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DPS Board of Education Update for Oct. 17, 2016
for Senior, School Leaders
Please share with your teams and communities as appropriate -- DPS Communications
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Whole Child Survey Provides Insights for School Planning
Tonight, the Board of Education discussed the results of DPS' first Whole Child student survey, administered in the spring of 2016.
DPS is one of the first districts in the nation to attempt to define our Whole Child focus and to gather data on our students' perceptions in these critical areas.
We know that our students' academic progress should never be separated from their growth as whole children. That is why we have such a strong focus on
supporting the Whole Child -- meaning students are challenged, engaged, supported, safe, healthy, and socially and emotionally intelligent. The Whole Child Student Survey is designed to provide meaningful data to track how well our schools are meeting our students' needs on each of these components.
Instructional leaders shared their perspectives, with Doull Elementary Principal Jodie Carrigan and University Park Elementary Principal Grant Varveris weighing in, along with Instructional Superintendent Tanya Carter and Instructional Superintendent Suzanne Morris-Sherer.
Board Member Happy Haynes commented that while district leadership have embraced the concept of supporting the Whole Child, she wondered how teachers and staff are responding. Morris-Sherer said that for staff working with students, it's all about knowing the children you work with and, in doing so, understanding how to ensure their success.
2015-16 Results
The initial Whole Child results bring new insights into how our students are experiencing school. Key districtwide outcomes include:
- Confirmation that the link between Whole Child factors and success in school is strong -- students who reported strong Whole Child outcomes were more likely to meet academic expectations.
- Identification of schools with particularly strong Whole Child outcomes so that we can emulate their practices in other schools -- schools with particularly strong outcomes for African-American, Latino and low-income students worked to intentionally set a school culture that prioritizes and develops strong individual relationships with students.
- Highlighting critical areas for us to focus our supports -- including bullying, chronic absenteeism and out-of-school suspension disparities.
The full survey results are now available on the Whole Child website and are searchable by school.
Using the Results
The survey paints a clear picture for school leaders and educators, helping them tailor Whole Child goals and supports to best meet the needs of their unique and individual school communities.
With this information, our school leaders have a clearer picture of areas of strength and opportunity for their kids. They will use the data to set goals and identify improvement strategies in their school planning processes so that appropriate supports can be aligned and progress can be measured over time.
School leaders and educators can access resources and support available through the Whole Child Resource Bank to identify specific strategies in their focus area of choice. Each school's goals and strategies will be documented in their Unified Improvement Plan.
Board Chair Anne Rowe closed the conversation by stating that the focus on the Whole Child has highlighted for her that there are no "bad kids," but there are students living in very challenging circumstances. She noted that a school's culture, leadership and focus on the Whole Child can make all the difference in a child's life.
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Board Members Urge Caution in SPF Transition
Also tonight, board members discussed how best to transition to the 2016 School Performance Framework or SPF, following a year without an SPF after the implementation of more rigorous state standards and assessments. Superintendent Tom Boasberg and board members all urged educators and parents to exercise caution when using this year's SPF,
as the SPF will be the first one with the new state assessments and will only contain one year of student growth data as opposed to the usual two years.
DPS created and began using its school ratings framework in 2008, before the state launched its own system. While the two systems measure some of the same indicators, DPS uses a broader set of measures and continues to focus on measures aligned to our vision of ensuring every child is prepared for success in college, career and life. Examples of indicators on the DPS SPF that are not considered in state ratings include:
- Student and parent satisfaction measures.
- Early literacy measures, including the growth of students reading significantly below grade level and kindergartners reading at grade level.
- English language learners on track on the ACCESS assessment.
- College readiness measures, including the percentage of students required to take remedial classes when they enter college.
In addition, schools are expected to receive an equity indicator on this year's SPF, which
aggregates and highlights existing measures around student growth and achievement gaps. T
he district expects to set a minimum threshold on the equity indicator for a school to be rated as Green (Meets Expectations) for the fall 2017 SPF.
Boasberg described the district SPF as more comprehensive than the state SPF and a better gauge of whether a school is graduating all students ready for college and career. But he also noted this year's SPF is different than previous years', including only one year's worth of growth data instead of the typical two years. Only having one year of growth is likely to lead to spikes up or down in school results and is less demonstrative of performance trends than the use of two years of data.
That possibility, combined with tougher tests and some changes in indicators between the 2014 and 2016 SPF, prompted several board members to urge caution in how the 2016 school ratings are communicated and received by stakeholders.
"I'd like us to consider some kind of transition," said board member Mike Johnson. "In the long run, I'm in favor of going to harder standards, but in these unique circumstances, I think some kind of transition is appropriate."
Boasberg thanked board members for the conversation and said he hoped to have a final recommendation by week's end.
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There is no system that is ever going to be perfect," he said. "The way we do the SPF is far more comprehensive and reliable than we've seen elsewhere, statewide and nationally. But there are many different ways to approach this question. We need to do so with humility and caution."
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