Bradley v Pinellas County Schools
Memoranda of Understanding
Report on Progress – March 2014
To date, four 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, Assignment to Programs and Classes, and Administrative Staff
Assignment and Faculty.
Each MOU includes provision for semiannual meetings 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
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
• Data to support the above using district data systems
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
Administrative Staff Assignment and Faculty
• Evidence of the district’s support of minority administrative staff assignment at all school levels and in central administration and general geographic apportionment that is at least as equitable as levels that existed in the 1998-99 school year
• Evidence of the district’s commitment to continued support of minority instructional staff assignments at all school levels and in the general geographic apportionment. The district will maintain a “critical shortage” designation of black teachers so long as the percentage of black students within the district is two or more points higher than the percentage of black teachers
Quality of Education – Student Achievement
FCAT Results
Disaggregated student achievement data was reported by the Florida Department of Education (FDOE) in the annual Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) reports for the district and individual schools from 1999-2011. 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 2011-2013, 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:
2013 School Grades and Student Performance
o 2013-PCS 8 Cell Data
o 2013-PCS 8 Cell Data
o 2013 Annual Measurable Objectives
o 2013 School Grade FCAT Achievement Level Data by Race/Ethnicity - Math
o 2013 School Grade FCAT Achievement Level Data by Race/Ethnicity - Reading
Florida End of Course Exams (EOC)
The Florida End-of-Course (EOC) Assessments measure student achievement of the State Standards, as outlined in their course descriptions. Demographic results for the Algebra 1 (2010-13), Biology 1 and Geometry EOC Assessment results for the 2011-13 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, Biology 1 and Geometry EOC assessments 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 2013
• SAT Trends 2013
Advanced Placement (AP) Exams
The Advanced Placement Exam scores become available each July. The 2013 results were included in the
August 2013 report and will be included August 2014 report.
Graduation Rates
United States (U.S.) Department of Education regulations require each state to calculate a four-year adjusted cohort rate, which includes standard diplomas but excludes GEDs, both regular and adult, and special diplomas. Another difference in the new rate is that adult education transfers will count as non- graduates, rather than simply a transfer out of the cohort. This new rate is referred to as the Federal Graduation Rate and the U.S. Department of Education is adopting this calculation method in an effort to streamline graduation rate calculations to acquire uniform, accurate, and comparable rates across all states. States began calculating the new graduation rate in 2010-11, and states were required to implement the federal graduation rate in determining school grades beginning in 2011-12. District and school level federal graduation rate data disaggregated by race and gender is now available for the
2012-13 school year and is provided below.
We are providing a three-year (2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13) graduation rate comparison report.
Supporting data:
• Federal Graduation Rate by School 2012-13
• Graduation Rate 2011-13 Comparison
• Graduation Rate 2011-13 Race and Gender
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. Link to 2013-14 School Improvement Plans
The School Improvement Plan development process for 2013-14 school year was detailed in the August 2013 report and will be included August 2014 report.
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 2013-14 school year were presented in the August 2013 report and will be included August 2014 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’ Assessment, Accountability, and Research (AAR) Department 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 AAR 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 August 2013 report and will be included August 2014 report. Supporting data:
• Suspension reports 2006-13
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 AAR Department 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 2011-2013
• Referrals and Suspensions by Race 2013
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 included in the August 2013 report and will be included August 2014 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. Link to 2013-14 School Improvement Plans
School-wide Behavior Plans and Response to Intervention: Behavior (RtI:B) Implementation
All schools have a School-wide Behavior Plan on file with their Area Superintendents. Schools utilize
results on the Positive Behavior Support (PBS) Implementation Checklist (PIC) and the Benchmarks of Quality (BOQ) as progress monitoring tools. School Based Leadership Team’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.
A detailed report was shared in the in the August 2013 report and will be included August 2014 report. Supporting data:
• PIC Implementation Checklist
• BOQ Critical Elements Summary
Assignment to 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 Link to 2013-14 School Improvement Plans
Exceptional Student Education (ESE) Classes
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.
In order to address disproportionality goal five of the district Bridging the Gap Strategic Plan is to reduce the number of black students being found eligible for Emotional/Behavioral Disabilities (EBD). The major action steps to achieve this goal include: implementation of culturally responsive teaching practices; professional development in interventions, Functional Behavior Assessments (FBAs), and behavior management strategies; implementation of social-emotional embedded learning; revision of eligibility processes; monitoring of interventions and progress of students as well as EBD dismissals; and development of a readiness profile in partnership with community organizations. The Goal Five team includes representatives from Exceptional Student Education (ESE), Student Services, Area Office staff, Strategic Partnerships, Title I, Professional Development and school based personnel. The team meets regularly to develop and collaborate on action items and monitors implementation, progress, and impact upon students.
In addition, the ESE department monitors the ESE initial eligibility data by primary exceptionality,
gender, grade level and ethnicity monthly. This data is used to inform decisions and implement changes to instruction, behavior and academic interventions, the eligibility process and the Bridging the Gap Strategic Plan goal five initiatives.
Supporting data:
• ESE Comparison Graphs
Gifted Education Information
The percentage of black students identified as gifted has remained relatively stable over the past year. Ethnic data by Special Ethnic Code: Black/Non-Black
| |
2/2013 |
2/2014 |
| Total K-12 |
6608 |
6853 |
| Total Black |
436 |
437 |
| |
6.6% |
6.4% |
Data Source: Focus Advanced Report
2011-13 gifted enrollment data reported previously was from the Exceptional Matrix for Exceptionality by Gender and Grade report (ESE0035) that uses the Local Ethnic Code to identify students.
| |
2/2012 |
2/2013 |
1/2014 |
| Total Gifted K-12 |
6337 |
6648 |
6933 |
| Total Gifted Black |
271 |
275 |
285 |
| |
4.3% |
4.1% |
4.1% |
Data Source: ESE00035
The following district initiatives are being implemented to decrease the gap between black and non- black gifted students.
• Increased access to gifted education
Beginning in August 2013, a gifted education teacher was assigned to every elementary school campus in Pinellas. In prior years, gifted students from schools with low gifted enrollment were
bused to another school site for their weekly gifted services. This change has resulted in an increase in instructional time for students as well as an increased awareness of gifted learners by teachers and parents. While it is too early to provide solid data district-wide, preliminary enrollment figures at Fairmount Park reveal a strong growth trend at that school.
| Fairmont Park |
2/2013 |
2/2014 |
| Total Gifted |
1 |
7 |
| Total Gifted/Black |
0 |
6 |
The district has increased opportunity for full-time programming with the three Middle School Centers
for Gifted Studies.
| 2013-2014 |
A |
B |
H |
I |
M |
W |
| Dunedin |
35 (12%) |
7 (2%) |
15 (5%) |
0 |
16 (6%) |
196 (70%) |
| Fitzgerald |
46 (16%) |
12 (4%) |
18 (6%) |
0 |
13 (5%) |
184 (65%) |
| Marshall |
25 (7%) |
28 (8%) |
20 (5%) |
0 |
22 (6%) |
263 (72%) |
• Increased access to gifted education practices and talent development
The thirty-four Title 1 elementary schools were designated as talent development school beginning 2013-14. The talent development programs are based on the research of Joseph Renzulli and his School-wide Enrichment Model (SEM). This framework will be used to help schools identify gifts and talents in all students. Professional development was provided for all elementary principals and gifted education teachers on SEM by Dr. Renzulli in October 2013. Dr. Renzulli and his staff will return in April 2014 to work with five schools on full implementation of SEM. Also within the SEM framework, gifted education teachers are exposing all students in the school to creative thinking strategies.
• Increased access to gifted screening
Students are traditionally recommended by a teacher or parent for gifted screening. Since
2006, the Naglieri Nonverbal Assessment Test – 2nd Edition (NNAT- 2) has been used to screen a whole grade level of primary students for gifted at targeted schools. As described in the product literature, the NNAT 2 “uses progressive matrices to allow for a culturally neutral evaluation of students’ nonverbal reasoning and general problem-solving ability, regardless of the individual primary language, education, culture, or socioeconomic background.” Primary
students at Fairmount, Gulfport, Lakewood, Maximo and Melrose were tested in 2012 and 2013.
Four Title 1 schools will be selected for grade level screening during the spring of 2014.
Supporting data:
• School Gifted Count by Ethnicity
Accelerated Classes
Data is included showing the black and white enrollment within ethnicity for dual enrollment, Advanced Placement, and honors classes, Middle School Algebra, Honors and Middle School Advanced (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 type by ethnic code for the 2012-2013 school year.
Supporting Data:
Enrollment Gaps by Course Type
This data shows black and white student enrollment within ethnicity for dual enrollment, Advanced Placement, dual enrollment & Advanced Placement combined, high school honors enrollment, middle school Algebra enrollment, middle school honors enrollment, and middle school advanced enrollment.
This data is the best indicator of PCS’s efforts to have equitable participation in accelerated coursework. When a gap in participation is eliminated, the percentage of white students and the percentage of black students participating in these types of courses will be equal. Improving the fidelity to the AVID program requirement for all AVID students to be scheduled into the most rigorous courses available has proven to make a difference in the enrollment numbers as you will see throughout this section of the report.
Because we have always provided dual enrollment data and Advanced Placement data separately in the past, the data is shown that way again this year. In addition, we have also included the data in a combined format because both types of courses are taken with the intent to earn college credit, but the way college credit is awarded is different. In future years, we will provide the combined data only.
• The gap in enrollment in DE by itself was significantly reduced as more black students enrolled in DE courses while fewer white students enrolled in DE courses.
• The gap in enrollment in AP decreased slightly. More black students are accessing AP courses, as are more white students. However, the number of AP courses being taken by both groups dropped slightly.
• When considering DE and AP combined, we see an overall increase in the number of students and the number of enrollments for the black student group, with an increase in the number of students and a decrease in the number of enrollments for the white student group. Overall the gap in participation rate decreased a full percentage point from the previous year.
The remaining data in the Enrollment Gaps document is reported the same as in prior years.
• The number of students taking honors courses has decreased for both subgroups. This correlates with the decrease in honors course offerings. Some honors courses have been eliminated due to an increased offering of other levels of courses. For example, seniors at most
schools choose among the following options to satisfy their English requirement: English 4, English 4 College Prep, AP Literature & Composition, Composition I (DE). This has forced students to challenge themselves to a higher standard in most cases, which is part of the reason for the increased numbers in DE and AP enrollment. Overall, the gap in enrollment between the two groups increased slightly.
• Algebra enrollments in middle school present a different picture and a difficult one to follow because of the changes to our course offerings in the last two years and also the
implementation of an “automated math placement” as we built schedules for the current school year. As you review the data you will see a significant decrease in the number of students taking Algebra in the middle school for 2013-14, in both subgroups. In an effort to better serve students based on their existing math skills, students in middle school were automatically assigned to an appropriate level math course based on two years of FCAT data. The implementation of the automatic scheduler coincided with a 3.2% percentage point decrease in the enrollment gap.
• Middle school enrollment into high school honors courses increased significantly in 2013-14, while the gap in participation dropped.
• Enrollment in M/J Advanced courses also increased while the gap in participation showed a slight increase as well.
Supporting Data:
Multi Year HS Advanced Placement, Dual Enrollment, Honors Comparison Pinellas County High Schools
These reports examine the three year trend in enrollment for each course type by school, in terms of total enrollments (1 student taking 3 AP classes is counted 3 times) and unique students (1 student taking 3 AP classes is counted 1 time). These reports are being provided to be consistent with what has been provided in previous years, but, in isolation, tell us very little because we cannot see how these enrollments compare to the school enrollment. For example, at Gibbs HS we see a decrease of 50 enrollments for black students in DE and AP combined, but the data regarding the number of black students at the school is not there to compare it to. This is why the percent within ethnicity data previously discussed is so important. As was the case with the Gap in Participation report, we will discontinue the separate reporting of DE and AP next year.
It is also important to note that when you review these data elements that the calculation for low income students has changed significantly at several schools. With the implement of the Community Eligibility Provision that provides lunch at no cost for all the students in a school (Boca Ciega, Dixie Hollins & Gibbs High Schools; Azalea, Bay Point, John Hopkins, Largo, Meadowlawn, Pinellas Park & Meadowlawn Middle Schools), all of the students are considered eligible for low income benefits; which skews the low income data for these schools significantly.
These reports are useful for our schools as they review the numbers because they are extremely familiar with their school’s demographic distributions and we are explicitly asking them to take the time to reflect on whether or not the enrollment gaps based on percent within ethnicity are declining as they work with students on course selection for the upcoming school year.
Advanced Course Duplicated Enrollments by School by Course Type
Supporting Data:
Advanced Course Duplicated Enrollments by School by Course Type
Advanced Course Unique Student Enrollments by School by Course Type
These reports show the current enrollment for each course type by school, in terms of total enrollments (1 student taking 3 AP classes is counted 3 times) and unique students (1 student taking 3 AP classes is counted 1 time). These reports are being provided to be consistent with what has been provided in previous years, but, in isolation, tell us very little because we cannot see how these enrollments compare to the school enrollment. For example, at Gibbs HS we see a decrease of 50 enrollments for black students in DE and AP combined, but the data regarding the number of black students at the school is not there to compare it to. This is why the percent within ethnicity data previously discussed is so important.
While this data is not of great use for our purposes in this group, it is perfect data for schools to use in determining if they need to alter their scheduling protocols to insure that students in each subgroup are being adequately encouraged to take the most rigorous courses in which they can be successful. This data is shared with administrators and counselors at each school for the purpose of determining which groups they need to do a more intentional job of identifying for enrollment into each type of course.
District Application Programs (Magnets, Fundamentals, Career Academies)
The initial application period for the 2014-15 school year closed and the initial Acceptance Period ended. The two new elementary magnet programs will have their application period in the near future and then the late application for District Application Programs begins March 31. 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 August report.
Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID)
AVID was established in our county in an effort to close achievement gaps in accelerated courses while providing the support necessary for students to be successful when they increase the level of rigorous courses in which they are choosing to engage. For several years we have focused on the growth of AVID to provide the program in every secondary school. With 2013-14 as the first year in which all 35 secondary schools have AVID, our focus has shifted to improving the fidelity to this mission of providing underrepresented students with the opportunity for access to a more rigorous course load in order to provide them with the greatest variety of post-secondary options. The mission of AVID is and will remain preparing students in the academic middle to gain the academic independence necessary to be successful in the post-secondary setting, with a focus on the underrepresented subgroups (minority, low income, first generation college, unique circumstances that put a student at risk to discontinue their education).
One very intent focus for us as we recruited students and scheduled students for the 2013-14 school year was making expectations clear to students who demonstrated interest in participating in the AVID program and appropriately scheduling all AVID students into courses of rigor to the greatest extent possible, without compromising their ability to be successful in those courses.
Planning for 2014-15 is underway with very intentional recruitment efforts that are aimed at extending personal invitations to each black or low income student who meets the AVID profile of being in the academic middle. Every school has identified who these students are (for the students that are currently in their school and will be returning next year) and developed an action plan for inviting them. The action plans are currently being implemented as part of the course registration processes at each school and will expand to the incoming students (6th grade and 9th grade) in the very near future.
Supporting Data:
AVID Enrollment 6-year Summary
These reports show data regarding the current year status of the AVID program in PCS as well as the trend of what has occurred over the last 8 years. The percentage of black students in the AVID program continues to significantly exceed the percentage of black students in grades 6-12 in PCS.
Administrative Staff Assignment and Faculty
The district is committed to continued support of minority administrative staff assignments at all school levels, in central administration, and in the general geographic apportionment that are at least as equitable as levels that existed in the 1998-1999 school year.
The district is also commitment to continued support of minority instructional staff assignments at all school levels and in the general geographic apportionment. The district will maintain a “critical shortage” designation of black teachers so long as the percentage of black students within the district is two or more points higher than the percentage of black teachers.
Supporting Report:
Administrative Staff Assignment and Faculty 
