Using Data For Decision Making

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Using Data For Decision Making
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Presenters

• Ms. Sandra J. Himes
• Assistant Director Academics/Special Programs
• Lehigh Career Technical Institute
• 610-799-1357
• himess_at_lcti.org
• Dr. Cynthia Knauer
• Principal
• Salisbury High School
• 610-791-3641 Ext 2505
• cknauer_at_stsd.org
• Mr. Dennis Nemes
• Principal
• Northwestern Lehigh High School
• 610-298-8661 Ext. 2245
• nemesd_at_nwlehighsd.org

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Important Websites

• www.sreb.org
• www.careerpathway.org
• County-wide sharing page
• HSTW presentations

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Lehigh County Career Pathways
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Achieving Excellence in Education

• Achieving a Countywide Career Pathways Model
  using the HSTW Ten Key Practices and
  Organizational Structure.

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Lehigh County, PA

• 340 Square miles
• Urban, Suburban and Rural
• Population 312,090
• Median family income 53,147
• Average Earnings Per Job 34,780
• 9 School Districts and Dioceses of Allentown
• 10 Public High Schools
• Allentown 16,300 Students (2 schools)
• Parkland 8,000 Students
• East Penn 7,500 Students
• Carbon-Lehigh Intermediate Unit
• Educational Service Agency
• Lehigh Career Technical Institute
• Approximately 2,200 secondary and 750 adult
  students
• HSTW Site 1998

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School Districts

• Northwestern Lehigh School District
• Northern Lehigh School District
• Parkland School District
• Whitehall-Coplay School District
• Catasauqua School District

• Allentown School District
• Salisbury Township School District
• East Penn School District
• Southern Lehigh School District
• Lehigh Career Technical Institute

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Career Pathways Development

• Fall 1996
• H. S. Principals express interest in Southern
  Regional Education Boards High School That Work
  initiative
• Lehigh County Superintendents agree to support
  the initiative
• July 1997
• 30 Lehigh County educators attend HSTW
• Went to HSTW to assess value of initiative for
  Lehigh County
• Unanimous consensus that HSTW was good model for
  Lehigh County
• All districts, IU and LCTI agreed to work
  together to develop a better program.
• Collaboration and Action

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Career Pathways Development

• January 1998
• 2-day retreat to organize and develop action
  plans
• Career Pathways Model adopted by all Lehigh
  County Schools
• HSTW committee structure
• 10 key practices
• Future grant writing would focus on the Career
  Pathways initiative
• Steering Committee formed
• Sub Committees formed
• Staff Development
• Curriculum and Articulation
• Career Education and Marketing
• Evaluation and Assessment
• All schools became HSTW sites

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Lehigh County Career PathwaysOrganization
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Steering Committee

• Meets 5 times a year
• Unites educational leaders
• Uniform school reform initiative

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Curriculum Professional Development

• Provided Applied Academics Workshops
• Conducted Academic-Career Technical Integration
  Workshops
• Provided Mentor Training (School and Work-based)
• Adopted and developed math and science
  instructional materials
• Developed Model Curriculum Scope and Sequence
• Developed Horizontal and Vertical Articulation
• HSTW In-Service activity, October 2000
• MMGW In-Service activity, October 2002

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Career Education

• Prepared K-12 comprehensive Career Guidance Plan
• Developed Student Career Planner
• Developed Teacher resource material
• Provided Student / Parent Career Information
• Developed a Career Education / Information and
  Marketing Plan
• Secured Linkages to Local Business

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Evaluation Assessment

• Surveyed Stakeholders Annually
• Gathered Transcript Analysis Data
• Gathered Baseline Student Achievement Data
• Conducted Graduate Follow-up Survey
• Recommended Corrective Actions
• Developed Career Pathways Self Assessment Tool

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Marketing

• Developed a Marketing Plan
• Produced PBS TV Panel Presentations
• Produced a Newspaper Series
• New Administrator Workshops
• Brochures, Presentations, Web site to various
  publications
• Produced PBS Sponsorship Spot
• Surveyed County Educators, Guidance Counselors
  and Administrators about Career Pathways

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Career Pathways Retreat 2003

• 2-day retreat
• Representatives from all districts
• District Superintendents
• Principals
• Counselors
• Curriculum personnel
• Stakeholders from all educational entities
• Community College
• Intermediate unit (Service Organization)
• Business Ed Partnership
• HSTW State Coordinator

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Career Pathways Retreat 2003

• Retreat objectives
• Revisit our goals in Career Pathways and raising
  student achievement
• Assess our progress towards that goal
• Analyze our data
• Share ideas and expertise
• Develop site action plans
• Reaffirm our commitment to Career Pathways/HSTW
  and the 10 key practices
• Develop Middle School sites

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Atlanta Data Driven Conference

• Steering Committee sanctioned
• 5 people attended
• 2 teachers
• 3 administrators
• Concentrated on Reading, math, science, and
  technical programs
• Basis for our retreat presentation

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Using Data to Improve Students Achievement
Literacy Mathematics, Science Guidance
and Advisement
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How Are We Doing?How Is Your School Doing?
LCTI 2002Lehigh CountyPA
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L I Reading and T Writing E R Acros
s the A Curriculum C Y
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Getting 85 Percent of Students to Meet HSTW 279
Reading Performance Goal
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Performance Goal 279 (0-500)
Students who score 279 have average scores within
the basic proficiency level

• Demonstrate basic understanding of text

• Show ability to connect ideas from across text to
  make simple inferences and draw conclusions

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Goals

• 85 students reach basic proficiency level in
  Reading with scores of 279 or higher
• Higher goals for average scores across the valley

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Getting 85 Percent of Students to Meet HSTW 279
Reading Performance Goal
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Reading Achievement 2002 Progress in Meeting the
HSTW Goal of 279
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Points of Pride

• Reading Achievement average score up from 2000
  266 272

• Of 48 who scored at or above proficiency
  level, average scores were 296

• Hispanic students scored slightly above average
  scores for Hispanics in all HSTW sites

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Points of Pride

• 1/3 Students scored as proficient or better

• More students are taking College Prep English
  than in 2000 17 27

• LCTI Business/Marketing students average scores
  surpass goal of 279

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Literacy Achievement Gaps

• Two thirds of tested students score Basic or
  below

• 92 Afro-American students score Basic or below

• Only 35 LCTI students report taking College
  Prep English

• Students score well below HSTW average on
  Reading Stance Personal Response

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Literacy Achievement Gaps

• Students report low incidence of quality
  literacy instruction

• Students report little extra help in Reading and
  English

• Reading achievement below goal in all
  career/technical areas except
  Business/Marketing

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MathematicsHow do we add up?
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Students meeting the Mathematics Goal of 297
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Mathematics Achievement and Proficiency Levels
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Points of Pride

• 2000
• 7 Trig/Alg 3
• 2 Pre-Calculus

• 2002
• 18 Trig/Alg 3
• 16 Pre-Calculus

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Mathematics Achievement Gaps

• 2000
• Below Basic 48
• Basic 52
• Proficient 6

• 2002
• Below basic 61
• Basic 33
• Proficient 1

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Mathematics Achievement Gaps

• Only 7 of students report being encouraged to
  take higher level mathematics courses.
• Only 29 of students report completing 4 credits
  of math.
• 50 of students reported usually not having
  homework

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Points to ponder

• 33 of the students reported that their employers
  showed them how to use math in a job-related
  activity weekly or several times a week.
• 72 of the students said they would recommend
  that 7th 8th graders take high-level coursework
• 69 of students reported they felt it was very
  important to them have grades good enough to be
  accepted by a college.
• 69 felt it was very important to continue their
  education beyond high school.

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ScienceHow are we doing scientifically?
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SCIENCEPoints of Pride
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SciencePoints of Gap
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Guidance and Advisement
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Guidance Topics

• Transitioning from Middle school to High School
• Taking the Right Courses
• Planning and encouragement
• Developing a Positive Attitude
• Setting Post High School Goals

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Points of Pride

• According to Guidance Indicators, 75 students
  report a moderate emphasis on providing timely
  guidance to students

• 91 report that graduating from High School is
  very important to them

• 86 report that they are familiar with the
  requirements to graduate

• 59 plan to further their education in trade
  school, community college, or 4 year schools

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Points of Pride

• 81 spoke to college representatives

• 74 spoke or visited someone in the career they
  were interested in

• 86 reported that a teacher or counselor talked
  to them individually about their plans for a
  career or further education after high school

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Guidance Achievement Gaps

• Only 17 students fully completing the HSTW
  recommended curriculum

• Nearly 1/3 students take 2 or fewer math courses
  in grades 9-12

• Only 7 students report being OFTEN encouraged
  by counselors or teachers to take more
  challenging mathematics courses

• Only 5 report being OFTEN encouraged to take
  more challenging science courses

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Guidance Achievement Gaps

• 18 report participation in a parent-teacher-stud
  ent conference to plan a high school program of
  study at least once a year

• 19 report little emphasis on providing timely
  guidance to students

• Only 31 report that guidance counselor
  helped most to develop a 4-year education plan

• Fewer than 40 report feeling prepared to take
  college-prep courses in Writing, Mathematics,
  and Reading upon entering high school

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Guidance Achievement Gaps

• Only 45 OFTEN expect to do well in school

• Only 48 OFTEN try to do their best in school

• 44 report being worried about moving into a
  career or further study

• Significantly below scores in all HSTW sites

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Using Data Results

• What are the gaps in achievement?
• How is your school different or similar to
  high-achieving sites?
• What can you do to help your school look more
  like the HSTW high-achieving schools?

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Getting Teachers to Take Ownership and Implement
Change

• How will we engage all teachers in examining our
  assessment reports, further developing it and
  implementing an action plan to improve student
  achievement?

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Questions
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We hope our presentation will help you get your
foot in the data door!