Q&A On The Magnet Program And High Performing Learners (October 2010)

1. What were the qualifying factors for students entering Magnet this year?

The entrance criteria expanded from 3 to 7 factors, and the school system raised standards from 85th percentile to 90th percentile, and followed entry criteria closely in admitting students to the Magnet Program. We used math GPA, Math Benchmark averages, Math Cumulative Final, Reading GPA, Reading Benchmark Averages, Leveled Reading Passages, and Gates-MacGinitie Reading Assessment. We were looking for a 90+% in either reading or math cumulative and an 80+% in the supporting area. We also added additional mid-program assessments, inviting an additional 12 students to join the Magnet Program for Fall '10. We are progressing towards a more scientifically defensible entry standard.

Total NSS PES

The Magnet Program currently serves: 3rd Grade 97 69 28

4th Grade 173 107 66

5th Grade 145 83 62

Total 415 259 156

Students invited to the Magnet Program for grade 3: 148 102 46

The following number of students accepted that invitation: 97 69 28

The 65.5% portion accepting the invitation is virtually identical to the 65% accepting in previous years.

We have reviewed the population of potential students multiple times and feel confident that we have invited everyone who qualified and would benefit from the Magnet Program on the basis of the data from last spring. However, we continue to watch current students for characteristics of Magnet Program potential and will move students in or out as appropriate as has been done in the past.

2. What has changed in Magnet?

We added four data points to the entry criteria, raised the entry standards from 85% to 90%, and increased the level to which we held to those criteria. The curriculum, instruction, support staff, most teachers, and most administrators remain the same.

3. What portion of Magnet Program students qualified in the past?

In reviewing student record data and in interviews on professional observations with various professional staff involved with the Magnet Program, it was determined that from 30 – 80% of students participating in the Magnet Program did not qualify under the published standards for the program. These data points come from either test data or staff observations of students in the program and how instruction had to be adjusted to match the abilities of some students.

4. Were the factors of ELL, FARMS and race used in addition to the seven data points to determine which students would be invited to full-time Magnet in the July 9th mailing?

We did not use ELL, FARMS, or race in deciding who was invited into the Magnet Program.

5.  Are there fewer minority students in the Magnet Program this year, even though the stated goal specifically sought to have the "populations in specialized classes [to be] representative of WCBOE student population?"

There are slightly fewer minority students this year. We have to make difficult choices. One of those choices was whether to focus on increasing rigor and consistency or on increasing under-represented groups of students. We chose to identify for the Magnet Program students who would be most likely to benefit from the increased rigor, consistency, pace and workload of the Magnet Program and other similar programs.


6. Were people who were appealing their lack of an invitation to participate in the Magnet Program treated respectfully?

We have worked closely with all of the staff working on this project and have monitored the activities going on with the appeals. We have personally walked by the window in the door of the conference room numerous times during these meetings. We have participated in some of the meetings. At no time during this process have we observed any staff member treat a family member or student in a rude, disrespectful, or inappropriate manner. They have always been highly professional, courteous, and seeking of information that might assist in making the very best decision possible for the student.

7. What commitment do we make to our top learners?

We have emphasized with all teachers – in all schools and all grades – the importance of meeting the needs of students of all levels with direct explicit instruction. We can and do make the commitment that we will do our best to provide them with learning opportunities that allow them to make the most of their skills and abilities. We will do this for all students to the very best degree possible in light of the extremely difficult financial challenges we face. Public schools are measured by the yardstick of how our various sub-groups do on tests and are funded to address shortcomings in challenge areas such as students with handicaps, students who don't speak English in the home, or students who don't have an adequate level of family income or support. When we say all students, we mean all students. A teacher who has 60 minutes to spend on reading must spend approximately equal amounts of time working with students who are working toward level, on level and above level. This is part of an ongoing effort to ensure that the needs of all students are met, and that the needs of high performing learners are met whether they are in a more homogeneous grouping such as a Magnet classroom or heterogeneous grouping in another school classroom. We have assertively stated that it's not acceptable for a teacher to spend most of their classroom time with any particular group and give the high performing students (or any other sub-group) a worksheet and a book and cut them out of direct explicit instruction. The teacher is to secure the specialist or instructional support services needed to get the lowest performing students up to No Child Left Behind (NCLB) proficiency standards and to assist the high performing learners to make the most of their skills, too. We have excellent teachers and they can do this. All of us must support them in this endeavor.

8. The school system talked about partial placement in the Magnet Program. What has happened with that?

Partial placement in the Magnet Program, which has been done with a few students during the course of the school year in the past, was considered on a broader scale this summer to provide more students with the opportunity to attend the Magnet Program in a subject in which they excel. For example, a student who qualified for Magnet on Math but not reading could attend the Magnet Program for Math and all other subjects except reading, which would be taken in the home school program at the school at which the Magnet Center is located. While partial placement is not being used this year, it has been successful for some students in the past. Students who qualified for partial placement were admitted to the Magnet Program for 2010-11, and their performance will be reviewed at the end of the first marking period to ensure that the program is the right fit.

9.   Can a student meet the eligibility requirements for TAD but not Magnet?

The school system is reviewing how Wicomico County students are served by the Magnet and TAD (Thinking and Doing) programs. Though many students are served by both programs, the criteria for the Magnet Program and TAD (a program for Gifted and Talented students) are different. The Magnet Program is designed for students who are high performing, while the TAD program is designed for students who are gifted, a measure of potential rather than performance. The Magnet Program is offered at the Magnet Centers at North Salisbury Elementary and Pemberton Elementary, while TAD classes are provided for each elementary school with eligible students in grades 3-5.

The TAD teachers screen all third grade students starting with the data points used for entry into the Magnet Program except for the WCBOE Math Cumulative Assessment and the Leveled Reading Passages. Students must meet at least 4 out of the 5 following criteria: 85% or higher on reading Benchmark (average of all 2nd grade benchmarks), 85% or higher on math Benchmark (average of all 2nd grade benchmarks), 3.5 or above GPA in reading, 3.5 or above GPA in math, 85% or higher on the Gates-MacGinitie Reading Test, the students were administered the TCS, or Test of Cognitive Skills, by the TAD teachers.

In the Magnet Program sites, where all students meet the criteria, all third graders are tested for TAD. In other schools, students who met the criteria for TAD testing are given the TCS with parental consent. Students scoring a Cognitive Skills Index of 125 or higher are invited to participate in the TAD program. A Cognitive Skills score of 125 or higher indicates that a student has the potential to benefit from TAD, an enrichment program for students identified as gifted learners. In TAD, students work in small groups to develop their critical and creative thinking skills through extended, in-depth real-world problem solving experiences. TAD is a pullout program in which students meet with a teacher once in a cycle for two hours.

Wicomico students in grades four and five who have not previously been enrolled in TAD are tested for TAD if they meet at least 5 out of the 7 following criteria: 85% or higher on reading benchmarks (average of all 3rd or 4th grade benchmarks), 85% or higher on math benchmarks (average of all 3rd or 4th grade benchmarks), 3.5 or above GPA in reading, 3.5 or above GPA in math, Advanced on Reading MSA, Advanced on Math MSA, Lexile 90% or higher. Parent consent to test is acquired and students are administered the TCS, or Test of Cognitive Skills, by the TAD teachers. Students scoring a Cognitive Skills Index of 125 or higher are invited to participate in the TAD program.

10.A.  Do you plan to make changes to the starting and ending times of the Magnet school day?

No. However, we regularly review the starting and ending times of all schools and programs for effective instruction and for operational efficiency. We are reviewing the starting and ending times of the entire set of elementary, middle, and high school groups of schools to maximize learning and minimize support costs such as transportation, extra supervision, and the like. One of the key goals is to see if there are more efficient ways to use our current student transportation services and reduce the amount of extra transportation time that students in the Magnet Program have to endure to participate in the program without increasing costs.

10.B. Would additional expenses be incurred if the school system made changes to transportation?

Our goal is to reduce transportation and other non-instructional costs.

11.  Why was there staff turnover this year?

At the North Salisbury Elementary Magnet Program, three teachers retired and two transferred to other schools. One position (grade 5M) was filled by school transfer, another position (3M) became a North Salisbury home school position due to enrollment changes, and three teachers (4M) were hired through the application process. At Pemberton Elementary in the Magnet Program, one Magnet teacher transferred to a TAD position and one transferred to a reading intervention teacher position at North Salisbury through Title I. The vacant positions at Pemberton (5M and 4M) were covered through school transfers and the opening in grade 1 that resulted from the staffing shifts was filled through the application process. At both schools, with fewer students in third grade, one less 3M teacher was needed this year, and the excess teacher FTEs were reallocated elsewhere in elementary. No transfers or other adjustments are planned for this year.

12. Why were three key administrators, Lee Powell, Scott Thorpe, and Dave Harris, reassigned?

We take transfers very seriously. Transfers are the way we match the needs of the program or school to the skills of the administrator. There are many factors we consider when transferring any employee, with one goal in mind - school betterment.

13. What professional development will enable teachers to meet the needs of those High Performing Learners who are learning in the traditional classroom? How does one become equipped to teach highly-able learners?

The teachers will be working on their on-going staff development activities, Professional Learning Communities, and instruction surrounding various aspects of differentiation. Principals select teachers for High Performing Learners on the basis of skill and interest. Many have a personal interest and take classes and workshops to prepare. Currently and in the past, 35% of our students invited to participate in the Magnet Program choose not to participate, staying in their home attendance area. They test out at a level that is not statistically significantly different than the students who accept participation in the Magnet Program. Data would suggest that these teachers, support staff, and administrators are doing a satisfactory job of helping these children learn.

14. How are we accountable for the money expended on behalf of learners with special education needs and/or at-risk conditions and who have yet to make adequate progress?

While most of our students with Special Needs perform at or above the proficient level, our obligation is to help every student achieve at or above the proficient level. In fact, all students (including students with Special Needs) who qualified with credits, grades, and community service hours passed the (new in 2009) High School Assessment (HSA) requirements in both 2009 & 2010. We are deeply concerned about those who are struggling and are revising curricula and services to address those concerns. We are also accountable via annual, quarterly, and monthly financial audits as well as regular in-depth educational audits of program services and procedural regulations. These have regularly been clean and we are working to keep them that way. We are deeply concerned about the challenges of the No Child Left Behind legislation as it ratchets up to the goal of 100% proficiency in 2014. Our students with special needs require extra care and we will do it to the degree possible within the regulations and our finances.

15. What is the status of the High Performing Learners Committee?

The Superintendent's Advisory Committee on High Performing Learners (HPL) will meet at least once or twice (possibly more as needed) this fall. A meeting was held Thursday, Oct. 14.

16. Will the committee continue to work on the original goals?

Yes. The HPL committee will continue for a short time, as the tasks needed now are more detailed and not as well suited for a group the size of the HPL team. The focus of the committee will be to review the criteria for admission. It will also look into other possible assessments that could assist us in the identification of students for the Magnet Program.

17. Is the school system planning to eliminate the Magnet Program?

There is no intention nor plan to drop the Magnet Program. Rather, there is an interest in increasing the spectrum of high performing student services that we offer within budget constraints in areas such as science, technology, fine arts, language, business, and the like.

18. What are the next steps?

This year we plan to review the entry criteria (Maryland is moving towards using CogAT [Cognitive Abilities Test] and we might benefit from considering it), and review scheduling (work towards getting Magnet on the same schedule as elementary). We anticipate having one or two large group meetings of the Superintendent's Advisory Committee on Addressing the Needs of High Performing Learners and doing most of the work in our smaller focused teams. The first meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 14. We'll consider class size guidelines (we're facing very difficult funding in the next few years), and analyze transportation to see what might be done within the existing budget to improve delivery time and reduce student bus ride concerns. We will continue to analyze how high performing learners in grades 3-5 are served throughout the county, with the goal of ensuring that all high performing learners receive instruction at their level whether they participate in Magnet or attend their home school.

October 15, 2010

Documents

• [522]magnetQ&Aoct2010.pdf