Remediation: What works in El Dorado Tom Simmons District Mathematics Chair El Dorado Public Schools

El Dorado Public Schools  El Dorado Education Foundation – This non-profit group funds the teacher excellence awards, a grants program where teachers and/or groups of teachers can receive funding for projects, and the endowed chair program.  El Dorado Promise – scholarship program sponsored by Murphy Oil Corporation. Currently, over 800 students receive the Promise scholarship which was announced in This past spring, 279 students signed letters of intent, the largest group so far. Over $3.8 million has been spent to date.

Bridge to College Algebra  5 week summer program in which students work on skills common to both Algebra II and Intermediate Algebra.  Students are expected to take and pass College Algebra (concurrent credit).

Keys to the program  The ‘right’ people  High expectations

Field trips to colleges and universities. Hands-on learning Classes on the college campus

(one unintended positive consequence)  After the first B2CA program, one of the students wanted to take College Algebra/Plane Trigonometry instead of TCM/CA.  We piloted this as a fourth year math course and 12 students signed up.  This year we have 49 students enrolled in Plane Trig (16%) and 87 enrolled in College Algebra (30%).  The program has a success rate of over 95%.

The five pillars of KIPP:  1. High Expectations KIPP Schools have clearly defined and measurable high expectations for academic achievement and conduct that make no excuses based on the background of students. Students, parents, teachers, and staff create and reinforce a culture of achievement and support, through a range of formal and informal rewards and consequences for academic performance and behavior.  2. Choice & Commitment Students, their parents, and the faculty of each KIPP School choose to participate in the program. No one is assigned or forced to attend these schools. Everyone must make and uphold a commitment to the school and to each other to put in the time and effort required to achieve success.  3. More Time KIPP Schools know that there are no shortcuts when it comes to success in academics and life. With an extended school day, week, and year, students have more time in the classroom to acquire the academic knowledge and skills that will prepare them for competitive high schools and colleges, as well as more opportunities to engage in diverse extracurricular experiences.  4. Power to Lead The principals of KIPP Schools are effective academic and organizational leaders who understand that great schools require great school leaders. They have control over their school budget and personnel. They are free to swiftly move dollars or make staffing changes, allowing them maximum effectiveness in helping students learn.  5. Focus on Results KIPP Schools focus relentlessly on high student performance on standardized tests and other objective measures. Just as there are no shortcuts, there are no excuses. Students are expected to achieve a level of academic performance that will enable them to succeed in the nation's best high schools, colleges, and the world beyond.

90/90/90 study

 90% or greater Economically Disadvantaged  90% or greater minority population  90% or greater proficiency rates

90/90/90 study

What did they find in these high-minority, high economically disadvantaged population, high- performing schools?  A focus on academic achievement  Clear curriculum choices  Frequent assessment of student progress and multiple opportunities for improvement  An emphasis on nonfiction writing  Collaborative scoring of student work

Remediation is better late than never…but earlier is even more effective!  Accelerated Academy: 2-year extended day program in which Below Basic students have access to our best teachers.

Students are expected to be proficient or advanced by the end of 4 th grade.  The teachers are given the time and the resources to make an impact on these students.

What have you done (as a legislative group) for our children lately? Change in expectations + focus on results = Improved educational system in Arkansas…we have no ‘throw away’ kids!  Focused instruction in core areas resulted in the ‘top third’ being better prepared for college

What have you done? (cont.) Introduce Adequate Yearly Progress  While still making sure we met the needs of all students, we became more focused on the middle third to improve proficiency rates Implement the Growth Model in grades 4-7  More focus is on the bottom third (Below Basic, low Basic) to show growth.

What comes next?  Arkansas Research Center has developed a model similar to the growth model. They can track the gains made by individual students as they move through the grade levels (HIVE).

What comes next?  We currently administer EOC exams in Algebra I, Algebra II, Geometry, Literacy, and Biology. (9 days of testing)(10 th grade issue)  How do these tests directly impact post-secondary pursuits?

EXPLORE, PLAN, ACT  Currently, we have no system in place to make use of or remediate for the EXPLORE, PLAN, OR ACT Exam. (Arkadelphia, B2CA, UAM)  These tests can be used for math, literacy, and science.  Reduce testing to one day.  Reduce the cost of testing and loss of instructional days.

EXPLORE, PLAN, ACT  Student performance on the ACT is used to determine remediation in college. Why not focus our efforts on testing and remediation on a test (the ACT) that will have an impact in both high school and college?  This will pay dividends by drastically reducing the cost of testing but also the cost of remediation when students go to college.

Issue of timing…  Currently, we time the Benchmark exams and EOC exams.  On the 3-8 Augmented Benchmark exams, our students are compared to students in other states that are not timed.  On the 11 th grade Literacy exam, our students have 25 minutes to read, understand, and answer questions on a 3 page passage. (300 word/minute)

Conclusion:  We are constantly learning more about how to help our kids. I don’t know anyone who has all of the answers but I do think by putting our heads together, we can come up with solutions for just about anything.  We may not all agree on exactly what to do or when to do it, but we do agree we want what is best for kids…and that encourages and inspires me.

It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again because there is no effort without error and shortcomings, who knows the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the high achievement of triumph and who at worst, if he fails while daring greatly, knows his place shall never be with those timid and cold souls who know neither victory nor defeat…Theodore Roosevelt