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[Lessons from Successful Schools]{.smallcaps}

Archived Information

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[U.S. Department of Education]{.smallcaps}

[Office of Vocational and Adult Education]{.smallcaps}

> 2005

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height="1.0993055555555555in"}

[Lessons from Successful Schools]{.smallcaps}

**[Prepared for:]{.smallcaps}**

U.S. Department of Education

Office of Vocational and Adult Education

**[By:]{.smallcaps}**

Shelley H. Billig

*RMC Research Corporation*

Ivonne I. Jaime

Andrew Abrams

Matthew Fitzpatrick

Ellen Kendrick

*U.S. Department of Education*

*Office of Vocational and Adult Education*

2005

This report was produced under U.S. Department of Education Contract No.
ED-99-CO-0160 with MPR Associates, Inc., by RMC Research Corporation.
Ivonne Jaime served as the contracting officer\'s technical
representative. The findings highlighted in the report are those of the
authors and while four are employees of the Office of Vocational and
Adult Education, this report does not necessarily represent the
positions or policies of the Department of Education. No official
endorsement by the U.S. Department of any product, commodity, service,
or enterprise mentioned in this publication is intended or should be
inferred.

**[U.S. Department of Education]{.smallcaps}**

Margaret Spellings

*Secretary*

September 2005

This report is in the public domain. Authorization to reproduce it in
whole or in part is granted. While permission to reprint this
publication is not necessary, the citation should be: U.S. Department of
Education, Office of Vocational and Adult Education, *Closing the
Achievement Gap: Lessons from Successful Schools,* Washington, D.C.,
2005.

This report is available on the Department's Web site at:
www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/OVAE.

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Acknowledgements\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\....iv

Executive
Summary\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\....1

Introduction, Methodology, and School
Selection\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\.....5

Commonalities Among Successful
Programs\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\.....10

Site
Profiles\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...19

Del Valle High
School\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\....20

El Camino High
School\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\.....26

Florin High
School\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\....31

> North Central High
> School\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...38

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The authors wish to thank Hans Meeder, former Deputy Assistant Secretary
and Braden Goetz, Director of the Policy, Research and Evaluation Unit
at OVAE for their assistance and guidance throughout the project.
Without their support, we would not have been able to conduct the focus
groups that allowed us to gain insights into how comprehensive high
schools are narrowing or closing the achievement gap.

In addition, we would like to extend our gratitude to Mary Ann Strassner
for her assistance with editing and to Diane Draper for her graphic
design.

**Closing the Achievement Gap:**

**Lessons from Successful Schools**

**[Executive Summary]{.smallcaps}**

he declaration that *"all children can learn"* has characterized
American education over the past decade. Yet, the issue took on
increasing importance with the passage of the No Child Left Behind
(NCLB) Act in 2001 that requires all states and districts to report on
their progress in closing the achievement gap between minority students
and their white peers. NCLB calls for the development of accountability
systems that hold schools responsible for improved student performance
based on the outcomes of specific population, along with increasing
overall levels of achievement. Achievement data are used to identify
schools needing improvement and to inform decisions ranging from
adjusting lesson plans at the local level to targeting resources at the
state level. In this new era of accountability, the performance of all
students is counted and schools must help every student to succeed.
While many schools are struggling to address this challenge, others have
made progress in closing the gap between groups. This report recounts
how four high schools were able to narrow or completely close the
achievement gap and sustain their success over time.

The four high schools described here are all large comprehensive public
high schools that serve large percentages of minority students. They
were selected based on their four-year record of narrowing or closing
the achievement gap in reading and/or mathematics. The schools were:

-   **Del Valle High School in El Paso, Texas,** a school that
    completely closed its achievement gap between Hispanic and white
    students in mathematics;

-   **El Camino High School in Oceanside, California,** a school that
    narrowed its achievement gap in mathematics by 24 percentage points
    and in reading by 14 percentage points for Hispanic students;

-   **Florin High School in Sacramento, California,** a school that
    narrowed its achievement gap in reading by 10 percentage points for
    African-American students and by 14 percentage points for Hispanic
    students; and

-   **North Central High School in Indianapolis, Indiana,** a school
    that narrowed its achievement gap in English/language arts by 10
    percentage points and in mathematics by 15 percentage points for
    African-American students.

To understand how they were able to narrow or close the gap, the U. S.
Department of Education (ED) held a series of focus groups with
administrators and teachers in December 2004. The groups explored
teaching and learning strategies in the content areas, culture and
school climate issues, leadership for change, and the change process
itself. Common themes included the following:

**[School Culture]{.smallcaps}**

**High expectations for student achievement.** Schools exemplify high
expectations by eliminating remedial classes and offering more demanding
courses such as honors, Advanced Placement (AP) and International
Baccalaureate (IB) classes. Schools also encourage minority students to
enroll in demanding classes through targeted outreach by counselors and
teachers and/or open enrollment. Expectations are high for teachers as
well and teachers are given decision-making authority to implement
changes directed toward increasing student achievement.

**Learning supports to help students meet expectations.** Educators at
each of the schools put into place tutoring, study skills programs, and
other supports to help students become proficient in reading and math.
Teachers also provide personalized attention to students on an on-going
basis to support the higher expectations. Teachers themselves receive
support in the form of professional development on effective teaching
strategies for reading and math.

**Emphasis on accountability and assessment to determine when additional
help is needed.** Accountability is emphasized in each of the successful
schools. Teachers and administrators analyze data from state and school
level tests to guide changes in curriculum and instruction. Classroom
assessments are often used to see which teaching strategies work best
with specific populations of students. Many of these educators feel that
student achievement is a joint responsibility of teachers and students.

**Collaborative and optimistic attitude.** Adults in the schools are
passionate and enthusiastic about their schools and the schools'
accomplishments. They accept no excuses and consistently tackle tough
challenges, saying that if they work together, they can succeed.
Teachers in these schools collaborate often and share ideas for how to
improve. They work with parents and community members in establishing a
culture of success at the school.

**[Curriculum and Instruction]{.smallcaps}**

**Curriculum alignment and standards-based instruction.** All of the
educators stress the importance of teaching the state and district
content standards that reflect expectations for knowledge and skills in
the content areas. Staff from the schools aligned their curriculum with
state and local standards and to state and district assessments.

**Changes in class schedules to allow more time for instruction.**
Administrators recognize that more time is needed to teach such critical
core subjects as Algebra I. Class schedules are typically changed in
order for teachers to have longer blocks of time that allow for
instructor-led as well as applied instructional strategies.
Administrators recognize the need to change classroom practices to allow
students the opportunity to practice skills.

**Engaging teaching techniques.** Teachers recognize that students learn
better when they find their classes more interesting and personally
relevant. Teachers in these schools use individualized instruction,
hands-on teaching techniques, and strategies that specifically teach

students how to take notes, organize their thinking, and solve problems.
In addition, technology is used as a tool to engage learners.

**[Leadership for Change]{.smallcaps}**

**Change is difficult, but necessary.** Administrators and teachers said
the process of change was very hard, but change was necessary in order
to improve the achievement levels of Hispanic and African-American
students. These educators were and are motivated to ensure that all
students succeed.

**Leadership and resources.** Sometimes the teachers lead, while at
other times the administrators lead the change. Regardless of who
directs the process, sufficient resources are needed to provide funding
and time for professional development, materials acquisition, and
student support services.

**Federal and state policies serve as catalysts.** The move toward
standards and accountability at the national, state, and local levels
clearly serves as a motivator for change. However, the specific ways in
which change occurred were based on local decisions.

The report that follows provides details of the focus group study and
the common themes that emerged. Brief profiles outlining these themes
and the key strategies used by the schools relating to school culture,
curriculum and instruction, and leadership are also presented.

**[Introduction]{.smallcaps}**

n December 1, 2004, the Office of Vocational and Adult Education (OVAE)
at the U.S. Department of Education (ED) sponsored the Closing the
Achievement Gap Focus Group meeting. The purpose of the meeting was to
explore how large comprehensive high schools were able to narrow the
achievement gap while maintaining high student retention and graduation
rates.

Teams from four schools were selected to participate based on an
analysis of four years of disaggregated school-level mathematics and
reading state assessment data.[^1] These schools demonstrated success,
over a period of years, in narrowing the achievement gap between
African-American and/or Hispanic students relative to their white peers.
For California and Texas, the four year span examined was from 1999
through 2002, for Indiana it was 2000 through 2003. In addition, the
most recent data on the schools was reviewed to ensure that schools were
still addressing the academic needs of minority students. The schools
included in these focus groups were:

-   **Del Valle High School in El Paso, Texas.** This high school, with
    a 97% Hispanic student population, was selected because of its
    ability to close the achievement gap in mathematics. Hispanic
    students at Del Valle passed the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills
    (TAAS) in 2002 at the same rate as white students at the state
    level.

-   **El Camino High School in Oceanside, California.** With a
    population of almost 3,000 students, this high school was selected
    because of its ability to narrow the achievement gap for Hispanic
    students in mathematics and reading. The school achieved a 24
    percentage point reduction in the math achievement gap and a 14
    percentage point decrease in reading.

-   **Florin High School in Sacramento, California.** This large high
    school, with a predominantly minority population of 2,300 students,
    was selected because of its ability to narrow the achievement gap in
    reading for African-American students by 10 percentage points and by
    14 percentage points for Hispanic students.

-   **North Central High School in Indianapolis, Indiana.** The third
    largest high school in the state of Indiana was selected for its
    ability to narrow the achievement gap for African-American students
    by 10 percentage points in English/language arts and 15 percentage
    points in math.

Data collected during the meeting consisted of two rounds of 90-minute
focus groups and one 60-minute whole group session. These conversations
helped researchers gather important information about each school's
characteristics, the school change process, school culture and climate,
and the role of curriculum and instructional practices in promoting
minority student achievement. In order to capture information from those
most directly involved, each school selected a team comprised of the
principal; mathematics department chair; English/language arts
department chair; and either the district superintendent, the assistant
principal in charge of curriculum, or teachers with subject matter
expertise to participate in the focus groups.

**[Methodology]{.smallcaps}**

A two-step selection process was used to identify the schools that would
eventually participate in the Closing the Achievement Gap Focus Group
meeting. The initial screening to identify sites came from an analysis
of publicly available school-level data collected from states meeting
the following criteria:

-   Standards-based or norm-referenced high school level assessment in
    mathematics or English/language arts/reading;

-   Data available for at least 4 years;

-   State assessments had not changed for those years; and

-   Data available disaggregated by race/ethnicity at the school level
    for each year.

During the winter of 2003 data were collected from the 10 states and the
District of Columbia that met the criteria. The data gathered from all
locations are available from the National Longitudinal School Level
State Assessment Score Database (NLSLSASD), at
[www.schooldata.org](http://www.schooldata.org/). The NLSLSASD is an
effort funded by ED to collect data from state testing programs across
the country.

**[School Selection]{.smallcaps}**

Once these data were collected, state-specific lists of schools were
developed to identify schools with consistently narrowed achievement
gaps between white and minority students.[^2] The study design allowed
for the identification of schools in all or just one of the four gap
measures established for the study and depicted below. ^3^

**[Exhibit 1: Four Gap Measures]{.smallcaps}**

­

With these state lists as starting points, the following criteria were
applied to identify the most promising candidates for participation in
the focus group meeting:

-   Completely closed the gap or achieved a gap decrease of at least 10
    percentage points in two of the following gap measures:

    -   African-American students' reading test scores;

    -   African-American students' mathematics test scores;

    -   Hispanic students' reading test scores; and/or

    -   Hispanic students' mathematics test scores.

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-   Enrolled at least 750 students;

-   Had a minority enrollment of at least 30 percent of the school's
    total enrollment; and

-   Had promoting power of at least 60 percent.^4^

Using the criteria, a total of 21 schools were identified. The four
schools that were selected and that agreed to participate in the meeting
had very strong holding power and continued to show, based on an
examination of their most recent data, an ongoing commitment to
decreasing the achievement gap within their school. Data from the four
selected schools are presented on the next page.

^4^ Promoting power is a term first used in the 2004 report, *Locating
The Dropout Crisis* by Robert Balfanz and Nettie Legters from Johns
Hopkins University. The ratio compares the number of freshmen at a high
school to the number of seniors four years later. The same methodology
for calculating promoting power used in the Balfanz and Legters study
was used to identify schools for the *Closing the Achievement Gap Focus
Group* meeting.

**[Exhibit 2: High Schools Selected to Attend Meeting]{.smallcaps}**

+------+-----------+-----+--------+----------+-------+-----+-------+
| **   | **School  | **  | **Gap  | **Gap    | **    | **P | *     |
| High | D         | Cur | Decr   | De       | Enrol | erc | *Prom |
| Scho | istrict** | ren | ease** | crease** | lment | ent | oting |
| ol** |           | t** |        |          | ^5^** | ^6^ | Po    |
|      |           |     | **M    | **R      |       | M   | wer** |
|      |           | *   | athema | eading** |       | ino |       |
|      |           | *Pr | tics** |          |       | rit |       |
|      |           | inc |        |          |       | y** |       |
|      |           | ipa |        |          |       |     |       |
|      |           | l** |        |          |       |     |       |
+------+-----------+-----+--------+----------+-------+-----+-------+
| Del  | Ysleta    | P   | ***Clo |          | 1,796 | 97% | 85%   |
| Vall | In        | aul | sed*** |          |       |     |       |
| e^7^ | dependent | P   | gap    |          |       |     |       |
|      | School    | ear | for    |          |       |     |       |
|      | District, | son | Hi     |          |       |     |       |
|      | ***TX***  |     | spanic |          |       |     |       |
|      |           |     |        |          |       |     |       |
|      |           |     | st     |          |       |     |       |
|      |           |     | udents |          |       |     |       |
+------+-----------+-----+--------+----------+-------+-----+-------+
| Fl   | Elk       | Phi |        | **       | 2,301 | 38% | 85%   |
| orin | Grove,    | lip |        | ^^**10% |       |     |       |
|      | ***CA***  | Mo  |        | point    |       |     |       |
|      |           | ore |        | decrease |       |     |       |
|      |           |     |        | for      |       |     |       |
|      |           |     |        | African  |       |     |       |
|      |           |     |        | American |       |     |       |
|      |           |     |        | students |       |     |       |
|      |           |     |        |          |       |     |       |
|      |           |     |        | **^^**  |       |     |       |
|      |           |     |        | 14%      |       |     |       |
|      |           |     |        | point    |       |     |       |
|      |           |     |        | decrease |       |     |       |
|      |           |     |        | for      |       |     |       |
|      |           |     |        | Hispanic |       |     |       |
|      |           |     |        | students |       |     |       |
+------+-----------+-----+--------+----------+-------+-----+-------+
| N    | MSD       | C E | *      | **       | 3,115 | 37% | 89%   |
| orth | W         | Qua | *^^** | ^^**10% |       |     |       |
| Cen  | ashington | ndt | 15%    | point    |       |     |       |
| tral | Township, |     | point  | decrease |       |     |       |
|      | ***IN***  |     | de     | for      |       |     |       |
|      |           |     | crease | African- |       |     |       |
|      |           |     | for    | American |       |     |       |
|      |           |     | Afri   | students |       |     |       |
|      |           |     | can-Am |          |       |     |       |
|      |           |     | erican |          |       |     |       |
|      |           |     | st     |          |       |     |       |
|      |           |     | udents |          |       |     |       |
+------+-----------+-----+--------+----------+-------+-----+-------+
| El   | Oceanside | #   | **^  | **       | 2,935 | 46% | 95%   |
| Ca   | Unified,  | ##  | ^**24% | ^^**14% |       |     |       |
| mino | ***CA***  | Dan | point  | point    |       |     |       |
|      |           |  Da | de     | decrease |       |     |       |
|      |           | ris | crease | for      |       |     |       |
|      |           |     | for    | Hispanic |       |     |       |
|      |           |     | Hi     | students |       |     |       |
|      |           |     | spanic |          |       |     |       |
|      |           |     | st     |          |       |     |       |
|      |           |     | udents |          |       |     |       |
+------+-----------+-----+--------+----------+-------+-----+-------+

^5^ School characteristic data---enrollment and percent minority---are
for the 2001-2002 school year, which is the most recent data available
from the Common Core of Data (CCD). The CCD is a data collection program
of the U.S. Department of Education\'s National Center for Education
Statistics, http://nces.ed.gov/ccd/.

^6^ Percent minority reflects the number of African-American and
Hispanic students as a percentage of total school enrollment.

^7^ Del Valle is a school with only one minority subgroup. If a school
only had one minority subgroup, either African Americans or Hispanics,
it was identified as a school that narrowed or closed the gap for this
subgroup and did not have to meet the "two gap measure criteria."

**[Commonalities Among Successful Programs]{.smallcaps}**

While each of the schools that participated in the Closing the
Achievement Gap Focus Group meeting had unique features, a set of
important common practices emerged. These practices were identified
during focus groups sessions. Sharing these practices may be instructive
for other educators that are coming together to tackle the disparities
that exist in our nation's educational system. The key strategies
identified are grouped around the core themes of school culture,
curriculum and instruction, leadership for change, and lessons learned.

**[School Culture]{.smallcaps}**

Each of the schools developed a culture that supported their success.
The school cultures featured high expectations for student achievement;
learning supports, such as after school programs and tutoring, to help
students meet expectations; an emphasis on accountability and assessment
to determine where additional help was needed; and a collaborative and
optimistic attitude among faculty and staff. Specific strategies for
accomplishing these changes included the following:

***High expectations for student achievement***

In all the schools, educators believe that students can and will
succeed. Expectations that reflected this belief were articulated in
multiple forms. Most of the schools eliminated remedial courses and now
offer a variety of advanced courses including honors, Advanced Placement
(AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) classes. They strongly
encourage Hispanic and African-American students to enroll in these
courses. One school, in particular, conducts outreach that includes
working closely with parents and counselors of eighth grade students to
identify the specific sequence of high school courses that students
should take in order to enroll in advanced

courses. Two schools have open admission to AP courses and another
school has a redesigned curriculum that emphasizes college preparation.

High expectations were also in place for the adults in the building. In
several of the sites, administrators served as facilitators or coaches
that empowered staff to make changes. Administrators took on a
supporting role ensuring that teachers had the fiscal and/or human
resources needed for their efforts to raise student achievement. At most
sites, administrators helped to develop strategies for success and
removed any barriers that stood in the way of teachers being able to
implement their plans.

***Learning supports to help students meet expectations***

To help ensure that high expectations would be met, educators at these
sites have strong student support systems in the form of tutoring and
other skill building programs. Three of the four sites provide a program
that specifically teaches study skills. Educators from all of the sites
provide personalized attention to the students to nurture their success.
Teachers receive supports for student learning in the form of
professional development. Teachers receive professional development in a
variety of ways, ranging from selecting workshops from a menu of options
offered by the district through required attendance at workshops that
took place in the school, facilitated by department chairs. Most of the
professional development focused squarely on instruction.

***Emphasis on accountability and assessment to determine when
additional help is needed***

Educators from the successful schools strongly emphasize accountability
for students and adults in the building. Teachers pay attention to both
state- and classroom-level test scores and adjust their instruction to
address areas of student weakness or to refer students to tutoring or
other

support as needed. Many of the schools assess students' knowledge and
skills often, either using standardized tests or teacher-created
assessments. Several of the educators from these schools feel strongly
that students and adults are jointly responsible and accountable for
student learning.

***Collaborative and optimistic attitude***

> Teachers themselves were enthusiastic supporters of their departments
> and schools, and principal set the tone of high expectations for staff
> as well as students. Teachers spoke of many meetings and dialogues
> over lunch and planning periods to discuss how to improve achievement
> both in general and for specific students. Parents and community
> members were also involved in sharing the responsibility of
> establishing a culture of success, often donating time and funds,
> working with the students at home, or providing time and effort to get
> the students to Saturday and summer programs.

In several of the schools, teachers were empowered to create changes in
curriculum and instruction, with administrators providing the supports,
such as professional development, needed by staff to bring about the
changes. Leaders believed that this combination provided more incentive
to change and a more positive culture for change. Most schools started
with a small core of committed or motivated staff, but over time
involved all of the teachers in the department.

**[Curriculum and Instruction]{.smallcaps}**

Educators from successful schools made changes in both curriculum and
instruction. In order to implement the changes coming from either their
state's standards movement or based on classroom observations, teachers
became more standards-oriented. They aligned the curriculum with the
state's and district's expectations of what students should know and be
able to do and with state and district assessments. Administrators
changed school schedules into longer blocks of time to facilitate
instruction in critical content areas. Finally, teachers make
instruction engaging for students, increasing its relevance and rigor.
Specific strategies for accomplishing these changes included the
following:

***Curriculum alignment and standards-based instruction***

Educators from each of the schools emphasize the importance of standards
in shaping the curriculum. In each case, teachers and/or administrators
engaged in curriculum alignment efforts to make sure that instruction in
reading and math directly covers the expectations for what students
should know and be able to do as expressed in state and district
standards. They also aligned their curriculum to what is being measured
by the state and district tests. Staff from two of the schools use the
alignment process, along with an examination of student test scores and
classroom observations, to decide the most important standards to
address. In addition, staffs from all of the schools examine the
performance of subpopulations of students to determine which topics in
reading and math need to be either reviewed or taught differently.

***Changes in class schedules to allow more time for reading and math
instruction***

Administrators from these schools often adopt different class schedules
to offer more time for instruction, especially in math. Some provide
block schedules that give teachers 90 minutes of uninterrupted time
others have double-blocks where the first class period is used to teach
a lesson and the second is used to ensure that students have an
opportunity to practice what they learn.

***Engaging teaching techniques***

Many of the teachers from the successful schools use highly engaging
teaching techniques that their students find more relevant and
meaningful and that promote success. These techniques include hands-on
activities, and individualized instruction that meet the needs of
different types of learners. Teachers say that some instructional
approaches are especially helpful to students. For example, teachers
specifically recommend demonstrating ways in which problems can be
solved so students develop better ways to analyze information. Teachers
often show students how to organize and assemble information, and how to
take and organize lecture notes. They give students time to practice
answering test questions using the same answer sheets that are used for
the state assessments. They provide time for students to discuss books
and math problems with each other to help them to understand difficult
concepts. Teachers also spend more time teaching vocabulary and use
technology more often.

**[Leadership for Change]{.smallcaps}**

Narrowing the achievement gap was not easy for any of these schools and
was often prompted by a review of test scores and/or observed general
low levels of student performance. The change process required many
hours of examining multiple types of data, from assessments to personal
observations, to determine what needed to change. Once specific concerns
were identified, further work was needed to pinpoint those strategies
that needed to be implemented, how they were to be implemented and by
whom. While the pathway to change varied among the schools, some
commonalities were found in the way that changes were led.

***Change viewed as difficult, but necessary***

Leaders and those responsible for implementing school improvement did
not think the change process was easy or quick. Many discuss the long
hours and hard

processes it took to make changes in the school. But while change is
viewed as difficult, all of the educators feel strongly that it is
necessary. The need for change in many of these schools was prompted by
a review of disaggregated test scores, which led to the discovery of an
alarming gap between groups. At one site, clear evidence that students
were disengaged served as the catalyst for change.

***Leadership and resources***

In these successful schools, change was led sometimes by teachers and
other times by administrators. Educators feel that it does not matter
who leads the change but that the change needs to involve at least a
core of people at the school. No matter who led the initiative,
respondents felt that administrators had to allocate sufficient
resources for change to occur and be sustained. Resources, in the form
of funds and time, are used for professional development, materials
acquisition, and student support services.

***Federal and state policies as catalysts***

Changes in federal and state policies, specifically those that called
for standards-based instruction and assessment are clearly seen by these
educators as the primary motivators for change at the schools. However,
the specific ways in which change occurred were local. Details are
presented below.

-   **At El Camino High School,** a strong core of teachers led the
    charge to increase achievement scores and help struggling English
    language learners. Core groups of English and mathematics teachers
    were assisted by leaders within the social studies department that
    undertook the mission of coaching students to help them improve
    study and notetaking skills and classroom behavior, in order to
    enroll in AP classes. The district supported the school by
    sheltering it from having to implement educational interventions not
    directly aligned to the school's core mission. A strategic plan now
    guides all activities and is monitored by the community, staff, and
    students.

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-   **North Central High School** attributed its success to stable,
    responsive leadership. With the enactment of state standards,
    stronger graduation requirements, and the need to raise the
    percentage of students in advanced courses, the principal and staff
    began to examine student achievement and were appalled at their
    collective lack of success. In the late 1990s, only 40 percent of
    their nonwhite students were passing the state test. The principal
    challenged the staff to do better and asked department chairs to
    coordinate efforts to improve achievement. Teams of educators
    examined the research on achievement of minority students, visited
    schools that had high academic achievement, and engaged in extensive
    curriculum alignment efforts. Faculty incorporated instruction
    focused on meeting standards into their daily practice. The district
    provided support in the form of funding and substitute teachers to
    support time for vertical teaming. Teams formulated plans for
    improvement and found that having a written plan inspired more
    commitment and facilitated change.

-   **Florin High School** also had a leadership model wherein multiple
    teacher teams and departments shared responsibility for change with
    the administrators. Each department was given latitude in its
    approach to change. The impetus for change came from teachers
    noticing that students were not reading well and did not enjoy the
    reading process. Using a site-based management approach, teachers
    decided to build a culture for success, taking the lead in
    determining solutions and allocating professional development hours
    and budgets. They examined student work and identified what they
    needed to do to improve student achievement. They set goals for
    reading that included numbers of pages to be read. Each grade-level
    team had a portfolio that included information on student
    performance on all of

> the learning objectives, and they discussed student assessments on a
> regular basis. The district facilitated change by helping with
> monitoring, but otherwise served more as a resource for removing
> impediments rather than as leader for change.

-   **Del Valle's** former principal created a sense of urgency and
    challenged teachers to promote achievement for all students. This
    sense of urgency prompted teachers to work together to generate
    common curriculum aligned to standards, common lesson plans, and
    common tests. The principal checked in often and provided help as
    needed in the form of university resources and professional
    development. The district allowed the school to develop its plan and
    budget, while conveying high expectations and providing assistance
    when asked.

In general, school staff said that state and federal goals, guidelines,
and regulations simply formed the backdrop for their efforts. The
emphasis on standards and accountability placed a spotlight on the need
to change and served to motivate them. In some sense, these same
emphases frustrated them because they could not accomplish all that they
wanted in the context of rising expectations and budget cuts. However,
most said that rigorous requirements coupled with both financial and
human support enabled both them and their students to make positive
changes. The tangible evidence of success and sense of community
engendered by the improvements buoyed them and helped them to sustain
their efforts.

**[Challenges and Lessons Learned]{.smallcaps}**

The road to success was not without difficulties, and many of the
schools continue to address the ever-changing challenges that arise due
to changes in policies, funding, and student demographics. One of the
current issues being faced by the schools is working with students with
poor literacy

skills with few or no staff certified to teach reading. In addition, all
of the groups wished they had more time and funds for in-depth
professional development. Some noted that there were insufficient
supports or programmatic options available for academically gifted
students. Some wished for more funding to provide additional support
services to struggling students.

During the whole group debrief, participants were asked to reflect on
what advice they would provide school administrators and teachers in the
beginning phase of addressing achievement gap issues. Several common
themes emerged including:

-   Expectations must be high and consistent for all students with a
    variety of support services in place to help students reach those
    expectations;

-   Schools must use data to identify deficiencies and to drive
    instructional decisions;

-   Talent, creativity, and resources are present in schools and must be
    channeled in constructive ways to address the academic and social
    needs of minority students. These resources include highly dedicated
    and motivated teachers along with supportive leadership;

-   Working collaboratively in developing and aligning the curriculum is
    paramount to student success; and

-   Leadership for change can come directly from the departments charged
    with narrowing the gap as long as they are given the appropriate
    resources, professional development, and administrative support.

Focus group participants strongly urge educators to develop a vision,
rally a core set of teachers willing to lead the change, and, in the
words of one participant, "just get going and don't be afraid." While
the journey is difficult, the yield is worth the effort. As can be seen
in the quotes provided, educators in the focus groups were passionate
about their progress and believe that, with teamwork and effort, all
schools can narrow or close the achievement gap.

**[Site Profiles]{.smallcaps}**

The following section includes short profiles for each of the sites that
participated in the focus group meeting. The school profiles illuminate
the change process at each site, including the practices or strategies
that served as the basis for the reforms and the roles of educators and
administrators in implementing these changes. The profiles closely
reflect the way that the participants addressed questions, so what
appears as a culture issue in one school profile may be portrayed as a
curriculum and instruction issue in another profile. This is due in part
to the connections between the strategies examined under each of the
three themes explored in the report -- school culture, curriculum and
instruction, and leadership for change. A good example of the links
between themes is the introduction or expansion of advanced courses by
schools. The specific reasons for why the strategy was implemented
varied by site; some saw it as a strategy to improve the culture of the
school and others as a strategy to increase the rigor of the curriculum.
Regardless of the initial reason cited, in order for schools to address
the academic disparities that exist between minority and non-minority
students a variety of complementary strategies that support the change
process were implemented.

The site profiles are written in the present tense, yet readers should
note that the information presented reflects program practices at the
time the focus groups were conducted in December 2004. To ensure that
the profiles captured correctly the change process, school-level teams
from each site reviewed the profiles in the spring of 2005.

**[Del Valle High School, El Paso, Texas]{.smallcaps}**

Del Valle High School, with 1,800 students of predominantly Hispanic
heritage was selected to participate in the Closing the Achievement Gap
Focus Group meeting because of students' mathematics performance on
state assessments. Between 1999 and 2002, Del Valle completely closed
the achievement gap in mathematics for Hispanic students, who comprise
97 percent of the student population at the school. Data from the Texas
Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS) for school year 2001-2002 showed no
difference between the Hispanic percent passing rate at the school and
non-minority students at the state level. A Title I^8^ designated school
because of the high percentage of students eligible for free and reduced
lunch, the school has a very strong record for retaining students with a
94 percent attendance rate, a 0.7 percent annual dropout rate, and a
graduation rate of 88 percent.^9^

***School Culture***

The principal attributes Del Valle's success in closing the achievement
gap to the school's philosophy of meeting the academic needs of all
students. The changes at Del Valle began in 1996 with a group of
dedicated teachers who wanted to "do right" by their students. These
teachers believed that students could achieve at high levels, and saw
working together on curricular alignment as a strategy to improve their
teaching practice and, at the same time, improve student performance.
This core teacher group, many of whom were on staff when the school
opened in 1987, was able to build a culture where students are valued
and supported. Staff at Del Valle felt "This was our time to create a
culture for our school. I think that's basically what has carried the
people who have stayed \[regardless\] of the problems that have

^8^ Title I of the *No Child Left Behind* Act provides financial
assistance through state educational agencies (SEAs) to local
educational agencies (LEAs) and public schools with high numbers or
percentages of poor children.

^9^ Information based on data provided by the Texas Education Agency in
its Academic Excellence Indicator System for the 2001-2002 school year.

come. You never lose sight that you wanted the school to succeed,
because you know you could and you knew the kids could." This shift was
particularly notable given the constant change in administration. As one
staff member stated, "We've never had a principal that's graduated a
freshman class."

The turnover in leadership resulted in many schedule changes over the
last 12 years. In 1999, the school used multiple schedules including
four-by-four blocks. Now the school uses an alternate-day A/B block
schedule^10^ except for Algebra I, which is 90 minutes all year long.
This change was implemented based on input received from staff,
especially the mathematics department chair. The change allows ongoing
reinforcement of concepts, and permits staff to work on common lesson
plans, administer common classroom tests, and have common conversations
that facilitated the alignment process. In many ways, these
conversations also support the development of a cohesive school culture
that values success for both students and teachers by providing staff
with the opportunity to shape how curricular reforms are implemented at
the classroom and school levels.

Another factor that spurred the discussions of curricular issues was the
development of the state's accountability system. According to staff,
"Testing actually brought a lot of people together to start talking
about what works, and what doesn't work." This process has taken time,
conversations, and professional development to incorporate state
standards into the curriculum and to develop classroom assessments that
measure progress towards these standards. According to one educator, "I
think that, that \[during\] the last 10 years there has been a lot of
dialogue about how to teach students and what actually is working or
not."

^10^ In an alternate-day or A/B block schedule, classes meet in blocks
of time every other day for the entire\
school year.

The statewide program also changed, moving from a first generation
system that only assessed growth in mathematics and reading to a more
comprehensive testing program. Starting in 2003, assessments were given
in the four main content areas: mathematics, English/language arts,
social studies, and science. This shift also broadened the conversations
from just some to all faculty members in the school.

The process used by the mathematics department to align curriculum and
instruction to state standards and assessments is now guiding the
reforms in other content areas. The accountability system prompted staff
unity around the core mission of the school, so that all staff members,
regardless of their content area, work together. One educator noted,
"(Now) everybody is in the same boat as we are \[English department\] .
. . and they've seen the difficulty and they've seen the need for strong
reading skills and everyone's just sort of joining in as a team."

In addition to the more structured conversations around curricular
alignment, the culture of the school supports the informal sharing of
ideas. According to one staff member, "If somebody discovers something
new or just experienced a great lesson, there is the urge to run across
and tell someone and share it." The more experienced math teachers have
opened their classrooms to beginning teachers, explaining, "We want them
to see some really good lessons and so these teachers are watching other
teachers to learn about instructional as well as classroom management
techniques." Over the years, the conversations helped to clarify the
goals of the school and increased the sense of ownership the staff has
for the success of its students.

***Curriculum and Instruction***

The high school graduation requirements at Del Valle include 4 years of
mathematics, social studies, science, and English. With state policies
that set Algebra I and geometry as requirements for graduation, these
guidelines put pressure on the math department to develop a set of
intervention strategies to achieve these goals. The interventions
include higher standards, no remediation classes, block schedules, and
instruction based on student performance. To support an approach that
uses targeted instruction to address students' deficiencies, the school
maintains

individual student achievement profiles and utilizes support teachers
for mathematics, reading, and writing.

Del Valle considers Algebra I a foundations course. All freshmen who
enter the high school without Algebra I coursework are placed in a
double block (90 minutes) of Algebra I. No textbooks are used.
Curriculum development is a continuous process where the state standards
serve as the foundation for the course and benchmark assessments drive
the development of the next lesson. This intensive intervention is done
with extensive supports for both the teachers and the students. The
department chair serves as a support teacher for the Algebra I classes,
acting as a mathematics resource, modeling lessons, creating lessons,
and developing the classroom tests that benchmark progress. According to
staff "\[We\]'ve been successful . . . not because we have Algebra I all
year, because other schools have tried it, it's because we work together
as a team."

To support ongoing curriculum development; the school master schedule
was developed to ensure that all mathematics and English teachers have
common planning times. Having a dedicated time to meet also facilitates
department-wide professional development days, "It's not one grade level
doing this, it's the whole department that has this staff development,
and \[we\] work through the issues so everybody is on the same page."

In addition to its innovative curriculum development and instructional
approaches, Del Valle offers a wide range of student support services,
including after-school and Saturday tutoring. In the mathematics
department, the department chair encourages "teachers to put packets
together for kids that are behind, and they come in for Saturday
tutoring. That's pretty successful for kids that want to catch up or
want to pass."

***Leadership for Change***

The changes began with a group of dedicated teachers in 1996 and were
further stimulated with the introduction of the Texas Essential
Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) in 1997. According to

staff, many things hindered progress including a lack of understanding
of the accountability system and the constant changes in leadership. To
address this and other issues, Del Valle formed leadership teams,
established collaboration with the local university to support
professional development, and created a campus action plan.

As groups began working on addressing the challenges faced by the
school, the mathematics department met to identify what was causing low
student performance. They found that the two biggest factors were that
classroom assessments were not aligned to the Texas Essential Knowledge
and Skills (TEKS), and students had varying degrees of knowledge as they
entered geometry and Algebra II. To address these problems, Del Valle
decided teachers to improve instruction through alignment of curriculum
using state standards (TEKS) and aligning department tests to what is
being taught.

Teachers received support in implementing the needed changes, including
professional development at both the school and district levels. The
school district collaborated with a local university to provide focused
professional development in the early stages of TEKS implementation. The
collaborative partnership with the university developed at the same time
the district implemented site-based management because they believed
that in order to change instruction you have to "empower teachers to be
leaders of the school."

Staff credits much of the success the school has experienced to the
flexibility allowed within a site-based structure as well as the sense
of control and sense of ownership that it instills in staff. "You have
the flexibility within your budget to implement those strategies that
meet the needs of your students, and you never have to justify it."
Site-based decision-making provided the school with the opportunity to
develop a program that addresses the needs of the students attending Del
Valle High School. One educator explained, "Just because one school has
been successful with some things does not mean its going to be
successful somewhere else, you have to look at your kids."

Due to the success of the mathematics department in promoting minority
student achievement, Del Valle began implementing similar strategies
across the English/language arts, science, and social studies
departments. Based on the mathematics strategies, the English program
adopted several proactive strategies. All freshmen that enter Del Valle
with reading/writing deficiencies, take English 9 and Reading 9 courses.
The English/language arts courses are aligned to state standards, with
one course reinforcing writing (English 9) and the other comprehension
and analysis (Reading 9). Common planning periods for all English and
reading 9th-grade instructors were implemented.

English/language arts instructors in the 10th, 11th, and 12th grades
also have common planning periods. The result is that the reform
strategies that began with the mathematics team and were used to guide
change in the English department are now also taking hold in the science
and social studies departments.

Because of the heavy emphasis on the four content areas, the principal
is employing a distributive leadership style. "I am trying to let
department heads have more control over their divisions . . . and
develop how we're going to move forward from where we are now." The
principal feels strongly that "it was the leadership capacity within the
school that drove the desire to get better, "and it will be teacher
leadership that continues to drive the reforms needed in the content
areas and throughout the school." Through the use of a book study group,
he is ensuring that the entire faculty has an opportunity to discuss
school priorities since "every last person in the school needs to be
involved for us to be successful."

Reform is a continuous process and Del Valle has identified strategies
to support its ongoing success in closing the achievement gap. Plans
include continuing the alignment of state curriculum (TEKS) to what is
tested (TAKS), modifying department tests to ensure alignment to
curriculum and students' deficiencies, and actively visiting student
placement.

**[El Camino High School, Oceanside, California]{.smallcaps}**

El Camino High School is a comprehensive high school in a mixed
socioeconomic area of Oceanside, California. Forty percent of the
school's nearly 3,000 students are white, 33 percent are Hispanic, 13
percent African-American, and 12 percent Asian. Between 1999 and 2002,
El Camino significantly narrowed the achievement gap between Hispanic
students and nonminority students by 24 percentage points in mathematics
and 14 percentage points in reading.

The school maintained its graduation rate as Hispanic students'
achievement was increasing. According to state calculations, the
official graduation rate in 2002 was 97 percent. In addition the Common
Core of Data maintained by the U.S. Department of Education shows that
the school maintains fairly constant enrollment across grade levels with
96 percent of students enrolled in the 9th grade in 1999 still in the
school for their senior year. The number of students receiving free or
reduced price lunch held nearly constant as well, dropping by only 3
percent between 1999 and 2002.

The demographic profile for El Camino's students has also been stable
through the past 5 years. An estimated 15 to 20 percent of students at
the school are from military families affiliated with the nearby Marine
base. Parents in the typical military family are described as "enlisted,
not officers . . . not college educated."

Stability is also a feature of leadership at the school. The current
superintendent has been on the job since 1999, and El Camino's
mathematics and English departments are still chaired by the same
teachers as in 1999. There have been some changes in the principal's
office over the years, but leadership has generally come from inside the
district.

The school is organized as a traditional high school. The organization
of the school is largely based on academic departments, and it is out of
the academic departments that leadership for change emerged during the
school change process.

***School Culture***

El Camino staff speaks of a time when the school seemed to reflect the
low expectations that often were found in a school with a demographic
profile similar to El Camino's. "Prior to 1990," one educator explained,
"most of our students graduated high school with remedial . . . courses
. . . \[The teachers\] felt these students \[could\] not do it."
Disciplinary problems with students were not uncommon. Now, a very
different culture may be found at the school. The school eliminated all
remedial courses, "raising that bar" by increasing the academic rigor of
every class offered in the school. The staff passionately describes how
expectations were raised for all students, creating a "success culture
among kids" and affirming, "We believe that all students can do it." The
school adopted a policy of zero-tolerance toward violence, which
fostered a safe environment.

To engender a sense of community and positive spirit across different
subjects, students participate in "warm up" activities that begin at or
before the beginning bell each period. These activities include
provision of practical information to help students; for example, to
learn to use planners, take notes, and acquire study skills. In
addition, teachers received training on classroom discipline and all new
teachers undergo professional development on the El Camino disciplinary
practices so that students in all of classrooms receive the same
messages regarding rules and expectations. Because "every teacher told
the students the same thing...it got every student on that campus
knowing how to get organized." Staff describes the atmosphere as "more
professional" and "more serious."

***Curriculum and Instruction***

The largest change at El Camino High School has been the elimination of
all remedial classes. All academic courses now meet California's A to G
requirements for admission into either the University of California (UC)
or California State University (CSU) systems. The result of these policy
changes is a notably cohesive and demanding program for all students.
"We don't track," according to one educator. "We don't have different
levels of Algebra I. Algebra I is Algebra I is Algebra I. . . . the
Hispanic students, the African-American students, they have everybody

equal within that class." El Camino also expanded its Advanced Placement
(AP) offerings, and last year over 600 of the students participated in
AP courses. Over 1,200 students took AP exams. This is nearly four times
the number of students enrolled in AP courses in the early 1990s.
Students of all ability levels were encouraged to enroll in AP courses,
and the staff speaks emphatically about the importance of getting
students to participate in AP, saying, "When you go into our AP classes
. . . you don't see a sea of white faces. You see Hispanic faces, black
faces, you see Pacific island faces, and you see white faces."

The increase in rigor heavily impacted the English department at El
Camino. Before, "the English teachers perceived themselves as being
literature teachers and every kid was supposed to read a core novel at a
grade level." At that time, the staff focused on material with which
they were most comfortable, without the direction needed to create a
coherent, rigorous departmental program of study for students. Now,
remedial courses have been eliminated, and the remaining courses have
been redesigned, aligned with state content standards, and modified to
meet the rigorous college-preparatory A to G requirements.

The mathematics department incorporated similar reforms, eliminating all
mathematics courses below Algebra I. Within the context of more rigorous
expectations based on higher standards, the mathematics department now
embraces a program they referred to as "reform math," which relies
heavily on using a variety of instructional techniques and
manipulatives. "We realized kids learn differently . . . " they
explained, "and we looked for a way that had different strategies built
in."

With assistance from the state of California and the U.S. Department of
Education's Office of Civil Rights, the district developed a master plan
for serving English language learners. The plan sets forth a very
structured system to classify students according to their English
language attainment and outlines a specific program to integrate these
students into regular English language classes and help them succeed.
These English immersion classrooms have nearly the same content as other
classrooms. "In other words, whether you have a lot of EL learners in
the class or not, the curriculum is exactly at the same place whether
it's algebra or geometry," according to the teachers.

El Camino provides a variety of support services to help struggling
students meet the school's high expectations. School leaders point to
Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) as a support program
that is a particularly important part of their success. The AVID program
provides a range of services, including tutoring and senior seminar, for
academically average students. AVID students, identified as having more
potential than their grades might indicate, are enrolled in more
advanced classes than in the past, including AP. Tutors are brought in
from neighboring universities, and AVID students receive counseling and
encouragement to continue on to postsecondary education.

All students at El Camino can receive tutoring in academic subjects
after school and during lunch, usually from the same person teaching
their classes. The counselors at the school are also exploring how to
develop interventions for seniors who are at risk of failing the state
high school exit exams.

***Leadership for Change***

The changes El Camino experienced over the past decade were led by a
group of teachers committed to raising expectations and eliminating
remedial courses. This group was "a core of very highly-qualified,
motivated staff who have kept the flame alive making sure that every
student has access to the highest levels of instruction." Because the
leadership for change came from within the faculty, changing principals
did not impede progress. "It would not have made an enormous
difference," recalled one leader who was there throughout the change
process, "because the staff built the program, and the program was
succeeding in spite of some administrative faux pas."

This core group of teachers, which spanned multiple academic
departments, was aided significantly by leaders within the social
studies department. In the early 1990s, the social studies department
undertook a "mission" to coach students on improving study and
note-taking skills, classroom behavior, raising expectations, and
enrolling in more advanced classes. The social studies department began
the drive to expand AP course offerings, and the implementation of the
classroom discipline program.

Throughout the change process, the district played a facilitating role,
monitoring El Camino's progress, celebrating its successes, including
publishing in the local paper the names of every El Camino student who
passed state exams. The district sheltered the school from participation
in reform efforts being implemented in neighboring schools, and, with
community help, providing funds for El Camino students to take AP
courses and tests. The district maintains a strategic plan that is
updated and administered by members of the community, staff, and
students.

The reforms at El Camino predated many state and federal efforts to
raise academic standards. When California began testing students, and
requiring districts and schools to align curriculum to standards, El
Camino had already laid a foundation for implementing improvement. Staff
teams in Grades 6-12 formed horizontally and vertically to align
curriculum with state standards and eliminate duplication and remedial
courses. El Camino English department staff credited the state standards
with motivating teachers to "switch more to a skills-based approach."

El Camino's curriculum alignment teams refine their work each year.
Benchmark exams at each grade level are used to track student
achievement and drive curricular reform among the horizontal teams. At
the outset of each year, teachers at El Camino examine academic
achievement data for both the students they taught the year before and
the students they will teach in the coming year. This process enables
them to understand the instructional approaches that appear to be
working best and both customize and improve lesson plans for the coming
year.

El Camino's leadership team lauds the state and federal standards-based
educational approach since it helps them "look at the assessment of the
kids, and make decisions with the data, \[paying attention to\] what the
data and what the results show you, so when you make education and
instructional decisions . . . they are now based on assessments and data
. . . . You're improving, you're changing or adjusting instruction." At
El Camino, it is teachers who initially focused on student outcome data,
and it is the same core group of teachers that continue to engage in
improvement, implementing high expectations for all students and closing
the achievement gap.

**[Florin High School, Sacramento, California]{.smallcaps}**

Florin High School is a comprehensive high school located near
Sacramento, California. With a diverse student body of approximately
2,300 students of African American (22%), Hispanic (19%), and Asian
(34%) descent, this school was able to narrow the achievement gap
between nonminority students and African-American and Hispanic students
in reading and language arts. Between 1999 and 2002, the gap narrowed by
11 percentage points for African-Americans and by 14 percentage points
for Hispanic students, even while the percentage of students eligible to
receive free/reduced price meals remained fairly constant at 50%. The
gap in mathematics achievement scores also narrowed between
African-American and white students by 7 percentage points from 1999 to
2002. Over this period of time, the school's graduation rate remained
constant at about 84%. Over time, the percentage of students whose first
language was not English grew considerably, adding to the challenge of
raising achievement scores and closing the achievement gap. Florin's
teachers were undaunted by the challenge, though, and described their
efforts that led to success.

***School Culture***

The culture of Florin High School nurtures the feeling of being a
community of learners. Educators have a "can-do" attitude, valuing
approaches to instruction that are culturally relevant and
"accountability-driven." School representatives attribute the success of
the English department to a climate where "kids appreciate and see value
(in) reading materials that reflect who they are."

Teachers model the same enthusiasm for learning that they try to
stimulate in students. English/language arts teachers reported that they
read the same books as the students thereby creating a mutual
appreciation in which students were "giving us recommendations,
\[while\] we're giving them recommendations." Teachers in other
departments ask what students are reading because of the level of
enthusiasm displayed by students across classrooms. The school fostered
success by holding a schoolwide contest for the greatest number of books
read. The winners of

this contest were announced over the intercom, and students stood up and
cheered---a prime example of a community in which the value of reading
was shared.

Florin High School educators have high expectations for success, both
for students and by teachers. Students were required to read 1,000 pages
of literature per semester each year of high school. This requirement
was linked to student grades, thereby demonstrating its importance. To
ensure that students were being challenged, they were encouraged to read
books of increasing difficulty. One teacher kept what was called an "A"
list---a list of books of increasing difficulty to which the teacher
referred the students, as they become better readers.

Educators at the school also allowed open admission to the school's
honor courses, disseminating information about the program to virtually
all students and admitting all interested students to one or more
courses regardless of previous grades in the subject as long as the
students received academic counseling. To enroll, students only had to
present a packet of his/her best work and obtain parent permission.

Florin developed a system to support the culture of high expectations,
especially for those students enrolled in honors courses. According to
one educator, 'We let them know that . . . you may have some holes in
your skills, so when we get to that point in the honors class, you're
going to have to seek tutoring in the library or come to \[the teacher\]
and we're willing to help you." Teachers also support students through
dialogue about books, such as "book talk" in which teachers try to
motivate students into reading books by talking about their most
interesting plot elements before students select books from the library.

Another form of support is the Advancement Via Individual Determination
(AVID) program, which is designed to support students, especially those
enrolled in advanced classes, by teaching study skills including note
taking and organization. AVID teachers review the notebooks for each
class, check grades, monitor student progress, and provide after-school
tutoring. AVID offers tutoring groups twice a week and mentoring
opportunities for students enrolled in the program.

***Curriculum and Instruction***

The entire curriculum at Florin is based on standards and is
continuously revised in light of student performance and external
demands. While the state prescribes 25 to 30 standards for each core
subject, it only tests about 10 of them on the state testing (STAR)
system. The school therefore interprets these 10 as the most important
standards and spends professional development days sequencing the
curriculum around these "power standards." The standards also give focus
to instruction, both for honors courses and "intervention courses" for
students who do not pass all parts of the California High School Exit
Exam (CHSEE).

In order to monitor the degree to which instruction is aligned with
these standards, teachers in different disciplines administer classroom
assessments; that is, formative assessments that "drive instruction and
performance in a classroom." These assessments are collected on a daily,
quarterly, mid-semester, and semester basis and are analyzed for broad
areas of student weakness. If English assessments are especially weak in
basic grammar skills, grammar becomes something the school emphasizes.
Florin also created a double-block intervention to help students master
algebra. In addition, the high school engages in vertical alignment with
the middle schools by assessing students entering 9th grade to provide
the proper interventions.

To help students achieve in English language arts, the curriculum has
been revised to include the extensive use of trade books to supplement
the textbooks. As one educator pointed out, "There are not books in
their homes so we have to be the resource for those books. And there is
not, for the most part, even if they have the books, the time or the
place for them to sit and read for half an hour, so again, we have to
provide that at the site if we want that to happen."

The trade books are selected to appeal to students who are at different
reading levels. Focus is also placed on identifying books that represent
multiple genres and are culturally relevant. As one English/language
arts teacher said, "Part of what really drove \[our text selection\] was
our desire to be able to put into their hands, literature indicative of
who they were . . . and accessible." Care is taken to help students
select books of high interest just above their reading

ability level in order to provide a challenge.

The librarian plays a critical role in guiding students to select
reading materials, both helping the students when they go to the library
and presenting information about books to them in their classrooms. The
librarian conducts "Book Talks" by specifically suggesting which books
will appeal to students. After the presentation, students are encouraged
to come into the library and

check out the books that are of interest to them. Ninth- and tenth-grade
teachers also maintain classroom libraries of high-interest books so
that books are easy to access. Instructional practices in reading also
reflect the culture of higher expectations. For example, rather than a
simple book report or fill-in-the-blank type assessment, English
teachers practice the "book interview" assessment. The teacher opens the
book randomly and reads passages, asking students to talk about what is
happening in that section of the book. This lets the teacher know that
the student actually read the book and provides an opportunity to
debrief on everything that students read. The school also provides time
for "sustained silent reading" where one day a week in their English
class, students are allowed to read a book of their choice for one class
period.

Care is taken to make the mathematics curriculum standards-based and to
provide students with adequate support to succeed on the mathematics
portions of the state exit exam. The mathematics team reported doing
"spiral testing" in all the mathematics classes so that each student
would see the same concept or state standards at least five times before
the class moved on to a new topic. For support, the school operated
"math camps" and seminars on Saturdays as well as "cluster classes," in
which students who had not passed all parts of the test were clustered
together in one class and provided with extensive and intensive support.
This strategy was successful in attracting students: of the 400 students
who needed to pass the exit exam, 289 attended the Saturday seminar.

The double-block Algebra I class for students who did not pass algebra
in middle school also supported student success. During the first hour,
the teacher identifies areas of challenge for

students and teaches the skills necessary to keep up with the rest of
the Algebra I students at the school. During the second hour, the
teacher helps the students do their "homework" in class. In this way,
students learn good study and work habits along with learning important
content.

Extensive after-school tutoring is also available weekly in mathematics
and other subject areas. The tutoring sessions are primarily staffed by
mathematics teachers who use both structured classroom approaches and
one-on-one assistance. Students can come into the library and have free
homework time when they are not receiving one-on-one services. For every
12 hours they participate in tutoring, students receive one unit of
elective credit. To maintain the integrity of the process, there are
safeguards: students must sign in and out of the tutoring sessions and
they have to report to the program on time. Transportation home is also
provided.

The school makes extensive use of technology to support learning
including the computer lab located in the library and used during
after-school tutoring. This availability has helped bridge the divide
between home and school access to technology. Through the school's Web
site, students can access online databases that allow them to complete
research from home. In addition, many of the online resources are
available in a range of readability levels.

***Leadership for Change***

Many of the changes at Florin High School have been generated by an
ongoing evaluation of student work and data rather than a sudden shift
in expectations. The changes in the reading curriculum, for example,
occurred when teachers noticed, "Our kids were looking at reading as a
chore. We wanted to create a culture of reading at our school. That was
our goal."

Leadership is clearly distributed between the principal and teachers,
with multiple teacher teams and departments being more frequently cited
as the leaders of various changes in the school. An example is the
English department, which is "very concerned about performance data."
Another example is the collaboration between the English department and
the librarian to create the schoolwide literature program.

The degree of autonomy the library and English department had to create
its reading program is, in part, a reflection of site-based management
at work. The school opened its doors with a site-based, decision-making
model, and the teachers "always felt empowered to make those kinds of
decisions for students. We've \[teachers\] always felt that ability has
rested with us . . . and that responsibility has rested with us." For
example, the teachers always felt empowered to select the specific books
that they believed students would want to read. By sending lists of the
titles directly to parents at the beginning of the year, the school
avoided the lengthy district approval process and has direct connections
with parents to form a partnership for student success.

The team described its teacher leadership as having a "can-do"
mentality. "At no time do we sit around and say, well we just can't do
it because the community doesn't support us, or we have these terrible
state budgets. We determine that at this site, we're going to find the
solution. Whatever we have to do, we're going to find the solution . .
.. We can't control what's happening out in the community. We can't
control what's at the state. We can control our site, and we do
everything within our power to find solutions at the site that are going
to enable our students to succeed."

Other teams that work closely together are the "intervention" (state
exit-exam remediation) team, the language arts steering committee, and
the state-standards writing team.

While there is some district involvement in leadership, the respondents
described the multiple ways in which the district served to facilitate
their progress by empowering the site to make decisions and by not being
obstructionist. The district provides support by monitoring teacher
performance in Grades K-12, supporting site-based professional
development on topics selected by the school, allocating resources, and
recognizing and replicating the school's activities in other parts of
the district. The district also gives the school research and evaluation
services to make data more understandable to teachers and facilitates
vertical alignment between the middle and high school through the
English language arts steering committee. The state was acknowledged

for its role in using teachers to create state content standards and for
enacting a policy to reduce class size for 9th-grade English and Algebra
I classes.

The typical way in which curriculum change occurs at Florin is through a
team analysis of student work and a response to try to improve the
instruction that produced that work. One educator said, "Examination of
student work is key. In my opinion, I think the classroom assessments
are the thing that drives instruction and performance in a classroom."

The school collects and analyzes other data to help improve instruction.
For example, one statistic kept by the school is the total number of
pages students read over a 9-week period. These data were
cross-referenced to the circulation numbers for the library, where a
spike in circulation was documented and interpreted as indicative of the
success of the program. One teacher reported, "We look at what do we
think are the real needs of our students. We have that discussion. The
sites then take what their findings are to that steering committee and
then the steering committee together will determine the district power
standards."

Teachers also engaged in ongoing examination of test scores. As one
teacher said, "We were meeting at the beginning of this year as a team .
. . here's our binder of intervention materials, here are the things we
need to be doing, let's look at what our scores are going to be. They
just (had) their second chance to take the CHSEE in November, so we just
barely finished that. And we need to meet together again and say what
worked, what didn't work, how do we want to do this for our next round.
And I think we are much more highly organized than any other site right
now in the district."

Working as a community to resolve curricular challenges combined with
undiminished expectations characterizes the staff at Florin High School
and explains how it has narrowed the reading achievement gap.

**[North Central High School, Indianapolis, Indiana]{.smallcaps}**

North Central High School is the third largest comprehensive high school
in the state of Indiana with enrollment of approximately 3,300 students.
With a diverse student body comprised of white (56 percent),
African-American (35 percent), and Hispanic (6 percent) students, North
Central High School was selected to participate in the U.S. Department
of Education's Closing the Achievement Gap meeting for being able to
narrow the achievement gap in both reading and mathematics for
African-American students. Between 1999 and 2002, the gap between
African-American and nonminority students in reading narrowed by 10
percentage points and in mathematics narrowed by 15 percentage points.
This achievement was coupled with a graduation rate of 98 percent,
illustrating North Central's ongoing commitment to the promotion of high
academic standards and excellence for all students.

***School Culture***

Community is a theme central to the school's mission and it guides the
development of curriculum, implementation of instructional approaches,
and promotion of high expectations. At North Central High School, a
strong community orientation and respect are evident both within and
outside the classroom environment. A longtime faculty member described
the culture at North Central as "very student-centered . . . it's a
celebration of students . . . where students are encouraged to explore
their interests and to become active participants in their education."
The faculty's active engagement of students in the classroom has created
a school culture where learning, exploration, and ongoing collaboration
are valued.

Parents and community members play a central role in North Central's
success, helping the school offer programs and services that support a
culture of high expectations for all students. For example, parent
volunteers serve on the school and foundation boards, work directly with
students in the classroom on special projects or as tutors in the
Learning Center, and devote significant amounts of time and energy to
hosting fundraising events throughout the school year.

Central to the school's success is the conviction that every student
deserves the opportunity to take rigorous college preparatory courses,
and the belief that, with adequate support and encouragement, every
student can succeed. The stability of the school's leadership and
faculty over the past two decades has allowed for establishment of
expectations for learning that demands a lot from
students---expectations that promote success in postsecondary education
and beyond. Faculty members devote considerable time and energy to
developing and implementing rigorous curriculum that aligns with the
knowledge and skills required of students at the college level.

The climate of support and respect at North Central promotes both
learning and collaboration among students and faculty. To meet high
academic demands, students often rely on faculty and administrators for
supplemental support. In addition, instruction has shifted from lecture
to discussion format with an emphasis on cooperative learning and group
work. Faculty members often meet in teams to develop and align
curricular and instructional practices and to discuss specific areas of
student needs.

In 2000, North Central's faculty developed the Cohort Program to
establish a culture of high expectations for their school's increasing
minority student population. Through the Cohort Program, prospective
8th-grade minority students and their parents meet with a member of the
North Central faculty prior to freshman year course registration and are
encouraged to enroll in at least one honors course during their freshman
year. As part of the program, 29 Cohort students are provided with
numerous support structures including one-on-one tutoring, advising
sessions, and a range of online curriculum resources. Nurtured by a
climate of high expectations, Cohort students move from enrolling in one
honors course initially to enrolling in multiple honors and/or advanced
placement courses as sophomores, juniors, and seniors.

Students are also encouraged to enroll in Advanced Placement (AP)
courses and the International Baccalaureate (IB) program. Both programs
emphasize comprehension, analysis, and integration of subject material.
With a focus on quality, consistency, and rigor, faculty spoke of the

importance of developing strong connections with students and of
creating personalized learning environments. As such, support structures
are available to students, including the Learning Center, the
Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) program, and a
comprehensive guidance program. The Learning Center is staffed by four
teachers and more than 12 instructional aides to provide academic
support for students on an individual basis. AVID is available to
students enrolled in advanced coursework to teach them study skills and
organizational strategies. AVID teachers monitor students' academic
progress and provide tutoring. Student accomplishments are celebrated
throughout the school by recognizing "student of the month" and awarding
academic varsity jackets.

***Curriculum and Instruction***\
North Central is organized around a traditional departmental structure
with leadership emanating from the central administration and department
chairs. Each department chair and his/her team assume responsibility for
curriculum development, alignment with state and district standards,
instructional planning, evaluation of performance data, and
implementation of professional development activities.

The curriculum at North Central is tied directly to state and district
standards. Indiana's Core 40 courses provide the basic curricular
framework to ensure students meet state proficiency levels as tested by
Indiana Statewide Testing for Educational Progress (ISTEP) and
End-of-Course assessments. Faculty participants agree that the process
of alignment brings focus to classroom instruction and attention to
areas of academic need. One educator explained, "We literally took
everything that we were doing and we linked it to state standards to see
where our gaps would be and how we could more efficiently fill those
gaps."

North Central's success in promoting academic achievement of
African-American students in reading and mathematics is not limited to
specific programs but instead emphasizes depth of understanding. The
curriculum is based on clear standards and includes high-level,
college-oriented content. However, the curriculum is also flexible and
undergoes continuous revision

based on performance data and student needs.

North Central's English language arts curriculum is characterized by a
focus on literacy, writing, critical thinking, and analytical skills.
The curriculum blends traditional textbook content with supplemental
materials that are content-specific and culturally relevant. Faculty use
seven state standards, combined with data from criterion-referenced
tests (CRTs) to guide the development of curriculum and determine
instructional priorities. English faculty conducts extensive evaluation
of student performance and engages in curriculum mapping and alignment
with state standards and departmental courses.

Teachers also underscored the importance of the "writing across the
curriculum" initiative. Following its introduction as a major tenet of
North Central's curriculum, faculty were given professional development
and provided with resource materials on how to develop essay questions
that elicit thoughtful and well-articulated responses from students.
Another important feature of the initiative is articulation with the
middle schools, a process that requires high school teachers to identify
the skills and knowledge required of all incoming freshman and to
communicate this information to teachers at the local middle schools.

North Central's mathematics curriculum emphasizes problem solving and
real-world application of mathematics concepts. Extensive course
offerings help to meet the diverse needs and academic abilities of the
student population. Courses range from the traditional algebra through
calculus sequence to more advanced coursework that includes second-year
calculus, statistics, discrete mathematics, and computer science. Each
course employs traditional curriculum supplemented with a variety of
instructional and assessment strategies, such as manipulatives and
hands-on activities, to engage and challenge students. Instruction often
occurs in small group sessions supplemented with technology.

Access to technology plays a significant role in student achievement.
North Central has 14 well-equipped computer labs interspersed throughout
the campus and accessible to all students.

Computer technicians and tutors are available in the Learning Center and
in several of the computer labs to assist students both during and after
school hours. The integration of technology into the classroom
environment has helped to engage students in the learning process,
providing a powerful supplement to traditional instruction.

The principal believes that "professional development is one of the key
building blocks to raising student achievement." The administration
advocates for providing teachers with time to develop expertise in their
content areas, essentially to become researchers of their own courses.
The majority of professional development has been tied directly to
establishing more effective instructional strategies. Trainings occur
three times per year on back-to-back half-days, so that instruction time
is not compromised. Individual faculty members may apply for stipends to
support professional education and training, partnership development,
and data collection activities. Professional development stipends have
been made possible through financial support from several private
foundations including the Lumina Foundation, Eli Lilly Pharmaceuticals,
and the Washington Township School Foundation.

***Leadership for Change***

The impetus for closing the gap between African-American and other
students came in the late 1990s. One participant remarked, "We were
shocked that only 40 percent of our minority students were passing the
state test . . .. We were better than that as instructors . . . we were
better than that as a school, as a community." North Central's staff
began to reevaluate instructional practices, adjust course offerings,
and implement supplemental support programs to align with a culture of
high expectations for all students. As the principal noted, "We have
high expectations for our kids. Why aren't we holding kids to these high
expectations? We've always been a school of strong community support,
strong expectations, strong achievement."

In fall 2000, North Central initiated several key changes, including a
more rigorous curriculum aligned to state standards, increased
graduation requirements, and advanced placement courses in all core
subject areas. Leadership for change was a team effort initiated by the
principal and

coordinated through departmental faculty. As part of the change process,
department chairs worked directly with faculty teams to evaluate all
course offerings, which included mapping and alignment of all course
content with district and state standards and discussion of
instructional strategies.

The change process at North Central has been gradual and has required
consistent monitoring of data to ensure progress. Teaching teams have
worked to ensure that all assessment instruments align with curricular
components and instructional strategies. The resulting adjustments to
curriculum, instruction, and support structures have produced notable
changes in Advanced Placement (AP) enrollment, grades, and test
performance of minority students over the past 5 years. Since 1999, the
percentage of minority students enrolled in AP classes has increased
from 9 to 15 percent, and the number of students taking AP examinations
has risen from 300 to more than 1,000. The school foundation has
subsidized standardized test fees for any student with demonstrated
financial need.

Stable, responsive leadership at the school and at the district level
has been a critical component in North Central's success in narrowing
the achievement gap. The North Central team, comprised of administrators
and faculty, examines current research on achievement issues related to
minority students. From this research framework, the team identifies
schools with similar demographics that maintained high academic
achievement among their minority students and conducts site visits to
these locations. The team returns to North Central with a common
objective: to raise expectations and achievement of minority students.

The principal tasked department chairs and faculty with responsibility
for developing curriculum and programs that promote success for all
students. The process focused on the question of what needed to done to
move students to the next level. The principal noted, "Everyone
\[students, faculty, and staff\] should know the standard to which they
are being held and consistently reminded of the standard because that is
good teaching and effective administrating." As part of the change
process, faculty incorporates these standards into their curricular
content

and instructional practices. Consequently, the focus on accountability
has prompted greater reliance on disaggregated data to help establish
standards, guide decision-making, and gauge progress.

Many of the changes at North Central were mandated by the state and/or
district and therefore created the impetus for change. The district
provides sufficient budget and resources to enhance existing programs
and to implement new initiatives with a focus on raising expectations
and achievement for minority students. For example, the district
supported the vertical teaming between middle and high school faculty to
align English/language arts and mathematics curricula. The district also
provides North Central flexibility in determining the topics and
schedule of professional development based on the school's specific
areas of need.

Throughout the past five years, North Central experienced many faces of
change. The 1999 performance data provided the stark realization that
North Central High School was falling short in meeting the needs of a
large percentage of its minority students. Through consistent effort and
ongoing evaluation to maintain progress, North Central strengthened its
faculty teams, conducted ongoing evaluation of student performance data,
enhanced professional development, and expanded supplemental support
services. These activities led to significant progress in raising
academic achievement and extracurricular participation of minority
students.

[^1]: ![](media/image6.wmf){width="2.515972222222222in"
    height="3.819444444444445e-2in"}

    ^?^ For the three states represented at the meeting, state
    assessments were administered in the 10th grade. California gap
    scores were based on Stanford Achievement Test, Ninth Edition (SAT9)
    mathematics and reading data, Texas scores on Texas Assessment of
    Academic Skills (TAAS) reading and mathematics data, and in Indiana
    scores were calculated based on Indiana Statewide Testing for
    Education Progress (ISTEP) English/language arts and mathematics
    data.

[^2]: The gap is the difference between the achievement of
    African-American or Hispanic students in the school compared to the
    achievement of white students in the state as a whole. Calculating
    the gap using the state-level percent passing rate does not exclude
    schools with large minority populations. For example, a school with
    a 100% Hispanic population does not have an internal white
    comparison group.

    ^3^ MPR Associates, Inc., in Berkeley, California, conducted the
    initial analysis that resulted in the state-level lists.