Bradley v Pinellas County Schools
Memoranda of Understanding
Report on Progress - February 2013
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 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 was reported by the Florida Department of Education in the annual Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) reports for the district and individual schools from 199-2011. This can be accessed at http://schoolgrades.fldoe.org/default.asp. In 2012, Florida Department of Education began reporting disaggregated student achievement data in the form of Annual Measurable Objectives (AMO). This method of reporting is the result of the approval of Florida’s waiver from reporting Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA).
The waiver requires the state to report performance on annual measurable objectives (AMOs) in several areas of academic achievement, including reading, math and writing. In addition to providing two years of disaggregated student performance data for reading, math and writing, there is a set target performance. The targets are based on the reduction of non-proficiency by half over the period of six years.
Additional FCAT demographic data for 2011-2012, is available through the FCAT Demographic Report website and can be accessed at http://app1.fldoe.org/fcatdemographics/
including:
• Demographic results for FCAT 2.0 Reading (grades 3-10) and Mathematics (grades 3-8) for the state,
• Demographic results for the 2012 FCAT 2.0 Science and 2011 FCAT 2.0 Reading (grades 3-10)
and Mathematics (grades 3-8) for the state, districts, and schools
• Demographic results for the 2012 FCAT Writing (grades 4, 8, and 10) for the state, districts, and schools
Supporting data:
Florida End of Course Exams (EOC)
The Florida End-of-Course (EOC) Assessments measure student achievement of the Next Generation Sunshine State Standards, as outlined in their course descriptions.Algebra 1 EOC Assessment results for the 2010-11 school year have been converted to the new score scale and are being provided according to the new standards so that stakeholders and the general public are able to see what the results would have been if the new score scale and Achievement Levels had been approved and implemented at that time. Demographic information for Algebra 1 EOC can be accessed at http://app1.fldoe.org/FEocDemographics/MainMenu.aspx
College Readiness Exams ACT/SAT Scores
SAT and ACT scores become available from the College Board and ACT in September and are included in the supporting data below.
Supporting Data
• ACT Trends 2012
• SAT Trends 2012
Advanced Placement (AP) Exams
The Advanced Placement Exam scores become available each July. The 2012 results were included in the
July/August 2012 report and will be included July/August 2013 report.
School Grades
Student Achievement as measure by School Grades are calculated by the Florida Department of
Education and can be found on the School Grades Web page, which includes links to School Accountability Reports, downloadable files on school and district performance outcomes, and technical assistance guides. They can be accessed at http://schoolgrades.fldoe.org/
Supporting Data
• All School Grades
Graduation Rates
Up until 2010-11, the National Governors Association (NGA) graduation rate was calculated and used in Florida's high school grades calculation. As per federal regulations, Florida also began calculating the new federal uniform graduation rate that same year, but this rate was not used in the high school grades calculation for the 2010-11 school year. Beginning the following year, 2011-12, Florida calculated and reported only the federal uniform graduation rate, replacing the NGA rate, which is no longer calculated, for high school grades accountability.
We are providing a two-year (2010-11 and 2011-12) graduation rate comparison report, instead of a three-year comparison report, as has been provided in the past. It would not be statistically accurate to compare the graduation rate from 2009-10 (NGA) to that of 2010-11 and 2011-12 because the federal uniform graduation rate was not calculated for 2009-10 and the formula used to calculate the federal uniform rate is different from that used to calculate the NGA rate. In order to provide a
three-year report, the federal uniform graduation rate for 2009-10 would have to be retroactively calculated and it is not currently possible to accurately do so at the student or subgroup level. This is because the district has no way of knowing which of their students in Juvenile Justice (DJJ) programs were "walked back" to a regular high school, as this data was not made available to school districts. It is important to note that students classified as DJJ are removed from the NGA graduation rate calculation, but are included in the federal uniform graduation rate ("walk backs" are counted as non-graduates).
Supporting data:
• 2012 Grate District Report- Federal Rate- Breakdown By Race and Gender
• Grate School Breakdown 2011-12 Federal Rate
School Improvement Plan (SIP)
As the MOU requires, 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 is communicated annually to all school principals during annual SIP technical assistance. Beginning with the 2011-12 school year, SIP technical assistance and monitoring is coordinated through the district Assessment, Accountability, and Research (AAR) Department.
The School Improvement Plan development process for 2012-13were detailed in the July/August 2012 report and will be included July/August 2013 report.
Individual 2012-2013 school SIPs were due October 19, 2012 and may be accessed at http://www.flbsi.org/1213_SIP by selecting Pinellas, the individual school and clicking the view school improvement plan (read only) link.
Equitable Allocation of Resources
Through a variety of local, state, and federal funding sources such as Title I, schools with large populations of black students receive additional human and financial resources. Detail of tiered support for 2012-13 school yearwere presented in the July/August 2012 report and will be included July/August
2013 report.
Quality of Education – Student Discipline (Behavior)
Suspension Report
The indicator of discipline required as a goal in the FDOE School Improvement Plan template is suspensions, both out-of-school and in-school suspensions. Pinellas County Schools’ Research and Accountability Office has developed yearly suspension reports since 2006. A supplemental suspension report is compiled to specifically compare black and non-black students. These reports are based on historically archived data on a date certain for each report. The main report includes changes from the previous year and these reports are the most consistent and reliable suspension data available. All the suspension reports are posted on the district Research and Accountability website and the links to all of the current and past year reports can be found with the supporting data below.
A detailed report was shared in the in the July/August 2012 report and will be included July/August 2013 report.
Supporting data:
Discipline Trends
During Bradley mediation, a graphical report of Discipline Trends including suspension and arrest data from the Educational Data Solutions (EDS) system has been shared in recent years. This report was originally designed by the Directors of School Operations (a position that no longer exists in Pinellas County Schools) and to date can still be compiled by staff in the MIS office. This report is included for consistency with the previous Bradley MOU Reports and will continue to be included as this report captures arrest data by school. Data in the two reports may vary slightly as the MIS graphical report is developed from dynamic data pulled on a specific day and not the same “date certain” used for the Research and Accountability Suspension Reports.
The arrest data in this report includes arrests entered by School Resource Officers when the offense and the arrest occurred on the school campus and the student was enrolled at the school.
Supporting data:
• Discipline_2013-02-25
Disciplinary Reassignments and Expulsions
The Area Superintendent Offices have developed summary reports related to reassignments and expulsions. Disaggregated data for the past five years by race was includedin the July/August 2012 report and will be included July/August 2013 report. First Semester Reassignments and First Semester Expulsion graphs are provided here in the supporting data.
Supporting data:
• Reassignment Graphs
• Expulsion Graphs
School Improvement Plans
As required by the MOU, 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. Individual 2012-2013 SIPs may be accessed at http://www.flbsi.org/1213_SIP by selecting Pinellas, the individual school and clicking the view school improvement plan (read only) link.
School wide Behavior Plans and Response to Intervention: Behavior (RtI:B) Implementation
Pinellas County Schools has developed a district wide Tier 1 positive behavioral support plan that aligns to Problem Solving Response to Intervention. In 2010 all School Based Leadership Teams (SBLT) participated in training to build capacity 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 of each year, all schools submit a School-wide Behavior Pan to their Area Superintendent. The School-wide Behavior Plan template is included below as supporting data. Plans are due to the Area Superintendents by September 21, 2012.
All schools have a School-wide Behavior Plan on file with their Area Superintendents. Schools utilize results on the PBS Implementation Checklist (PIC) and the Benchmarks of Quality (BOQ) as progress
monitoring tools. SBLT’s assess the school PBS implementation make adjustments to the plan based on these tools and other school based behavioral data.
Area Superintendents monitor the school based progress monitoring of the School-wide Behavior Plan during school visits. Additionally, professional development on how to utilize the results of the PBS Implementation Checklist (PIC) and Benchmarks of quality (BOQ) as tools for developing and progress monitoring School-wide Behavior Plans is coordinated and supported by Area Superintendents.
The PBS Implementation Checklist (PIC) is completed by each school in October and February to assess each SBLT’s PBS implementation level.
Supporting data:
PIC Implementation Checklist District and by Level
PIC Critical Elements District and by Level
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. Individual 2012-2013 SIPs may be accessed at http://www.flbsi.org/1213_SIP by selecting Pinellas, the individual school and clicking the view school improvement plan (read only) link.
Exceptional Student Education (ESE) Classes (including EBD and Gifted)
ESE data is provided from the district FDOE Survey 2 date certain files and displayed in graphic form as it has been in previous reports to maintain consistency.
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 131.
Supporting data:
School Gifted Count by Ethnicity
ESE Graphs
Accelerated Classes
Data is included showing the black and white enrollment within ethnicity for dual enrollment, honors classes, and Advanced Placement, Middle School Algebra, Honors and MJ Adv courses. It is important to review the enrollment in dual enrollment and Advanced Placement together. Both options offer the student the potential to earn college credit. Middle School Algebra has seen large increases and decreases in the past few years due to program changes and the requirement of State End of Course Exams. Performance on End of Course Exams was considered and additional courses to increase student success were added before students enroll in Algebra I Honors.
Several supporting data sources are included at both the aggregated district level and for individual middle and high schools. Multi-year longitudinal enrollments are provided as are the school level and course typeby ethnic code for the 2012-2013 school year.
Supporting Data:
African American and White Enrollment
Multi Year HS Advanced Placement, Duel Enrollment, Honors Comparison Pinellas County High Schools Multi Year MS Algebra I, Honors and MJ Adv Enrollment Comparison Pinellas County Middle Schools
Advanced Course Unique Student Enrollments by School by Course Type
District Application Programs (Magnets, Fundamentals, Career Academies)
The application period for the 2013-14 school year closed. The Acceptance Period ended. Late application for District Application Programs begins March 11. Data on the final acceptances by race will be provided in the July/August report or at an interim date if requested. Ongoing enrollment and dismissal data for these programs will also be provided at the end of the year in the July/August 2013 report.
Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID)
Current status of enrollment in AVID and the ethnic distribution of AVID students is provided in the
supporting data.
Supporting Data
AVID Enrollment Summary
AVID Ethnic Distribution 
