DIVISION OF EVALUATION AND ACCOUNTABILITY

Transcription

1 Dallas Independent School District FINAL EVALUATION OF THE EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION PROGRAM REIS DIVISION OF EVALUATION AND ACCOUNTABILITY Larry Groppel, Ed.D. Interim General Superintendent

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5 Table of Contents Page Commitment... 1 Status... 1 Program Description... 1 Research Questions/Methodology/Results... 1 Describe the context of the Early Childhood Program in accordance with program guidelines... 1 Methodology... 1 Results... 1 Student Demographics... 1 Staffing... 3 Allocated Funds... 4 Of the elementary schools that provide early childhood education, identify those with program facilitators and the programs and/or best practices, including but not limited to diagnostic and prescriptive approaches, used to deliver services... 4 Methodology... 4 Results... 5 Best Practices... 5 Campus Facilitators... 7 What activities were employed by the Early Childhood Education Department and individual campuses to increase parental involvement and parent and teacher training?... 7 Methodology... 7 Results... 7 Parental Involvement... 7 Parent Training... 8 Professional Development for Grades PK-3 Teachers 9 Were written curricula, along with supporting curriculum guides and materials, available at each campus?... 9 i

6 Table of Contents (Continued) Page Methodology... 9 Results... 9 Identify achievement levels of early childhood students by analyzing passing rates on norm- and criterion-referenced tests Methodology Results TAKS ITBS and Logramos ii

7 List of Tables Page 1 Number and Percent of Students Enrolled in Early Childhood Education by Grade and Ethnicity... 2 Number of Students Enrolled in Early Childhood Education by Grade and Economic Status... 3 Number of Students Enrolled in Early Childhood Education by Grade and English Proficiency District Mean Class Size by Grade Number of Hours and Percentage of Classrooms with Assistance by Grade Source of Allocated Funds for Early Childhood Education Number and Percent of Assessments Used for Diagnostic Purposes by Grade Uses of Assessment Data by Grade Percent of Time Spent in Instructional Arrangements by Grade Centers Utilized in Classrooms by Grade Number of Campus Facilitators Responding to Survey by Grade Teacher and Principal Activities to Increase Parent Involvement Frequency of Topics for Parent Training Sessions Topics for Grades PK-3 Teacher Training Activities Used to Develop Oral Language by Grade Methods of Teaching Writing Skills by Grade Number and Percent of Grade 3 Students Passing TAKS Reading and Mathematics by Demographic Variables Grades K-3 ITBS and Logramos Reading and Mathematics Adjusted Normal Curve Equivalent Scores by Grade Grades K-3 ITBS and Logramos Reading and Mathematics Adjusted Normal Curve Equivalent Scores by Demographic Variables Grades K-3 ITBS and Logramos Reading and Mathematics Adjusted Normal Curve Equivalent Gain Scores by Grade Grades K-3 ITBS and Logramos Reading and Mathematics Adjusted Normal Curve Equivalent Gain Scores by Ethnicity and Other Variables iii

8 Early Childhood Education Commitment The Dallas Independent School District shall maintain a strong Early Childhood Program at each campus which includes PK-3 students. This program shall be based on current educational best practices, including but not limited to a diagnostic and prescriptive approach, a program facilitator at each campus which includes PK-3 students, emphasis on small group and individualized instruction, a comprehensive program that includes curriculum guides and supporting materials, appropriate staffing, increased parent involvement and training and a strong emphasis on mastery of essential skills by the end of the third grade. Status The district maintains a strong Early Childhood Education Program at every campus that includes PK-3 students. Program strength is supported by the distribution of a Model for Success best practices guide to all schools by the Early Childhood Department. The model uses balanced whole group and small group instruction for various instructional content. Students are to have access to a variety of learning and discovery centers and places for independent practice or differentiated tasks. Student teacher ratios were well under the district s goal of 22:1 in Grades PK-3. Survey results indicated that principals and teachers have sufficient curriculum guides and supporting instructional materials for all subjects. Benchmark tests, TPRI/Tejas Lee and teachermade tests are the most often used diagnostic and prescriptive measures employed by teachers to identify student needs. All campuses had facilitators and parent involvement was increased through frequent communications and parent training and workshops. Program Description The Early Childhood Education (ECE) Program is a state-of-the-art, research-based program that is built on current research, methodologies, and best practices. It provides the foundation for a continuum of learning from Pre-Kindergarten to Grade 12 that is based on proven practices for the education of young learners. The ECE Department has an ongoing collaboration with the Reading and Multi-language Enrichment Departments to ensure that all students read on grade level or higher by the end of the third grade as required by the No Child Left Behind Act. Research Questions/Methodology/Results Describe the context of the Early Childhood Program in accordance with program guidelines (allocated funds, appropriate staffing, and student demographics). Methodology Student and personnel data were extracted from the district s student and personnel databases. Additional data were obtained from a survey of campus facilitators and administrators. Student data include all students in Grades Pre-K-3 at schools that provide Early Childhood Education services. Student Demographics Results The district maintains a strong Early Childhood Education Program at every campus that includes PK-3 students. The Program provides services to children ages four to eight in Grades Pre-K-3. At Pre-K, preschool services are provided to children who are (a) eligible for free or reducedpriced lunch, (b) limited English proficient, or (c) eligible for homeless services. Tables 1-3 1

9 present the demographic characteristics of Early Childhood Education students. The following points summarize the demographic characteristics of these students: Overall, a total of 60,701 students are provided Early Childhood Education services. At Pre-K, 7,198 students receive services at 136 schools. Of the total population, 67% are Hispanic and 27% Black. American Indian, Asian and White students represent less than 7% of the total population. Across all grade levels, 87% of the students are disadvantaged (Table 2). To address the needs of these students, Early Childhood Education has a goal to conduct a program of instruction based on the assumption that all children can learn; therefore, no child will be left behind. Almost half of the students in Grades PK - 3 are limited English proficient (Table 3). To address the needs of these students, Early Childhood Education s goal is to allow Speakers of Other Languages to learn and progress in their primary language in all content areas while learning the second language. Table 1 Number and Percent of Students Enrolled in Early Childhood Education by Grade and Ethnicity Ethnicity Black Asian Hispanic Am. Indian White Total Grade N % N % N % N % N % N % Pre-K 1, , < , Kindergarten 3, , < , Grade 1 3, , < , Grade 2 3, , < , Grade 3 3, , < , Total 16, , <1 3, , Table 2 Number of Students Enrolled in Early Childhood Education by Grade and Economic Status Economic Status Advantaged Disadvantaged Grade N % N % Pre-Kindergarten , Kindergarten 1, , Grade 1 1, , Grade 2 1, , Grade 3 1, , Total 7, ,

10 Table 3 English Proficiency Limited English English Proficient Grade N % N % Pre-Kindergarten 3, , Kindergarten 6, , Grade 1 7, , Grade 2 6, , Grade 3 5, , Total 29, , Staffing The district set a mean goal of 22 students per teacher at Grades PK-3. The actual mean class sizes by grade are presented in Table 4. Survey results indicated that many teachers had teaching assistants and parent volunteers. The following highlights staffing patterns in the Early Childhood program: The district as a whole was well under the goal of a 22:1 students per teacher in Grades PK-3. Surveyed teachers had a mean of 20 students per class with a range of 12 to 26 students. Survey results indicated that in addition to lower than mandated class sizes, many teachers reported having assistants in the classroom (Table 5). o All but one PK classroom had a teacher assistant for more than 15 hours per week. o One Grade 3 teacher had a full-time teacher assistant, a parent volunteer 20 hours per week and community volunteer for 20 hours a week. Based on a 6-point Likert scale (1, disagree, to 6, agree), campus facilitators (teachers) and administrators perceptions varied with about half of administrators and teachers agreeing that they had enough bilingual teachers (mean rating for teachers was 4.5 with a standard deviation of 1.9, while the mean for principals was 4.8 with a standard deviation of 1.6). Table 4 District Mean Class Size by Grade Grade Mean SD Pre-Kindergarten Kindergarten Grade Grade Grade

11 Table 5 Number of Hours and Percentage of Classrooms with Assistance by Grade Hours PK K Other per week N % N % N % N % N % N % Teacher Assistants Parent Volunteers Community Volunteers Note. Other refers to MRT, multi-age or alternative school teachers. Allocated Funds Early Childhood Education is funded through several sources (Table 6) including Federal and State grants and private donors. Table 6 illustrates the following points: A total of $11,564,129 was allocated to the program. The majority-funding source for the program was a Prekindergarten Grant ($4,795,324). Table 6 Source of Allocated Funds for Early Childhood Education Source Amount Title I $1,208,612 Title II 87,971 Title III 50,000 Title V 230,807 Prekindergarten Expansion Grant 4,795,324 General Operating Fund 616,415 Even Start (2 Grants) 400,000 Private Donation 575,000 Total $11,564,129 Of the elementary schools that provide early childhood education, identify those with program facilitators and the programs and/or best practices, including but not limited to diagnostic and prescriptive approaches, used to deliver services. Methodology A sample of 88 principals/facilitators at campuses that provide Early Childhood Education services were surveyed to identify program components and best practices used to deliver 4

12 program services. Special emphases were placed on the percentage of time teachers spent in small group and individualized instruction. Best Practices Results Tables 7-10 present the best practices used at Early Childhood campuses. The following points summarize the best practices identified across schools: The Early Childhood Education Department distributed a Model for Success best practices guide to all schools providing Early Childhood Education Services. The model uses balanced whole group and small group instruction for various instructional content. Students are to have access to a variety of learning and discovery centers and places for independent practice or differentiated tasks. Benchmark tests, TPRI/Tejas Lee and teacher-made tests, are the most often used diagnostic and prescriptive measures employed by the Early Childhood Education Department (Table 7). Across Grades PK 3, assessment data are most frequently used to identify individual growth, form small groups, create lesson plans and reteach, respectively (Table 8). Across grades, the amount of instructional time spent in small and large groups is disproportionate: o 41%-80% in large group instruction at Grades K-3 and 0-60% at Pre-K. o 41%-80% in small group instruction at Grades Pre-K, K and 21-60% at Grades 1-3 (Table 9). Various learning centers are utilized in Early Childhood classrooms for students to experience independent work time and differentiated instruction (Table 10). The most frequently found centers were the classroom library, writing centers, and computer centers. Table 7 Number and Percent of Assessments Used for Diagnostic Purposes by Grade Assessment Grade Number Percent Benchmark PK TPRI or Tejas Lee K Teacher-made PK Open Court PK Everyday Math K Teacher Observation PK Standardized tests 2, Dial 3 PK

13 Table 8 Uses of Assessment Data by Grade Data Use PK K Other Total Assess growth Form small groups Create lesson plans Reteach Tutoring Note. Other refers to MRT, multi-age or alternative school teachers. Table 9 Percent of Time Spent in Instructional Arrangements by Grade Percent PK K Other of Time N % N % N % N % N % N % Large Group Instruction Small Group Instruction Note. Other refers to MRT, multi-age or alternative school teachers. Table 10 Centers Utilized in Classrooms by Grade Percent by Grade Total Center PK K Other N Computer Blocks/construction Art/creativity Mathematics manipulatives Classroom library Science discovery Writing Phonics/reading games Listening Social Studies Drama/puppets Note. Other refers to MRT, multi-age or alternative school teachers. 6

14 Campus Facilitators Of more that 3,500 teachers, a sample of 144 campus facilitators was surveyed. As illustrated in Table 11, a total 88 facilitators completed the survey resulting in a return rate of 64%. Survey results indicated the following: Approximately half of the teachers have served as campus facilitators for two or more years. All campuses providing Early Childhood Education services had a campus facilitator. Table 11 Number of Campus Facilitators Responding to Survey by Grade Grade Number Pre-kindergarten (half-day) 5 Pre-kindergarten (full-day) 9 Kindergarten 19 Grade 1 20 Grade 2 11 Grade 3 14 Multi-age, LRT or alternative school 10 Total 88 What activities were employed by the Early Childhood Education Department and individual campuses to increase parental involvement and parent and teacher training? Methodology Principals/facilitators at all campuses that provide Early Childhood Education services were surveyed to identify parental involvement activities employed at each campus Parental Involvement Results Table 12 presents the methods used by teachers and principals to increase parental involvement. The following points highlight the most frequently used methods to promote parental involvement: The most frequently used methods to increase parental involvement by teachers included parent meetings, workshops, PTA meetings, written notes, conferences and phone calls as needed. The most frequently used methods to increase parental involvement by principals included PTA meetings, SBDM meetings, Open Houses, classroom volunteers, parent centers and personal contacts. PK teachers indicated that they had personally met 100% of their students parents. Grade 2 teachers indicated that they had met about 50% of their students parents and Grades K-3 teachers had met about 80%. Additional methods cited by principals included: IBM technology nights where parents study computer basics and receive a refurbished computer at courses end. 7

15 o Reading shelf in library for parents where they may check out books to use at home or read for information to assist children and literacy. o Established the Monterrey Tech University program, which is a daily computer program for parents. o Parent mentors. o Parent volunteers are compensated by grant money, which was written specifically to fund this project. o Facilitator meetings Parent Involvement materials distributed in the fall and spring. Table 12 Teacher and Principal Activities to Increase Parent Involvement Teacher Activity Frequency Conduct parent meetings, workshops, or PTA meetings 35 Write notes, have conferences or make phone calls as needed 31 Send projects, books, or activities to do at home 25 Regularly send newsletters, planners, or packets home 24 Have an open-door policy, give invitations to help, chaperone field trips 16 Assign homework that involves parents 13 Loan Virtual PK kits 6 Principal Activity PTA meetings and programs, SBDM meetings and Open Houses 36 Active classroom volunteer recruitment, parent center, personal contact 33 Family night where activity focuses on a core subject 24 Newsletters or weekly home/school communication packets with students work 20 Parent workshops with an activity or make and take session 16 Parenting classes with a speaker or counselor 16 Serve dinners, breakfasts or refreshments 13 Programs where students are performing 10 Door prizes or incentive for class with most parents present at a meeting 12 Adult education or ESL classes 5 Parent conference night 9 Dad s club 4 Parent Training Topics of training provided parents are listed in Table 13. The most frequent training topic for parents was Tips to help children learn at home. Table 13 Frequency of Topics for Parent Training Sessions Topic Frequency Tips to help children learn at home 55 Parenting and importance of parental involvement 14 TAKS information 12 Importance of early literacy 10 Family math night 10 Information about PK-3 curriculum 10 TEKS objectives and student expectations 8 Compliance issues for Early Childhood and No Child Left Behind 8 Family reading night 6 Homework help 5 8

16 Professional Development for Grades PK--3 Teachers Table 14 lists the topics of training sessions provided Grades PK-3 teachers. The mean number of training sessions per campus was 3.8 with a range of 1 to 20 sessions. Classroom instructional strategies was the most often cited training topic. Table 14 Topics for Grades PK-3 Teacher Training Topic Frequency Classroom instructional strategies 83 Testing information and data analysis for TPRI and Benchmarks 22 Small group or differentiated instruction 21 Compliance issues for Early Childhood and No Child Left Behind 19 Improving parental involvement 8 Standardized test-taking strategies 5 Vertical team planning 5 OASIS training 3 Were written curricula, along with supporting curriculum guides and materials, available at each campus? Methodology Principals and teachers at all campuses that provide Early Childhood Education services were surveyed to identify the existence of curricula and supporting documents. Results 97% of administrators indicated that they had a copy of both the Mathematics and Reading Curriculum for Grade PK-3. About 95% of surveyed principals indicated that their teachers had Reading and Mathematics Curriculum Guides, including scope and sequence, Teacher Edition texts and expanded curriculum. Almost 90% of teachers had a written curriculum (Scope and Sequence) and expanded curriculum for every content area they teach. Those who did not have a hard copy stated they could get one on-line. 88% of principals indicated that their teachers had sufficient reading and mathematics materials available. 90% or more of Grades 1-3 teachers used Open Court the majority of the time to teach Reading/Language Arts. One third of Grades 2-3 teachers also used the Harcourt Language book. PK teachers listed LEAP materials as their main source for reading activities. Slightly less (84%) used Open Court in Kindergarten, choosing instead to use McGraw-Hill. Leveled books and literature were also mentioned as a source for teaching reading. The Early Childhood Department asks teachers to construct lessons plans using the OASIS computer system: 61% of the teachers have access in their classroom. 9

17 All Grade 2 teachers plan at grade level while about 75% of teachers in Grades K-3 conduct grade-level planning meetings. Discussions and interactions, songs, poems, rhymes or chants, and read aloud or shared reading were the most often used methods to develop oral language skills (Table 15). Write Direction/Write Direction activities and journals are the most often used methods of teaching writing skills (Table 16). Principals indicated that teachers at their school had sufficient materials to support bilingual instruction, 70% stated that all teachers had 100% of what was needed. Table 15 Activities Used to Develop Oral Language by Grade Percent by Grade Total Activity PK K Other N Discussions and interactions Choral reading Open Court or phonics activity Modeling or listening centers Songs, poems, rhymes or chants Drama or puppets Read aloud or shared reading Individual presentation Note. Other refers to MRT, multi-age or alternative school teachers. Table 16 Methods of Teaching Writing Skills by Grade Percent by Grade Total Method PK K Other N Write Direction Write Direction activity Journals Modeling Open Court lessons Morning or daily message Writing center or word wall activity Develop fine motor skills Note. Other refers to MRT, multi-age or alternative school teachers. 10

18 Identify achievement levels of early childhood students by analyzing passing rates on norm- and criterion-referenced tests. Methodology Grade 3 Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) Reading passing rates were disaggregated by ethnicity, LEP, special education and lunch status. Results of the English and Spanish tests were combined. Reading data include the February and March administration. Grades K 3 ITBS and Logramos Reading comprehension Normal Curve Equivalent (NCE) and NCE gain scores also were analyzed. The effects of gender, ethnicity, special education status, limited English proficiency, family income level (based on free- and reduced-lunch status) and pretest (if appropriate) were removed using a multiple regression procedure by grade. Because 2003 ITBS or Logramos pretest scores were a necessary variable for most analyses, only students with on-level pre- and posttests were included. The multiple regression design was used to control statistically for any initial differences in the students that might have been present. Adjusted (residualized) scores were saved and used in the analyses. NCE scores have a mean of 50, which is equivalent to the 50th percentile on norm-referenced tests. Nevertheless, NCEs cannot be interpreted as percentiles because NCEs form an equal-interval scale, whereas percentiles do not. Gain scores were computed by subtracting spring 2004 ITBS or Logramos NCE scores from spring 2003 scores that were extracted from the district s test databases. Analyzing NCE gains always poses questions about the significance of the gains or losses. Wilde and Sockey (1995) summarized the meaning of changes in NCEs for students at risk of educational failure. A drop in Normal Curve Equivalents often reflects the expected pattern, especially for students in upper grades. These students are behind their peers and continue to fall farther behind. A drop in scores could indicate an ineffective program, or it could reflect the presence of some other negative variable. No change indicates that students have made progress at the same rate as their not-at-risk peers. They are maintaining their level of achievement. A gain in scores shows considerable progress. The students are catching up to their grade-level peers. This greater than expected achievement could be due to the program or could be due to the presence of some other positive variable. Mean student growth is considered to be significant if the increase or decrease in the NCE is greater than 3. Scores within the range -3 x +3 are consistent with national growth expectations, approximately one year of growth for one year of instruction. 11

19 TAKS Results A high percentage of Grade 3 students passed both the reading and math portions of the TAKS test. Across all ethnicities, 89% passed Reading, and 83% passed Math (Table 17). Table 17 Number and Percent of Grade 3 Students Passing TAKS Reading and Mathematics by Demographic Variables Demographic Reading Mathematics Variable Number Percent Number Percent African American 2, , Asian Hispanic 6, , American Indian White Total 9, , Other Variables Limited English 3, , Advantaged 1, , Disadvantaged 8, , Special Education Note. Tests in English and Spanish were combined for reporting. Reading results include the February and March administrations. ITBS and Logramos Kindergarten students scored well above the mean of 50 in both reading (67.41) and math (68.37) (Table 18). Students in Grades 1 and 2 achieved above a mean of 50 in both academic areas. Grade 3 students were slightly below 50 in reading (45.58), but scored higher in math (53.36) 12

20 Table 18 Grades K-3 ITBS and Logramos Reading and Mathematics Adjusted Normal Curve Equivalent Scores by Grade Grade Number Mean SD Reading Comprehension Kindergarten 11, Grade 1 8, Grade 2 8, Grade 3 8, Mathematics Total Kindergarten 12, Grade 1 10, Grade 2 10, Grade 3 10, Note. Tests in English and Spanish were combined for reporting. SD = Standard Deviation. The larger the SD, the more diversified the responses. Analysis of reading NCE scores showed the following: Ethnic groups showed similar mean NCE scores in Grades Kindergarten and 3 (Table 19). Mean scores for students in Grades 1 and 2 were above 50; however, Hispanic students scored the highest (means = and 56.46, Grades 1 and 2, respectively). Looking at other variables, Kindergarten students maintained the highest mean score (more than 65.36), then scores fell off each year with Grade 3 having the lowest mean score (45.58 in all categories). Although scores have been adjusted for LEP, the Limited English proficient students in Grades 1 and 2 had higher mean scores than students in other categories. Math NCE scores did not follow the same pattern as reading of declining scores by grade level. Kindergarten students in all ethnicities scored means of or above. Scores were lower for Grade 1, and then increased in Grades 2 and 3. Students disaggregated by other variables likewise had scores above the mean of 50. Limited English proficient students scored higher than their counterparts in Grades Kindergarten 2. Disadvantaged students scored better than the advantaged in those same grades. 13

21 Table 19 Grades K-3 ITBS and Logramos Reading and Mathematics Adjusted Normal Curve Equivalent Scores by Ethnicity and Other Variables Demographic Kindergarten Grade 1 Grade 2 Grade 3 Variables N Mean SD N Mean SD N Mean SD N Mean SD Reading Comprehension African American 3, , , , Asian Hispanic 7, , , , American Indian White Other Variables Limited English 4, , , , Advantaged 1, , , , Disadvantaged 10, , , , Special Ed Mathematics Total African American 3, , , , Asian Hispanic 7, , , , American Indian White Other Variables Limited English 5, , , , Advantaged 1, , , , Disadvantaged 10, , , , Special Ed Note. Tests in English and Spanish were combined for reporting. SD = Standard Deviation. The larger the SD, the more diversified the responses. Adjusted NCE gain scores were highest in Grade 2 for reading and math (Table 20). The negative mean scores indicate that students scored higher last school year on the ITBS and Logramos than this year. Standard deviations demonstrated the wide range of scores for individual students. Table 20 Grades K-3 ITBS and Logramos Reading and Mathematics Adjusted Normal Curve Equivalent Gain Scores by Grade Grade Number Mean SD Reading Comprehension Grade 1 8, Grade 2 7, Grade 3 7, Mathematics Total Grade 1 6, Grade 2 7, Grade 3 8, Note. Tests in English and Spanish were combined for reporting. SD = Standard Deviation. The larger the SD, the more diversified the responses. 14

22 Students in Grade 2 showed slight gains in reading comprehension, but considerable gains in math (Table 21). Grade 3 students had significant negative NCE gains in both reading and math. African American students had the most significant losses, particularly in mathematics (mean = ). Grade 1 adjusted NCE gain scores appeared to have the largest negative gain. However, as was demonstrated with the 2004 scores, Kindergarten scores were among the highest, creating a more difficult challenge to have positive gain scores in Grade 1. Table 21 Grades K-3 ITBS and Logramos Reading and Mathematics Adjusted Normal Curve Equivalent Gain Scores by Ethnicity and Other Variables Grade 1 Grade 2 Grade 3 Ethnicity N Mean SD N Mean SD N Mean SD Reading Comprehension African American 2, , , Asian Hispanic 4, , , American Indian White Other Variables Limited English 3, , , Advantaged 1, , , Disadvantaged 7, , , Special Ed Mathematics Total African American 2, , , Asian Hispanic 3, , , American Indian White Other Variables Limited English 1, , , Advantaged 1, , , Disadvantaged 5, , , Special Ed Note. Tests in English and Spanish were combined for reporting. SD = Standard Deviation. The larger the SD, the more diversified the responses. Outcome information for Pre-kindergarten students can be found in the Final Evaluation of the Prekindergarten Expansion Grant report. (REIS ). 15