A Primer on U.S. and Texas Accountability Systems

We often get questions about accountability, student testing and what it all means to Mansfield ISD.

The following is based on the Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) Presentation given to the MISD School Board on Tuesday, August 28, 2012 by Dr. Jim Vaszauskas, Associate Superintendent for Curriculum, Instruction and Accountability:

Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) refers to the federally mandated accountability system required by the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB)...

No Child Left Behind

• No Child Left Behind (NCLB) was passed by Congress in 2001.
• In 2002, President George W. Bush signed the bill into law.
• Measures reading and math in grades 3-8 and grade 10.
• Ultimate goal is to have all (100%) children proficient in reading and math by 2014.
• NCLB as originally passed expired in 2007.
• The reauthorization and rewrite of NCLB have stalled in Congress. The House committee and Senate committee that oversee education have completed their respective rewrites but no additional action has been taken.
• The secretary of education is allowing states to apply for waivers, IF they agree to certain stipulations: common core curriculum, college readiness standards, etc.
• Schools are measured in reading and math in grades 3-8 and 10.
• 7 student groups are measured: all students, African American, Hispanic, white, Special Education (SPED), English language learners (ELL), and economically disadvantaged.
• SPED has a 3% cap on modified testing. Students over this cap are counted as failures even if they pass the test.
• Schools typically must meet more than 30 standards. Schools that miss one or more standards are deemed to have missed AYP.

AYP Sanctions

• Schools that fail in one or more categories miss AYP and IF they accept *Title 1 funding are subject to sanctions.
• Sanctions become more punitive for campuses that miss AYP in the same student group and subject over time.
• Sanctions escalate: school choice, tutoring, new curriculum, fire principal and staff, reconstitute school.
• Schools that do not accept Title 1 funding are NOT subject to any sanctions.

The Politics of NCLB

• The Federal Secretary of Education has granted waivers from AYP requirements to 38 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico (as of May 11, 2012).
• Texas is not applying for a waiver.
• Texas' accountability system differs from NCLB in the subjects tested, the student groups counted, passing standards, and sanctions. STAAR passing standards 3-8 will not be set until next year, but the state had to develop a bridge ranking to determine passing standards this year.
• It is possible to be highly ranked on the state accountability system and miss AYP.
• All MISD schools are held to the standards of the state accountability system.
• The federal accountability system (AYP) must be calculated for all MISD schools; however, only 19 of our schools (Title 1) are held to the sanctions.
• AYP has been removed in both House and Senate committee drafts. (However, the law's reauthorization has stalled in Congress until presumably after the Presidential election.)

State-wide Issues

• Approximately 71% of Texas districts missed AYP.
• Alvarado, Arlington, Birdville, Crowley, Dallas, Duncanville, Eagle-Mountain Saginaw, Everman, Fort Worth, Grapevine Colleyville, Grand Prairie, Hurst-Euless-Bedford, Irving, Keller, Kennedale, Lake Worth, Mansfield, Midlothian, Northwest, Plano, Weatherford, and White Settlement school districts missed AYP.
• No make up tests were counted this year.
• Passing standards for STAAR have not been set.
• Texas implemented a completely new criterion referenced test in 2011-12 – State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR) – to replace the TAKS test that had been in existence for eight years.

Mansfield ISD's Response to NCLB

• Campuses (administration and teachers) are aware of their students' performance, both strengths and opportunities for improvement.
• Campus Improvement Plans will address targeted areas.
• Principals of schools that missed AYP will analyze performance data in January for necessary mid-course corrections and interventions.
• Elementary campuses are moving to a more consistent intervention and inclusion (co-teach) model.
• We are continuing to follow our curriculum management plan: three years ago, we trained our employees; two years ago, we wrote our curriculum; last year, we implemented our curriculum; this year, we revised our curriculum based on teacher feedback and we are developing common assessments for k-6.

Additional Staff Development

• Additional intensive professional development for intermediate and middle school math teachers on teaching the hard to reach student.
• Additional intensive professional development for SPED department on SPED Cap requirements.
• Additional intensive professional development for our ELL department on closing the gap.
• We continue to work with our teachers on teaching a guaranteed, viable curriculum.

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*Title 1: To qualify as a Title 1 school, at least 40% of the students enrolled must qualify for the free and reduced meal plan. Mansfield ISD has economically disadvantaged students at all 41 schools, but unless they attend a school where at least 40%  of the student enrollment is on the free and reduced meal plan, they do not receive any federal Title 1 support.
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Related Links:

• No Child Left Behind is showing its age, and AYP has lost its meaning (Fort Worth Star-Telegram editorial)
• Texplainer: What if Schools Don’t Meet Benchmarks? (Texas Tribune)

Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/2012/08/09/4169632/no-child-left-behind-is-showing.html#storylink=misearch#storylink=cpy

Photo credit: atomicity via Flickr Creative Commons

College Colors Day - Friday, August 31

Friday, August 31, 2012 is College Colors Day. Mansfield ISD students and staff are invited to show their school spirit by wearing the colors of their favorite college or university.

College Colors Day is an annual celebration dedicated to promoting the traditions and spirit that embody the college experience by encouraging fans across America to wear their favorite college or university apparel throughout the day.

Participation Gallery: If we receive enough photo submission emails of students and staff showing off their college colors, we'll post them in an online photo gallery. Please submit .jpg files via email to mansfieldisd [at] gmail.com with the subject line 'college colors'.

Also, mark your calendars for Wednesday, October 17, 2012 for this year's Mansfield ISD College and Career Night at Legacy HS from 6:00 - 8:30 p.m.

Introducing Skyward Family Access

We're rolling out a new student information system this year for our families. Skyward Family Access will replace the previous system, Infinite Campus, in 2012-13. Skyward Family Access is a web-based service that allows parents/guardians to view school-related information on their students and hopefully helps answer the question, “What did you do in school today?”

Skyward Family Access is your gateway to student information such as schedules, attendance, grades and more. Information available online includes:

• General student demographic information
• Assignment and term grades as released by the teacher
• Attendance entries
• Current and missing assignments in a custom calendar
• Schedule information
• Immunization records

The information in Family Access is real-time based on data in the District's Skyward Student Information Management System. However, please remember that grades are 'fluid' and change on a daily/weekly basis as teachers add assignments and grades to the system. Parents, you will automatically receive an email inviting you to access the new system in the next few weeks.

There is a Parent and Teacher Login page on our website (www.mansfieldisd.org/skyward.htm) that you may want to bookmark for future reference or just click to it from the homepage. Additionally, please consider adding ‘noreply@misdmail.org’ to your email contacts list to assure Skyward Family Access emails get delivered to your Inbox.

As with any new system, it is important to realize the staff receives training and then puts that learning into action. We appreciate your patience as teachers get accustomed to the work-flow in Skyward. Below are a couple of screen captures of the new Skyward Family Access gradebook and custom calendar:

Updated August 21: We appreciate your patience as we prepare the new system for the 2012-13 school year. We look forward to rolling the Skyward Family Access out to parents in the coming weeks.

Updated August 28: Over the weekend parents received emails for access to the Skyward system. We understand some families are still having some issues with their initial login process. All passwords were reset at 10:00 p.m. on Sunday, August 26. Parents should locate the email that has the subject line ending in "updated 10 PM" for access information. If you have any questions about Skyward Family Access account or passwords, please contact your campus receptionist for assistance.

Feed the Kids for Summer Update

Lynne Clarke of Boy Scout Troop 1993
fills a bag at Feed the Kids for Summer.
Photo: Amanda Rogers, Mansfield News-Mirror

Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/2012/08/06/4159055/common-ground-books-a-success.html#storylink=cpy

Reprinted from the Mansfield News-Mirror
Common Ground books a success

Common Ground served lunch to thousands of local youngsters this summer and dished up a side of reading.

For the past six years, the non-profit charity has run Feed the Kids for Summer, handing out bags of ready-to-eat or microwavable food to youngsters who are on the Mansfield school district's free and reduced-lunch program. This summer, the program quadrupled the number of bags given out in 2007 and began a reading program, loaning and giving out stacks of books, from picture books to chapter books.

"You don't have to say 'Don't forget your book,' they are over there," said Linda Massey, a volunteer at the Bisbee Baptist food pantry, one of 10 participating pantries. "We had one child who said 'I don't really read.' The volunteers encouraged them and they've been back every week. One little boy shows up first every week."

Co-organizer Phil Stover estimates that the program, which runs through Aug. 15, will give out 8,000 bags of food this summer, up from last year's 7,200. The cost will run about $40,000 for the summer, Stover said, which is covered through donations.

The Community Summer Reading Program, run in affiliation with the Mansfield Public Library, received a donation of 5,000 books from Half Price Books to share with the children, who range from age 2 through the sixth grade. Most of those books are gone, says Annette Weber, youth services librarian. The children were given reading logs and, if they return with them each week, they receive a prize from the treasure box. Some youngsters came once, others forgot their reading logs and others filled them up. Students who read at least 10 hours this summer will receive a certificate.

"If kids had parents who live close by, they came consistently," Weber said. "I'm guessing a quarter (of the 800) will turn in their logs, which sounds terrible, but when you consider they might not have read anything, it's good. Even if we don't get any logs back, it's a success because we got books to kids who wouldn't normally have read.

"I think this has been an awakening," she said. "This is something we should be doing."

Retired teacher and volunteer coordinator for the reading program, Dee Lemser, agrees.

"When people are excited about reading, how can you not be glad?" Lemser said. "They can go all over the world in that book. If I were a teacher and a kid showed me their reading list, I would be thrilled. Reading enhances vocabulary and they will do better on tests."

Eddie Jackson, a volunteer at St. Jude Catholic Church's food pantry, knows some children who made the most of the reading program.

"There are three sisters who have each gotten more than 2,000 minutes, one has more than 5,000 minutes," he said. "We got 1,100 books to start and had to get an extra 500."

Massey admits that she had reservations about the program at first.

"I've seen it in action," she said. "I think it feeds their minds."
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On Wednesday, August 8, 2012 a record number of Common Ground Network volunteers worked unloading boxes and bagging of items for the Feed the Kids for Summer program. With so much help they were able to pack over 800 bags (in 33 minutes!) and presented to the 11 food bank trucks. Volunteers are encouraged to help at the final Feed the Kids for Summer program bagging at 6:00 PM on Wednesday, August 15 at First Baptist Church 1800 East Broad Street, Mansfield, TX.

Update: Over $39,000 was donated from the community this year.
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Mansfield ISD is a partner with the Common Ground Network.