1. Closing the Achievement Gap Between FRL and non-FRL Students in Rural Districts: Evidence from Research and Practice
CDE: Tina Goar
REL Central: Stephany Brown
Cheraw School District: Tonya Rodwell, Superintendent
Stratton Schools: Jeff Durbin, Superintendent
Wiggins School District: Trent Kerr, High School Principal
Tina

2. Agenda Fast Facts – A Quiz What Works for Rural Districts
Background: Partnership between REL Central and the Rural Education Council
Identifying Successful Districts
The Success Story of Cheraw
The Success Story of Stratton
The Success Story of Wiggins
ACTIVITY
Closing
Tina

3. Fast Facts
True or False?
Rural districts comprise more than half of all of the districts in the United States.
Stephany

4. Look at the distribution of rural districts
Look at the distribution of rural districts! –– School Year (NCES, 2013)
Stephany – It’s TRUE! If we look at the bottom bar chart, we can see that rural districts comprise over half the percentage of districts in the United States.

5. Fast Facts
True or false? Rural schools have higher percentages of students who score proficient and advanced than urban schools.
Stephany

6. 2011 NAEP reading achievement 4th grade (NCES, 2013)
Stephany – Let’s look at the data. Although this data is somewhat old and we are waiting for newer data from NCES that is disaggregated by locale, 34% of rural 4th graders were proficient and advanced on NAEP reading in 2011 which is better than students in cities and towns, and slightly lower that their suburban peers at 37%.

7. 2011 NAEP reading achievement 8th grade (NCES, 2013)
Stephany – in 8th grade reading, 34% of rural students were proficient/advanced which is close to the 36% of suburban students but higher than urban (city) students at 26%.

8. 2011 NAEP Math Achievement 4th grade (NCES, 2013)
Stephany – in 4th grade math, 42% of rural 4th graders were proficient/advanced – just slightly lower than the 45% of suburban students but definitely better than urban students at 33%.

9. 2011 NAEP Math Achievement 8th grade (NCES, 2013)
Stephany – and in 8th grade math, again, rural students performed well with 35% of students at proficient/advanced.

10. Fast Facts True or false?
Rural students are less likely to graduate than their urban peers.
Stephany

11. Freshman Graduation Rate, Entering 2008-09 (NCES, 2013)
Stephany – again, slightly old data but rural beats urban and is right there with suburban and town.

12. The good news….
Rural districts are doing rather well. Students are generally doing better than their urban counterparts and slightly less well than their suburban counterparts.
Stephany

13. The not-so-good news
Most rural districts still have a relatively large achievement gap between FRL and non FRL students.
Achievement gaps for rural districts are nearly the same as for urban districts and in some regions, surpass urban districts (Rural Trust, 2013).
Stephany

14. So what works?
Not much research specifically addressing rural achievement; even less that focuses on the rural achievement gap
Need: summarize the research
Identify practices of successful districts
Stephany – this were some the of needs identified by the REL Central Rural Education Research Alliance. Now I’d like to turn it over to Tina who will talk a little about what the Colorado Rural Education Council did.

15. Identifying Districts That Have
Closed the Gap:
Worked with The Colorado Rural Education Council to identify measures.
Tina

16. Colorado Rural District Achievement Gap Closure
Indicators for This Year (determined by Alliance members)
Gap: FRL
Indicator: ACT composite (college readiness)
Time: through (5 years)
Analysis: Trend over time
Criteria:
Achievement could not decrease (gaps not closed because the majority group performed poorly)
Districts had to have at least 10 juniors (in 2014/15)
At least 25% FRL (all grades)
Graduation rate greater than the state average of 77%.
At least 2.5 ACT points of gap closure
over the 5-year period (2.5 ACT points is
about half of a standard deviation in the
national distribution of ACT scores.)
Stephany

17. Using these indicators, 8 rural Colorado districts
were found to have closed the ACT gap:
Bayfield School District
Cheraw School District
Limon Public Schools
Ouray School District
Prairie Public Schools
Sargent School District
Stratton Schools
Wiggins School District
Stephany

18. Stephany

19. Cheraw School District ACT Results
Stephany - In 2014/15, no data since fewer than 16 in each category of FRL v non FRL
Black line = non FRL
Red line = FRL
17 juniors 2014/15

20. Presentation: Cheraw School District Practices Superintendent Tonya Rodwell
Tina introduces

21. Cheraw School District Characteristics
Geography: Located in Southern Colorado, miles east of Pueblo
Enrollment is 205 students including full day preschool for 4-year olds and full day kindergarten.
63% of students are free/reduced lunch
Tonya

22. Cheraw School District Demographics
Student population is 74% Caucasian, 25% Hispanic and 1% Native American
Total staff of 37 with 20 full-time teachers
Budget of $3 million
After graduation, students attend college, career and technical education or military service
Tonya

23. Cheraw School District Challenges
Enrollment: has been relatively the same over past 4 years ( students)
Budget- lack of resources
Recruitment-few applicants for positions (many not certified/highly qualified), funding for salaries and benefits
Retaining Staff- low salary base for certified and classified staff, competition with larger districts in the immediate area, multiple preps in a day
Technology- first year of 1:1 devices, but
no onsite tech director
Tonya

24. Cheraw Professional Development
Partner with Battelle for Kids “Teacher Quality Grant Project”
Kim Bevel “Gender and the Brain”
Colorado Education Initiative “Literacy
Design Collaborative”
Educator Effectiveness “Principal PLC
and Mentoring”
Step Up to Writing
6Trait+1
Every Child a Writer
Google Training (Chromebooks)
Orton Gillingham Training
Tonya

25. Cheraw Teaching and Learning Practices
RTI Process
- Assess 3 times a year
- Weekly grade level meetings
for progress monitoring
District wide writing assessment
Adopted common vocabulary and rubrics
Push in model for academic support especially for middle and high school
Added Technology
- Elementary computer lab
- 1:1 Chromebooks (next year)
Use data to drive instructional needs
- ACT Prep Course
Tonya

26. Cheraw Curriculum Practices
Common Core Aligned with Colorado Standards
Technology based programs
Lexia Core 5
Accelerated Reading and Math
Edmentum
Khan Academy
Prodigy
New math adoption
Envision 2.0
Concurrent Enrollment
OJC Classes
Colorado On-line classes
CTE programs incorporated into core curriculum
FCCLA-national qualifiers
FBLA- state qualifiers
Strong partnership with area businesses for internships and job shadowing
Tonya

27. Cheraw School District Governance: Instructional Leadership
Pk-12 Superintendent has 3 years in administration and instructional leadership
Superintendent has a dual role as Elementary Principal
6-12 Principal has 11 years in administration and instructional leadership
The 6-12 principal has a dual role as the District Assessment Coordinator
We both share the role of Athletic Director
As a district we have worked on peer coaching to help with instructional strategies
Decisions are collaboratively by staff and administration after consulting several stake holders such as the accountability committee
Tonya

28. Q and A: Superintendent Rodwell
Tina

29. Stratton Schools ACT Results
Stephany – our next district is Stratton. (In 2014/15 – fewer than 10 juniors in each category of FRL v non FRL)
Black line = non FRL
Red line = FRL
10 juniors 2014/15

30. Presentation: Stratton Schools District Practices
Superintendent Jeff Durbin
Tina introduces Jeff Durbin

31. Stratton School District Characteristics
Geography: Located in Eastern Colorado, about 150 miles east of Denver, right off the I-70 corridor.
District is 660 square miles.
Enrollment is 210 students including preschool for all 3- and 4-year olds. There is full-day kindergarten.
Jeff

32. Stratton School District Demographics
Student population is 94% Caucasian with the rest being Hispanic. Some occasional different ethnicities with foreign exchange students.
Total staff of 38 with 20 full-time teachers
Budget of $3.1 million
After graduation, 100% of students attend post-secondary schooling and/or military service.
Jeff

33. Stratton Schools Challenges
Enrollment: has stabilized over the past 5 years.
Budget – lack of resources, especially to carry out state mandates
Recruitment – few applicants for positions, funding for salaries and benefits
Retaining Staff—budget issues related to the state funding for salaries, limited housing, multiple preps in a day, rural life style
Technology for assessments – funding to keep up state mandates
Jeff

34. Teaching and Learning Practices:
Unique RTI Process
Assess 3 times a year with MAPS
Individual Plan for each student developed in August, reassessed in December, finalized and updated for next year in late May
ILP’s and IMP’s are developed as a result data meetings
RTI Process is the first step to identify at risk students
Jeff

35. Teaching and Learning Practices:
Use personalized approaches to instruction:
Data points are shared from MAPS testing and Alpine constantly with teachers and administration
Classroom teachers collect 6 data points on each student before taking their concerns to the RTI team
ALL Teachers have “buy-in” to the process.
Daily Communication between SPED and classroom teachers to help support students
Jeff

36. Classroom Assessment Practices
Student who are proficient or above on state testing earn early release days during finals week at the end of the year
Individual teachers offer extra credit for improvement on MAPS scores
Individual teachers customize finals for students showing growth according to the district data
Individual classroom parties at the elementary for student performance
Sky Socks reward for upper elementary student achievement
School Board has rewarded teachers showing overall student growth on testing data with an extra personal day
Jeff

37. Curriculum Practices Common Core Aligned with Colorado State Standards
Adopted current curriculum for 21st Century Learning:
SuperKids Reading Program (PK-2)
Treasures Reading Program (3-6)
Every Child a Writer (PK-9)
Concurrent Enrollment College Classes
VNET Classes Available
MCC Online Classes Available
Transition Meetings/Teacher Dialog from one grade to the next
Seek out 21st Century Technology curriculum components
Strong CTE programs incorporated into core curriculum
Jeff

38. Teaching and Learning: Professional Development
All Elementary/Middle School Teachers are required to attend CCIRA each year (close the elementary for a day)
All Staff are encouraged to participate in our ECBOCES trainings and individual conferences for professional growth
Administration at all levels are encouraged to attend trainings
It is our core belief “teachers only getting better by growing individually through professional development of their choosing.”
Teachers helped developed a new salary schedule to reward longevity in the district and continuing education
Jeff

39. District Governance: Instructional Leadership
K-12 Superintendent has 20 years in administration and 8 years as instructional leader.
K-12 Principal has been trained on effective observation and evaluation strategies.
All decisions involved with student learning are made collaboratively amongst all staff and administration.
Jeff

40. Q and A: Superintendent Durbin
Tina

41. Wiggins School District ACT Results
Stephany – our next district is Wiggins, which as you can see closed the ACT gap between FRL and non FRL students.
Black line = non FRL
Red line = FRL
40 juniors 2014/15

42. Presentation: Wiggins School District Practices
Trent Kerr, High School Principal
Tina

43. Raising The Bar
Trent

44. Location/Demographics
Northeast Colorado 60 miles east of Denver on I 76
> 165 High School Students
> 65% FRL
> 37% Hispanic
> Student Teacher Ratio- 18/1
> 97% Graduation Rate
Trent

45. Culture Shift Expectations Teacher Involvement - Teacher Voice
Teacher/Parent Communication
- Constant Feedback
Parental Involvement
- Invite them into school
Community Input
- Community Forum
Teacher/Student/Parent Triangle
Trent

46. Raising the Top Melanie Taylor- Ignacio High School (2011)
> 20% at the top
> 60% in the middle
> 20% at the bottom
- Stop focusing on the bottom 20%
- Drag down another 10-20%
- Focus on the top 20% - Bring up
another 10-20%
Trent

47. What about the Low Kids? Seminar Hour- One on One Instruction
RtI Students
Struggling readers
Struggling math students
GT kids (ALP)
After School Tutoring
RTI-Partnership with Parents
Trent

48. ACT Prep ACT coursework 2011 - Mon, Wed, Fri- 30 min a day
- Don’t allow interruptions-
(No meetings, no pull out)
INSTRUCTORS
Upper Level Math/Science Teacher
Upper Level English Teacher
- Switch teacher each week
Trent

49. Changing to SAT What about the future? Partnering with Edginuity
Kahn Academy
SAT Course built into curriculum
Students go at own pace
Students work from home?
Trent

50. Reading Hour Reading Hour 30 min a day before lunch Tuesday, Thursday
- Meetings, Homework
Monday, Wednesday, Friday
- Report book verbally to teacher
- Students choose whatever book they want to read (No Magazine)
Trent

51. KIS Keep It Simple Don’t be afraid to change - Cultivate Risk Takers
Have High Expectations
- Raise the Bar- Change the Culture
Lean on Staff/Students/Parents
- Give Everyone a Voice
Build Relationships
- Melanie Taylor
- Treat Everyone with Respect
- Truly Care
Trent

52. Q and A: Mr. Kerr
Tina

53. ACTIVITY
Tina

54. PAIR and SHARE
What did the districts have in common in areas such as curriculum, instruction, assessment, and culture?
What stood out as being one interesting and unique practice that a district had to close the ACT gap between FRL and non FRL students?
What are some common barriers that inhibit being able to close the postsecondary readiness gap – what makes it difficult to do this?

55. COLORADO TOOLS
The Colorado Framework for Rural District Excellence is based on the urban research literature, refined by rural practitioners.
Note that these are district practices.

56. Categories/Group Assignments
Teaching and Learning
Curriculum; instruction; assessment; professional development
Leadership and Governance
Instructional leadership; district governance; strategic planning; and performance/accountability
Organizational Structure and Climate
Human resources; financial resources; organizational structure; organizational culture

57. How to Read the Framework
The indicator is the umbrella statement. The elements add up to the indicator.
EG - INDICATOR C-1. The district has a rigorous, effectively articulated standards-based curriculum and sufficient materials and curricular supports to implement the curriculum effectively.
The district has a core academic curriculum that has rigorous student performance expectations defined for each content area.
The district ensures that all teachers and students have standards-aligned instructional materials, including technology, needed to implement the curriculum in all content areas and all grade levels.
The district provides effective curricular supports, such as scope and sequence or pacing guides, and ensures that teachers can effectively teach the curriculum at the appropriate level of depth in the time available.

58. With your table partners, address the following:
Please review and discuss with your table colleagues:
Which of these do you think is the most critical for gap-closure?
What’s missing (if anything?)
Please appoint a note-keeper. We will debrief!

59. Rural Education Research Alliance Facilitation
Shelley H. Billig, PhD
Principal Investigator
Associate Director of REL Central
(800)
Stephany Brown, MPA
Facilitator
(800)
Stephany

60. Presenter Contact Info
Ms. Tina Goar
Colorado Department of Education
Denver, CO
Tonya Rodwell, Superintendent
Cheraw School District
Jeff Durbin, Superintendent
Stratton Schools
Trent Kerr, High School Principal
Wiggins School District
Stephany

61. Please don’t forget to complete your survey.
Thank you so much!
Please don’t forget to complete your survey.