Sarasota County School District 1999 Audit Benchmark Report December 13, 1999

I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Sarasota County Schools is committed to a program of continuous improvement in conjunction with community partnerships which further that philosophy. To that end, the Argus Foundation, the Community Foundation of Sarasota County, the Sarasota Herald Tribune, the Selby Foundation, and the Venice Foundation commissioned SchoolMatch, an educational research and consulting firm from Columbus, Ohio, to conduct The Audit of Educational Effectiveness in the winter and spring of 1998 (Original Audit).

Further evidence of the commitment of the Sarasota County Schools to continuous improvement can be found in their cooperation with the unified community partners’ decision to benchmark progress in the Sarasota County Schools, at regular intervals after the Original Audit, and to report findings to all Sarasota County Schools’ constituents as a Benchmark Audit.

Commitment to Continuous Improvement

A school district attempts to apply acquired resources (personnel, materials, environments) to the task of improving student achievement (learning, developing cognitive ability, higher student performance). Sarasota County Schools has committed to the analysis of comprehensive data representing student and district outcomes as the basis for decision making across the district. The collection, analysis, and distribution of outcomes data provides the platform for continuous improvement.

In addition, school districts committed to continuous improvement will:

1. Allocate school district resources to meet the identified needs of students.
2. Unify the community in support of school initiatives, and be accountable to the community coalition for district and student outcomes.
3. Develop a partnership with the Board of Education, and commit to an effective funding plan that moves forward the district-wide strategic plan.
4. Survey all constituents on a regular basis to identify emerging needs and to gauge public support for their efforts and outcomes.
5. Recognize excellence in teaching and learning systematically.

The SchoolMatch Benchmarking of Educational Effectiveness: Program and Process of Periodic Reporting

The SchoolMatch 1999 Audit Benchmark Program is based on the analysis of data representing Sarasota County School District’s outcomes from the 1998-99 school year. These outcomes are compared with the outcomes from the Original Audit, using as a foundation the averaged outcomes of similar student populations across the nation (the cohort group, or the mean-matched group) (see The Sarasota County Schools 1998 Audit of Educational Effectiveness, pp. 1-6).

Data analyzed in the 1999 Audit Benchmark Program, as well as data analyzed in the Original Audit, were collected by Sarasota County Schools under the direction of Dr. William Delp, Assistant Superintendent for Pupil Support Services, and facilitated by Carlene Judge, Director of Research, Assessment, and Evaluation, and Kathy Devlin of the Pupil Support Services office. In every category, the Sarasota staff verified not only the data elements but also the definition of the data elements, so that the same data would be compared from report to report, benchmark comparisons would be valid and the results would add to the continuing information resource used as the basis for decision making in the school district.

Changes in some measurement tools, however, have occurred over the past three school years in areas described in the Original Audit and the 1999 Audit Benchmark. The Sarasota County Schools elected to make these changes to improve the data collection process, to improve the kinds of information they could retrieve, or to enhance student achievement. As data and outcomes are presented in the 1999 Audit Benchmark, these changes will be described. The Sarasota County School District administration was invited to comment on changes in some basic measurement tools in the district, since the Original Audit. These comments are included in appropriate sections.

1999 Benchmark Results for the Sarasota County Schools
 

1998-99 Norm-Referenced Testing
CHANGES IN NORM-REFERENCED TESTING

For the past seven years, the Sarasota County School system has been using the National Achievement Test as their norm-referenced assessment. The National Achievement Test’s final year of availability was 1998. Therefore, after considerable study, the Sarasota County Schools elected the Stanford 9 as their new norm-referenced assessment. It was administered for the first time during the 1998-99 school year.

A few months after Sarasota County’s selection of the Stanford 9, the State of Florida followed suit deciding to use the same publisher (Harcourt Brace) as the developer for the state norm-referenced assessment portion of the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT).

Typically, districts experience a drop in overall achievement scores when introducing a new norm-referenced measure, because the tests are not “apples-to-apples” comparisons. However, the Sarasota County Schools appear to the benchmarking consultants to have made this transition virtually unscathed.

There has been a history in the Sarasota County School District, and many districts in the country, of tracking student performance based on race and student ethnicity. SchoolMatch does not maintain databases on race and ethnicity, since it is believed students are better served by comparing average parent education levels, incidence of poverty, and average income levels. Comparing students based on race and ethnicity alone tends to support the fallacy that learning differences are attributable to race or ethnicity.

On the other hand, a review of data provided by the district disaggregated by White, Black, Hispanic, and Low SES student categories does indicate improvement in FCAT scores for Black, Hispanic, and Low SES students during the 1998-99 school year.

This is a positive sign indicating that efforts are being made to improve opportunities for students with the least advantages. Used in this context, the data can be helpful to the district. It is important to note neither SchoolMatch nor the Sarasota County School District are using racial and ethnic data as an excuse for low student performance.

Norm-Referenced Reading

SchoolMatch made its first analysis of the Sarasota County Schools while the district used the National Achievement Test (NAT) to measure student achievement in reading and mathematics, among other areas. The 1997-98 school year was the final year in which the NAT was administered to students in grades two through eight. Commenc-ing with the 1998-99 school year, the district committed to the administration of the Stanford Achievement Test/9 (SAT/9).

Students achieved in reading in the national range of the 58^th-72^nd percentiles as measured by the NAT during the 1997-98 school year. Students achieved in reading in the national range of the 66^th-71^st percentiles as measured by the SAT/9 during the 1998-99 school year.

No significant gain or loss in reading achievement is observed. It is not unusual, nor unexpected, that movement from one standardized, norm-referenced testing program to another may cause a general temporary decline in the measured results. In this particular instance, student outcomes from the NAT confirm similar student outcomes as measured by the SAT/9.

The effectiveness level for the school district in norm-referenced reading has been established at the 70^th national percentile. The performance of some of Sarasota’s student populations has achieved the effectiveness level, as was the condition in the Original Audit. The averaged district performance of all students in reading has surpassed the mean of the 53^rd national percentile for comparison populations in both the Original Audit and the 1999 Audit Benchmark, and approaches the effectiveness level. The school district is commended for these efforts.

Norm-Referenced Mathematics

The NAT was used to measure student achievement in mathematics through the 1997-98 school year. Again, the Stanford 9 was introduced in the district in the 1998-99 school year. Student achievement in mathematics ranged from the 67^th percentile through the 78^th percentile as measured by the NAT in 1997-98. Students achieved in mathematics in the national range of 66^th-77^th percentiles as measured by the SAT/9 during the 1998-99 school year.

The effectiveness level for the school district average in norm-referenced mathematics has been established at the 70^th national percentile. In both the Original Audit and the 1999 Audit Benchmark, some student populations in the Sarasota County Schools have achieved the effectiveness level in mathematics achievement. The mean, or average, of the comparison populations is the 53^rd percentile. Sarasota County students’ average performance on both the NAT through the 1997-98 school year and on the SAT/9 during the 1998-99 school year surpasses the mean for the cohort group, and approaches the effectiveness level. Again, the school district is commended for these efforts.

Criterion-Referenced Tests

In general, norm-referenced tests measure the development of a student’s ability to use acquired skills to solve problems. A criterion-referenced test, however, measures how much of a defined content the student has mastered. In the case of both the High School Competency Test (passage is required for high school graduation) and the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test, students across Florida take the same reading and mathematics tests at grades 4, 5, 8, and 10 as every other Florida regular education student.

CHANGES IN TESTS OF GRADUATION READINESS

The High School Competency Test (HSCT) (administered in grade 11) has been used as a measure of graduation readiness for the past nine years in the State of Florida. It is now in its final years of administration, as the State moves to use passage of the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) as the benchmark for graduation.

Students entering the ninth grade this year (1999-2000) will be the first required to pass the FCAT (administered in grade 10). They will not be taking the HSCT as a graduation requirement.

Current tenth, eleventh, and twelfth graders must have passed the HSCT or have met the new FCAT benchmark scores in order to graduate.

The HSCT emphasizes basic communication and math skills while the FCAT places greater emphasis on the application of reading comprehension and mathematics problem solving, using higher-level thinking. While district leaders are concerned with losing a familiar measure of minimum competencies, on which students have demon- strated high rates of passage, the school district is gaining a more challenging assessment which should promote higher expectations for achievement.

The effectiveness level for communications mastery, as well as for mathematics mastery, for the Sarasota County Schools is 96%. The mean is 92%. In general terms, this means that, given the resources available in the Sarasota County School District, 92% of all students should demonstrate mastery in communications and in mathematics. When 96% of all Sarasota students demonstrate mastery in communications and mathematics, the district will have achieved the effectiveness level.
   
 

Average grade 11 Sarasota student performance on the HSCT consistently surpasses the average grade 11 overall Florida student performance in both communications and in mathematics. It is noteworthy that, during the three years observed by the SchoolMatch audit, Sarasota student performance improves significantly in both areas and approaches the mean for comparison student populations. The mean of 92% passage has yet to be achieved, but instruction in the Sarasota County Schools has helped a greater percentage of students to pass this criterion-referenced test and earn an important graduation requirement.

The Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test

Results of administration of the FCAT in 1997-98 and 1998-99 school years are reported in a different format from the percent achieving mastery scale used to report HSCT results. The Florida Department of Education explains:

“The total score scales for the FCAT reading and mathematics tests range from 100 to 500, with averages of approximately 300.” Sarasota County School District average and statewide averages are presented here for review:
   
 

Reports from the Florida Department of Education (Performance Levels Set; Report of Scores on FCAT 99 and Score Changes from FCAT 98 to FCAT 99; and School Accountability Report Guide, June 1999, presented as Appendix B) indicate that, in the 1998-99 administration of the FCAT, Sarasota ranked as follows compared with all Florida county school systems:
   
 

Criterion-referenced testing results on the FCAT are also reported by the Florida Department of Education as the percent of students scoring at level 2 and above and the percent of student scoring at level 3 and above. Individual building results from the 1997-98 and the 1998-99 administrations of the FCAT are displayed as percent scoring at level 2 and above and level 3 and above.

The Florida Department of Education describes performance at these two levels as follows:

Level 2: performance at this level indicates that the student has limited success with the challenging content of the Sunshine State Standards.

Level 3: performance at this level indicates that the student has partial success with the challenging content of the Sunshine State Standards, but performance is inconsistent. A Level 3 student answers many of the questions correctly but is generally less successful with questions that are most challenging.

This 1999 Audit Benchmark Report introduces 1998-99 Sarasota County Schools District FCAT results, as the basis for future comparisons.

The Advanced Placement Program

The Sarasota County School District is again commended for the emphasis on enrolling students in Advanced Placement study. Sarasota County Schools has achieved the effectiveness level in all three of the following categories:

1. Percent of juniors and seniors enrolled in Advanced Placement study.

2. Percent of juniors and seniors taking an Advanced Placement examination.

3. Percent of test takers earning a 3, 4, or 5 on one or more AP exams.

Enrollment in AP study increased 0.12% for the 1998-99 school year, based on observations in the Original Audit. The percent of students taking a culminating examination in an AP course declined slightly, by 0.10%. The percent of students taking an examination earning a 3, 4, and 5 (and, therefore, consideration for college credit) increased 0.26% during the 1998-99 school year.
American College Test (ACT)
Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT)

Student achievement measured by performance on both the ACT and SAT achieves the effectiveness level in the Sarasota County Schools.Further commendation to students and the school district is earned as a result of observing the increase in the average ACT and SAT scores for the district in this benchmark study.

Drop-Out Rate

SchoolMatch audit reports express the drop-out rate as the percent of students who are lost to the education process from the time students enter high school as freshmen until they graduate. It is, therefore, the percent of students who drop out over a four-year period. The average four-year drop-out rate for similar student populations is 11.65%. The effectiveness level is 10.40%

In the Original Audit, the drop-out percentage for the school district was calculated at 15.05%, using an application of one year’s drop-out data from the 1997-98 school year. In this 1999 Benchmark Audit, the school district was able to produce the exact 9-12 enrollment and the exact number of students who dropped out for four consecutive school years, as follows:
 
 
 

The average four-year drop-out rate has been reduced 3.52% since the Original Audit, a commendable condition. With this significant reduction, the Sarasota County School District has surpassed the mean of 11.65% for the comparison student population.

The district is commended as well for their ability to retrieve this data and their overall ability to disaggregate data.

Drop-out trends at both Sarasota High School and Riverview High School appear to have been reversed. Rates declined dramatically at Riverview High School for school years 1995-96, 1996-97, and 1997-98. The percentage increased dramatically during the 1998-99 school year. The reverse trend occurred at Sarasota High School: increasing drop-out percentages for school years 1995-96, and 1996-97, with a dramatic decline in drop-out percentage for the 1998-99 school year, followed by a slight increase during the 1998-99 school year.

Senior Class Grade Point Average

An average non-weighted grade point of 2.4 for all seniors is the effectiveness level for the Sarasota County Schools. The mean of similar populations is 2.6. The  senior class grade point average in the Original Audit was 2.77. The senior class grade point average for the 1998-99 school year increased .06 points to 2.83. The evidence of grade inflation has increased since our observations in the Original Audit.

Student Attendance Rate

Student attendance increased 0.8% between the 1997-98 and 1998-99 school years. The effectiveness level for Sarasota County Schools is 96% student attendance, and the mean is 93%. Sarasota student attendance moved beyond the average for similar populations and more closely approaches the effectiveness level.

Teacher Absence Index

Regular teacher attendance in the classroom increases the continuity of instruction and sets a positive role model for students. Teachers may be absent from the classroom for personal reasons including illness and to pursue professional development. Any teacher absence can have a negative impact on qualitative instruction.

The average number of teacher absence days during the 1997-98 school year was 7.5 days. The effectiveness level for Sarasota County Schools’ teachers is 4.5 days, with the mean set at 6.5 days for similar populations. Teacher absence was reduced during the 1998-99 school year to 6.14 days. Each teacher was actually in the classroom an average of 1.36 days per year more than the previous year, or 2,064 (total 1998-99 teaching staff) times 1.36 days, totaling 2,807 instructional days.

III. SARASOTA COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT ACTIVITIES DURING THE 1998-99 SCHOOL YEAR THAT ADDRESS SCHOOLMATCH RECOMMENDATIONS IN THE 1998 AUDIT OF EDUCATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS

DISTRICT ACTIVITIES THAT ADDRESS RECOMMENDATIONS IN THE SCHOOLMATCH AUDIT OF EDUCATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS, 1998

The Sarasota County Public School District has adopted a number of strategies and activities that address, directly or indirectly, the recommendations made by the SchoolMatch Audit Team after its initial visit to the school district. These activities cover a variety of programs and operations, ranging from increasing spending for at-risk or lower-performing students to opening media centers in the evenings at a few elementary schools. While not all the activities noted below address specific recommendations made by the team, they fall into the general categories noted in the SchoolMatch Audit report. Some activities fall into more than one recommendation category, so they may appear more than once on the lists below.

Please refer to the complete SchoolMatch Audit Report, submitted July, 1998, for a detailed discussion of the SchoolMatch team’s recommendations.

Response to 1998 Audit Recommendation 1: Student Programs and Outcomes

The Sarasota School District has undertaken the following activities to enhance student programs and outcomes:

· Increased categorical dollars in schools with higher percentages of students with Academic Improvement Plans.

· Adopted a policy at each elementary school to spend a minimum of 120 minutes on Language Arts Instruction and 90 minutes on mathematics instruction daily.

· Purchased new reading tests, Degree of Reading Power, for grades 1 through 12.

· Adopted a program of direct reading instruction (SRA) at two schools.

· Increased academic time and reduced transition time at Booker Middle School.

· Trained Guided Reading Facilitators and purchased new materials for leveled reading instruction.

· Discussed articulation needs between elementary schools and middle schools whose students will attend Booker High School

· Trained all teachers (especially middle school teachers) in CRISS strategies with emphasis in reading and writing.

· Held family reading and math nights at all elementary schools.

Response to 1998 Audit Recommendation 2: Human Resource Management

The Sarasota County School District has undertaken the following activities to enhance human resources and staff development programs:

· Increased the number of minority hires in each of the last two academic years.

· Developed a comprehensive strategic plan to recruit and retain quality employees, including minorities.

· Began recruiting minority adult mentors at elementary schools.

· Provided sensitivity training for all district and school administrators.

· Made staff development in the area of writing a top priority.

· Required staff development plans in each School Improvement Plan; these staff development plans must include reading, mathematics and writing achievement.

Response to 1998 Audit Recommendation 3: Technology

The Sarasota County School District has undertaken the following activities to improve the technology services and programs in the district:

· Purchased instructional computer software at several schools to provide instruction, practice and remediation in reading and mathematics.

· Purchased computer hardware and software at Booker Middle School to assist students in reading and mathematics.

· Opened media centers one or two evenings a week at some elementary schools.

Response to 1998 Audit Recommendation 4: Budgetary Considerations

The Sarasota County Public School District has undertaken the following activity in the area of increasing spending per pupil and updating facilities:

· Increased categorical dollars in schools with higher percentages of lower-performing students.

Response to 1998 Audit Recommendation 5: Communications

The Sarasota County School District has undertaken the following activities to improve communications in the district, particularly in the area of parent involvement:

· Held well-attended family math and reading nights at each elementary school.

· Opened media centers in the evenings one or two nights a week at some elementary schools to encourage parents to bring their children.

IV. SARASOTA SCHOOL DISTRICT ACTIVITIES DURING THE 1998-99 SCHOOL YEAR THAT ADDRESS AREAS WHERE IMPROVEMENT COULD OCCUR IN THE PERCEPTIONS OF PARENTS, TEACHERS, AND ADMINISTRATORS

Sarasota County School District Activities During the 1998-99 School Year (or Planned for Implementation During the 1999-2000 School Year) that Address Areas Where Improvement Could Occur in the Perceptions of Parents, Teachers, and Administrators

LEADERSHIP

This factor is used to determine whether the district is making clear efforts to improve school effectiveness and student learning and whether the district is well organized in support of student priorities.

1. In the perception of parents, teachers, and administrators surveyed in 1998, improvement could occur in external and internal communications.

1998-99 and Future District Action:

None to date

2. In the perception of parents, teachers, and administrators, improvement could occur in opportunities for parent/family involvement in the schools.

1998-99 District Action:

a. All elementary schools held family math and reading nights, well attended by parents and students.

b. Some elementary schools open their media center one or two evenings per week, as a district pilot, to encourage students and parents to come together to use the facility.

EMPHASIS ON LEARNING

This factor is used to determine whether it is clear through the allocation of resources, structure of the school, rationale for decisions, and others that the school’s main priority is the learning of students.

1. In the perception of parents, teachers, and administrators surveyed in 1998, improvement could occur in allocation of tax dollars.

1998-99 District Action:

a. Categorical dollars were increased in schools where there are higher percentages of students with Academic Improvement Plans.

b. Each elementary school adopted a policy of a minimum of 120 minutes of Language Arts instruction daily and 90 minutes of instruction in mathematics daily.

c. Booker Middle School reduced the amount of time students spend in transitions and increased academic time.

d. The district purchased new diagnostic reading tests for grades 1-12 where instruction is focused on individual needs.

e. Several schools purchased instructional computer software to provide students with intensive instruction and practice, including remediation in reading and mathematics.

f. Two schools have adopted SRA, a direct reading instruction program to give children repetitive experiences in reading with the goal of improving achievement.

g. The district trained Guided Reading Facilitators and purchased reading materials for leveled reading instruction.

h. Booker Middle School purchased computer hardware and software to assist students in reading and mathematics.

i. Teachers, especially middle school teachers, received extensive training in CRISS strategies with emphasis in reading and writing.

j. Sensitivity training has been scheduled for all district and school-based administrators.

SCHOOL CLIMATE

This factor is used to determine whether students and parents exhibit pride and loyalty to their school, and whether the entire school community possesses a commitment to the school’s goals. Qualities to consider include whether students respect the physical plant, parents are strongly involved in the schools, and morale is positive for both staff and students.

In the perception of parents, teachers, and administrators, improvement could occur in increased opportunities for parent involvement.

Please see LEADERSHIP.

MONITORING STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT

This factor is used to determine whether procedures exist for measuring the achievement of students across a wide spectrum of their learning experiences. Qualities to consider include whether the district documents changes in student achievement in specific areas, determines curriculum areas in need of improvement, and identifies priorities for the allocation of resources.

Perceptions of constituents suggested that improvement could occur in the following two areas:

1. Communications about how classes are taught (learning styles, teaching methods, variety of instructional approaches, individual student assistance, others).

2. Communications about how student achievement is shared with all constituents.

1998-99 and Future District Action

None to date

HIGH EXPECTATIONS

This factor is used to determine whether the school staff is dedicated to having each student reach his/her potential in terms of learning and personal growth, and whether challenging experiences are conducted to have each student reach this goal.

Parents, teachers, and administrators agree that the Sarasota County Schools have achieved effectiveness in this important area.