Aurora Central High School Accountability Hearing Rico Munn, - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Aurora Central High School Accountability Hearing Rico Munn, Superintendent Jeff Park, Executive Director, Office of Autonomous Schools (OAS) Gerardo De La Garza, Principal, Aurora Central Kate Garvin, Director of Family Advocacy and Engagement, OAS Knyaw Mu, Parent, Aurora Central High School 1 Every Student Shapes a Successful Future

Overview • History & Context • Office of Autonomous Schools • Implementation of Innovation Plan & Work with External Management Partner • Parent Perspective • Continuing the Work 2 Every Student Shapes a Successful Future

Aurora Central High School: A Snapshot Total Enrollment: 2,044 Race/Ethnicity: • 68.7% Hispanic • 16.7% Black • 5.8% Asian • 3.8% White • 2.8% More than one race • 1.3% Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander English Language Learners: • NEP, LEP, FEP: 56.5% • FELL & PHLOTE: 16.2% Home Languages: 46 Immigrant: 10.5% Refugee: 7.7% Free/Reduced Price Lunch: 67.9% Homeless: 5.6% Gifted & Talented: 2.9% Students with Disabilities: 13.8% 3 Every Student Shapes a Successful Future

ACHS Points of Pride Student & Staff Recognitions: Community & Donor Partnerships: ● ● Home to 2019 Boettcher Scholar ACHS Alumnus donated funds for a new digital ● Home to three 2018 Daniels Scholars marquee in front of the school in 2017 ● ● ACHS students accepted into the prestigious UCD The Denver Broncos and NFL Foundation & Anschutz Medical Campus BA/BS MD Program Grassroots Program provided a $250,000 grant to  Armonium Tsegaye in 2018 install a new turf field in 2019  ● Jesús Dorado Madera in 2017 Community donors funded a new College and  Yishak Bedaso in 2017 Career Center at the school in 2017 ● ● 2019 East Metro Athletic Conference (EMAC) ACHS student leaders are teaming up with Boys Soccer League Champions community partners to organize neighborhood ● 2017 Unified Basketball State Champions clean-up events in 2019 ● ● Home to a 2019 Boettcher Foundation Teacher The Trojan Wellness Center provides free and/or Recognition Award Winner low-cost medical care for ACHS students and ● Home to the 2016 Civic Educator of the Year siblings. Medical, dental and behavioral health Award on behalf of The Civic Canopy services are provided thanks to partnerships with ● Home to the 2016-17 Colorado School Aurora Mental Health, Children’s Hospital Dental Psychologist of the Year (Colorado Society of and Every Child Pediatrics. School Psychologists) & Challenge Denver Education Champion Award Winner ● ACHS Music Teacher Wins 7 Games on Jeopardy! During Season 35 4 Every Student Shapes a Successful Future

Aurora Central High School Pathways Request Aurora Public Schools is asking the State Board to allow Aurora Central to continue implementation of the Innovation Pathway and its Innovation Plan for an additional two years. Through the implementation of the Innovation Plan, Aurora Central has demonstrated improvements in climate and culture and establishing the systems and structures needed to drive academic improvements. In order to see the desired academic improvements, it is critical for Aurora Central to build on this progress, rather than start over with a new Pathway. This additional time would also be consistent with the research that indicates that:  Full school turnaround takes 3-5 years, with larger high schools requiring more time  Successful turnaround requires a school-wide culture shift, often preceding instructional change  Within the first three years of turnaround efforts, evaluators of success can expect to see improvements in leading indicators and progress against baseline data. 1 1 Mass Insight Education & Research, “Aurora Central High School (ACHS) Report on Progress 2015 to 2019,” September 2019, p. 4. 5 Every Student Shapes a Successful Future

Accountability Pathways Statutory Framework • The statutory framework for State-directed Pathways is based on an evaluation of a school or district’s capacity to carry out turnaround work. • C.R.S. 22-11-209 and 22-11-210 are intended to capture the capacity of a district and/or school to: o Plan for, support, and lead school improvement and turnaround efforts; o Implement change; and o Partner with external groups to receive support. 6 Every Student Shapes a Successful Future

APS: 2016-17 Prior to State-directed Action • APS had a District Performance Framework Rating of Accredited with Priority Improvement and was in Year 5 on the State’s Accountability Clock • Early Implementation of Communities Organized to Reach Excellence (CORE) Reform Framework, which was launched in 2015. CORE focuses on:  Increasing District and School Staff Capacity for Change  Shifting the Organizational Culture Regarding Change and Success through:  Communities of Practice  Innovative Systems and Structures  CORE Improvement Strategies and Timeline • APS had never implemented one of the State Turnaround Pathways:  Innovation  External Management Partner  Charter Conversion  Closure 7 Every Student Shapes a Successful Future

APS: 2019-20 • APS has a District Performance Rating of Accredited with Improvement and has not been on Performance Watch since 2016-17. • APS is fully implementing its CORE Reform Framework. Examples include: ▪ Establishing the ACTION Zone, an Innovation Zone ▪ Participating in Communities of Practice, such as University of Virginia Partnership for Leaders in Education, Communities in Schools, U.S. Human Capital Academy, etc. ▪ Implementing a set of district-required actions for each year a school is on the State’s Performance Watch ▪ Pursuing and implementing Early Action of State Turnaround Pathways in two schools in Year 4 on the State Accountability Clock • APS has implemented all four State Turnaround Pathways: ▪ Innovation: APS established the ACTION Zone, an Innovation Zone, with five schools with State- approved Innovation Status, including Aurora Central. ▪ External Management Partner: APS is working with External Management Partners to provide additional capacity in targeted areas at three schools: Aurora Central, Gateway High School and North Middle School. ▪ Charter Conversion: APS has converted Fletcher Elementary School to Rocky Mountain Prep. ▪ Closure: APS closed APS Online and Fletcher Elementary School and proposed the closure of HOPE Online Learning Centers within APS due to underperformance. 8 Every Student Shapes a Successful Future

ACHS Timeline 2015 • Spring 2015: APS investigates turnaround options for ACHS and APS BOE directs district to pursue Innovation Status • June 2015: APS asks CDE to take early action and recognize Innovation as a Turnaround Pathway for ACHS; State Board declines • 2015-16: New Principal Hired and APS begins design work for ACTION Zone and Innovation Plan for ACHS 2016 • May 2016: State Board of Education approves ACHS’ Innovation Plan, but declines to decide whether it will be an approved Turnaround Pathway • 2016-17: ACHS begins implementation of Innovation Plan 2017 • April 2017: State Board Holds Hearing on ACHS after 5 years on the Accountability Clock • May 2017: State Board directs ACHS to implement Innovation Pathway and targeted External Management Partner • 2017-18: Year 1 of implementation of Innovation Status as a Turnaround Pathway and Year 1 of work with an External Management Partner 2018 • 2018-19: Year 2 of Implementation of Innovation Status as a Turnaround Pathway 2019 • March 2019: CDE awards EASI grant to support ACHS’ work with Mass Insight for the 2018-19 and 19-20 school years • 2019-20: Year 3 of Implementation of Innovation Status as a Turnaround Pathway 9 9 Every Student Shapes a Successful Future

ACHS Review & Analysis • Historical Review  Reviewed APS History since 2013  Reviewed History of ACHS since 2013, including State-directed Action in 2017 • Third-Party Reviews  Onsite review conducted by consultant Shelley Billig, formerly of RMC using CDE’s 2015 Diagnostic Review Standards and comparing to previous reviews of ACHS, since she had been a participant in the 2012 and 2014 reviews  Review by Mass Insight over two years of implementation • Internal Review & Analysis  Conducted by APS staff from OAS, Division of Equity in Learning, Research & Accountability, Legal, and Office of Superintendent  Review & Analysis of School-Level Data, Implementation, CDE Progress Monitoring Report, and Billig Consulting’s Third-Party Review • Parent/Family Input  Parents provided input on ACHS’ Innovation Plan through a SWOT analysis  Hosted Parent Coffees and Parents in Action Meetings • Staff Input  Staff participated in External Review  Staff also provided input on ACHS’ Innovation Plan through a SWOT Analysis • Student Input  Students provided input on ACHS’ Innovation Plan through a SWOT analysis 10 10 Every Student Shapes a Successful Future