A reader submitted this information on the Program Evaluation Process:
"Every year, we submit a report to the state re compliance with the WAC (state laws). We were found to be in 100% compliance (zero findings) in our State review (CPR) and were given a commendation as well. If you are interested, here is the language that was submitted.
11.5.A.2 Evaluation of Ability to Meet Academic Needs
Data is available from climate surveys compiled at each school site. We believe that this data helps to inform our office of how well we are meeting the academic needs of these HCP students. The data included is from Cascadia Elementary, which currently has an enrollment of over 750 students, the largest Elementary-level HC Cohort in the District. This data will be analyzed to determine to what extent the students at Cascadia feel that they are content with the decision that they made to join the HCC.
Several questions (on the survey) in particular point to information pertinent to the question of meeting students’ academic needs; first from the students’ then parents’ perspectives:
“I am comfortable asking my teacher(s) for help” =7% negative (responses of disagree or strongly disagree) ;
“Students in my classes help each other learn” =11% negative;
“Students in my classes are focused on learning”=18% negative;
“ I can learn the things taught in school”=8% negative;
“I work hard at school “=1% negative;
“ I complete my schoolwork regularly”= 4% negative.
“I am good staying focused on my goals” = 9% negative;
“It is important to me that I improve my skills this year” =3% negative.
“Adults at school care about me” =4% negative.
“My child is treated with as much respect as other students” =1% negative.
“There is at least one adult in this school I can talk to if I have a concern” =2% negative
“Adults at school care a lot about my child's academic success and personal well being” =4% negative.
“I feel my child is safe at school”=2% negative.
“Teachers at my school know how to meet the specific learning needs of my child” =8% negative.
“My school partners with families to improve the learning environment at school”= 8% negative.
“The school is responsive to the input and concerns of families”= 9% negative.
Other evidence that the HCP is meeting the academic needs of the HCC students also includes:
A) The retention rate of HCC students at Cascadia Elementary School continues to be well over 99%. It is very very rare to have students, parents or teachers initiate the exit procedure at Cascadia.
B) Our office has several instructional specialists who have worked closely with staff from several schools that house HCC students. We have facilitated vertical and horizontal planning and professional development opportunities, especially concerning differentiation of instruction. Due to this close relationship with the teachers, we have first-hand knowledge of the kinds and extent of acceleration that is occurring in HCC classrooms. Generally, ELA teachers are accelerating (thus evaluating students) at standards one to two years ahead of their grade, and math teachers are accelerating (thus evaluating students) at standards up to two years ahead of their grade.
The following comes from the CPR (Consolidated Program Review) report that was submitted earlier this year.
C) HC students, like all students in the District, are expected to make one year’s growth in each academic year. The difference is, that they are making this growth based on an acceleration of between one and two years above their grade level. The evidence of this is submitted to OSPI each year using individual students’ redacted progress reports. The progress report for 3rd grade students at Cascadia show that they are being evaluated at 4thgrade standards in ELA, and at 5th grade standards in math. As 4thgraders, they will be evaluated at 5th grade standards in ELA, and at 6th grade standards in math. Throughout this school year, the AL team has discussed the appropriateness of this as an academic goal. Based on the fact that our District has little to no consistency in the use of achievement tools, the progress report has become the most useful tool in the short term.
D) In December, in advance of the CPR submission, we revisited that topic, and came to consensus on how to set and evaluate academic goals. We were in complete agreement that the progress report was the only tool readily available for this purpose.
E) At that time, we also discussed the use of SBAC data as a measure of academic growth. The CPR submission did contain data from the Cascadia Elementary School Report:
F) 99% of their 3rd, 4th and 5th graders were proficient on the state reading and math tests; 93% of 4th graders were proficient on the state writing test;
G) 100% of 5th graders were proficient on the state science test.
H) All of these are much higher than the District averages.
I) Students at Cascadia ES, (the only magnet school in the District that is comprised solely of HC students), achieved extremely high percentages of proficiency on the ELA and math SBAC.
J) About 90% of the students received scores of 4, and of the tested students, the other 10% received scores of 3.
K) That far exceeds District averages on SBAC that were generally in the range of about 60% of students that achieved proficiency, meaning that they may have only received a score of 3.
L) 100% of students at Cascadia met that standard.
Due to the fact that similar climate data exists at every other SPS site, the HCP has not created a separate survey (especially due to the fact that it would have to be completed by some students but not all students at any given school site). "
In following up I also received this update:
"OSPI changed the guidance on what used to be called the Annual Plan last spring. The plan on file becomes a Comprehensive Plan and is not required to be resubmitted unless substantive changes have been made. So there is no new version of that document. The Consolidated Program Review for 2015-16 is cited. This year OSPI is performing reviews only on departments which had findings last year. Since Advanced Learning was fully compliant, we will not undergo the process this year."
