DC Public Schools 
Office of Academic Services
Draft High School Reform Proposal
Executive Summary
December 2003

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Executive Summary

A critical component of the District’s High School Reform Initiative involves those schools in improvement status. The District’s Reform effort dovetails with the Comprehensive School Reform requirements under the No Child Left Behind legislations, providing financial incentives and strategic direction to low performing/Title I schools to promote continuous improvement. It is worth noting that seven of the fifteen schools designated as low-performing are senior high schools; four of the seven have newly appointed principals, and at the time of this writing, two additional high schools are at risk for not meeting Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) this year. In addition, three of the high schools, Anacostia, Eastern and Woodson, are schools in improvement and are targeted for transformation.

With the goal of strengthening the foundational elements of reform and providing reform efforts, the Office of the Associate Superintendent for Schools and Transformation entered into a partnership with the George Washington University Center for Equity and Excellence in Education (CEEE). The partnership was solidified to assist schools by providing technical assistance and training in analyzing school improvement plans, documenting plan implementation, monitoring, analyzing plan outcomes, and devising a technical assistance strategy based on the analysis. 

While this plan focuses on low-performing high schools, it is a part of the larger strategy for District-wide school improvement. An extended technical assistance model supported by research and grounded in best practice application will be used for high schools currently in improvement status, those in improvement status with new leaders, and those on the cusp of failure.

To build capacity, enhance meager resources, and solidify intervention strategies, assistance will include prescriptive assessment and will be phase specific. With leadership, instruction, assessment, and standards as progress indicators, plan implementation will be documented in phases which will provide the foundation for an accountability system. The overall system will include a qualitative review process to: help determine school success, compliance with federal and District program requirements, quality of the improvement process implementation and school satisfaction with technical assistance efforts.

At the heart of this high school reform in District of Columbia Public Schools is a relevant and rigorous curriculum for all students. In addition, highly qualified teachers must be able to effectively deliver instructions and appropriate assessments. Finally, high expectations for student learning and achievement must be evident. The two-path system of education — one for the college-bound and one for the workplace bound will be replaced by one comprehensive program. A program that prepares students for both postsecondary and workplace readiness because even those who go to college eventually enter the workplace.

College and Career Preparation for all students have always been important in DCPS educational discussions; however, until recently not much has been done to actuate it. At each high school the instructional programs must be rigorous, meaningful and connected to students’ needs and plans. Every student should be prepared to face the challenges of today’s global, knowledge-based economy, which now requires some postsecondary education. In order for DCPS students to be prepared for both postsecondary education and high skill careers, they need the following abilities:

• to apply academic concepts and skills,
• to solve complicated interdisciplinary problems,
• to work collaboratively,
• to understand systems, and
• to communicate effectively.

With courage, direction and focused resources, we can provide all DCPS students with the knowledge and skills they need to move from high school graduation to postsecondary education or training, without the need for remediation at the postsecondary level.

To be assured that students graduate from DCPS high schools, principals must provide effective instructional leadership as well as sound business and management practices. It is the teachers' responsiility to:

• understand how to present critical ideas in powerful ways,
• adjust instruction to the different learning styles of today’s students,
• be advocates for student learning,
• be capable and knowledgeable in their fields of instruction,
• be diagnosticians,
• be effective planners, and
• be accountable for ALL students’ learning.

While strengthening student learning and supporting academic achievement are our priorities, our instructional programs must be relevant, and we must recruit, develop and retain highly qualified teachers in our high schools. We have the opportunity to engage each high school in Career Academies, providing small school anchors for all secondary students so that they may leave DCPS prepared for success in postsecondary education and/or a career related to their Academy experience.

The framework for improving DCPS high schools will begin with specific attention to the three Reform high schools, Anacostia, Eastern, and Woodson. Although certain projects will be targeted in these three high schools, the remaining high schools may profit from professional development and supportive services. It is expected that all high schools will improve their teaching and learning, resulting in higher student performance in the core academic subjects and the career Academies.

Ongoing activities will require the collaboration and cooperation of departments and divisions within Central Support Services, including the following:

• Creating an environment that is safe and conducive to learning
• Providing rigorous and appropriate academic content
• Engaging parents, communities and businesses in each high school
• Recruiting, hiring and retaining highly qualified school staff
• Integrating academic services for both Special Needs students and English Language Learners

Tasks that support the reform of high schools in:

Curriculum and Instruction

• Analyze the current accepted content and curriculum for Algebra I and creating model content and curriculum
  • Review the model algebra I content with specialists, principals, content specialists, etc.
  • Back-mapping and forward-mapping mathematics from the model Algebra I content
    • Require Algebra I to be taught in each school housing grades 7, 8, and 9
    • Require highly qualified mathematics teachers
    • Consider a policy change requiring that DCPS students enroll in Algebra I no later than 9th grade

Algebra is the foundation of a rigorous curriculum in mathematics. National research demonstrates that Algebra is the “gatekeeper” course for college enrollment (NCES, NELS: 1988/1994). Providing an Algebra curriculum by at least the ninth grade will increase the number of DCPS students prepared to take advanced mathematics in high school, thus increasing the likelihood they will enroll and succeed in college.

• Review teaching loads to determine patterns and practices of assigning students
• ‘Lock-in’ high school Master Schedules with priority scheduling for core academic courses by April 1
• Provide students and teachers schedules for the following Fall term by June 15

Early planning is extremely important when scheduling courses. This will facilitate the meeting of student and teacher expectations, help schools prioritize the selection of courses, and ensure that schools are ready to open in the Fall.

• Pilot SuperLiteracy for struggling 9th grade readers

SuperLiteracy is a research-based approach to reading and vocabulary development. Overall, the method allows students to achieve two years worth of growth per year if all components and implementation strategies are used. SuperLiteracy has been used in 30 locations with under-achieving, dyslexic or learning disabled students over the last 35 years.

• Institute and mandate reading classes for all high school students scoring below basic on the Stanford Achievement Test (SAT9)
• Align current core academic curriculum and requirements of career academies

The Stanford Achievement Test, Ninth Edition is one of the most respected norm-referenced tests commonly used by school districts today. Tests include comprehensive survey measures in reading and mathematics. While the tests do not yield detailed diagnostic information, they do provide comprehensive information on broad curriculum areas such as reading comprehension as well as more specific skills such as phonics and computation skills.

• Institute vertical teacher/principal teams by discipline with each high school and the feeder middle and junior high schools.
• Create summer high school classes for acceleration, graduation course requirements, and intervention/credit
• Provide at least two world languages be offered for students at each high school
• Mandate at least one writing assignment in each class every 10 days 
  • Year two, mandate at least on writing assignment weekly

Writing is essential to educational and career success. Writing allows students to "connect the dots" in their knowledge and is central to self-expression and civic participation. “The Neglected R” report (2003) by the National Commission on Writing says, "Students must struggle with the details, wrestle with the facts, and rework raw information and dimly understood concepts into language they can communicate to someone else. In short, they must write."

Tasks that support the reform of high schools in:

Professional Development

• Contract with The College Board for professional development for teachers and principals
  • Schedule Preliminary SAT (PSAT) analysis training sessions with principals, assistant superintendents and counselors
  • Schedule PSAT analysis and review by subject specialists for revisions to the DCPS curriculum

The PSAT/NMSQT® (Preliminary SAT®/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test) measures the verbal, math, and writing skills that students have developed over the course of their education. Typically, students take the PSAT/NMSQT in their junior year of high school. It's also beneficial for sophomores and younger students to take the test to get a head start on improving academic skills needed for college. It serves as a valuable tool to assist students, parents, and schools with early college preparation and planning.

The College Board is a national nonprofit membership association whose mission is to prepare students for college success and opportunity. Founded in 1900, the association is composed of more than 4,500 schools, colleges, universities, and other educational organizations. Each year, the College Board serves over three million students and their parents, 23,000 high schools, and 3,500 colleges through major programs and services in college admissions, guidance, assessment, financial aid, enrollment, and teaching and learning.

• Engaging DATAWORKS to complete the analysis of reform high schools and provide interpretation and professional development for teachers, counselors and principals

DataWorks Educational Research collects, analyzes, and uses real student data to drive educational reform to improve student achievement. DataWorks has analyzed student achievement data for over 600,000 students at 600 school sites, collected and calibrated 1,000,000 samples of student work for alignment to standards, conducted 10,000 classroom observations, and administered 200,000 stakeholder interviews and surveys.

• Train teachers to incorporate the SuperLiteracy into the curriculum
• Define and initiate delivery of the Principals’ Institute

This Institute is intended to comprise a basic set of in depth professional development activities for every principal in the District. All principals will be expected to participate actively in the Institute or produce portfolio evidence that they already have the knowledge, skills and dispositions that are the focus of the Institute.

• Require all career academy teachers to be certified.
• Provide SAT9 professional development for teachers
• Mandate professional development for educators to increase skills, identify deficiencies and provide early student interventions for mathematics and reading
• Require each Advanced Placement (AP) teacher to be trained
  • Re-training every 3 years
  • Schedule AP teacher professional development during summer

Through college-level AP courses, students enter a universe of knowledge that might otherwise remain unexplored in high school. Through AP Exams, students have the opportunity to earn credit or advanced standing at most of the nation's colleges and universities. More students need to understand that it is possible to be successful in higher level courses and to use the resulting endorsement as access to other educational and career opportunities.

Tasks that support the reform of high schools in:

Climate and School

• Engage DATA WORKS to complete analysis of reform high schools and provide interpretation and professional development for teachers, counselors and principals
• Review all high school Master Schedules to determine patterns of setting priorities for core academic courses and recommended revisions and professional development
  • Provide professional assistance to create an educationally-based Master Schedule
• Require all academies to obtain accreditation
• Considering a partnership with The College Board College Success Initiative
• Investigate and determine the feasibility of The College Board for long-term support for small high school design at the reform high schools
• Transform school counseling services and role of Central oversight
  • Require at least one high school counselor have skills to lead college counseling and scholarship services.

Central office leadership is vital for steering counseling professionals and school administrators in compliant practices with federal regulations, national counseling standards and maximizing capacity through continual professional development opportunities.

• Institute support for all middle, junior and high schools to prepare for Middle States Accreditation (MSA) and/or continuing to meet MSA criteria

The Commission on Secondary Schools (CSS) was established by the Middle States Association (MSA) to promote the improvement of secondary education and to secure better coordination and understanding between secondary schools and institutions of higher education through the geographical area served by the Association. Accreditation is the affirmation that a school provides a quality of education that the community has a right to expect and the education world endorses. Accreditation is a means of showing confidence in a school's performance.

• Require all students in the top 75% of the junior class to apply to at least one 2 year or 4 year college by the end of the first semester, senior year

Access to college seems to be a difficult task and a challenge to the confidence of many students. There is growing evidence that more students can move from high school to post secondary and college. By counseling and coaching students in high school we will see a learning of the relevance to pursue college immediately or later in life.

• Strengthen higher education partnerships with each high school
  • Consider the value of a Middle College with at least one reform high school

Often, high school students thrive when working in smaller classes and having challenging teachers. The concept of the Middle College is to address high school students who lose interest in school and who may drop out of school, thereby lowering their opportunities to pursue a college education. Students participating in a Middle College environment are given college-level work in their junior and senior years.

• Support extra-curricular activities for all students---clubs, music, athletics, debate team, etc.

The arts promote the understanding and sharing of culture, social skills, unity and harmony, they enhance cognitive and perceptual skills, and serve as vehicles for cultural identity and free expression. Activities widen a student's perspective on the world and allow him or her to go into something in-depth and gain self-confidence.

• Create an Advanced Placement diploma or endorsement on DCPS high school diploma for students that score 3 or above on at least 3 Advanced Placement courses.

Tasks that support the reform of high schools in:

Assessment and Evaluation

• Require all students in grades 10 and 11 to take the PSAT
• Analyze data by school
  • Recommend that all students scoring 60 or greater enroll in an Advanced placement course
  • Spanning the next 2 years, decrease the Advanced Placement Score by 5 points each year to 50
• Provide SAT9 review material for students prior to taking the spring assessment
• Encourage all 11th and 12th grade students to take the SAT
  • Provide SAT Prep for students planning to take the SAT
• Institute district wide End-of-Course exams
• Institute technology-based formative, benchmark and summative assessments in core academic subjects.

The SAT® I: Reasoning Test is a three-hour test that measures two sets of skills -verbal and mathematical reasoning -- that students need to do college-level work in any academic area. About 2 million students take it every year.

• Complete full implementation of technology support for principals, teachers and students (DC Stars/eSIS)

Facilitating the retrieval of student data – test scores, school populations, movement within the school system, etc. – is crucial to the ultimate success of DCPS students as well as teachers, principals, and administrators. DC Stars is a student information system and will provide significantly improved information for students, parents, teachers, and administrators.