Half Hollow Hills Central School District
SUPERINTENDENT’S COMMITTEE ON CLOSING THE ACHIEVEMENT GAP POSITION PAPER Note to the Reader In writing this position paper, the Superintendent’s Committee on Closing the Achievement Gap agreed to use the four terms: Asian, Black, Latino and White to describe each racial/ethnic group in order to be consistent with New York State Department of Education and the federal government reports. This choice is in no way meant to exclude any racial/ethnic group. The goal of the Committee is to use these terms broadly and to be inclusive of all individuals.
Committee Membership Mrs. Mary Brush................................................................................... Language Arts Supervisor Ms. Lee Dammann.............................................................Special Education Teacher, H. S. West Mrs. Rochelle DeMuccio .............................. Elementary Language Arts and Reading Supervisor Mr. Wayne Ebanks................................................................ Administrative Assistant, H. S. West Mrs. Brenda Friedland ........................Special Education Teacher, Paumanok Elementary School Lystra Gaddy......................................................................................................... District Resident Irene Goodman...................................................................................................... District Resident Dr. Sheldon Karnilow ............................................................................Superintendent of Schools Dr. Tom McDonald.........................................................Principal, Vanderbilt Elementary School Risco Mention-Lewis............................................................................................ District Resident Mrs. Deborah Ostrosky...................................................Principal, Signal Hill Elementary School Ms. Ellie Pantazis.............................................................................................Teacher, H. S. West Mrs. Meryl Porter................................................................ Teacher, West Hollow Middle School Mrs. Lynn Schweitzer................................................Asst. Principal, Candlewood Middle School Dr. Gloria Smith.........................Asst. Superintendent of Elementary & Middle Level Instruction Ms. Rosann Vavaro..........................................................................................Teacher, H. S. West Mrs. Renée Wagenberg..... Asst. Superintendent for Research, Assessment, and Special Services Mrs. Christine Walsh ....................................................... Teacher, Vanderbilt Elementary School Mr. Jeffery Woodberry .......................................................... Administrative Assistant, H. S. East
Introduction The Half Hollow Hills Central School District recognizes that the diversity of our students is one of our greatest strengths. The purpose of this report is to provide the Superintendent, Board of Education, and members of the Half Hollow Hills community with information and recommendations to close the achievement gap. Presently, the District’s enrollment of more than 9,600 students may be described by the following demographics: Racial/Ethnic Distribution
1992
2002
Asian/Native American
6.9%
8.7%
Black
9.5%
10.4%
Latino
2.8%
3.6%
White
80.8%
77.3%
7,185
9,192
Total Enrollment
This chart indicates heterogeneity and, while our population has increased more than 2,000 students, the percentage of students in each racial/ethnic group has not changed significantly. Approximately 2% of our student population is English Language Learners and receives ESL services. The ESL families are represented by more than 22 countries, speaking 20 dialects. There is great diversity in the socioeconomic status of the families of the Half Hollow Hills School District, as well. Approximately 8% of our student population is eligible for the free or reduced lunch program. The primary goal of the Half Hollow Hills Central School District is to improve teaching and learning so as to maximize the achievement of all students. In order to achieve our goal, we created a long-range plan which embraces differentiated instruction and encompasses best practices. We believe that we can improve teaching and learning by providing an educational environment that supports life long learning for all stakeholders. The paradigm of our longrange plan below illustrates our professional development plan to maximize teaching and learning and, therefore, ultimately will close the achievement gap. The Half Hollow Hills School District has already identified and implemented many sound practices that are effective in increasing student achievement; however, the efforts to close the achievement gap must be expanded upon and increased on an ongoing basis.
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Background High level achievement among minority students is a goal that eludes many districts. Generally speaking, schools are more successful in delivering education to Asian and white students than to Latino and black students. While standardized achievement test scores are often used as indicators of ethnic/racial disparity, they are only one of many factors that impact on the achievement gap. According to a report from Education Week, March 2000, a multitude of factors ranging from parenting practices to peer pressure can influence academic achievement. Some of the more widely accepted explanations include: poverty, peer pressures, high mobility, teacher quality and academic course work and the stereotype threat, the summer effect, teachers’ expectations, parenting, preschool, television and test bias. The achievement gap in Half Hollow Hills is exemplified in numerous ways, some of which are as follows: • Significantly lower performance of black and Latino students on the New York State Testing program mandated assessments (ELA 4, ELA 8, Math 4, Math 8, etc.) and the Regents examinations. • Although the district provides broad offerings of higher level courses (honor classes, AP classes, accelerated math and students’ science programs and enrichment programs), historically, there has been little or no participation of black and Latino students. • Significantly lower percentages of black and Latino students attend institutions of higher education following high school graduation. • The day-to-day overall academic performance of black and Latino students persists in lagging behind performance of Asian and white students. This is evidenced through report cards and comments, the passing rate, and high school graduation rates. Process In April 2002, the Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Sheldon Karnilow, invited several administrators to be on the Committee for Closing the Achievement Gap. The committee was formed with the purpose of studying the achievement gap and providing recommendations to be considered by the Superintendent and the Board of Education, as the district continues to work toward closing the achievement gap and providing excellent educational programs for all students. A philosophy was agreed upon that all children can learn regardless of their race, ethnicity, and/or socioeconomic status. The following aspects were discussed: • Need for staff to understand different cultures • Requires a societal commitment in terms of awareness, curriculum, staffing • Need to make curriculum relevant for all children • Multi cultural issue from a white perspective – process of curriculum revision • Need to recognize that there are gaps and provide supports, kindergarten through commencement • Need to involve parents from the onset
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The question for the members of the Committee became: “What is it that can be done, that is not presently being done, in the Half Hollow Hills School District that will have a positive impact on closing the achievement gap?” The Committee began its work by creating a Half Hollow Hills School/Community belief system regarding closing the achievement gap. In addition, they developed a culture of awareness in order to present to the Superintendent a report that includes recommendations to closing the achievement gap in Half Hollow Hills. The Committee has been involved in the following activities: • • • •
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Understanding the achievement gap in relation to Half Hollow Hills Understanding current literature regarding the achievement gap Sharing and educating the Board of Education regarding beliefs of the Committee A few of the Committee members interviewed high school students of black and Latino background, asking questions related to understanding Half Hollow Hill’s achievement gap. These interviews were shared with the Committee. The Committee members shared personal experiences and anecdotes which informed their own attitudes about responding to diversity in educational settings. A team of Committee members attended a regional Conference presented by New York University’s Equity Assistance Center The Committee members read a plethora of articles, books, and other related materials related to better understanding the achievement gap and/or cultural differences. The Committee reviewed the District’s goals with the purpose of becoming familiar with initiatives already underway and seeking to identify gaps to address in future recommendations. The Committee reviewed relevant demographic data, an overview of student achievement data, and data pertaining to student participation in programs in order to further understand Half Hollow Hill’s achievement gap. The Committee members participated in discussions regarding prejudice, racism, “white privilege”, and the impact of inequality in the greater society on the ability of schools to carry out their primary mission.
The committee is recommending the following activities be considered: • Committee members will design questions to be used to seek information from community members, teachers, and students. These questions will be used at meetings in the community and as a basis for online question and answer sessions fro a sampling of teachers and students • Committee members would review the district’s reading lists and summer suggested reading lists • The Committee will seek input from PTAs and local community action groups • Committee Co-Chairs will provide updates to the Superintendent and the Board of Education regarding the process being used throughout the course of the Committees’ work and to seek input from members of the Board of Education • The committee will review draft versions of recommendations with the full Committee and with the assistance of an outside facilitator to refine recommendation.
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Best Practices The following strategies are commonly referenced as best practices to use when seeking to close the achievement gap. The Half Hollow Hills School District has already implemented the following strategies: 1. Development/Implementation of “best practices” $ Challenging Curriculum The district offers enrichment programs as early as kindergarten. Acceleration in mathematics, honors programs, and advance placement courses are also available. High school science research course has helped students produce award winning and nationally recognized science research projects although these programs exist the percentage of minority students is low $ Early Childhood Education Numerous studies have shown evidence of a gap in achievement between Caucasian/Asian students and Latino/black students as early as entry to school. The need for early intervention has been recognized in the HHH. Pre-kindergarten education is provided for approximately 90% of the children $ Extended Time for Extra Help While the belief in the HHH school district is that “all students can learn,” it is also recommended that some students can benefit from extra instruction. For that reason, the HHH school district has created a variety of programs to give students additional instructional time to acquire new skills. Some of the programs include: extended school day and school year for ELA and math in all elementary schools; additional instruction for ELL is provided before and after school and experiential experiences in Saturdays; after school clubs and homework help occurs at each of the middle schools; as well as extra help at all levels; peer tutoring and academic instruction support programs after school at each high school, to name a few. It should be noted that the District has identified a need to provide increased after school opportunities for students in the middle schools. In order to meet this need, three years ago the District, in collaboration with the Town of Huntington’s Community Youth Agency, applied for and received a federal grant for five years. This grant partially funds the Advantage Program in both middle schools. 2. Parent Education $ Pre-K Literacy Programs The District houses an Experimental Pre-kindergarten program, as well as a Universal Preschool Program, serving a total of fifty students. The teachers of the preschool classes work together with the social worker and preschool liaison to create meaningful parent involvement activities. $ Kindergarten and First Grade Literacy Programs Parent workshops and activities are offered through the individual classrooms and parent evening meetings. These sessions are designed to promote awareness of the importance of literacy and to help parents develop their skills in relation to teaching their children in appropriate ways outside school. A lower percentage of minority parents attend these functions. $ Abriendo Puertos 5
Abriendo Puertos is an organization of Latino parents within the District which conducts monthly meetings in Spanish to help parents meet the needs of their children. $ PTA Sponsored Speakers The PTA Council often provides speakers at their monthly meetings. Several of these speakers have addressed topics related to literacy. These learning opportunities are open to the entire community. $ Support for ESL Students and their Families The District has demonstrated a commitment to strengthening the ESL program in the District through increased staffing and administrative support. The ESL Department has been actively involved in program improvement and is seeking ways to meet the specific needs of the ELL the in the district. $ Parent Involvement Initiatives The District’s PTA has a subcommittee on Diversity, which promotes diversity and multicultural education through an annual Unity Fair. In addition, the Diversity Committee sponsors workshops during the school year for students and parents. All schools participate in the annual Multicultural Day sponsored by the Diversity Committee. 3. Professional Development $ Provide Qualified Teachers The HHH School District has recognized the importance of having teachers who hold high expectations for all students and who have knowledge of the most effective strategies and methodologies for teaching. The District has also made an effort to hire diverse and well-qualified staff. Prospective teachers must present successful demonstration lessons, and almost all participate in three or more interviews. All staff hired by the District possesses appropriate certification. $ Provide Ongoing Staff Development The HHH School District supports a variety of staff development initiatives designed to ensure that staff members continue to hone their skills and remain aware of innovations in their respective areas of expertise. The District provides Superintendent’s Conference Days, extended days for staff development, and other staff development time for all teachers. Many teachers participate in at least one, and usually two or more staff development activities, such as workshops and study groups. Teachers often participate in learning experiences led by consultants or their colleagues. Best practices are discussed, experiences shared and new techniques learned. Teachers who are new to the profession are provided with mentors who are exemplary teachers. Ongoing classroom observations and peer conferencing are scheduled for all new teachers. In addition, new teachers receive support through frequent meetings within their buildings and district-wide programs. In addition, to these opportunities, the district provides a host of after school and weekend course offerings. Teachers are also encouraged to attend workshops and professional organization training that is appropriate to their staff development needs.
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] Changes Ahead The areas identified below are those areas which arose most frequently in the Committee’s conversations with students and community members. $ The curriculum is inconsistent in regard to teaching students about diverse cultures. Research supports the following: # Teaching about the achievement of Blacks, Latinos, and cultural groups other than the dominant cultural group enhances student achievement in schools. # All students benefit from instruction of curriculum that reflects their history. # School climate is not perceived positively by many parents of minority students. # Research tells us that high expectations are essential to high achievement. # The Challenge: The achievement gap is the difference among the academic performance of different ethnic groups. Even though schools are now desegregated, public education has failed to deliver the promise of quality education to African Americans. # The Solution: Attack the soft bigotry of low expectations and demand that schools close the achievement gap among minority and white students. # To date, the District has not implemented ongoing, comprehensive staff training that will give professional staff opportunities to grow in the awareness of diversity, knowledge of multiculturalism, awareness of stages of second language acquisition, or become versed in culturally-responsive pedagogy. Staff training is of paramount importance in addressing achievement gap issues. $ Peer influences do affect student performance. Both research and the voices of our own students tell us that peer influences do impact student willingness to excel in school. Academic achievement and participation are impacted by students’ perception. Recommendations The Superintendent’s Committee for Closing the Achievement Gap would like the District to realize practices which focus the attention of the schools, the Board of Education, and the community on the following recommendation. The proposed recommendations, when taken all together, imply that collective actions are required to remedy the Achievement Gap. As a “learning community,” students, teachers, administrators, and parents all have a part to play. Therefore, we are making recommendations to help students do better, to help teachers do better, to help administrators do better, and to help parents do better. 1. Continue to Develop and Implement “Best Practices” 1.1 Address the need to ensure that all curriculum and materials represent our multicultural diversity and richness 1.2 Explore development of a classroom experience for the at-risk learner, where enrichment and experiential learning become the basis and foundation of their education. 1.3 Place students identified at-risk with teachers utilizing best instructional practices. 2. Parent Education 2.1 Develop a pre-pre-school experience for children aged 0- 3 years 2.2 Collaborate with local preschools to provide learning opportunities for parents and provide seamless transition to kindergarten 2.3 Continue to create learning opportunities for parents to develop their skills. 7
2.4 Create a parent-to-parent outreach network 2.5 Continue to provide parent training workshops 2.6 Continue to provide and expand multicultural communication by formalizing districtwide processes for translation and ensuring adequate resources are available for translation in annual budgets. 2.7 Brochures regarding what students should know at each grade level, written in simple, parent-friendly terms and will now are translated into other languages. 2.8 Improve parent information relative to programs, such as music, enrichment, honors and accelerated courses, AP courses, high school requirements, etc. 3. Staff Development 3.1 Continue to hire staff committed to serving diverse students with emphasis on achieving a well-qualified, balanced staff reflexive of our diverse student body. 3.2 Provide consistent training to raise the cultural, racial, and socioeconomic sensitivity of staff to each other and to children 3.3 Hold high expectations for all staff members’ interactions with children and each other 3.4 Prepare teachers to effectively serve students who have different learning readiness, personal interests, culturally shaped ways of speaking and various experiences in the world 4. Culture 4.1 Create ethnically sensitive environments which celebrate cultural diversity in each school building 4.2 Develop and implement ways to combat negative peer pressure and to increase student support of each other. Draft of Action Plan The following outlines the sample action plans for each recommendation that the Committee identified. Recommendation 1: Continue to develop and implement “Best Practices� What Recommendations: 1.1 Address the need to ensure that all curriculum and materials represent our multicultural diversity and richness of multi-cultural diversity and Ideas to consider: $ Development of a multi-cultural educational curricula which incorporates the history, culture and contributions of majority and minority groups including African-Americans, EuropeanAmericans, Latinos, and other will benefit all students 1.2 Explore development of a classroom experience program for the atrisk learner, where enrichment and experiential learning become the basis and foundation of their education Ideas to consider: $ Consider thematic learning, School wide Enrichment (Renzulli), and other such approaches provide equitable access to enrichment $ Support career learning and exploration and internship programs to allow students to experience real-world applications of their academic knowledge and create an awareness of the relevancy of lifelong learning
1.3 Review middle and high school student placement procedure for inclusion in classes with master teachers Ideas to consider: $ Place students identified at-risk with teachers utilizing best instructional practices Recommendation 2: Parent Education Parent education is important in tackling the achievement gap. Children ages 0-3 need those early childhood experiences that prepare them for academic success upon entering kindergarten. We recognize the need for parent education programs that addresses not only the school age population, but the needs of children ages 0- 3 and adults, as well. 2.1 Develop a pre-pre-school experience for children aged 0-3 years Ideas to consider: $ Create partnerships with local government, local hospitals, and community groups to develop outreach programs for all new births and new parents 2.2 Continue create learning opportunities for parents to develop their skills Ideas to consider: $ Continue to offer workshops pertaining to parenting, computers/technology, planning for college, career preparation, etc. $ Hold district-wide curriculum coffees $ Continue to offer GED and ESL programs and adult education opportunities $ Involve parents in planning in order to ensure that P Opportunities are relevant to their needs, and P there will be significant support of the various initiatives resulting in significant attendance 2.3 Provide a seamless transition between preschool programs and kindergarten Ideas to consider: $ coordinating district-wide outreach $ bringing additional services into partnership with schools $ promoting community development 2.4 Develop opportunities for parent-to-parent outreach Ideas to consider: $ Providing information about the schools and the community to parents new to our schools $ Sources of transportation for parents 2.5 Continue to provide parent training workshops Ideas to consider: $ Involve parents in planning in order to ensure that P Opportunities are relevant to their needs, and P There will be significant support of the various initiatives resulting in significant attendance 9
2.6 Continue to provide and expand multicultural communication by formalizing district-wide processes for translation and ensuring adequate resources are available for translation in annual budgets. Ideas to consider: $ establishment of centralized translation services for written material would provide consistent translation, and relieve professional staff who are presently called upon to provide translation in addition to their full time jobs $ Parent volunteers provide translation in schools 2.7 Brochures regarding what students should know at each grade level, written in simple, parent-friendly terms and will now are translated into other languages. Ideas to consider: $ Distribution of brochures to all parents at the beginning of each school year to assist in answering questions that maybe asked when communicating with the school $ Brochures to be available in most common languages 2.8 Improve parent information relative to programs, such as music, enrichment, honors and accelerated courses, AP courses, high school requirements, etc. Ideas to consider: $ Increase strategies to communicate through various means: P Announcement at meetings P Additional telephone calls P Special mailings P Student awareness meetings P Translations Recommendation 3: Professional Development The Board of Education support a policy on District employment practices of providing positive adult role models for children representing all racial and ethnic groups 3.1 Continue to hire staff committed to serving diverse students with emphasis on achieving a well-qualified, balanced staff reflective of our diverse student body Ideas to consider: $ Build upon the current selection process to continue to ensure successful candidates committed to serving diverse students $ Attend college fairs specializing in minorities $ Attend multi-cultural job fairs 3.2 Provide consistent training to raise the cultural, racial and socioeconomic sensitivity of all staff, to each other and to children Ideas to consider: $ A year long theme related to diversity issues and/or multicultural education $ Provide workshops and other learning opportunities to assist teachers in learning new techniques to differentiate instruction and to enable teachers to understand students’ culturally based and 10
individual learning styles and behaviors 3.3 Hold high expectations all staff members’ interactions with children and each other Ideas to consider: $ train staff in monitoring and assessing staff interaction with children and each other and in recognizing indicators of culturallyresponsive learning environments $ develop methods to assess implementation of strategies to address diverse learners 3.4 Prepare teachers to effectively serve students who have different learning readiness, personal interests, culturally shaped ways of speaking and various experiences in the world Ideas to consider: $ collaborate with universities to study different learning styles, that may be culturally based, with the purpose of developing effective teaching strategies $ encourage teachers to participate in action research projects which will allow them to develop effective teaching techniques within the context of their own classrooms and then share their findings with other teachers Recommendation 4: Culture Numerous studies have identified a connection between provision of caring and intellectually challenging school environments and strong student achievement 4.1 Create ethnically sensitive environments which celebrate cultural diversity in each school Ideas to consider: $ Display various forms of artwork from different cultures $ Ensure that classrooms reflect the ethnic heritages and backgrounds of all of the children in the school population 4.2 Develop and implement ways to combat negative peer pressure and to increase student support of each other Ideas to consider: $ Design appropriate academic mentoring programs for middle and high school students $ Provide for programs that allow students of the same race to come together to talk about social issues, home and school difficulties, language barriers, feelings of isolation, test anxiety, encounters with racism, etc. Build a network of peer support
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