| CRITERIA FOR EFFECTIVENESS
A. ACHIEVEMENT ANALYSIS 1. Expected Levels of Achievement School system effectiveness is somewhat related to the socioeconomic status of the community and the educational levels of parents. Recent studies have suggested that early childhood experiences affect learning and development, with children from impoverished environments generally achieving at lower levels than those from more enriching situations. An article in the April 21, 1997 issue of US News and World Report, for example, supports the notion that improving social and family conditions, particularly in the early years, can enhance development. The research of pediatric neurologists suggests that formation of synaptic contacts in the human cerebral cortex occurs between birth and age ten. In other words, most of the brain gets built after birth. (See Peter R. Huttenlocher and Arun S. Dabholkar, "Regional Differences in Synaptogenesis in Human Cerebral Cortex," The Journal of Comparative Neurology, 387:167-178 [October 20, 1997]). Higher intelligence is witnessed in individuals with more stimulation and protein in the early years of life. Achievement has also been associated with child rearing practices, assertive mothers generally rearing children who achieve at higher levels than those reared by less assertive mothers. (See Guy Odom, Mothers, Leadership, and Success, Houston: Polybius Press, 1989.) These concepts open up many opportunities for parents and schools to work together in improving learning potential. The effective school research has abundantly demonstrated that achievement levels between poor and affluent students can be narrowed considerably while increasing levels of achievement for all students. Nevertheless, the criteria of effectiveness are generally met at a higher level when student populations contain a small percentage of free and reduced lunch students (an indicator of poverty levels) and the educational level of parents is high school completion or above. We can generally assume that school systems which have better entry level characteristics than the state average will meet the criteria of effectiveness at a higher level than those whose entry level characteristics match or are below the state average. Entry level characteristics used for predicting student achievement levels are items such as:
In this audit, the items used to predict the levels at which the effectiveness criteria should be met by the Sarasota County School District include:
Educational researchers and auditors realize that predictions and judgments cannot be made from a single indicator. Therefore, the audit uses a multiple variable approach to making recommendations and arriving at conclusions. It is the same method used by various state departments of education to establish accountability and validate school effectiveness. It was initially developed by the South Carolina Department of Education (Division of Public Accountability) and has been used in several other states. If a number of variables indicate something, and all the variables are in the same direction, then the confidence level of the prediction, or the conclusion, is well established. This is a commonly accepted practice in educational auditing. To predict school results for the Sarasota County Public Schools, we find these conditions:
Given these factors, the Sarasota County Public Schools should establish the following effectiveness levels:
Section IV, EFFECTIVENESS LEVELS, provides the means of the results variables, the results of one standard deviation above the mean (the effectiveness levels), and the current status of the variables in the Sarasota County Public School District and for each individual school within the district. 2. LOWER GRADE/UPPER GRADE ANALYSIS Generally, groups of students achieving at a certain level in early grades should continue to achieve at that same level in upper grades. When this does not occur, a more rigorous academic program should be provided at upper grade levels. Uniform achievement from grade level to grade level is known as "value added" achievement. An analysis of the data in the Sarasota County Schools indicates that achievement is generally uniform from grades 2 through 5 in reading and grades 2 through 6 in mathematics as indicated by the NAT results examined (see chart below). Analysis of performance data from each school indicates that at most schools, both reading and math scores steadily increase from grade 2 through 5. Dips in performance occur in reading at grade 6 and in mathematics at grades 7 and 8. Reading scores generally decline from grades 6 through 8. Individual schools also show a similar decline in the middle school years, although this decline does not occur in all schools. The district should review curriculum, methodology and other instructional factors in the middle school years to assist in determining causes for these general dips in performance. An analysis of these areas at each school should also be undertaken, particularly in schools which show declining patterns in performance from the early to upper grades, in order to focus improvement efforts. Examination of trend data for several years would be useful. 3. CROSS-SUBJECT ANALYSIS Cognition is the process by which knowledge is acquired through the use and interpretation of environmental symbols. When groups of students achieve results which indicate aggregate performance at a particular level in one cognitive area, the group should be expected to achieve aggregate performance at that same level in other cognitive areas. Groups can do just as well in one cognitive area as in any other cognitive area. Equalization of expectations of cognition among groups should not be applied to individuals within those groups. Data indicate that students in Sarasota County Public Schools achieve at about the same levels in reading and mathematics in grades 4, 5 and 7. Math scores are generally higher than reading scores at all grade levels, with fairly large gaps in achievement between these two subjects in grades 2, 3, 6 and 8. The district may wish to examine reasons for these gaps in achievement by considering such areas as curriculum, instruction and balanced emphasis on subject matter throughout the school system. Staff development activities should continue to focus on reducing identified gaps (see chart below).
4. ADVANCED PLACEMENT PROGRAM ANALYSIS Having an Advanced Placement program in the high school creates a stronger academic press for the students and higher expectations for student achievement. The ability of the district to be successful in this effort is related to its willingness to retrain its teaching staff and to establish a more rigorous curriculum. Currently, the percent of students enrolled in AP courses in the Sarasota Schools is 20.4 percent; the percent of students who take one or more AP exams is 17.9 percent; and the percent of students who score 3, 4 or 5 on an AP exam is 78%. All of these percentages exceed the effectiveness levels. The district should be commended for its success in identifying appropriate numbers of qualified students to enroll in AP courses and in preparing them to do well on the AP examinations. An International Baccalaureate Program has recently been instituted at Riverview High School in order to offer additional alternative and academic challenges to students. In addition, this district has a school (Pine View) which is specifically designed for academically gifted students, which is unlike other models nationally. 5. ACHIEVEMENT/GRADE POINT AVERAGE: GRADE INFLATION ANALYSIS An analysis of grade point averages indicates the highest grade inflation occurs in the lowest achieving schools. This is suggestive of low expectations for those students who most need to have higher expectations. Schools with grade inflation tend to reward low quality work and grades do not reflect actual learning levels. The Sarasota County School District reports that the grade point average for the senior class is 2.77. The mean GPA for the group of similar student populations examined is 2.6 and the effectiveness level is 2.4. While student performance is strong for college-bound students as compared to the district's cohort, especially for those students who take the SAT and/or ACT, the district may wish to review grading practices and student achievement among all student groups to determine what degree, if any, of grade inflation exists. Research shows an inverse relationship between grade inflation and performance on tests; that is, as grade inflation decreases, student performance as measured on tests generally increases. B. ATTENDANCE ANALYSIS 1. Student Attendance Currently, student attendance is at 93.2%. The effectiveness level is 96% and the mean is 93%. Student attendance attains the mean but has not yet reached the effectiveness level for the district's cohort group of similar student populations. A school-by-school analysis should be conducted to improve attendance at schools which have the lowest attendance rates. Disclosing attendance levels to students and parents is helpful in attaining higher attendance levels. Strategies to improve attendance levels include the following: * Alternative educational opportunities 2. Teacher Attendance Currently, the teacher absence rate is 7.4 days per teacher per year. The effectiveness level is 4.5 days per teacher per year, and the mean is 6.5. Teacher attendance is a proxy indicator of effectiveness. Generally, the higher the absence rate, the less effective the school system. The teacher absence rate in the Sarasota Schools approaches the mean but does not yet attain the effectiveness level for its cohort group. Effective methods to increase attendance include close monitoring of absences over which teachers have personal control, policy development, and making teacher attendance data public. In computing the absence rate, neither long-term absences nor professional leave days are included in the analysis. The ratio is for days of absence which are under the control of teachers. C. DROP-OUT INFORMATION The drop-out rate in this audit is established for grades 9-12 on a cumulative basis. In the Sarasota County School District the cumulative drop-out rate is 15.05%. The effectiveness level for this demographic group is 10.4% or lower. The mean is 11.6%. The most effective way to reduce dropouts is to provide ways for all students to succeed based on concrete, attainable goals, and to promote participation in school activities. Other successful methods include those listed on the preceding page, under "Student Attendance." Next Section: Effectiveness Levels Previous Section: School System Policies and Leadership Programs | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||