Report on Progress - August 2016

• 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

•  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
•  Data to support the above using district data systems

• 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

• 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.

• Discussion of progress achieved on points of understanding in Memorandum of Understanding

• The FSA assessment for English Language Arts (formerly called “Reading”) shows black students narrowing the achievement gap at each grade level compared to the previous years under the FCAT assessment.

• The 2016 FSA ELA results show consistent proficiency rates overall for black students, though some promising gains are seen in grades 3-5. While the scores for black students are relatively constant, the proficient rates for non-black students have decreased somewhat under the more rigorous state assessment.

•  These changes have resulted in a decrease in the achievement gap in ELA-Reading from a 36- point gap in 2013 to a 29-point gap in 2016 (a 7 percentage point improvement).

• The largest increase in proficiency for black students in ELA-Reading is found in Grades 9 and 10, which had been at 21% in 2013 and now is at 26% for 2016.

• The new FSA assessment for Math shows black students with an even stronger narrowing of the achievement gap at each grade level compared to the previous years under the FCAT math assessment.

• The FSA Math results show an increase in proficiency among black students (compared to previous years of FCAT results) in both elementary (an increase from 22.1% in 2013 to 38.9% in 2016) and middle school (an increase from 18.5% in 2013 to 25.1% in 2016). Again, this follows a three-year period of math proficiency results that were relatively constant, whereas the current, more difficult, FSA yielded lower scores statewide.
  

•  The overall growth in math proficiency among black students has been strong and consistent and the narrowing of the achievement gap has been steady, dropping from a 36.8% gap in 2013 to a 30.1% gap in 2016 (a nearly 7 percent improvement).

• Among elementary schools, 91% earned an A, B or C grade.

• Among middle schools, 86% earned an A, B or C grade.

• Among high schools, 94% earned an A, B or C grade.

•  The number of F schools dropped from seven to two.

•  Twenty-two schools maintained an A grade.

• Five of the seven schools in the Transformation Zone improved their letter grade.

• Seven schools improved from a D grade to a C: Bear Creek, Lealman Avenue, Ponce de Leon, Rawlings, Seventy-Fourth Street and Woodlawn elementary schools and Tyrone Middle School.

•  Azalea Elementary improved from a B to an A.

• Belleair Elementary School improved from a D to B.

• Maximo elementary and Sandy Lane Elementary improved from an F to a C.

•  Increased opportunities for teachers to attend standards-based professional development targeting reading and math;

• Additional funds to all schools to further expand extended learning opportunities before, during, and after school hours;

•  Increased opportunities for more students to attend Summer Bridge to narrow learning gaps;

•  Supplemental reading and math technology programs that can be used at home, in the community, and via before/after school programs;

• Additional support sessions throughout the summer of 2016 assisting schools with targeted strategies to build effective school improvement plans targeting black students;

• Additional supports for our neediest schools through the Scale Up for Success initiative and new Transformation Zone. Ongoing research and evaluation regarding what is working best in these schools for “at-risk” students;

• Increased training and school improvement initiatives to support student mentoring programs such as Peer Mentoring Program, Lunch Pals, 5000 Role Models Program, and 21st Century iClass Program.

• Increase the number of black students participating in the Pinellas Talent Identification Program to promote high achieving 7th grade students in taking the SAT.

•  Continue to pay for all 8th, 9th, and 10th grade PSAT exams regardless of need.

•  Implement a universal screening for gifted services to all second graders for 2016-17.

•  Continue to screen all Emotional Behavior Disorder (EBD) students for gifted services.

•  Increased family engagement structures and processes tied to the Dual-Capacity Framework from Dr. Karen Mapp, Harvard University expanding from specifically identified schools to include all schools in these research-based programs;

•   Increased the number of Parent University sessions to support academics.

•  Provided 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;

•  Utilize the automated report after each grading period to inform course failures disaggregated for black/non-black students and by school - shared with school and district leadership for intentional progress monitoring;

• Continue to increase 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;

•  Continue to monitor progress of black students for placement into intervention / credit recovery programs as soon as needed;

• Continue to expand participation of black students in STEM clubs and other enrichment activities.

•  Increased recruitment and retention bonuses for turnaround schools.

•  Expanded AVID programs to include 13 elementary schools.

• Provide debriefing meetings with individual principals and district leadership to review data and to review components within their School Improvement Plans;

• Differentiate staffing models including both instructional, non-instructional, and support staff;

• Differentiate 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

• Implement specific research-based intervention programs with fidelity in each school site;

• Implement a curriculum vetting process to examine supplemental reading and math programs with proven success rates with minority children;

•  Expand professional development opportunities for all staff members focused on the implementation of the identified interventions as well as schoolwide behavior strategies;

•  Protect hiring practices to ensure highly qualified teaching staffs are in place;

•  Replace teachers and administrators who have not shown a strong record of student performance increases;

•  Expand pool of teachers and administrators who have strong turnaround competencies;

•  Increase monitoring practices at both district and school levels;

•  Expand opportunities for students to attend Summer Bridge academic programs;

•  Expand opportunities for students to take home computers for academic practice and engagement before, during, and after school (Beyond the Classroom Initiative);

• Continue to provide 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;

• Utilize the automated report after each grading period to inform course failures disaggregated for black/non-black students and by school and shared with school and district leadership for intentional progress monitoring;

• Continue to increase 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;

•  Continue to increase the number of family academic engagement opportunities provided by schools with district monitoring processes;

•  Continue to monitor progress of black students for placement into intervention / credit recovery programs as soon as needed;

•  Continue to expand participation of black students in STEM clubs and other enrichment activities.

•  Screen all students in the Transformation Zone for gifted services.

•  Continue to pay for all 8th, 9th, and 10th grade PSAT exams regardless of need.

•  Offer administration of the ACT and SAT during the school year for 2016-17.

•  Expand AVID elementary sites to 15 schools.

•  Differentiated staffing models to support schools as needed;
•  Additional wrap-around services to support students as needed;
•  Dedicated training around teaching strategies, school culture and parent engagement.
•  Updated data systems to provide student progress data in real-time.
• On-site monitoring and coaching from the Transformation Zone Team.

• 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.

•  In Grade 3 ELA, four out of the five Scale Up schools saw increased proficiency rates.

• In Grade 4 ELA, four out of the five Scale Up schools saw increased proficiency rates.

•  In Grade 5 ELA, three out of the five Scale Up schools saw increased proficiency rates.

•  In Grade 3 Math, all five Scale Up schools saw increased proficiency rates. The largest increase was at Melrose Elementary School, 11% to 31% proficient.

•  In Grade 4 Math, four out of the five schools saw increased proficiency rates. The largest increase was at Lakewood Elementary School, 14% to 34%. Lakewood also had the highest proficiency rate among the five schools.

• In Grade 5 Math, four out of the five schools saw increased proficiency rates. The largest increase was at Maximo Elementary School, 12% to 35%. Maximo also had the highest proficiency rate among the five schools and showed the most overall growth among the five schools.

•  All 7 schools ranked in the 74th percentile and above for growth in OVERALL math and ELA proficiency among all elementary schools in Florida.

•  All 7 schools ranked in the 74th percentile and above for growth in math proficiency among all elementary schools in Florida (1,725 traditional elementary schools took part in FSA Math).

• 4 of the 7 schools ranked in the 90th percentile and above for growth in math proficiency among all elementary schools.

• All 7 schools ranked in the 73rd percentile and above for growth in ELA proficiency among all elementary schools in Florida (1,660 traditional elementary schools took part in the FSA ELA).

•  3 of the 7 schools ranked in the 90th percentile and above for growth in ELA proficiency among all elementary schools.

•  5 of the 7 schools improved a letter grade and two schools (Maximo Elementary and Sandy Lane Elementary) improved TWO letter grades from an F to a C.

•  4 of the 7 schools showed impressive learning gains among their most struggling readers, with more than 50% of those readers making gains on the FSA ELA test from 2015 to 2016. Two schools (Lakewood Elementary and Campbell Park Elementary) ranked among the top 10 elementary schools in Pinellas County (out of more than 70 schools) for growth among their lowest quartile readers.

• 2013-2016 FSA ELA-Math Proficiency Charts
•  2013-2016 data report for ELA-Reading, by school
•  2013-2016 data report for Math, by school
•  2016 – PCS School Grades Cell Data
•  2016 – Transformation Zone Academic Trends
• 2016 – Scale Up for Success – Final Year 2 Evaluation

• Boca Ciega, Countryside, Dunedin, Gibbs, Osceola, Seminole and Tarpon Springs High Schools demonstrated notable growth in all students taking AP courses, with Boca Ciega, Dunedin, Gibbs, Osceola, Seminole, St. Petersburg and Tarpon Springs also seeing significant or continued increases in black students sitting for AP exams.

• *A significant decline in AP exams taken appears to be taking place at Clearwater High School, but it is important to note that this is offset by the exponential growth of the Cambridge/AICE program. While AP course offerings have decreased in the last year, AICE course offerings have multiplied. The number of AICE exams administered by Clearwater High School increased from 596 exams in 2015 to 1177 exams in 2015-16. This increase far surpasses the decrease in AP exams administered. As mentioned previously, these numbers have to be inspected with consideration to other offerings and overall school enrollment.

• Longitudinal AP Exam Whole Group Report – This report shows the growth of the AP program in Pinellas County Schools from 2006 to 2016, providing the number of test takers, the number of exams taken, the number of exams which earned a score of 3-5 and the percentage of scores that earned a score of 3-5. When reviewing 2016 compared to 2015, PCS tested an additional 104 students on an additional 801 exams and increased the percentage of students scoring 3-5 by 2.7 percentage points.

•   Longitudinal AP Exam Black Subgroup Report- This report shows the change in the number black students who sit for at least one AP exam annually from 2014 through 2016. From the bar graph you can see that PCS has steadily increased the number of black students sitting for AP exams during this time.

•   3 Year AP Exam Comparison All High Schools - This report is broken into three sections, each providing a comparison of the whole group, the black subgroup and the low socioeconomic subgroup. The reader should note that it is increasingly challenging to review the data to draw legitimate conclusions for the low socioeconomic group due to the implementation of the

• Section 1 illustrates the number of individual students who have taken AP exams for the last three years. While the 1 year increase in total test takers was 1.6%, the 1 year increase in African American test takers was significantly larger at 6.3%, which reflects the very intentional efforts for recruitment into the AVID program and individualized counseling for students who demonstrate potential for success in AP courses as measured by their PSAT results.

• Section 2 illustrates the number of AP exams taken for the last 3 years. The 1 year increase in AP exams taken for the whole group is 7.3%, while the 1 year increase in exams taken by African American students is 11.1%.

• Section 3 illustrates the number of AP exams that earned a score of 3 or higher. This score is important because when a student scores of 3 or higher on an AP exam, it articulates to college credit when they report their score to the public college or university in which they enroll in the state of Florida (as well as most public universities beyond Florida). The increase in the scores of 3 or higher for the whole group is 14% and the increase for African American students was comparable at 13.2%.

•   Longitudinal Dual Enrollment Report

• Assemblies are held annually 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.
  

•   Enhanced AP potential data reports added race and gender identifiers in fall 2015 to systematically identify minority and other underrepresented students for courses and programs of rigor. Plans for the 2016-17 school year continue the previous year’s efforts aiming for 100% of black students who demonstrate potential in an AP subject offered at their school to be enrolled in a college-level course. This strategy includes small group and individualized counseling efforts with the PCS expectation that every black student demonstrating AP potential is personally counseled regarding their potential and their course selections. Advanced Studies staff assists with 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 significant 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 (minority and low socioeconomic status) 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. Focused and individualized attention is given to the black students identified through these reports as part of the scheduling process in preparation for the upcoming school year.

• 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.

• The AP Teacher Professional Learning Community (PLC) calendar is in place for the upcoming school year and has been communicated to all AP teachers. These PLC meetings 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.
  

• The Advanced Studies staff assignments have been adjusted to provide more intentional support to teachers at each level. Two instructional staff developers will work with our K-8 schools with two instructional staff developers working with our high schools.

• The high school staff developers are responsible for assessing the needs of AP teachers and AVID elective teachers and providing professional development in the identified areas of need. Additionally, they will provide schools with onsite support for the identification and recruitment of 11th graders to take the PSAT/NMSQT, the routine use of SATpractice.org (the official site for SAT practice as designed by Khan Academy in partnership with the College Board), and support of school counselors in understanding the various components of college admissions and counseling.

• The K-8 staff developers are responsible for assessing the needs of middle school teachers of high school courses, middle school AVID elective teachers and elementary school AVID Grade Level teachers. They will support the school wide plans for improving students’ organizational and study skills while building a college-going culture and provide professional development in the identified areas of need. Additionally, they will provide schools with onsite support for understanding how to use PSAT 8/9 data, and support of school counselors in understanding the vertical articulation of AVID from elementary to middle school.

• All Advanced Studies instructional 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.

• The Leadership for College Readiness workshop, which was held in summer 2014 and summer 2015, will be provided for school teams in June 2017 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 ensure 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.

a) Data on black student achievement relative to white and other students in general included in the development of an Academic Achievement Gap goal for Black students (See graphic following).

b) Instructional strategies and interventions including actions, activities and evidence to measure progress towards improving black student achievement

c) Identification of school-based individuals responsible for implementation

d) Analysis by the schools and the District administration as to the effectiveness of the strategies and interventions at the school

• School Improvement Form 2016-17
• School Improvement Plan Evaluation Tool

• 2015-16 Funding Comparison per FTE
  
• 2015-16 Expenditures by Weighted FTE
  

• 2015-16 Main Out-of-School Suspension Report
• 2015-16 Out-of-School Suspension Reasons
• 2015-16 Total Number of Suspensions - Black vs. Non-Black
• 2015-16 Individual Suspensions – Black vs. Non-Black
• 2015-16 In-School Suspension Reasons

• 2015-16 Reassignment and Expulsion Summary

• Student Arrests by Month

Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS)

• The revised MTSS Implementation Guide (MIG) will be used by ALL schools to define school- based process for problem solving/MTSS.

• All School-based MTSS/RtI coaches/facilitators were provided training, support and resources -- District Wide Training (DWT) -- on MTSS roles and responsibilities as they relate to overseeing the effective implementation of SIP.

• The Self-Assessment of MTSS (SAM) will be administered in the fall of 2016-17 to collect baseline data which will guide implementation and fidelity of MTSS in ALL schools.

•  The Self-Assessment of MTSS (SAM), spring administration, will self-assess year-long progress aligned to such data outcomes as ODR, climate surveys and stakeholders’ perception surveys.

• Yammer professional learning platform for MTSS/RtI coaches/facilitators to share best practices, resources and engage in collegial conversations related to effective implementation of MTSS.

Positive Behavior and Interventions Support (PBIS)

• Schoolwide behavior plan (SWBP/PBIS), which integrates ALL the critical components of PBIS (schoolwide expectations/rules, guidelines for success (GFS), plan for teaching prosocial/appropriate student behavior, positive reinforcement for behavior) will be developed and implemented by all schools.

•   Monitoring

• Specific feedback on all schools’ PBIS/SWBP and follow-up site-based support.

• PBS Implementation Checklist (PIC), implemented in the fall and spring and provides school teams a snapshot of where they are in implementation of PBIS.

•   Benchmarks of Quality (BOQ) help school leadership teams to identify areas of success and areas of improvement for the implementation of the critical components of PBIS.

•   Face-to-face training and resources on Restorative Practices (RP) for pilot schools and ALL principals:
  

• Perspective survey to determine principals’ mindset toward discipline (punitive or empathic):

• valuing and understanding students’ experiences and negative feelings that give rise to misbehavior

•   sustaining positive relationships with misbehaving students

• working with students within trusting relationships to improve behavior

• Restorative Principles and Paradigm

• Restorative Practices/Tools:

•   Inclusive Decision Making

• Affective language

•   Restorative dialogue

•  Impromptu conferences

•   Community building circles

•   Responsive classroom and schoolwide circles

•   Face-to-face training and resources for new principals and ALL assistant principals on Rethink School Discipline: Improving School Climate and Discipline Action

• IAT Assessment to uncover racial biases

• Disciplinary Disparities Briefing Paper Series and Supplementary Papers

• Programs, practices and preventive strategies such as RP and de-biasing strategies.

• Yammer professional learning platform for principals and assistant principals to share best practices, resources and engage in collegial conversations related to RP training.

• Training and resources on Tier 2 Restorative Practices which includes:

• Affective Language

• Restorative Dialogue

• Responsive Circles (problem solving and repairing harm)

• Training and resources on Tier 3 Restorative Practices (district-wide pilots) which includes:

•   Restorative Practice Reintegration Plan

• Formal Restorative Conferencing

• Re-entry Protocol

• Alternative Placement Program (APP) which includes providing Social Emotional Learning (SEL) strategies to prepare learner for re-entry

• District plan for preventing disproportionate exclusions of African American Students:

• Exclusionary Practices Reduction Plan (BTG, Goal 4)

• Introduction to Basic Restorative Practices (IIRP, July); for pilot schools

• Disparate Practices in School Discipline (new principals & assistant principals)

• Secure 12 to participate in IIRP: Training of the Trainer (TOT): Introduction to Basic Restorative Practices

• Revised Plan (BTG, Goal 4)

• The Schoolwide Behavior Plan has been incorporated into the 2016-17 district School Improvement Plan. The plan includes guiding questions for each area addressing positive behavior supports and equitable discipline practices, including questions that guide teams to 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.

• The Schoolwide Behavior Plan (SWBP) section of each SIP is reviewed and analyzed by that school’s district MTSS specialist as well as the Area Superintendent. Explicit feedback is provided with the expectation that goals and action plans will be revised accordingly.

• District MTSS Specialists will continue to engage in on-going discipline data review and classroom walkthroughs with particular attention to the collection of classroom management data. They also provide face-to-face feedback during schoolwide Instructional Support Model walkthroughs, subsequent operational meetings, and individually scheduled coaching sessions for school leadership teams.

• District MTSS Specialists provided formal professional development to school-based MTSS and behavior coaches focused on facilitation and coaching skills for schoolwide systems of support, including behavior systems, classroom management, and the design and implementation of culturally responsive behavioral instruction and interventions.

•   School-based MTSS coaches worked to assure that the schoolwide behavior plans provided equitable interventions for student behavior in classrooms.

• School-based coaches will receive training and coaching support for restorative practices to support their facilitation of school change in discipline practices.

• District MTSS team will open on-line site for sharing information, collaborative project development, and just in time communication with school-based coaches.

•   In January, February, and July of 2016, 15-hour Safe and Civil Schools CHAMPS training was provided over two days, open to any employee of the district.

•   Several schools requested and received school-based overview sessions.

• Safe and Civil Schools professional development is currently scheduled over four evening sessions in September 2016. In addition, seven schools requested and received CHAMPS/STOIC overview sessions during 2016-17 school-based professional development days prior to the first day of school.
  

• The Area Superintendents sponsored, participated in, and invited others to participate in a national-level professional development opportunity to provide the foundation for a research- based paradigm shift to restorative, rather than exclusionary, discipline presented by the International Institute for Restorative Practices. In July 2016, 45 district leaders, school leaders, other school staff members, and members of the community participated in this four-day introduction to Restorative Practices.

• Twelve members of the original group in the International Institute for Restorative Practices professional development will be further trained during the second semester of this school year to become district trainers.

• Four schools participating in the summer group (Gibbs High School, Azalea Middle School, Lealman Innovates, and Dunedin Highland Middle School) have been designated “model” schools for restorative practices. They will implement restorative practices throughout the 2016-17 school year and will host information sessions for other schools in their areas.

• All principals will receive the same introduction to restorative practices in their 2016-17 Area Meetings, beginning September 15.

• School Improvement Planning/Key Areas of Growth
• School Culture for Learning Template
• Positive School Climate and Culture Template
• 2013-16 BOQ Chart Elementary Schools
• 2013-16 BOQ Chart Middle Schools
• 2013-16 BOQ Chart High Schools

• 2015-16 Program applications, invitations, and acceptances by ethnicity
• 2015-16 DAP Exit Data

• Administrative Staff Assignment and Faculty
• Recruitment Plan