EQUITY AUDIT AND PLAN FOR IMPROVEMENT Amy Ford, Fritz Geissler, Phyllis Harris, Laila Marshall, and Christian Nolde

Data Examined 8 th grade reading and math SOL scores across all 12 Middle Schools in District X SOL performance for all students SOL performance for students with disabilities Education attainment level of teachers (Bachelors, Masters and Doctorate). *No inequity was found in teacher educational levels between schools. Therefore, no correlation between SOL scores and teacher attainment was seen.

Needs Beliefs and readiness Students with disabilities can be successful Collaborative teaching as Best-Practice Model Training Effective Instructional Strategies Reading Math Best Practices for teaching, observing and supporting Inclusive Practices Asset-based approach Coaching Collaborative technology I’m Determined

Priorities Improve student achievement in 8 th Grade Reading and Math Effective Professional Development Phases Readiness/Beliefs Instruction Reading and Math Support Teacher and Administrator Follow Up Coaching

Professional Development Stages of training (Joyce and Showers) Awareness (direct instruction) Conceptual Understanding (Modeling) Skill Acquisition (Practice with feedback) Application of Skills (Coaching and Supervision) Includes technology based collaboration (discussion boards, blogs, social media, etc.)

Plan 1 st Choose 3 schools Low achieving Average achieving High achieving 2 nd Provide Readiness Training 3 rd Provide Strategy Training 4 th Provide Collaborative Teaching Training 5 th Determine effective teachers in the district who can serve as coaches Train in coaching

Supports for Plan Master schedule Provide incentives for teachers and co- teaching pairs to stay together Collect and analyze data for monitoring effectiveness of implementation Insure fidelity of implementation

Support from readings: “PK-12 educators need to take a two-tiered approach to the issue of inequitable treatment of diverse groups” which includes examining own cultural identity and also becoming directly involved in efforts to change public policy. Pg. 307 “Culturally responsive teachers take an assets-based approach …” pg. 313

Readings, con’t. Guerra & Nelson (2008) suggest a four-phase model to develop culturally proficient teacher: (pg 316) 1. analyze data disaggregated by race, ethnicity, SES (& SWD) 2. assess readiness for change 3. study how culture you belong to influences the way you teach 4. Analyze same student data as in phase 1 but also disaggregate by individual teachers, grade level & department

Source: The Basic Guide to Supervision and Instructional Leadership Glickman, Gordon &Ross-Gordon