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Equity Indicator Confirmed for 2017 SPF
The board tonight discussed the use of the equity indicator in the School Performance Framework (SPF). Board members and district leaders discussed the importance of supports for schools to better meet the needs of our higher-need students and close our opportunity gaps. Deputy Superintendent Susana Cordova detailed a number of these supports and actions taken by schools to close gaps and meet performance expectations on the equity indicator.
Regarding the implementation of the equity indicator, the board re-affirmed that this was a performance matter for the superintendent to decide.
Superintendent Tom Boasberg said the benefits of implementing the equity indicator this fall outweigh the risks, helping drive important conversations around equity in our district. He said the change management and support to our schools will be critical, but is encouraged by the steps he has already seen school leaders taking to make improvements to support our highest need students.
"This is not new data -- it's been here for decades, unfortunately. What we're doing is highlighting it," said Board Member
Rachele
Espiritu. "It's time for us to be accountable to the students who, for years, have been experiencing this gap. This is work we need to do as a district and we are going to support our schools in whatever they need. When you hear the real-life stories behind the data about the gaps our students are experiencing, we can't wait."
Purpose of the Indicator
The SPF equity indicator was created to:
- Spotlight the opportunity gaps that exist in even the highest-performing schools in order to focus supports and improve academic achievement for all students.
- Highlight how schools serve all students -- including students of color, English language learners, students with disabilities and students living in poverty -- in the areas of math, literacy, science and English acquisition.
- Create urgency around the efforts schools and the community use to eliminate performance and postsecondary outcome disparities.
"Our school leaders and teachers care passionately about our highest-needs kids. At the same time, in Denver and Colorado and elsewhere, gaps persist," said Boasberg of the need for the focus on equity. "It's partly a realization that there are lots of different forces at work in our schools. ... There are really strong societal factors that often result in more attention on our kids with more social capital, and the equity indicator is a strong step toward shifting to a culture of equity."
Read the full presentation
here.
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