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LPS Public Visibility
of LPS Student Academic Achievement Progress
![[Under Construction]](images/undercon.gif)
ICAN remains concerned about LPS public visibility of LPS student
academic achievement progress. Significant improvement of such public
visibility is needed for Board of Education meetings, District Achievement Goal,
School Improvement Plans (SIPs) and updates, advisory groups, progress reporting,
publicity, objectionable tactics, and other opportunities as outlined below.
Board of Education meetings:
- Regular meetings:
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Special meetings:
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Workshops
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Executive sessions
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Other "meetings":
District Achievement Goal:
- Goal statements:
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Original (announced on 9/14/06):
"Ninety percent of all students K-10 will be on or above grade level in
reading, math, writing, and science by 2011. The achievement gap in
student performance will be cut in half by 2009."
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Revised ("clarified" on
9/27/07): "Ninety percent of all students K-10 will be on or above grade
level in reading, math, writing, and science by the end of the 2011-2012
school year. The achievement gap in student performance will be cut in
half by the end of the 2009-2010 school year."
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The original five-year
(Board-approved on 9/28/06)
LPS Strategic Plan 2006-2011 [PDF 19KB]
later was quietly revised (without Board public discussion and action) to
LPS Strategic Plan 2006-2007 to
2011-2012 [PDF 19KB] (six years).
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ICAN LPS Proficiency Index:
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Based on CSAP
proficiency percentage levels (Advanced, Proficient, Partially Proficient,
and Unsatisfactory) as reported by CDE for each subject, school, and
district
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Weighted sum of 1.5*A, 1.0*P,
0.5*PP, and -0.5*U
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Excludes "No Score" percentages
from calculations
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LPS Student Achievement Index
(SAI):
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Colorado Student Assessment
Program (CSAP)
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Measures of Academic Progress
(MAP)
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Colorado Basic Literacy Act
(CBLA)
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Other assessments
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Classroom performance
portion (about one-third of total SAI score) is very biased by "grade
inflation" (about 18% more than otherwise-valid SAI scores for 2007 LPS
total) rather than "essential learnings" performance.
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Conclusion:
The current Student Achievement Index is not a valid measure of
LPS student academic achievement progress.
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Administrative work plans:
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The nine focus area statements in
the strategic plan are the same major section headings for the new policy
work plan.
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An analysis of student
achievement indicators to include CSAP, MAP, grades, and performance on
benchmark and classroom-based assessments will be completed annually to
determine progress from baseline data.
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Individual achievement scorecard
will be monitored for each student to assess grade level status.
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Administrative work plans have
not been useful as progress reports conveniently available for reasonable accountability
review by the public.
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District website:
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The
District Achievement Goal is available by the "Achievement
Goal" link on the "DISTRICT INFORMATION" navigation menu, which is
linked to the LPS website home page.
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The district website does not
provide essential evidence that
the LPS Board of Education and the superintendent are willing to be held accountable
for achievement of the
District Achievement Goal.
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School websites:
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Another significant public
indication of lack of ownership for results is that very few schools even
mention the
District Achievement Goal on their school websites.
-
That situation is likely to
continue as long as most LPS schools have so much autonomy (i.e.,
freedom from effective central-administration management).
School Improvement Plans (SIPs) and updates:
- Goals:
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The 2006-2009 SIPs are the school-based action plans for
implementation of the one-page
LPS Strategic Plan 2006-2011 [PDF 19KB]
(approved by BoE on 9/28/06) and accomplishment of the District Achievement
Goal (DAG).
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However, the literal sum of all SIP Student Learning Goals
(approved in Nov/06) is far below the District
Achievement Goal.
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Accomplishment of just the
current SIP goals will not accomplish the District Achievement Goal.
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"Student Learning" SIP goals
usually have only a portion of one of four content areas of DAG.
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Many SIPs do not state targets for 2007 and 2008.
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Large-scale (districtwide) assessment results:
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Colorado Student Assessment
Program (CSAP)
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Measures of Academic Progress
(MAP)
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Colorado Basic Literacy Act
(CBLA)
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Other assessments
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Problem identification:
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Probable cause(s):
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Most SIPs do not identify problem
causes clearly.
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There is little visibility of "root
cause" processes, which use data to indicate significant problems and
successes, to assist in the identification and confirmation of probable
causes, and to show results of corrective actions.
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Corrective action(s):
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Understanding of, agreement
with, and commitment to (UAC) the SIPs:
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Board and superintendent public
commitment to DAG results
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Central administration management
of SIP preparation and evaluation
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Building principals and teachers
UAC to DAG, SIPs, and PLCs
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Use of inaccurate statements and
avoidance of "bad news" disclosures
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Prompt transparency of DAG
detailed results for credible public accountability
Advisory groups:
Progress reporting:
Publicity:
Objectionable tactics (which affect credibility of
some information from LPS sources):
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Obfuscate (hide
or veil the meaning by intentional distortion):
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Stonewall (keep quiet about
"bad news" for a while or forever):
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Shoot-the-messenger (divert
attention to the
bearer of "bad news"):
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Colorado HB08-1186 legislation (exception of certain students' scores
from calculations of a school's academic performance)
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Colorado HB08-1357 legislation (alignment of CSAPs with minimum
federal requirements)
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Reactions by LPS officials to use
of tools that improve public accountability for student academic achievement
progress
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Other
examples
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Other tactics:
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Overemphasis on LPS public image
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LPS unanswered questions that
remain from Board unwillingness to respond to citizen requests for
information
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Responses [PDF
446KB] to LPS CSAP third-grade reading results for the past three
years
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Examples [PDF
205KB] of LPS accountability practices
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Other examples
Other opportunities for significant improvement of LPS
public visibility
Last modified:
07/06/2008
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