AREAS OF FOCUS 2020-21
STRATEGIC PLAN IMPLEMENTATION
EXPECTATIONS AND DELIVERABLES • Alignment: In the first year, primary driving documents and processes will be aligned and explicitly connected to the strategic plan. • Professional Learning: In the first year, all staff will understand the mission, vision, core values, and goals of the 2025 plan with racial equity at the heart of our work. • Communication & Engagement: All stakeholders will know that racial equity is the core of ACPS’ work and have an awareness of ACPS’ vision, mission and core values. • Monitoring & Reporting: In the first year, the measurement plan will be developed for all KPIs and measures within each goal. A revised, formative reporting cycle will begin with the School Board and an equity dashboard will be introduced as the primary reporting mechanisms. • Responsive Planning: In the first year, a strategic plan review process, including a multiple stakeholder steering committee, will be developed and implemented to make necessary revisions to the strategic plan to ensure the plan remains responsive to emergent needs throughout its five year implementation cycle.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS • Alignment: School Board Budget Priorities, ACPS Areas of Focus, Superintendent Evaluation, and School and Department planning documents all aligned directly to the new strategic plan. • Professional Learning: Seven Equity for All training modules delivered to leadership and then all school staff focused on racial equity dialogues, awareness and self-reflection, and becoming an anti-racist school division. • Communication & Engagement: Unified Planning Process allowed three major city planning efforts across schools, city government, and health care to engage together in a collaborative manner with racial equity at the heart of the work. • Monitoring & Reporting: A new formative strategic plan monitoring process was developed and implemented including the launch of the Equity Dashboard focused on formative and summative Key Performance Indicators and Areas of Focus Updates provided formatively to the School Board. Development and the administration of the first Equity for All Climate Survey for staff, students and parents. • Responsive Planning: A diverse stakeholder Strategic Planning Annual Review Committee (SPARC) was formed along with Goal Leaders and Strategy Managers to go through a newly created review process and recommend necessary adjustments to the strategic plan.
KEY MILESTONES • August 2020: Alignment of School Board Budget Priorities and ACPS Areas of Focus to Equity for All strategic plan. • September 2020: Launch of new Equity for All staff learning modules focused on racial equity at the heart of our work and the anti-racist behaviors of “call it out,” “reflect then respond” and “comfortable being uncomfortable.” • February 2021: Creation of five-year implementation timeline by strategy to inform division work and priorities across the life of the plan. • March 2021: Equity Dashboard launched to publicly report and monitor inequities formatively within the Equity for All Key Performance Indicators. • April-June 2021: SPARC, Goal Leaders, Strategy Managers, and School Board engage in the first annual review and revision process of the Equity for All strategic plan. • May-June 2021: Administration of first annual Equity for All Climate Survey for staff, students and parents.
ALIGNMENT TO RACIAL EQUITY AT THE HEART • Equity Dashboard designed specifically to transparently display inequities across groups within KPI data formatively and summatively to support and inform systems work targeting equity for all. • School Board Budget Priorities, Areas of Focus, and Improvement Plans all developed and facilitated to illuminate inequities and to necessitate differentiated responses and resource allocation based on unique needs.
AREAS OF FOCUS 2020-21
• Identifying the specific anti-racist behaviors from staff of “call it out,” “reflect then respond” and “comfortable being uncomfortable” in support of daily living the Equity for All mission, vision and core values. • The innovation of the Equity for All Climate Survey, which rethinks industry standard climate surveys by using a lens of racial equity and blending traditional climate surveys with best practices from equity audits. • Through collaboration with Student Services and Equity, and Teaching, Learning and Leadership, connecting the Equity for All mission, vision and core values to ongoing professional learning and dialogues focused on racial equity. • Strategic Plan revision process focused on racial equity and ensuring current plan aligns and informs the ACPS journey of becoming an anti-racist school division.
STATUS OF PROGRESS
STRATEGIC PLAN IMPLEMENTATION
All strategic plan implementation areas are on track based on activities conducted in 2020-21.
NEXT STEPS • Alignment: Continue to expand through explicitly aligning staff recruitment and additional leadership evaluation processes (beyond the Superintendent) to the Equity for All strategic plan. Incorporate strategic plan strategy implementation timelines into annual planning processes for departments and schools. • Professional Learning: Continue the Equity for All staff modules focused on racial equity and core values and begin to expand content from year one to additional stakeholder groups. • Communication & Engagement: Further engage parents, community members, and students in understanding the Equity for All mission, vision and core values and how these drive our collective to address inequities. • Monitoring & Reporting: Finalize and launch the summative KPI Equity dashboard and build out additional monitoring and reporting structures at the school level to better inform school-specific improvement plans and strategies. • Responsive Planning: Continue to engage SPARC, Goal Leaders, and Strategy Managers throughout the course of the school year to best inform the second year revision process in the spring.
AREAS OF FOCUS 2020-21
REOPENING OF SCHOOLS: Technology, Meals Distribution, Facilities, and Human Resources
EXPECTATIONS AND DELIVERABLES • Provide all preK-12 students with devices. • Provide families access to the internet as needed. • Provide families with in-person and virtual technical support through webinars, videos and Family Helpdesk website with translations and interpreters. • Implement recommendations from Facilities Audit. • Provide proactive communication on project status and upcoming project work. • Provide support, technology and resources to serve in-person and virtual students. • Complete annual evaluations by June 30, 2021. • Complete hiring for Samuel Tucker to welcome students on Aug. 9, 2021. • Complete hiring to open all schools August 24, 2021. • Ensure all July 1, 2021 contracts signed. • Provide August personnel report to School Board. • Complete HR Phase I of onboarding for staff. • Develop sports reopening plan.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
More than 5,000 devices distributed to students in need before school started. Up to 1,700 mobile hotspots distributed to families. Over 38,000 helpdesk and student helpdesk tickets completed. Creation of the Virtual PLUS+ Instructional Technology Resource course in Canvas. Creation of the Family Helpdesk website. Fully implemented one recommendation from Facilities Audit (transition of supervisory responsibility for building engineers and custodians). Creation and publication of the CIP Newsletter. Creation of meal distribution to ensure all hybrid and virtual students received meals. Implementation of safety mitigation efforts such as social distancing on buses, temperature screening, PPE, enhanced cleaning, and signage. Phase 2 completion of the Compensation Study; resulted in 5-year phased MRA to improve market competitive pay standing. 81% of annual evaluations completed as of June 30, 2021. Tracking and reporting on staff COVID-19 vaccination process. Tracking and reporting of remote work attendance and return-to-onsite-work status. Administered benefits programs in alignment with COVID-19 legislation under Cares Act and FFCRA: health care coverage, E-FMLA, and paid sick leave. 92% of 2021-22 contracts signed as of June 30, 2021. 94% of licensed Tucker positions filled; 93% of licensed vacancies filled for all schools. 26% racial diversity of new hires for the 2021-22 school year. Number and % of new staff attendance at New Staff Orientation (to be determined).
KEY MILESTONES • • • •
Staffing goal of 90% fill for Tucker by July 30, 2021. Staffing goal of 90% fill for all schools by August 6, 2021. New Staff Orientation on August 10-12, 2021. HR vendor approved to outsource substitute management by August 20, 2021.
NEXT STEPS • • • • • • • • • • •
Virtual Virginia remote learning initiative. Continue to provide devices for students and internet access for families in need. Continue relevant safety mitigation efforts at facilities. Implement an additional recommendation from Facilities Audit. Complete remaining hires for schools by August 24, 2021. Track teacher and staff work attendance due to COVID-related reasons. Expand staff wellness program and EAP program support for social-emotional wellness. Identify vendor to conduct pulse survey of staff wellness in the workplace. Develop the manual for the Administrator Evaluation System (working with TLL). Support pending collective-bargaining process. Develop HR ESSER III projects.
AREAS OF FOCUS 2020-21
REOPENING OF SCHOOLS: Social, Emotional, and Academic Learning (SEAL)
EXPECTATIONS AND DELIVERABLES • Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS): All schools will focus on Social, Emotional, and Academic Learning (SEAL); chronic absenteeism; and grade distribution through the Multi-Tiered System of Support and their School Improvement Plans (SIPs) to ensure that we are meeting students’ needs. All schools will implement weekly multidisciplinary team meetings to discuss student concerns, analyze student performance data and intervention plans, and initiate referrals for targeted support through the MTSS process. • Student Support Team (SST): Composed of school counselors, school nurses, school psychologists, and school social workers, the SST will address any social-emotional barriers, access to basic needs, or health and wellness concerns that may be impacting a student’s academic performance. • ACPS will provide targeted support to students to address social, emotional, and academic needs resulting from the extended school closure and the dual pandemic.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS • SEAL Supports in Quarter 2. • Daily integration of 30 minutes of SEAL time in their master schedules. • Developed and coordinated SEAL Support Mondays, where teaching staff and Student Services team members provided in-person individual interventions and supports (Tiers II and III) to students identified as having social-emotional and wellness needs through their school’s MTSS process. • SEAL Mondays by the Numbers quantifies the number of students helped by varied interventions.
KEY MILESTONES • The School Administrative Team’s development of utilized MTSS teams and implementation of Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS), SEAL, and Restorative Practices (RP) to address the multiple social-emotional and learning challenges students experienced due to the pandemic. • Daily integration of the SEAL curriculum to all students (Tier l). • Cross-departmental coordination to implement in-person SEAL Support Mondays to students experiencing significant social-emotional and academic needs.
ALIGNMENT TO RACIAL EQUITY AT THE HEART • • • • •
ACPS Department of Student Services and Equity. Equity In Social and Emotional Learning. ACPS Restorative Practices. ACPS PBIS. CASEL Reunite, Renew, Thrive.
STATUS OF PROGRESS • We are on track.
NEXT STEPS • Expansion of the RULER curriculum to all schools. • Implementation of a universal social-emotional screening tool focusing on student strengths. • Training on supporting students with potential mental health concerns and trauma-informed practices that includes the use of evidence-based practices. • Additional materials supported through Student Services and Equity and Teaching, Learning and Leadership. • Collection and recording of student and implementation data by the School Administrative Teams to monitor the progress and fidelity of implementation for the MTSS teams, PBIS, SEAL and RP.
AREAS OF FOCUS 2020-21
EXPECTATIONS AND DELIVERABLES • Implement the reopening checklist to include: reopening transition teams, health and safety protocols, facilities and operations, food and nutrition services, simulation activities, professional learning and instructional planning expectations, and family engagement information sessions. • Use best practice guidance to allow school leadership teams to plan for a successful transition back to five days a week of in-person learning in the fall. • Use school improvement science to plan the implementation of School Improvement Plans (SIPs) and the Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) process.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
REOPENING OF SCHOOLS: Principals’ Checklist
• Outlined goals and clarified desired expectations for school leadership teams. • Aligned plans, decisions and actions to best serve students, stakeholders and staff • Provided consistency in preparation and planning for school reopening for all ACPS schools.
KEY MILESTONES • During the summer 2021, ACPS school leadership teams planned collaboratively to • prepare for the implementation of a successful transition to five days of in-person learning in the 2021-22 school year. • School leadership teams and school staff will implement health safety measures based upon ACPS and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance. • School leadership teams will use improvement science to implement SIPs with a focus on Social, Emotional, and Academic Learning (SEAL) support and MTSS practices. • School leadership teams will inform and engage ACPS staff and families in the school reopening process.
ALIGNMENT TO RACIAL EQUITY AT THE HEART • During the 2020-21 school year, school support teams used the MTSS process to provide SEAL support and identify students in need of SEAL support. • During the 2020-21 school year, school leadership teams used the SIP to plan and implement student interventions and support.
STATUS OF PROGRESS • Based upon planning for the 2021-22 school year, school leadership teams should attend the SIP planning meeting and professional learning scheduled for August 3-4, 2021. • Based upon planning for the 2021-22 school year, Student Support Teams (SSTs) should plan, articulate, and implement a school-based MTSS process.
NEXT STEPS • Each school leadership team should progress monitor the implementation of the School Improvement Plan and the MTSS process. • School leadership teams should use school-based data to inform school actions. • School leadership teams should use school data to plan for Quarterly Meetings.
AREAS OF FOCUS 2020-21
EXPECTATIONS AND DELIVERABLES • Launch a robust community engagement process that allows students of color to lead this discussion and use this platform to highlight racial inequities; support this educational effort with classroom curricula. • Assess support for a name change across entire student body at T.C. Williams High School, Matthew Maury community, and among key demographic groups in broader Alexandria community, and provide a recommendation to the School Board. • Establish a process for identifying two school names that represent the Alexandria City community and align with our racial equity work. • Provide recommendations to the School Board to rename and rebrand both schools to take effect July 1, 2021.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
RENAMING OF SCHOOLS
• Established The Identity Project to broaden the education and engagement around the consideration of a name change for T.C. Williams and Matthew Maury, and have both conversations at the same time. This streamlined and aligned the process while recognizing the need for separate considerations and forums. • The School Board voted to change both names on Nov. 23, 2020. • Phase Two invited the community to submit new names for both schools, resulting in close to 15,000 submissions. • A community poll launched in Feb. 2021 showcased nine finalist names for each school, and the three top choices were shared with the School Board with one final superintendent recommendation for each school. • The School Board unanimously voted on the superintendent’s recommendations, with slight adjustments, on April 8, 2021. • Phase Three involved a logo and mascot contest for both schools. A new logo for Alexandria City High School was chosen, and a new mascot and colors for Naomi L. Brooks Elementary School were chosen through student submissions. • Two marquee sign removal events resulted in extensive news coverage before the July 1, 2021 effective date.
KEY MILESTONES • The implementation of the robust public community engagement process that resulted in the superintendent’s recommendation to rename both schools on Nov. 16, 2020. • The Phase One process resulted in 75% of the community agreeing to change the name of T.C. Williams High School and 72% of the community agreeing to change the name of Matthew Maury Elementary School. • School Board’s unanimous vote on Nov. 23, 2020 to change the names of both schools • 100% of students at T.C. Williams and Maury participated in teacher-led classroom discussions around the history of their school and the name changes. • 34% of all survey responses came from students. • Three student conversations had 1,518 total video views. • The Identity Project survey received 3,198 responses. • The School Board voted on new names for both schools on April 8, 2021.
ALIGNMENT TO RACIAL EQUITY AT THE HEART • 85% of survey respondents said they felt well informed about The Identity Project; 13% of survey responses were from T.C. alumni. • 79% of T.C. Williams student survey respondents said they understood the history of Thomas Chambliss Williams. • 83% of Maury student survey respondents said they understood the history of Maury. • 20% of survey respondents were Black or African American; 14% of survey respondents were Hispanic; 49% of survey respondents were white, almost perfectly in line with demographics of the City of Alexandria. • Students of color led the process alongside the School Board, superintendent and School and Community Relations team.
AREAS OF FOCUS 2020-21
STATUS OF PROGRESS • Phases One through Three of this renaming process, under the umbrella of The Identity Project, are complete. The new names took effect on July 1, 2021.
NEXT STEPS • The student logo contest for Naomi L. Brooks Elementary School is underway with plans to finalize the logo prior to the start of school. • Two events are being planned for Fall 2021 to invite the school community to celebrate the signage changes and name highlights for both schools.
RENAMING OF SCHOOLS
AREAS OF FOCUS 2020-21
EXPECTATIONS AND DELIVERABLES • Launch an innovative equity audit of all School Board policies: º Audit team policy prioritization and review. º Identify equity themes/deficits in current policies. º Provide periodic updates to Board and community. º Engage ACPS stakeholders to ensure diversity of input. º Proposed revisions refined and adopted by School Board.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
POLICY EQUITY AUDIT
• Convened ACPS Policy Audit team: º Two Board Members; Chief of Student Services and Equity; Executive Director of Equity and Alternative Programs; Director of Policy and Board Initiatives; Cultural Competence Coordinator; ACPS Equity Resident. • Met with multiple organizations and engaged the Intercultural Development Research Association (IDRA EAC-South) as ACPS’ consultant partner for conducting the audit. º IDRA EAC-South: » Recommended by VDOE Office of Equity and Community Engagement Director. » Worked with the Governor’s Commission for Social Studies SOL. » Experienced in reviewing/developing policy through an equity lens with focus on disparate impacts of policy implementation on marginalized student populations. • Prioritized policies from the 12 School Board policy classifications into review tiers, beginning with policies directly impacting students and student achievement (A, I and J policies). Policies scheduled for the second review tier directly impact staff, families and the community (G and K policies). Policies scheduled for third review tier impact how ACPS conducts business in an equitable way (B, C, D, E, F and L policies). • Phase I Completion: August 2021.
KEY MILESTONES Phase I, SY 2020-21: Equity Audit - Review Prioritized (Tier I) Policies and Identify Themes • December 2020-February 2021: Audit team planning for organization and process. • February-June 2021: Policy review and discussion. º Two Teams of Reviewers (Policies reviewed to date). » Reviewed and discussed A policies (Foundations & Basic Commitments). » Reviewed and discussed discrimination & harassment policies. » Reviewed and discussed J policies (Students). º Review in progress: I policies (Instructional Program). º Bi-weekly two-hour meetings for review/discussion. º Beginning to solicit key staff member feedback. • June 2021: Update presentation to School Board.
ALIGNMENT TO RACIAL EQUITY AT THE HEART The audit team meets bi-weekly to discuss each policy through an equity lens. The team considers each policy’s intent, implementation outcomes, and the intended and unintended impact on ACPS’ most marginalized populations. The team’s goal is to ensure each policy supports ACPS’ progress towards equity for all students, families and staff through a plain reading of the policy language and by being implemented across the division with fidelity.
STATUS OF PROGRESS Currently on track (Phase I: SY 2020-21; Phase II: SY 2021-22). The recommendation is to carry over the policy equity audit as an ACPS Focus Area for SY 21-22, because the bulk of the community engagement, Board input and revision process will occur during that time.
NEXT STEPS
Phase II, SY 2021-22: Engagement, Board review and policy revision • Review Tier II policies. • Community engagement with ACPS stakeholders. • Board review and policy revision. • Refine and adopt revised policies. Phase III: Action planning, implementation and capacity building • Develop five-year outlook and plan for re-evaluation.
AREAS OF FOCUS 2020-21
ACADEMIC DISPARITIES: Hispanic Male Graduation Rates
EXPECTATIONS AND DELIVERABLES • Statistics are based on the Virginia Department of Education’s (VDOE) On-Time Graduation Rate (OGR) Cohort List for 2021, which includes 463 Hispanic students (250 males and 213 females). • As of June 30, 2021, 143 males (57.2%) and 156 females (73.2%) have graduated or obtained a General Education Development (GED). Total Hispanic graduates = 299, or 64.6%. • Upon the successful completion of summer learning, 12 Hispanic male students and 15 Hispanic female students could graduate on July 30, 2021. • Of nongraduating Hispanic students, 67 males and 34 females are eligible to “slide” into the 2022 cohort based on English Learner (EL) status or Individualized Education Program (IEP) provisions for at least one additional year of support to complete graduation requirements. • The school continues its work throughout the summer to support 63 Hispanic students who are in jeopardy of not graduating. Of the 63, 27 are enrolled in summer school for possible summer graduation. School staff is working to develop completion plans for the remaining 36 students.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS • Provided Student Support Team (SST) social/emotional support through groups, mentor programs, and 1-on-1 meetings. • Programs included the Titans Mentoring Program, International Academy (IA) Operation Graduation, Positive Push Mentoring Programs, and the Sports Mentoring Program. • Counselors tracked academy interventions for 189 Hispanic male students. • A total of 92%, or 882 of 961 active students in the Class of 2017 cohort, participated in senior meetings with their counselor to discuss graduation status and post-secondary planning prior to the end of Quarter 1. • School counselors in the IA and King Street (KS) Campus Academies 1-6 conducted small groups specifically for Hispanic students with the risk of not achieving on-time graduation. • Expanded the Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) program across academies. • Approximately 50 students were referred to the schoolwide MTSS. • A total of 62% of the students who were served in the schoolwide MTSS process were Hispanic males. • Provided access to Online GED in English and Spanish, with Spanish GED preparation provided by an IA social worker. • Piloted the Alternative Pathways to Achievement program, which supported students who worked during the day and participated in virtual schooling at night. • Increased support by establishing a relationship with Communities in Schools (CIS) with a cohort focus on Hispanic male students. • Expanded the Graduation Task Force to include Central Office and school leadership to consistently monitor progress toward graduation.
KEY MILESTONES • • • • • •
Quarterly Chats. Monthly Graduation Task Force Meetings. Weekly Schoolwide MTSS Meetings. Ongoing Examination of Quarterly Grade Distribution. Weekly IA Team Meetings. June and July Graduation Dates.
ALIGNMENT TO RACIAL EQUITY AT THE HEART • The Alternative Pathways to Achievement program and the Spanish GED were offered to our EL and IA students. • Providing academy teams with interventions and supports to ensure referrals for Special Education (SPED) services are appropriate and prevent over-identification of students in the SPED program.
AREAS OF FOCUS 2020-21
STATUS OF PROGRESS • A total of 64.6%, or 299 graduates of 463 Hispanic students in the 2021 cohort, graduated in June 2021. • Summer graduation on July 30, 2021 will produce more graduates to finalize our fouryear On-Time Graduation Rate.
NEXT STEPS
ACADEMIC DISPARITIES: Hispanic Male Graduation Rates
• Establish a dedicated summer effort to help remaining senior students graduate, monitor those not on track, and set up the Alternative Pathways to Achievement program. • Further analyze the On-Time Graduation Rate and Drop-Out when the final numbers are calculated and released by the state in September 2021. • Utilize the Virginia Early Warning System to provide Hispanic students with targeted MTSS interventions and supports prior to senior year. • Expand the Alternative Pathways to Achievement classes at night to support students who have employment obligations during the day. • Continue to partner with Jobs for Virginia Graduates with a focus on students achieving employability and leadership skills (a grant through the Career and Technical Education [CTE] Program). • Expand CTE offerings for students in the IA, focusing on Hispanic males to take advantage of additional certification opportunities and enhancing workplace readiness. • Expand our partnership with Urban Alliance to further student internships and workforce development opportunities, which will in turn positively impact the College and Career Readiness Initiative.
AREAS OF FOCUS 2020-21
EXPECTATIONS AND DELIVERABLES • Implement explicit and systematic phonemic awareness and phonics resources. • Focus Tier I instruction to achieve higher pass rates or demonstrate growth on the Reading Standards of Learning (SOL) and Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening (PALS). • Focus professional learning to support teachers in data-based instructional decision-making. • Provide professional learning to establish fidelity in teaching reading and writing workshops.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
ACADEMIC DISPARITIES: PreK-2 Literacy
• A team of diverse stakeholders reviewed 21 phonics resource requests for proposals (RFPs) in light of current scientific reading research. The team procured high-quality curriculum resources to support structured and systematic phonics and phonemic awareness instruction throughout all K-2 ACPS classrooms. • A total of 5,000 preK-2 students were set up with tablets, Chromebooks, and internet connectivity to enable consistent access to daily live instruction throughout the pandemic. Consistent remote and hybrid Tier I literacy instruction was provided across the division by developing curricula of hands-on material kits, learning packets, books, and engaging digital resources in alignment with prioritized standards. • Teachers adopted and were trained in the use of assessments for remote administration to assess learning gaps and plan data-informed instruction, including 45 minutes of daily, small-group English Language Development (ELD) instruction for English Learners (ELs). • Ongoing professional learning was facilitated to support teachers in providing differentiated reading and writing instruction, including use of strategies like Guided Language Acquisition Design (GLAD) to support ELs, across remote and hybrid settings.
KEY MILESTONES • August 2020-May 2021: The Alexandria City Pre-K Collaborative convened to facilitate cross-community planning, ensuring curriculum alignment and resource access across all partnerships and ACPS programs. • August 2020: 5,000 tablets and Chromebooks were distributed to connect preK-2 students with consistent access to daily live instruction. • Sept. 2020, Nov. 2020, Feb. 2021, and March 2021: 25,000 learning packets and activity choice boards were delivered to students. • May 4, 2021: An RFP committee of classroom teachers, EL teachers, Specialized Instruction specialists, administrators, and literacy coaches and interventionists selected Really Great Reading as the vendor of explicit and systematic phonics and phonemic awareness curriculum resources. • June 24, 2021: 120 K–2 teachers, administrators, and literacy leaders participated in Really Great Reading kickoff training to preview and prepare for the implementation of new resources in the coming school year. • July 6, 2021: 1,830 preK-2 students began ACPS virtual and in-person Summer Learning programs with the use of material kits, learning packets, and more than 20,000 takehome books to provide continuity of learning across the summer.
ALIGNMENT TO RACIAL EQUITY AT THE HEART • The procurement of children’s books with a focus on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). • Racial Equity training for Early Childhood professionals. • The provision of curriculum and resources enabling equitable access to explicit instruction across the division. • Summer curriculum writing teams incorporating enhanced culturally sustaining texts and pedagogies throughout the literacy curriculum.
STATUS OF PROGRESS • Like school divisions across the state, ACPS’ K-2 PALS data show more students falling below benchmark results throughout their in-person and remote PALS administrations. • The statewide data reveal the largest single-year increase in students below the PALS benchmark in the history of PALS. • Most concerning, the increase in students demonstrating high risk for reading failure
AREAS OF FOCUS 2020-21
was the largest among students who are Black, Hispanic, economically disadvantaged, and ELs. • There is tremendous commitment to address these gaps in unfinished learning.
NEXT STEPS
ACADEMIC DISPARITIES: PreK-2 Literacy
• Provide divisionwide trainings, in-class coaching, and ongoing Professional Learning Community (PLC) improvement protocols to support the implementation of new phonics and phonemic awareness resources to facilitate teacher proficiency; this includes hands-on manipulatives, vibrant visual teacher presentation tools, adaptive software to meet differentiated needs, multisensory supports to create strong letter-sound linkages in the brain, and a comprehensive scope and sequence of phonics and phonemic awareness instruction to support strong decoding skills and fluent reading for all ACPS readers. • Implement Al’s Pals social-emotional learning evidenced-based curriculum throughout ACPS’ pre-K classrooms to support self-regulation and executive functioning skills. • Explore curricular resources to support systematic phonemic awareness instruction throughout pre-K classrooms in future years.
AREAS OF FOCUS 2020-21
EXPECTATIONS AND DELIVERABLES • Use improvement science to identify and address root causes of historic systemic inequities to address access to Talented and Gifted (TAG) programming, advanced courses at the secondary level, and advanced diploma attainment. • Update the TAG Local Plan as part of the state requirements.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS • Expanded the Young Scholars (YS) Program. • Expanded Universal Screening.
KEY MILESTONES
ACADEMIC DISPARITIES: Talented and Gifted (TAG)
• During the 2020–2021 school year, the Young Scholars model has expanded to all elementary schools. • Screening for all third grade students was completed in 2021. In the past, only students who were referred for screening or scored a certain score on a national-normed test would go through a more robust screening process. This year, all students in third grade went through the screening process.
ALIGNMENT TO RACIAL EQUITY AT THE HEART • Young Scholars students were identified in every elementary school. • Using multiple data entry points, all students in third grade were screened for placement in TAG services for the 2021-22 school year.
STATUS OF PROGRESS • Based on an external program review, it was recommended to expand Young Scholars across all schools. • The Local Plan will be updated during the 2021-22 school year and implemented during the 2022-23 school year. • The plan is to use research-based practices for the screening and delivery of services.
NEXT STEPS • Write a new Local Plan with equity at the forefront and with a goal to decrease disparities in academic access across schools and levels of TAG services. • Within the Local Plan, address the identification procedure and the delivery of services. • Continue to strengthen the Young Scholars model.
AREAS OF FOCUS 2020-21
EXPECTATIONS AND DELIVERABLES
To address the disproportionate identification of Black students as Emotionally Disabled (ED), the Office of Specialized Instruction will develop supports and services, which will include Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) Tier I-III academic and behavioral interventions for students in small-group and individual counseling sessions as well as implementation of the Social, Emotional, and Academic Learning (SEAL) RULER curriculum.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
ACADEMIC DISPARITIES: Students With Disabilities (SWD) Emotionally Disabled (ED) Black Students
• Academic support is provided during targeted intervention blocks. A Clinical Specialist and Behavior Specialist will provide professional learning to school-based Student Support Teams (SSTs) and will collaborate with teams to direct student support through counseling groups and therapeutic interventions. • Additionally, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) provides professional learning and consultation to school-based teams addressing implementation of intervention strategies and coaching and modeling of interventions to support implementation of positive strategies to support student growth. • Extensive research supports the use of direct consultation and counseling services by highly skilled licensed clinical practitioners when addressing the needs of students experiencing behavior challenges in the school environment. ACPS relies upon the clinical practitioner to determine the most appropriate evidence-based practice to formulate services for a particular student or group. • Furthermore, ACPS constituted a specific team of divisionwide evaluators to assess students referred for Special Education (SPED) services as ED to negate the inherent bias noted in school-based evaluations.
KEY MILESTONES • Hired highly qualified personnel to provide services. • Funded RULER and Valbrun Consulting professional learning programming. • Provided ongoing turnaround professional learning Equity Training throughout the school year. • Provided professional learning for principals and assistant principals in areas of equity and disabilities. • Provided a presentation to the School Board addressing data surrounding the identification of Black students as ED. • Provided quarterly Lunch and Learn sessions to address the equity issues relevant to Black students and SPED identification.
ALIGNMENT TO RACIAL EQUITY AT THE HEART • Partner with Student Services to promote professional learning with racial equity in the forefront. • Provide curriculum resources enabling equitable access to content with a focus on specially designed instruction. • Provide culturally relevant pedagogies.
STATUS OF PROGRESS We are on track.
NEXT STEPS • • • •
Divisionwide professional learning. Individual coaching and mentoring. Assignment of an assessment team to schools. Continuation of Lunch and Learn sessions.