Secondary Schools 2011-12 Through 2015-16 To Date Prepared by Debra - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Student Suspensions in RCSD Secondary Schools 2011-12 Through 2015-16 To Date Prepared by Debra Flanagan, Executive Assistant to the Rochester Board of Education 1

Student Suspension Data 1. % of Students Suspended Each Year in Each Secondary School 2. Number of Suspensions per Student: Reflects Extent to which Suspension is used as a Disciplinary Approach 3. Comparison of “Other Disruptive Incidents” to Total Incidents Reported: “Other Disruptive Incidents” are defined according to the outcome , rather than the student’s behavior. For this reason, this category has the greatest subjectivity, potential for misuse, and impact on students’ perception of fairness and justice in school discipline. 2

Percentage of Students Suspended in RCSD Secondary Schools • Five schools have suspended over 25% of their students to date in 2015-16:  Vanguard Collegiate High School (36.3%)  Wilson Commencement Academy (30.8%)  Leadership Academy for Young Men (29.9%)  NE College Preparatory Academy (26.8%)  Monroe High School (25.6%) • A total of seven schools have suspended over 20% of students so far this year:  School of the Arts (24.8%)  East High School (23.7%) 3

Percentage of Students Suspended in RCSD Secondary Schools • Only two secondary schools in the District have had consistently low percentages (i.e. under 15%) of students suspended each year from 2011-12 through 2015-16:  Rochester Early College International High School  School Without Walls Commencement Academy 4

Suspensions Per Student (Total Suspension Rate) • Another important indicator is the number of suspensions issued by a school each year. • A school may suspend a relatively low percentage of students, but impose a large number of suspensions on those students. • Vanguard Collegiate High School has had approximately one suspension per student (1.03) so far in 2015-16 – the highest total suspension rate in the District this year for secondary schools. 5

Suspensions Per Student (Total Suspension Rate) • In comparison, the next highest number of total suspensions per student in 2015-16 are:  Wilson Commencement Academy (0.73)  Leadership Academy for Young Men (0.7)  NE College Preparatory Academy (0.65)  School of the Arts (0.58)  East High School (0.55) • All other RCSD secondary schools have total suspension rates below 0.5 per student in 2015-16 6

Impact of Student Suspension • The data show that Vanguard Collegiate High School has the greatest percentage of students suspended so far this year (36.3%) • Vanguard also has the greatest number of suspensions per student (1.03 per student) • Each of the 192 Vanguard students who have been suspended have had an average of almost 3 suspensions (2.83) so far this year (Total # of Suspensions: 544) 7

A Closer Examination of “Other Disruptive Incidents” • “Other Disruptive Incidents” refers to any violation of the Code of Conduct that results in a particular outcome (e.g. suspension, counseling/treatment program, alternative educational program, etc.) • Any behavior viewed as “disruptive to the educational process” that leads to suspension or other specified outcomes would be included in this category. • These incidents may reflect serious infractions not covered by the other incident categories, but there is no way to know. 8

A Closer Examination of “Other Disruptive Incidents” • The other incident categories are defined according to specific behaviors: Assault; Minor Altercations - physical contact without injuries; Larceny or Other Theft; Drug Use, Possession, or Sale; etc. • If a students’ behavior leads to suspension and does not fit the other categories, the “Other Disruptive Incidents” category can be used. For these reasons, the “Other Disruptive Incidents” category involves the greatest subjectivity, potential for misuse, and impact on students’ perception of fairness and justice in school discipline. 9

A Closer Examination of “Other Disruptive Incidents” • In 2015- 16, the “Other Disruptive Incidents” category accounted for the majority of incidents reported by 7 of the 11 secondary schools:  School of the Arts (76.5%)  East High School (68%)  Leadership Academy for Young Men (68%)  Wilson Commencement Academy (62.8%)  Rochester Early College High School (62.7%)  Monroe High School (61.3%)  Vanguard Collegiate High School (51.2%) 10

A Closer Examination of “Other Disruptive Incidents” • This incident category does not provide any information regarding either:  The specific behaviors involved in the incident; or  The number of these incidents that led to suspension v. other outcomes (e.g. counseling/treatment program, alternative educational program, law enforcement/juvenile justice involvement, etc.) 11

Suggestions • Ongoing monitoring of each school’s use of student suspension:  Percentage of students suspended; and  Number of suspensions per student • More specific guidelines regarding behaviors that could potentially lead to suspension • Obtain additional information regarding “Other Disruptive Incidents”:  The specific behaviors involved; and  The number of these incidents that resulted in student suspension 12