Reports on Progress - September 2015

  • Bradley v Pinellas County Schools
    Memoranda of Understanding
    Report on Progress – September 2015
     
    To date, five Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) in the area of Quality of Education have been negotiated and approved by the plaintiffs and School Board. The MOUs in place to date include: Student Achievement, Student Discipline, Assignment to Programs and Classes, Administrative Staff Assignment and Faculty and District Monitoring and Advisory Committee.
     
    Each MOU includes provision for meetings of both parties to provide data updates and review progress toward aspirational goals and means and methods set forth in the memoranda. This report and supporting data includes the following elements referenced in the MOUs.
     
    Student Achievement
     
    • Evidence of School Improvement Plans including data on black student achievement relative to white and other students in general, strategies and interventions to improve black student achievement, and school-based individuals responsible for implementation
    •  Equitable allocation of resources
    • Data to support the above using district data systems
    Student Discipline (Behavior)
    • Evidence of School Improvement Plans including data on black student discipline relative to white and other students in general, behavioral strategies and interventions to improve student behavior and school-based individuals responsible for implementation
    • Evidence of schoolwide behavior plans to include positive behavioral supports and professional development in the implementation of the plan through the use of data for identifying the underlying causes of negative behavior through problem solving (PS/RtI:B)
    • Data to support the above using district data systems
    Assignment to Programs and Classes
    • Evidence of School Improvement Plans including data relative to assignment of students by race to exceptional education programs, accelerated classes, district application programs, AVID, and/or gifted programs, means and methods to achieve continuous improvement and school-based staff responsible for implementation
    • Data related to black student participation in exceptional education programs, accelerated classes, magnet/application programs, AVID, and gifted services
    Administrative Staff Assignment and Faculty
    • Evidence of the district’s support of minority administrative staff assignment at all school levels and in central administration and general geographic apportionment that is at least as equitable as levels that existed in the 1998-99 school year
    • Evidence of the district’s commitment to continued support of minority instructional staff assignments at all school levels and in the general geographic apportionment. The district will maintain a “critical shortage” designation of black teachers so long as the percentage of black students within the district is two or more points higher than the percentage of black teachers
    District Monitoring and Advisory Committee (DMAC)
    • Discussion of progress achieved on points of understanding in Memorandum of Understanding
    Quality of Education – Student Achievement
     
    FCAT Results and Tiered Supports
     
    The disaggregated student achievement data for the 2013-2014 school year is reported by the Florida Department of Education for the district and individual schools and can be accessed at http://schoolgrades.fldoe.org. Additionally, the PCS Assessment, Accountability, and Research Department has prepared reports showing Reading and Math FCAT achievement levels by race/ethnicity for these same time periods. However, during the 2014-2015 school year, the Florida Department of Education transitioned from the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) to the Florida Standards Assessment (FSA), and the first administration of these tests was March-April, 2015. Because of the standards-setting process coupled with validity studies, results of these assessments have not been released at this time. Upon receipt of the results, the reports showing Reading and Math FSA achievement levels by race/ethnicity will be prepared as in the past.
     
    Analysis of the previous FCAT data suggested:
    • Students scoring an Achievement Level of Level of 3 or higher in FCAT Reading have remained flat over the last three-year period in Pinellas County Schools.
    • Students scoring an Achievement Level of 3 or higher in FCAT Math have remained somewhat flat over the last three-year period in Pinellas County Schools.
    • Black students have shown incremental growth in FCAT Math.
    • The achievement gap between black and nonblack students in both reading and math has not increased, but rather has remained somewhat constant.
    Even without the most recent FSA results, these previous data continued to create intensive conversations leading to the further development of actions to support increased achievement rates across all of our schools in the areas of reading and mathematics. These plans continue to include:
    •  Increased opportunities for more students to attend Summer Bridge to narrow learning gaps
    • Increased opportunities for teachers to attend standards-based professional development targeting reading and math
    • Provision of additional funds to all schools to further expand extended learning opportunities before, during, and after school hours
    • Continued provision of supplemental reading and math technology programs that can be used at home, in the community, and before/after school programs Provision of additional support sessions throughout the summer of 2015 assisting schools with targeted strategies to build effective school improvement plans

    In addition to our data analysis, the state of Florida uses two methods for identification of “struggling” schools. The first designation requiring state oversight by a Regional Differentiated Accountability team is referred to as Turnaround Schools. This designation is defined by FL Department of Education including FCAT data over multiple years. Without the full results from the first administration of FSA, the state has determined that Turnaround status will remain as it was during 14-15 school year. The following Pinellas County Schools remain identified as Turnaround Schools: Azalea Middle, Campbell Park Elementary, Fairmount Park Elementary, Maximo Elementary, Melrose Elementary, Pinellas Park Elementary, Pinellas Park Middle, High Point Elementary, Ponce de Leon Elementary, Largo Middle, Bear Creek Elementary, Belleair Elementary, Dunedin Elementary, and Tyrone Middle.
     
    A second designation from the Florida Department of Education is defined as the lowest 300 elementary schools in the state based on reading proficiency rates using the FCAT reading achievement measures. Again, without current FSA scores, the lowest 300 elementary schools will remain the same for 2014-2015. These identified schools must still receive one hour of additional, intensive reading instruction per day. Pinellas County already provides an additional 30 minutes of reading instruction daily. The following elementary schools will continue to increase their school day by an additional 30 minutes to then deliver an hour of intensive reading instruction daily: Campbell Park Elementary, Fairmount Park Elementary, Maximo Elementary, Melrose Elementary, Pinellas Park Elementary, High Point Elementary, Lakewood Elementary, Ponce de Leon Elementary, New Heights Elementary, Bear Creek Elementary, Lealman Avenue Elementary, Sandy Lane Elementary, Blanton Elementary, Seventy-Fourth Street Elementary, and Woodlawn Elementary.
     
    In response to the low achievement scores in these identified schools, district improvement initiatives have been put into place to positively impact these trends. The following actions have been put into place for the 2015-2016 school year:
     
    • Debriefing meetings with individual principals and district leadership to review data and to review components within their School Improvement Plans
    •  Differentiated staffing models including both instructional, non-instructional, and support staff
    • Differentiated allocation of funds at both the district and school levels to support improvement efforts with a focus on increasing the extended learning opportunities beyond the school day
    • Specific research-based intervention programs implemented with fidelity in each school site
    • Expanded professional development opportunities for all staff members focused on the implementation of the identified interventions as well as school-wide behavior strategies
    • Protective hiring practices to ensure highly qualified teaching staffs are in place
    • Increased monitoring practices at both district and school levels
    • Expanded opportunities for students to attend Summer Bridge academic programs
    • Expanded opportunities for students to take home computers for academic practice and engagement before, during, and after school (Beyond the Classroom Initiative)
    • Provision of professional development to both principals and assistant principals using the Early Warning Reports for elementary, middle, and high schools with monitoring systems for black/non-black students
    • Creation of an automated report after each grading period to inform course failures disaggregated for black/non-black students and by school to be shared with school and district leadership for intentional progress monitoring
    • Increased representation of black students enrolled in higher level courses such as Algebra I, Geometry, Advanced Math, and English Honors at the middle school level and gifted/talented programs at the elementary level
    • Increased number of family academic engagement opportunities provided by schools
    Scale Up Initiative
     
    Additionally, the district’s Assessment, Accountability, and Research Department completed an extensive educational literature review targeting what is needed for success in schools with significant levels of poverty. For Campbell Park, Fairmount Park, Lakewood, Maximo, and Melrose, support plans have been further differentiated using the findings of this research analysis.
     
    The effort to support these five schools began formally in 2014 and continues under the title of the Scale Up for Success Initiative. The initiative is aimed at increasing student achievement through a multi-pronged approach, with an emphasis on launching implementation during the first year (2014-15) and refining developmental supports in year two (2015-16).
     Rooted in the 5Essentials framework for school reform, the following interventions were put in place at the five schools:
    • Intensive support and training for every teacher, including the hiring of a paraprofessional for every classroom to serve as a teaching partner;
    • Intensive coaching and support for school leaders, including a district partnership with The New Teacher Project (a national leader in school improvement and principal growth);
    • Advanced behavior management systems and frequent district monitoring to reduce student discipline incidences and ensure a stronger learning climate for teachers and students;
    • Aggressive recruitment, retention and performance bonuses for teachers;
    • Comprehensive mental health and counseling services for students and families;
    • Enhanced extended learning and summer programs, and family engagement opportunities to provide unique learning experiences.
    Scale Up / Program Goals
     
    • Immediate: Building the capacity and effectiveness of school leaders and instructional staff to increase student achievement at each of the five Scale Up schools
    • Long-term: Transference of best practices in the five Scale Up schools to other school sites in the district in support of a widespread increase in student achievement
    Scale Up / Year One Progress / Highlights
     
    • Promising results in reading and math performance in Grades 1 and 2 are evident. A review of the SAT-10 data for these primary grades shows that while the district’s increase in reading and math proficiency was typically between 1% and 5%, some individual Scale Up schools had double-digit gains.
    • Second grade math is a major area of strength. The SAT-10 data also shows that the five Scale Up schools as a group had a 14% increase in the percentage of students proficient in math achievement, which was more than three times the district’s increase of 4%. In particular, Campbell Park had a 28% increase and Fairmount Park had a 17% increase.
    • Third grade reading results are encouraging. Although 3rd Grade proficiency rates for 2015 have not been released, the state did release the percentage of students who scored in the lowest quintile on the new Florida Standards Assessment (FSA). When comparing the percentage of students in the lowest level to the previous year’s FCAT, four of the five Scale Up schools saw a decrease in the percentage of students scoring at a Level 1 on the FCAT compared to the percentage of students scoring in the lowest quintile on the FSA. In comparison, the district average stayed the same.
    • Encouraging reductions are evident in the number of referrals. When looking at all five schools combined, our research summary shows a 23% decrease in the number of referrals written. This includes dramatic reductions at Campbell Park and Maximo in both the total number of referrals and the number of students receiving an “excessive” number of referrals.
    • Teacher retention across the five schools has improved. While only 54% of all teachers at the five schools returned to their schools during the 2013-2014 school year, the percentage of teachers returning to their schools for 2015-16 has increased to 68%.
    Scale Up / Recommendations / Next Steps
     
    Formal recommendations for growth and improvement heading into 2015-16 and beyond are included as part of the Scale Up Year 1 Evaluation Report.
     
    Supporting Data
     
    • (FSA data will be added to this report shortly)
    Graduation Rate
     
    Official Graduation Rate data becomes available from the FDOE in November each year and will be included in the March Bradley MOU Report.
     
    College Readiness Scores
    SAT and ACT scores become available from the College Board and ACT in September and will be included in the March Bradley MOU Report.

    Advanced Placement (AP) Exams
    Multi Year AP Exam Comparison
    The district student data file is provided by the College Board annually in early July and requires additional formatting and analysis to understand the progression of the Advanced Placement program in Pinellas County Schools. The data provided in this progress update related to AP exams is from the annual district data files.
     
    This table shows the trend in the number of AP exams taken at each high school over the last three years.
     
    AP exams taken at each high school  
     
    While the Bradley reporting has focused for several years on AP performance, the data should not be considered in isolation. Advanced Placement coursework was established as the focal point of this report because it is offered to students without entrance or eligibility criteria, but other courses that we review in conjunction with AP courses include dual enrollment and AICE (Cambridge) courses.
    Dual enrollment access is limited by statutory eligibility requirements, serving only those students with a 3.0 unweighted cumulative GPA and qualifying test scores from the SAT, ACT, or PERT. While this limits participation, we have continued to grow the access to these courses by removing other barriers such as location and transportation; at the same time we continue to see a 90% or better success rate (as measured by the percentage of students earning passing grades) in dual enrollment coursework. Students should be cautious when deciding to take dual enrollment courses because poor performance can have a negative impact on their ability to obtain financial aid and/or their acceptance to the college of their choice.
     
    The University of Cambridge Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE) Program is a District Application Program that directly competes with IB and limits enrollment based on the same eligibility criteria as IB. However, unlike IB, the courses can be taken by students at the host school who are not in the AICE program, just as AP courses can be accessed by any student. Students in the application program must pursue completion of an AICE diploma, while those selecting one or two courses are not obligated to do so. In this way, it may be more accurate to view enrollment in both AP and AICE courses at Dixie Hollins, Clearwater and Tarpon Springs as they are the only three high schools to provide AICE courses in addition to AP.
     
    To provide a complete picture, it is important to take both dual enrollment options and AICE options into consideration when reviewing the AP exams taken at each school. Several schools showed significant increases in the number of AP exams taken, while other showed significant decline in AP exams taken.
     
    •  Boca Ciega, Countryside, Pinellas Park and St. Petersburg demonstrated notable growth in all students taking AP courses, with Boca Ciega and Pinellas Park also seeing strong increases in black enrollment.
    • Significant declines in AP exams taken are evident at Dixie Hollins, Gibbs and Lakewood. As mentioned previously, these numbers have to be inspected with consideration to other offerings and overall school enrollment.
    • At Dixie Hollins, the Cambridge / AICE program continues to grow and that has led to a decrease in the AP offerings due to the fact that AICE courses have replaced some of the AP courses. For example, AICE Language has replaced AP Language & Composition. In fact, when looking at AP and AICE enrollment combined, advanced course enrollment at Dixie Hollins has gone up.
    • At Gibbs, the addition of the AP Capstone program in 2015-16 and a greater intentional counseling and placement of students into courses of rigor has led to current enrollment numbers that are trending up (551 enrolled as of September 6th) while 339 AP exams were taken in May 2015.
    Below is a summary of Advanced Placement exams taken in Pinellas County since 2002. The table shows the district’s continued growth in both the number of test-takers and the total exams taken. The pass rates on those exams have declined somewhat but that is not unexpected because of the large numbers of students now taking advanced coursework. Our district’s goal is to continue to increase the number of students who are able to earn scores that translate to college credit, with a particular focus on decreasing the gap between the rate at which black and non-black students are able to do this. During this time, we have steadily increased and more than doubled both the number of students accessing AP courses and the number of students achieving scores that are eligible for college credit because we have made these classes accessible to all students.
     
    The AVID elective serves as an optional system of support for the students in the academic middle who enroll in accelerated courses. AVID started with one high school in 2004-2005, adding more high schools every year or two until we completed the expansion of AVID in high schools in 2011-12.
     
     
     AVID in high schools table
     
    Data related to the African American students participation in AP exams and dual enrollment courses can be found in the following links. Included in this is data related to the low-socioeconomic status (SES) student group. With the introduction of the Community Eligible Provision that provides free breakfast and lunch at three of our high schools, this data set is no longer complete. The numbers impacted by this are highlighted in the tables for your reference.
     
    Files attached include:
    Efforts to date have predominantly been focused on insuring access to these courses. The systems that are in place to insure the continued identification of students in order to expand access to accelerated coursework include the items listed below which will continue to be implemented.

    • Beginning in 2014-15, assemblies were held at numerous high schools for tenth grade students with a GPA of 2.5 and above to inform them of the accelerated course options that are available to them. This will continue moving forward as it was found to have an impact on enrollment in rigorous courses.
    • High schools are encouraged to hold small group meetings with students who show potential to be successful in AP courses who are not accessing these courses to explain the benefits of participating in the AP program. Advanced Studies staff attends these small group meetings as requested and has recommended this option to schools whose students are not accessing their potential for success in these courses.
    • All high schools and middle schools are certified AVID sites. AVID elective teachers play a large role in the course selection process for all AVID students and participation in AVID requires participation in accelerated courses.
    • AVID recruitment efforts include identification of underrepresented students with the potential to be successful in rigorous courses with a support system. Students identified in the reports used are at or near proficiency in reading and math, and they have average GPA’s (2.0-3.5). These students are then personally invited to take the AVID elective and make the commitment to courses of rigor. Special attention was given to the black students identified through these reports as part of the scheduling process last spring in preparation for the 2014-15 school year.
    • PSAT 8/9 is administered to all 8th grade students and PSAT/NMSQT is administered to all 9th & 10th grade students. The data from these nationally normed assessments allow for earlier identification of students with the potential to be successful in advanced courses and is being used as part of the course recommendation process. Schools were provided the data and asked to target the underrepresented students in their accelerated course recruitment efforts, with a focus on black students.
    Our next step is to provide quality professional development to teachers of rigorous courses in order for their practices to meet the needs of a population that is becoming more diverse each year. The initiatives that have been put in place are outlined below.
    • All AP teachers are required to attend the Advanced Placement Summer Institute prior to teaching a class for the first time and a minimum of once every three years after their first year of teaching the course. AP Summer Institute is a week-long workshop facilitated by College Board Consultants with expertise and demonstrated results in the AP subject which they facilitate.
    • AP teachers are encouraged to apply to become an AP Reader. Those that have had the opportunity to do this return with a much deeper understanding of how the exams are scored and what they should pay particular attention to or focus on in their instruction and assessment of students during the school year.
    • AP Teacher Professional Learning Community (PLC) calendar is in place for 2015-16 and has been communicated to all AP teachers. These PLC meetings are embedded in the teachers’ contracted hours and will allow teachers from across the county to collaborate with other teachers of the same AP course. Research shows that active participation in a PLC results in improved instructional practices and therefore increased student engagement. This is new this year.
    • The Advanced Studies staff model has been adjusted to provide more support to teachers at each level. An additional staff developer was hired to start 2014-15 so that there is one assigned to support each level (elementary, middle, and high school) and to continue the expansion of AVID Elementary in Pinellas County Schools.
    • The high school staff developer is responsible for assessing the needs of AP teachers and AVID elective teachers and providing professional development in the identified areas of need.
    • The middle school staff developer is responsible for assessing the needs of teachers of high school courses and AVID elective teachers and providing professional development in the identified areas of need.
    • The elementary school staff developer will work with the 13 AVID elementary schools to support their school wide plans for improving students’ organizational and study skills while building a college-going culture.
    • These staff developers also work with the curriculum teams from Teaching & Learning and participate in the Instructional Support Model school visits to insure that their work supports all content areas.
    •  Leadership for College Readiness workshop was provided for school teams in June and will continue to be provided to school teams each summer as a means of building the capacity of administrators and teacher leaders to challenge their colleagues to operate with a growth mindset and a belief that every student can progress to post-secondary educational opportunities.
    •  Semi-annual data reviews are conducted in partnership with principals to insure planning for expanded course offerings, recruitment of students into AP and DE classes, support for the teachers of advanced courses, identification of students who can qualify for greater levels of scholarship with test preparation support, etc.
    School Improvement Plan (SIP)
     
    School Improvement Plans (SIPs) are developed annually by leadership teams at schools with training, guidance and reviews from District staff. These SIPs are divided into six major sections as defined by the Florida Department of Education’s Bureau of School Improvement (BSI) format organizing the content into six main areas: Part I: Current School Status, Part II: Expected Improvements, Part III: Professional Development, Part IV: Coordination and Integration, Part V: Budget and Part VI: Mid-year Reflection. As the MOU requires, each school includes the following in the SIP:
     
    a) Data on black student achievement relative to white and other students in general
    b) Instructional strategies and interventions to improve black student achievement
    c) Identification of school-based individuals responsible for implementation
    d) Analysis by the schools or the District administration as to the effectiveness of the strategies and interventions at the school
    As part of the data analysis needed for the SIP, student achievement data for each content area for the last two years with projections for this year are presented. Additionally, data on an Early Warning System include last year’s data by grade level of percent of students who were absent 10% or more days, had one or more referrals, had in- or out- of school suspensions, had failed a course, had FCAT level 1 scores (FSA to be reported soon), are reported and used in the development of school goals and action plans to accomplish those goals.
     
    The process to develop the SIPs and the requirements for the plans are communicated regularly to all school principals and their teams through multiple SIP trainings, District and state feedback processes, and technical assistance offerings. The SIP development process for the last three school years has included at least six yearly training sessions, a revised PCS SIP form, a feedback process for improving the SIP prior to submission, and a mid-year reflection on progress towards the goals of the plan submitted to the Area Superintendents and to the BSI for Differentiated Accountability (DA) schools. Additionally, since the 2011-12 school year, SIP technical assistance and monitoring is coordinated through the district Assessment, Accountability, and Research (AAR) Department.
     
    Support on developing a complete SIP was provided to all school based leadership during the spring and summer of 2015. All schools attended at least one session. Ongoing monitoring and support of the implementation of SIPs are overseen by the Area Superintendents and the Teaching and Learning Division. Differentiated Accountability (DA), former F and D schools, have additional monitoring and support from the state Regional Executive Director (RED). Again this year, SIPs were reviewed by the Associate Superintendent of Teaching and Learning, Area Superintendents, Executive Directors for Elementary, Middle, High School, Exceptional Student Education, and Career, Technical and Adult Education (CTAE), Director of Title I, Multi-Tiered Support Specialists (MTSS), Director of Strategic Planning as well as specialists for content areas.
    Feedback was provided including the expectation that each plan’ goals and action plans for the continuous improvement of Black students in the areas of reading, writing, math, science, graduation rates, discipline, and enrollment in advanced courses.
     
    Executive Summaries for the SIPs and the SIPs for the 2015-2016 were approved by the School Board on September 22, 2015 and posted on the District website. These plans may be accessed School Improvement Plans or from the District homepage (Select Schools and then, School Improvement Plans).
     
    Supporting Data
    School Improvement Form High School
     
     
    Equitable Allocation of Resources
    The district staffing process for schools begins with a base staffing model that is the same for every school. Projected enrollments are used to determine the number of classroom teachers staffed at each school. After the base staffing model is established, additional resources are provided to schools based on need. This is accomplished through a variety of local, state and federal funding sources such as Title I. Schools with large populations of minority students receive much of the additional human and financial resources. Please see the support data document. This data demonstrates that the schools with higher concentrations of minority students receive higher rates of funding.
     
    Supporting Data
    Culturally Responsive Teaching Professional Development
     
    Professional learning opportunities have been specifically developed to impact three critical areas related to teacher effectiveness: knowledge for practice, knowledge in practice, and knowledge of practice. These three areas are addressed through large and small group professional development sessions that focus on building understanding of what culturally responsive teaching is and why it is essential to improved achievement outcomes for Black students. Beyond providing a theoretical framework and research base, participants examine ways to be intentional in helping diverse learners gather, process, store, and retrieve/apply academic content.
     
    Specifically, PD participants are provided resources to plan, implement, reflect upon, and adapt instructional approaches that incorporate cultural assets and experiences of Black students for increased engagement and learning through a 6Ms framework:
     
    • Meaning—curricula, materials, and learning tasks that are purposeful and relevant
    • Models—exemplars and other scaffolds that signal high expectations
    • Monitoring—informal assessment before, throughout, and after instruction
    • Mouth—structures and processes for students to process content through talking
    • Music—strategies and processes for auditory processing of content
    • Movement—strategies and structures to help students process content kinesthetically
    Supporting Data
    Partnership with Community Tampa Bay
     

    Quality of Education – Student Discipline (Behavior)
     
    Suspension Report
    The indicator of discipline required as a goal in the FDOE School Improvement Plan template is suspensions, both out-of-school and in-school suspensions. Pinellas County Schools’ Assessment, Accountability, and Research (AAR) Department has developed yearly suspension reports since 2006. A supplemental suspension report is compiled to specifically compare black and non-black students. These reports are based on historically archived data on a date certain for each report. The main report includes changes from the previous year and these reports are the most consistent and reliable suspension data available. All the suspension reports are posted on the district AAR website and the links to all of the current and past year reports can be found with the supporting data below.
     
    The 2014-15 Main Out-of-School Suspension Report indicates that the total number of black student suspensions decreased by 863, from 9,759 in 2014 to 8,896 in 2015. The total number of unique individual black students suspended decreased by 258, from 4,089 in 2014 to 3,831 in 2015. This report also disaggregates suspensions by race by grade levels. Additional reports for individual schools detailing total black student suspensions and individual black students suspended are also included below. All suspension reports can be found on the PCS Research and Accountability web page at the link below.
     
    Supporting Data
    Disciplinary Reassignments and Expulsions
     
    The Area Superintendent Offices have developed summary reports related to reassignments and expulsions. Disaggregated data by race is included for the past five years. The total number of student reassignments decreased by 21 students, from 521 in 2011 to 500 in 2015. The total number of black students reassigned increased by 23 students, from 235 in 2011 to 258 in 2015. The total number of student expulsions increased by 9, from 20 in 2014 to 29 in 2015. The total number of black student expulsions decreased by 4, from 13 in 2014 to 9 in 2015.
     
    Supporting Data

    School Improvement Plans
     
    As required by the MOU, each school is to include data on black student discipline relative to white and other students in general, behavioral strategies and interventions to improve student behavior and school-based individuals responsible for implementation.
     
    Supporting Data
    Information on the Bradley MOU SIP goal requirements and the 2014-15 SIP Template can be found above in the Student Achievement section of this report.
     
    Schoolwide Behavior Plans and Positive Behavior Support Implementation
    To address the needs of all schools for eliminating challenging behaviors and replacing them with positive and proactive social skills that support learning for all students, the Pinellas School District has adopted Positive Behavior Supports. In 2001, The National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) reported,
    Positive Behavioral Support (PBS) is an empirically validated, function-based approach to eliminate challenging behaviors and replace them with pro-social skills. Use of PBS decreases the need for more intrusive or aversive interventions (i.e., punishment or suspension) and can lead to both systemic as well as individualized change.
    PBS can target an individual student or an entire school, as it does not focus exclusively on the student, but also includes changing environmental variables such as the physical setting, task demands, curriculum, instructional pace and individualized reinforcement. Thus it is successful with a wide range of students, in a wide range of contexts, with a wide range of behaviors.
    Blending behavioral science, empirically validated procedures, durable systems change and an emphasis on socially important outcomes, PBS always involves data-based decision making using functional behavioral assessment and ongoing monitoring of intervention impact.
     
    All PCS School Based Leadership Teams (SBLT) have participated in training on problem solving to build their capacity to implement a core level (Tier 1) school wide behavior plan grounded in the principles of PBS and positively supporting all students. Schools submit action plans for school-wide and classroom level behavior systems via the School-Wide Behavior Plan (SWBP) to their Area Superintendent early in the first semester of the school year. This year those initial plans were due on August 21, 2015. Because outcome data indicate that some interventions described in some SWBPs have not sufficiently reduced identified barriers, a system of intensive support for the 2015-16 school year is being implemented.
     
    1. Fidelity of PBS Implementation: Extensive professional development to reinforce the concepts of PBS was provided by the Florida PBS Project at the University of South Florida for the 28 schools identified as “priority” schools (Azalea MS, Bardmoor ES, Bear Creek ES, Belleair ES, Blanton ES, Campbell Park ES, Dunedin ES, Fairmount Park ES, Gulfport ES, High Point ES, John Hopkins MS, Lakewood ES, Largo MS, Lealman Avenue ES, Lynch ES, Maximo ES, Meadowlawn MS, Melrose ES, Mildred Helms ES, New Heights ES, North Shore ES, Pinellas Park ES, Pinellas Park MS, Ponce de Leon ES, Sandy Lane ES, Seventy-fourth Street ES, Tarpon Springs ES, and Tyrone MS). Twenty-four hours of professional development was provided during the 2014-15 school year in seven sessions.
     
    The priority schools are currently engaging in a continuation of that professional development and support from the Florida PBS team, with a focus this school year on Tier 2 problem solving on schools’ own outcome data and survey results.
     
    In addition, the five “Scale Up for Success” schools (Campbell Park ES, Fairmount Park ES, Lakewood ES, Maximo ES, and Melrose ES) are receiving more intensive coaching and support for action planning and implementation of school-wide behavior/classroom management interventions aligned with Positive Behavior Supports from The New Teacher Project.
     
    Every school will document the fidelity of their Behavior Leadership Team and the problem-solving School-Based Leadership team by submitting meeting agenda and minutes to their Area Superintendent monthly. Meeting minutes will be reviewed and feedback provided on fidelity and the effectiveness of the activities of the school team.
     
    In the 2015-16 school year, principals are required to consult with and gain approval from their Area Superintendent prior to suspending any student for more than 10 days within a semester. Schools may be referred to the district’s Triage and Training team, composed of district student services personnel, for assistance with revising the school-wide behavior plan if necessary.
     
    2. School-Wide Behavior Plan: The School-Wide Behavior Plan has been reviewed and modified for 2015-16 to strengthen its support for positive behavior supports and to make data-based problem solving more evident. The revised template includes more explicit guiding questions for each area of the plan, as well as prompts and dropdown menus to ensure compliance with every required area, including the development of specific interventions for addressing discrepancies between the number of referrals and in- and out-of-school suspensions for Black and Non-Black students. Schools were provided with the guiding questions and expectations early in the summer, but submitted their plans to an on-line database. Each plan is reviewed and analyzed by a district MTSS Specialist and Area Superintendent and explicit feedback is provided with the expectation that goals and action plans will be revised accordingly.
     
    The Area MTSS Specialists engage in on-going discipline data review and classroom walkthroughs with particular attention to the collection of classroom management data, and provide face-to-face feedback during school-wide walkthroughs regularly scheduled by the Area Superintendents and the Executive Directors of Elementary, Middle, and High Schools. For the Scale Up for Success schools, additional data is being collected and analyzed by the district’s Assessment, Accountability, and Research department. Analysis is provided to district leadership to drive support.
     
    In addition to outcome data on referrals and suspensions, implementation data is obtained by all schools through the PBS Implementation Checklist (PIC), a self-report on implementation completed in October and February of each year, and the Benchmarks of Quality (BOQ).
    The Benchmarks of Quality (BOQ) assesses progress on development and implementation of school -wide Positive Behavior Supports. This document is completed by school teams at the end of each school year to identify areas of strength and weakness. The BOQ is used by the district to guide technical assistance and training in ten critical elements of PBS (the PBS Team, faculty Commitment, Effective Procedures, Data Entry Plan, expectations, Reward Programs, Lesson Plans, Implementation Plan, Evaluation, and Classroom Systems). These data are also used to identify model schools and to evaluate outcomes related to level of implementation. Schools reaching the 70% level overall or for individual critical elements are considered to be implementing with fidelity.
     
    Included below is a summary of the Benchmarks of Quality assessment used to monitor implementation of PBS including the specific benchmarks assessed in each of ten critical elements. Also included are graphs aggregating the BOQ responses across all participating schools.
     
    For the 2015-16 school year, every PCS school is required to submit the “Tier 1 PBS Implementation Checklist” to their Area Superintendent monthly. Analysis of those reports, which document observations and compliance with the SWBP, will guide the allocation of additional coaching and support.
     
    3. Coaching Support: In order to ensure continuous support to schools, district MTSS Specialists will provide twelve hours of formal professional development during the 2015-16 school year to school-based MTSS coaches focused on facilitation and coaching skills for school-wide behavior systems and classroom management, and the design and implementation of culturally responsive behavioral instruction and interventions. District MTSS Specialists also continue to provide individual schools with on-going assistance for data-driven decision making, structure and function of the School-Based Leadership Team, and development and function of school behavior teams for full implementation of PBS.
     
    4. District-wide Professional Development: Area MTSS Specialists are certified Positive and Proactive Classroom Management trainers and trainers of coaches and provide district-wide classroom management professional development for teachers and other staff at all schools. Fifty schools participated in “Coaching Classroom Management” professional development in the summer of 2015. Schools also participate individually in classroom management training using materials developed by the MTSS Specialists, and opportunities for other sessions will be scheduled during the school year. All training offered/sponsored by the district MTSS team is strongly aligned with Positive Behavior Supports.
     
    Supporting Data
    Quality of Education – Programs and Classes
     
    School Improvement Plans
    Each school is to include data relative to assignment of students by race to exceptional education programs, accelerated classes, countywide programs, AVID, and/or gifted programs, means and methods to achieve continuous improvement and school-based staff responsible for implementation. Individual schools selected the type of courses or programs to address in their SIP based on the programs and courses offered at the school. Some schools may have addressed magnet or fundamental programs, while others addressed accelerated course participation or students assigned to exceptional student education programs.
     
    Supporting Data
    Information on the Bradley MOU SIP goal requirements and the 2015-16 SIP Template can be found above in the Student Achievement section of this report.
     
    Exceptional Student Education (ESE) Classes (including EBD and Gifted)
    2014-15 District ESE participation data is compiled in February of each school year after the start of the second semester and will be included in the March Bradley MOU Report.
     
    Accelerated Classes
     
    Enrollment of students in accelerated classes is compiled in February of each school year after the start of the second semester and will be included in the March Bradley MOU Report. These courses include middle school advanced, middle school honors, Algebra I in middle school, high school honors, high school dual enrollment and high school Advanced Placement (AP).
     
    District Application Programs (DAP) (Magnets, Fundamentals, Career Academies)
     
    A category for tracking enrollment and dismissal in these programs is included in the FOCUS student information system to provide more precise data by application program.
     
    The application and acceptance period for district application programs was conducted in January and February of 2015 for the 2015-2016 school year and parents have the ability to make late applications during the remainder of the school year, summer, and into the next school year.
     
    A proximity preference is included in the School Board Policy for the application program process to give students living nearest to schools with some of these programs, located in predominantly black neighborhoods a priority for open seats. The proximity preference is applied after the feeder patterns, sibling and/or professional courtesy preferences already in existence have been applied.
     
    In the 2013-2014 school year, the district opened six new magnet programs (4 middle and 2 elementary). An additional four new magnet programs were opened for the 2015-2016 school year. Due in part to the new programs, but continuing a multi-year trend the total number of applications, invitations and acceptances was up again in 2015. Black students mirrored this trend, showing significant increases in applications (785 on top of an increase of 845 in 2014), invitations (726 on top of an increase of 362 in 2014), and acceptances (610 on top of an increase of 209 in 2014). The percentage of black students that applied that were accepted was 22.8% up from 18% in 2014 compared to 24.8% up from 23% in 2014 for all applicants. This acceptance rate is nearing equity as it should be since the application and invitation process is random. This is likely due to district efforts to make sure that black families are aware that they must log back in during the acceptance period to accept any invitations. This has been accomplished through effective communications during the acceptance period.
     
    Since the 2012-13 school year, students exiting from magnet and fundamental programs were tracked within the FOCUS Student Information System in the application programs exit reason data element. This provides a mechanism to monitor students exiting from these programs by race and dismissal reason. Data for the total number of dismissals in the student information system by reason for exit is provided for the past two years. In the first year, schools did not always enter this new data element. But in the 2013-2104 school year, the Student Information System was programmed to prompt dismissal data entry for exit date and exit reason prior to completing the withdrawal process in an effort to increase the reliability of this reporting. This resulted in a noticeable increase in the number of dismissals reported.
     

    In 2014, the dismissal data was reported in aggregate for all years since 2012-2013. Since that time, we have developed a method to report only individual year dismissals. Below are the DAP Exit Data for the 2013-2014 school year and the 2014-2015 school year reported separately.
     
    The total number of DAP Dismissals increased from 389 in 2013-2014 to 421 in 2014-2015. Black student dismissals increased from 131 in 2013-2014 to 142 in 2014-2015, but the total percentage of all dismissals of black students remained 33.7% compared to 66.3% for non-black students.
     
    Supporting Data
    Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID)
     
    The AVID program included 35 secondary schools in 2014-2015, the 16 traditional high schools and 19 traditional middle schools and seven elementary schools.
     
    Enrollment of students in AVID classes is compiled in February of each school year after the start of the second semester and will be included in the March Bradley MOU Report.
     
    Administrative Staff Assignment and Faculty
     
    The district is committed to continue support of minority administrative staff assignments at all school levels, in central administration, and in the general geographic apportionment that are at least as equitable as levels that existed in the 1998-1999 school year.
    The district is also commitment to continue support of minority instructional staff assignments at all school levels and in the general geographic apportionment. The district will maintain a “critical shortage” designation of black teachers so long as the percentage of black students within the district is two or more points higher than the percentage of black teachers.
     
    Supporting Report:
    Administrative Staff Assignment and Faculty
    Administrative Interviews