Transforming T. C.

By Carla Branch and James Cullum
alexandrianews.org

Now that Alexandria knows T. C. Williams High School has been placed on a list of Persistently Lowest Achieving schools, Dr. Morton Sherman and the Alexandria School Board are beginning to discuss how to transform the City’s only public high school.

“We are still getting information from the Virginia Department of Education about what comes next and we will share that with the School Board and the community as soon as we know anything definite,” Sherman told the School Board at last night’s meeting. “The State is going to hold a meeting on April 7, and will hopefully provide information at that time. Right now, we know that we must submit a plan to the State but we don’t have a deadline nor details on what needs to be included in that plan.

“Some people have asked if we can opt out if we don’t take the federal money that comes with being placed on this list. The answer is ‘no.’ We have been told that we may get as much as $500,000 per year to help us transform T. C. but even if we don’t take the money, we must comply with the regulations and proceed with one of the four options: school closure; turnaround; re-start or transform. Each of the models has different rules and mandates.

“Closing T. C. is clearly not an option because it is our only high school. Opening the school as a charter school is another option that could be considered. The turnaround model requires us to replace the principal and 50% of the staff and the transformational model, which I have discussed before, has many requirements.

“Over the next few weeks, I will be discussing these options and their requirements with the faculty, students and parents at T. C. and with The Board. We will hold a work session with the Board on April 15, to outline more concrete next steps,” Sherman said.

Persistently Lowest Achieving Schools

“Persistently lowest-achieving schools” means, as determined by the State:

(a) Any Title I school in improvement, corrective action, or restructuring that

1. Is among the lowest-achieving five percent of Title I schools in improvement, corrective action, or restructuring or the lowest-achieving five Title I schools in improvement, corrective action, or restructuring in the State, whichever number of schools is greater; or
2. Is a high school that has had a graduation rate as defined in 34 C.F.R. § 200.19(b) that is less than 60 percent over a number of years;

and

(b)  Any secondary school that is eligible for, but does not receive, Title I funds that —

1. Is among the lowest-achieving five percent of secondary schools or the lowest-achieving five secondary schools in the State that are eligible for, but do not receive, Title I funds, whichever number of schools is greater; or
2. Is a high school that has had a graduation rate as defined in 34 C.F.R. § 200.19(b) that is less than 60 percent over a number of years.

A school that falls within the definition of (a) above is a “Tier I” school and a school that falls within the definition of (b) above is a “Tier II” school for purposes of using School Improvement Grant funds under section 1003(g) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.

In Virginia, there are 128 secondary schools that are eligible for but not receiving Title I funds. T. C. is one of those schools and is in the lowest five percent of that group in student achievement for math and language arts for all student groups.

“This is not the fault of one particular student subgroup but is the combined scores in math and language arts for all students,” Sherman said. “We have an 84% pass rate in reading and a 75% pass rate in math. Some urban schools in the U. S. would be thrilled to have those pass rates but since Virginia has one of the highest standards, we are in the lowest five percent for student achievement. That’s not good and we must do better but T. C. is not a failing school and I want everyone to be clear about that.”

To qualify as a Title I school, a school typically has around 40% or more of its students that come from families that qualify under the United States Census‘s definitions as low-income, according to the U.S. Department of Education. Schools receiving Title I funding are regulated by federal legislation, including the No Child Left Behind Act. Title I funds may be used for children from preschool through high school, but most of the students served [65 percent] are in grades 1 through 6; another 12 percent are in preschool and kindergarten programs.

Currently, 53% of the students at T. C. are eligible for free and reduced lunch. “We have traditionally used our Title I funds for our elementary schools, believing that this is where they will have the most impact,” Sherman told the Board. “Just last year, you approved using Title I funds for the middle schools.

“In the past, we have looked at the schools that are eligible for Title I funds and prioritized them. For example, William Ramsay has 81% of its students who are eligible for free and reduced lunch. In the past, 70% has been the cut-off for funding.

“As a School Division, we receive a certain amount of Title I money and that money must be divided among the eligible schools. That is why we have never made T. C. a Title I school,” Sherman said.

Optional Models

On Jan. 20, 2010, the U. S. Department of Education released regulations regarding improving Persistently Lowest Achieving schools. The turnaround and transformational models are being considered as options for improving student achievement at T. C.

A turnaround model is one in which a Local Educational Agency must do the following:

1. Replace the principal and grant the principal sufficient operational flexibility (including in staffing, calendars/time, and budgeting) to implement fully a comprehensive approach in order to substantially improve student achievement outcomes and increase high school graduation rates;
2. Using locally adopted competencies to measure the effectiveness of staff who can work within the turnaround environment to meet the needs of students. Screen all existing staff and rehire no more than 50 percent and select new staff;
3. Implement such strategies as financial incentives, increased opportunities for promotion and career growth, and more flexible work conditions that are designed to recruit, place, and retain staff with the skills necessary to meet the needs of the students in the turnaround school;
4. Provide staff ongoing, high-quality job-embedded professional development that is aligned with the school’s comprehensive instructional program and designed with school staff to ensure that they are equipped to facilitate effective teaching and learning and have the capacity to successfully implement school reform strategies;
5. Adopt a new governance structure, which may include, but is not limited to, requiring the school to report to a new “turnaround office” in the LEA or SEA, hire a “turnaround leader” who reports directly to the Superintendent or Chief Academic Officer, or enter into a multi-year contract with the LEA or SEA to obtain added flexibility in exchange for greater accountability;
6. Use data to identify and implement an instructional program that is research-based and vertically aligned from one grade to the next as well as aligned with State academic standards;
7. Promote the continuous use of student data (such as from formative, interim, and summative assessments) to inform and differentiate instruction in order to meet the academic needs of individual students;
8. Establish schedules and implement strategies that provide increased learning time; and
9. Provide appropriate social-emotional and community-oriented services and supports for students.

“Any option we choose will require an outside evaluator,” Sherman said. “Earlier this year, we talked with Linda Darling Hammond about evaluating our middle schools and Peter Balas, Cathy David and Margee Walsh are in California meeting with her now to discuss a contract for the middle schools and possibly working with her on T. C. as well,” Sherman said. Hammond is the Charles E. Ducommun Professor of Education at Stanford University.

Engaging The Community

Sherman has begun discussions about transforming T. C. with various individuals and groups in Alexandria. On Wednesday, he met with Mayor Bill Euille and representatives from the Northern Virginia Urban League, the Alexandria Chapter of the NAACP and Tenants and Workers United. On March, 16, he has invited teachers at T. C. Williams to join him for dinner in the school cafeteria.

“I reached out to students in a video that we showed on ACPS TV earlier this week. I didn’t want to send them a letter and thought this would be more personal,” Sherman said.

In that nearly ten-minute video, Sherman and T. C. Principal Bill Clendaniel talked about the many good things that are happening at the school and the need to improve others. Sherman also read part of a letter that he is writing to President Barrack Obama.

“We hope that teachers and administrators will sign this letter and that students will sign a compact to work with us to make the necessary improvements at T. C.,” Sherman said.