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Texas Education News
March 2008
Copyright © 2008 Queue,
Inc.
IN
THIS ISSUE:
As Texas Graduation Rates Go Down, School Ratings
Go Up
Advanced Placement Results Ð Texas
School Finance Redesign Project Ð Texas
Plano Independent School District Uses
Software to Avoid NCLB Test Score Surprises
Texas' Top Two Youth Volunteers Selected in 13th Annual
National Awards Program
District-Wide IP Video
Surveillance Solution for El Paso's Ysleta ISD
New
study shows the negative implications of No Child Left Behind
A
new study by researchers at Rice University and the University of Texas-Austin
finds that Texas' public school accountability system, the model for the
national No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), directly contributes to lower
graduation rates. Each year Texas public high schools lose at least 135,000
youth prior to graduation -- a disproportionate number of whom are
African-American, Latino and English-as-a-second-language (ESL) students.
By
analyzing data from more than 271,000 students, the study found that 60 percent
of African-American students, 75 percent of Latino students and 80 percent of
ESL students did not graduate within five years. The researchers found an
overall graduation rate of only 33 percent.
"High-stakes,
test-based accountability doesn't lead to school improvement or equitable
educational possibilities," said Linda McSpadden McNeil, director of the
Center for Education at Rice University. "It leads to avoidable losses of
students. Inherently the system creates a dilemma for principals: comply or
educate. Unfortunately we found that compliance means losing students."
The
study shows as schools came under the accountability system, which uses student
test scores to rate schools and reward or discipline principals, massive
numbers of students left the school system. The exit of low-achieving students
created the appearance of rising test scores and of a narrowing of the achievement
gap between white and minority students, thus increasing the schools' ratings.
This
study has serious implications for the nation's schools under the NCLB law. It
finds that the higher the stakes and the longer such an accountability system
governs schools, the more school personnel view students not as children to
educate but as potential liabilities or assets for their school's performance
indicators, their own careers or their school's funding.
The
study shows a strong relationship between the increasing number of dropouts and
school's rising accountability ratings, finding that:
á
Losses
of low-achieving students help raise school ratings under the accountability
system.
á
The
accountability system allows principals to hold back students who are deemed at
risk of reducing the school's scores; many students retained this way end up
dropping out.
á
The
test scores grouped by race single out the low-achieving students in these
subgroups as potential liabilities to the school ratings, increasing incentives
for school administrators to allow those students to quietly exit the system.
á
The
accountability system's zero tolerance rules for attendance and behavior, which
put youth into the court system for minor offenses and absences, alienate
students and increase the likelihood they will drop out.
The
discrepancy between the official dropout rates, in the 2 to 3 percent range,
and the actual rates can be attributed to the state's method of counting, which
does not include students who drop out of school for reasons such as pregnancy
or incarceration or declare intent to take the GED sometime in the future.
The
study analyzes student-level data of 271,000 students in one of Texas' large
urban districts over a seven-year period. It also includes analysis of the
policy and its implementation, extensive observations in high schools in that
district and interviews with students, teachers, administrators and students
who left school without graduating.
The
study has been published in the peer-reviewed policy journal "Educational
Policy Analysis Archives" and is the first research to track the impact of
high-stakes accountability on students, employing individual student-level data
over a multi-year period.
The
study can be viewed at http://epaa.asu.edu/epaa/v16n3/.
More than 15 percent of the public high
school class of 2007 achieved at least one AP¨ Exam grade of 3 or higherÑthe
score that is predictive of college success. This achievement represents a
significant and consistent improvement since the class of 2002 when less than
12 percent of public school graduates attained this goal.
In its fourth annual "AP Report to the
Nation," the College Board (the not-for-profit membership association that
owns and administers the AP Program), focuses on educators' quantifiable
successes in helping a wider segment of the nation's students gain access to
and achieve success in college-level work. Of the estimated 2.8 million
students who graduated from U.S. public schools in 2007, almost 426,000 (15.2
percent) earned an AP Exam grade of at least a 3 on one or more AP Exams during
their high school tenure, the report documents. This is up from 14.7 percent in
2006 and 11.7 percent in 2002.
Earning a 3 or higher on an AP Exam is one
of "the very best predictors of college performance," with AP
students earning higher college grades and graduating from college at higher
rates than otherwise similar peers in control groups, according to recent
reports from researchers.
State Reports:
http://professionals.collegeboard.com/data-reports-research/ap/nation
Full report:
http://professionals.collegeboard.com/profdownload/ap-report-to-the-nation-2008.pdf
Texas Report:
http://professionals.collegeboard.com/profdownload/Texas-AP-Report-2008.pdf
The
School Finance Redesign Project (SFRP) encompasses research, policy analysis,
and public engagement activities that examine how K-12 finance can be redesigned
to better support student performance. SFRP addresses the question, "How
can resources help schools achieve the higher levels of student performance
that state and national education standards now demand?"
To
accomplish this purpose, the project is studying governmental policies, finance
structures, and professional practices; it is assessing policy options for
finance redesign; and it is developing decision making tools for policy makers
and educators.
See
report on project work to date, which focuses on North Carolina, Ohio, Texas, and Washington state:
http://www.schoolfinanceredesign.org/pub/workingpapers.shtml
New
Fordham report on teacher labor agreements in America's fifty largest districts
Ð 3 Texas districts score high
In the era of No Child Left Behind,
principals are increasingly held accountable for student performance. But are
teacher labor agreements giving them enough flexibility to manage effectively?
A new report from the Thomas B. Fordham Institute,
The Leadership Limbo: Teacher Labor Agreements in
America's Fifty Largest School Districts (http://ce.edexcellence.net/dsp_emailhandler.cfm?eid=43665&uid=42295),
attempts
to answer this question and others.
The main findings:
á Thirty, or more than half,
of the 50 districts have labor agreements that are ambiguous. The collective
bargaining agreements and the formal board policies in these districts appear
to grant leaders substantial leeway to manage assertively, should they so
choose.
á Fifteen of the 50 districts
are home to Restrictive or Highly Restrictive labor agreements. Nearly 10
percent of the nation's African-American K-12 students population attend school
in the 15 lowest-scoring districts--making these contracts major barriers to
more equal educational opportunity.
á Districts with high
concentrations of poor and minority students tend to have more restrictive
contracts than other districts--another alarming indication of inequity along
racial and class lines.
á The labor agreements of the
nation's 50 largest districts are particularly restrictive when it comes to
work rules.
á Most of these agreements
are also quite restrictive when it comes to rewarding teachers for service in
hard-to-staff subject areas such as math and science, with 31 actually
prohibiting districts from doing so.
á Five of the fifty districts
in the analysis can claim relatively "flexible" teacher labor
agreements that explicitly give leaders broad authority to manage their schools
effectively. The five are Guilford County, North Carolina; Austin, Dallas,
and Northside, Texas; and Fairfax County, Virginia.
Full report:
http://ce.edexcellence.net/dsp_emailhandler.cfm?eid=43663&uid=42295
Teachers
Can Predict Student Outcomes and Intervene
The
Plano (TX) Independent School District (http://www.pisd.edu/), using the SAS Enterprise Intelligence Platform (http://www.sas.com/technologies/architecture/), allows its teachers to access student data quickly, to
predict outcomes and to intervene to help students reach their potential.
Plano
is one of TexasÕ highest-performing school districts; every Plano school met
adequate yearly progress goals on all NCLB indicators in 2007. But with
increased enrollment of economically disadvantaged students and students who do
not speak English at home, there are still challenges. A school can be deemed
ÒfailingÓ if one subgroup is not performing, and thus allow transfers or offer
expensive tutoring services.
The
Plano system contains data about more than 53,000 students and 4,000 teachers
and includes everything from national test results to classroom test scores. It
provides data at the district level as well as customizable, on-demand
information to every teacher at its 68 sites.
With
data modeling, Plano predicts likely student test results early in the year and
take steps to improve student success on an individual basis. The data can be
presented visually, which helps when teachers need to communicate with parents.
The district can also better assess the quality of its teaching.
ÒWe
used to do things intuitively," explains Jim Hirsch, Associate
Superintendent of Academic and Technology Services. ÒNow to truly maximize each
studentÕs academic achievement, we need to identify the cognitive ability of
each student, in addition to their individual achievement from pre-K through
12th grade, and match that with the curriculum and instructional strategies to
help them achieve at their highest level. Without a new level of analytic
capability within our performance management system, that task would be
impossible.Ó
ÒWe
wanted to be able to put the right resources in the right place to affect the
studentÕs outcome when itÕs needed and not after the fact," says Doug
Otto, PlanoÕs Superintendent.
With
SAS, Plano relates student performance to a number of variables, including
traditional ones such as finance and quality of staff. The solution also
involves differentiating instruction to improve test results.
The
district looks at how much each child progressed and can tell which teachers
are succeeding and which need more instructional help. Plano measures program
effectiveness Ð be it reading curriculum or techniques for helping at-risk
learners Ð more objectively, and identify students ready for honors or Advanced
Placement courses.
The
district has been so pleased with the initial SAS implementation that it is
expanding its use into human resources and finance.
ÒWe
want the same capability in HR and finance to provide real-time data with
relational databases and even use the predictive capabilities that the SAS
solution brings to us," Otto says. ÒSAS has proved to be an actively
involved, committed and loyal partner.Ò
Decatur and North
Richland Hills students earn $1,000 awards, engraved medallions and trip to
nationÕs capital
Honors also bestowed
on other top youth volunteers in Texas
Steven
Eichthaler, 18, of Decatur and Haley Whatley, 13, of North Richland Hills were
named Texas' top two youth volunteers for 2008 by The Prudential Spirit of
Community Awards, a nationwide program honoring young people for outstanding
acts of volunteerism. The awards program, now in its 13th year, is conducted by
Prudential Financial in partnership with the National Association of Secondary
School Principals (NASSP).
Steven
was nominated by Decatur High School in Decatur, and Haley was nominated by
Smithfield Middle School in North Richland Hills. As State Honorees, each will
receive $1,000, an engraved silver medallion, and an all-expense-paid trip in
early May to Washington, D.C., where they will join the top two honorees Ð one
middle level and one high school youth Ð from each of the other states and the
District of Columbia for several days of national recognition events. Ten of
them will be named AmericaÕs top youth volunteers for 2008 at that time.
Steven, a senior at Decatur High
School, began organizing student musical performances for senior citizens six
years ago, and has since staged 85 mini-concerts involving more than 60 young musicians
at nursing homes and community events. It all started when his school band
visited a local nursing home to play Christmas music. ÒAfter the show, I
discovered there were several residents who could not attend, so I asked if I
could stay and play for them in their rooms,Ó remembered Steven, a beginning
clarinet student at the time. ÒSo many of the seniors asked us to come in and
sit with them. We could have stayed all night.Ó
Steven
was asked to come back and play again, so he asked several of his fellow band
members to join him, and put together a little program. Word spread, and Steven
was soon getting requests from other nursing homes. He began scheduling small
ensemble performances on a regular basis, calling the project ÒMUSE.Ó He
coordinates the musicians, hosts practice sessions, and selects and arranges
the music, which ranges from classical to jazz to church music. Sometimes he
invites choir students and other vocalists to join in. In addition to playing
at nursing homes and care centers, MUSE members participate in fund-raisers to
provide holiday gifts, blankets and other items for shut-in seniors. ÒI have
found that music can overcome many differences, and can connect one generation
to another through beauty and appreciation,Ó he said.
On
Nov. 25, Steven was on his way to a music lesson when he was critically injured
in a car collision that killed his mother and 15-year-old brother.
Haley, a seventh-grader at
Smithfield Middle School, has collected more than 13,000 new stuffed animals
for sick children at Cook ChildrenÕs Medical Center in an annual Easter
campaign that she began when she was 6 years old. At that time, Haley saw a
television commercial about children with cancer. ÒYou shouldÕve seen the kids
in this commercial,Ó she said. ÒSome were so sad and sick Ð I just had to do
something.Ó Her mother took her on a tour of the childrenÕs hospital, and after
talking to the staff, Haley decided to provide something to cheer up the
patients. Since Easter is her favorite holiday, she chose stuffed bunnies.
ÒI
told everyone I knew that I needed stuffed bunnies, and boy, did they help,Ó
she said. In her first year, she collected 600. Since then, she has spoken to
more than 50 civic groups, found several corporate sponsors, and recruited more
than 30 Òbunny ambassadorsÓ to collect bunnies from their schools, churches,
scout troops and sports teams. Each year she meets with her sponsors and
ambassadors to plan the annual campaign and review the training manual that she
created. Posters, flyers and collection boxes are made, and when all of the
donations are in, Haley bags the bunnies and delivers them to the hospital in a
huge trailer for distribution to sick kids. ÒI just want to make them all feel
better so they can go home happy and healthy,Ó she said.
In
addition, the program judges recognized 10 other Texas students as
Distinguished Finalists for their impressive community service activities. Each
will receive an engraved bronze medallion:
Megan
Brogan, 17, of Spring, a senior at Oak Ridge High School in Conroe, has helped
physically and mentally disabled children play baseball in a special league
over the past six years. Megan, whose brother plays in the league, helps all of
the players get the most out of their experience by assisting them with whatever
kind of help they need, whether itÕs carrying them around the bases or helping
them throw the ball.
Emily
Estes, 12, of Red Oak, a seventh-grader at Ovilla Christian School, has been
collecting newspapers and cans for the past five years to purchase Christmas
toys for needy children. Emily collects her items all year, stores them in her
garage, and then turns them in to a recycling center and uses the proceeds to
shop for underprivileged kids served by a rehabilitation facility where her
mother works.
Patrick
Foster, 16, of Sachse, a junior at Sachse High School, co-founded ÒDallas is
Love,Ó a nonprofit organization that solicits donations of money and products
to send to U.S. soldiers serving overseas. Patrick and his sister use the money
they raise to purchase military gift cards, which are sent every month along
with other donated items to servicemen and women around the world.
Megan
Hysell-Davidson, 16, of Palmer, a sophomore at Palmer High School, volunteered
as a pediatric therapist last summer at Our ChildrenÕs House at Baylor, a
therapy center. Megan assisted with speech, physical and occupational therapies
for special-needs children.
Bryson
McCarty, 17, of Littlefield, a senior at Shallowater High School in
Shallowater, founded the Area 61 Teen Coalition Against Destructive Driving to
prevent traffic fatalities over an 18-county region. Bryson and coalition
representatives from area high schools work on a different teen driving issue
every six weeks, such as seatbelt use, driving distractions, speeding and drunk
driving.
Shelby
Romero, 11, of Hutto, a sixth-grader at Hutto Middle School and a member of the
Williamson County 4-H in Georgetown, helped raise more than $130,000 to support
an organization that provides therapy on horseback for children with autism,
cerebral palsy and other special needs. To raise the money, she organized an
annual 60-mile bicycle race and, along with her parents, created a family fun
day and a barn dance.
Natalie
Schachar, 17, of Howe, a senior at Yavneh Academy of Dallas, formed a
humanitarian group at her school after volunteering in New Orleans following
the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina. Over the past two years, Natalie
has coordinated volunteer projects for her group at a mobile soup kitchen, a
domestic violence shelter, a home for mentally challenged adults, and many
other places around her community.
Christina
Simpson, 17, of Georgetown, a senior at Georgetown High School and a member of
the Williamson County 4-H, helped create a 4-H nutrition program and taught it
to more than 1,600 elementary school children in her community. The program,
designed to address the increasing rate of childhood obesity, helps children
evaluate their lifestyles and change their diets and exercise routines for a
healthier life.
Erynne
Treptow, 18, of Hallettsville, a senior at Weimar High School in Weimar, has
organized several service projects over the past four years through a program
called ÒLiving to Serve.Ó She has organized statewide drives that have yielded
more than 44,000 pounds of food for food banks, provided Christmas gifts and
backpacks filled with school supplies to foster care children, and hosted a
senior citizen prom.
Greg
Weatherford, 17, of Little Elm, a senior at Little Elm High School, established
a youth service organization called ÒYoung People Who CareÓ four years ago, to
give students an opportunity to become active in their community. Projects
undertaken by GregÕs group include a district-wide peer tutoring program, a
school-wide recycling program, and a school and community beautification
committee.
Ysleta
Independent School District has decided to provide a district-wide
(http://lensec.com/digital-video-systems-schools.htm) IP video surveillance system for their high school
campus network.
Ysleta
ISD is a recognized leader in educational innovation. In 1998, Ysleta ISD
became the first urban school district in Texas to be named a Recognized
District for student performance on the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills
(TAAS) test. As the second largest school district in El Paso and the areaÕs
third largest employer, Ysleta ISD retains a staff of 7,155 employees and
serves nearly 45,000 students on 58 campuses.
According
to Jim Booher, Executive Director of Facilities and Construction, ÒAt Ysleta
ISD, we hold the safety and security of our students, staff, and faculty as one
of our highest concerns. In order to provide enhanced protection for our people
and assets, we decided to employ a comprehensive video surveillance system that
is easy to use and allows us to monitor all campuses remotely. After an
extensive search for suitable solutions providers and placing RFPÕs on the bid
circuit, we determined that LenSec was the only provider out there that could
match our rigorous criteria. What also appealed to us about LenSec was that
their services are completely turnkey, allowing us the benefit of dealing with
a single point of contact for all surveillance system-related business.Ó
Currently,
the new LenSec system is being installed on all of YsletaÕs high school
facilities. The project is 60% complete and the schools, which have cameras
installed, are fully operational. Plans to cover the remainder of the district
with cameras at all secondary and primary campuses are slated for the near
future. Funds for the security upgrades are derived from a $250 million bond
referendum that was passed by voters in January 2004. The bond programÕs
purpose is to upgrade YsletaÕs facilities to match the excellence of YISD
students and staff, en route to becoming an Exemplary District. In addition,
one of the bond programÕs goals is to insure that their facilities are safe and
secure environments.
Galena
Park ISD, Texas
After
experiencing a substantial imbalance in fiscal 2005, the district adopted an
austere two-year financial stabilization plan in fiscal 2006 that stabilized
its reserves and has poised the district for further financial improvement. An
O&M tax rate increase, staffing and budget cuts, plus greater than budgeted
TAV growth enabled the district to post a nearly $2 million operating surplus
in fiscal 2006. Larger budget reductions, totaling $4.3 million, were approved
in fiscal 2007, composed mostly of campus staff reductions, including the
elimination of 40 teaching positions through attrition. As a result, fiscal
2007 posted a large $9.3 million operating surplus, increasing the unreserved
fund balance to $28.5 million or almost 21% of spending. Notably, the fiscal
2008 budget was adopted with a $3.5 million operating surplus, although
district officials now project year-end results may add $5 million-$8 million
to reserves. Due to its below-median wealth per student, the district receives
nearly 55% of its general fund revenues from the state in fiscal 2007.
Fitch
views the district's more generous than average tax rate limitation as a credit
strength, and the financial flexibility it provides is heightened by the new
state funding formula. The district's 1964 voter override established a maximum
combined O&M and debt service tax rate of $1.95 per $100 TAV, including a
$1.00 debt service tax levy cap for limited tax bonds. This gave the district
the ability to go above the state-wide $1.50 O&M tax limit that applied to
most other districts prior to fiscal 2007. Even under the new state funding
formula (which reduced the district's 2006 O&M tax levy by one-third by
fiscal 2008), the district's resulting O&M levy remains above the statewide
average, allowing additional revenue generating capability.
Located
in southeastern Harris County and surrounded by Houston, the district serves
six communities, including Galena Park, Jacinto City, and a portion of Houston,
with an estimated 2007 total population of 107,000. The district's current total
enrollment for the 2007-08 school year is about 21,200 with average annual
growth equaling 1% over the last five years. The district is approaching
build-out with demographic trends pointing to enrollment growth at about the
historical rate. Property valuation has experienced steady growth, averaging
8.4% annually over the last five years, including a notable 14% jump in the
current year.
This
offering represents the fourth installment of an $85 million bond package
approved by nearly 63% of district voters in October 2005 for facility needs.
Due to slowed enrollment growth, the district may not issue the remaining $17
million authorization for several years. Debt ratios, which are above average,
are moderated by the significant level of state support for outstanding bonds.
Payout is below average at 42% in 10 years. Pending enrollment growth, the
district doesn't anticipate seeking additional bond authorization for 5-8
years.
Comal
ISD, Texas Rated A+'
The
'A+' underlying rating reflects the district's solid reserve levels, diverse
and growing taxable assessed valuation (TAV), and conservative fiscal
management. Also incorporated into the rating is the district's high debt
burden and slow amortization rate, with additional borrowing needs associated with
rapid enrollment growth pressures. In spite of a slowing of the higher-end
residential construction activity within the district, TAV growth continues at
a healthy clip with fiscal 2008 valuations growing nearly 20% over the previous
year and averaging 14.8% annual growth in the last five fiscal years. The
prospects for continued development are promising, although at a slower pace,
due to the district's close proximity to San Antonio, availability of land, and
major roads crossing through its boundaries. Managing ongoing growth pressures
may pose budgetary challenges to the school district over time. However, Fitch
expects the district will maintain its favorable financial profile over the
near term given its solid reserve levels, proven conservative fiscal
stewardship, and historically healthy financial performance.
Located
approximately 20 miles north of San Antonio, Comal ISD serves a predominantly
rural 585-square-mile area primarily in Comal County and extends to small
portions of Kendall, Hays, Guadalupe, and Bexar counties. Enrollment has grown
at a steady clip averaging 6.5% annually in the last five fiscal years and has
reached 14,450 in the current fiscal year. The district benefits from its
proximity to San Antonio and Austin with roughly two-thirds of its working
population commuting to these labor markets.
Conservative
budgeting practices and financial management have enabled the district to
maintain healthy financial reserves, despite ongoing enrollment pressures. From
fiscal years 1997-2002, general fund balances exceeded 20% of total
expenditures and transfers out. Due to numerous one-time capital outlays,
general fund reserves were drawn down below the 20% level in fiscal years 2003
and 2004. The district quickly recovered with three years of positive results
most notably a $16.6 million net operating surplus in fiscal 2007 with lower
than budgeted expenditure levels combined with greater revenue growth. By the
close of fiscal 2007, the district reported a $45 million unreserved general
fund balance, equivalent to 47% of total expenditures and transfers out and
well within the districts goal of maintaining three months to four months of
spending. The fiscal 2008 budget was adopted with a planned modest increase to
fund balance.
Typical
of fast growth school districts in Texas, direct and overall debt levels are
high and principal amortization is slow. Although the district presently has no
remaining authorization to issue additional bonds, the district intends to
return to the voters in May 2008 with a $206 million bond package. The proposed
bond package is not expected to impact the current debt service tax rate of
$0.27 per $100 of TAV assuming a 95% collection rate and moderately declining
tax base growth. Comal County's unemployment rate of 3.6% for December 2007
compared favorably to the state and national rate. Wealth levels are slightly
higher than the statewide average, but lower than the national levels.