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Delaware ACT College Readiness Report
This report focuses on:
Performance - student test performance in the context of college readiness
Access - number of your graduates exposed to college entrance testing and the percent of race/ethnicity participation
Course Selection - percent of students pursuing a core curriculum
Course Rigor - impact of rigorous coursework on achievement
College Readiness - percent of students meeting ACT College Readiness Benchmark Scores in each content area
Awareness - extent to which student aspirations match performance
Articulation - colleges and universities to which your students send test results
The Opportunity Gap -Is Delaware Providing Equal Access to Education?
ProPublica analyzed federal education data from the 2009-2010 school year to examine whether states provide high-poverty schools equal access to advanced courses and special programs that researchers say will help them later in life. This is the first nationwide picture of exactly which courses are being taken at which schools and districts across the country. More than three-quarters of all public school children are represented.
The relative rigor of Delaware proficiency standards in mathematics
This report contains the findings of a study that compared the relative rigor of Delaware proficiency standards in mathematics and reading using the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) scale as a common yardstick.
Is Achievement Improving and Are Gaps Narrowing for Title I Students in Delaware?
The report compares achievement trends since 2002 (or a more recent year in some states) on state reading and math tests for Title I students and those not participating in Title I in each state. The study focused on grades 4, 8 and the high school grade tested for No Child Left Behind, usually grade 10 or 11. Although states are not required to report test results for Title I students, many do. Nineteen states, representing various geographic regions and enrolling more than half of the nation’s Title I students, had sufficient test data to be including Delaware.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Achievement Gap Analysis
Some States May Be Better Positioned for Higher Scores on Race to the Top
Delaware, Florida, Massachusetts, Texas, Vermont among top states; wide gaps could spell failure for applications from Arizona, California, Michigan, Mississippi, Rhode Island
As state leaders put the finishing touches on applications for federal Race to the Top (RTT) funding, many recognize that they will never achieve the excellence the Obama administration seeks without focusing their proposals squarely on equity for low-income students and students of color.
Indeed, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has made it clear that these RTT grants will reward states not only for bold reforms proposed for the future but also for past progress in narrowing gaps in student achievement. But narrowing those gaps once and for all requires close, consistent monitoring not just of whether gaps are narrowing but how.
For example, one might want to congratulate Oklahoma for having a small black-white gap in eighth-grade mathematics on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). But a closer look shows that the gap is among the smallest in the country because Oklahoma’s white eighth-graders—the students at the top of this gap—are among the lowest performing white students in the country. In fact, their scores are significantly higher than their white peers in just one other state. Without this additional information, would the public be able to determine whether Oklahoma’s middle schools really are on the right track?
In a report released today, “Gauging the Gaps: A Deeper Look at Student Achievement,” The Education Trust uses NAEP data from every state to illustrate the pitfalls in one-dimensional appraisals of gaps. The report then suggests ways to gain a more comprehensive, accurate picture of equity.
For a true understanding of the gaps in student achievement, regardless of the measure being used, educators and policymakers must examine data from at least four different perspectives:
* SIMPLE GAP NARROWING: Have gaps in performance between student groups decreased over time?
* PROGRESS FOR ALL: Have all groups of students gained over time?
* GAP SIZE: What is the magnitude of the gap between groups?
* GROUP COMPARISON ACROSS JURISDICTIONS: How does each group of students currently perform relative to their counterparts in other schools, districts, or states?
“Failing to apply all four analyses may lead educators and policymakers to interpret data in ways that are, at best, incomplete and, at worst, wholly misleading,” said Anna Rowan, K-12 policy analyst at The Education Trust and a coauthor of the brief. “An honest assessment of the effectiveness of gap-closing efforts will go a long way toward ensuring that all students are well prepared for the future, especially the ones farthest behind.”
But while some states are improving at faster rates than others, none is ready to declare victory. A review of state NAEP data across all groups, subjects, and grades since 2003 shows mixed progress across the perspectives:
SIMPLE GAP NARROWING: Six states—Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, New York, and West Virginia—and the District of Columbia narrowed more of the gaps between student groups than did most other states. On the other hand, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Utah, Vermont, and Washington were least likely to have closed gaps and, in fact, saw more gap widening than anywhere else in the nation.
PROGRESS FOR ALL: Student groups in Georgia, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Jersey, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Texas, Vermont, and the District of Columbia were more likely to have improved than their peers in other states. In contrast, student groups in Michigan, North Carolina, Oregon, South Carolina and West Virginia were more likely to have declined.
GAP SIZE: Eight states stand out for smaller-than-average gaps: Delaware, Florida, Kentucky, Maine, Oklahoma, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming. Five others, however—California, Connecticut, Illinois, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin—as well as the District of Columbia, have gaps between groups that are much wider than the national average.
GROUP COMPARISON ACROSS JURISDICTIONS: Low-income and minority students in Delaware, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Jersey, Texas, and Vermont typically perform higher than such students in other states. At the same time, low-income students and students of color in Arizona, California, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Nevada typically perform below their peers elsewhere.
Ed Trust analysts combined the results from all four of these perspectives and found four states were making the most progress. Delaware, Florida, Massachusetts, and Texas emerge as frontrunners for earning top scores on the gap-closing sections of their RTT applications, along with Vermont—a racially homogenous state that nevertheless generally performs well across the income spectrum. They differ greatly in size, diversity, and a host of other measures, but each state’s recent performance on the achievement gap is among the best in the nation.
However, an analysis of the four perspectives shows the outlook isn’t as rosy elsewhere. Arizona, California, Michigan, Mississippi, and Rhode Island have some of the worst track records in the country when it comes to closing the gap, which should net them a big goose-egg in some sections of the RTT scoring rubric.
“These dramatic differences should be considered when determining how much state or local leaders are advancing academic equity, as well as their readiness to make progress toward overall excellence,” said Kati Haycock, president of The Education Trust. “We can’t afford to let our education system fail yet another generation of young people simply because we refused to have honest, thorough conversations about where we stand or because we failed to do what’s necessary to get all students where they need to go. That’s patently unfair, and it’s patently un-American.”
Delaware, Florida, Massachusetts, Texas, Vermont among top states; wide gaps could spell failure for applications from Arizona, California, Michigan, Mississippi, Rhode Island
As state leaders put the finishing touches on applications for federal Race to the Top (RTT) funding, many recognize that they will never achieve the excellence the Obama administration seeks without focusing their proposals squarely on equity for low-income students and students of color.
Indeed, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has made it clear that these RTT grants will reward states not only for bold reforms proposed for the future but also for past progress in narrowing gaps in student achievement. But narrowing those gaps once and for all requires close, consistent monitoring not just of whether gaps are narrowing but how.
For example, one might want to congratulate Oklahoma for having a small black-white gap in eighth-grade mathematics on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). But a closer look shows that the gap is among the smallest in the country because Oklahoma’s white eighth-graders—the students at the top of this gap—are among the lowest performing white students in the country. In fact, their scores are significantly higher than their white peers in just one other state. Without this additional information, would the public be able to determine whether Oklahoma’s middle schools really are on the right track?
In a report released today, “Gauging the Gaps: A Deeper Look at Student Achievement,” The Education Trust uses NAEP data from every state to illustrate the pitfalls in one-dimensional appraisals of gaps. The report then suggests ways to gain a more comprehensive, accurate picture of equity.
For a true understanding of the gaps in student achievement, regardless of the measure being used, educators and policymakers must examine data from at least four different perspectives:
* SIMPLE GAP NARROWING: Have gaps in performance between student groups decreased over time?
* PROGRESS FOR ALL: Have all groups of students gained over time?
* GAP SIZE: What is the magnitude of the gap between groups?
* GROUP COMPARISON ACROSS JURISDICTIONS: How does each group of students currently perform relative to their counterparts in other schools, districts, or states?
“Failing to apply all four analyses may lead educators and policymakers to interpret data in ways that are, at best, incomplete and, at worst, wholly misleading,” said Anna Rowan, K-12 policy analyst at The Education Trust and a coauthor of the brief. “An honest assessment of the effectiveness of gap-closing efforts will go a long way toward ensuring that all students are well prepared for the future, especially the ones farthest behind.”
But while some states are improving at faster rates than others, none is ready to declare victory. A review of state NAEP data across all groups, subjects, and grades since 2003 shows mixed progress across the perspectives:
SIMPLE GAP NARROWING: Six states—Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, New York, and West Virginia—and the District of Columbia narrowed more of the gaps between student groups than did most other states. On the other hand, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Utah, Vermont, and Washington were least likely to have closed gaps and, in fact, saw more gap widening than anywhere else in the nation.
PROGRESS FOR ALL: Student groups in Georgia, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Jersey, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Texas, Vermont, and the District of Columbia were more likely to have improved than their peers in other states. In contrast, student groups in Michigan, North Carolina, Oregon, South Carolina and West Virginia were more likely to have declined.
GAP SIZE: Eight states stand out for smaller-than-average gaps: Delaware, Florida, Kentucky, Maine, Oklahoma, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming. Five others, however—California, Connecticut, Illinois, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin—as well as the District of Columbia, have gaps between groups that are much wider than the national average.
GROUP COMPARISON ACROSS JURISDICTIONS: Low-income and minority students in Delaware, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Jersey, Texas, and Vermont typically perform higher than such students in other states. At the same time, low-income students and students of color in Arizona, California, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Nevada typically perform below their peers elsewhere.
Ed Trust analysts combined the results from all four of these perspectives and found four states were making the most progress. Delaware, Florida, Massachusetts, and Texas emerge as frontrunners for earning top scores on the gap-closing sections of their RTT applications, along with Vermont—a racially homogenous state that nevertheless generally performs well across the income spectrum. They differ greatly in size, diversity, and a host of other measures, but each state’s recent performance on the achievement gap is among the best in the nation.
However, an analysis of the four perspectives shows the outlook isn’t as rosy elsewhere. Arizona, California, Michigan, Mississippi, and Rhode Island have some of the worst track records in the country when it comes to closing the gap, which should net them a big goose-egg in some sections of the RTT scoring rubric.
“These dramatic differences should be considered when determining how much state or local leaders are advancing academic equity, as well as their readiness to make progress toward overall excellence,” said Kati Haycock, president of The Education Trust. “We can’t afford to let our education system fail yet another generation of young people simply because we refused to have honest, thorough conversations about where we stand or because we failed to do what’s necessary to get all students where they need to go. That’s patently unfair, and it’s patently un-American.”
Monday, January 4, 2010
New State Assessment Contract Awarded
A five-year contract has been awarded by the Delaware Department of Education (DDOE) to the American Institutes for Research (AIR), located in Washington, D.C., to begin the immediate development and piloting of a new statewide assessment system for public school students in grades 2-10, known as the Delaware Comprehensive Assessment System (DCAS).
Beginning with the 2009-2010 school year, AIR will pilot:
* online testing in reading and mathematics for grades 3-8,
* end-of-course online testing for high school students in English language arts, mathematics and science,
* online testing in science and social studies in selected grades, and
* online benchmark testing in reading and mathematics in grades 2-10 to help teachers plan instruction according to the students' needs and show student growth towards Delaware standards.
The DCAS will become fully operational for the 2010-2011 school year.
The total cost of the five year contract is $24.6 million effective until June 30, 2014. The DDOE reserves the right to extend the contract for as many as five additional one-year extensions if it is deemed to be in the best interest of the State of Delaware.
Because the state is obliged to continue school accountability in the present school year for federal No Child Left Behind legislation, the current DSTP assessment will continue to be administered in March 2010 in grades 2-10 for reading and mathematics and in May, 2010 in grades 8 and 11 for science and social studies.
Beginning with the 2009-2010 school year, AIR will pilot:
* online testing in reading and mathematics for grades 3-8,
* end-of-course online testing for high school students in English language arts, mathematics and science,
* online testing in science and social studies in selected grades, and
* online benchmark testing in reading and mathematics in grades 2-10 to help teachers plan instruction according to the students' needs and show student growth towards Delaware standards.
The DCAS will become fully operational for the 2010-2011 school year.
The total cost of the five year contract is $24.6 million effective until June 30, 2014. The DDOE reserves the right to extend the contract for as many as five additional one-year extensions if it is deemed to be in the best interest of the State of Delaware.
Because the state is obliged to continue school accountability in the present school year for federal No Child Left Behind legislation, the current DSTP assessment will continue to be administered in March 2010 in grades 2-10 for reading and mathematics and in May, 2010 in grades 8 and 11 for science and social studies.
Delaware’s "Plan to Strengthen Delaware's Schools"
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Regulations submitted to help every child receive a world-class education
To improve the quality of Delaware schools and better prepare Delaware students for college, work and life, the Governor and the Department of Education have created an education reform action plan that represents the input of more than 100 participants, including teachers, administrators, the business community, parents, the disabilities community, higher education leaders, and legislators over the course of several months.
The Secretary and the Governor will be attending community forums in local districts to discuss the plan in depth and how the plan aligns with efforts to compete with the federal Race to the Top competition for additional federal dollars to invest in public schools.
The administration has submitted proposed regulations that focus on improving teacher evaluation systems and turning-around struggling schools, which are significant elements of the state's "Plan to Strengthen Delaware's Schools and Help Every Child Receive a World-Class Education."
The plan focuses on four areas.
* Improving Student Readiness: Delaware needs to set high standards for what we want our children to learn. Those standards need to be benchmarked against both national and international standards to ensure that our children are prepared to compete in the world economy. Delaware also needs to measure effectively what our children have learned and use that information to ensure they are getting the best instruction possible. Governor Markell joins Governor Sonny Perdue of Georgia as the national co-chair of the Common Core Standards initiative at the National Governor's Association.
* Ensuring Teacher Quality: Great teachers are the foundation of student success. Delaware will improve the way it prepares, hires, and supports teachers. Delaware must also evaluate how the best teachers in our schools developed those skills, and apply those lessons to developing teachers of the future. We will also better compensate teachers in the most challenging schools who have proven to be effective, and pursue funding capabilities to make that happen
* Effective Use of Longitudinal Data Systems: Delaware will use the data we collect about students throughout their education careers to support decision-making in the classroom and to determine what teaching methods, teachers and schools are effectively educating students.
* Turning Around Persistently Low-Performing Schools: Approximately 40,000 Delaware students are in schools that did not meet targets for educational progress in 2008-09. Of those, 26,000 are in schools that have not made their targets for at least five consecutive years. Delaware must do more to target those schools needing assistance so that all of Delaware's children receive the opportunity to succeed.
More details:
A World-Class Education for Every Child - Delaware's Plan to Strengthen Our Schools
Every child in Delaware deserves a world-class education. From the moment they leave our schools, Delaware's students will compete for jobs and college admission against students from across our country and around the globe. Their ability to compete - and Delaware's economic future - depends on providing Delaware students with the education they need to make a difference in the 21st century economy. Today and tomorrow, a thriving public education system is and will be the cornerstone to ensuring that Delaware remains an attractive place for families to live and for businesses to grow.
To improve the quality of Delaware schools and better prepare Delaware students for college, work and life, the Governor and the Department of Education have created an education reform action plan that represents the input of more than one hundred participants, including teachers, administrators, the business community, parents, the disabilities community, higher education leaders, and legislators.
This action plan focuses on four specific goals to help ensure that Delaware schools are world-class - improving student readiness, ensuring teacher quality, effectively using student data, and turning around persistently low-performing schools. The specifics of each goal are outlined below.
Improving Student Readiness: "Improve student readiness for post-secondary education and workforce opportunities by implementing rigorous college- and career-ready standards and valid and reliable high-quality assessments."
Delaware needs to set high standards for what we want our children to learn. Those standards need to be benchmarked against both national and international standards to ensure that our children are prepared to compete in the world economy. Delaware also needs to measure effectively what our children have learned and use that information to ensure they are getting the best instruction possible.
Delaware's education community will:
* Continue to participate with governors and state education leaders from across the country in the development of Common Core standards.
* Work with districts and charter schools to prioritize the standards and develop grade level expectation for Delaware students.
* Assist districts in development of instructional programs based on the Common Core standards, including programs for students with disabilities and those who are learning English as a second language.
* Implement a new student assessment system to replace the DSTP with the Delaware Comprehensive Assessment System ("DCAS") - a series of assessments that can be given up to three times a year to better assess student progress and help teachers adjust to each child's needs.
* Focus on incorporating Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics ("STEM") programs into schools, including the formation of a STEM Coordinating Council, implementation of STEM programs in all districts and some charter schools, and professional development focused on interdisciplinary teaching of STEM material.
* Maintain link between student assessments and graduation/end of course requirements.
* Permit districts to opt into receiving flexible funding - In order to opt in, districts must:
* Have stakeholder support for doing so within the district;
* Submit financial reports, including reports showing that the district has met goals set by the Department regarding the percentage of funding spent on instructional versus non-instructional expenses; and
* Increase student achievement.
Ensuring Teacher Quality: "Improve teacher effectiveness and equitable distribution of qualified teachers for all students."
Great teachers are the foundation of student success. Delaware will improve the way it prepares, hires, and supports teachers. Delaware must also evaluate how the best teachers in our schools developed those skills, and apply those lessons to developing teachers of the future. We will also better compensate teachers in the most challenging schools who have proven to be effective, and pursue funding capabilities to make that happen.
Delaware's education community will:
Provide Support for Educators:
* Strengthen the leadership in Delaware schools and the capacity of those leaders to engage with teachers to improve instruction by:
* Encouraging districts to use teacher leaders within their schools to provide day-to-day feedback and support to other teachers;
* Assisting districts in implementing a new collaborative leadership model that will allow principals to spend less time on administrative tasks and more time supporting educators; and
* Continuing to develop a pipeline for strong school principals by establishing regional leadership preparation programs to assist districts and schools in school leadership succession planning.
* Assist districts in providing more collaborative time for their teachers by surveying current practices and providing technical assistance to districts and schools to assist them in identifying scheduling changes that will permit shared planning opportunities.
* Implement a parent education and awareness campaign to promote parental involvement.
* Implement performance incentives for schools that show school-wide student growth, and allow teachers to assist in deciding how the funding should be spent.
* Utilize the DCAS assessment system to ensure teachers receive real-time feedback on student achievement and are able to use that data to inform their planning and instruction.
* Provide training on current data systems to assist teachers in identifying areas needing focus in their classroom and in using the data proactively.
Enhance Educator Preparation and Selection:
* Evaluate and improve the effectiveness of teacher preparation programs in our colleges and universities by using data systems to link teacher assessments to the teacher preparation programs from which the teacher graduated.
* Work with the institutions of higher education to establish teacher residency programs.
* Evaluate and support the newly implemented Teach for America program.
* Provide a statewide teacher application and website dedicated to recruitment of all education personnel.
* Work collaboratively with the Delaware State Education Association and the Delaware Economic Development Office to develop a statewide marketing strategy for promoting Delaware educator positions.
* Work with school districts on evaluating reforms that would help them hire the most qualified teachers out of college earlier in the process.
* Work with stakeholders to develop a robust program of alternative routes to certification for school administrators.
Improve Educator Assessment and Professional Development:
* Adopt a robust rating system, for both teachers and administrators, that will strengthen the link between student growth and evaluations of educator performance by:
* Re-defining the student improvement component of the Delaware Performance Appraisal System ("DPAS II") to require measurement of student growth, benchmarked against standards to be set by the Secretary after consultation with various stakeholders;
* Changing the current DPAS II rating system so that educators must earn a Satisfactory rating on the student growth evaluation to receive an overall "Effective" rating. In addition, change the rating system so that educators who earn a Satisfactory rating on the student growth evaluation cannot be rated "Ineffective;" and
* Requiring schools to provide a mentor or instructional coach to teachers who do not receive an "Effective" rating as part of their improvement plan.
* Work with stakeholders to identify appropriate student growth measurements, to ensure that appropriate levels of growth within the relevant school year are being measured for teacher evaluation purposes.
* Add to the evaluation system a new "Highly Effective" rating for outstanding educators.
* Require novice teachers to show appropriate levels of student growth among their students prior to offering continuing licenses and tenure protections to those teachers.
* Provide school leaders with additional training on performing teacher assessments.
* Implement certification program for professional development courses, requiring that state or federally funded programs meet National Staff Development Council requirements and be related to the State and school strategic plans.
* Require that professional development courses taken by educators be related to areas of improvement identified by the educator's latest assessment.
Ensure Equitable Distribution of Teachers across Delaware Schools:
* Build on the Teach for America program and other alternative certification processes to enhance teacher quality at challenging schools.
* Provide performance incentives for highly effective teachers choosing to work in critical areas or challenging schools.
* Provide hiring incentives for teachers choosing to work in critical areas and challenging schools.
* Collect data from districts regarding distribution of teachers based on the teachers' assessment ratings.
* Explore other means of attracting teachers to high needs subjects and schools, including working with local colleges to better prepare aspiring teachers for work in those areas.
Effective Use of Longitudinal Data Systems: "Design and implement Pre-K to College and Career data systems that track progress and foster continuous improvement."Delaware will use the data we collect about students throughout their education careers to support decision-making in the classroom and to determine what teaching methods, teachers and schools are effectively educating students.
Delaware's education community will:
* Train educators to use Delaware's highly-rated longitudinal data system to its fullest potential.
* Teachers, students, and parents can use data to provide continual feedback on how students are progressing, thereby allowing targeted opportunities for improvement throughout the school year.
* Educators can use data system not only to measure individual student performance but also to measure areas of strength and weakness across an entire class, so educators can identify areas needing remediation class wide.
* The data system can be used proactively to identify leading indicators for at-risk students, so that educators can be aware, for example, of students who may be at-risk of dropping out of school.
* Build on the current data system to permit cross-agency sharing to:
o Assist in ensuring college and workforce success;
o Provide teachers with key non-academic indicators, including attendance, mobility, and social services information;
o Provide parents and students with access to data systems to provide linkages to assist with college and workforce information; and
o Provide rich opportunities for outside research on education programs.
* Build a data governance process to ensure appropriate sharing of information when linking early learning, K-12, postsecondary, workforce, and social services data.
* Use the data system as a repository of instructional information and materials, which teachers can store and retrieve as needed for planning purposes.
* Build capacity in the Department of Education to use the data system for programmatic evaluation, to identify elements - such as scheduling and instructional changes - that have led to increased student performance.
Turning Around Persistently Low-Performing Schools: "Provide intensive support and effective interventions to turn around the lowest performing schools and ensure optimal student learning and growth." Approximately 40,000 Delaware students are in schools that did not meet targets for educational progress in 2008-09. Of those, 26,000 are in schools that have not made their targets for at least five consecutive years. Delaware must do more to target those schools needing assistance so that all of Delaware's children receive the opportunity to succeed.
By capitalizing on tens of millions of dollars that have potentially been made available by the federal government for this purpose, Delaware's education community will:
* Provide supports and flexibility to schools that have not met targets for educational progress in an area for at least two years. The Department will provide a school support team and work with the district to create an improvement plan that may include increased use of community partnerships and supplemental services for students, professional development and mentoring, use of family crisis therapists, and technical assistance. The Department will offer districts the opportunity to implement performance incentives to attract and retain effective teachers and principals.
* Expand supports and evaluate more aggressive reforms for schools that continue not to make educational progress. Schools that do not make educational progress in an area for three or more years will work with the district and the Department to implement a reform plan that may include replacing school leadership and/or select staff, providing outside expertise to advise the school, decreasing management authority at the school level, and implementing scheduling changes to increase teacher collaboration time and extend learning time. The district may also choose to institute flexible funding for the school, with performance incentives for effective teachers and school leaders.
* Pursue more aggressive reform in those schools that have shown a sustained inability to make educational progress. Districts with such schools will be required to make fundamental changes in the school, which may include closing the school, converting the school to a charter school, contracting with a management company to manage the school, or other major restructuring efforts that will vary depending on the school's particular circumstances.
* Schools not meeting educational targets but whose students are showing growth will have more latitude, while schools not showing progress will face more prescriptive options, such as requiring new school leadership, instructional reform and extended learning time.
* Develop a "Partnership Zone" program in which a limited number of schools that have been well below performance targets for several years will partner with the district and the Department to chart a new course for achieving student success. At the schools, the Department and the district will negotiate and enter an agreement on how to turn that school around. Those agreements will require major changes in the school - such as reorganization of school leadership, redistributing educators to use them most effectively, financial incentives for teachers who join the school or choose to stay at the school, specialized educator training, and allowing new administrators to have critical flexibilities over budgeting and staff with appropriate oversight. Districts will also have the option of restarting the school as a charter school, contracting with an outside management organization, or closing the school. Changes implicating collective bargaining protections would be negotiated with the local bargaining unit, and the Secretary of Education would be empowered to resolve such disputes.
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Regulations submitted to help every child receive a world-class education
To improve the quality of Delaware schools and better prepare Delaware students for college, work and life, the Governor and the Department of Education have created an education reform action plan that represents the input of more than 100 participants, including teachers, administrators, the business community, parents, the disabilities community, higher education leaders, and legislators over the course of several months.
The Secretary and the Governor will be attending community forums in local districts to discuss the plan in depth and how the plan aligns with efforts to compete with the federal Race to the Top competition for additional federal dollars to invest in public schools.
The administration has submitted proposed regulations that focus on improving teacher evaluation systems and turning-around struggling schools, which are significant elements of the state's "Plan to Strengthen Delaware's Schools and Help Every Child Receive a World-Class Education."
The plan focuses on four areas.
* Improving Student Readiness: Delaware needs to set high standards for what we want our children to learn. Those standards need to be benchmarked against both national and international standards to ensure that our children are prepared to compete in the world economy. Delaware also needs to measure effectively what our children have learned and use that information to ensure they are getting the best instruction possible. Governor Markell joins Governor Sonny Perdue of Georgia as the national co-chair of the Common Core Standards initiative at the National Governor's Association.
* Ensuring Teacher Quality: Great teachers are the foundation of student success. Delaware will improve the way it prepares, hires, and supports teachers. Delaware must also evaluate how the best teachers in our schools developed those skills, and apply those lessons to developing teachers of the future. We will also better compensate teachers in the most challenging schools who have proven to be effective, and pursue funding capabilities to make that happen
* Effective Use of Longitudinal Data Systems: Delaware will use the data we collect about students throughout their education careers to support decision-making in the classroom and to determine what teaching methods, teachers and schools are effectively educating students.
* Turning Around Persistently Low-Performing Schools: Approximately 40,000 Delaware students are in schools that did not meet targets for educational progress in 2008-09. Of those, 26,000 are in schools that have not made their targets for at least five consecutive years. Delaware must do more to target those schools needing assistance so that all of Delaware's children receive the opportunity to succeed.
More details:
A World-Class Education for Every Child - Delaware's Plan to Strengthen Our Schools
Every child in Delaware deserves a world-class education. From the moment they leave our schools, Delaware's students will compete for jobs and college admission against students from across our country and around the globe. Their ability to compete - and Delaware's economic future - depends on providing Delaware students with the education they need to make a difference in the 21st century economy. Today and tomorrow, a thriving public education system is and will be the cornerstone to ensuring that Delaware remains an attractive place for families to live and for businesses to grow.
To improve the quality of Delaware schools and better prepare Delaware students for college, work and life, the Governor and the Department of Education have created an education reform action plan that represents the input of more than one hundred participants, including teachers, administrators, the business community, parents, the disabilities community, higher education leaders, and legislators.
This action plan focuses on four specific goals to help ensure that Delaware schools are world-class - improving student readiness, ensuring teacher quality, effectively using student data, and turning around persistently low-performing schools. The specifics of each goal are outlined below.
Improving Student Readiness: "Improve student readiness for post-secondary education and workforce opportunities by implementing rigorous college- and career-ready standards and valid and reliable high-quality assessments."
Delaware needs to set high standards for what we want our children to learn. Those standards need to be benchmarked against both national and international standards to ensure that our children are prepared to compete in the world economy. Delaware also needs to measure effectively what our children have learned and use that information to ensure they are getting the best instruction possible.
Delaware's education community will:
* Continue to participate with governors and state education leaders from across the country in the development of Common Core standards.
* Work with districts and charter schools to prioritize the standards and develop grade level expectation for Delaware students.
* Assist districts in development of instructional programs based on the Common Core standards, including programs for students with disabilities and those who are learning English as a second language.
* Implement a new student assessment system to replace the DSTP with the Delaware Comprehensive Assessment System ("DCAS") - a series of assessments that can be given up to three times a year to better assess student progress and help teachers adjust to each child's needs.
* Focus on incorporating Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics ("STEM") programs into schools, including the formation of a STEM Coordinating Council, implementation of STEM programs in all districts and some charter schools, and professional development focused on interdisciplinary teaching of STEM material.
* Maintain link between student assessments and graduation/end of course requirements.
* Permit districts to opt into receiving flexible funding - In order to opt in, districts must:
* Have stakeholder support for doing so within the district;
* Submit financial reports, including reports showing that the district has met goals set by the Department regarding the percentage of funding spent on instructional versus non-instructional expenses; and
* Increase student achievement.
Ensuring Teacher Quality: "Improve teacher effectiveness and equitable distribution of qualified teachers for all students."
Great teachers are the foundation of student success. Delaware will improve the way it prepares, hires, and supports teachers. Delaware must also evaluate how the best teachers in our schools developed those skills, and apply those lessons to developing teachers of the future. We will also better compensate teachers in the most challenging schools who have proven to be effective, and pursue funding capabilities to make that happen.
Delaware's education community will:
Provide Support for Educators:
* Strengthen the leadership in Delaware schools and the capacity of those leaders to engage with teachers to improve instruction by:
* Encouraging districts to use teacher leaders within their schools to provide day-to-day feedback and support to other teachers;
* Assisting districts in implementing a new collaborative leadership model that will allow principals to spend less time on administrative tasks and more time supporting educators; and
* Continuing to develop a pipeline for strong school principals by establishing regional leadership preparation programs to assist districts and schools in school leadership succession planning.
* Assist districts in providing more collaborative time for their teachers by surveying current practices and providing technical assistance to districts and schools to assist them in identifying scheduling changes that will permit shared planning opportunities.
* Implement a parent education and awareness campaign to promote parental involvement.
* Implement performance incentives for schools that show school-wide student growth, and allow teachers to assist in deciding how the funding should be spent.
* Utilize the DCAS assessment system to ensure teachers receive real-time feedback on student achievement and are able to use that data to inform their planning and instruction.
* Provide training on current data systems to assist teachers in identifying areas needing focus in their classroom and in using the data proactively.
Enhance Educator Preparation and Selection:
* Evaluate and improve the effectiveness of teacher preparation programs in our colleges and universities by using data systems to link teacher assessments to the teacher preparation programs from which the teacher graduated.
* Work with the institutions of higher education to establish teacher residency programs.
* Evaluate and support the newly implemented Teach for America program.
* Provide a statewide teacher application and website dedicated to recruitment of all education personnel.
* Work collaboratively with the Delaware State Education Association and the Delaware Economic Development Office to develop a statewide marketing strategy for promoting Delaware educator positions.
* Work with school districts on evaluating reforms that would help them hire the most qualified teachers out of college earlier in the process.
* Work with stakeholders to develop a robust program of alternative routes to certification for school administrators.
Improve Educator Assessment and Professional Development:
* Adopt a robust rating system, for both teachers and administrators, that will strengthen the link between student growth and evaluations of educator performance by:
* Re-defining the student improvement component of the Delaware Performance Appraisal System ("DPAS II") to require measurement of student growth, benchmarked against standards to be set by the Secretary after consultation with various stakeholders;
* Changing the current DPAS II rating system so that educators must earn a Satisfactory rating on the student growth evaluation to receive an overall "Effective" rating. In addition, change the rating system so that educators who earn a Satisfactory rating on the student growth evaluation cannot be rated "Ineffective;" and
* Requiring schools to provide a mentor or instructional coach to teachers who do not receive an "Effective" rating as part of their improvement plan.
* Work with stakeholders to identify appropriate student growth measurements, to ensure that appropriate levels of growth within the relevant school year are being measured for teacher evaluation purposes.
* Add to the evaluation system a new "Highly Effective" rating for outstanding educators.
* Require novice teachers to show appropriate levels of student growth among their students prior to offering continuing licenses and tenure protections to those teachers.
* Provide school leaders with additional training on performing teacher assessments.
* Implement certification program for professional development courses, requiring that state or federally funded programs meet National Staff Development Council requirements and be related to the State and school strategic plans.
* Require that professional development courses taken by educators be related to areas of improvement identified by the educator's latest assessment.
Ensure Equitable Distribution of Teachers across Delaware Schools:
* Build on the Teach for America program and other alternative certification processes to enhance teacher quality at challenging schools.
* Provide performance incentives for highly effective teachers choosing to work in critical areas or challenging schools.
* Provide hiring incentives for teachers choosing to work in critical areas and challenging schools.
* Collect data from districts regarding distribution of teachers based on the teachers' assessment ratings.
* Explore other means of attracting teachers to high needs subjects and schools, including working with local colleges to better prepare aspiring teachers for work in those areas.
Effective Use of Longitudinal Data Systems: "Design and implement Pre-K to College and Career data systems that track progress and foster continuous improvement."Delaware will use the data we collect about students throughout their education careers to support decision-making in the classroom and to determine what teaching methods, teachers and schools are effectively educating students.
Delaware's education community will:
* Train educators to use Delaware's highly-rated longitudinal data system to its fullest potential.
* Teachers, students, and parents can use data to provide continual feedback on how students are progressing, thereby allowing targeted opportunities for improvement throughout the school year.
* Educators can use data system not only to measure individual student performance but also to measure areas of strength and weakness across an entire class, so educators can identify areas needing remediation class wide.
* The data system can be used proactively to identify leading indicators for at-risk students, so that educators can be aware, for example, of students who may be at-risk of dropping out of school.
* Build on the current data system to permit cross-agency sharing to:
o Assist in ensuring college and workforce success;
o Provide teachers with key non-academic indicators, including attendance, mobility, and social services information;
o Provide parents and students with access to data systems to provide linkages to assist with college and workforce information; and
o Provide rich opportunities for outside research on education programs.
* Build a data governance process to ensure appropriate sharing of information when linking early learning, K-12, postsecondary, workforce, and social services data.
* Use the data system as a repository of instructional information and materials, which teachers can store and retrieve as needed for planning purposes.
* Build capacity in the Department of Education to use the data system for programmatic evaluation, to identify elements - such as scheduling and instructional changes - that have led to increased student performance.
Turning Around Persistently Low-Performing Schools: "Provide intensive support and effective interventions to turn around the lowest performing schools and ensure optimal student learning and growth." Approximately 40,000 Delaware students are in schools that did not meet targets for educational progress in 2008-09. Of those, 26,000 are in schools that have not made their targets for at least five consecutive years. Delaware must do more to target those schools needing assistance so that all of Delaware's children receive the opportunity to succeed.
By capitalizing on tens of millions of dollars that have potentially been made available by the federal government for this purpose, Delaware's education community will:
* Provide supports and flexibility to schools that have not met targets for educational progress in an area for at least two years. The Department will provide a school support team and work with the district to create an improvement plan that may include increased use of community partnerships and supplemental services for students, professional development and mentoring, use of family crisis therapists, and technical assistance. The Department will offer districts the opportunity to implement performance incentives to attract and retain effective teachers and principals.
* Expand supports and evaluate more aggressive reforms for schools that continue not to make educational progress. Schools that do not make educational progress in an area for three or more years will work with the district and the Department to implement a reform plan that may include replacing school leadership and/or select staff, providing outside expertise to advise the school, decreasing management authority at the school level, and implementing scheduling changes to increase teacher collaboration time and extend learning time. The district may also choose to institute flexible funding for the school, with performance incentives for effective teachers and school leaders.
* Pursue more aggressive reform in those schools that have shown a sustained inability to make educational progress. Districts with such schools will be required to make fundamental changes in the school, which may include closing the school, converting the school to a charter school, contracting with a management company to manage the school, or other major restructuring efforts that will vary depending on the school's particular circumstances.
* Schools not meeting educational targets but whose students are showing growth will have more latitude, while schools not showing progress will face more prescriptive options, such as requiring new school leadership, instructional reform and extended learning time.
* Develop a "Partnership Zone" program in which a limited number of schools that have been well below performance targets for several years will partner with the district and the Department to chart a new course for achieving student success. At the schools, the Department and the district will negotiate and enter an agreement on how to turn that school around. Those agreements will require major changes in the school - such as reorganization of school leadership, redistributing educators to use them most effectively, financial incentives for teachers who join the school or choose to stay at the school, specialized educator training, and allowing new administrators to have critical flexibilities over budgeting and staff with appropriate oversight. Districts will also have the option of restarting the school as a charter school, contracting with an outside management organization, or closing the school. Changes implicating collective bargaining protections would be negotiated with the local bargaining unit, and the Secretary of Education would be empowered to resolve such disputes.
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Delaware's After School Programming Evaluated
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Delaware Losing Ground in Making Afterschool Programs Available; Fewer Kids in Afterschool; Unmet Demand High
A new survey finds no progress in participation in afterschool programs by Delaware youth over the last five years, even as the nation made progress and demand for afterschool programs in Delaware remained high. The rate of participation in afterschool dropped to 14 percent in 2009, trailing the national average of 15 percent – and a significant percentage of the state’s children are still unsupervised each afternoon after the school day ends.
The data come from the landmark America After 3PM study, conducted for the Afterschool Alliance:
After School Care Arrangements
• 31% (45,011) of Delaware’s K-12 children are responsible for taking care of themselves after school. These children spend an average of 9 hours per week unsupervised after school.
• 14% (19,701) of Delaware’s K-12 children participate in afterschool programs. On average, afterschool participants spend 9 hours per week in afterschool programs. Participation averages 3 days per week.
• 69% of Delaware K-12 children spend some portion of the hours after school in the care of a parent or guardian.
• Other care arrangements include traditional child care centers (11%), sibling care (10%) and non-parental adult care, such as a grandparent or neighbor (36%).
Notes: The maximum amount of time in after school care arrangements is limited to 15 hours per week, which reflects the after school hours of 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. Care arrangements add up to greater than 100% due to multiple regular care arrangements for many children.
Satisfaction with and Support for Afterschool Programs
• 83% of Delaware parents are satisfied with the afterschool program their child attends.
• Delaware parents cited affordability (79%), convenient location (61%) and quality of facilities (60%) as their top three reasons for selecting an afterschool program.
• 86% of adults surveyed in Delaware agree that there should be “some type of organized activity or place for children and teens to go after school every day that provides opportunities to learn” and 87% support public funding for afterschool programs.
Need or Demand for Afterschool
• 31% (38,472) of all Delaware children not in afterschool would be likely to participate if an afterschool program were available in the community, regardless of their current care arrangement.
• Parents of non-participants believe that their children would benefit most from afterschool programs in the following ways: by having fun, improving their workforce skills, taking advantage of opportunities for community service and learning, improving their physical activity and overall health and improving their social skills.
Barriers to Enrolling in Afterschool Programs
• After lack of need, the predominant obstacles to enrollment include cost, preference for alternative activities and concerns about program quality.
Contextual Information about Afterschool Programs
• In Delaware, the private schools are the largest provider of afterschool programs. Boys & Girls Clubs, YMCAs, and public schools round out the top four providers of afterschool programs in the state.
• On average, Delaware families spend $88 per week for afterschool programs.
In Delaware, 286 households were surveyed for this study. Among those households, 35 percent qualified for free or reduced price lunch, 4 percent were Hispanic and 22 percent were African-American.
According to U.S. Department of Education data from 2005-2006, the total school enrollment in Delaware is 143,804.
“This new study is sobering for Delaware, which is losing ground in making afterschool programs available to children,” said Afterschool Alliance Executive Director Jodi Grant. “The data tell us that the great majority of Delaware parents who want their kids in afterschool programs aren’t able to find them, usually because programs aren’t available, they can’t afford the fees, or transportation issues make it impossible. But this is a solvable problem. These are all barriers we can and should overcome. Quality afterschool programs keep kids safe, inspire them to learn, and help working families. Every Delaware family that needs an afterschool program should have access to one.”
“This research confirms what we see every day, that afterschool programs are reaching only a fraction of the children and families that need them – and the recession is making matters worse,” said Carol Scott, Extension Director, University of Delaware, 4-H Afterschool. “Afterschool programs make such a difference in children’s lives and futures. We simply must find a way to significantly expand the availability of afterschool programs.”
The Delaware results can be compared to the new America After 3PM national findings:
• The number and percentage of children participating in afterschool programs in the nation has increased significantly in the last five years, with 8.4 million children (15 percent) now participating. That compares with 6.5 million children in 2004 (11 percent).
• But the number of children left alone after the school day ends also has risen, to 15.1 million children (26 percent of school-age children) in 2009. That is an increase of 800,000 children since 2004. Thirty percent of middle schoolers (3.7 million kids) are on their own, as are four percent of elementary school children (1.1 million children).
• The parents of 18.5 million children (38 percent) not currently participating in an afterschool program would enroll their children in a program if one were available to them, a significant increase from the 15.3 million (30 percent) seen in 2004.
• The vast majority of parents of children in afterschool programs are satisfied with the programs their children attend, and overall public support for afterschool programs is similarly strong. Nine in 10 parents (89 percent) are satisfied with the afterschool programs their children attend. Eight in 10 parents support public funding for afterschool programs.
Delaware Losing Ground in Making Afterschool Programs Available; Fewer Kids in Afterschool; Unmet Demand High
A new survey finds no progress in participation in afterschool programs by Delaware youth over the last five years, even as the nation made progress and demand for afterschool programs in Delaware remained high. The rate of participation in afterschool dropped to 14 percent in 2009, trailing the national average of 15 percent – and a significant percentage of the state’s children are still unsupervised each afternoon after the school day ends.
The data come from the landmark America After 3PM study, conducted for the Afterschool Alliance:
After School Care Arrangements
• 31% (45,011) of Delaware’s K-12 children are responsible for taking care of themselves after school. These children spend an average of 9 hours per week unsupervised after school.
• 14% (19,701) of Delaware’s K-12 children participate in afterschool programs. On average, afterschool participants spend 9 hours per week in afterschool programs. Participation averages 3 days per week.
• 69% of Delaware K-12 children spend some portion of the hours after school in the care of a parent or guardian.
• Other care arrangements include traditional child care centers (11%), sibling care (10%) and non-parental adult care, such as a grandparent or neighbor (36%).
Notes: The maximum amount of time in after school care arrangements is limited to 15 hours per week, which reflects the after school hours of 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. Care arrangements add up to greater than 100% due to multiple regular care arrangements for many children.
Satisfaction with and Support for Afterschool Programs
• 83% of Delaware parents are satisfied with the afterschool program their child attends.
• Delaware parents cited affordability (79%), convenient location (61%) and quality of facilities (60%) as their top three reasons for selecting an afterschool program.
• 86% of adults surveyed in Delaware agree that there should be “some type of organized activity or place for children and teens to go after school every day that provides opportunities to learn” and 87% support public funding for afterschool programs.
Need or Demand for Afterschool
• 31% (38,472) of all Delaware children not in afterschool would be likely to participate if an afterschool program were available in the community, regardless of their current care arrangement.
• Parents of non-participants believe that their children would benefit most from afterschool programs in the following ways: by having fun, improving their workforce skills, taking advantage of opportunities for community service and learning, improving their physical activity and overall health and improving their social skills.
Barriers to Enrolling in Afterschool Programs
• After lack of need, the predominant obstacles to enrollment include cost, preference for alternative activities and concerns about program quality.
Contextual Information about Afterschool Programs
• In Delaware, the private schools are the largest provider of afterschool programs. Boys & Girls Clubs, YMCAs, and public schools round out the top four providers of afterschool programs in the state.
• On average, Delaware families spend $88 per week for afterschool programs.
In Delaware, 286 households were surveyed for this study. Among those households, 35 percent qualified for free or reduced price lunch, 4 percent were Hispanic and 22 percent were African-American.
According to U.S. Department of Education data from 2005-2006, the total school enrollment in Delaware is 143,804.
“This new study is sobering for Delaware, which is losing ground in making afterschool programs available to children,” said Afterschool Alliance Executive Director Jodi Grant. “The data tell us that the great majority of Delaware parents who want their kids in afterschool programs aren’t able to find them, usually because programs aren’t available, they can’t afford the fees, or transportation issues make it impossible. But this is a solvable problem. These are all barriers we can and should overcome. Quality afterschool programs keep kids safe, inspire them to learn, and help working families. Every Delaware family that needs an afterschool program should have access to one.”
“This research confirms what we see every day, that afterschool programs are reaching only a fraction of the children and families that need them – and the recession is making matters worse,” said Carol Scott, Extension Director, University of Delaware, 4-H Afterschool. “Afterschool programs make such a difference in children’s lives and futures. We simply must find a way to significantly expand the availability of afterschool programs.”
The Delaware results can be compared to the new America After 3PM national findings:
• The number and percentage of children participating in afterschool programs in the nation has increased significantly in the last five years, with 8.4 million children (15 percent) now participating. That compares with 6.5 million children in 2004 (11 percent).
• But the number of children left alone after the school day ends also has risen, to 15.1 million children (26 percent of school-age children) in 2009. That is an increase of 800,000 children since 2004. Thirty percent of middle schoolers (3.7 million kids) are on their own, as are four percent of elementary school children (1.1 million children).
• The parents of 18.5 million children (38 percent) not currently participating in an afterschool program would enroll their children in a program if one were available to them, a significant increase from the 15.3 million (30 percent) seen in 2004.
• The vast majority of parents of children in afterschool programs are satisfied with the programs their children attend, and overall public support for afterschool programs is similarly strong. Nine in 10 parents (89 percent) are satisfied with the afterschool programs their children attend. Eight in 10 parents support public funding for afterschool programs.
Has NCLB Hurt Delaware's Students?
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New Study Finds Little Evidence That Federal Emphasis on “Proficient” Performance Has Shortchanged Advanced or Low-Achieving Students
Delaware Report
Student performance on state reading and math tests has generally risen at three achievement levels, according to a 50-state study by the Center on Education Policy (CEP). The study found more states with gains than declines in the percentages of students reaching or exceeding the basic, proficient, and advanced levels of achievement, and relatively few instances of sizeable declines in the percentage scoring below the basic level.
More info.
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New Study Finds Little Evidence That Federal Emphasis on “Proficient” Performance Has Shortchanged Advanced or Low-Achieving Students
Delaware Report
Student performance on state reading and math tests has generally risen at three achievement levels, according to a 50-state study by the Center on Education Policy (CEP). The study found more states with gains than declines in the percentages of students reaching or exceeding the basic, proficient, and advanced levels of achievement, and relatively few instances of sizeable declines in the percentage scoring below the basic level.
More info.
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Delaware's SAT and ACT Results
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SAT Results
More than 1.5 million students (1,530,128) in the class of 2009 took the SAT, the most widely used and researched standardized college admission test.
Delaware SAT Report:
ACT Results
The percentage of U.S. high school graduates meeting all four of ACT’s College Readiness Benchmarks increased slightly in 2009 as the pool of students taking the ACT® continued to expand, according to the not-for-profit ACT’s annual grad class report on college readiness. Nevertheless, the findings suggest continued effort to improve college readiness is needed on the part of states and school districts.
Delaware ACT Report
SAT Results
More than 1.5 million students (1,530,128) in the class of 2009 took the SAT, the most widely used and researched standardized college admission test.
Delaware SAT Report:
ACT Results
The percentage of U.S. high school graduates meeting all four of ACT’s College Readiness Benchmarks increased slightly in 2009 as the pool of students taking the ACT® continued to expand, according to the not-for-profit ACT’s annual grad class report on college readiness. Nevertheless, the findings suggest continued effort to improve college readiness is needed on the part of states and school districts.
Delaware ACT Report
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