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BY REQUEST... JULY 1999
PDF Version Clear Policies Encourage Positive Strategies |
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Description The goal of the policy is to ensure that students have acquired the skills and work habits necessary to be successful at the next grade level. It makes students aware of the learning goals they must meet and requires them to meet these goals. The policy is straightforward, but the implementation can be complex depending on the needs of individual students. It focuses on targeted intervention, personalized for every student. If intervention is unsuccessful, however, and minimum standards are not met, students can be retained. For more than 3,000 students this means they have to earn promotion to the next grade (it is no longer guaranteed). To make this policy a reality, district staff developed a rigorous set of promotion standards. Middle school students (fifth through eighth grades) must pass all classes, maintain good attendance and behavior, and meet the standards on the district's functional-level tests in reading and math (these are criterion-referenced tests). The goal of this policy is intervention, not retention, even though that is what grabs the attention of students. The district has developed several levels of intervention that are implemented throughout the school year. The process for implementing the policy is not necessarily the same at each school, but it generally starts with a review of the first mid-quarter progress reports. Students who are failing are identified and their progress is tracked. If they had difficulties during the previous year, they may be put on an intervention plan immediately. Other students are not given formal improvement contracts until they actually receive a failing mark. The district has learned that it must be as proactive as possible and start interventions early. Interventions may include weekly progress reports to parents, daily progress reports, extra help during lunchtime, after-school tutorials, peer tutors, and so forth. Any student who receives an F is assigned to a teacher who becomes their case manager. Together the case manager, student, and parents develop a personal education plan. Most students identified as being at risk of retention are also enrolled in a special course called Personal and Social Responsibility (PSR). They take PSR in place of an elective. This semester-long class, based on a curriculum developed by education researcher, Constance Dembrowsky, works to help students improve their self-esteem, their ability to relate effectively to others, their willingness to take responsibility for their behaviors and actions, and their problem-solving and goal-setting skills. The course emphasizes the importance of the choices students make and how they can affect the world around them. Teachers who instruct in PSR courses are specially trained and receive regular training to further their skills and knowledge of the program. In May of each year, all schools convene a building-level committee to review the promotion status of students. Each student is rated according to established criteria that takes into account attendance, classroom performance, and functional-level test scores. Students who display excessive deficits are recommended for retention. Decisions about special education students are made by the building's multidisciplinary team. The building principal makes the final determination to retain or promote. Students who are recommended for retention can reverse the decision by attending (at their own expense) and passing summer school. If they do not pass summer school, or choose not to attend, they are not promoted to the next grade. Parents can also appeal retention decisions to the school board, but not many do. In the 1997-98 school year, 50 percent of students recommended for retention elected to attend summer school. Summer school is designed to reinforce essential skills for school success such as decision making, goal setting, time management, study skills, conflict resolution, and self-discipline. In addition, specific remediation work (in reading, math, or writing) is tailored for each student according to their needs. Summer school curriculum includes PSR, reading, writing, and math. Teachers are specifically trained to teach PSR and deal with at-risk youth. Students must demonstrate 80 percent proficiency on classwork and homework and behave appropriately. Those who miss more than two out of the 20 summer school days do not pass it. The summer school program is very successful for the students who choose to attend. Classes are relatively small (20-25 students), and each teacher has a paraeducator in the classroom. During the summer of 1998, 93 percent of students who enrolled in summer school were successful. In preparation for implementation of the Student Accountability Policy, much work was done to inform parents and the school community of the coming changes. The school board informed parents and the community of the new policy a year before it went into effect. During the summer before implementation, and several times during the 1995-96 school year, the district sent letters to parents of students who had received failing grades, notifying them that standards were in place and that their children needed to improve academically or risk being retained the next school year. During that first year of implementation, structured interventions reduced the number of failing students by more than 50 percent. Of the 450 middle school students who received failing grades, 233 met the standards by the end of the 1995-96 school year, thanks to the commitment of the middle school teachers who worked hard to prepare students for the next grade. The 106 students who either did not attend or did not pass summer school were not promoted. By the 1997-98 school year, over 95 percent of students from grades six through eight were promoted to the next grade. The policy for fifth grade was implemented this year (1998-99) so data are not yet available. Initial years of implementation saw many retained students leaving the Kennewick School District to avoid retention. Because many school systems throughout the state of Washington have adopted similar policies, this practice has diminished considerably. With any new effort that requires a significant change in the way schools operate, there is always concern about increasing teachers' workloads. Teachers in Kennewick have reacted quite favorably to the Student Accountability Policy. First, it validates their efforts and the importance of their curricula by demanding that students pass their classes. Second, the policy puts very few additional time requirements on teachers' already burdened schedules-they are expected to meet with students and parents, and to try different interventions to help students succeed anyway. Students and parents know the policy and respect it. During the years of implementation there have been only two retention appeals to the school board. And for those students who, despite all intervention efforts, are unable to meet standards in Kennewick, alternative placement is sought. Student Perspective In talking with students in the Kennewick School District, one thing becomes readily apparent: the Student Accountability Policy has made a difference, particularly for students who at one time were marginal and not succeeding. The students don't speak about fear of retention and its consequences, as one might guess, but instead they praise the policy and seem to recognize the great lengths their school has gone to to facilitate their success. Though it is difficult for some students to pinpoint exactly what turned their school performance around, these one-time failing students do believe that a negative attitude prevented them from successfully engaging in school. The students are also quick to acknowledge the power that individual teachers have had in helping them recognize the detrimental effects of their attitudes. Perhaps it can be communicated best using the words of one student who said, "It just feels good to get good grades and know you've turned in your work." Observed Outcomes
Keys to Success
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