ROCKFORD PUBLIC SCHOOLS

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ROCKFORD PUBLIC SCHOOLS

• Zoned Schools
• December 12, 2006

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Seven Criteria

• 1. Easy to understand
• The plan should be easy to understand because
  students will be assigned to a certain geographic
  area where they reside and all students within
  that area will go to the same school.

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Seven Criteria

• 2. Predictability
• When someone purchases a home they will know by
  zone which school their children will attend for
  elementary, middle and high school.

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Seven Criteria

• 3. Cost-effective
• A cost saving associated with the family
  resource center. Currently 11.0 FTEs are funded
  by the Voluntary Public School Choice Grant. The
  planning department that will be needed for a
  zone plan should be no larger than 5.0 FTEs.

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Seven Criteria

• 3. Cost-effective (continued)
• A cost savings of a reduction of possibly 70
  buses could occur, and distance to schools
  should be minimized.

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Seven Criteria

• 4. Limited choice options
• Middle and High School student will have the
  option of attending a theme school or Auburn for
  the Gifted or CAPA program.

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Seven Criteria

• 4. Limited choice options (continued)
• Choice will also be provided for programs not
  easily replicated such as ROTC or the Building
  Trades.

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Seven Criteria

• 5. Consider race and socio-economic status
• The middle and high schools will be within a 15
  range (plus or minus) of the average for each
  tier level. Wilson will be the only exception
  not falling within the 15 range.

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Seven Criteria

• 6. The student assignment policy must consider
  Bilingual and Special Education, No Child Left
  Behind.
• State and Federal requirements in these areas
  will be met.

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Seven Criteria

• 7. The student assignment policy must work within
  the existing facilities.
• The plan includes no facility changes at this
  time.

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Capacity
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Capacity
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Out of Zone High Schools
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Out of Zone Middle Schools
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Family Resource Center Staffing
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Family Resource Center Staffing
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Financial ImpactTransportation Fund
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Financial ImpactTransportation Fund
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Financial ImpactTransportation Fund
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Presentation to the Rockford School
Board December 12, 2006
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All Schools Must Be Great Schools.
Great schools are not built on past
perceptions or geographic location. Great schools
are created when educators, parents, students,
and the greater community- work together in an
organized, fiscally responsible manner to develop
equitable learning communities that focus on
academic excellence and multiple opportunities
for student development.
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Great Schools
What Does Predictability have to do with Student
Achievement and Development?
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Everything.
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Instructional Planning
Choice Instructional organization revolves
around the choice system rather than student
need.
Zones Instructional organization is determined
by student need.
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Instructional Planning
Inability to adjust to transiency.
Manages transiency at the zone and school
level.
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Instructional Planning
Inability to plan for more than one year in
advance.
Facilitates long term planning with information
from the Business Office and Student Services.
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Instructional Planning
August Insanity Accuracy depends on people
actually making a decision and registering.
(Wilson, East) master schedules teacher
certification textbooks lab classes furniture
Provides time to plan, hire, and schedule with
accuracy.
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Instructional Planning
Forces creation and maintenance of artificial
grade level strands with no room for adjustment.
Allows for growth bubbles to move through
schools.
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Instructional Planning
Compromises our ability to monitor and adjust
student instruction for continuous vertical
growth. (communication, communication,
communication)
Facilitates vertical collaboration through
feeder patterns, allowing teachers to monitor and
plan for effective instruction.
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Instructional Planning
Limits our ability to target the needs of the
school and the community. (Planning Guide)
Allows schools to tailor services and programs
to particular community needs.
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Instructional Planning
Forces ineffective patterns of support services.
Allows support services to follow families
through feeder patterns.
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Instructional Planning
Creates disjointed Fine Arts, athletics, and
extra curricular programs.
Facilitates and advances developmentally
appropriate Fine Arts, athletics, and extra
curricular programs.
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Transportation
Choice Transportation is an expensive, complex,
primary component of the choice system.
Zones Transportation can focus savings to
support school activities.
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Transportation
Long bus rides result in unproductive time and
increased conflict.
Shorter bus rides make better use of time and
result in fewer discipline problems.
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Transportation
Number of buses increase logistical, safety,
and discipline issues at the school site.
Fewer logistical, safety, and discipline
issues means more time on task for students.
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Parent Involvement
Choice The choice system can and does limit
parental participation and communication with the
school.
Zones Zones support parent involvement by
creating common learning communities within
contained geographical areas.
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Parent Involvement
New residents often become victims of the
choice process.
New residents can relocate with confidence
about school assignment.
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Parent Involvement
Disengagement and negativity upon receiving
non-choice school. (1,000 students per year)
Build parental commitment on FACT rather than
perception.
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Parent Involvement
Limits participation of parents without
reliable transportation.
System can develop ways to assist parents for
conferences, school programs, etc.
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Parent Involvement
Prohibits the school from coming to the
parents.
Some school functions, activities take place
in feeder pattern area.
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Parent Involvement
Inhibits our ability to locate and communicate
with parents.
Other students, neighbors can contact
parents.
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Parent Involvement
Limits the parents desire and ability to
invest in future schools.
Promotes long range investment and commitment
to the childs schools.
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Community Involvement
Choice Fractures the focus, spirit, and
resources of the community and the effects are
cumulative.
Zones Unites community groups with common
mission and focuses resources.
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Community Involvement
No common ground for the community.
School established as a center for
community functions and growth.
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Community Involvement
Impedes community agencies and support
systems.
Provides logical, predictable, more affordable
and effective distribution of services.
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Student Success
Choice Can isolate students from their
community, family and friends.
Zones Provides a comfort zone of support.
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Student Success
Student placement dependent upon parents
diligence. Students care when their parents
care.
Students know what school they will attend.
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Student Success
Forces unnecessary change of
schools. Preschool incubation K middle
school high school
Can be designed to minimize school change.
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Student Success
Does not allow students to use prior
knowledge to form social/emotional connections.
Prior knowledge is inherent in system.
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Continuing Choices

• NCLB Transfers
• Magnet programs
• Barbour
• Montessori
• CAPA _at_ Ellis
• Gifted (King, West, Auburn)
• ROTC
• Construction _at_ East
• Future Initiatives- Career High School?