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Requirements for Focus Schools

Contractors’ MeetingMarch 4, 2013

Presenter: Yvonne A. Holloman, Ph.D.

Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA)

Flexibility Waiver

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Purpose of ESEA Flexibility

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ESEA scheduled for

reauthorization in 2007

Congress failed to reauthorize

Disproportionate percentage of

schools misidentified as underperforming

Flexibility offered to promote reform and

respond to state concerns

Flexibility Principles

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College- and career-ready standards and assessments

Differentiated supports and interventions for underperforming schools

Teacher and principal evaluation systems

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Under the provisions of the two-year flexibility waiver granted by USED on June 29, ambitious but achievable annual measurable objectives (AMOs) have been set for student subgroups, including new “proficiency gap groups” comprising students who historically have had difficulty meeting the commonwealth’s achievement standards.

Hispanic students, of one or more races*

Black students, not of Hispanic origin*

System of Differentiated Recognition, Accountability, and Support

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Students with DisabilitiesEnglish Language Learners

Economically Disadvantaged

Gap Group 1(unduplicated)

Gap Group 2

Gap Group 3

*to include students with disabilities, English language learners, and economically disadvantaged students

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Reading benchmarks will be reset based on the performance of students during 2012-2013 on new reading SOL tests reflecting the increased rigor of the 2010 English standards.

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Mathematics benchmarks are based on student achievement on the rigorous new Standards of Learning (SOL) tests introduced last year and are designed for the specific purpose of cutting in half the gap between Virginia’s lowest- and highest-performing schools.

Mathematics Annual Measurable Objectives

Accountability Year 2012-2013 2013-2014 2014-2015 2015-2016 2016-2017 2017-2018

Assessment Year 2011-2012 2012-2013 2013-2014 2014-2015 2015-2016 2016-2017

All Students 61 64 66 68 70 73

Proficiency Gap Group 1 47 52 57 63 68

  

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Proficiency Gap Group 2 (Black Students) 45 51 56 62 67

Proficiency Gap Group 3 (Hispanic Students) 52 56 60 65 69

Students with Disabilities 33 41 49 57 65

LEP Students 39 46 53 59 66

Economically Disadvantaged Students 47 52 57 63 68

White Students 68 69 70 71 72

Asian Students 82 Continuous progress

What other individual subgroups must meet AMOs?

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Gap Group 1Students with Disabilities

English Language LearnersEconomically Disadvantaged

Gap Group 2Black Students

Gap Group 3Hispanic Students

All Students

Other Subgroups under Safeguard

Students with Disabilities

English Language Learners

White

Economically Disadvantaged

Asian

Fo

cus

Sc

ho

ols

Focus Schools

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Focus Schools

•States must identify ten percent of the state’s Title I schools as focus schools based on:

• Low performance in one or more proficiency gap groups • Total: 72 schools

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Methodology for ProficiencyGap Group Calculation

• Virginia will rank order schools by proficiency gap points:• Calculate difference between the AMO target and  each gap 

group’s performance in reading and mathematics to determine proficiency gap points

• Sum the proficiency gap points in reading and mathematics (exclude any group that exceed or meet target)

• Rank schools in order of the total number of average proficiency gap point

• Identify 10 percent of  Title I schools with the most gap points

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Establishing Proficiency Gap Group Points

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Gap Group ReadingTarget

ReadingPerformance

Reading Performance Gap Points

Gap Group 173 74 NI*

Gap Group 276 66 10

Gap Group 375 64 11

*NI – Not Included because the gap group met or exceeded the subject area target

Establishing Proficiency Gap Group Points

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Gap Group 1: NIGap Group 2: 10Gap Group 3: 11

Sum Groups: 21Divide by number of gaps: 21 / 2 Gap Points for Reading: 10.5

Schools with Highest Proficiency Gap Group Points

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21GP

22GP

23GP

35GP

35GP

35GP

35GP

35GP

35GP

35GP

35GP

35GP

35GP

35GP

35GP

Identify from the list of schools ranked by proficiency gap points a number equal to 10 percent of the state’s total Title I schools = 72 Schools

Division Requirements• Collaborate with an external VDOE contractor 

and participate in a needs sensing interview • Convene a division leadership team including 

representatives of:– Title I– Instruction– Special education– English language learners– Principals of each focus school

• Meet as a division leadership team on a monthly basis

• Develop, implement, and monitor a division improvement plan that is aligned with the needs of each focus school

• Participate in quarterly meetings with focus schools to review data and make decisions about needed technical assistance

• Modify division improvement plan on a quarterly basis based on data analysis

School Requirements• Convene a school leadership team including a 

member of the division leadership team• Utilize a VDOE-approved adaptive reading 

assessment program to determine student growth at least quarterly

• Utilize the Algebra Readiness Diagnostic Test (ARDT) provided by the VDOE (required only for focus schools with grade 5 or higher)

• Develop, implement, and monitor a school improvement plan

• Develop an intervention strategy for all students who have failed an SOL assessment or failed to meet the fall PALS benchmark

• Regularly analyze a variety of data points to make strategic, data-driven decisions, and implement the needed interventions for identified students

• Modify school improvement plan on a quarterly basis based on data analysis

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