Read Fort Worth 2017
Community Achievement Scorecard 100% of third-graders reading on grade level by 2025
Read Fort Worth believes that all children can succeed in school if they are healthy and safe, have access to quality early learning opportunities, have excellent classroom experiences and have community supports they need. We invite you to participate in Fort Worth’s shared goal – that 100 percent of thirdgraders will read on grade level by 2025 so that every child can reach his or her potential, strengthening our city’s talent pipeline and securing a highly educated workforce for the future. Read Fort Worth began its work tightly focused on supporting early childhood literacy within the 87,000-student Fort Worth ISD, which serves 68 percent of our city’s schoolaged population. But leaders of our effort knew that strategies that prove successful within the largest, urban district may similarly be used to drive early grades literacy within other adjacent school districts. The Community Achievement Scorecard is an annual reflection of how well we are collectively supporting the 34,000 Fort Worth ISD children in Pre-K through third grade along their journey to become proficient readers. Children who read on grade level by third grade are most likely to succeed in school; children who are not strong readers by third grade are four times more likely to drop out of school. This document highlights key data points to allow our community to see where we stand, where we are making gains and where we must address disparities if all of our children are to succeed in school. Our hope is that you will use the scorecard as a tool to measure and track improvement, to engage others and to inform action that helps drive positive change for our children.
Kristin Sullivan Executive Director
2
R E A D FO RT WO RTH
Pre-K Enrollment
95%
95% of seats were filled by children in need for Fort Worth ISD’s pre-k enrollment in fall of 2017, up from 77.5% in fall of 2016 SOURCE: FORT WORTH I S D
Kindergarten Readiness
67%
67% of students were deemed kindergarten ready in 2015-16, up from 42.4% during the 2014-15 school year SOURCE: TXPE I R/ TEXAS E DU CATI ON AG E NCY
Third-Graders
34%
Reading on Grade Level 34% of third-graders were reading on grade level in May 2017, up from 30% in 2016 SOURCE: TEXA S E DU CATI ON AG E NCY, FORT WORTH I S D
8 y.o. ‘24–25 OF CARE
Third grade, home
7 y.o. ‘23–24 OF CARE
Second grade, home
6 y.o. ‘22–23 OF CARE
First grade, home
5 y.o. ‘21–22 OF CARE
Kindergarten, home
4 y.o. ‘20–21 OF CARE
Pre-k, childcare, home
3 y.o. ‘19–20 OF CARE
Pre-k, childcare, home
2 y.o. ‘18–19 OF CARE
Childcare, home
1 y.o. ‘17–18 OF CARE
Childcare, home
Infant ‘16–17 OF CARE
Hospitals, childcare, home
What will drive change?
Family engagment. Kindergarten readiness. Teacher retention and quality. Attendance and mobility. Read Fort Worth leaders believe that real, sustainable improvement focused on the academic achievement of our children will occur when our community dramatically improves family engagement in a child’s education, kindergarten readiness, teacher quality and retention and student and teacher attendance and mobility. Family engagement occurs when parents and caregivers truly partner with schools to support child development and education. While there is no single definition of kindergarten readiness, children generally are ready for kindergarten when they are socially and emotionally prepared to engage with others and when they are developing early literacy skills, basic math skills, social skills and motor skills. No one factor determines a child’s success, but perhaps the most critical asset to a young student’s success are highly effective teachers and strong campus principals who help their teams be the best they can be. Finally, while it may seem simple, regular school attendance is strongly correlated with academic achievement, so much so that a 1 percentage point increase in a school’s average attendance rate is associated with 9.8 percentage point gain in third-grade reading scores. Conversely, children who switch schools during the academic year are less likely to achieve academically. Read Fort Worth is working collectively with partners to build a system of support for children, from birth to third grade. The framework acknowledges that early childhood interactions – from an infant’s first check-up with a pediatrician to the quality of READ FORT WORT H
5
pre-school programs he or she receives and opportunities for summer learning – all contribute to a child’s academic success. Read Fort Worth’s Strategic Plan calls for four Collaborative Action Networks that are developing strategies and implementing action in support of the shared 100x25 goal. The School Readiness CAN, led by the Early Learning Alliance of Tarrant County, is taking action to better understand the inventory of quality child care, to enhance the early childhood education profession and to build partnerships to increase access to early learning opportunities. Led by Cook Children’s Health Care
Read Fort Worth is working collectively with partners to build a system of support for children, from birth to third grade.
System and JPS Health Network, the Child Well-Being CAN is developing a pilot project to reduce incidents of Adverse Childhood Experiences, such as abuse and neglect, in a neighborhood with historically high levels of economic disadvantage low third-grade reading achievement. This team’s focus will expand over time to include physical and social-emotional health of children. The Expanded Learning CAN, led by the City of Fort Worth and United Way of Tarrant County, is on expanding access to quality Summer Learning programs. For 2018, the network is developing a framework of best practices for summer youth programs that include literacy and a common measurement system to determine whether programs that implement those best practice help children maintain and gain literacy skills over the summer. This team’s work will expand by fall 2018 to include after-school programs. The Reading Resources CAN has two current work streams: a Classroom Library Campaign that is raising funds to purchased high-interest books for schools in need to support independent reading in Pre-K 4 through second grade; and a Volunteer Reading Task Force that is working to scale up the number of adults who serve as reading mentors with children, especially in chronically low-performing schools.
6
R E A D FO RT WO RTH
Vision
All children are successful in school and life
Mission
To align partners, strategies and resources to significantly improve early childhood literacy so that 100% of Fort Worth third graders are reading on grade level by 2025
Outcomes
All children are ready for kindergarten;
Key
% of children assessed by FWISD as ready for
Indicators
% of third graders scoring at final recommended
All children are proficient readers by third grade
school at kindergarten; level on STAAR reading exam
100x25 goal
Fort Worth ISD
School
Child
Expanded
Reading
Readiness
Well-being
Learning
Resources
CAN
CAN
CAN
CAN
Read Fort Worth
Our hope is that you will use the scorecard as a tool to measure and track improvement, to engage others and to inform action that helps drive positive change for our children. — K RIST IN S U L L IVAN , EXECUTIVE DI RECTO R
How will we track change?
Help us track progress toward the 100x25 goal by viewing the Read Fort Worth data dashboard at readfortworth.org/dashboard. The dashboard includes percentages for how many third-graders were reading on grade level from 2012 to 2017. Users may view data for Fort Worth ISD and neighborhood schools districts; public charter schools based in Fort Worth; and for each of the 83 Fort Worth ISD elementary schools. Data can be compared over time and disaggregated by ethnicity, economic status, language proficiency and gender. Future dashboard enhancements will include data on Fort Worth ISD Pre-K enrollment, kindergarten readiness and campus demographics.
District, County and State Snap Shot of Third Grade Reading Proficiency from 2017 FORT WORT H IS D
TA R R A N T COUNTY
STATE OF TEXAS
33%
45%
44% READ FORT WORT H
9
2016 – 2017 Executive Council Members Matt Rose CH A I RMAN | R E AD FORT WO RTH , BNSF R AILWAY EXECUT IVE C HAIR MAN
Betsy Price M AYO R | C ITY OF FO RT WORTH
Dr. Kent Paredes Scribner S U PE RI N T E NE NT | FORT WORTH ISD
Teresa Ayala TR USTE E | TAR R ANT CO U NTY CO L L EG E DIST R ICT
Dionne Bagsby FO RME R TAR R ANT CO U NTY CO MMI S SIONE R
Kevin Buehler CH A I RMAN | U NIT E D WAY OF TA R RA N T COU NTY
Loretta Burns EXECUT IVE DIR ECTO R | AB CH RI ST I AN L E AR NING C E NTER
Grant Coates PR ES I DE N T & C EO | T HE MI LES FO UN DAT IO N
James C. Estill ( R ET I RE D ) C EO | CAL LOWAY ’ S N U R S E RY
Founded in 2016, Read Fort Worth is mobilizing educators, funders, government, businesses, parents and community organizations to ensure that 100 percent of Fort Worth ISD third-graders are reading on grade level by 2025. Our vision is that all children will be successful in school. Our mission is to align partners, strategies and resources to significantly improve early childhood literacy. Read Fort Worth is led by a 12-member Executive Council consists of recognized leaders, key funders and supporters of the 100x25 goal who drive policy for the backbone organization, approve key decisions and provide oversight and overall leadership for community strategies.
Rick W. Merrill CEO & PR E SIDE NT | COO KW CH I L DR EN’ S HE ALT H CAR E SYST E M
Joe Monteleone ( R ET I RE D ) EXECUT IVE D I R ECTO R TH E MO R R IS FOU NDAT ION
Jeremy Smith EXECUT IVE DIR ECTO R & CO - PR ESIDE NT | R AINWATER CH A R I TA BL E FO U NDAT IO N
Connect with Us! FACE B OOK
/ReadFortWorth TWI T TE R
@ReadFortWorth
How can I help?
1. Sign up to be a volunteer reading mentor at volunteer.fwisd.org. 2. Give to the Classroom Library Campaign at readfortworth.org/ classroom-library-campaign. 3. Sign-up to receive our monthly e-newsletter at contactus@readfortworth.org. Read Fort Worth’s Generous Supportors Alcon Foundation
The Morris Foundation
Sundt Construction
Amon G. Carter Foundation
North Texas Community Foundation
United Way of Tarrant County
BNSF Foundation
R4 Foundation
Walton Family Foundation
City of Fort Worth
Rainwater Charitable Foundation
XTO Energy
Fort Worth ISD HEB Grocery Kleinheinz Family Foundation The Miles Foundation
G.W. Rawl Foundation Ryan Foundation Sid W. Richardson Foundation READ FORT WORT H
11
Read Fort Worth 1500 N. Main Street, Suite 105 | Fort Worth, TX 776164 WWW. REA DFO RTWO RT H.O R G