Holistic

Needs Assessment

Sean Murphy Administrative Internship Drs. Fusarelli & Militello 12 October 2011 PHASE III: HOLISTIC NEEDS ASSESSMENT For almost a decade South Johnston High School has been in a rut. According

to interviews with a variety of stakeholders, South Johnston has been on a, slow downward decline that is borne out in School Report Card, SAT and college acceptance data (Internship Portfolio, 2011). Over the last four years, the schools growth on Algebra I and English I was marginal, between 78-81.5% for the former and 73.9-74.6% for the latter. Four years ago Souths performance was easily above the state average (73.9% proficient and 69%, respectively); however, the school has not kept pace with the growth seen across the state and in the Johnston County School District. The numbers tell the story. Year-over-year growth in core subjects at South

is marginal, with Algebra I having 73.9% proficiency in 2008, 71.9 the next year, 74.6 and 73.4 in 09 and 10, respectively. English I set a higher bar in 2008 (78%), but hovered around a two-point range since, with the notable exception of 2010 (85.9%). Compared to gains made in the state, this stagnation is worrisome. State averages for Algebra I show marked gains (69% in 2008, 67.7 in 2009, 77.8 in 2010 and 76.7 in 2011). Johnston County Schools (JCS) growth is even greater over time. In Algebra I, JCS year-over-year data from 2008-2011 shows laudable growth (78.7, 77.4, 87.9 and 86.2). English data from 2008-2011 is similar story (79.3, 81, 88.5 and 87.3). Put bluntly, while the rest of the state (and Johnston County Schools, in

Holistic Needs Assessment

particular) are making noticeable gains, South Johnston is stuck and imminently being passed. Observations made by the districts Core Instruction team, South Johnstons

principal (Eddie Price), his instructional team, and myself all agree that core- teaching practices across the school are generally subpar (Weekly Logs, 2011). At the same time, it must be noted that material and substantive changes have been made at South Johnston over the last year to address this. Eddie Price, a highly effective middle school principal, took the reigns at the beginning of 2010. In his first year Mr. Price created constructs to ensure productive PLCs, overhauled the schedule to allow for a critical intervention hour (POWER Lunch, which many cited as Souths greatest strength) and invested in professional development on best practices and instructional technology. In 2010-2011, South Johnston was the only traditional high school to make high growth. Many staff and stakeholders credit that major achievement to the initiatives Mr. Price has put in place to improve the core instructional practices of South Johnston. Such changes are promising, but part of the schools previous plateau could

be associated with resignation and lowered expectations, according to interviews. As stated, South Johnston is meeting proficiency markers as defined by the state of North Carolina. More rigorous assessments tell a different story. Although the school offers six AP classes and additional online opportunities,

just above 2% of the school enrolls, in contrast with 17% statewide and 15% nationally. Of these, the majority scored a three or below. A similar trend is seen with SAT enrollment. While the state averaged between 68 and 71% student

Holistic Needs Assessment

participation in the last 4 years, South averaged between 34 and 36%. The obvious correlate to SAT tests, college enrollment, is also distinctly low. South Johnston had 35% of its 2011 seniors to enroll in a 4-year university and 49% enroll in a 2-year university. Compared to the national average of 68.1%, enrollment in 4-year colleges appears to be a significant issue with South Johnston (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2011). This data trend starts early, when looking at specific class scores in freshman

classes. The stability of the scores is most marked in this grade, where a new high school cohort has failed to make substantial gains year over year. While the stall in Algebra is cause for action, the English 1 scores may be more of a leverage point. Drilling down to the analysis of a particular cohort and the longitudinal analysis of particular students over time, the English instruction becomes a major concern. This analysis is provided by EVAAS data. Considering the former, last years cohort saw lower than average pupil

performance, as projected by students estimated scale scores on Algebra and English. This trend again becomes alarming in comparison to district and state results. Whereas most schools in the district surpassed the state average, South saw a negative teacher value add, sometimes twice the standard deviation seen across North Carolina. Notable shifts in Algebra I can be more easily explained by precipitating factors. While the Algebra I classes were taught by teachers either new to the grade level or subject (or both), English I was taught by teachers with at least three years experience. Alarmingly, South Johnston had the most ineffective high school English teachers in the county, according to EVAAS data. Although the

Holistic Needs Assessment

negative or null value add of English I teachers was consistent along sub-groups, the trend noted above also persisted. While the relative stability in academics is troubling, it also belies deeper

cultural issues that developed at South over the last 4 years. According to interviews, South slipped from a position of admiration in the mid-eighties to one of fallen glory today. This perceptual analysis is supported by the academic results seen over the past five years. As with the schools EOC, AP, SAT and college- attendance results, South is a proficient school that has the resources to be great. Drilling down to the teacher and student data, it appears that this rut is due

in part to ineffective teaching. Informal observations and collected interviews suggest that many teachers spend a majority of class time lecturing with unstructured notes. This may partially explain the deflated EVAAS data. Considering the prominent importance of English I in high school success and dropout prevention, this area cannot bear ineffective teaching.