November/December 2015

In this Traffic Report

Hello! 


 

Thank you for reading the November/December issue of the Road Map Traffic Report! These updates build on information shared in previous Traffic Reports. Please visit the Road Map Project website to view earlier issues.

 

The Traffic Report is issued every two months to better provide you with helpful and thorough updates from across the Road Map Project. Please email info@ccedresults.org with any feedback.

 

Thank you!!

-CCER Team
ROAD MAP PROJECT-WIDE UPDATE
 
Don't miss the release of the 2015 Results Report, the Road Map Project's annual report card to the community. This report will provide a snapshot of our progress toward important student milestones from cradle through college. University of Washington President Ana Mari Cauce will be the keynote speaker. Registration information will be forthcoming via the Road Map Project newsletter.
 
Education Results Network meeting
3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Feb. 10
Renton Pavilion Event Center
233 Burnett Ave. S.
Renton, WA 98057
CLICK HERE to register

BIRTH TO 3RD GRADE

Regional kindergarten registration campaign starting up
This is the second year the region's seven school districts have come together to participate in a regional kindergarten registration campaign, which begins the day after the Martin Luther King holiday - MLK Tuesday, Jan 19. Flyers communicating the key messages of the campaign have been translated into several languages, and an outreach plan is being developed with the input of community partners and parents. This year's materials will be posted on the Road Map Race to the Top website and on a new website -- www.KRegNow.org -- on Jan 19. Some Race to the Top funds have been allocated to support districts and schools working together to reach more families. If you would like more information about how to get involved, please contact Mary Waldron at mwaldron@psesd.org .
 
Work groups team up to prevent summer learning loss
Members of the Birth to Third Grade Work Group and Youth Development for Education Results Work Group are discussing how to develop and implement plans in our region that will increase access to summer learning opportunities for more children. The group's short-term goal is to create a 2016 summer strategy that includes communications, model site selection and data collection. The group also wants to ensure a strong start as they work toward an advocacy push for public funding of summer learning in the 2017-18 state legislative biennium. The participating members have analyzed research and existing models of summer learning and formulated a strategy that will outline a set of elements for model summer learning programing, quality support to summer enrichment programing and increased access to summer programing for more children and youth in South King County. School's Out Washington is leading the development and implementation of this strategy. For more information, please contact David Beard at dbeard@schoolsoutwashington.org

COLLEGE & CAREER SUCCESS
 
FAFSA and WASFA campaign underway - filing goals set
Filing the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) or WASFA (Washington Application for Student Financial Aid) is a critical step for students to access state aid and realize their college dreams. This year, our region has set a FAFSA filing goal of 80% for all high school seniors and 90% for all College Bound Scholarship students. Beginning in January, many activities are taking place to help us meet that goal.

Volunteers needed for Financial Aid Events
Thirty-four financial aid events have been scheduled for January and early February. These events provide support to high school students and their families as they navigate the financial aid process. Students have the opportunity to work with trained volunteers and financial aid experts as they apply for scholarships and file the FAFSA or WASFA. Help is still needed! If you would like to volunteer, please go to roadmaptocollege.org/financial-aid-events/community-volunteers/. The Puget Sound College and Career Network is coordinating these events. If you have questions or want promotional posters, please email psccn@psesd.org.
 
New 'FAFSA in Focus' e-newsletter and data available
In 2016, the Puget Sound Educational Service District will be sending out a bi-weekly e-newsletter that will include data updates and financial aid tips for the FAFSA and WASFA. If you would like to receive the "FAFSA in Focus" e-newsletter, please email jflaming@psesd.org. If you would like to look at your own district or school's FAFSA completion rates, visit the Washington Student Achievement Council's FAFSA completion portal: https://fortress.wa.gov/wsac/portal/fafsacompletion.
 
Trainings and T-shirts for counselors
On Dec. 8, middle school and high school counselors from our region participated in the Financial Aid from Start to Finish training at the PSESD. Also, based on feedback from counselors at this past summer's High School and Beyond Leadership Institute, new strategies are being implemented to support this year's FAFSA/WASFA campaign. Districts are receiving $500 awards to support their financial literacy and financial aid form efforts. FAFSA/WASFA campaign T-shirts are also being provided to high school counselors and college access providers working in schools to help raise awareness about the importance of filing. Bilingual instructional assistants from three school districts will also be receiving training in early January to support FAFSA/WASFA filing and address the many language needs of the students and families in our region.
 
New report looks at local community and technical college data
On Jan. 13, CCER released the first-ever "Road Map Project Community and Technical College Report," which looks at outcomes for local high school graduates who attended community and technical colleges in our region. The data in the report will be useful to supporting continuous improvement efforts at both high schools and colleges. The report would not have been possible without support and collaboration from our local community and technical colleges, the Washington State Board of Community and Technical Colleges and the Washington State Education Research and Data Center. To read the report, visit roadmapproject.org/data-center/reports/.
 
Coalition finalizes theory of change, task force
The Puget Sound Coalition for College and Career Readiness will be finalizing its theory of change and launching a task force focused on dual enrollment opportunities. The coalition will be supporting the Puget Sound College and Career Network's efforts to support student completion of the FAFSA. Key resources include:  
 
Project Finish Line meetings
The Project Finish Line learning community topic interest groups will meet to review and discuss scholarship and promising practices that address college completion. The four groups include: 
  • Exploring methods/frameworks for measuring program effectiveness
  • Introducing culturally relevant materials into student services and/or the classroom
  • Scaling up effective practices
  • Integrating practices that build students' academic self-efficacy into student services and/or the classroom
Stipends are available for community college faculty participation. Please contact Hilary Loeb HLoeb@psesd.org for more information. 
STEM

Apply now for the Washington State Opportunity Scholarship
The Washington State Opportunity Scholarship (WSOS) supports low- and middle-income students pursuing eligible high-demand majors in science, technology, engineering, math or health care and encourages recipients to work in Washington once they complete their degrees. The application period for this scholarship opened on Jan. 4 and will close Feb. 29. Eligibility criteria and details can be found on the scholarship's website . On Dec. 14, the South King County STEM Network hosted a dinner for a dozen teachers and college/career counselors from various high schools in the Road Map Project region to discuss how they could help students apply for the WSOS. The excitement in the room was great! Thank you to the following attendees for giving their time:
 
Roderick Booker
Evergreen Campus
Theresa Britschgi
College Success Foundation
Nancy Carroll
Arts and Academics Academy, Evergreen Campus
Kendrick Glover
PSESD
Susan Huynh
Lindbergh High School
Fonda Mongrain
Todd Beamer High School
Jon Morrow
Auburn High School
Renee Novak
Decatur High School
Eileen Restrepo
Thomas Jefferson High School
Jenni Standard
Foster High School
Sydney Williams
Highline High School
 
 
Hour of Code a success in our region!
On Nov. 17, the South King County STEM Network hosted a dinner at the South Seattle College-Georgetown campus for nearly 50 teachers and counselors and about 15 community-based organizations to learn how they could host an Hour of Code event for students during Computer Science Education Week in December. Thank you to all the partners who sponsored and helped with this dinner: PSESD, Washington STEM, Boeing, Microsoft and Code.org. The final Hour of Code participation data is still being calculated by Code.org, but it looks like our region had great participation. Also, Highline Public Schools produced a video about their Hour of Code that can be found here .

YOUTH DEVELOPMENT FOR EDUCATION RESULTS

Work group making headway on goal areas
The Youth Development for Education Results Work Group has its next meeting on Feb. 3. The work group is making headway in all three action plan goal areas:
 
More and better out-of-school time: Funding, systems and quality
  • Passage of the Best Starts for Kids levy in King County means more funding in support of kids. While afterschool and expanded learning are not explicitly named in the strategies, other wrap-around supports that are essential for youth success are. The new advisory committee has been named and will begin meeting soon.
  • The Washington State Expanded Learning Opportunities Council recently released their 2015 recommendations. A few key recommendations include: create Expanded Learning Opportunities Office led by a new assistant superintendent; provide school-wide learning assistance program and provide per-pupil funding of expanded learning opportunities as part of basic education allocation.
  • Nationally, the Every Child Achieves Acthas been signed into law, replacing No Child Left Behind. 21st Century Community Learning Centers are saved in the bill and there are other positive changes that impact partnerships, afterschool learning and summer learning. Relevant information can be found on these sites: Afterschool Alliance, Ed Trust, and Alliance for Excellent Education.
Improved partnership systems between schools and youth-serving organizations: Data & tool-kit
  • Several sections of the School-Community Partnership Ecosystem Toolkit are ready for review: the Introduction (part 1), Getting Partnership Ready (part 2) and Framework and Checklist for Partnership Tools (part 3 overview). The goal is to build a comprehensive, modular toolkit that can be used in multiple ways, depending on context. Please send your feedback to Jessica Werner at jwerner@ydekc.org.  
  • Student Success Link (the community-based organization data portal) is near launch for nine pilot sites. This work is led by Matt Harris, of the PSESD. The agreements and technology are now in place to successfully access live/real data from several districts. To learn more, check out this infographic and visit the Student Success Data Partnership page
  Measuring and moving motivation and engagement -- SEL & 21st Century skills
 
  • The SEL Council for the state has started meeting and will be developing K-12 SEL benchmarks. The 2014 supplemental budget, ESSB 6052 Sec 501 (34), directed the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction to convene a work group "to recommend comprehensive benchmarks for developmentally appropriate interpersonal and decision-making knowledge and skills of social and emotional learning for kindergarten through high school that build upon what is being done in early learning." All meetings are open to the public. The work group will submit its report with recommendations to the education committees of the legislature, and the office of the governor by October 1, 2016. The next meeting is 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Jan. 20 at Renton Technical College. The work group also has a website.
  • The Youth Development for Education Results Work Group is working on an inventory of professional development (teacher and youth worker) around building motivation, engagement and SEL to identify gaps and see what's working.Anne Powell, of Spark Consulting, has completed a preliminary draft PD & Curriculum Inventory. This inventory was discussed at the Jan. 7 SEL, Motivation & Engagement (YDER subgroup) meeting. Questions? Please contact Jessica Werner at jwerner@ydekc.org.
OPPORTUNITY YOUTH 
 
Reflecting on progress and looking ahead
CCER staff with partners and advisors closed out the year by reflecting on implementation of the Opportunity Youth Action Plan over the course of 2015. This strategy reflection document summarizes progress toward each of the six core strategies in the plan, identifies racial equity considerations for each strategy and discusses implications for work during 2016. This document and discussions with implementation partners, the Opportunity Youth Advisory Group and the Regional Reengagement Network, are all informing priorities for 2016. If you have questions or would like more information, please contact Nicole Yohalem at nyohalem@ccedresults.org.
 
New team boosts 'Reconnect to Opportunity'
CCER is excited to be working with a new outreach team at King County on "Reconnect to Opportunity," a regional strategy to link opportunity youth to a "best-fit" education/employment program. Mario Bailey recently assumed the role of outreach manager, new communications tools are being developed with young people's involvement, and partnerships are being developed with housing authorities, libraries and the youth homelessness, juvenile justice, and reengagement sectors. Thanks to the Raikes Foundation and the Workforce Development Council for helping make this idea a reality.
 
Grant supporting generation work
SkilllUp Washington was recently awarded a planning grant from the Annie E. Casey Foundation focused on embedding paths to employment within reengagement programs, with a focus on connecting young adults with opportunities in the maritime, construction and advanced manufacturing industries. Given the focus of the work and the partner organizations, the Opportunity Youth Advisory Group or a subset thereof will serve as an advisory group to this important new project.
FAMILY & COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

Road Map family engagement capacity-building, institute coming in 2016
CCER has contracted with the Institute for Educational Leadership (IEL) to support facilitation of two very large bodies of work to build a robust Road Map region family engagement system. IEL has prepared leaders since 1964 to build effective systems that prepare children and youth for postsecondary education, careers and citizenship. The IEL team organized a two-day learning session in December with leaders from the region. On the first day, district leaders, community leaders, parents and various partners spent time with the IEL team, Kwesi Rollins and Michele Brooks (formerly deputy superintendent of Boston Public schools), to develop a two- to three-year plan for improving regional capacity to implement and sustain a range of strategies. The second day was focused on starting the planning of a local family engagement institute here in the Pacific Northwest. If you are interested in being a part of this planning, please contact Anthony Shoecraft at ashoecraft@ccedresults.org.
 
Congrats to the Small Grants fund recipients
Congratulations to the two recipients of Road Map Project Small Grants in November 2015:
  • Southeast Seattle Education Coalition (SESEC) was awarded a grant to convene a parent engagement summit, which will bring together southeast Seattle constituents (community leaders, educators, parents/caregivers, community-based organizations, etc.) and present findings from the SESEC/University of Washington's College of Education Parent Engagement Survey.
  • Community and Parents for Public Schools (CPPS) was awarded a grant to support the Parents as Tutors project, which will develop and pilot curriculum for helping multi-cultural parents better understand their potential roles as both in-class and at-home academic helpers in support of their children's school success.
ADVOCACY

Sign up for a "Follow the Money" briefing session
Several briefings have been scheduled to share the school district finance research that consultant Haid Garrett, of Third Sector Consulting, is conducting. Anyone interested in the topic of education funding is invited to attend and learn more. The briefing on Jan. 23 is hosted by League of Education Voters (LEV) as part of the 6th Annual Activist Training, and the Jan. 25 briefing is hosted by the Seattle Council PTSA (Haid will not present at this briefing). The briefing dates are as follows:
  • Sat. Jan. 23 from 9 a.m. 4 p.m. at Highline College (hosted by LEV)
  • Mon. Jan. 25 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Seattle Public Schools headquarters (Hosted by Seattle Council PTSA)
  • Thur. Jan. 28 from 7:30 a.m. 9:30 p.m. at Pacific Tower
  • Tues. Feb. 9 from 6 p.m. 8 p.m. at Kent Senior Center
To register, visit the Road Map Project's events page at roadmapproject.org/get-involved/events/.
 
School Discipline Coalition meeting
The second meeting of the School Discipline Coalition will take place Jan. 20 from 10 a.m. to noon at the Lakewood/Seward Park Community Club. The group plans to continue discussions about the coalition's structure and the formation of the racial equity focus. Contact Reyna Rollolazo at reyna.rollolazo@teamchild.org for more information.
DATA

New data analysis continues
The CCER data team continues to integrate and analyze new 2015 data, and they are preparing a printed report and online dashboard to share early in 2016. The analysis is yielding interesting conversations. For example, how 8th grade math courses are evolving with the new Common Core standards is being explored. Input and dialogue with the Road Map Project Data Advisors Group will continue to be important as provisional Smarter Balanced Assessment targets and new data sources are reviewed.
 
Thanks to Tableau!
CCER continues to work with Tableau -- utilizing free Tableau licenses for data team staff and working with Tableau volunteers -- and continues to build new and interesting data visualizations as part of the Strive Together Tableau Fellowship. Stay tuned for a new roadmapproject.org Tableau dashboard in February.