High Achieving Student Growth Target

Whether on the scale of a school district, a state, or the nation, achievement gaps exist. Wealth seems to be the deciding factor, with race coming in at a close second, but these do not (and should not) be deciding factors. The State of Texas has developed The P-16 Initiative which seeks to close theses performance gaps between the poor and wealthy. Our textbook reads: “The P-16 is an effort to work with stakeholders collaboratively to foster a more integrated education system, while addressing issues of college readiness standards, teacher education, and educational

Channelview ISD, the district in which I was raised and currently teach, is considered a low demographic district with a high population of at-risk, economically disadvantaged and special education students. The TAPR results exhibit a clear correlation between the demographics of the school and their performance results. Results vary sporadically and show clear indicators of differences amongst demographic factors such as grade, gender, race, economic level, language capabilities and intelligence level, however, some factors influence test results more than others. Grade, intelligence level and language capabilities prove to be the main factors in the gaps between the percent of the state that were at Level II Satisfactory or Above and district percentage results. Also analyzed were the percentages of students who were at Postsecondary Readiness and Advanced and lastly and analysis on what percent of students made progress and exceeded progress as well as identifying which students performed well and

Year-End Progress Update - Describe the final results of your action plan and how successful you were in meeting your goal and impacting student achievement.

If the schools didn’t make AYP for three years in a row, they had to provide free tutoring and supplemental educational service. Everyone involved felt that the NCLB had unsolved issues. (Randolph & Wilson-Younger, 2012). There are teachers that argue that the testing is not fair with the children that are under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Children with individualized education plans are being forced to take standardized test on their grade level and the teachers argue that the tests might be way above where these children are academically. This also includes the children who have English as their second language because they are struggling when they are taking the standardized tests. Additionally, Choi, (Aug. 2012) describes how many schools struggle to meet the Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) under the Act called No Child Left Behind (NCLB). Pressures on the schools to meet the AYP can affect how each school does their testing and teaching policies. While states have been silent, the question has been whether states have a responsibility to intervene.

The purposes of standardized tests are to instruct decision making, establish program eligibility, evaluate course goals, evaluate program goals, and examine external curriculum. When a teacher gives and assesses a standardized test, they gain information about their students that helps them realize what concepts they have learned according to the agenda for the subject at hand. If the assessment is performed in a sensible amount of time and given according to the directions, this purpose should be fulfilled; however, it is a common belief that standardized tests do not work well in establishing where a student stands in a specific curriculum. The test uses a general curriculum that is the basis for the tests

Adequate Yearly Progress was an evaluation of year-to-year student performance on statewide assessments. Schools, school systems, and states had to demonstrate a specific level of performance on Reading/English Language Arts and Mathematics. To make AYP, schools, and/or systems had to have participation rate of ninety-five percent, meet annual objective measures in view of assessment results, and meet the criteria for a second indicator. Schools that do not make AYP for two consecutive years in the same subject area are assigned as schools in needs improvement (Georgia Department of Education,

When a school receives a negative or unsatisfactory rating it will be important that as an administrator we do not hide but rather face the problem head on. If we try to dodge those who are concerned it will only lead to more anger and fractured relationships. It is important that we focus on maintaining and improving upon our relationships. We need to capture the communities and parents trust through our actions toward improvement which can be supported by data. Per, Maze of Mistrust Parents, Educators, and the Challenge of Public Engagement business groups, local government officials, taxpayers, and civic organizations were sometimes clamoring for change and often mystified by what the schools were up to. Now is the time that we must

However, the principal did not listen to her staff or the partners. Against our wishes, she added advisory classes to the spring semester. The

Mr. Jones acted as an ineffective leader. As a matter of fact, neither he demonstrated his leadership skills when he reacted before he was prepared to do so. First, he disobeyed a mandate from his supervisor when he disclosed the information given to him, on an apparent violation of the Code of Ethics of the Education Profession in Florida, Rule 6B-1.001 (2): “…The educator will therefore strive for professional growth and will seek to exercise the best professional judgment and integrity”. He shredded his integrity, when he failed to show loyalty to his supervisor. Furthermore, principal Jones seems to be new as an administrator. Even when the authors only described him as in his first year of principal in the neighborhood school, they do not provide any more information to evidence prior experience as an administrator in other settings.

Stated in the school improvement plan at the end of every section is a list of assessments for monitoring student progress and evaluating the effectiveness of

The Every Student Succeeds Act is a reauthorization of the “50-year-old Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)” . The purpose of the Every Student Succeeds Act is to “provide all children significant opportunity to receive a fair, equitable, and high-quality education, and to close educational achievement gaps.” In order to accomplish this purpose, Federal Government requires that the state test students each year in the grades 3 through 8 and at least once in grades 9 through 12, in the subjects of math and reading or language arts. The Federal Government also requires that states test students “not less than one time” in grades 3 through 5, grades 6 through 9, and grades 10 through 12. This form of standardized testing is to

The achievement gap that exists in my school is a socioeconomic one (J. Perkins, personal communication, October 24, 2016). Data for Woodville High School shows an achievement gap for low-income students (J. Perkins, personal communication, October 24, 2016). Additionally, this achievement gap is wider for low-income, first-generation students. ACT Aspire Reading data shows that only 25% of students at the poverty level met or exceeded the content standards. ACT Aspire Math data shows that only 21% of students at the poverty level met or exceeded content standards. The total minority population of the school is 6%, and the largest minority group is Native American (Cherokee). Based on the available data, the target population to combat the achievement gap is the high poverty students. 64% of the school’s total student population is considered economically disadvantaged (Woodville High School). These students qualify for free or reduced lunch. The latest data show that there is a 20.4% gap between economically disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged students in math and reading (Woodville High School).

As human beings, we are often presented with dilemmas that make us question our integrity and moral turpitude. School administrators, in particular, engage in multiple decision-making processes on a daily basis, as they are responsible for developing and maintaining a safe teaching and learning environment on their campus. In fact, Weaver (2007) adds that many school administrators make their decisions based on equity, fairness, and student achievement. After analyzing the case of Richard Inman, the junior high school assistant principal, it became evident that he made the decision not to complete the expulsion paper based on his personal code of ethics. That is, he made his decision based on his values, goals, and beliefs regarding the success of every student in his school. Moreover, because he was raised in the same neighborhood as his students, he felt he could identify with their struggles and therefore made a personal agenda to cultivate a relationship with the students

The first school in the district to present was Bradford Area High School. The principle, Mr. Ray, spoke saying that overall the school scored a 77.9%. The goal he has set for his school is to improve college prep classes, mastery skills in standardized testing, and to continue to revamp the science curriculum since it is the lowest scores on the state’s testing. I feel this could affect me as a future teacher because I would know what I need to work on more with my students. In addition, this could mean more jobs available to college prep classes.

The tests require children to draw from knowledge they learn or experiences they’ve had outside of school, which is different for each student. According to W. James Popham, an expert on educational assessment, “If children come from advantaged families and stimulus-rich environments, then they are more apt to succeed on items in standardized achievement test items than will other children whose environments don't mesh as well with what the tests measure”. The biases in the development and administration of standardized tests often contribute to the achievement gap between whites and minorities. As a result students from low-income and minority families, English Language Learners, and students with disabilities are more likely to be held back a grade, be placed in unnecessary remedial education programs, and be denied a diploma (Reese, pg. 1). Another problem with standardized testing is the tests do not accurately measure teacher quality. Standardized tests are often used to evaluate teachers and schools staff based on their student’s scores. However, standardized tests are limited indicators of student knowledge and progress; therefore they do not reflect the wide range of knowledge and skills a teacher covers in the classroom. It is unfair to isolate the impact of one individual because teaching is a collaborative and developmental process (FairTest, pg. 1). People think that if standardized test scores are high they can label teachers as