Aurora Central Pathways Recommendation Presented by: Rico Munn, - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Aurora Central Pathways Recommendation

Presented by: Rico Munn, Superintendent

Every Student Shapes a Successful Future

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Every Student Shapes a Successful Future

Aurora Central High School

▪ Why is this topic on the Board agenda? ▪ To provide the Board the district’s analysis and recommendation regarding whether ACHS should continue on its existing Turnaround Pathway or add or change its Pathway. This recommendation will be presented to the Colorado State Board of Education for its consideration as it determines whether or not to direct ACHS to continue its Turnaround Pathway or add/change. ▪ What are we asking the Board to do with this information? ▪ We are asking the Board to support the Superintendent’s recommendation to the State Board regarding Aurora Central’s Turnaround Pathway. ▪ How is this linked to the Strategic Plan, Vision, Mission, goals & core beliefs? ▪ This recommendation is provided in support of achieving APS’ mission that Every Student Shapes a Successful Future.

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Every Student Shapes a Successful Future

Overview

• State Accountability System & ACHS
• APS Review & Analysis

– Historical Review – Third Party Reviews – Internal Review – Stakeholder Input

• Recommendation

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Every Student Shapes a Successful Future

State Accountability System & ACHS

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Every Student Shapes a Successful Future

CO Education Act of 2009

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Schools identified on the state’s Performance Watch for 5 consecutive years MUST appear before the State Board

• f Education

The State Board will direct an action or pathway: – External Management Partner – Charter School Conversion – Innovation Status – School Closure

Every Student Shapes a Successful Future

2017 State-Directed Pathway for ACHS

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In 2017, the State BOE directed Aurora Central to implement two Pathways to drive improvement:

• Implement its Innovation Plan

AND

• Work with an External

Management Partner (Mass Insight)

Every Student Shapes a Successful Future

2017 State-Directed Innovation Pathway

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Every Student Shapes a Successful Future

2017 State-Directed Innovation Pathway

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• Culture of Performance
• Culture & Climate
• Family & Community

Partnerships

• Student Pathways & Post-

Secondary Readiness

• Educational Program
• International Leadership
• Competency-Based Instruction
• Human Capital
• Retention & Compensation
• Recruitment & Hiring
• Evaluation
• Onboarding, PD, Coaching and

Job-Embedded Supports

Every Student Shapes a Successful Future

2017 State-Directed External Management Partner Pathway

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Mass Insight would serve as a targeted External Management Partner for a minimum of the 2017-18 school year focused on:

• Innovation Implementation Support. MIE will focus on developing systems and

processes for schools to improve academic systems, to find school-based approaches to further strengthen the culture of performance, and to manage talent effectively at all five ACTION Zone schools.

• Autonomy Implementation Support. MIE will be tasked with leading a project to

ensure all ACTION Zone schools start the 2017-18 school year with clear implementation pathways for all critical autonomies.

• Performance Management Support. MIE will be tasked with developing school- and

Zone- capacity to manage critical projects at ACHS and the other schools in the ACTION Zone.

Every Student Shapes a Successful Future

ACHS: 2019

▪ With ACHS’ 2019 SPF rating of Priority Improvement, Aurora Central must reappear before the State Board of Education later this fall (likely in Nov.) ▪ State Board will direct APS to:

– continue previously directed action OR – undertake additional or different actions aligned with four Pathways (Innovation, External Management Partner, Charter Conversion, or Closure)

▪ APS will be able to make a recommendation to the State Board for ACHS moving forward

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Every Student Shapes a Successful Future

State Board Hearing for ACHS

State Board will consider:

• Actions the school was previously directed to take
• Fidelity with which the school has implemented the directed action
• Whether the amount of time that the school has had to implement actions is

reasonably sufficient to achieve results

• Recommendation of State Review Panel, which is a recommendation developed

based on onsite review of ACHS by a team of educators that considers the following:

○ Whether Leadership is adequate to implement change to improve results ○ Whether the infrastructure is adequate to support school improvement ○ The readiness and apparent capacity of personnel to engage productively with and benefit from the assistance provided by an external partner ○ The readiness and apparent capacity of personnel to plan effectively and lead the implementation of appropriate actions to improve student academic performance within the school ○ The likelihood of positive returns on state investments of assistance and support to improve the performance within the current management structure and staffing ○ The necessity that the public school/district remain in operation to serve students.

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Every Student Shapes a Successful Future

ACHS Review & Analysis

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Every Student Shapes a Successful Future

ACHS Review & Analysis

• Historical Review

– Reviewed APS History since 2013 – Reviewed History of ACHS since 2013, including State-directed Action in 2017

• Third-Party Reviews

– Onsite review conducted by consultant Shelley Billig, formerly of RMC using CDE’s 2015 Diagnostic Review Standards and comparing to previous reviews of ACHS, since she had been a participant in the 2012 and 2014 reviews – Review by Mass Insight over two years of implementation

• Internal Review & Analysis

– Conducted by APS staff from OAS, Division of Equity in Learning, Research & Accountability, Legal, and Office of Superintendent – Review & Analysis of School-Level Data, Implementation, CDE Progress Monitoring Report, and Billig Consulting’s Third-Party Review

• Parent/Family Input

– Parents provided input on ACHS’ Innovation Plan through a SWOT analysis – Hosted 3 Parent Coffees and 3 Parents in Action Meetings

• Staff Input

– Staff participated in External Review – Staff also provided input on ACHS’ Innovation Plan through a SWOT Analysis

• Student Input

– Students provided input on ACHS’ Innovation Plan through a SWOT analysis – Conducted in 3 Social Justice Classes

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Every Student Shapes a Successful Future

Historical Review

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Every Student Shapes a Successful Future

Timeline

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2015

• Spring 2015: APS investigates turnaround options for ACHS and BOE directs district to pursue Innovation Status
• June 2015: APS asks CDE to take early action and recognize Innovation as a Turnaround Pathway for ACHS; State

Board declines

• 2015-16: New Principal Hired and APS begins design work for ACTION Zone and Innovation Plan for ACHS

2016

• May 2016: State Board of Education approves ACHS’ Innovation Plan, but declines to decide whether it will be

an approved Turnaround Pathway

• 2016-17: ACHS begins implementation of Innovation Plan

2017

• April 2017: State Board Holds Hearing on ACHS after 5 years on the Accountability Clock
• May 2017: State Board directs ACHS to implement Innovation Pathway and targeted External Management

Partner

• 2017-18: Year 1 of implementation of Innovation Status as a Turnaround Pathway and Year 1 of work with an

External Management Partner 2018

• 2018-19: Year 2 of Implementation of Innovation Status as a Turnaround Pathway

2019

• March 2019: CDE awards EASI grant to support ACHS’ work with Mass Insight for the 2018-19 and 19-20 school

years

• 2019-20: Year 3 of Implementation of Innovation Status as a Turnaround Pathway

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Every Student Shapes a Successful Future

APS: 2016-17

• APS had a District Performance Framework Rating of Accredited with Priority

Improvement and was in Year 5 State’s Accountability Clock

• Early Implementation of Communities Organized to Reach Excellence (CORE)

Reform Framework, which was launched in 2015. CORE focuses on: ▪ Increasing District and School Staff Capacity for Change ▪ Shifting the Organizational Culture Regarding Change and Success through: ▪ Communities of Practice ▪ Innovative Systems and Structures ▪ CORE Improvement Strategies and Timeline

• APS had never implemented one of the State Turnaround Pathways:

▪ Innovation ▪ External Management Partner ▪ Charter Conversion ▪ Closure

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Every Student Shapes a Successful Future

APS: 2019-20

• APS has a District Performance Rating of Accredited with Improvement and has not

been on Performance Watch since 2016-17.

• APS is fully implementing is CORE Reform Framework. Examples include:

▪ Establishing the ACTION Zone, an Innovation Zone ▪ Participating in Communities of Practice, such as University of Virginia Partnership for Leaders in Education, Communities in Schools, U.S. Human Capital Academy, etc. ▪ Implementing a set of district-required actions for each year a school is on the State’s Performance Watch ▪ Pursuing and implementing Early Action of State Turnaround Pathways in two schools in Year 4 on the State Accountability Clock

• APS has implemented all four State Turnaround Pathways:

▪ Innovation: APS established the ACTION Zone, an Innovation Zone, with five schools with State-approved Innovation Status, including Aurora Central. ▪ External Management Partner: APS is working with External Management Partners to provide additional capacity in targeted areas at three schools: Aurora Central, Gateway High School and North Middle School. ▪ Charter Conversion: APS has converted Fletcher Elementary School to Rocky Mountain Prep. ▪ Closure: APS closed APS Online and Fletcher Elementary School and proposed the closure of HOPE Online Learning Centers within APS due to underperformance.

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Every Student Shapes a Successful Future

Office of Autonomous Schools & ACTION Zone

• Establishment of Office of Autonomous Schools, which
• versees the ACTION Zone schools and charter schools in

2016

• OAS Staff support APS’ five State Innovation schools in

implementing their Innovation Plans aligned with the four pillars of the ACTION Zone: – Create a Climate and Culture for International Leadership – Focus on Student-Centered Data Driven Instruction – Develop a Comprehensive Talent Strategy – Develop Strong Family and Community Partnerships

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Every Student Shapes a Successful Future

Third Party Reviews

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Every Student Shapes a Successful Future

Third-Party Review: Billig Consulting, LLC

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Onsite Review Components

• Formal Interviews with Principal, APs
• Focus groups with content teachers

(26 participants)

• Informal Interviews with 2 Deans, 2

Hall Monitors, 2 ESS teachers, 47 students, 2 staff from Mass Insight, and 4 district representatives

• Observations of 36 classrooms, 4

PLCs, 1 House meeting, and 7 PD sessions

• Document Analysis, including SPF,

UIPs, external review reports

• Artifacts, such as student work,

teacher work, sample lessons, tasks from PD and enrichment classes

Criteria Used

• CDE’s 2015 Standards and Indicators

for Continuous Improvement ○ Standards and Instructional Planning ○ Best Fit Instruction ○ Assessment of and for Learning ○ Tiered Support ○ Leadership ○ Culture and Climate ○ Educator Effectiveness ○ Continuous Improvement

• Included comparison to previous

reviews

Every Student Shapes a Successful Future

Third-Party Review: Billig Consulting, LLC

21 21 Standard Summary of Contrast to Past Performance 1: Standards & Instructional Planning ACHS teachers have consistently aligned their teaching to standards in the past. However, their instructional lessons were typically aimed well below grade-level expectations. Former planning approaches featured far more direct instruction (lecture) followed by drill and practice. Currently teachers allot time for mini-lessons but allocate more time for student-centered activities. In the past, there were fewer classes that encouraged collaboration among students, fewer opportunities for spiraling, and less attention paid to reteaching. 2: Best First Instruction Remarkable progress has been made in the quality of first best instruction for students, though there is much more work to be done. In the past, teachers used the Hunter gradual release model for instruction, but they spent too much time lecturing and consistently used drill and practice worksheets. Large percentages of students were disengaged. Many classrooms were poorly managed such that behavioral disruptions, cell phone use, and headphones were the norm. Some teachers shouted over students and little learning occurred in many classrooms. There were notable exceptions, but most of the exceptions were in advanced learning classrooms. There was some evidence of skillful teacher questioning, but in most classrooms, teachers only worked with a handful of students. Now first best instruction is delivered using a common instructional framework with limited time spent lecturing the students and more time devoted to activities. Teachers more often use culturally and temporally relevant materials. Teachers frequently monitor student learning by reviewing students’ work during practice time (rather than sitting at their desks). More students are on task now than in the past, though some students are still allowed to opt out of instruction. Both in the past and currently, more differentiation, more advanced thinking skills questions, and more effective strategies for English learners need to be employed.

Every Student Shapes a Successful Future

Third-Party Review: Billig Consulting, LLC

22 22 Standard Summary of Contrast to Past Performance 3: Assessment of and for Learning The school has made many improvements in their approach to analyzing data and using results to improve instruction. In the past, review of data was cursory and infrequent. Teachers used chapter and unit tests as formative assessments and as the basis for reteaching. They offered feedback to students that was often not specific, timely, or constructive. Teachers now align their assessment practices to the standards. They are at least trying to devise assessments that align to the rigor of the standard and planning to analyze and use assessment results for reteaching. They have a structured data protocol and engage in data dialogue during PLCs and after interims are administered on data days devoted to understanding student strengths and needs. Feedback to students is more frequent and occurs as the students are working. Most of the time, feedback is specific and constructive, though sometimes it is general and superficial. Teachers still only perform a cursory analysis of summative data.

Every Student Shapes a Successful Future

Third-Party Review: Billig Consulting, LLC

23 23 Standard Summary of Contrast to Past Performance 4: Tiered Support ACHS has had a consistent need to provide effective academic and behavioral interventions to students. Years ago, they tried to meet academic intervention needs by targeting students on the cusp of proficiency to help them gain enough knowledge and skills to boost their performance. Students performing below grade level were expected to be supported by teachers using differentiated instruction, but there was little evidence that appropriate levels of support were provided. Software-based credit accrual opportunities were available to students in need. Large percentages of students were being identified for special education services and receiving ESS support. The school currently still expects teachers to provide differentiated instruction and intervention and still overidentifies students for ESS. There is no universal screener being used for academics and no clearly defined Tier II and III interventions. As in the past, tutoring, enrichment, and credit accrual sessions are available to students. The credit accrual approach now uses blended learning and is more effective in helping students recover credits and graduate on time. Family and community involvement approaches are more systematized than in the past and appear to be more effective. Families are asked to review data and engage in action planning to address a school problem of their choice. Some have implemented planned actions while some need more time. The school has consistently had many community partners, but in the past, the partners’ goals appeared to have been given priority over the school’s goals. Plans for coordinated community partner work are being formulated and will be launched in the next few weeks. This should lead to greater effectiveness since the effort should result in less duplication of services and more targeted support to address student needs. The school continues to be effective in providing information about available community services to meet health and other needs.

Every Student Shapes a Successful Future

Third-Party Review: Billig Consulting, LLC

24 24 Standard Summary of Contrast to Past Performance 5: Leadership The school has been through many changes, most of which represent improvements compared to the past. The former principal’s style was not valued and there was a lot of conflict among the adults and the students in the building. Change strategies were not adequately focused on instruction and instructional rigor. Change management was ineffective. The climate for change was poor. With the current principal, there has been more continuity and steadier leadership. The climate was changed first as many new staff were hired to replace the 70 who left. Now the focus is on instructional rigor and instructional quality. One major difference from the past is that teachers are generally on board with the current focus and believe that it is the right one to implement to improve students’ academic growth and performance. In stark contrast to the past, there are strong collaborative processes in place, a clearer set of strategies for improvement, and a desire to work together to make a difference in the students’ lives. 6: Culture and Climate The culture in the school five years ago was described as toxic and chaotic. Hallways and other common areas were always filled with students and characterized by students and adults yelling at each other, cursing, and jostling each other. Many students failed to follow any directions issued by deans, monitors, and teachers. Many classrooms had students who were completely off task, talking on cell phones, listening to music on headphones, and interacting with each other both verbally and physically, often without consequence. Students reported that they disliked the school and did not feel safe. School climate and culture data reflected this negative state. Currently, the building is orderly and considered safe by nearly all respondents. Data from climate surveys affirm that the school has become a more attractive and welcoming place for students and adults. The learning environment is positive: teachers display caring attitudes toward students, warmly greeting them by name and welcoming them to class. The front office is equally warm and welcoming to family members and the school provides translation services for parents or guardians who are not fluent in

• English. The physical structure is well maintained, and there are symbols, pictures, artifacts, and other

displays that evidence the positive value that the school places on diversity. The current culture is characterized by respect, positive reinforcement, collaboration, and support. It feels like a different school.

Every Student Shapes a Successful Future

Third-Party Review: Billig Consulting, LLC

25 25 Standard Summary of Contrast to Past Performance 7: Educator Effectiveness Professional learning has consistently been an emphasis in the school as a key strategy to improve student performance. However, the focus of professional learning has changed each year, as has the format and effectiveness. For example, in some years, teachers participated in PLCs and in some years they did not. In some years, there was sustained professional development in one area, but in most years there was not. Some years featured expectations for application but follow up was inconsistent and not part of the system. Currently, the school has aligned professional development with overarching school goals. PLCs focus on the instructional framework and rigor, along with student-centered instruction. Leaders and coaches serve as PLC facilitators and then follow up to provide meaningful feedback for improvement. The emphasis is on immediate implementation of strategies and dialogue using data and a common observation/feedback protocol. This tighter more system-oriented and systematic approach provides a common set of expectations and practices within the school. 8: Continuous Improvement ACHS has consistently developed improvement plans directed toward increasing student growth and academic performance. Current plans reflect systems thinking and are more aligned to evidence- based practices and data on needs. The mission of the school changed from being focused on STEM to having an emphasis on producing global leaders and global and local actions. The former STEM mission was articulated and addressed. The current globally focused mission has not been adequately addressed: school practices do not align with the mission. Improvement plans continue to be formulated based on data analysis, research, external reviews, and stakeholder input. Representativeness of stakeholders has varied by year.

Every Student Shapes a Successful Future

Third-Party Review: Mass Insight

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• Mass Insight developed a longitudinal Progress Report on ACHS’ Innovation

Implementation based on School Turnaround Research, Performance data, and Needs Assessments conducted in 2015, 2018 and 2019.

• Needs Assessment reviews examined implementation using Mass Insight’s

Theory of Action and School Readiness Assessment Criteria, which included the following elements: ○ Focus on Instruction ○ Collective Responsibility ○ Planning ○ Performance Management ○ Partnering ○ Conditions ○ Leadership

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Third-Party Review: Mass Insight

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• Research on Comprehensive High School Turnaround:

○ Full school turnaround takes 3-5 years, with larger high schools requiring more time ○ Successful turnaround requires a school-wide culture shift, often preceding instructional change ○ Within the first three years of turnaround efforts, evaluators of success can expect to see improvements in leading indicators and progress against baseline data

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Third-Party Review: Mass Insight

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Element Key Findings & Progress Update Instructional Vision In 2018, ACHS defined an instructional vision, which informed the development of a more specific instructional framework to support teachers to

• rganize and deliver rigorous instruction in 85-minute blocks. In the 2018-19

school year, 71% of staff survey respondents indicated agreement with the statement “school leadership sets and communicates a clear instructional vision aligned to school improvement efforts and predicated on the belief that all students can perform at rigorous academic levels,” whereas only 32% of staff agreed with the same statement in the 2015-16 school year. The development of an instructional vision and framework, and staff’s recognition

• f that vision, are strong indicators of a more intentional, school-wide focus on

rigorous, standards-based instruction. There is still a need to build school- wide understanding of what rigorous instruction at ACHS looks like and means for classroom instruction, and staff express support for the instructional framework as a starting place to focus on deepening understanding of instructional rigor.

Every Student Shapes a Successful Future

Third-Party Review: Mass Insight

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Element Key Findings & Progress Update Readiness to Learn

Staff and student culture at ACHS has improved substantially since 2015, allowing for a deeper focus on instruction. Student behavior and safety are no longer critical areas of need; teachers exhibit greater individual and collective responsibility for student learning. Students feel safe at ACHS and share they have generally positive relationships with staff and peers. In the 2015-16 school year, only 17% of surveyed staff indicated agreement that “student behavior is under control in classes and common spaces,” while 61% of surveyed staff indicated agreement with a similar statement, “the school environment is conducive to high-quality teaching and learning” in the 2018-19 school year. Classroom and common space observations align with focus group and survey results. Staff attribute increased student engagement in class to teachers’ engagement with students and investment in their instruction. ACHS has successfully shifted school culture, resulting in staff who are eager to discuss and improve the quality of their instructional practice, and students feeling safe, challenged, and supported. This is on track with what we would expect to see in the first three years of turnaround at a large comprehensive high school. Additionally, staff and structures are dedicated to support students’ social-emotional, health, attendance, and behavior needs, which were lacking three years ago. As a result of innovation, ACHS pursued a house model in lower grades to provide a structure for teachers to support student readiness to learn and to identify and address student needs. However, house meetings occurred less frequently in the 2018-19 school year due to schedule challenges, and as a result, tiered support structures and expectations are

• minimal. Average daily attendance rates increased from 79% in the 2016-17 school year to

83% in the 2018-19 school year, yet staff are aware that attendance can improve and believe more frequent house meetings and monitoring structures this year will help.

Every Student Shapes a Successful Future

Third-Party Review: Mass Insight

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Element Key Findings & Progress Update Teacher Development & Feedback

Staff development structures have improved since 2015, with more time for explicit training and a deeper focus on observation and feedback cycles. Through the innovation waivers, ACHS secured the flexibility to prioritize more frequent embedded teacher feedback through eight informal observations in lieu of fewer, more formal and compliance-based

• bservations. In the 2018-19 school year, 60% of staff survey respondents indicated

agreement that “the school consistently offers rich and meaningful PD opportunities that are aligned to the school’s instructional priorities, student needs, and staff growth areas identified through observation,” an increase from only 34% in the 2015-16 school year. While there are now more robust systems and structures in place to prioritize teacher development, there is still a need for clarity and coherence of teacher development structures in alignment with the instructional vision and towards a common change in

• practice. There is an opportunity for instructional leaders to further norm on rigorous

instruction to ensure consistency in feedback on teacher practice. Efforts are already underway in this area and instructional leaders are building their own capacity and alignment on high-quality instruction with the new Coordinator of Professional Learning and Talent Development. ACHS is also working to define measures to assess PD quality and the extent to which it contributes to student outcomes and progress.

Every Student Shapes a Successful Future

Third-Party Review: Mass Insight

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Element Key Findings & Progress Update Teacher Collaboration

Since 2015, ACHS has secured and provided time for teachers to collaborate in grade-level and content-area teams, through weekly professional learning communities (PLCs) and has provided structures to ensure PLC time is used effectively. In the 2015-16 school year,

• nly 18% of staff survey respondents believed that “the school has clear protocols to

ensure that common planning time is used effectively, while in the 2018-19 school year, 70% believed that “there are clear expectations for how to use common planning time. In the 2018-19 school year, ACHS piloted a PLC model grounded in small PDSA cycles to improve instructional practices. Now that PLCs have further developed a shared practice of looking at data to improve, there has been an intentional shift in the PLC approach to incorporate more student data into the PLC cycle. This year, PLCs are focusing on creating and refining common formative assessments to ensure all students experience grade-level, standards aligned work in advance of summative and state assessments. ACHS is working to develop teacher leaders as PLC facilitators through a “Lab PLC” approach, supported by instructional coaches. In addition to grade-level and content-area PLCs, teachers also collaborate in weekly house meetings to progress monitor the multiple needs of all

• students. In the current school year, house meeting time is protected for all grade levels.

Every Student Shapes a Successful Future

Third-Party Review: Mass Insight

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Element Key Findings & Progress Update Curriculum, Standards & Assessment

In the 2015-16 school year, staff shared that there were wide variations in instructional planning and the use of curricular resources, resulting in instructional materials and lessons that were not consistently aligned to grade-level standards or expected levels of rigor. Staff share that there has been a focus on unpacking standards and providing rigorous

• instruction. Now, staff also have some common resources and materials to pull from and

staff develop their own unit and lesson plans. Teachers utilize evidence-based diagnostic assessments and screeners, and are using PLC time to develop and strengthen the rigor of common formative assessments in alignment with the expectation of grade-level standards. Teachers also develop interim assessments, around which common formative assessments are aligned. There is a still a need for standards-aligned curricular resources for core content areas (e.g., ELA) and resources to effectively support the high English language learner population. Lack of consistent curriculum makes backwards design of assessments and planning instruction more challenging, especially for newer teachers.

Every Student Shapes a Successful Future

Third-Party Review: Mass Insight

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Element Key Findings & Progress Update Data Driven Decision Making for Classroom Instruction

ACHS’s focus on using data to drive instructional decisions has increased since 2015. Only 19% of staff surveyed in the 2015-16 school year agreed that “there is a school-wide system in place to use data to identify students in need of intervention and regularly assess progress,” while 73% of staff surveyed in the 2018-19 school year agreed that “my school frequently and routinely uses academic data to drive ongoing instructional decisions, including grouping, differentiation, enrichment, and intervention.” Additionally, prior to innovation, there were limited structures and time for teachers to meet in teams and analyze data for the purposes of improving instruction. Instructional leaders at ACHS have since been trained and supported in evidence-based data-driven instruction protocols (DDI) and staff teams continue to strengthen their data capacity through weekly PLCs and regular data days. In the 2018-19 school year, staff utilized interim assessment data to identify failing students and plan for a two-week reteach window following assessment

• administration. Now, enrichment classes provide an opportunity for students to make up

credits in classes they have failed or in which they have fallen behind. In the 2018-19 school year, staff expressed a desire to continue to improve how students are assigned to enrichment courses and strengthen the rigor of those courses to ensure student proficiency in standards as a result of enrichment. While some students may receive additional supports or intervention during enrichment time, there is not yet a clear process for regular monitoring of student academic progress and resulting tiered supports. In the 2018-19 school year, structures for data review were less effective for pinpointing and addressing class and student needs (e.g., less frequent house meetings). However, more frequent PLC and house meetings, as well as the shift in PLC focus on formative assessment results and student work, aims to increase teachers’ use of data to inform instructional decisions.

Every Student Shapes a Successful Future

Third-Party Review: Mass Insight

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Element Key Findings & Progress Update Rigorous Classroom Practice

As school climate and culture has improved, ACHS is prioritizing increased instructional rigor. In 2015, student engagement was low at ACHS, with students frequently absent from class, disengaged, and not on task; it was also unclear to what extent all students were given a challenging task to work on. Since the 2015-16 school year, student engagement has improved as staff recognized the need to provide a task for students to engage with the content and demonstrate mastery of standards, and as staff developed stronger student relationships. In the 2018-19 school year, in 77% of observed classrooms, a majority (75-100%) of students were

• bserved completing the assigned task. This was not the case in 2015. This progression of

improvement aligns with what research says it takes to turn around a school, including transforming staff culture so all adults work together to improve instruction and strengthening student culture so all students feel their teachers believe in them and want them to succeed. While ACHS has made progress to provide engaging and challenging instruction, rigor remains inconsistent across the school. Students in the 2018-19 school year share that they desire more challenging classes, which varies by teacher. In the same year, instructional materials were aligned to the skills and knowledge of the standard in 68% of classrooms observed and the instructional task was aligned to the skills and knowledge of the standard in 55% of classrooms observed. Staff articulate instructional rigor as a school priority and express a desire to define what rigorous instruction at ACHS looks like for all students. During classroom observations in the 2018-19 school year, 41% of classrooms demonstrated strong evidence of the instructional vision in action and, in an additional 50% of classrooms, there was some evidence of the instructional vision in action. Staff raise differentiation and scaffolding as areas of need, specifically to support and challenge English-language learners (ELLs) at the level of rigor expected for grade-level standards. ACHS has intentionally restructured staff development structures for the 2019-20 school year to continue to strengthen the capacity of all staff to provide rigorous instruction to all students.

Every Student Shapes a Successful Future

Third-Party Review: Mass Insight

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Element Key Findings & Progress Update Collective Responsibility

Over the past three years, collective responsibility for instruction and student learning has significantly improved. ACHS has distributive leadership structures: the executive leadership team (ELT) and instructional leadership team (ILT)) to involve staff in improvement efforts and help build collective responsibility for student success. In the 2014-15 school year, only 49% of staff surveyed agreed that “all staff members demonstrate a belief that students' learning and behavior is their collective responsibility,” compared to 81% agreement in the 2018-19 school

• year. Most staff demonstrate individual responsibility for improving their practice and student
• utcomes, evident in staff desire for increased feedback and support to strengthen instruction.

Also, 85% of staff survey respondents in the 2018-19 school year indicated agreement that “educators in my school embrace a growth mindset about student learning.” Students shared that levels of expectations can vary by teacher and, while most staff demonstrate individual responsibility for improving their practice and student outcomes, both students and staff reported an opportunity for all staff to hold high expectations of all students (including ELLs and students with disabilities). Staff culture has also improved since 2015. There has been an intentional focus by leadership to strengthen staff culture and trust by providing additional supports to staff, adjusting leadership tone, and providing greater opportunities for staff recognition. Staff in the 2018-19 school year reported higher levels of trust, especially among their staff teams. PD and PLC observations the same year revealed collegial and positive interactions. Some staff reported an opportunity to continue strengthening peer-to-peer accountability and collaboration across grade levels and content teams. Overall, as a result of positive staff culture and increased collective responsibility, in the 2018-2019 school year, 90% of staff surveyed on the districts TLCC survey wanted to continue working at ACHS.

Every Student Shapes a Successful Future

Third-Party Review: Mass Insight

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Element Key Findings & Progress Update Supports for Special Populations

From 2015 to now, ACHS student enrollment continues to include higher than average special student populations; in 2019, 56% of all students identified as ELLs and 14% of students had disabilities or special needs. Ensuring all students have access to high- quality instruction is an ongoing priority at ACHS, and while there is room to improve, the school has made some positive progress. For example, there are persisting gaps in performance on PSAT and SAT across tested grade levels and subject areas for ELLs and students with special education needs, but academic growth for student subpopulations has increased. Additionally, graduation rates have increased for ELLs (from 38% in the 2014-15 school year to 66% in the 2017-18 school year) and students with special needs (from 23% in the 2014-15 school year to 59% in the 2017-18 school year). Additionally, in the 2014-15 school year, only 23% of surveyed staff indicated agreement that “this school adequately meets the needs of students receiving special education services,” compared to 52% agreement to a similar question on the district’s 2018-19 TLCC survey. Similarly,

• nly 27% of surveyed staff indicated agreement that “this school adequately meets the

needs of English Language Learners,” compared to 50% on a similar question on the 2018-19 TLCC survey. Within the past few years, ACHS staff have engaged in professional development to embed language instruction into all content areas (e.g., Constructing Meaning). There are also ELD and exceptional student support teams in place that meet bi-weekly in their own PLCs to look at data (e.g., math and ELA data from AIMS, IEP data, etc.) to understand student progress and to plan for instruction and

• interventions. While there are some supports for both ELLs and students with special

education needs, there is still a need for a more robust curricular resources, staff training, and more consistent and targeted student supports (scaffolding and differentiation) to ensure success for all students.

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Third-Party Review: Mass Insight

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Element Key Findings & Progress Update Planning

At the start of the 2015-16 school year, there were not yet clear school-wide academic, behavior, or attendance goals in place. Since joining the Zone, the ACHS leadership team has engaged in annual, facilitated school improvement planning processes, including data and root causes analysis, development of improvement strategies to address root causes, and action planning. Starting in the 2017-18 school year, ACHS’s school improvement plan( SIP) was developed by a representative school leadership team that reviewed a variety of data to define priority challenges and identify strategies for improvement through a facilitated process. The SIP outlines key goals, timelines, and owners to clearly identify steps in the school improvement process. It is clear that ACHS leadership organizes efforts around SIP priorities each year. For example, 2018-19 SIP priorities included PLCs and

• bservation feedback, and the work of the executive leadership team that year involved

calibration on observations to develop the instructional framework and supporting a pilot PLC model. As a result of annual, data-driven SIP strategies, there have been some intentional deviations from the innovation application submitted in spring 2016. However, this is to be expected as the school conducts annual data and root cause analysis to inform a plan that continually responds to data and accommodates changes in contextual factors (e.g., budget, staff cuts, etc.). The school’s innovation application proposed an example plan of how ACHS’s education model could be re-envisioned through innovation and increased

• perational flexibility, while the facilitated Zone annual improvement planning processes

allows ACHS to establish a few specific improvement priorities to address root causes and meet the most pressing student needs each year.

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Third-Party Review: Mass Insight

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Element Key Findings & Progress Update Performance Management

ACHS capacity to manage school improvement plan implementation and impact, as well as to monitor key indicators to measure schoolwide progress, has improved over the past three years. Overall, ACHS has increased its focus on monitoring implementation of improvement strategies, as well as impact, in order to make timely adjustments to the SIP and to address student needs. In 2015, ACHS had some systems in place to collect and store school-wide data on attendance and behavior, however stakeholders could not yet articulate a plan to collect and analyze school-wide academic data. At the time, only 30% of surveyed staff indicated agreement that “the school regularly evaluates its performance against school-wide goals and benchmark targets.” Starting in the 2017-18 school year, ACHS instructional leaders met quarterly to review progress towards SIP goals during ACTION Zone quarterly monitoring meetings. Additionally, ACHS uses numerous tools and processes to collect and track data related to the SIP and to understand and respond to key indicators. As a result, data reveals progress against multiple schoolwide indicators, including increases in on-track rates, credit recovery, academic growth, and graduation rates. In the 2018-19 school year, 82% of staff survey respondents indicated agreement that “the school regularly monitors student attendance, behavior, and on track-to-graduate data.” While there are stronger systems and structures in place for progress monitoring, there is a continued opportunity to strengthen schoolwide capacity and organizational structure (e.g., time, clear roles and responsibilities, etc.) to monitor and respond to the needs of all students. For example, the less frequent house structure in the 2018-19 school year was ineffective for monitoring and responding to key at-risk student indicators, and some staff shared there was a lack of clarity on how roles and responsibilities for monitoring and following up on student needs (e.g., credits, course failures, attendance, etc.) should be divided.

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Third-Party Review: Mass Insight

39 39

Element Key Findings & Progress Update Partnering

ACHS has strengthened school-family partnership and community partnerships since 2015, contributing to the school’s culture shift. At the start of the 2015-16 school year, ACHS hired a new Family Liaison, but there were no focused efforts to leverage partnerships to support student success and achieve school goals. Now, ACHS has over ten partnerships to meet school and student needs in the areas of social emotional supports, closing cultural gaps, and extracurricular activities. While ACHS’ family liaison currently reviews the consistency of partnerships, there is an opportunity to further define partner goals and indicators of success to progress monitor partnership effectiveness and help improve the services provided to students and families. ACHS has also made intentional efforts to engage with families through a variety of programs and resources. In the 2018-19 school year, ACHS has hosted several family engagement events (family workshops, monthly parent coffees, cultural night, back to school night) and implemented Parents in Action to engage families and empower communities. As a result, three parent groups (approx. eight to eleven parents each) have convened up to eight times, including Nepali, Burmese, and Spanish parents. This is a significant improvement since the 2015-16 school year, when family and community members interviewed did not feel like they had a role in supporting student academic success at ACHS. Families and staff still share that there are

• pportunities to increase family partnerships and increase respect for diverse cultural

communities, but overall family perception of ACHS has improved.

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Third-Party Review: Mass Insight

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Element Key Findings & Progress Update Conditions

ACHS leverages innovation status waivers to obtain the necessary conditions including people, time, money, and program authority to meet school needs and implement improvement efforts. During the innovation planning process in the 2015-16 school year, ACHS conducted data and root cause analysis to inform innovation status application and identify the necessary conditions to address school needs and barriers to low performance. This process resulted in the identification of waivers customized specifically to address ACHS’ barriers to low performance (see Attachment 2 for more information on ACHS innovation waivers). In the 2016-17 school year, ACHS began utilizing waivers and flexibilities to implement new improvement strategies. Once fully in place, the OAS helped operationalize autonomies in the second half of the year. Waivers that have been most helpful and valued are those around calendar, hiring authority and annual staff contracts, placements and transfers, and performance evaluation. The school also leverages waivers for grading and assessment to implement credit recovery for students, which has shown positive results. The school has leveraged compensation waivers to offer teacher incentives, but school leaders note that with TIG funding expiring, they weren’t able to do as much with compensation flexibility. In the 2018-19 school year, due to a change in district staff funding formulas, funding for ACHS increased, enabling the school to hire additional staff positions that were previously cut. While ACHS has leveraged hiring authority, school leadership reports a need to improve district and zone school collaboration to fully implement hiring flexibility (e.g., delayed formal written offer timelines create barriers to ACHS securing high-quality potential hires). The school leader expresses a desire to continue using existing innovation waivers and to make small revisions to clarify ambiguous or limiting language. While there are ongoing challenges for ACHS to take advantage of all autonomies, leadership and staff share that waivers have been essential to school improvement.

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Third-Party Review: Mass Insight

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Element Key Findings & Progress Update Leadership

ACHS leadership has successfully strengthened staff culture, resulting in greater staff buy in and cohesion around shared efforts for school improvement than previously existed. Staff trust in leadership has strengthened and many share their respect for the leader’s efforts to transform ACHS has grown as a result of improved leadership communication and increased efforts to listen to and understand staff input. In the 2018-19 school year, 87% of staff survey respondents indicated agreement that “I understand and am invested in

• ur school leadership's vision for change.” In the 2015-16 school year, only 49% of

surveyed staff indicated agreement that “school leaders regularly communicate with staff through a variety of methods,” and there was a lack of trust and collective responsibility. Additionally, ACHS leadership maintains greater focus on school priorities and results, and the principal strategically organizes staff and resources around priorities, including distributing ELT responsibilities to manage key priorities (e.g., attendance, PLCs and PD) and maximizing talent resources despite unexpected staff vacancies and budget cuts. In the 2018-19 school year, 70% of staff survey respondents agree “School leadership establishes and focuses on the school's mission and strategic direction with staff, students, and families,” compared to only 42% agreement in the 2015-16 school year. While staff investment has improved, there is an opportunity to further sustain a school-wide focus on results by clarifying staff expectations, developing regular routines, and creating a culture

• f accountability with progress monitoring of leading and lagging indicators to assess

progress on school goals.

Every Student Shapes a Successful Future

Internal Review and Analysis

42

Data

• Data Review of ACHS presented to Board on September 3

43

Leading Indicators

• Attendance

○ Average Daily Attendance: + 3.2 ppts. since 14-15

• Student Behavior

○ # of referrals: +20% since 14-15; -40% since 15-16 ○ Suspensions: +13% since 14-15; -42% since 15-16 ○ Expulsions: -50% since 14-15; -29% since 15-16

• Students with ICAPs

○ +33 ppts. since 14-15

• Students Accessing Credentials (AP, IB, CE,

CTE, Internships, Digital Badging): + 40.9 ppts. since 14-15

• Teacher Turnover; -8.7 ppts. since 14-15
• Parent Involvement:

○ 4X as many parents participated in parent survey in 18-19 compared to 16- 17 ○ +14 ppts. since 14-15 in agreement on parent involvement questions Lagging Indicators

• School Performance Framework (SPF):

Improved to Priority Improvement from Turnaround in 2016

• Achievement: Relatively flat; No Change in

SPF points earned since 2016

• Growth: +7.1 ppts. in SPF points earned

since 2016

• Grad/Dropout

○ Graduation: +25.7 ppts. since 14-15 ○ Drop Out: -4.3 ppts. since 14-15

• Overall Satisfaction on Stakeholder

Surveys ○ Students: +5 ppts since 14-15 ○ Parents: +4 ppts. since 14-15 ○ Licensed staff: +12 ppts. since 14-15 ○ Classified: +3 ppts. since 14-15

Every Student Shapes a Successful Future

43

Innovation Plan: Culture of Performance

Strengths Challenges/Opportunities

• Improved leading indicators in attendance; behavior

incidents; overall satisfaction; parent involvement; student/teacher relationships; ICAPs; students accessing credentials

• Significant Improvement in Graduation rates (+26ppts)

and dropout rates (-4.3ppts)

• House Model in place to support improved culture,

relationships with adults and support attendance and behavior

• Home Visit program and pivoting to Parents in Action, as

strategy for Parent Volunteer work, has increased family engagement

• Strategic Staffing around support staff to help address

attendance and behaviors and support post-secondary coaching

• Implementation of structures to address Credit

Recovery through ACCA and Enrichment Periods

• No longer implementing advisory program, although not

clear it was an effective strategy

• Disconnect between improved graduation rates and lack
• f improved achievement; Fidelity of and rigor of credit

recovery needs to be monitored and enhanced

• Further embed post-secondary work and readiness

experiences of students throughout the school and not just relying on counselors and College and Career Center

• Continue to enhance attendance work with proactive

approach beyond just re-engagement Aurora Central has actively implemented systems, structures, staffing and strategies that has led to improvements in the culture and climate and family and community engagement. Aurora Central has also seen improvements in graduation, although implementation of strategies related to Student Pathways and Post-Secondary readiness planned for in the Innovation Plan have had less of an impact and been less robust. However, the Culture of Performance work lays a critical foundation for being able to improve academic outcomes.

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Innovation Plan: Educational Program

Aurora Central has set up systems and structures (e.g., PLCs, professional learning, etc.) that are in process of being implemented and that appear to possibly lead to improved academic outcomes. Rigor and differentiation need to continue to develop to drive improved student achievement. Strengths Challenges/Opportunities

• On SPF, growth has improved from Not Meeting

Expectations for most subgroups on SPF to Approaching for all subgroups except students with disabilities

• Central has implemented a Professional Learning

Community structure that supports both content and grade-level alignment and has dedicated weekly time for professional learning

• Central has started a new tiered coaching approach
• Systems in place for competency based learning and

credit recovery

• Building of instructional practice shown as PLCs shift

from focus last year on routines/rituals to rigor of instruction and CFAs

• OAS has new staff with deep expertise in ISSN work

to support the school

• Achievement remains low and flat
• Limited implementation of International Leadership

focus, with emphasis occurring in capstone and starting to be part of PLCs

• Opportunity to continue to strengthen

implementation of competency based learning with additional training and support

• Support for English Language Development focused
• n literacy teachers; opportunity to support ELD in
• ther content areas
• Alignment of PLCs and professional learning
• Need for more academic tiered support for students

and resources and professional learning within Tier 1 instruction, as well as the enrichment classes

• Over-identification of students with disabilities and

need to support stronger opportunities for students with disabilities to engage in grade-level classes

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45

Innovation Plan: Human Capital

There has been significant improvement in retention rates, likely as a result of improved culture and implementing systems and structures that support teachers. However, there does not seem to be a continued, intentional approach to recruitment and retention of staff. Strengths Challenges/Opportunities

• Significantly improved retention rates
• Supports for teachers and strong culture are

making Central a place teachers want to be

• Systems in place to support teams with

Professional Development, Coaching and PLCs

• > 40% of teachers for the past two years

have 2 or fewer years of experience

• Mixed implementation of recruitment and

retention strategies; lack of consistent approach for recruitment and retention

• Opportunity to enhance strategies for

recruitment and retention

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Every Student Shapes a Successful Future

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External Management Partner: Mass Insight Education

Mass Insight was initially brought on as an external management partner to provide high-level support to Zone staff and Central leadership around implementation of the plan and has carried that work out in supporting development of the PLC structure and instructional framework. As needs have evolved, they have been brought in for higher-level support. Strengths Challenges/Opportunities

• Structures for PLC and PL have been strong
• ACHS continues to work with MIE around

Professional Learning and PLC development and implementation; For 19-20, Central has engaged Mass Insight to more explicitly enhance PLC work

• Lack of clarity of the components MIE owns in terms
• f supporting school
• Sense from staff that model using for coaching and

PLCs is shifting; Opportunity to remain consistent

• Opportunity to modify and extension of partnership

to continue to support and sustain deeper levels of implementation

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47

State Review Panel Criteria & Analysis

Criteria Strengths Challenges/ Opportunities

• 1. Whether Leadership is

adequate to implement change to improve results

• External Review indicates consistency

in leadership has helped and

• rganizational direction has traction
• Clear commitment of leadership to

school turnaround and establishment

• f structures to drive turnaround

(House Model, PLCs, credit recovery)

• Ensure alignment of message

around instructional improvements across leadership

• Continue to develop ILT

capacity around instructional leadership, rigorous instructional practices, and ILT collaboration

• 2. Whether the

infrastructure is adequate to support school improvement

• School has support from OAS Directors,

Zone principals, MIE

• Structures in place and continuing to

refine implementation around PLC and coaching model

• Lack of safety net for students

from instructional side (MTSS)

• Lack of strategic support for

ELD beyond literacy

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48

State Review Panel Criteria & Analysis

Criteria Strengths Challenges/ Opportunities

• 3. The readiness and apparent

capacity of personnel to plan effectively and lead the implementation of appropriate actions to improve student academic performance within the school

• Strengthened

Family/Community Involvement

• Leveraging of PL/PLCs to

improve Common Formative Assessments and improve rigor; evolved from structures/routines

• Increase in ICAPs
• Not significant evidence of

implementation of expanded experiential Pathways

• pportunities
• Continue to support teachers in

increasing rigor of practices

• 4. The readiness and apparent

capacity of personnel to engage productively with and benefit from the assistance provided by an external partner.

• Continued partnership with MIE

to strengthen PL/PLC structures

• Partnership with CIS focused on

attendance and credit recovery; many structures sustained after partnership ended

• ISSN work appears to be limited

to Capstone and Parent night

• Selecting an additional EMP to

address additional targeted needs

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State Review Panel Criteria & Analysis

Criteria Strengths Challenges/ Opportunities

• 5. The likelihood of positive returns
• n state investments of assistance

and support to improve the performance within the current management structure and staffing.

• Leading indicators show improvements

in culture and graduation rates

• Leadership willing to course correct

based on data

• Use of EASI grant to focus on PL/PLC

work which is seen as high-leverage to improve achievement

• Lack of improvement
• n achievement
• 6. The necessity that the public

school/district remain in operation to serve students.

• With ~2000 students enrolled at Aurora Central, there is not enough

enrollment capacity to enroll these students at other high schools within APS

• Aurora Central has an extensive history as a robust anchor of the

community in NW Aurora and closing would have significant impact on the community

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Every Student Shapes a Successful Future

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Analysis of State Board Considerations: Fidelity of Implementation

While State progress monitoring has indicated plan is being implemented with fidelity, there are additional opportunities to more fully implement aspects of the plan. Rationale:

• State monitoring reports indicate that implementation is occurring with fidelity.
• Aurora Central continues to implement plans to address the three key areas of its

Innovation Plan: Culture of Performance, Academic Program, and Human Capital.

• Aurora Central continues its work with Mass Insight as an External Management

Partner, beyond the initial year envisioned in State directed action.

• Some areas have been strategically delayed or adjusted because of priorities,

necessity of creating the conditions to implement other aspects of the work, the amount of time it takes to implement systems and structures are built in. For example, implementation of MTSS focused on academic needs, advisory.

• In other cases, there has been limited implementation of some components of the
• plan. For example, International Leadership.

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Every Student Shapes a Successful Future

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Analysis of State Board Considerations: Amount of Time

Aurora Central has had time to see improvements in early, leading indicators related to culture and climate, but not sufficient time to drive lagging indicators related to achievement. Rationale:

• Aurora Central has had two years to implement its State-directed

action, while typical turnaround takes 3-5 years.

• Aurora Central has seen improvement in leading indicators, such as

climate and culture, growth, and teacher retention. These will help create an environment with more time that can lead to improved academic outcomes.

• The significant staff turnover at Aurora Central has resulted in a staff

with less experience. This means that there is greater development that needs to occur.

• Emerging leadership structures that have been adjusted as a result of

data and implementation lessons learned over the past year have not had sufficient time to take root.

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Overall Analysis

Continue

Continue leveraging Innovation Plan and existing work to:

• Support improved culture through sustained

implementation of House Model, Attendance Strategy, and work around Family & Community Engagement.

• Build capacity of instructional leadership and

strengthen collaborative structures around Instructional Leadership team.

• Support teachers, particularly with teaching to

grade-level standards and rigor and development of common formative assessments, especially given that 60% of teachers have less than 5 years of experience.

• Implement Professional Learning and PLC

structures with opportunity to strengthen alignment and effectiveness.

Opportunities

• Development of intentional recruitment and

retention strategy.

• Further align International Leadership Focus with

curriculum.

• Development and implementation of MTSS

system that addresses tiered academic needs, in addition to behavioral needs.

• Strengthen support for English Language

Learners.

• Enhance approach to Pathways and post-

secondary readiness.

• Continue to monitor on-track and college and

career-readiness indicators.

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Stakeholder Input

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Stakeholder Input

• Parents/Family, Staff and Students conducted a SWOT Analysis of key areas of the Innovation Plan

(Positive School Environment, Academics, Preparing Students for College & Career, and Family and Community Engagement)

• Parents/Family

– 3 Parents in Action Meetings (ACHS’ existing structure for parent engagement, which focuses on creating leadership opportunities for families to actively engage in their child’s education)

• Communities of Burma, Nepali, Spanish/English with Interpretation Services

– 3 Parent Coffees with Interpretation Services in 6 languages: Saturday AM, Weekday AM, Weekday Evening – > 40 Participants

• Staff

– Conducted during department meetings – Teachers and administrators participated in focus groups and interviews as part of Third-Party Review conducted by Billig Consulting, LLC

• Students

– 3 Social Justice elective classes participated; ~90 students across grade levels – Students provided input through informal conversations as part of Third-Party Review conducted by Billig Consulting, LLC

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Common Themes from Parents

Strengths Weaknesses

• Students feel safe and welcome in school building
• Students have strong relationships with at least one staff member
• Parents are being notified about about student attendance
• Parents feel their diverse cultures are valued and they are

welcomed in schools

• Teachers are supporting their students, including identifying areas
• f need and growth and providing additional support
• Parents believe in and have trust in teachers and staff
• Students know where to get support from school and community
• Majority of parents knew their students plans for after high school
• Parents know and trust their students are supported in planning for

after high school, such as thinking about career and applying to college and for financial aid

• Parents in Action as a way to lead and learn at Central
• After school opportunities for tutoring, sports, and other programs
• Lack of parent understanding of attendance

policies and procedures

• Parents with new students not familiar with

policies, procedures and opportunities

• Overcrowding of school and classes
• International Leadership mission not reaching

families

Opportunities Threats

• Opportunity to support parents in understanding how to more

deeply engage and support student academics, including for college and career-readiness

• Create school environment that is always ready to receive

multilingual parents outside of scheduled events

• Community partners and programming are supportive of students,

families, and the school and would like this expanded

• Increase focus on International Leadership
• Misrepresentation of Central harms its reputation

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Common Themes from Staff

Strengths Weaknesses

• Diversity of Students
• Student and Teacher relationships are strong
• Students feel safe
• Improved attendance
• Some students know how to access supports
• Multiple opportunities for students to earn

credit

• Focus on increasing rigor
• Teacher support through PLCs with a clear

focus, 1-1 coaching, and collaborative relationships

• Lack of focus on or connection to International

Leadership

• Use and understanding of ICAPs
• Vocational Training or Learning opportunities
• Some students don’t know where to access

support

• Attendance and tardiness still an issue
• Workload on teachers
• Lack of differentiated learning for teachers
• Not all teachers feel trusted or respected

Opportunities Threats

• Strengthen Enrichment with more focus, more

student choice, and teacher teams

• Increase student awareness of opportunities

and supports to prepare for college and career, such as Pickens, college and career center

• Teach Advisory again
• Increase student Input and decision-making
• Increase alternatives to suspensions
• Differentiated, quality PD and PLCs
• Recruit teaching staff of color
• Teacher fatigue/burnout
• Perception that grading scale is easier
• Alignment between standards referenced

grading and college systems

• Safety outside the building
• Teacher Retention

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Common Themes from Students

Strengths Weaknesses

• Many students feel safe at school
• Students have adults they connect with at school and

can turn to for support

• Students know where to get support for mental health,

college and career readiness, academics

• Students feel challenged in their classes
• School Climate has improved over time
• Diverse cultures are respected
• Students are proud to go to Central
• Attendance/Skipping classes is an issue
• Class sizes are too big
• Not all students feel safe
• International Leadership mission not something

students are aware of

Opportunities Threats

• Use class as an opportunity to improve attendance
• Explain or clarify expectations of Central’s norms and

culture, especially for 9th grade students

• Increase understanding of opportunities for support,

particularly around graduation and college- and career readiness

• Further develop International Leadership Mission
• More recognition opportunities for students
• Students may still have a compliance mindset
• Student absenteesim

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Every Student Shapes a Successful Future

Review & Analysis Summary

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Every Student Shapes a Successful Future

Common Themes

• Time. More time is needed to continue implementing in order to see improved achievement outcomes

(Billig Consulting, Mass Insight, Internal Analysis)

• Culture of Performance.

– Improved Climate and Culture for students and staff, including safety and relationships between students/staff (MIE, Billig, Internal Analysis, Parents, Students, Staff) – Respect for student and family cultures (MIE, Billig Consulting, Parents, Students)

• Instructional Program/Academics

– Inconsistent rigor in instruction, but rigor is an important focus this year of PLCs and PD (MIE, Billig Consulting, Staff) – Improvement in engaging instruction (MIE, Billig Consulting) – Need for greater focus on International Leadership (Billig Consulting, Staff, Parents, Students) – Need for a more robust curricular resources, training and supports for ELLs and students with disabilities (MIE, Billig)

• Human Capital

– Strong structures for teacher collaboration and professional learning, such as through House Model, PLCs, and early release Fridays (MIE, Internal Analysis, Billig Consulting, Staff) – Strengthening Human Capital Practices (MIE, Billig Consulting, Staff)

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Every Student Shapes a Successful Future

Summary of Conclusions & Recommendations

CDE 2018-19 Monitoring Report

• Overall Summary: Aurora Central is implementing its innovation plan with critical and intentional support from the Zone

leadership as well as targeted management expertise from its partner organization.

• Overall Assessment of Year 2 Progress: The school has implemented the innovation and pathways plan with fidelity and the

school has shifted strategies over the past two years when needed response to student needs. The school used end of year data to refine their plan in key areas, namely additional supports for ninth grade, the House Model, and teacher collaborative time, in response to student needs. Student attendance continues to be a significant struggle for the school and the school must continue to focus on increasing student attendance. The school has implemented structures designed to support teachers in delivering rigorous, standards-aligned instruction, but instruction across classrooms remains inconsistent. While there have been small improvements in local data, it has yet to translate to state assessment and graduation results. The school earned a preliminary plan type of Priority Improvement in 2019 and the total overall points declined slightly from 37.4 to 35.2. Billig Consulting

• Aurora Central High School has made significant changes since 2014. The most dramatic shifts have been in school climate and

culture: the building changed from chaotic to orderly; students reported that they are motivated to learn and like school; and the entire culture is focused on teaching and learning and the supports needed to improve academic and other outcomes. The school has a strong leadership team experienced in school turnaround. The teachers are focused on improving instruction and raising expectations for student performance. Professional development is targeted to ensuring instruction is at the right level

• f cognitive demand, measuring impact of instruction, and sharing/revising approaches so that the most effective ones are

being continued.

• While dramatic improvement in processes is clearly evident, the school still has work to do. There are too few supports for

underperforming students, so a more robust MTSS is needed. The supports for English learners need to be improved so that these students can be more successful in mathematics and science while they are learning English. Deeper dives are needed to improve the approach. Parent engagement is still too low. The school is aware of these needs and has begun to take steps to address them.

• The overall recommendation is to stay the course but supplement current activities with more robust MTSS and additional

supports for all struggling students and for those who are English language learners. 61

Every Student Shapes a Successful Future

Summary of Conclusions & Recommendations (cont’d)

MIE Recommendations

• Time and space for ACHS to build on early success and achieve
• Preservation of conditions (waivers)
• Increased HR Supports
• Supports for feeder schools (within and beyond the zone)
• Continued state funding for supports

Internal Analysis

• Aurora Central should continue to build on its existing turnaround work by continuing Innovation Plan and build out ongoing

Innovation work for next 3-5 years to continue to leverage existing strategies and improvements; deepening partnership with Mass Insight to support PL, PLCs and deeper innovation implementation; and consider seeking opportunities for support or additional EMP to bolster instructional programming, with considerations for English Language Development, MTSS, students with disabilities and other areas of need, such as post-secondary readiness and human capital. 62

Every Student Shapes a Successful Future

Superintendent’s Recommendation for ACHS Pathway

Recommendation: Continue the Innovation Pathway, previously directed by the State Board, by continuing to implement its existing Innovation Plan; Identify additional

• pportunities to support identified areas of need

Rationale:

• CDE has indicated that ACHS has been implementing its plan with fidelity.
• ACHS has demonstrated improvements in leading indicators that are necessary to lay the foundation for

improved academic outcomes, and lagging indicators, such as graduation rates and drop out rates.

• ACHS Leadership has established structures to support improved culture and academic performance that

need to be sustained to see improved academic improvements.

• Consistent with the research, ACHS needs additional time to implement its Innovation Plan in order to see

improvements in lagging indicators such as achievement and address additional areas for improvement.

• Changing ACHS’ existing Pathway would create significant disruption to the progress that has occurred

and is likely to set ACHS back, needing to re-establish a new culture, expectations, and systems.

• Areas for improvement, such as those to provide increased support for students with disabilities, English

Language Learners, and students not meeting grade level standards, need to be addressed within the context of the existing approach and structures that ACHS has established to ensure consistency, coherence, and alignment.

• APS demonstrated its ability and capacity to drive district turnaround and school turnaround through use
• f the Pathway models.
• Closure is not a viable option, given that APS does not have capacity at other high schools for the ~2000

students currently enrolled at Central.

• Charter conversion is not a viable option for a large, comprehensive high school.

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Next Steps

• Early October: State Review Panel Site Visit

and Recommendation

• Mid-October- Early November: State Board

accepting written public comment

• November (Tentative): State Board Hearing &

Directed Action

– APS presents recommendation

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Every Student Shapes a Successful Future

Thank You!

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