DELAWARE EDUCATION NEWS
January 2007
Copyright © 2007 Queue, Inc.
Annual Report Charts DelawareÕs Participation in
School Breakfast Program
An Inconvenient Truth DVD Giveaway
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In preparation of the launch of the Data Quality Campaign, the National Center for Educational Accountability (NCEA) conducted a survey, with the support of The Broad Foundation and The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, about state data systems to determine the number of states that have built the infrastructure to tap into the power of longitudinal data. This report provides an overview of the findings of the August 2006 survey in addition to a state-by-state analysis of the policy implications of each state's data system.
The Power of
Longitudinal Data
Longitudinal data
matches individual student records over time, from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade and into
post secondary education. States are spending hundreds of millions of dollars
to improve student achievement. But without quality data, they are essentially
flying blind. Policymakers need to act now to put in place the policies and
resources to ensure that each state has a longitudinal data system and the
culture and capacity to translate the information into specific action steps to
improve student achievement. When states collect the most relevant data and are
able to match individual student records over time, they can answer the questions that are at the core
of educational effectiveness. Longitudinal data (data gathered on the same
student from year to year) makes it possible to:
á
Determine the
value-added of specific schools and programs by following individual students'
academic growth;
á
Identify consistently
high-performing schools so that educators and the public can learn from best
practices;
á
Evaluate the impact of
teacher preparation and training programs on student achievement; and
Based on
responses to the 2006 NCEA survey, only a few states can answer each of these
priority questions facing policymakers and educators today.
Which schools produce the strongest academic growth for their students?
(23 states can answer this question)
Alaska
(http://www.dataqualitycampaign.org/survey_results/state.cfm?st=Alaska),
Colorado
(http://www.dataqualitycampaign.org/survey_results/state.cfm?st=Colorado), Delaware (http://www.dataqualitycampaign.org/survey_results/state.cfm?st=Delaware),
Kansas (http://www.dataqualitycampaign.org/survey_results/state.cfm?st=Kansas),
Kentucky (http://www.dataqualitycampaign.org/survey_results/state.cfm?st=Kentucky),
Louisiana (http://www.dataqualitycampaign.org/survey_results/state.cfm?st=Louisiana),
Massachusetts (http://www.dataqualitycampaign.org/survey_results/state.cfm?st=Massachusetts),
Minnesota (http://www.dataqualitycampaign.org/survey_results/state.cfm?st=Minnesota),
Nebraska (http://www.dataqualitycampaign.org/survey_results/state.cfm?st=Nebraska),
Nevada (http://www.dataqualitycampaign.org/survey_results/state.cfm?st=Nevada),
New Mexico (http://www.dataqualitycampaign.org/survey_results/state.cfm?st=New
Mexico),
New York (http://www.dataqualitycampaign.org/survey_results/state.cfm?st=New
York),
North Dakota (http://www.dataqualitycampaign.org/survey_results/state.cfm?st=North
Dakota),
Ohio (http://www.dataqualitycampaign.org/survey_results/state.cfm?st=Ohio),
Rhode Island (http://www.dataqualitycampaign.org/survey_results/state.cfm?st=Rhode
Island),
Tennessee (http://www.dataqualitycampaign.org/survey_results/state.cfm?st=Tennessee),
Texas (http://www.dataqualitycampaign.org/survey_results/state.cfm?st=Texas),
Utah (http://www.dataqualitycampaign.org/survey_results/state.cfm?st=Utah),
Vermont (http://www.dataqualitycampaign.org/survey_results/state.cfm?st=Vermont),
Virginia (http://www.dataqualitycampaign.org/survey_results/state.cfm?st=Virginia),
Washington (http://www.dataqualitycampaign.org/survey_results/state.cfm?st=Washington),
West Virginia (http://www.dataqualitycampaign.org/survey_results/state.cfm?st=West
Virginia),
Wisconsin (http://www.dataqualitycampaign.org/survey_results/state.cfm?st=Wisconsin)
What achievement levels in middle school indicate that a student is on
track to succeed in rigorous courses in high school? (5 states can answer this
question)
Arkansas
(http://www.dataqualitycampaign.org/survey_results/state.cfm?st=Arkansas),
Florida
(http://www.dataqualitycampaign.org/survey_results/state.cfm?st=Florida),
Georgia
(http://www.dataqualitycampaign.org/survey_results/state.cfm?st=Georgia),
Texas (http://www.dataqualitycampaign.org/survey_results/state.cfm?st=Texas),
Utah (http://www.dataqualitycampaign.org/survey_results/state.cfm?st=Utah)
What is each school's graduation rate, according to the 2005 National
Governors Association graduation compact? (26 states can answer this question)
Alabama
(http://www.dataqualitycampaign.org/survey_results/state.cfm?st=Alabama),
Alaska
(http://www.dataqualitycampaign.org/survey_results/state.cfm?st=Alaska),
Arizona
(http://www.dataqualitycampaign.org/survey_results/state.cfm?st=Arizona),
Arkansas
(http://www.dataqualitycampaign.org/survey_results/state.cfm?st=Arkansas),
Colorado (http://www.dataqualitycampaign.org/survey_results/state.cfm?st=Colorado),
Delaware
(http://www.dataqualitycampaign.org/survey_results/state.cfm?st=Delaware),
Florida
(http://www.dataqualitycampaign.org/survey_results/state.cfm?st=Florida),
Iowa (http://www.dataqualitycampaign.org/survey_results/state.cfm?st=Iowa),
Kansas
(http://www.dataqualitycampaign.org/survey_results/state.cfm?st=Kansas),
Louisiana (http://www.dataqualitycampaign.org/survey_results/state.cfm?st=Louisiana),
Massachusetts (http://www.dataqualitycampaign.org/survey_results/state.cfm?st=Massachusetts),
Minnesota (http://www.dataqualitycampaign.org/survey_results/state.cfm?st=Minnesota),
Nevada
(http://www.dataqualitycampaign.org/survey_results/state.cfm?st=Nevada),
New Hampshire (http://www.dataqualitycampaign.org/survey_results/state.cfm?st=New
Hampshire),
New Mexico (http://www.dataqualitycampaign.org/survey_results/state.cfm?st=New
Mexico), North Dakota (http://www.dataqualitycampaign.org/survey_results/state.cfm?st=North
Dakota),
Ohio (http://www.dataqualitycampaign.org/survey_results/state.cfm?st=Ohio)
Oregon
(http://www.dataqualitycampaign.org/survey_results/state.cfm?st=Oregon),
South Dakota (http://www.dataqualitycampaign.org/survey_results/state.cfm?st=South
Dakota),
Texas (http://www.dataqualitycampaign.org/survey_results/state.cfm?st=Texas),
Utah (http://www.dataqualitycampaign.org/survey_results/state.cfm?st=Utah),
Virginia
(http://www.dataqualitycampaign.org/survey_results/state.cfm?st=Virginia),
Washington (http://www.dataqualitycampaign.org/survey_results/state.cfm?st=Washington),
West Virginia (http://www.dataqualitycampaign.org/survey_results/state.cfm?st=West
Virginia),
Wisconsin
(http://www.dataqualitycampaign.org/survey_results/state.cfm?st=Wisconsin),
Wyoming (http://www.dataqualitycampaign.org/survey_results/state.cfm?st=Wyoming)
What high school performance indicators (e.g., enrollment in rigorous
courses or performance on state tests) are the best predictors of students'
success in college or the workplace? (4 states can answer this question)
Arkansas (http://www.dataqualitycampaign.org/survey_results/state.cfm?st=Arkansas),
Florida (http://www.dataqualitycampaign.org/survey_results/state.cfm?st=Florida),
Georgia (http://www.dataqualitycampaign.org/survey_results/state.cfm?st=Georgia),
Texas (http://www.dataqualitycampaign.org/survey_results/state.cfm?st=Texas
What percentage of high school graduates who go on to college take
remedial courses? (14 states can answer this question)
Alabama
(http://www.dataqualitycampaign.org/survey_results/state.cfm?st=Alabama),
Alaska
(http://www.dataqualitycampaign.org/survey_results/state.cfm?st=Alaska),
Arkansas
(http://www.dataqualitycampaign.org/survey_results/state.cfm?st=Arkansas)
Florida
(http://www.dataqualitycampaign.org/survey_results/state.cfm?st=Florida),
Georgia
(http://www.dataqualitycampaign.org/survey_results/state.cfm?st=Georgia),
Hawaii
(http://www.dataqualitycampaign.org/survey_results/state.cfm?st=Hawaii),
Louisiana
(http://www.dataqualitycampaign.org/survey_results/state.cfm?st=Louisiana),
Massachusetts (http://www.dataqualitycampaign.org/survey_results/state.cfm?st=Massachusetts),
North Dakota (http://www.dataqualitycampaign.org/survey_results/state.cfm?st=North
Dakota),
Oregon
(http://www.dataqualitycampaign.org/survey_results/state.cfm?st=Oregon),
Texas (http://www.dataqualitycampaign.org/survey_results/state.cfm?st=Texas),
Vermont
(http://www.dataqualitycampaign.org/survey_results/state.cfm?st=Vermont),
Washington (http://www.dataqualitycampaign.org/survey_results/state.cfm?st=Washington),
Wyoming
(http://www.dataqualitycampaign.org/survey_results/state.cfm?st=Wyoming)
Which teacher preparation programs produce the graduates
whose students have the strongest academic growth? (9 states can answer this
question)
Delaware (http://www.dataqualitycampaign.org/survey_results/state.cfm?st=Delaware),
Kentucky (http://www.dataqualitycampaign.org/survey_results/state.cfm?st=Kentucky),
Louisiana (http://www.dataqualitycampaign.org/survey_results/state.cfm?st=Louisiana),
New Mexico (http://www.dataqualitycampaign.org/survey_results/state.cfm?st=New
Mexico), Ohio (http://www.dataqualitycampaign.org/survey_results/state.cfm?st=Ohio),
Rhode Island (http://www.dataqualitycampaign.org/survey_results/state.cfm?st=Rhode
Island),
Tennessee (http://www.dataqualitycampaign.org/survey_results/state.cfm?st=Tennessee),
Utah (http://www.dataqualitycampaign.org/survey_results/state.cfm?st=Utah),
West Virginia (http://www.dataqualitycampaign.org/survey_results/state.cfm?st=West
Virginia)
For
the complete report go to:
http://www.dataqualitycampaign.org/survey_results/
The Education Watch
State Summary Reports provide state-specific data on:
Achievement Gaps:
á
How many students are
proficient in reading and mathematics on state assessments? How do proficiency
rates on state assessments compare to proficiency rates on the National
Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)?
á
How do achievement gaps
between groups compare across states? Where are gaps the smallest? Where are
they the biggest?
á
What are the trends in
student achievement over time? Which states are making the biggest gains?
High School and
College Attainment Gaps:
á
What is the on-time
high school graduation rate for different groups of students?
á
How many high school
graduates enroll in college?
á
What is the college
graduation rate for different groups of students?
á
What are the
participation and success rates for different groups of students in high-level
courses such as Advanced Placement (AP)?
á
Which students are most
likely to have teachers who have even a college minor in the subject theyÕre
teaching?
á
How much state and
local per-pupil funding is provided to schools in low- versus high-poverty
districts? Which states provide the most funding to low-income districts? Which
states provide the least?
á
How affordable is
college for each stateÕs lowest income students?
A Deeper Look at
Achievement across States: NAEP Data Tables
While no state is yet
where it needs to be in terms of educating poor and minority students, some are
doing a much better job than others. To help state leaders, researchers, and
advocates explore these differences and identify states from which they might
learn, the accompanying NAEP Data Tables allow for easy state-to-state
comparisons of scale scores for different groups of students. They include
tables that look at student achievement and gap trends over time. For example:
á
Low-income
eighth-graders in Massachusetts score 21 points higher in math than low-income
eighth-graders in neighboring Rhode Island (273 vs. 252).
á
In 2003, reading scores
for African-American fourth-graders were 14 points higher in Connecticut than
in Delaware. Over the last five years, however, African-American reading scores
increased by 23 points in Delaware while in Connecticut, they decreased by 2
points. DelawareÕs African-American fourth-graders now read at higher levels
than their peers in Connecticut.
á
The gap in math
achievement separating Latino from White eighth-graders in Minnesota is 10
points larger than the gap in Virginia, a state educating a similar proportion
of Latino students (33 points vs. 23 points).
The wide variation
between states in achievement for the same groups of students demonstrates just
how important state policies and practices are. ÒIf race and poverty mattered
more than what happens in schools, then NAEP scores for low-income students and
students of color would be more consistent from state to state,Ó said Daria
Hall, senior policy analyst for the Education Trust.
Focus on
Opportunities to Learn
The data are clear:
what states do matters a lot when it comes to student achievement. But far too
often, state policies and practices work to the direct disadvantage of
low-income and minority students. For example:
á
In New York, schools in
the highest poverty districts have $2,065 less to spend per pupil than schools
in the most affluent districts.
á
In Illinois, students
in high-poverty secondary schools are more than three times as likely as
students in low-poverty schools to have a teacher lacking even a minor in the
subject theyÕre teaching (47 percent vs.15 percent).
á
In Michigan,
African-American students represent 20 percent of the stateÕs K-12 enrollment
but just 5 percent of the students enrolled in Advanced Placement English
Language and Composition courses.
Delaware
Report:
http://www2.edtrust.org/edtrust/summaries2006/Delaware.pdf
During
the 2005-2006 school year, 18,975 low-income Delaware students participated in
the School Breakfast Program, according to the School Breakfast Scorecard
2006. The Scorecard is issued
annually by the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) to measure participation
in the School Breakfast Program.
For
every 100 low-income children that participated in the National School Lunch
Program, 47.1 also received free and reduced-price breakfasts. If Delaware
schools increased school breakfast participation by serving 60 out of 100
low-income children eating lunch, they would help 5,175 more children and gain
an additional $1,081,677 in federal funding.
In
Delaware, 96.4 percent of schools that offer school lunch also offer school
breakfast, ranking Delaware 8th out of the 50 states and the District of
Columbia. The School Breakfast Program began as a pilot program in 1966 as a
way to make sure children were able to start the school day ready to learn.
Numerous studies have found that breakfast in the morning improves childrenÕs
school achievement and health.
ÒReaching a lot more children with breakfast in schools is probably the cheapest and fastest way to improve childrenÕs learning and health, improve attendance and, of course, reduce hunger,Ó said Jim Weill, president of the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC). ÒItÕs essential that more schools serve breakfast, adopt steps like breakfast in the classroom and reach out to more children.Ó
Nationally,
the program has grown to include 7.7 million low-income children. To get even
more children and schools participating, FRAC recommends that all schools
participate in the school breakfast program, even offering universal breakfast,
which provides breakfast at no charge to all students who want it. Schools can
encourage higher participation among children by providing breakfast in the
classroom, Ògrab and goÓ breakfast or offering breakfast after first period.
These successful strategies have been used by states to boost participation in
the program.
The
full report, School Breakfast Scorecard 2006, is available at
http://www.frac.org/pdf/2006_SBP.pdf
50,000
copies of Al GoreÕs film on global warming, An Inconvenient Truth, are
available to be given away to teachers in the United States. The first 50,000
teachers who apply are eligible to win. There is a limit of one DVD per
teacher. All entries must be received by January 18, 2007.
Visit: http://participate.net/educators/node/196
for the complete contest rules.
Teachers
Entry Form:
http://participate.net/educators/DVD/giveaway