From an analysis of the data, observations of schools, and interviews with district officials, the site visit committee makes the following recommendations, by content area, that they might serve as a planning tool to assist school district personnel in their overall school improvement efforts.
LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT
A review of the perception data and organizational chart lead the site visit committee to recommend that serious consideration be given to a major redesign of the administrative organization at the senior central level and the accountability system for all school employees. The span of responsibility for some adminis-trators seems overwhelming, while for others, it would appear to be too narrow.
In addition, there appears to be a lack of congruity between the expertise of some central office personnel and their areas of responsibility. The committee recommends a serious review of qualifications and backgrounds of individuals holding administrative and support positions. The line-staff relationships at times exhibit too many layers of bureaucracy. The current structure where subordinates report to more than one superordinate appears to be unrealistic, unproductive, and ineffective.
Finally, in top personnel positions as defined by position, authority, and/or salary, the district appears to employ mostly males. In school districts with similar populations, approximately 29 percent of top personnel positions are filled by female administrators. The Marion County School District needs to focus on employing and promoting more women and minorities into positions of authority. There does appear to be equal emphasis, however, on recruiting male and female students for specialized and advanced academic programs and courses throughout the district.
A system-wide strategic plan does not appear to exist. In its absence, there is no focus or direction for principals and school advisory councils on which to establish long-range priorities for their individual school improvement plans. It is recommended that a system-wide long-range strategic plan be developed.
COMMUNICATIONS
The site visit committee encountered ample evidence, both from data review and from first-hand observations, that communications throughout the Marion County School District have not achieved effectiveness levels. Among the three stake-holder groups, parents seem the most affected by ineffective communications.
The basis for effective communication is accurate and timely information. A formalized plan to communicate the district's goals and objectives, the progress toward achieving these goals and objectives, the progress of students, the good health of the school district environment, and all other strengths and achievements of the district contribute to the school district's positive image in the community and the level of trust accorded to the school institution. The district's formalized communication plan, under the direct supervision of the Superintendent, should be designed to include a regular reporting timeline, to occur not less often than once each year.
In order to deliver accurate and timely information to all school district constituents, the site visit committee recommends that the Management Information System Office improve its overall ability to describe school district results using data. Specifically, the vital functions of data collection, analysis, and distribution must be established, under the direct supervision of the Superintendent. In addition, regulations need to be established to keep data collection consistent, credible, and pertinent.
Additionally, the Management Information Staff needs to improve its ability to interpret data to be used by decision makers throughout the school district to improve student achievement. Availability of accurate, meaningful data should be the basis of school-based decision making. Specifically, we recommend that the following functions be established related to the use of data:
A school by school accountability program should be adopted, based on the demographic characteristics of each school, with special attention to the disaggregation of data in the areas of high mobility and school standards. Individual school standards should be established under the direct supervision of the Superintendent, with timely reporting to the Board of Education of progress toward achieving individual building standards.
In order to build greater confidence in the school district and to ensure trust relationships among all stakeholders, we recommend that the administration make a yearly public accountability report, based on the educational standards included in this audit, to be prepared and disseminated to the Board of Education and general public.
It is recommended that the school district develop a systemic plan to improve internal communications within this large, county-wide institution. Particular attention should be given to articulation between grade levels and subject areas. Serious consideration should be given to engaging the services of experts in internal communication. The audit visit committee recommends adoption of a process known as the Communication Audit, developed by the Organizational Communication Division of the International Communication Association (ICA), available through major universities.
SCHOOL BOARD POLICY
In Section II, School System Policies and Leadership Programs, is a notation of all 26 Board of Education policies most often associated with effective schools. Please refer to this portion of the Marion County report for an in-depth analysis and recommendations regarding those policies which should be adopted as the foundation on which to build practices that lead to effectiveness.
After careful review of the Board of Education Policy Manual, the site visit committee notes that, with the exception of the charter school policy, the majority of Board policies were adopted in the late 1980s.
It is recommended that the Superintendent direct appropriate personnel, to include the school district attorney and/or the Florida State School Boards Association, to codify all Board policies. It would appear that action was taken to adopt Board policies since the late 1980s, but the action has not been officially recorded. A review of Board of Education meeting minutes would be appropriate.
In addition, the Superintendent and Board of Education should consider designing a plan for the periodic review of Board policy. Once designed, the Superin-tendent should consider training all appropriate school district personnel in the use and applications of Board policy.
Finally, placing a copy of all adopted Board policies on a read-only, local area network, for access by all relevant school personnel would facilitate future policy updates and reviews and ensure uniform implementation of existing and newly-adopted items.
TEACHING AND LEARNING
The vast majority of students in the Marion County School District are students who do not have identified special needs and have not taken college entrance examinations. Clear evidence exists that the cognitive ability of students "in the middle" in the Marion County School District is not being fully developed:
Further evidence from the data indicate that, in some cases, incongruence exists in the performance of elementary and middle students taking norm-referenced reading and mathematics tests. Whereas the general trend in the elementary grades is for student achievement in mathematics to surpass achievement in reading, that general trend in high school is reversed, as measured in the percent of students passing the communications and mathematics portions of the High School Competency Test.
According to cognitive development theory, there should be closer parity among student achievement profiles. Therefore, the school district should continue its efforts at early intervention strategies in reading. In addition, a variety of teaching approaches should be utilized, including direct instruction of discrete skills, experiential, literature based, computer-assisted instruction, and others.
From the analysis of achievement test data, we recommend a complete review of the scope and sequence of the K-12 curriculum. It is further recommended that the Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum establish a procedure for on-going review to take place and to make necessary curricular changes on a timely basis.
The district is at a crossroads concerning the mission of the middle school program. Insufficient classroom space, in at least one case, caused a middle school to develop a schedule that is based upon a junior high school model. It is strongly recommended that student-focused middle schools be preserved and augmented.
The audit visit committee observed that some class sizes (pupil/teacher ratio) appear uneven and may exceed the parameters established in Board policy. In addition, reductions in staffing have resulted in changes in the middle school concept to the point where, in some cases, the middle school more closely resembles its predecessor, the junior high school.
It is recommended that the libraries be updated through the upgrading and expansion of technology, increasing internet access, replacing and adding to the collections of books and periodicals, and by upgrading multi-media capabilities.
Although the site visit committee observed extensive use of audio-visual technology, less emphasis appears to currently be placed on use of personal computers and related educational software to augment the curriculum. In many places, the site visit committee noted the availability of computers in the classroom but little student activity surrounding them.
The committee recommends continuous updating of hardware and software, intra- and internet access for the entire school district, and integration of relevant technologies into the curriculum (supported by teacher training and revised courses of study). In addition, the committee notes the need to examine relevant application of emerging voice data and video transmission technologies.
Many students in the Marion County School District do not have access to computers at home. It is important for the future learning needs of students to develop appropriate computer laboratories, to provide teacher training opportunities to maximize the integration of technology into the classroom, to provide transportation to and from computer facilities where necessary, and to permit computers to be "checked out" for home use, especially for those students eligible for free and reduced price lunch.
In addition, the district's mobile population and the increasing presence of some children without stable homes lead to the conclusion the district should work with the private sector to establish homework centers where children who lack reasonable home study environments can receive assistance.
The number of students enrolled in Advanced Placement classes is below the cohort average of similar student populations. It is recommended that students in the elementary schools, middle schools, and in grades 9 and 10 be identified and encouraged to participate in enrichment opportunities and later in AP classes. Particular attention should be given to the recruitment of minority students for advanced study.
The grades 9-12, cumulative district drop-out rate is an alarmingly high 17.52%. Efforts to reduce the number of dropouts are in place, but the district-wide plan to reduce the number is not working. It is recommended that the dropout programs in the middle schools and high schools be examined, e.g., TOPS at Belleview Middle School and SEA at Belleview High School. From that review, it is recommended that the district develop a district-wide plan to identify and place students in the dropout program.
Additionally, the site visit committee found no statistical data about the success rates for specific dropout prevention programs. It is recommended that the district put in place data gathering and reporting mechanisms such that the major district stakeholders are periodically made aware of the successes and challenges of dropout prevention programs.
Finally, the Storefront serves a valuable need for students who dropped out and chose to re-enter the school system. Over 300 students received diplomas as a result of the Storefront, but the current waiting list for the preferred time of day exceeds 100 potential students. The site visit committee recommends that the program be expanded to meet the larger identified need.
The non-weighted grade point average of the most recent graduating class was 2.7762. The average in the cohort group is 2.4; the effectiveness level among similar populations is 2.2. In order to reduce the existing grade inflation, the district should adopt grading standards that reward high quality student work, a standard which will raise expectations for all students.
FACILITIES
There are currently 472 portable classrooms in the Marion County Public Schools. It would appear that these temporary facilities are considered permanent among some constituents. Isolation of staff housed in these temporary structures is apparent, with negative implications for creating a cohesive team, supporting internal communications, and ensuring staff and student safety.
In accordance with Florida law and Board of Education action, a plan is in place to reduce the number of portable classrooms, with concurrent attention to eliminating overcrowding in some school buildings. The long-range capital funding component of the Marion County plan, based on projections about increases in student population, needs to be among the highest priorities for the school district.
It is recommended that there be a comprehensive, county-wide review of class size, and that a local plan be established for its reduction. (Example: teachers of English who require regular written work cannot sustain peak performance when the average class size exceeds 30 students.)
It is particularly important to address class size in the primary grades (PreK-3). Principals and teachers need to be able to focus on the several programs in the district that have been established to maximize student achievement.
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