Analysis of Data at South Paulding High School from 2008 to 2010

Kim Huett, Anne Roycroft, Gina Smeeton, and Robin Wofford

Purpose

O South Paulding High School (SPHS) has not made Adequate Yearly Progress for the past two years.

O Our group reviewed school data and improvement plans for 2008-2009 through 2009-2010 school year.

O Math was identified as being an area in need of greater focus for school improvement at SPHS.

Study Provides…O Contextual information about student, staff

and community demographicsO Overview of relevant S. I. goals and

objectivesO Assessment data - how the school is

evaluated O Renewed focus on strategies: math and

achievement of all students

Demographic CharacteristicsO Atlanta metro. areaO Mix of rural and planned communitiesO Growing population over 142,000O School District is largest employerO Many commute to Atlanta for workO Third fastest growing county in the United

States (74% over last 10 years)O School District student population increased

by 36% between 2005 and 2010

School CommunityO County residents median income:

$63,000(2009) O Over 60% residents relocated to area O 77.7% White, 17.1% Black, and 5.1%

Hispanic and/or Latino O 85.8% of residents hold high school diploma O 20.1% hold bachelor's degree

School (students)O Children under the age of 18 comprise 30% of

Paulding county residents. O In 2009, Paulding County Schools served 28,000

students in 33 schools. O Five of the District's elementary schools are Title 1.O The District did not meet AYP in 2010. O Paulding County Schools were designated as in

need of improvement by The Georgia Department of Education.

South Paulding High SchoolO Opened 2006 with 1165 students

(grades 9- 11) O Redistricted from Hiram and

Paulding HighO First senior class graduated in

2008 (208 students)O 2008-2009 school year, enrollment

1,893… 2,096 the following year

StaffingO 116 teachersO Eight administrators O Seven support personnel O Teachers average 7.77 years experience O Student-teacher ratio is 18:1O Staff absence increased since the school opened

(seven days per teacher in 2007 10.5 in 2009)

Improvement ObjectivesO SIP Math achievement sub-goal: meeting or

exceeding on Math GHSGT will increase annually by 1%.

O Paulding County School district goal: Decrease identified achievement gaps that exist among subgroups of students as described by NCLB.

O Our group chose to focus on math achievement.

School Climate DataO Letter home to parents of all

students in the county, urging parents to work with faculty and staff to ensure optimal academic performance

O Parents invited to visit schools to discuss questions or concerns

Summary of School’s Performance

O Did not make AYP in part as result of math scores of Georgia High School Graduation Test

O 2008-2009 and 2009-2010 school years, all SPHS students scored below state average (within 4 percentage points.)

O Across State of Georgia, sufficient number of students met or exceeded Annual Measurable Objective in 2008-2009, but fell short fell short in 2009-2010

O Both years, White students scored between half a point and four points above AMO

O Both years, White students at SPHS score approximately ten points below average percentage for white students across State of Georgia

Table 1

Summary of School’s Performance

O Sample numbers of both Hispanic and students with disabilities do not support prudent analyses

O 56.8% of Black students met or exceeded expectations in 2008-2009

O 54.9% in 2009-2010 met or exceededO State of Georgia saw a five-point decline in the

meet/exceeds rate of Black students (SPHS = 2%)O Economically disadvantaged students at SPHS met and/or

exceeded expectations below AMO level both yearsO Scored higher than statewide counterparts by several

points

Table 2

RecommendationsO More detailed reviewed of math

performance O Look at change over time (middle school-

high school)O Develop better understanding (teachers) of

specific weaknesses in instruction, delivery, and student performance (all grades in all math-related subjects)

O Lack of readily available school climate data or obvious attempts to survey or involve parents, students and community in identifying areas of concern

RecommendationsO Morale and community involvement are worthy of further

investigation at South Paulding High School.O Rapid community growth can create barriers, but also

opportunities for new partnerships and financial support not always present in other Georgia school districts.

O We recommend an in-depth study involving collection of both qualitative and quantitative data from all stakeholders, including families, students, community and business leaders.

O An additional recommendation is that SPHS consider initiatives to embrace math achievement with the assistance of the business community and the entire student and faculty populations.

ReferencesO Alliance for the Study of School Climate. (2011). Change from the inside: Examining K-12 school reform using the

ASSC School Climate Assessment Indicator. Retrieved from http://www.calstatela.edu/centers/schoolclimate/resources/change_from_inside.html

O Georgia Department of Education. (2010a). School reports: Paulding County Schools. Retrieved from http://www.doe.k12.ga.us/ReportingFW.aspx?PageReq= 111 &CountyId= 710 &PID=62&PTID=213&T=0&FY=2010

O Georgia Department of Education. (2010b). School reports: South Paulding High School. Retrieved from http://www.doe.k12.ga.us/ReportingFW.aspx?PageReq=101& SchoolId=21802&PID=63&PTID=214&T=0&FY=2010

O Georgia Department of Education. (2010c). School reports: State of Georgia. Retrieved from http://www.doe.k12.ga.us/ReportingFW.aspx?PageReq=211&PID=61&PTID=212&StateId=ALL&T=0&FY=2010

O Hill, Y. (2010). Paulding County School District AYP letter to parents. Retrieved from http://www.paulding.k12.ga.us/school-improvement/pdfs/AYP_Letter_2010-2011.pdf

O Paulding County School District. (2010). Paulding County School District website. Retrieved from http://schools.paulding.k12.ga.us/ischooldistrict/index2.php?district_ID=2

O South Paulding High School. (2010). South Paulding High School school improvement plan 2010-2013. Retrieved from http://schools.paulding.k12.ga.us/ischooldistrict/media /files/1426/ SPHS School Improvement Plan 10-11.pdf

O South Paulding High School (2011). South Paulding High School website. Retrieved from http://schools.paulding.k12.ga.us/ischooldistrict/index.php?school_ID=36&district_ID=2

O U.S. Census Bureau. (2010). 2010 census: Paulding County, Georgia. Retrieved from http:quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/13/13223.html