OAKLAND, CA (January 12, 2012) – Today, The Education Trust—West releases the findings of a two- year-long study of data from the second largest school district in the nation, revealing profound inequities in access to effective teaching.  In Learning Denied: The Case for Equitable Access to Effective Teaching in California’s Largest School District, The Education Trust—West finds that low-income students and students of color in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) are less likely to be taught by the district’s top teachers – the very teachers capable of closing the district’s achievement gaps. These inequities are exacerbated by teacher mobility patterns and quality-blind layoffs.

“This is one of the largest and most comprehensive analyses of this type ever completed, accounting for over 17,500 teachers and more than a million students,” said report co-author Carrie Hahnel, Director of Policy and Research at The Education Trust—West. “We were able to quantify the impact of effective teachers on student learning. We looked at the extent to which students of color and students in poverty had access to effective teachers, and we also looked at the impact of quality-blind teacher layoffs.”

The report reveals that:

• Teachers have the potential to dramatically accelerate the learning of their students – with the average student taught by a top 25% teacher (top quartile in terms of value-added) gaining half a year more of learning in English-Language Arts and four months in math than a student placed with a teacher in the bottom 25% (bottom quartile).
• Second-graders who started off behind academically and then had three top quartile teachers accelerated to academic proficiency, while students with consecutive bottom quartile  teachers remained stuck below grade level.
• Commonly used measures of teacher quality, such as years of experience, are poor predictors of effectiveness in the classroom. While teachers do improve over time, the differences among teachers are far greater than those between teachers at different levels of experience.  For example, the difference between a 10th-year teacher and first-year teacher is only about three and a half weeks in ELA and two and a half weeks in math.
• Effective teachers are inequitably distributed in LAUSD with Latino, African-American and low-income students much less likely to have access to top-quartile teachers. In addition, these top teachers are more likely to leave the district’s highest need schools.
• Quality-blind teacher layoffs in 2009 resulted in the removal of high value-added teachers from the highest need schools. If the district had instead laid off teachers based on effectiveness, only about 5 percent of the ELA teachers and 3 percent of the math teachers actually cut by LAUSD would have been laid off.

The report reveals that a low-income student is more than twice as likely to have a low value-added ELA teacher as a higher income peer, and 66 percent more likely to have a low-value added math teacher.  Latino and African-American students are two to three times more likely to have bottom-quartile teachers in math and ELA, respectively, than their white and Asian peers.

According to the report, state and local policies can prevent students from accessing the most effective teachers or cause students to lose access to these teachers. The report recommends that district and state leaders invest in high-quality evaluation systems to identify effective teachers and those who are failing to improve student performance. It calls for developing programs and policies that attract and retain the best teachers in the highest need schools, offering teachers the high-quality professional development that leads to gains in student achievement, and fundamentally reforming state policies that prevent local leaders from making decisions in the best interests of students. This includes ending once and for all quality-blind, “last in, first out” (LIFO) teacher layoffs.

The goal of California GEAR UP is to develop and sustain the organizational capacity of middle schools to prepare all students for high school and higher education through a statewide network of support for adults who influence middle school students, specifically their counselors, faculty, school leaders and families.  As a result of this expanded capacity, a higher proportion of students, particularly from backgrounds and communities that have not historically pursued a college education, will enroll and succeed in higher education.

To read the full report, click through to the Ed Trust West website HERE.

The Education Trust—West, a California GEAR UP Partner, works for the high academic achievement of all students at all levels, pre-k through college. They expose opportunity and achievement gaps that separate students of color and low-income students from other youth, and identify and advocate for the strategies that will forever close those gaps.

Middle and high schools can reduce the dropout rate by working together to plan the transition to high school, holding activities to familiarize students with the campus, and helping them feel connected to their new schools, according to a new report issued by the California Comprehensive Center at WestEd (WestEd is a California GEAR UP Partner and external evaluator).

“The transition from middle school to high school can be challenging for students,” California State Superintendent of Education Tom Torlakson said. “The good news is that some simple steps to make students welcome, can give them the confidence they need to stay on track and stay in school.”

The report, Making the Move: Transition Strategies at California Schools with High Graduation Rates, is designed to identify best practices among high schools and feeder middle schools.

The California Comprehensive Center at WestEd and its partner, the American Institutes for Research, worked with the California Department of Education to identify and gather information on schools with higher graduation rates than were statistically predicted for certain subgroups of students. The work of the Center is supported with a grant from the U.S. Department of Education.

Researchers then interviewed administrators and conducted focus groups at some of the high schools and feeder middle schools. The research helped identify programs and strategies that help middle grade students transition to high school and ultimately graduate in preparation for college and careers.

“Successfully transitioning students from middle grades to high schools is vitally important to California education,” said Tom Parrish, Managing Research Scientist for the American Institutes for Research. “Students crossing this bridge successfully are much more likely to stay in school and graduate.

This study identified successful strategies that include:

·       Creating opportunities for staff across school levels to jointly plan and collaborate;

·       Arranging activities for transitioning students to become familiar with the high school campus and culture

·       Ensuring all students feel connected to the new school;

·       Identifying students who are struggling prior to transition; and

·       Preparing timely and individualized supports for such students.

Researchers also found some prevailing themes in these strategies. For example, enabling collaboration among teachers, providing students with many opportunities for academic support, helping students feel connected to school, having a strong counseling program, maintaining high expectations for all students, and the importance of having a caring staff and caring environment.

“Steps like these are a central thrust of our Blueprint for Great Schools report,” added Torlakson. “That is, great schools know they have to meet the needs of the whole student—not just their academic needs—to give them every chance to succeed.”

For more information on Torlakson’s A Blueprint for Great Schools, please visit the California Department of Education’s Web site at http://www.cde.ca.gov/blueprint.

SACRAMENTO—State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson announced today that the California Department of Education (CDE) has restored a time-saving Web tool to make it easier for school districts to create state-mandated School Accountability Report Cards (SARCs).

“The few dollars the state saved by eliminating this service were clearly outweighed by the time and trouble being shifted to California’s more than a 1,000 school districts,” Torlakson said. “I’m glad we’ve found a creative way to restore this tool, and I’m grateful to Ed-Data for stepping up to the plate to help us meet this need.”

SARCs contain valuable accountability information on schools to help parents and the public evaluate and compare their progress in achieving goals.

Deep budget cuts to the CDE forced the department to discontinue its SARC Web tool in 2010. The SARC Web tool conveniently provided districts with templates pre-populated with data on each of their schools. As a result of the cuts, local educational agencies were forced to fill out the forms manually—increasing the workloads at districts.

CDE responded to widespread concerns from around the state and found a solution by working with the Ed-Data Web site to restore the pre-populated SARC templates.

“The reintroduction of the SARC Web tool will help school districts save personnel time and money, and we’re capitalizing on our existing partnership with Ed-Data to provide this much-needed service,” Torlakson said.

For many years, Ed-Data had already reported much of the state-generated data that are required for the SARC. The Ed-Data Web site is a 15-year collaboration between the CDE, the Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team, and EdSource.

The SARC Web tool and templates on the Ed-Data Web site are free options local educational agencies may use to help them prepare their SARCs. They are provided in English and several other languages. After downloading the pre-populated templates, school officials complete them with local data, and may then publish them in print or online.

For a sample SARC template, please visit the CDE Web site at 2010–11 School Accountability Report Card Template. School districts may access the SARC Web tool to download the pre-populated templates at Ed-Data Website(Outside Source). To find your existing local SARC, please visit County List – School Accountability Report Card.

SACRAMENTO—The latest National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) results show California’s fourth and eighth grade students continue to make incremental gains in reading and mathematics scores, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson reported today.

The average scores of California students tested on the 2011 NAEP were statistically unchanged from 2009, but higher than in 2005 or 2007 in both subjects, continuing a long-term trend of steady progress. Average scores for California as well as the nation continue to place at the Basic achievement level, which denotes partial mastery of fundamental skills, although California’s average scores were lower than the national average. (NAEP scores fall into four categories: Advanced, Proficient, Basic, and below Basic.)

“Our students are still making progress, even as they swim against a riptide of crowded classrooms and deep budget cuts to our schools,” Torlakson said. “Asked to do more with less, students, teachers, school employees, and administrators have delivered. Imagine how much more they could accomplish—and how many more students would share in this progress—with the resources they deserve.”

The NAEP reading and mathematics assessments take place every other year and provide states with trend data that can be compared over time.

Because California is much more demographically diverse than the nation as a whole, assessment experts also look at the performance of student subgroups in making comparisons.

On the Grade Four Reading assessment, the average score for many student groups in California was comparable to those at the national level, and the average score for the male and African American student groups moved up to the NAEP Basic achievement level for the first time. Several grade four student groups have made gains in reading since 2005, including African American, Hispanic, Asian, and economically disadvantaged students.

On the Grade Eight Reading assessment, the average scores for most student groups in California were lower than those of their peers at the national level, although the African American student group scored comparably to their peers at the national level. Since 2009, economically disadvantaged students had a gain in average score, and their average score moved into the NAEP Basic achievement level for the first time. Similar results were found for the Hispanic student group, which has had a significant improvement in average score since 2007 and, for the first time, scored at the NAEP Basic achievement level. The African American student group scored at the NAEP Basic achievement level for the first time in 2009, and scored at that same level in 2011. Grade eight female students in California have also shown significant improvement in their average score since 2007

On the Grade Four Mathematics assessment, white, African American, and Asian students in California scored comparably to their peers at the national level while the Hispanic student group scored lower. The average score for English language learners (ELLs) moved up to the NAEP Basic achievement level, and the average score for white and non-economically disadvantaged students moved from the NAEP Basic achievement level to the NAEP Proficient achievement level. Additionally, there have been score gains for many student groups since 2007, including male, female, Hispanic, economically disadvantaged, and non-economically disadvantaged students.

Fewer gains were seen on the Grade Eight Mathematics assessment. The 2011 average score for most student groups in California was lower than at the national level, although the white student group scored comparably to their peers at the national level. While gains have been made by several grade eight student groups since 2005, the average score for ELLs has dropped.

In both subjects and at both grades, despite steady progress for many student groups, a significant achievement gap persists between white students and their Hispanic and African American peers. There have been no recent changes in California’s White-Hispanic gap, which in most instances continues to be larger than the national gap. Results from the grade four mathematics assessment show an increase in this gap since 2005. The large percentage of ELLs that California schools serve compared to the nation as a whole might be a factor in these differences.

For example, at grade four approximately 28 percent of the Hispanic students that participated in the NAEP in California were ELLs compared to 9 percent nationally.

For both grades and subjects, the score gap between California’s white and African American student groups is comparable to those at the national level. Results from the NAEP grade four reading assessment have shown a reduction in the gap between white and African American scores since 2005, with both student groups making score gains.

NAEP, also known as “The Nation’s Report Card,” is a national assessment that tests a representative sample of students in grades four, eight, and twelve in various subjects including reading, writing, mathematics, and science. NAEP provides a common yardstick for measuring student achievement nationwide, allowing for state comparisons. Results are released for the nation, states, and certain large urban school districts. There are no student- or school-level results. Reading and mathematics results for certain large urban districts are expected to be released later this year. Results from the 2011 science assessment are expected to be released in spring 2012.

Complete results for the 2011 NAEP reading and mathematics assessments are available online at the NAEP Web site: http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/.

The California Academic Partnership Program (CAPP) highlighted a new report released by the Public Policy Institute of California that measures the effectiveness of the Mathematics Diagnostic Testing Project (MDTP) as a tool to improve student learning. The MDTP is used throughout the state in California GEAR UP Schools.

“The MDTP is a prime example of inter-segmental work of K-12, community college, UC and CSU faculty in developing tools for secondary classroom teachers to help improve student learning,” said from Andrea Ball, Statewide Director of the California Academic Partnership Program (CAPP). “MDTP’s diagnostic approach is appreciated by educators for its high quality and concordance with the common core standards. PPIC’s report is extremely timely and useful to educators in the field.”

CAPP is an inter-segmental program administered by the California State University whose work combines on-the-ground efforts to improve teaching and learning in secondary schools with research to identify effective practices and share what we learn with educators and policymakers.

MDTP is a joint statewide project of the California State University and The University of California. MDTP develops, distributes, scores, and reports the results of diagnostic tests that measure student readiness for mathematics courses ranging from Prealgebra to Calculus. Diagnosing a student’s mathematical strengths and weaknesses helps teachers focus on areas needing review to increase students’ chances of success in mathematics, better prepares students for further study in mathematics, and keeps open many career paths.

The PPIC report on MDTP was prepared by Dr. Julian Betts, chair of the department of economics at the University of California, San Diego. As part of its ongoing work to improve the quality of secondary education so that all students are prepared for successful postsecondary education, CAPP provides support to the Math Diagnostic Testing Project’s work with K-12 schools. CAPP is also supporting additional research, survey and interview work by Dr. Betts on the use of MDTP in the San Diego Unified School District.

The PPIC report and Dr. Betts’ additional CAPP-supported research delve into specific ways teachers use the diagnostic information from MDTP results to adjust their instruction to meet students’ needs. CAPP’s goal in supporting this work is to identify opportunities to expand professional learning so that MDTP becomes a more valuable resource for classroom teachers, students, schools and districts.

“MDTP offers teachers timely and detailed feedback about what their students know, don’t know, and misunderstand about essential mathematics content required for success in their course,” said Bruce Arnold, the director of MDTP. “Teachers can adapt their instruction and modify learning activities based on this diagnostic data.”

CAPP supports MDTP’s services to California’s K-12 schools. CAPP’s newest grant program will incorporate the use of MDTP with collaborative learning communities of middle and high school teachers to develop common formative assessments so that teachers can immediately learn and then address students’ needs. CAPP also supports the use of MDTP materials and services by university and college outreach programs.  For more information on MDTP see http://mdtp.ucsd.edu.

The time has finally come to apply to become a member of an elite group: A California GEAR UP Middle School.

California GEAR UP supports middle schools in developing a self-sustaining college-going culture for ALL students. The program serves whole schools through the adults that have the greatest impact on student life and experience: the principals, teachers, counselors, families and community leaders. GEAR UP resources, strategies and interventions are implemented by School Leadership Teams and guided by a school-based, six-year plan.

Selected California GEAR UP school teams commit to strong academic programming and a cohesive college and career readiness curriculum, beginning at the middle school and connecting with area high schools and local postsecondary institutions. GEAR UP provides a network of support and professional development activities to integrate a college-going culture into school site reform efforts.

Following a six-month Planning Phase in 2012, schools are selected to participate in the program fromJanuary 2012 – August 2017.

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS

Schools are expected to:

• Have a minimum of 51% of students on the federal free & reduced price lunch program.
• Complete and return this application by Monday December 12, 2011, signed by the principal and district superintendent.
• Commit to strengthening and continuously improving the school’s college-going culture for ALL students.
• Participate in Planning Phase activities (Jan. 2012—May 2012): GEAR UP Program Orientation, a one-day planning session at a centrally located site, and conduct GEAR UP planning and information sessions within your school community.
• Convene the GEAR UP Leadership Team of up to 8 members (principal, site contact, counselor, 2 teachers, a parent representative, and key community partner).
• Commit to the GEAR UP Leadership Team and the training provided by California GEAR UP.
• Devise and focus on the Professional Development Action Plan (PDAP) annually.
• Submit survey and evaluation data to the GEAR UP Program Evaluator annually by March 1.
• Develop a procedure for student selection and recognition for Education Trust Award (ETA) recipients.

KEY DATES & DEADLINES FOR SCHOOL CALENDARS

• November 9, 15, 29, 2011: Technical Assistance Days
• December 12, 2011: Last day to submit program application
• January 13, 2012: Schools are notified whether or not they have been selected for the planning phase
• January 2012—May 2012: Planning Phase
• January 27—February 29, 2012: School-site Orientations
• March 14, 21, 28, 2012: Off-site planning sessions
• May 21, 2012: Schools will be notified of their final selection to the 6-year California GEAR UP Program

To apply, download the PDF application HERE. Download the Microsoft Word document HERE.

Deadline:

Please submit the completed application by Monday, December 12, 2011, to

California GEAR UP

Attn:Ms. Blaze Farrar,

Fax (510) 587-6354 Telephone (510) 587-6129, Email: Blaze.Farrar@ucop.edu

NO APPLICATIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED AFTER DEADLINE.

For further information contact the California GEAR UP office at (510) 987-9137 or (916) 551-1757. Or email Gina Rodriguez Cynthia.Rodriguez@ucop.edu or Blaze Farrar Blaze.Farrar@ucop.edu.

A town hall meeting hosted by Congressman Xavier Becerra (D-Los Angeles) at the New World Open Academy in Koreatown was attended by hundreds of constituents on Tuesday evening, most of whom had questions about the role he would play on a 12-member deficit reduction committee and how he would protect key programs.

Becerra, whose district includes the Los Angeles neighborhoods of East Hollywood, Mount Washington, Highland Park, Echo Park and Eagle Rock, is charged with helping to devise a plan to reduce the nation’s deficit by $1.5 trillion in the next 10 years. These reductions include all discretionary spending programs that could include GEAR UP.

Many constituents asked Becerra to affirm his support of programs such as GEAR UP and TRIO, Medicare and Social Security, while others asked that he not support any plan that would raise taxes.

The town hall was attended by constituents in Becerra’s district who also work for the students and families of GEAR UP programs. The GEAR UP supporters asked the congressman to continue to advocate for programs, such as GEAR UP, that he has always supported. Becerra’s reply was “my voting record speaks for itself.”

For his part, Becerra said he would hold true to his convictions by attempting to protect what he considered invaluable social programs. However, he said in order for compromise to be made, he had to put everything on the table.

“I need to be able to say to [Republicans] that [Social Security] is there on the table. But, before we leave it on the table to find savings, they’re going to need to prove to me why it deserves to be cut,” Becerra said. “I believe I can win that argument.”

Just before leaving for their August recess, members of Congress passed the Budget Control Act of 2011. While the full implications of the Act are not yet clear, one thing is crystal clear: GEAR UP is at risk.

When Congress re-convenes in early September to pick up their budget and appropriations work, they’ll be tasked with cutting billions of dollars from the federal budget. GEAR UP and other college access programs may well be on the chopping block.

Our members of Congress and the Obama administration need to hear from each and every American concerned about college access and committed to efficient, effective, locally-driven, and family-focused programs like GEAR UP. Now is the time to make our voices heard: protect the future by protecting funding for GEAR UP and other college access programs.

Here’s where you come in. I need you to act TODAY.

Please click here to sign the petition asking the President to stand up for college access during the upcoming appropriations battles.

Signing the petition adds your voice to the GEAR UP chorus, and is a first step down the road to protecting this critical program.

Today’s release by the California Department of Education (CDE) of the state’s graduation and dropout rates has good news and bad news. The bad news is clear: The data show that California students, particularly low-income students, students of color, and other high-need populations, graduate from high school at alarmingly low rates. The good news is that for the first time, the graduation and dropout rates are accurate, transparent, and are no longer estimates, thanks to the California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System, or CALPADS.

This year’s data tell us even more about student performance. The data show that three out of four (74%) of our state’s students are graduating from high school in four years, and that 18% drop out. Sadly, the news is far worse for the state’s African-American and Latino students, who graduate from high school at abysmally low rates—59% and 68%, respectively. Nearly one out of three (30%) African-American students and nearly one quarter (23%) of Latino students drop out. We also now know that 68% of low-income students, 57% of students with disabilities, and 56% of English learner students graduate in four years.

Given that students of color currently represent the majority of students in California and will overwhelmingly comprise our future workforce, the gaps in high school success between these students and their peers should raise serious concerns for community members, educators, and policymakers. Education outcomes for students of color, students with disabilities, low-income students, and English learners, whose needs and potential are often overlooked, are particularly disturbing when compared with the graduation rates of their more advantaged peers. For example, California’s white students graduate at a rate of 83% and Asian students at a rate of 89%. These students’ dropout rates stand at 12% and 8%, respectively.

“Before we had longitudinal data, state leaders based these numbers on a ‘best guess’ calculation,” said Arun Ramanathan, Executive Director of The Education Trust—West, a statewide education advocacy organization. “With CALPADS now up and running, California’s leaders can no longer ‘pass the buck’ for the state’s high dropout rate by questioning the accuracy of the data. We need them to immediately enact policy reforms that will dramatically improve graduation rates for all students.”

California GEAR UP serves the populations of students most in need and identified as underperforming with these data, and our numbers are promising. California GEAR UP Students showed:

• Significant increases in the proportion of students scoring Proficient or Advanced on the California Standards Test in 8th Grade Algebra, Geometry, English/Language Arts, Science, and History (55%, 28%, 49%, 69%, and 93% respectively).
• The proportion of students at GEAR UP schools scoring Proficient or Advanced on the Adequate Yearly Progress measure in mathematics increased by 27 percent; the statewide increase during that time was 15 percent.
• Significant increases in the proportion of cohort students in the 11th grade scoring Proficient or Advanced on the California Standards Test in English/Language Arts, Algebra 2, Geometry, and Chemistry above the previous class of eleventh graders (16.5%, 100%, 12.5%, and 22.6% respectively)
• Valley High School in Elk Grove, CA, a California GEAR UP school, graduated 94% of their senior class (the GEAR UP cohort) and received their diplomas.

More information on the Impact of California GEAR UP can be found on our website HERE.

How are you addressing the needs of students identified in this article?

Contact the House and Senate Leadership, YOUR Members of Congress and the White House every day through August 2, and demand they protect GEAR UP.

The debt ceiling debate rages on in Washington, DC. Negotiations between the White House and Congress collapsed last week. Now, both the House and Senate leadership are pursuing two separate plans to raise the debt ceiling before August 2, when America’s borrowing authority reaches its legal limit, resulting in default.

As you can see, things are evolving very rapidly as time runs out and only three things are certain:

1. Both Republicans and Democrats are aware of the need to raise the debt ceiling to avoid default, but there’s no agreement on how to do this;
2. Both the House and Senate plans include $1.2 trillion in cuts to discretionary spending over the next 10 years (approx. 12 billion a year);
3. You need to stand up for the principle that low-income people should be protected in whatever deal is cut.

You need to make sure your voice heard every day this week leading up to August 2 and demand that GEAR UP and other college access programs be safeguarded in the deal-making process.

Here’s what you can do now:

1. Recruit 5 persons to reach out to the House of Representatives, Senate and White House (GEAR UP students, GEAR UP parents, GEAR UP teachers, GEAR UP partners, colleagues, friends and family).
2. Contact the following offices:
   • House of Representatives Leadership:- Offices of the Speaker of the House John Boehner (OH-8) @ (202) 225-6205 and (202) 225-0600;- Office of the House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (CA-8) @ (202) 225-4965 and (202) 225-0100;
   • Senate Leadership:- Offices of the Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid @ (202) 224-3542;- Offices of the Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell @ (202) 224-2541;
   • YOUR Members of Congress in the House and Senate (search for your Members of Congress)
   • White House @ 202-456-1111 or 202-456-1414
3. Follow-up with your group, ask them to continue the “chain” by recruiting 5 more people and get the word out!

PLEASE NOTE: Capitol Hill switchboards and websites have been overloaded over the past few days, keep insisting until you get through because GEAR UP must make its stand for college access, NOW!
The Message

“[ELECTED OFFICIAL NAME], the American people need you to protect the programs and services our low-income, minority and disadvantaged students depend on to enroll in and succeed in college. I urge you to defend GEAR UP in the debt-ceiling and deficit-reduction negotiations, because only an educated workforce can help us secure a prosperous economic future for our country.”

Thank you very much for your hard work and your support in responding to this call to action. It is very important that you act NOW for the duration of this process. Not doing so will have dire consequences for GEAR UP, college access and all of education for many years to come!