Aug 5, 2010

Wake test scores improve on state exams 

Test scores for Wake County’s schools pushed higher in 2009-2010, outpacing state averages reported today as part of North Carolina’s school accountability program.

About 92 percent of Wake County’s schools met or exceeded the state’s standard for expected academic growth, according to results from the annual testing program known as the ABCs of Public Education. About 54 percent of the schools reported scores that met the state standard for “high growth.”

Statewide, about 88 percent of the schools met expected growth targets and 52 percent were considered high growth.

The results were helped this year by a change that required school districts to count the scores of high school students who needed two attempts to pass an exam. The “second-chance” option was initiated last year for grade-school students.

The state’s accountability program, which began in 1996, is designed to emphasize academic growth rather than using a single passing rate to define success. In general, that means a year’s worth of progress is required from a year’s worth of instruction regardless of where a school stands academically on the first day of classes. A more detailed description can be found here.

The program also reports the percentage of elementary and middle school students who post passing grades on their reading and math exams. Known as a “performance composite,” the results are listed for every school in the state.

The performance composites for high schools are based on eight statewide end-of-course exams. Results for every school in Wake County can be found here by typing the word “Wake” in the box marked “Quick Search.”

Sample assignment maps released

Can a map really be a map if it doesn’t have clear boundaries?

If the answer to that question is “yes,” a Wake County school board committee has released four sample maps suggesting how new student assignment zones might look in the 2012-2013 school year.

If you believe a real map needs real boundaries, then the four samples might best be described as an unusually detailed starting point in a very contentious debate.

Regardless, the question of how to assign students in Wake County without considering diversity has clearly shifted into a new phase.

Members of the school board’s Student Assignment Committee reviewed and debated various points about the sample maps at their last meeting, and in some cases found a little bit of common ground.

Student assignment based on zip code, for example, was quickly dismissed as too unwieldy. Contiguous zones with minimal reassignment found significant support, such as the map shown below. Committee Chair John Tedesco also repeated earlier statements that all children cannot be guaranteed assignment to their closest schools.

But the committee, made up of nine appointed citizens and three board members, was clearly divided on some key issues. Committee member Sue King, for example, offered her own research suggesting current attendance zones in Wake County already provide most families with “neighborhood schools.”

And several committee members questioned how any plan could keep from creating high-poverty or low-performing schools if such criteria are not considered as part of the assignment process. In prepared remarks on July 20, school board Chair Ron Margiotta made clear it was not the board’s intent to create such schools.

“How do you know if you have a high-poverty school if you don’t measure it?” asked committee member Anne Cooper.

“As much as I want to, you can’t reassign yourself out of high-poverty,” Tedesco replied. The answer, he said, comes down to making sure all families have the same choices and opportunities without regard to student demographics.

According to a timetable presented earlier this summer, committee members will vote on a preliminary student assignment plan by October.

“Controlled choice” plan gets attention

In addition to receiving sample assignment maps, members of the Student Assignment Committee talked with education consultant Michael Alves regarding his work during the past 30 years designing student assignment plans.

Alves was brought to Wake County by Wake Education Partnership and the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce. He was invited by committee Chair John Tedesco to speak to committee members. During a three-day visit, Alves also spoke with other business, education and community leaders.

Alves has designed numerous “controlled choice” plans throughout the country. The attraction for most districts is the ability to offer all families choice, effectively eliminate student reassignment and still maintain balance as part of the process.

In each presentation, Alves made clear that controlled choice is a method of assigning students. It is not a specific plan. Wake’s magnet school program, for example, is a form of controlled choice. The current board discussion about offering choice within defined zones would be a type of controlled choice.

Alves’ approach, which he described in a set of talking points, was not used in the creation of the sample maps that Tedesco released to the student assignment committee.

For a controlled choice to be successful, Alves has found it must be easily understood by parents and created through a transparent process that strives to be fair to everyone. Quality plans often focus on student achievement.

In large districts such as Wake, attendance zones are created. As much as possible, each zone is designed to reflect the county’s overall demographics.

In areas of the district that clearly don’t reflect the county’s demographics, school districts can adjust the plan to ensure all families have a similar chance of getting the schools they want. For example, magnet programs, choices across zones and a willingness to hold some seats open are sometimes used to create a plan that is fair to all.

About 75 percent of students are usually admitted to their first choice and roughly 90 percent are enrolled in one of their top two choices. Students remain in the school they choose until they advance to the next level. If they wish to leave earlier, they can select any school within their zone with available seats.

Most students request – and are granted – admission to schools close to their homes, Alves said. But the biggest factor in determining a school’s popularity is student achievement.

That means the highest performing schools are often “over chosen” and the lowest performing schools are often “under chosen.” The goal is to improve student achievement, often by replicating other successful programs, so no school is “under chosen.”

A poorly designed choice plan will fare no better in improving student achievement than any other assignment plan that is flawed, Alves said.

“The most important part of the process is your plan,” Alves said. “The plan must come first. You need goals – and criteria to measure those goals – before you start drawing lines on a map. A good plan, and then good leadership to carry it out, is critical for success.”

Noteworthy

… The last round of budget cuts before the General Assembly recently adjourned will cost Wake County’s schools about $2.6 million – far less than feared, according to the school system’s chief business officer. The bulk of those cuts – $1.2 million – will fall on the transportation system. In addition, board members want to know whether certain administrative positions can be eliminated. The savings would be used to restore parent counselors for a program known as Project Enlightenment.

…Interim superintendent Donna Hargens, one of three finalists for superintendent of New Hanover County Schools, was not chosen for that position, according to a news release from school officials in Wilmington. The board chose Catawba County school superintendent Tim Markley. Hargens became Wake’s interim superintendent in March when the board placed former Superintendent Del Burns on administrative leave.

…The U.S. Education Department will allow Wake County to use $1.3 million in magnet school grant money that was left over from an original grant of $8.5 million awarded in 2007. The district needed to ask permission because it did not use all of the funds within the original three-year cycle. The money is separate from a larger $12 million magnet school grant request that is still pending.

Wake Education Partnership is a 501(c)(3) non-profit created in 1983 to support public schools, in part by educating the community on current school issues. We are supported in part by contributions from readers such as you. Please send comments or questions to Tim Simmons, VP of Communications, at tsimmons@wakeedpartnership.org