Closing the Achievement Gap: Whats a parent group to do

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Closing the Achievement Gap Whats a parent
group to do?

• Prepared for the Minnesota State PTA
  ConventionApril 2005

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• The greatest singular value of No Child Left
  Behind is getting the disaggregated data which
• Exposes the Achievement Gap in undeniable ways,
  and
• Allows educators to implement research-based best
  practices to meet the needs of students in an
  ongoing cycle of improvement.

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• The data is a tool to identify needs, not the
  means to raising student achievement.

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Senate Education CommitteeTestimony on the MN
Star Rating System for Academic
AchievementFebruary 3, 2004
Whoa! ONE Star! This must be a bad school.
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But wait. This graph shows them making
improvements.
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Oh yes. Disaggregated data.
Here it is. The reason they didnt make AYP.
But we cant tell from the report card how many
students in that disaggregated group took that
test or how they scored. It doesnt give us any
sense of the scope of the problem.
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Notice the target set at upper 60s
http//www.schoolresults.org/
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Notice the results coming in at mid 80s.
Now why are we so critical of Public Education in
MN?
?
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Not just making AYP exceeding it. Remember the
mid-80s?
The greatest predictor of schools not making AYP
seems to be economic viability of families.
So, why are we talking about reconstituting
districts when we could be looking for
community-based, economic solutions? Like jobs?
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Could it be our most economically disadvantaged
students live in the urban core?
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And so why was ELL targeted for cuts in 2003?
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Essential Failure of the Report Cards They
provide the data without the interpretation.
Whoa! ONE Star! This must be a bad school.
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Labeling schools as failing without providing
meaningful interpretations of the data is a
misuse of the data.
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What the DoE is Saying

• February 28, 2004 Contact Bill Walsh (651)
  582-1145
•  
• The fact is, Minnesota children are being left
  behind. We call it the achievement gap.
•  
• Minnesotas black eighth graders score at the
  same level as our white fourth graders in reading
  on the National Assessment of Educational
  Progress (NAEP).

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Use the Data Minnesota!

• Minnesotas black eighth graders score at the
  same level as our white fourth graders in reading
  on the National Assessment of Educational
  Progress (NAEP).
• What does this actually tell us?
• Did the eight graders and the fourth graders take
  the same test?
• If they were different tests (as would seem
  appropriate), are we comparing apples-to-apples?
• What does it mean to say they scored at the same
  level? To score at the 98th percentile is good
  at either grade level, what were the scores?
• The argument is not that there isnt an
  Achievement Gap. The argument is that this
  release clearly states that black eight graders
  are performing at the same level as white fourth
  graders without providing the data to
  substantiate the claim.

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Basic Skills Test

• February 28, 2004 Contact Bill Walsh (651)
  582-1145
•  
• The fact is, Minnesota children are being left
  behind. We call it the achievement gap.
•  
• Black students passed the Basic Skills Test for
  math at a rate that was 45 points below that of
  white students.
•  

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The Snapshot Data
45 Point Spread
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The Trend DataMinnesota State BST Percent
Passing Grade 8 Mathematics
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Where do we look to find meaning in the data?

• Yes. Minnesota has an Achievement Gap.
• Yes. Our black students are falling through the
  cracks.
• What questions could and should we be asking to
  find out more?

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Where are our Minority Students?

• Ct DISTRICT Minority Enrollment
• 1 MINNEAPOLIS 31,624
• 2 ST. PAUL 30,033 37
• 3 OSSEO 7,148
• 4 ANOKA-HENNEPIN 5,344
• 5 ROBBINSDALE 4,555
• 6 ROSEMOUNT-APPLE VALLEY-EAGAN 4,283 50
• 7 ROCHESTER 3,845
• 8 BLOOMINGTON 3,011
• 9 BURNSVILLE 2,683
• 10 NORTH ST PAUL-MAPLEWOOD 2,422
• 11 SOUTH WASHINGTON COUNTY 2,387
• 12 RICHFIELD 1,873
• 13 MOUNDS VIEW 1,710
• 14 HOPKINS 1,691
• 15 ROSEVILLE 1,560
• 16 RED LAKE 1,503
• 17 DULUTH 1,500
• 18 EDEN PRAIRIE 1,438

• 71 of Minnesota Minority Students are in these
  districts

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Where are our Black Students?

• 79 of Minnesota Black Students are in these
  districts

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56 of the Black students are in these 5
districts. How are they doing? -- The Snapshot
Data
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The Trend Data
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Drill Down

• What does the district data show?
• ALL data being reported at the site level.

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Drill Down Dead End

• 2003 AYP data shows economic viability of
  families 1 predictor of a schools AYP status.
• But local/district data reported at site level.
• Shouldnt we, the community be using the data
  to support student achievement?
• Shouldnt / couldnt we be looking for
  community-based contributing factors and working
  to address them?

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Factors Such As

• The economic viability of families
• Housing
• Health care
• Mobility
• Safety (in our schools and in our community
• Others

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We dont want an Achievement Gap in Saint Paul,
regardless of whether its based on Black, Not
Hispanic, LEP or Free/Reduced Priced LunchIts
time to use the data to strategically align
community-based resources to support the efforts
of our teachers and our schools.
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Its time we challenge the Department of
Education to stop maligning public education and
to provide meaningful interpretations of the data
we can use to support public education at the
local level.
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Its Time We Use the Data to Raise the
Conversation to a Higher Level

• March 11, 2004

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• November 2004 - The Achievement Gap in Saint Paul
• What is it?
• Where is it?
• What the heck can we do about it?

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Parsing the Achievement GapCorrelates of Student
Achievement
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Rigor of Curriculum

• WAYS TO MEASURE
• of High School Graduates with Substantial
  Credits in Academic Courses
• Distribution of Advanced Placement Examinations
  Compared with the Distribution of the High School
  Population by Ethnicity
• ADDITIONAL WAYS TO MEASURE
• of students taking challenge courses, ALL core
  courses v. 1 or 2 courses (core courses English,
  math, science and social studies)

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Varies by High SchoolAt our Web site

• In This Section
• Credits
• Course Selection
• Graduation Requirements
• College Admissions
• How it works in St Paul 

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Class Size

• WAYS TO MEASURE
• Percentage of Teachers with Classes of 25 or More
  Students

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Class SizeWhat the Data Shows (2003-04)

• Elementary classes average 25 students at Grades
  5-6
• Middle School 94 out of 1,573 classes with over
  35 students, primarily in PE, English and
  Performing Arts
• High School 340 out of 1,836 with over 35
  students, primarily in Social Studies, Science
  and Math

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Parent Participation

• WAYS TO MEASURE
• Parent attended conferences
• Parent attended a school event
• Parent volunteered or served on committee
• Teachers reporting lack of parent involvement is
  moderate or serious problem
• gtgt School Continuous Improvement Plans may report.

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Mobility

• WAYS TO MEASURE
• of Third-Graders Who Changed Schools Three
  Times or More Since First Grade, by
  Race/Ethnicity and Income
• Additional variables related to mobility include
  race/ethnicity, income level, and renting v. home
  ownership

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Mobility (What the Data Shows)
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Mobility (What the Data Shows)

• 66 of Saint Paul children are on free and
  reduced lunch
• 55 of the low income households in Saint Paul
  are paying more than 30 of their income for
  housing
• The rate of homelessness in Ramsey County is
  increasing 1997 - 6.81 per 1000
• 2000 - 6.27 per 1000
• 2003 - 8.19 per 1000

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Public Health Issues

• Birthweight
• Lead Poisoning
• Hunger and Nutrition

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Birthweight

• WAYS TO MEASURE
• Percentage of Infants Born of Low Birthweight, by
  Race/Ethnicity

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Birthweight(What the Data Shows)

• The percent of infants born in Ramsey County
  weighing less than 2500 grams has been stable
  from 1996 to 2000, ranging from 6 to 8 percent.
• Low birth weight rates vary significantly by race
• African Americans and American Indians have the
  highest rates of low birth weight babies (around
  10).
• Hispanics have low birth weight rates ranging
  from 6 to 8 percent.
• Whites and Asians have somewhat lower rates of
  low birth weight babies (5 to 7).
• These rates are significantly higher than the
  2004 statewide goal of 3.5 percent or fewer low
  birth weight babies.

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Lead Poisoning

• WAYS TO MEASURE
• of Children Under Age 6 with High Lead Levels
  Living in Housing Built Before 1946, by Ethnicity
  
• of Children Under Age 6 with High Lead Levels,
  by Poverty Status

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Lead Poisoning(What the Data Shows)

• Universal screening is recommended for children
  residing in Minneapolis and St. Paul and those
  recently arriving from other major metropolitan
  areas. Minnesota Blood Lead Surveillance Data,
  2003
• UNIVERSAL SCREENING IN RAMSEY AND HENNEPIN
  COUNTIES IS CURRENTLY NOT REQUIRED BY LAW.

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Lead Poisoning(What the Data Shows)

• Lead incidence data is not reported by ethnicity.
• Lead incidence data is not reported by income.
• About 2,000 children a year in Minnesota are
  identified as having elevated levels of lead in
  their blood (greater than10 ug/dL). Minnesota
  Medical Association, October 2002 Approximately
  85 percent of the reports of elevated lead levels
  in Minnesota come from Hennepin and Ramsey
  counties. Minnesota Blood Lead Surveillance
  Data, 2003
• Suggesting that 1,700 children in Hennepin and
  Ramsey County are identified as having elevated
  lead levels each year.

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• A 2003 study in Michigan showed schools having
  more children with lead poisoning greater than 10
  ug/dL is significantly related to not achieving
  AYP status.

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NEAT Policy Letter, April 6, 2005(HF1923 SF
1727)

• Given that,
• a) the correlation between student achievement
  and elevated blood levels has been established
• b) universal screening in Hennepin and Ramsey
  Counties has been recommended but not required
• c) lead incidence data is currently not collected
  or reported by income and ethnicity
• WE URGE YOU, to include provisions in your bills
  for
• a) universal screening in Hennepin and Ramsey
  Counties
• b) data collection and reporting by the
  Department of Health using the same income and
  ethnicity guidelines as provided in No Child Left
  Behind
• c) provision for a local study to determine the
  relationship between elevated lead levels and
  student achievement in Hennepin and Ramsey County
  public schools

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Hunger and Nutrition

• WAYS TO MEASURE
• of Households with Children Under Age 18 That
  Are Insecure in Food Supply and Hungry, by
  Race/Ethnicity and Income

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Hunger and Nutrition(What the Data Shows)

• The number of WIC participants has increased from
  2000 to 2004, with the largest increase from 2003
  to 2004 (15,788 recipients to 17,099 recipients).
  
• The number of households receiving food stamps
  has increased significantly from 1999 to 2004.

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Reading to Young Children

• WAYS TO MEASURE
• Percentage of Children Ages 3 to 5 (who had not
  yet entered Kindergarten) Who Were Read to Every
  Day in the Last Week, by ace/Ethnicity and
  Poverty
• (What the Data Shows)
• In the 2003-04 school year, Saint Paul students
  read 1,688,756 books.

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Television Watching

• WAYS TO MEASURE
• of Fourth Graders Watching Six Hours or More of
  TV per Day, by Race/Ethnicity (All Schools)
• of Fourth Graders Watching Six Hours or More of
  TV per Day, by Parents Highest Level of
  Education (Public Schools)

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Television Watching(What the Data Shows)

• The 2001 Minnesota Student Survey results
  indicate that 21 percent of 6 th grade boys and
  14 percent of 6 th grade girls in Ramsey County
  watch more than 10 hours of television per week.
  2001 Minnesota Student Survey

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Parent Availability

• Parsing the Achievement Gap defines parent
  availability as two-parent households and reports
  research correlating the parent-pupil ratio to
  student achievement.
• WAYS TO MEASURE
• Parent Availability by Race/Ethnicity
• Poverty and Family Structure

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Parent Availability(What the Saint Paul Data
Shows)

• 2,710 Households with individuals under 18 years
• 2,510 Households with own children under 18 years
• 855 Female householder, no husband present with
  own children under 18 years, and
• 1460 Married-couple family with own children
  under 18 years
• 2000 Census data

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Additional Variables to Consider

• Environmental Health Issues - The incidence of
  Asthma among Saint Paul students and sources of
  environmental pollution and the correlation
  between student achievement and Asthma warrant
  further investigation.
• Mental Health Issues - An estimated 6,000
  children and youth in Ramsey County have severe,
  long-term difficulties that make it very hard for
  them to function at home, at school, and in the
  community. Wilder Research Center, February
  2004
• School Readiness A substantial body of research
  documents a strong correlation between School
  Readiness and student achievement.

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School Readiness

• WAYS TO MEASURE
• Physical Development
• The Arts
• Personal and Social
• Language and Literacy
• Math Thinking
• Minnesota Department of Education

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School Readiness (What the Data Shows)
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Pyramid of Value
Legacy
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Knowing with Precision
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Learning Begins at Home

• 69 of SPPS students qualify for free/reduced
  lunch.
• 47 of SPPS students speak English as their
  second language.

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What does Learning at Home look like when

• Parents are worried about
• Food
• Clothing
• Shelter
• Transportation, and
• Medical Care

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What does Learning at Home look like when

• Parents arent sure
• How schools work
• What schools teach
• About themselves and what they can do to help
  their children learn
• How to access community resources

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What does Learning at Home look like when

• Parents experience discrimination
• In the workplace,
• In the community, and
• In our schools?

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• Families as nurturers and supportersThe
  familys most basic role is to provide for their
  childrens health, safety, security, and
  emotional well-being. ... Children grow and
  thrive in the context of close and dependable
  relationships that provide love and nurturance,
  security, responsive interaction, and
  encouragement for exploration.
• Southwest Educational Development Laboratory

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• Families as teachersFamilies can do many things
  to support childrens learning and their
  motivation to learn. Family teaching roles
  include establishing an at-home learning
  environment for the whole family, expressing high
  expectations and encouraging learning, providing
  opportunities for learning and development within
  the community, providing books and other learning
  materials, reading and telling stories, and
  practicing and transmitting cultural traditions
• Southwest Educational Development Laboratory

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• Families as intermediariesAs young children
  grow from infancy and as their world expands
  beyond the immediate home environment, the family
  functions as an important intermediary as young
  children venture into the neighborhood
  environment. Family members help negotiate and
  oversee their childrens ties to neighbors,
  friends, and the broader community, helping
  children learn and observe social protocols and
  function safely and productively within their
  spheres of existence.
• Southwest Educational Development Laboratory

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• Families as advocatesIn helping their children
  move beyond the home, families selectfrom the
  range of choices available, depending on the
  familys resources and locationthe environments
  they believe will be most supportive. They seek
  out and advocate for services and opportunities,
  and intervene on their childrens behalf when
  problems arise.
• Southwest Educational Development Laboratory

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Advocacy Framework

• Revised 4/19/2005

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The NEAT Advocacy Framework
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NEAT Advocacy for Action Teams
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Closing the Achievement Gap Whats a parent
group to do?

• Prepared for the Minnesota State PTA
  ConventionApril 2005