Park City School District2009 Achievement Gap Review

How do we know that allstudents are achieving athigh levels ofsuccess?…and what do we do when they are not?

Comparison of 2008-2009 Language Arts

Comparison of Math CRTs 2007-2009

Comparison of Science CRT, 2008-2009

But, Dig a Little Deeper…

The District’s Demographics… In 2009, 3474 students took CRT

tests.

Of that number, 2,942 were Caucasian or 85%

435 students tested were Hispanic, or about 13%, an increase of 2 % from 2008

559 were economically disadvantaged, or about 16% , an increase of 3% from 2008

336 were served in special education, or just under 10% of the total, about 1% fewer than in 2008

This year K-2 classes, Hispanic students comprise 34-38% of the population, a proportion that keeps growing

Hispanics are 16% of the overall population, an increase of 2% from 2008

The Gap is More Than Just Test Scores… In the GATES program, although

Hispanics make up 20% and 17% in grades 4 and 5, there are only 3 Hispanic students in the program

At EHIMS, where Hispanics make up 16% of the population, there are no Hispanic students in Algebra and only .05% of the students in Pre-Algebra are Hispanic

At TMIS, Hispanics make up 12% of the population, but 20% of the enrollment in Pre-Algebra. There are no Hispanic students in Biology, and only 2% of the students in Honors English and 3% of the students in AP Geography are Hispanic.

At PCHS, enrollment for AP and advanced math classes stands at 960 with only 10 seats taken by Hispanic students.

At PCLC, Hispanics make up 28% of the population

What do all students need? Access to challenging curriculum and instruction

High quality teachers

High expectations

Extra supports

So, what are we doing? We have “confronted the brutal facts.”

We are making decisions based on the study of research

We have developed a system-wide strategic plan

We are providing support through professional development and coaching

We are holding ourselves accountable for the work

What does the research say must be in place to close the gap?Focus on curriculum & instruction

Align the curriculum to instruction and assessment Develop cultural responsiveness in instruction Use strategies to help students make meaning of new learning

Strong & effective leadership

Strong instructional leadership Facilitates collaborative decision-making and problem solving Data-driven

Adaptive & personalized environmentsClass size

Sheltered classes

Instructional Teams

ESL classes

Co-teaching classes

Effective and efficient use of timeFull Day Kindergarten

Summer programs

Flexible schedules

On-going professional development

Vital to developing expertise and renewalAligned with curriculum and focused on improving InstructionBuilt into the school day and calendarActivities centered on the classroomNew learning sustained with coaching

Identify what is currently working and what is not.

“Get the Right People on the Bus”

Study from examples what programs are having a positive effect

Develop SMART goals

Integral to the daily work of educators not superfluous

Focused on effective instruction

Data-driven

Collaborative

Based on high standards

Learning supported with coaching to foster implementation

Wise stewardship of resources

No excuses

It’s everyone’s responsibility

The long and short of it is that we need more rigor in all kinds of programs

--Margaret

Spellings