teachers (83%) felt the same way as parents. Value of intersessions. The perceptions of intersessions are mixed. Parents have ambivalent feelings towards intersession, with 52% of parents feeling that an intersession has more value than a summer vacation. Students (65%) enjoyed the intersessions. Teachers (63%) felt that students benefited more the intersession than other typical summer programs. Expansion of the EYE program. Parents, students and teachers agree than the program should be expanded to other District schools. 18 Teachers felt the EYE program reduced the need to reteach, the program reduced stress levels, and provided for continuity in instruction. However, teachers felt that parents are not any more involved than before with their children's education. Students reported they had more time to learn and get extra help. However, these same students (50%) were ambivalent as to the benefit of Voyager lessons. Parents felt there were more programs available to help their children, that the EYE calendar did not effect the family life, and that their children had attended at least one intersession. Most reporting parents had sent their child to at least one intersession. Conclusions By and large parents, students, and teachers have a positive perception of the EYE program. These groups feel that there is more interest in school because of the EYE program, they like the shorter vacation periods, and would like not only to continue the EYE program at these three schools, but to also see the program expanded to other District schools. However, parents and teachers are not yet convinced that the EYE program is improving student achievement. Also, there are mixed feelings towards the benefits of intersession. Additional EYE program costs Intersession Payroll Cost #1 Mabelvale $11,403.45 Stephens $31,649.76 Woodruff $20,461.13 Total by intersession $63,514.34 #2 $8,382.45 $6,192.51 $7,590.38 $22,165.34 #3 Total by school $14,930.76 $34,716.66 $9,884.26 $47,726.53 $11,012.59 $39,064.10 $35,827.62 $121,507.30 Each school used $10,000 each from their summer school budget. The only additional cost was transportation with an average cost per school of $23,993. Total additional transportation costs were $71,979. Special education transportation costs were not billed to the EYE schools, but rather were paid by the transportation department. Budget 2000-2001 Mabel vale $1,663,685.09 Stephens $1, 770.258.07 Woodruff $1,313,414.06 Conclusions The only additional cost incurred by the schools that was not in their yearly budget was the cost of intersession transportation. 19 Concluding Remarks Other than similarities in ethnicity and SES, the three EYE schools are more different than similar. The fact that Stephens is a new school makes comparison analysis very difficult. In terms of the allocation ofresources, Mabel vale continues to rank low in% of teachers with an MA and experience, and volunteer hours. Woodruff has remained low in the ratio of computers to pupils. Achievement data is mixed. While the schools generally outperform the District in the percent of students ready to read at the next grade level, as measured by the DRA, these schools do not necessarily outperform the District average in actual growth on the OS and DRA. Median ALT scores for Spring 2001 are not that impressive. However, the bright spot is the ALT growth from Spring 2000 to Spring 2001. All of the schools, on a number of subjects and grade levels, not only outperformed the District median scores, but also the target median scores. Benchmark and SAT-9 data indicate mixed improvement in scores. Teacher behavior data is mixed. While the District is experiencing an increasing trend in the use of sick, personnel days there is also an increase in professional development and inservice days. EYE schools' use of sick and personal days is mixed. There is no downward trend. Also, these schools are below the District average in combined professional development and days. The new District reporting system indicates mixed results, with Woodruff above the District average in the percent of teachers with 30+ hours in professional development. Overall, the data tends to indicate that while staff may like the concept of EYE, it in of itself is not sufficient enough to change teacher behavior. The surveys of parents, teachers, and students indicated a positive perception of the EYE program. However, teachers continue to perceive a lack of parental involvement and they also feel that their students may not be performing as well as during the traditional year. Parents are not sure that the intersessions are that beneficial. However, they feel that the EYE program is not disruptive to their lives. The cost of the EYE program adds approximately 1.5 percent (1.5%) to the budgets of each school. While achievement data is mixed, there is a phenomenon occurring that has affected the ALT growth median scores and percent readiness scores on the DRA. These results could be the product of calendar change itself, or it could be the continuity of instruction time via intersessions. The phenomenon has not produced measurable change in teacher behavior. Staff development hours should be a priority for these three schools. Also, at this point in time, parents, students, and teachers have a positive perception of the EYE. The EYE program has gotten off to an optimistic start. The District and schools need to review their allocation of resources and work towards improvement ( e.g., volunteer hours at school level and targeting Woodruff for computers). In addition to achievement goals and data, each school 's improvement plan needs to incorporate the EYE survey goals and data. The District's EYE program results are very similar to national research results and as thus, the EYE program should continue. Annual reports such as this one will help establish whether the results are due to the phenomenon of change itself or to the continuity of instruction time. 20 References Kirk, Phillip J. Jr. (2000, February). Year-round schools and achievement in North Carolina. Evaluation Brief, 2 (2). Retrieved March 27, 2001 from the World Wide Web :http:/ /ncpublicschoo ls .org/ accountability I evaluation/ eval brief s/vo 12n2-yr. html. 21
This project was supported in part by a Digitizing Hidden Special Collections and Archives project grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and Council on Library and Information Resoources.