Achievement in California and How Charter Schools Can Help

1
Achievement in California and How Charter Schools
Can Help

• Russlynn Ali
• Director, The Education Trust-West
• 12th Annual California Charter School Association
  Conference
• January 26, 2005

2
Where Are We Now? New Demands NCLB holds
charter schools accountable to the same
performance standards as traditional public
schools.The Goal Raise student achievement.
Fast.
3

• How Are Charter Schools Doing?

4
Californias Charter Schools Performing About the
Same
Source How California Charter Schools Operate
and Perform, RAND, 2003
5
Student Achievement in Californias Charter
Schools Performance Results Vary By Charter
School Type
Source How California Charter Schools Operate
and Perform, RAND, 2003
6
California As A Whole?
7
At 4th Grade?Percentage of 4th Graders Reaching
Proficiency on CA Standards Tests
Source California Department of Education, 2004
8
At 8th Grade?Percentage of 8th Graders Reaching
Proficiency on CA Standards Tests
Source California Department of Education, 2004
Note In 8th grade, students take different
course-specific tests in math depending on what
course they enroll in. These results show
proficiency in general math, which test 6th and
7th grade standards.
9

• Californias NAEP scores are significantly lower
  than the average scores in the nation.

Source Californias k-12 Public Schools How Are
They Doing, RAND, 2005
10
And Lets Be Clear. Its Not Our Demographics.
11
When students family backgrounds are controlled
for, Californias scores are the lowest in the
nation.
Source Californias k-12 Public Schools How Are
They Doing, RAND, 2005
12
White 8th graders in California Read at a Lower
Level than White 8th Graders in Almost Every
Other State
California
13
A Look at High Schools and Beyond
14
Reading All Students 200411th Grade
Source California Department of Education, 2004
15
Not mastering even the most basic skills.
Source California Department of Education, 2004
16
Too Few Students Graduate California
17
What About Achievement For Different Groups of
Students?
18
4th Grade Reading 2004California Standards
Test, by Race
Source California Department of Education, 2004.
19
8th Grade Reading 2004California Standards
Test, by Race
Source California Department of Education, 2004.
20
In California, Black and Latino 4th Graders Read
Below White Second Graders
White
Black
Latino
Source EdTrust West Analysis of California
Department of Education, 2004
21
In California, Latino and Black 8th Graders Read
At the Level of White 4th Graders
White
Black
Latino
Source EdTrust West Analysis of California
Department of Education, 2004
22
In California, Latino and Black 11th Graders Read
Below White 7th Graders
White
Black
Latino
Source EdTrust West Analysis of California
Department of Education, 2004
23

• What do these gaps mean in terms of skills?

24
2003 NAEP Grade 8 Sample Question
25
2003 NAEP CaliforniaGrade 8 Mathematics
Performance
94
92
66
61
SOURCE U.S. Department of Education, Institute
of Education Sciences, National Center for
Education Statistics, National Assessment of
Educational Progress (NAEP), 2003 Mathematics
Assessments. 
26
2003 NAEP Grade 8 Sample Question-Performance
Results
27
Are the Gaps Closing Over Time?
28
Latino-White Gaps Closing Only Slightly
2003 Gap 33 points
1992 Gap 37 points
29
Black-White Gaps Closing Only Slightly
1992 Gap 36 points
2003 Gap 31 points
30
Statewide Schools With Greater than 50 Latino
Students Still in Bottom Two API Deciles
Source Unpublished analysis by WestEd and the
Education Trust West, 2004.
31
Statewide Schools With Greater than 50 African
American Students Still in Bottom Two API Deciles
Source Unpublished analysis by WestEd and the
Education Trust West, 2004.
32
Does It Have To Be This Way?
33
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35
A Tale of Two Schools in Merced County
Source California Department of Education
http//www.cde.ca.gov
36
A Tale of Two Schools in Merced County
Source California Department of Education
http//www.cde.ca.gov
37
A Tale of Two Schools in Merced County
Source California Department of Education
http//www.cde.ca.gov
38
A Tale of Two Schools in Merced County
Source California Department of Education
http//www.cde.ca.gov
39
A Tale of Two Schools in Merced County
Source California Department of Education
http//www.cde.ca.gov
40
A Tale of Two Schools in Merced County
Source California Department of Education
http//www.cde.ca.gov
41
A Tale of Two Schools in Merced County 3rd
Graders at Yamato Reading at the Level of 5th
Graders at Sparkes
Source California Department of Education, 2004
42
California Districts Closing GapsGarden Grove
Unified
43

• Entire States Are Closing the Achievement Gap

44
MA Passing HS Competency Exam
Source Massachusetts Department of Education
Web site.
45
MA Narrowing the High School Competency Gap
Source Massachusetts Department of Education
Web site.
46
MA Narrowing the High School Competency Gap
Source Massachusetts Department of Education
Web site.
47
MA Narrowing the High School Competency Gap
Source Massachusetts Department of Education
Web site.
48
What Do We Know About the Places That Are
Improving Results?
49
Would More Money Help?
50
Despite recent funding increases for K-12
education, for the past 15 years CA schools have
spent well below the national average
51
California ranks 44th in per-pupil spending.
Fewer than 1 of CA students are in districts
that spend at least the national average.
Source Education Week, Quality Counts 2005
52
Yes, More Money Will Help.

• But how much it will help depends on how wisely
  we spend it.
• Until more comes, schools can and ARE making
  great gains.

53
Element 1 They Have Clear and Specific Goals For
What Students Should Learn in Every Grade
LevelALIGNED TO ASSESSMENTS
54
Historically, most of the really important
decisions about what students should learn and
what kind of work was good enough left to
individual teachers.
55
Result? A System That

• Doesnt expect very much from most students and,
• Expects much less from some types of students
  than others.
• Leaves a lot to chance

56
Grade 7 Writing Assignment
Essay on Anne Frank Your essay will consist of
an opening paragraph which introduced the title,
author and general background of the novel.
Your thesis will state specifically what Anne's
overall personality is, and what general
psychological and intellectual changes she
exhibits over the course of the book You might
organize your essay by grouping psychological and
intellectual changes OR you might choose 3 or 4
characteristics (like friendliness, patience,
optimism, self doubt) and show how she changes in
this area.
Source Unnamed school district in California,
2002-03 school year.
57
Grade 7 Writing Assignment

• My Best Friend
• A chore I hate
• A car I want
• My heartthrob

Source Unnamed school district in California,
2002-03 school year.
58
High Performing Districts Elementary School
Curriculum

• Usually common across schools
• Model lessons that teachers may use.
• In High School
• Enroll them as if they are going on to college,
  and let them be empowered to make the choice!
• All students enrolled in the College Prep
  Curriculum

59
WHY?
60
8 out of 10 California high schools students want
to go to college.But only 4 out of 10 take the
curriculum most likely to help them get there.
Source The Bridge Project Strengthening K-16
Transition Policies, Stanford University,
Stanford, CA, 2001
61
Transcript Study single biggest predictor of
college success isQUALITY AND INTENSITY OF HIGH
SCHOOL CURRICULUM

• Source Adelman, Answers in the Tool Box, U.S.
  Department of Education.

62
Better alignment has major benefitsA strong
h.s. curriculum improves college completion and
narrows gaps
11
28
Completing at least Algebra II plus other
courses. Source Adapted from Adelman, Clifford,
U.S. Department of Education, Answers in the
Toolbox, 1999.
63
But were talking about ALL now. College isnt
for everyone. But A-G is.
64
It is increasingly clear that student
success--in college, on assessments, and in
gaining access to good jobs--depends on
completing a rigorous, college prep-level
curriculum.
65
Students of all levels will learn more . . .
Grade 8-grade 12 test score gains based on 8th
grade achievement.
Source USDOE, NCES, Vocational Education in the
United States Toward the Year 2000, in Issue
Brief Students Who Prepare for College and
Vocation
66
And They Will Fail Less
Ninth-grade English performance, by high/low
level course, and eighth-grade reading
achievement quartiles
Source SREB, Middle Grades to High School
Mending a Weak Link. Unpublished Draft, 2002.
67
Why Kids Drop Out

• Students mainly consider dropping out because
  they are not engaged by the school.
• Students are most likely to cite the following
  reasons for considering dropping out
• School was boring (76) and
• They were not learning enough (42).

Source Metropolitan Life, Survey of the American
Teacher 2002 Student Life School, Home and
Community, p. 9.
68
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69
Defining workplace expectations

• Highly Paid Professional Jobs Earnings 40,000
  Projected Job Growth Rate 20
• Well-Paid, Skilled Jobs Earnings
  25,00040,000 Projected Job Growth Rate 12
• Low-Paid or Low-Skilled Jobs Earnings Less than
  25,000 Projected Job Growth Rate 15

25
37
38
Share of Jobs
70
To break through these old attitudes, we cannot
equivocate.

• There is a common core of knowledge and skills
  essential to success in both higher ed and the
  workplace.
• ALL students must graduate from high school ready
  for postsecondary education, which also means
  ready for work.

71
American Diploma Project Interviews with
Employers

• They mostly want the same things that higher
  education wants!
• Strong Reading Ability read/comprehend
  informational and technical texts
• Emphatic about literature understanding other
  cultures is necessary with diverse customers and
  co-workers
• Writing ability key
• Mathematics Imperative data, probability,
  statistics and competent problem solvers.
  Algebra I, Geometry and Algebra II.

Source Workplace Study by the National Alliance
for Business for the American Diploma Project,
unpublished report, 2002.
72
Even in Jobs We Dont Expect

• Requirements for Tool and Die Makers
• Four or five years of apprenticeship and/or
  postsecondary training
• Algebra, geometry, trigonometry and statistics
• Average earnings 40,000 per year.

• Requirements for
• Sheet Metal Workers
• Four or five years
• of apprenticeship
• Algebra, geometry,
• trigonometry and
• technical reading

• Requirements for
• Auto Technicians
• A solid grounding
• in physics is
• necessary to
• understand force,
• hydraulics, friction
• and electrical
• circuits.

73
Employers Are Less Willing to Help

• Remedial programs were victims of mid-90s cost
  cutting initiatives from a high point of 24 of
  businesses in 1993, the share of companies
  sponsoring such programs dropped to 15 in 1999
  and 12.3 in 2001.
• --2001 American Management Association Survey on
  Workplace Testing

74
How close are we?
Element 1Clear and Specific Goals
75
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76
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77
. Disadvantaged districts are only ¼ as likely
to have enough A-G classes for all students.
78
High Performing Districts Have Already Made A-G
the Default CurriculumExamples San Jose, New
Haven, Fontana
79
In 1998, San Jose Unified Took the Lead. . . By
2002 the First Graduating Class and Every Class
Since Then Has Dispelled All Sorts of Myths
That A-G Isnt Realistic for Californias
Students.

80
MYTH Requiring a rigorous course of study for
all high school students will result in a watered
down curriculum
81
AP Scoreswith a score of AP gt3
748 Test Taken
1197 Tests Taken
Source EdTrust West analysis of California
Department of Education data
82
SAT I Average Test Scores
Tests taken 1058
Tests taken 1065
Source EdTrust West analysis of California
Department of Education data
83
Seniors who have taken at least one AP course
Source EdTrust West analysis of California
Department of Education data
84
MYTH Grades will plummet if all students are
expected to complete a college preparatory
curriculum
85
Mean GPA for All SJUSD Graduating
86
MYTH Tough graduation requirements will cause
non college bound students to disengage and drop
out
87
A-G-for-all at SJUSDGraduation Rate
Manhattan Institute Method. Similar results
under Urban Institute Methodology (73 to 79).
88
Dropout Rate based on CBEDS data
89
MYTH Requiring traditionally underrepresented
students to take the full sequence of A-G courses
will result in huge failure rates
90
Pass Rate in A to G Courses for Hispanic Students
Source EdTrust West analysis of California
Department of Education data
91
MYTH Closing the achievement gap by demanding
rigor in graduation standards is the wrong place
to start
92
SJUSD SAT9 CAT6 Matched Reading Scores at
Grades 3-9 for Students who Have Been Tested
with STAR Every Year Since 1998
GAP REDUCED BY 48
Source EdTrust West analysis of California
Department of Education data
93
THE REALITY ISA college preparatory curriculum
for all students will result in dramatic
increases in the numbers of students, both
minority and nonminority, who are eligible to
enter UC/CSU directly our of high school
94
of SJUSD Graduates who Satisfy UC/CSU
Requirements
Source EdTrust West analysis of California
Department of Education data
95
San Joses Success Didnt Happen Overnight. But
we Sure Know A Lot More Now Then we Did Then.
Do we have the will?
96
Course Titles Dont Guarantee Good Instruction
Good Standards Can Help Focus

• But not if they sit on the shelf.

97
Language Arts Curriculum Calibration Analysis
Source DataWorks Education Research, 2002.
98
Grade 10 Writing Assignment
A frequent theme in literature is the conflict
between the individual and society. From
literature you have read, select a character who
struggled with society. In a well-developed
essay, identify the character and explain why
this characters conflict with society is
important.
99
Grade 10 Writing Assignment
Write a composition of at least 4 paragraphs on
Martin Luther Kings most important contribution
to this society. Illustrate your work with a
neat cover page. Neatness counts.
100

• The result?

101
Remediation at CSU Too Few Freshmen Demonstrate
Strong English Skills
Percentage of CSU Freshmen Requiring Remediation
in English, Fall 2003
Source CSU, Analytic Studies Unit, 2004.
http//www.asd.calstate.edu/performance/proficienc
y.shtml
102
Remediation at CSU Too Few Freshmen Demonstrate
Strong Math Skills
Percentage of CSU Freshmen Requiring Remediation
in Math, Fall 2003
Source CSU, Analytic Studies Unit, 2004.
http//www.asd.calstate.edu/performance/proficienc
y.shtml
103
Remediation Often Leads to Low Graduation
RatesGraduation Rates at CSU-Hayward
Source The Education Trust College Results web
tool http//www2.edtrust.org/edtrust/collegeresult
s/
104
Element 2 Good Teachers Matter More Than
Anything Else
105
Element 2 Good Teachers Matter Most
1998 by The Education Trust, Inc.
106
Element 2 Good Teachers Matter Most
1998 by The Education Trust, Inc.
107
Students in Californias Highest Poverty Schools
More Than Twice As Likely To Have An
Underqualified Teacher
Source Esch, C. E., Chang-Ross, C. M., Guha, R.,
Tiffany-Morales, J., Shields, P.M.
(2004). Californias teaching force 2004 Key
issues and trends. Santa Cruz, CA The Center
for the Future of Teaching and Learning, p. 28.
108
Students in Californias Highest Minority Schools
Five Times More Likely To Have An Underqualified
Teacher
Source Esch, C. E., Chang-Ross, C. M., Guha, R.,
Tiffany-Morales, J., Shields, P.M.
(2004). Californias teaching force 2004 Key
issues and trends. Santa Cruz, CA The Center
for the Future of Teaching and Learning, p. 27
109
Coming Soon Teacher Spending Gaps

• The gap in average teacher salaries between the
  highest and lowest poverty schools within the
  same district are as high as 5000.
• The gap in average teacher salaries between the
  highest and lowest minority schools within the
  same district are as high as 7000.

Source Unpublished report by The Education
Trust-West, 2005
110
Teacher Credentials in California Charter Schools
Source How California Charter Schools Operate
and Perform, RAND, 2003
111
Teacher Experience in Charter Schools-NAEP 2003
Pilot StudyHigh percentages of fourth graders in
charter schools were taught by teachers with four
years of teaching experience or less
Source US Dept of Education, NAEP 2003 Reading
Charter School Pilot Study
112
The Rivkin, Hanushek, and Kain estimates of
teacher performance suggest that having five
years of good teachers in a row could overcome
the average seventh-grade mathematics
achievement gap .
1.0 standard deviation above average, or at
the 85th quality percentile
SOURCE Eric A. Hanushek and Steven G. Rivkin,
How to Improve the Supply of High-Quality
Teachers, In Brookings Papers on Education
Policy 2004, Diane Ravitch, ed., Brrookings
Institution Press, 2004. Estimates based on
research using data from Texas described in
Teachers, Schools, and Academic Achievement,
Working Paper Number 6691, National Bureau of
Economic Research, revised July 2002.
113
Element 3 Using Programs and Practices Proven to
Work
114
Professional DevelopmentHigh Implementation
Schools Wipe Out Black/White Gap in Math Skills
Pittsburgh
Note Chart compares students in schools with
similar demographics. Source Briar and Resnick,
CSE Technical Report 528, CRESST, UCLA, August
2000.
115
Black Students in High Implementation Schools
Outperform White Students in Other Schools
PROBLEM SOLVING
116
The Full Year Calendar
USE OF INSTRUCTIONAL TIME Analysis of One
California Urban Middle School Calendar
Source Ed Trust West analysis of the master
schedule of an unnamed school in CA
117
Less Summer Vacation
Source Ed Trust West analysis of the master
schedule of an unnamed school in CA
118
Less Weekends, Holidays, Summer Vacation
Source Ed Trust West analysis of the master
schedule of an unnamed school in CA
119
Less Professional Development Days Early
Dismissal/Parent Conferences
Source Ed Trust West analysis of the master
schedule of an unnamed school in CA
120
Less Class Picnic, Class Trip, Thanksgiving
Feast, Christmas, Kwanzaa, Hannukkah, Awards,
Assembles, Concerts
Source Ed Trust West analysis of the master
schedule of an unnamed school in CA
121
Less State and District Testing
Source Ed Trust West analysis of the master
schedule of an unnamed school in CA
122
Use of Instructional Time?

• BOTTOM LINE?
• Teachers are Left with about
• 24 School Days
• OR
• 18 Eight Hour Days Per Subject Per Year

123
When Kids Are Behind, Schools Must Provide More
Instruction and Support
Take It Back!

• Kentucky provides extra time for struggling
  students in high-poverty schools, in whatever way
  works best for the community before school,
  after school, weekends or summers.
• Maryland offers extra dollars for 7th and 8th
  graders who need more support
• San Diego City created more time, mostly within
  the regular school day, by doubling even
  tripling the amount of instructional time in
  literacy and mathematics for low-performing
  students.

124
Element 4 Monitoring and Measuring
125

• Administer Common District-wide benchmark or
  snap-shot assessments, at least every 6-9 weeks.
• Get the results immediately in the hands of
  principals, teachers, parents and supplemental
  instruction providers and,
• Create vehicles for teachers to meet together to
  discuss assignments and student work.

126
Element 5 Intervene and Adjust
127
High Performing Schools and Districts Act
Immediately on Results from Snapshot Assessments

• When the data suggests individual kids are behind
  those kids get immediate help.
• When the data suggests that ½ or more of the kids
  in a class are behind, the teacher gets help.
• No one right way, but high performers have
  consistent methods to intervene and help ...
  whoever needs it . . . when they need it.

128
Underlying Everything Is the Cycle of Low
Expectations
Low Expectations
Poor Test Results
Less Challenging Courses
Low Level Assignments/Instruction
129
The Education Trust-West
510-465-6444 www.EdTrustWest.org