Report on Progress - February 2011

To date, three Memoranda of Understandings (MOU) in the area of Quality of Education have been negotiated and approved by the plaintiffs and School Board. The MOUs in place to date include;

Student Achievement, Student Discipline and Assignment to Programs and Classes.

Each MOU includes provision for semiannual meetings (February and July) of both parties to provide data updates and review progress toward aspirational goals and means and methods set forth in the memoranda. This report and supporting data includes the following elements referenced in the MOU.

Student Achievement

·         Evidence of School Improvement Plans including data on black student achievement relative to white and other students in general, strategies and interventions to improve black student achievement, and school-based individuals responsible for implementation

·         Equitable allocation of resources

·         Data to support the above using district data systems such as EDS/Portal/Reporting Services

Student Discipline (Behavior)

·         Evidence of School Improvement Plans including data relative to black student discipline relative to white and other students in general, behavioral strategies and interventions to improve student behavior, and school-based individuals responsible for implementation

·         Evidence of School-Wide Behavior Plans to include positive behavioral supports and professional development in the implementation of the plan through the use of data for identifying the underlying causes of negative behavior through problem solving (PS/RtI:B

·         Data to support the above using district the data systems such as EDS/Portal/Reporting Services.

Assignment to Programs and Classes

·         Evidence of School Improvement Plans including data relative to assignment of students by race to exceptional education programs, accelerated classes, countywide programs, AVID, and/or gifted programs, means and methods to achieve continuous improvement, and school-based staff responsible for implementation.

·         Data related to black student participation in exceptional education programs, accelerated classes, magnet/application programs, AVID, and gifted services.

Quality of Education – Student Achievement

FCAT Results

Disaggregated student achievement data is reported by the Florida Department of Education in the annual Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) reports for the district and individual schools and can be accessed at http://schoolgrades.fldoe.org/default.asp. During the three year period from 2008 to 2010, the percentage of black students district wide scoring proficient or above in reading increased from 34% to 35%. During the same period the percentage of black students district wide scoring proficient or above in reading increased from 36% to 37%. Individual school AYP longitudinal data is also provided.

Supporting Data

1. District AYP Reports 2008-2010.pdf

2. AYP High School Charts_2003-2010.pdf

3. AYP Middle School Charts_2003-2010.pdf

4. AYP Elementary School Charts_2003-2010.pdf

Graduation Rate

During the three year period from 2008 to 2010 the National Governors’ Association (NGA) graduation rate for black students has increased from 53.33% to 62.65%. Supporting data is provided disaggregating the graduation rates by race and gender at the district and school level.

Supporting Data

5. 2009-2010 3 Year Grate District Report - NGA - Breakdown By Race And Gender.pdf

6. GRATE SCHOOL BREAKDOWN 2009-10_FINAL REPORT_corrected_report_ready.pdf

30. Why is the reported Schott Foundation graduation rate for black males in 2007.pdf

SAT Scores

Combined math and verbal SAT scores for black students increased from 847 to 859 in 2010.

Supporting Data

7. SATTrends0510_AchGap.pdf

Advanced Placement (AP) Exams

The number of Advanced Placement exams taken by black students in Pinellas continues to increase. In 2010, 467 black students took one of more AP exam up from 414 in 2009. The number of black students earning AP exam scores of 3 and above declined in 2010 as did the district wide percentage of students scoring 3 and above.

Supporting Data

8. Longitutidnal AP Exam Report 2010.pdf

9. Multiyear AP Exam Comparison All High Schools through May 2010.pdf

School Improvement Plan (SIP)

As the MOU call for, each school is to include data on black student achievement relative to white and other students in general, strategies and interventions to improve black student achievement, and school-based individuals responsible for implementation. This requirement was communicated to all school principals during annual SIP technical assistance. The 2010 FDOE template used by all Pinellas schools has been designed for support the inclusion of data disaggregated by race for reading, math, writing, and graduation rate. The SIP template also includes a table to indicate strategies and interventions and responsible individuals to address black student achievement. Individual school SIPs may be accessed at http://www.flbsi.org/1011_SIP/Login.aspx by selecting Pinellas, the individual school and clicking the view school improvement plan (read only) link.

Supporting Data

10. SIP Bradley SIP Objective Requirements.pdf

11. Final 2010-2011 SIP Template 5-28-10.pdf

12. SIP Peer Review Checklist 10-11 Final.pdf

16. Sample School SIP Goals.pdf

Equitable allocation of resources

Through a variety of local, state, and federal funding sources like Title I, schools with large populations of black students receive additional human and financial resources.

Supporting Data

13. Tiered_Support_for_Schools.pdf

Quality of Education – Student Discipline (Behavior)

Discipline Trends

Out of school suspensions were down from 21,176 in 2009 to 19,723 in 2010 for all students. Black students showed declines in out of school suspensions from 9,754 in 2009 to 9,243 in 2010. Disaggregated black and non-black data from the Educational Data Solutions (EDS) system is provided for the district and individual schools. The data provided includes suspensions, arrests, most common incidents resulting in suspensions and the number of days suspended by incident type.

Supporting Data

14. Discipline_2011-02-11

School Improvement Plans

As the MOU calls for, each school is to include data on black student discipline relative to white and other students in general, behavioral strategies and interventions to improve student behavior, and school-based individuals responsible for implementation. This requirement was communicated to all school principals during annual SIP technical assistance. The 2010 FDOE SIP template used by all Pinellas schools has been designed for support the inclusion of suspension data and schools were instructed to include disaggregated data on the number of black students suspended. Schools were also encouraged to include an additional goal in the SIP related to development of the school wide behavior plan and training.

Supporting Data

10. SIP Bradley SIP Objective Requirements.pdf

11. Final 2010-2011 SIP Template 5-28-10.pdf

12. SIP Peer Review Checklist 10-11 Final.pdf

15. Other Goal RtI Behavior Samples Final 2010-2011 SIP.pdf

16. Sample School SIP Goals.pdf

School-Wide Behavior Plans and professional development

Pinellas County Schools has developed a district wide Tier 1 positive behavioral support plan that aligns to Problem Solving Response to Intervention. All 120 schools participated in a 3 day summer 2010 training to build capacity of the school based leadership teams to implement a School Wide Behavior Plan that positively supports all students. The schools developed an action plan and designated an RtI: Behavior Facilitator. In September all schools submitted a School Wide Behavior Plan to their Region Superintendent.

The school based RtI: Behavior Facilitator attends training monthly to gain extensive knowledge on how to implement the plan with fidelity. These trainings are provided by the district wide RtI: Behavior Coordinators. During these sessions schools are taught how to progress monitor and review data to ensure fidelity of implementation. Data is obtained by all schools on the PBS Implementation Checklist (PIC) and the Bench Marks of Quality (BOQ) these results are shared with all stake holders.

School Based Leadership Teams also attend ongoing training in Problem Solving Response to Intervention that integrates both academic and behavioral topics to support increased student achievement through the RtI Framework. This provides direct support to school based leadership teams to improve fidelity of implementation. The district wide RtI: Behavior Coordinators also assist individual schools as needed to build capacity and support the school based leadership team in problem solving.

Supporting Data

25. Pinellas Schools Trained in PBS.PNG

26. Pinellas Implementation level PIC Feb 9 2011.PNG

27. Pinellas Tier 1 Critical Element PIC Feb 9 2011.PNG

28. Evaluation Schedule 2010 2011.pdf

29. SWBP_2010_draft_narrative_final.pdf

Quality of Education – Programs and Classes

School Improvement Plans

Each school is to include data relative to assignment of students by race to exceptional education programs, accelerated classes, countywide programs, AVID, and/or gifted programs, means and methods to achieve continuous improvement, and school-based staff responsible for implementation. Individual schools selected the type of courses or programs to address in their SIP based on the programs and courses offered at the school. Some schools may have addressed magnet of fundamental programs, while others addressed accelerated course participation or students assigned to exceptional student education programs.

Supporting Data

10. SIP Bradley SIP Objective Requirements.pdf

11. Final 2010-2011 SIP Template 5-28-10.pdf

12. SIP Peer Review Checklist 10-11 Final.pdf

16. Sample School SIP Goals.pdf

Exceptional Student Education (ESE) Classes (including EBD and Gifted)

The total number of students with disabilities continues to decline annually in Pinellas County Schools. In 2010, there are 14,631 students with disabilities, down from 14,631 in 2009. In the 2010 school year, black students comprise 31.5% of all students with disabilities. The number of all students with emotional/behavioral disabilities has declined from 1919 in 2009 to 1672 in 2010. The number of black students with emotional/behavioral disabilities has declined from 920 in 2001 to 874 in 2010. Black students comprise 52.3 % of EBD students, but monitoring of EBD student placements has indicated that all placements of black students with emotional/behavior disabilities were appropriate.

Data is also provided on gifted enrollment by school and race. The aggregated district enrollment of gifted students by race can be found on page 125.

Supporting Data

19. Bradley ESE Enrollment 2005 2010.pdf

20. School Gifted count by Ethnicity 1.31.11.pdf

Accelerated Classes

Enrollment of all students and black students in accelerated classes continues to increase across middle and high school courses. These courses include middle school advanced, middle school honors, Algebra I in middle school, high school honors, high school dual enrollment, and high school Advanced Placement (AP).

At middle school, the increases are most prominent in Algebra I in 8^th grade where Algebra I is now the standard course placement for all 8^th grade students. In 2010, 1211 black students are enrolled in Algebra I comprise 28.7% of all middle school students within ethnicity compared to 33.2% of white students within ethnicity, and the middle school Algebra I enrollment gap between black and white students has narrowed considerably.

Another area in which great progress has been made in closing the black – white enrollment gaps is high school dual enrollment. In 2010, 154 black students are enrolled in one or more college dual enrollment courses, up from 83 students in 2009. The enrollment within ethnicity gap between black and white students has decreased to 3 percentage points.

Data is included showing the black and white participation within ethnicity for all the courses listed above as well as AP exam participation and performance. AP Exam participation continues to increase for both black and white students. AP Exam performance, represented by the percentage of students has declined in 2010, but the total number of black and white students scoring 3 or above on AP Exams has increased.

Several supporting data sources are included at both the aggregated district level and for individual middle and high schools. In addition to the enrollment gaps described above, multi-year longitudinal enrollments for black and low-income students are provided as the school level as are raw data by all ethnic categories for the 2010-2011 school year.

Supporting Data

21. Black Enrollment Gaps - Bradley Data 10-11.pdf

22. Bradley Multi Year Rigorous Course Enrollment All Middle and High Schools 2010-2011.pdf

23. Bradley 2010-2011 Summary MS HS Duplicated Course Enrollment.pdf

24. Bradley 2010-2011 Summary MS HS Unduplicated Course Enrollment.pdf

District Application Programs (Magnets, Fundamentals, Career Academies)

The application period for the 2011-12 school year closed on February 20^th. The Acceptance Period ends on March 20th. Data on the actual acceptances by race can be provided after the end of the Acceptance Period. A new category for tracking enrollment and dismissal in these programs is being developed in the Portal student information system that will provide more precise data by application programs that will be provided at a future date.

Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID)

The AVID program was added to an additional 4 high school and 4 middle schools for the 2010-2011 school year. AVID is now in 23 middle and high schools and 7 additional sites will be added for 2011-12 including all 16 traditional high schools and 15 of the 19 traditional middle schools. The total number of students enrolled in the AVID elective has increased from 1050 in 2009-2010 to 1942 in 2010-2011. Black students are overrepresented in the AVID elective with 656 or 34% of AVID elective participants are black and exceeds the total percentage of black students enrolled at the AVID schools which is only 23%.

Supporting Data

17. Longitudinal AVID Enrollment Summary 2010-11.pdf

18. AVID breakdown 2010-11.pdf