Kathleen Bethke Ace Conference 2013 Austin, Texas

1. STAAR Pilot Project
Review of Year 1
Kathleen Bethke
ACE Training Consultant
STAAR Lead

2. ObjecCves
• Review criteria/requirements of SPP
• A look at preliminary Year 1 results
• Review of how findings will impact the future
of ACE
• A look at NYOS

3. Celebrate
• Total SPP Students
• Total New Students
• Preliminary Results

4. SPP Requirements
• Data‐Driven Design
• IntenConal Recruitment
• Targeted ScienCfically‐Based IntervenCon
• Targeted, IntenConal Enrichment
• SMART Goals
• Research QuesCons
• Fidelity Tools
• Pre‐ and Post‐Assessments

5. SPP Programs
9
3 3
0
2
4
6
8
10
Mixed FTF/Online FTF Only Online Only
8
6
1
0
2
4
6
8
10
ELA & Math ELA Only Math Only
Types of IntervenCons
Content Focus

6. Total SPP Students
Grantee Proposed Students Students Served 30+ days New Students
AusCn 120 120 70
CIS SA 72 63 27
CIS SEHC 100 83 78
Ft Worth 6 72 72 35
Ft Worth 7 72 55 14
Harlingen 450 255 326
HCDE 140‐280 177 1
NYOS 40 45 13
Reg 13‐Bartle` 50 59 14
Richardson 442 364 37
Sherman 270 208 187
Snyder 120 15 71
Taylor 160 164 96
Temple 126 126 88
Valley View 280 210 3
TOTAL 2602 1812 1051

7. Preliminary Results
• Sherman ISD – Power Reading
 2490 months of reading improvement in 4 months, an average of 11 months with a range of 2 months to 24 months
of improvement (24 months is equivalent of 2 ½ school years!)
• Taylor – IstaHon, Think Through Math
 85% of SPP students improved reading proficiency
 69% of SPP students improved math proficiency
 56% of SPP students who were “on the bubble” in January were “off the bubble” in May resulCng in significant
increases in STAAR assessment passing percentages (as high as
>70% exceeding State Stds in Reading at both campuses and >45% exceeding State Stds in Math at
Passman
• Temple – Sylvan ACE It!
 When compared to non‐SPP students of similar demographics, SPP students scored 6.02 points higher on STAAR
Reading Assessments.
 When compared to non‐SPP students of similar demographics, SPP students scored 10.44 points higher on STAAR
WriCng Assessments
 SPP students had 44% lower absences and 43% lower disciplinary referrals when compared to non‐SPP students of
similar demographics.
• CIS – SEHC – Kids College
 79% of the students parCcipaCng in SPP for math either passed or improved their score on the STAAR math assessment.
 56.5% of the 108 Regular SPP students passed the STAAR test for the subject in which they were tutored. 31% of the
108 SPP Students passed at least one addiConal STAAR subject test. 11.25% of the SPP students did not pass any
STAAR subject, but improved from last year’s scores.

8. Common Barriers
• Secondary Student recruitment and retenCon
• Providing intenConal enrichment for SPP students
• Genng parents to allow students to stay for
enrichment (or only planning 1 hour of
intervenCon)
• Genng core day to see the importance of
intenConally aligned enrichment
• Managing SPP and tradiConal ACE program
• Managing the requirements from State
Evaluators

9. Common Themes
• Computer‐based IntervenCons (Think Through Math,
Achieve 3000, etc.)
• Computer‐based IntervenCons with Reciprocal/Guided
Learning
• Reciprocal/Guided Learning IntervenCon
• Student Centered Learning (giving students a voice in
learning)
• Highly Qualified Staff
• Lack of Staff:Student InteracCon in some intervenCons
• Low Staff:Student RaCos
• More purposeful planning

10. Best PracCces
• Alignment to student need for both academic
intervenCon and enrichment
• Campus:Aperschool CollaboraCon
• Highly Qualified Teachers
• Low Staff:Student RaCos
• IntenConal Recruitment
• Engaging Learning Environment (Reciprocal
Learning, Guided Learning, Student Voice,
IntenConal Enrichment)

11. What SPP Findings Mean For The
Future
• IntenConal academic intervenCons
• Academically aligned enrichment
• IntenConal recruitment
• ScienCfically and/or evidence‐based learning
strategies embedded in every acCvity
• Fidelity measurement tools
• More coaching/mentoring to help programs
reach desired quality goals
• Everything is connected

12. A Look At NYOS

13. NYOS Charter School,
Inc.
STAAR Pilot Program
Alyssa Moore
Project Director
amoore@nyos.org

14. APPROACH TO DESIGN
• Cognitively Guided Instruction
– SMART Boards
• Essential Skills and Mentoring Minds software
– Student and Parent Laptops
• Parent Math Numeration Classes and software
classes
• Mentoring Program

16. Students work together to develop and verbalize their
own strategies to solve problems using manipulatives.

18. • Benchmarks
o BOY, MOY, EOY campus developed STAAR assessments
• Progress monitoring data
o Essential Skills software
• Students, parents and teachers may track progress
o Mentoring Minds software
• Teachers monitor student progress TEK by TEK
• Attendance Records
• Laptop check­out logs
• Mentor Logs

19. • Training sign­in sheets
• ACE program leader observation forms
• Principal observation forms
• Lesson plan review by Site Coordinator
• Center leaders and school leaders meet monthly to
review progress
• Center leaders, school leaders and teachers meet every
9 weeks to analyze data

20. Beginning of Year Benchmark (BOY)
• All students that scored a 70 or below on
math benchmark were referred into the
program
• Teacher referral

21. • BOY (Beginning of Year) Math Benchmark: 53% of
NYOS K­3rd graders were BELOW level in Math.
• MOY (Middle of Year) Math Benchmark: 21% of NYOS
K­3rd graders were BELOW level in Math
• EOY (End of Year) Math Benchmark: 12% of NYOS K­3rd
graders were BELOW level in Math

23. Enrichment Activity
When I Grow Up
College and Career Readiness

24. • Needs Inventory
• How can we relate math to career readiness?
• Reviewed STAAR Math Reporting Categories 1 & 2 and
started to brainstorm how we could “sneak” those
TEKS into fun, hands­on enrichment lessons
• Chose an experienced counselor to lead activity
development

25. • Google “School Career Days” for original pool of
careers as examples for students to choose from
• Google “Crafts for Careers” to see if fun, hands­on
activities already existed
o Counselor tweaks the activity to meet our program needs
• Appropriate grade level
• Align with STAAR Math Reporting Categories 1 & 2
o All students participated in the same activities for the 2 weeks so that
students and activity leaders could gain a sense for how the activity is
implemented
o At the end of the 2 weeks students were asked to choose which activities they
wanted to learn about

26. • Students asked to write down their top 5 careers that
they would like to learn about
• All choices were graphed as a class
• The 5 most popular careers were the winners
o Students voted on the order in which they would learn about each career

27. • Activity leaders discuss career with students
• Students are asked what math skills they think would
be used in that particular career
• Activity leader compiles a list of the math skills and
turns that list over to the counselor planning the
activity
• The counselor researches the projects/activities and
gives the activity leaders and students a foundation to
build on
o The counselor provides the students with a topic but the students come up
with the activities­ math problems, games, realections, etc.

28. • Once activity is implemented with the students the
activity leader completes a realection feedback form
and turns that in to the counselor
• Counselor makes revisions to the activity based on
student and teacher feedback

29. • All activities are project­
based
• Students experience
airst­hand how the math
they are learning in
school can relate to their
future careers

31. • Follow 1 “E” per day
• Monday
o Students learn about their career
• Tuesday – Thursday
o Students work on aligned
activities
• Math Problems
• Projects
• Games
• Arts and Crafts
o Parent Involvement
• Friday
o Project completion

32. • Career Activity Examples
o Dancer­ dance studio
o Photographer
o Detective
o Construction worker
• Engineers
• Popsicle stick city
o Veterinarian
o Fashion Designer
o Artist­ sculptures
o Police ofaicer
o Librarian
o Business owner­ hats and shirts

33. Kathleen Bethke
kathleen.bethke@mytexasace.org
Alyssa Moore
amoore@nyos.org