Accountability for Accountability for Confirming SuccessConfirming Success

Indiana’s Alternative Education Profile Project

OBJECTIVES

• PARTICIPANTS WILL:– Learn about Indiana’s alternative

education program– Learn about Indiana’s profile project– Learn about Indiana’s developing

accountability system for alternative education

– Learn strategies that could be used in Oregon

IC 20-30-8

• Alternative Education Program must:

• Be an educational program for eligible students that instructs them in a different manner than in the manner of instruction in a traditional school setting.

• Implement Individual Service Plans (ISPs)

• Operate the minimum session time of two consecutive hours

Student Eligibility (IC 20-30-8)• Grades 6-12• Must fit into one of five categories:

– Withdrawn or intending to withdraw– Failing academically– Required employment– Pregnant or parenting– Disruptive student

Student Eligibility Demographics

School Year 2006-2007• Withdrawn/intending to withdraw:

7.8%• Failing academically: 48.4%• Required employment: 1.8%• Pregnant or parenting: 4.6%• Disruptive student: 37.4%

Indiana Department of Education Policy

• No greater than 15:1 teacher/student ratio

• Programs should embrace best practices for alternative education

• Programs should generally be the child’s primary educational placement

Indiana’s Goals for Alternative Education

• Increase the percentage of alternative education programs meeting program goals.

• Increase the percentage of 12th grade students in alternative education programs who graduate.

• Increase the percentage of students served by alternative education programs who achieve positive outcomes.

• Decrease the number of dropouts in school districts with alternative education programs.

• Decrease the number of expulsions in school districts with alternative education programs.

SY 2006-07*

Number of Programs 229

Number of Students Served28,078

Number of Counties Represented 66 (72%)

Number of Participating Districts 191 (58%)

*SY07-08 data not yet available

Types of Programs

• 8% (19) Short-term placement that keeps students involved in education.

• 33% (76) To bring academically failing students back to grade level.

• 21% (48) To deal with students with behavioral/discipline issues.

• 38% (86) To prepare students for life after school as productive citizens.

06-07 Alternative Education Demographics

Enrollment by Grade

Grade 6, 4%

Grade 7, 12%

Grade 12, 20%

Grade 11, 16%

Grade 10, 16%

Grade 9, 18%

Grade 8, 13%

Enrollment by Race

White, 56.6%

Hispanic, 6.7%

Asian, 0.4%

African-American,

32.6%

Multiracial, 3.4%

Amer. Indian, 0.3%

06-07 Alternative Education DemographicsGrade

Grade 6: 4%Grade 7: 11%Grade 8: 14%Grade 9: 19%Grade 10: 17%Grade 11: 16%Grade 12: 19%

Gender

Male: 57%Female: 43%

Poverty

Free Lunch: 49%Reduced Lunch: 9%Paid Lunch: 42%

Special Education

Special Ed: 19%General Ed: 81%

SY06-07 Student Outcomes

POSITIVE OUTCOMES (67%)• 10% received a High School Diploma

– (47% of 12th graders received diplomas)• 24% attained ISP goals• 32% made progress toward ISP goals• 1% earned a GEDNEGATIVE OUTCOMES (9%)• 6% dropped out of school• 3% were expelled from schoolNEUTRAL OUTCOMES (25%)• 13% transferred to another educational setting prior to

completion• 12% did not make progress toward ISP goals (but

remained in school attached to an educational program)

Origin of the Profile Project

• PROBE– Governor’s Office of Management

& Budget– All funded programs examined– Goals, accountability, mission,

purpose, effectiveness– Indiana alternative education

rating: ADEQUATE (barely)

Origin of the Profile Project

• Funding cuts– Statute allows up to $750 per FTE– Currently receiving $551 per FTE– Block grants

Purpose of the Profile Project

• Appropriate accountability measures

• Tell the programs’ stories

• Make information more accessible to parents and the community

Desired Outcomes

• Increase accountability• Increase understanding of effective

practices• Increase community awareness of

alternative education effectiveness• Persuade legislators of the positive

impact of alternative education

Partnership to Build the Profiles

Center for Evaluation & Education Policy (CEEP)– Indiana University—years of

experience with alternative education– Create/pilot surveys, maintain sites,

develop profiles– Help develop evaluation system– Initial cost: $50,000; further years:

$16,500

Accountability Components

• Administrator Survey• Teacher Survey• Student Survey• Site Visits• DOE-AL Report

Administrator Survey

• Program description• Goals-program specific• Program components• Services• Entrance/exit criteria

Goals

• Academic Goals• Behavioral Goals• Self-managed Goals

• Measurable & more standardized

• Set by program• Report progress

annually• Able to link to

type, services and outcomes

Teacher Survey

Purposes:• Identify usages of assessment data and

service plans• Verify instructional strategies • Identify perceived levels of student support• Identify professional development

opportunities• Identify perceived levels of community and

parent outreach and support

Teacher Survey Results (06-07)

• ISP’s are used frequently, but not always (as required by law)

• Programs frequently use heterogeneous student grouping, one-to-one tutoring, and interactive learning

• Types 2, 3, and 4 programs often share decision making with parents & community partners; Type 1 programs rarely do so

• The majority of teachers report a strong sense of school community (lowest in Type 2)

Student Survey

• Identify perceived levels of instructional support

• Verify instructional strategies and uses

• Identify perceived levels of student success and engagement

Initial Student Survey Issues

• Low student participation• Survey too long• Survey complicated for younger students• Survey law/policies• Appropriate questions for all program types

SOLUTIONS:• Earlier opening date• Cut questions• Simplify questions• Rephrase questions or create type-specific

questions

Student Survey Results (07-08)

• 62.1% of participating students plan to go to post-secondary education

Since I’ve come to the alternative school:• I feel respected and supported: 3.7

(agree)• I care about my alternative school: 3.6

(agree)• I think it is important to get good

grades: 4.4 (agree/strongly agree)

Student Survey Results (continued)

• Type 4 programs tended to score highest across the board

• Type 1 programs tended to score lowest

• A couple of surprises:– Preparing for college: Type 2– Understanding yourself: Type 1– Continuing your education: Type 2

Site Visits

• See the program in action!• All new programs; others on a 5-

year cycle• Rubric (evidence required)• Results posted to Website• Will become part of profile

Sample Rubric

DOE-AL Report

• Student data connected to Student Test Number (STN)

• Report eligibility criteria & outcome for each student

• Can be tied to graduation, ISTEP+ & GQE, suspension/expulsion, race/ethnicity, special education, gender, free/reduced lunch, etc.

Putting It All Together (The Program

Profile)• Connect surveys, site visit reports,

and outcome data (DOE-AL) to present a local profile.

• Create “report card” for alternative ed programs

• Connect outcome data to program type to determine effective formats and components.

Dr. Ken Springer ACCESS School

Address: 829 E. Monroe St.       School Corporations Serviced:

Decatur, IN 46733       North Adams Community Schools

Phone Number: (260) 724-7121 ext. 2157   Adams Central Community Schools

Fax Number: (260) 724-2199       South Adams Schools  

Contact: John Maxson E-mail: maxsonj@nadams.k12.in.us      

Dr. Ken Springer ACCESS School website          

Location: Separate school corporation facility          

Mission Statement

The mission of ACCES is to provide a unique educational setting for students who require an alternative to the regular high school due to life situations at school and/or in the student’s lives.

Purpose of the Program

The purpose of the ACCESS alternative education program is to prepare students for life after school by helping them finish their academic studies and teaching them to be productive members of the community. The alternative school serves students who have withdrawn or intend to withdraw from school; are parents or expectant parents; are employed during the school day; or those who have not complied academically because of one of the three previous causes.

What makes this program unique?

ACCES enables students to accept the responsibility for their learning potential and growth. Through the acceptance of this responsibility a more positive self-image unfolds. The individualized, personalized, special program provides a chance for the student, who has been unsuccessful in school, to succeed and not drop out. Each student is pretested to determine their ability levels in the area of reading, math and language by administering the TABE. Remediation programs are individually designed based on the outcomes. Academic coursework is done independently based on the credit needs of each student and is mastery based.

Student/Teacher Ratio

10.5:1. For every 10.5 students in the ACCESS alternative education program, there is an equivalent to 1 teacher.

Goals of the Program

1) The number of credits that each student earns per semester will increase.

2) The average daily attendance rate at the program will improve.  

3) The number of students who attain all goals on their ISP will increase.

Each alternative education school/program in the state of Indiana is evaluated by staff of the Indiana Department of Education’s Office of Student Learning Choices. Each alternative education school/program receives a letter grades based on the following: Customer Satisfaction; Service Delivery; and Program Effectiveness.

Evaluation Report

Category Program's Score State Average Program Type Average

Service Delivery 72.25% 74.25% 76.00%

       

Program Effectiveness 70.00% 69.50% 69.25%

       

Customer Satisfaction 75.00% 72.00% 73.50%

27%

20%

14%

11%

5%

9%

9%5%

27% of students received a high school diploma

20% of students attained goals identif ied in their Individual Service Plan (ISP)

14% of students made satisfactory progress tow ard goals identif ied in their ISP

11% of students did not make satisfactory progress tow ard goals identif ied in their ISPbut remained in the alternative education program5% of students earned a GED

9% of students transferred/returned to other school setting prior to completing alt edprogram 9% of students dropped out of the alternative education program, not returning to anyeducational setting 5% of students w ere expelled from the alternative education program, not returned toany educational setting

Outcomes

Curriculum, Instructional Materials, & Assessments

Each alternative education program is unique. They differ in the curriculum, instructional materials, and assessments that they use. The following is a list of possible curriculum, instructional materials, and assessments that different alternative education programs may use. Each bolded and starred item is a curriculum, instructional material, or assessment that ACCESS uses.

Core 40 Option

Academic Honors Option

General Diploma Option

Traditional School curriculum

Curriculum developed specifically for alternative education

Video/audio tapes

GED prep

Course packets

Portfolio assessments

ISTEP+/GQE

Other standardized test

Classroom assessments

Books other than traditional textbooks

Magazines/newspapers

Computer based (mastery)

Lessons

Prepackaged programs

Next Steps

• Work with CEEP to create/post profiles• Develop accountability indicators• Create searchable database related to

programming, program type, and outcomes

• Implement research-based interventions

• Create exemplary program award

CONTACT INFORMATION

Molly Chamberlin317-232-0579 or

mchamber@doe.in.gov

Kim Clementkclement@doe.in.gov