CREATING THE BEST CHOICE IN URBAN EDUCATION

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CREATING THE BEST CHOICE IN URBAN EDUCATION

• BOARD PRESENTATION
• SEPTEMBER 6, 2007

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St. Louis Public Schools The Pathway to Creating
the Best Choice in Urban Education
Proficiency targets met on MAP
Increased attendance
ACT score at 21 or better
Increased AP class offerings in ALL schools
Algebra I in grade 8
Advanced math in 5th grade
Reading on grade level by Grade 3
Proficient reading skills in grades 1-2
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FOUNDATIONS FOR SUCCESS IN URBAN SCHOOL SYSTEMS

• Focus on Student Achievement
• Development of Accountability Systems
• Focus on the Lowest Performing Schools
• Adoption of District-wide Curricula
  and Instructional Approaches
• Commitment to Central Office Support through
  Professional Development
• Reform Driven from the Classroom by Defining the
  Role of Central Office
• Commitment to Data-driven Decision Making
• Reform Level to Level in Incremental Stages
• Commitment to Intensive Instruction in
  Literacy and Math

Excerpt from mdrc.org/publications/47/execsum.html
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PRECONDITIONS FOR REFORM IN URBAN SCHOOL SYSTEMS

• School Board Role that Supports Improved Student
  Achievement Versus Day-to-Day Operational Issues
• Shared Vision Between Chief Executive of the
  District and the School Board Regarding Goals and
  Strategies for Reform
• Capacity to Diagnose Instructional Problems that
  the District can Solve
• Focus on Revamping District Operations to Serve
  and Support Schools
• Matching New Resources to Support
  the Vision for Reform

Excerpt from mdrc.org/publications/47/execsum.html
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How has the district addressed STUDENT
ACHIEVEMENT?
How has the district addressed STUDENT
ACHIEVEMENT?
How has the district addressed STUDENT
ACHIEVEMENT?
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How has the district addressed STUDENT
ACHIEVEMENT?
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How has the district addressed STUDENT
ACHIEVEMENT?
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How has the district addressed THE ACCOUNTABILITY
SYSTEMS?
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How has the district addressed LOWEST PERFORMING
SCHOOLS?
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How has the district addressed DISTRICT-WIDE
CURRICULA AND INSTRUCTIONAL APPROACHES?
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FUTURE FORECAST
How has the district addressed PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT?
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How has the district addressed PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT?
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How has the district addressed PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT?
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How has the district addressed PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT?
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How has the district addressed DEFINING THE ROLE
OF CENTRAL OFFICE?
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How has the district addressed DEFINING THE ROLE
OF CENTRAL OFFICE?
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How has the district addressed DATA DRIVEN
DECISION-MAKING?
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How has the district addressed DATA DRIVEN
DECISION-MAKING?
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How has the district addressed INCREMENTAL GROWTH?
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How has the district addressed LITERACY AND MATH?
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How has the district addressed LITERACY AND MATH?
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District-wide Strategies and Accountability

• Strategic focus on performance standards
• Administrator assigned and responsible for every
  performance standard
• MSIP Office ensures compliance with accreditation
  standards
• Performance targets set for every school
• MSIP action plan created and implemented at
  building level
• Monthly Principals meeting with Superintendent
  on accreditation strategies
• SLPStat scorecard evaluates progress at Building
  Level and Central Office
• Recognition of school performance through board
  meetings, press releases, Parent Assembly, SLPS
  newsletter, etc.

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SLPSTAT PROCESS

• Accountability measures for each school building
  and the District data indicators and targets
• MAP Communication Arts and Math (all levels)
• Reading on Grade Level - Terra Nova (all levels)
• Fifth Grade Enrollment in Advanced Math
• ACT scores (high schools)
• Student Attendance (all levels)
• Advanced Placement Courses (high school)
• College Enrollment (high school)
• Drop out rates (high school)
• Graduation Rates (high school)
• Highly Qualified Teachers (all levels)
• Accountability measures and methods of assessment
  for each office/department.

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MISSOURI SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM (MSIP)

• MSIP ensures that all schools meet certain basic
  standards. Districts are given accreditation
  status of Accredited, Provisional
  Accreditation, and Unaccredited. Three types
  of standards are included in MSIP reviews
• Resource Standards Basic requirements districts
  must meet
• Process Standards Instructional and
  administrative process used in schools
• Performance Standards Measure of student
  performance
• Third cycle reviews through 2004-05 included all
  three types of standards. Beginning in 2005-06,
  the Fourth cycle reviews used only performance
  standards to determine accreditation status
• In 2004-05, SLPS was determined to be
  Provisionally Accredited
• Based on 2005-06, SLPS was determined to be
  Unaccredited for the 2007-2008 school

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NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND (NCLB)

• An accountability measure for all public schools
  with the goal that all children will be
  proficient in reading and math by 2014
• Specific annual targets were set to measure
  adequate yearly progress (AYP) in communication
  arts and mathematics. These targets apply to the
  total and to all subgroups of students race,
  free/reduced lunch, IEP, LEP
• AYP is measured by the percentage of students
  scoring Proficient or Advanced on the state MAP
  test in communication arts and mathematics.
  Science targets will be set for the first time in
  Spring 2008 and will be considered in AYP
  measurements.
• Through the Spring 2004 administration of the
  MAP, grades 3, 7, and 11 in communication arts
  and grades 4, 8, and 10 in mathematics were
  included in AYP
• In 2006, grades were expanded to 3-8 and 11 in
  communication arts and 3-8 and 10 in mathematics.
  Science grade levels will be 5, 8, and 11 in
  Spring 2008
• In 2006, attendance and graduation rate targets
  were included as additional indicators that
  must also be met to make AYP

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MAP Communication ArtsPercent Proficient
Advanced
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MAP MathematicsPercent Proficient Advanced
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Missouri Lets Schools SlideU.S. Report Says..
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How has the district addressed POINTS FROM THIS
ARTICLE?
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NATIONAL PERSPECTIVE

• A report published in March, 2005 by the Center
  on Education Policy, noted that schools in very
  large, urban LEAs and middle schools in general
  are most likely to be identified for improvement
  under NCLB
• The overall percentage of public schools failing
  to make AYP in 2003-04 was approximately 21-22
  of all public schools. The percentage of schools
  for individual states ranged from 4 to 77
• Based on Spring, 2006 MAP scores, DESE has
  notified school officials that in the state of
  Missouri 102 additional buildings and 167
  districts will be in needs improvement in
  2007-08
• As the NCLB targets increase each year, more and
  more schools and districts will fail to meet AYP
  standards

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The Need to Stop Doing

• Most of us have an ever-expanding to do list,
  trying to build momentum by doing, doing,
  doingand doing more. And it rarely works. Those
  who built good to great organizations, however,
  made as much use of stop doing lists as to do
  lists. They had the discipline to stop doing all
  the extraneous junk.
• ---Jim Collins

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Site-based Reform Models
CREATING THE BEST CHOICE IN URBAN EDUCATION
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Safe and Orderly Environment
Owner Engagement
High Quality Teaching and Teaching
Accountability
Leadership
SLPStat Scorecard
BEST CHOICE IN URBAN EDUCATION
Focused Professional Development
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Creating the Best Choice in Urban Education

• "The one thing that great leaders do is rally
  people to believe in a better future."
• -Marcus Buckingham

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CREATING THE BEST CHOICE IN URBAN EDUCATION