Raising Expectations for Mathematics Instruction in California: Algebra and Beyond

Ensuring success in algebra for all students involves several key areas of attention and action for districts. These include the creation of a strong K-12 mathematics curriculum, appropriate placement of students in mathematics courses, enhancement of current instructionalcapacity in mathematics, and provision of additional supports for struggling students. In today's fiscal climate, finding funds to address these issues is perhaps the greatest challenge of all, but the recent infusion of one-time funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) may provide new opportunities. This brief draws on dialogue and investigation among the district practitioners, researchers, and policymakers participating in the California. Collaborative on District Reform. In this brief we discuss ways in which districts can approach these issues given the current fiscal and political context in California. We also provide recommendations for strategies the state can use to support districts in these efforts

Improving low-performing schools through external assistance: Lessons from Chicago and California.

This article describes the design and implementation of external support to low-performing schools using data from Chicago and California. Using the literature on external support, instructional capacity, and policy strength, the study gathered data from interviews, observations, document review, and surveys. The findings suggest that the model of assistance employed in both Chicago and California was inadequate to the task. While the policies examined demonstrate recognition that low-performing schools need additional capacity if they are to substantially improve student outcomes, external support providers used limited and haphazard approaches, and as a result, the support component had little influence on teaching and learning. In addition, because the external supports relied on a market-like support structure with few other mechanisms to ensure quality, and because there was limited quantity (intensity) of support, the benefit that external assistance might otherwise have provided was limited. This was particularly problematic for the lowest capacity schools, many of which experienced limited change despite increased educator effort and involvement of external providers. In essence, external assistance through these school accountability policies did little to improve educator and organizational performance

Beyond the School: Exploring a Systemic Approach to School Turnaround

Educators have long grappled with the challenge presented by chronicallyunderperforming schools. Environments that consistently fail to prepare students forhigher levels of education threaten opportunities for high school graduation, postsecondaryeducation, and career success. The U.S. Department of Education reinforcedthe urgency of reversing sustained poor performance in early 2009 when it identifiedintensive supports and effective interventions in our lowest-achieving schools as one ofits four pillars of education reform. However, federal and state policies have oftensituated the cause—and thus the remedies—for persistent low performance at theschool level. This brief uses the experience of eight California school districts—allmembers of the California Collaborative on District Reform—to suggest a more systemicapproach to school turnaround.We explore the district perspective on school turnaround by describing several broadthemes that emerged across the eight districts in the California Collaborative on DistrictReform. We also profile three of these districts to illustrate specific strategies that cancreate a coherent district-wide approach to turnaround. Building on these districtperspectives, we explore considerations for turnaround efforts in the upcomingreauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)

1. External support to schools on probation: Getting a leg up?

In 1996, the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) began implementing a new school accountability policy designed to improve student performance by providing a combination of consequences and support to lowperforming schools. The center point of the accountability system, the Chicago school probation policy, designates schools as being “on probation” if fewer than 15% (later raised to 20%) of their students score at grade-level norms on the Iowa Test of Basic Skills in reading. When placed on probation, schools face the consequences of decreased autonomy and the threat of more severe sanctions. At the same time, probation schools receive direct assistance from several different sources through the policy’s external support system. The purpose of the support is to assist schools in strengthening their internal operations, raising expectations for students, and improving instruction so as to foster increased student achievement. This report is based on a two-year study of the design and implementation of the school probation policy in Chicago’s elementary schools. The school accountability system in Chicago has undergone changes since the end of this study as a result of new district leadership. The system now includes the use of additional assessment data and subject area tests, emphasis on progress and growth, and a focus on all schools. In spite of these changes, the assistance provided by probation managers and external partners has not changed. Therefore, the lessons learned from this study should still be relevant not only to CPS but also to other jurisdictions instituting similar policies

Improving low-performing schools through external assistance: Lessons from Chicago and California.

This article describes the design and implementation of external support to low-performing schools using data from Chicago and California. Using the literature on external support, instructional capacity, and policy strength, the study gathered data from interviews, observations, document review, and surveys. The findings suggest that the model of assistance employed in both Chicago and California was inadequate to the task. While the policies examined demonstrate recognition that low-performing schools need additional capacity if they are to substantially improve student outcomes, external support providers used limited and haphazard approaches, and as a result, the support component had little influence on teaching and learning. In addition, because the external supports relied on a market-like support structure with few other mechanisms to ensure quality, and because there was limited quantity (intensity) of support, the benefit that external assistance might otherwise have provided was limited. This was particularly problematic for the lowest capacity schools, many of which experienced limited change despite increased educator effort and involvement of external providers. In essence, external assistance through these school accountability policies did little to improve educator and organizational performance

Common Core Standards and Math Placement: Lessons Learned, Moving Forward

How will the adoption of the Common Core State Standards influence expectations and practices for preparing students for higher level mathematics?Learn about California's current student placement practices and performance in Algebra I, as well as district and state approaches to achieving access to and success in higher level mathematics.This archived webinar explores issues around the challenges facing school systems nationwide that are trying to navigate evolving expectations for mathematics.Topics discussed include:Findings from an analysis of longitudinal data on the 7th and 8th grade math and Algebra I CST scores of 70,000 California studentsLessons and perspectives from California Collaborative on District Reform districts on student access and success in algebra and higher level mathematicsImplications for the state, especially for 8th grade math, in light of the recent adoption of the Common Core State StandardsOverview of California's Algebra Forum online community and resourc

I. Improving low-performing schools through external assistance: Lessons from Chicago and California. (2009)

This article describes the design and implementation of external support to low-performing schools using data from Chicago and California. Using the literature on external support, instructional capacity, and policy strength, the study gathered data from interviews, observations, document review, and surveys. The findings suggest that the model of assistance employed in both Chicago and California was inadequate to the task. While the policies examined demonstrate recognition that low-performing schools need additional capacity if they are to substantially improve student outcomes, external support providers used limited and haphazard approaches, and as a result, the support component had little influence on teaching and learning. In addition, because the external supports relied on a market-like support structure with few other mechanisms to ensure quality, and because there was limited quantity (intensity) of support, the benefit that external assistance might otherwise have provided was limited. This was particularly problematic for the lowest capacity schools, many of which experienced limited change despite increased educator effort and involvement of external providers. In essence, external assistance through these school accountability policies did little to improve educator and organizational performance

Intraocular pressure rise is predictive of vision improvement after intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide for diabetic macular oedema: a retrospective analysis of data from a randomised controlled trial

BACKGROUND: Intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide (IVTA) is an effective treatment for recalcitrant diabetic macular oedema (DMO). It has been shown to improve vision with benefits persisting up to five years. The most common initial side effect of IVTA treatment is rise in intraocular pressure, occurring in approximately 50% of patients within the first 6 months of treatment. We evaluated whether there is a correlation between the development of intraocular pressure rise and improvement in vision. METHODS: Analysis of individual data from 33 eyes of 33 participants treated with IVTA for DMO from a prospective, randomised, double-masked, placebo controlled trial. The degree of intraocular pressure (IOP) rise was correlated with improvement in best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) at 1 and 6 months. RESULTS: The proportion of eyes gaining 5 or more logMAR letters was higher in eyes with greater IOP rise (p = 0.044). Better absolute improvement in BCVA at 6 months (p = 0.045) was also found in eyes with greater IOP rise. Regression analyses revealed a correlation between IOP rise of 10 or more mmHg and absolute BCVA improvement at 6 months (odds ratio 1.22, 95% confidence interval 1.01-1.48, p = 0.039), but not at 1 month. CONCLUSIONS: IOP rise and vision improvement appear to be correlated following IVTA for DMO, suggesting that the mechanisms that cause both may be linked. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinical trials.gov NCT00167518, September 5, 2005