Expeditionary Learning Schools

Transcription

1 Expeditionary Learning Schools Expeditionary Learning Schools SY ELS System Wide Performance Data

2 ELS System Wide Performance Data Page 1 of 8 Executive Summary Expeditionary Learning Schools, the largest school reform organization of its kind, worked in 144 schools in 29 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico in the school year (SY ). Located primarily in urban areas where school improvement is most needed, ELS schools promote high academic achievement through real world projects and products within an active, engaging, and rigorous college preparatory curriculum. ELS is unique in its ability to drive improvement in both new and existing schools, in charter schools and district schools, and in schools at every grade level in every kind of community. Each year, ELS helps to start new schools throughout the country. Most ELS schools are, however, existing schools, many of which are struggling and at the bottom of their districts in student achievement. There is strong evidence that sustained implementation of the Expeditionary Learning Schools design has a powerful impact on student achievement. This report presents average reading/ela and math proficiency on standardized assessments in implementing ELS schools compared to their home districts. Key findings include:! Implementing ELS schools on average outperformed their districts in reading proficiency in SY by 9.3 percentage points.! Key student subgroups in implementing ELS schools Black students, Hispanic students, FRL students, and Special Education students outperformed their district subgroup peers in reading by 15.1 percentage points, 13.8 percentage points, 10.3 percentage points, and 11.2 percentage points respectively.! Implementing ELS schools on average outperformed their districts in math proficiency in SY by 3.6 percentage points.! Key student subgroups in implementing ELS schools Black students, Hispanic students, and Special Education students outperformed their district subgroup peers in math by an average of 7.3 percentage points, 9.3 percentage points, and 8.0 percentage points respectively.

3 ELS System Wide Performance Data Page 2 of 8 Charts And Tables Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 8 IR Scores by Years Implementing Expeditionary Learning Design Number of Implementing Schools by School Type in SY Average Difference Between ELS Implementing Schools and District Reading Proficiency in Percentage Points in SY Average Student Proficiency in Reading for Implementing ELS Schools from SY05-06 to SY07-08 Average Difference Between ELS Schools and District Average Reading Proficiency in Percentage Points by Student Subgroup in SY07-08 Average Difference Between ELS Implementing Schools and District Math Proficiency in Percentage Points in SY07-08 Average Student Proficiency in Math for Implementing ELS Schools from SY05-06 to SY07-08 Average Difference Between ELS Schools and District Average Math Proficiency in Percentage Points by Student Subgroup in SY07-08

4 ELS System Wide Performance Data Page 3 of 8 Implementation of the ELS Design ELS conducts an Implementation Review (IR) at each active network school annually. The IR assesses the level of implementation of key benchmarks of each of the ELS five core practices: learning expeditions, active pedagogy, culture and character, leadership, and structures. With input from teachers and school leaders, ELS school designers score each core practice from a low of zero to a high of 4 and send these scores to the schools along with a letter summarizing progress and areas to address in the following year. For this report, which looks at the relationship between implementation of the ELS design and student achievement, it was necessary to combine scores on each core practice into an overall score. Each school has been assigned to one of four levels of implementation: emerging with an overall score of less than 2.0; developing with an overall score of ; implementing with an overall score of ; and highly implementing with an overall score of 3.0 or higher. This analysis is based primarily on two groups of schools: implementing schools (2.4 or higher) and non-implementing schools (2.3 or lower). ELS had IR data for 110 schools in SY of these schools (45 percent) were implementing, and 61 (55 percent) were non-implementing. " There is a strong, positive relationship between the number of years schools have worked with ELS and whether or not they are implementing the ELS model. IR Scores by Years Working with ELS

5 Page 4 of 8 ELS System Wide Performance Data Implementing Schools by Type " ELS collects data on mandated reading/ela and math assessments for network schools and the districts in which they reside. Data were available for more than 85 percent of implementing schools. (Note: since some schools cover more than one set of grade levels e.g., 6-12 schools the number of schools by grade level is greater than the number of implementing schools.) *Note: We removed schools for which we did not have school and/or district proficiency rates, such as independent schools, schools in Puerto Rico for which data were unavailable, or districts that were comprised of a single school (because school and district achievement data are identical).

6 System Wide Performance Data Page 5 of 8 Student Achievement Highlights in Reading There is strong evidence that implementation of the ELS design has a powerful impact on student achievement in reading/ela. The impact is even greater for subgroups that have a history of low performance: Black and Hispanic students, economically disadvantaged students, and students receiving special education services. " In implementing ELS schools, the average reading proficiency rate was 9.3 percentage points higher than their district average, with some schools exceeding the district average by more than 40 percentage points. " Implementing charter schools exceeded the average reading proficiency rate in the districts in which they are located by 11.8 percentage points. " Black, Hispanic, FRL, and SPED students in implementing schools outperformed their district peers by 15.1 percentage points, 13.8 percentage points, 10.3 percentage points, and 11.2 percentage points respectively. Student Proficiency in Reading in Implementing ELS District Schools

7 Page 6 of 8 ELS System Wide Performance Data Three Year Trend in Reading Proficiency in Implementing ELS Schools " Implementing ELS schools outperformed their district average in reading by 8.3 SY , 7.3 SY , and 9.3 SY Difference in Student Subgroups Reading Proficiency Scores between ELS Schools and District at Four Levels of Implementation " The average reading proficiency rate in implementing ELS schools was higher for all subgroups except ELL students. Highly implementing ELS schools outperformed their districts for all student subgroups.

8 ELS System Wide Performance Data Page 7 of 8 Student Achievement Highlights in Math Implementing ELS schools outperformed their districts in math proficiency in SY although to a lesser extent than in reading. The difference was greater for Black and Hispanic students and for students receiving special education services. " The average math proficiency rate in implementing ELS schools was 3.6 percentage points higher than their district average. " Implementing ELS charter schools outperformed the districts in which they are located by an average of 3.8 percentage points. " Black, Hispanic, and SPED students outperformed their district subgroup peers by an average of 7.3 percentage points, 9.3 percentage points, and 8.0 percentage points respectively. Student Proficiency in Math in Implementing ELS Schools

9 Page 8 of 8 ELS System Wide Performance Data Three Year Trend in Math Proficiency in Implementing ELS Schools " Implementing ELS schools outperformed their district average in math by 5.0 SY , by 4.6 SY , and 3.6 SY Difference in Student Subgroups Math Proficiency Scores between ELS Schools and District at Four Levels of Implementation " The average math proficiency rate in implementing ELS schools was higher than their district average for Black, Hispanic, FRL, and SPED students. As in reading, highly implementing schools outperformed their districts for all student subgroups.

10 Expeditionary Learning Schools 247 West 35th St., 8th Floor New York, NY