Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: Information Provided and Not Provided in Response to Committee Requests." National Research Council. 2015. An Evaluation of the Public Schools of the District of Columbia: Reform in a Changing Landscape. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/21743.
×
Appendix A
Information Provided and Not Provided in Response to Committee Requests
As discussed throughout the report, the committee was often frustrated by its inability to obtain the information needed for our evaluation. Although many officials in the education agencies were helpful, there was neither a central office from which to request information nor any staff available to assist us in coordinating our requests. We made numerous requests to staff members at different levels within agencies and also shared an omnibus request with all agency heads and other staff to allow them to coordinate responses.
This appendix, Table A-1, covers only data and documentation that the committee requested from city offices. Information obtained independently by the committee, including material found on city websites, is discussed in the report.
The table first covers general issues and information and is then organized by chapter and topic. Throughout, information provided by the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) is for DCPS only, information provided by the Public Charter School Board (PCSB) is for charter schools only, and information provided by the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) is for all public school students.
Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: Information Provided and Not Provided in Response to Committee Requests." National Research Council. 2015. An Evaluation of the Public Schools of the District of Columbia: Reform in a Changing Landscape. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/21743.
×
TABLE A-1 Information Provided and Not Provided to the Committee
| Chapter/Topic | Information Provideda | Comments/Explanationsa |
| General | ||
| Assistance in coordinating information requests across agencies | No agency or city official was able to assist us by reviewing our requests, ensuring that they were directed to the right office, or coordinating city responses. | |
| Aggregated data across all public school students (charter LEAs and DCPS), e.g., spreadsheets supporting LearnDC website | OSSE: OSSE can provide aggregated data. The aggregated data are posted at https://github.com/DC-OSSE/LearnDC/data [Link not functional; upon follow-up, OSSE provided a JSON data file that was not usable.] | |
| Chapter 2: Context for School Reform in D.C. | ||
| Students: Counts for DCPS, charters, and state by student group, for 2006-2007 and 2013-2014 | PCSB: Counts for student population by subgroup and total, 2013-2014 | Totals from different agencies were not consistent |
| OSSE: Counts for student population DCPS and charters, by race, special ed, FRPL, and ELL2006-2007 and 2013-2014. | ||
| Educators: Counts for DCPS, charters, state by type/grade configuration (pre-K, elementary, middle, high, classroom aides, principals, assistant principals) | OSSE: counts for educators, DCPS and charters, by category (pre-K, elementary, etc.), 2007-2008, 2013-2014 | PCSB could not provide educator counts. |
| Schools: Counts for DCPS, charters, and state by type (pre-K elementary, middle, high, special) | OSSE: Counts for schools available at each grade level, DCPS and charters, 2006-2007 and 2013-2014 | School counts difficult to reconcile-—i.e., categories overlap |
Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: Information Provided and Not Provided in Response to Committee Requests." National Research Council. 2015. An Evaluation of the Public Schools of the District of Columbia: Reform in a Changing Landscape. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/21743.
×
| Chapter 3: Coordination, Efficiency, and Lines of Authority | ||
| Agency (DCPS central office, OSSE) staff counts, by division function, including any historical data available | OSSE: Current total staff count provided by e-mail; referred to fiscal 2015 operating budget | FTE counts by category are available in agency performance reports. These do not in all cases match the department titles within the agencies. |
| DCPS: teacher count provided by e-mail, referred to fiscal 2015 operating budget | No historical data were provided. | |
| [PCSB, SBOE and DME staff info available on websites] | ||
| DCPS: Frequently asked questions regarding proposed fiscal 2015 uniform per student funding formula | ||
| Data on student mobility, across LEAs and into and out of DC public schools, disaggregated by student group | OSSE: “[Mobility data] is not yet accurate or complete, and we are not comfortable sharing it until it is finalized. When it is in that shape, we will make it public (and share it with you). We don’t want to take the chance of sharing inaccurate data.” | |
Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: Information Provided and Not Provided in Response to Committee Requests." National Research Council. 2015. An Evaluation of the Public Schools of the District of Columbia: Reform in a Changing Landscape. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/21743.
×
| Chapter 4: Improving Teacher Quality | ||
|
Data and documentation for IMPACT:
|
DCPS:
|
DCPS responded quickly to our requests and provided much of what was requested. |
Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: Information Provided and Not Provided in Response to Committee Requests." National Research Council. 2015. An Evaluation of the Public Schools of the District of Columbia: Reform in a Changing Landscape. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/21743.
×
| Chapter 5: Academic Opportunities | ||
|
Data showing student access to advanced mathematics: calculus, statistics, algebra III/trigonometry. Can you provide number of schools that offer these courses and percentage of students (by graduating class) in those schools who enroll? We would like to have these data by ward as well so that we can have some measure of equity. |
As follow-up to interview, DCPS offered documentation: Overview of Teaching and Learning at DC Public Schools SY 2014-2015, and Curriculum and Assessment Overviews for grades 1 and 4 |
PCSB: [T]the committee will have to reach out to LEAs directly for this type of information. |
|
OSSE: number of schools offering AP courses, 2013-2014 |
No information about science courses provided. |
|
|
Criteria for entry into AP and/or IB courses, all subjects (do these differ from school to school?). Are there data by ward on participation in these higher-level courses and outcomes for students? |
DCPS: Written response from OTL gave numbers of students overall taking an AP exam 2010 and 2013 (their source was College Board report). OCS provided data on scores achieved (across all students) for 1990-2010, 2010-2011, 2011-2012, and 2012-2013. |
Criteria for entry not addressed, nothing by ward or subgroup. Everything appeared to be from College Board report. |
|
DCPS:
|
Nothing provided—Pathways report publicly available. LearnDC also plans to track certain benchmarks but this not yet evident on its website. |
|
Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: Information Provided and Not Provided in Response to Committee Requests." National Research Council. 2015. An Evaluation of the Public Schools of the District of Columbia: Reform in a Changing Landscape. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/21743.
×
|
Data and documentation about programming and resources at alternative high schools. How are these schools defined? How many students are enrolled, what are criteria, how does academic programming differ from what is offered in regular high schools? What are academic options in these schools? What else is part of programming at these schools? Can you provide data on outcomes for students who attend these schools? |
DCPS:
|
No specific information on programming or placement criteria; data on outcomes only for two schools |
| Professional Development: Documentation of target professional development opportunities for teachers (including focus area, scope/frequency, presenter experience, objectives, and targeted group) and percentage of targeted group who receive this development |
DCPS:
|
DCPS: examples only—no data on participation or information on overall objectives |
Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: Information Provided and Not Provided in Response to Committee Requests." National Research Council. 2015. An Evaluation of the Public Schools of the District of Columbia: Reform in a Changing Landscape. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/21743.
×
| Chapter 5: Learning Conditions—Resources | ||
|
OSSE:
|
|
|
OSSE: Access to Internet 2012-2013 |
|
|
OSSE: Number of schools with librarian and guidance counselor 2007-2008 and 2012-2013 (not percentage) | |
| Any data available on mental health services available to DCPS and/or charter students | DCPS: Documentation of role of social worker for elementary, middle, and high schools | |
| Social workers | DCPS: Brief written explanation of policy | |
| Documentation and/or data to show DCPS targets for Internet and computer access in individual schools, and number/percentage of schools that meet the target. We would like to have these data by ward as well so that we can have some measure of equity. | ||
Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: Information Provided and Not Provided in Response to Committee Requests." National Research Council. 2015. An Evaluation of the Public Schools of the District of Columbia: Reform in a Changing Landscape. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/21743.
×
| Chapter 5: Learning Conditions—Early Education | ||
| Programs for children from birth through pre-K—please provide data and/or documentation, including eligibility criteria and number of eligible students compared with number of places. | OSSE: number of schools offering early childhood education 2006-2007 and 2013-2014 DCPS: PS/PK enrollment for DCPS 2006-2007 and 2013-2014 PCSB: Number of charter campuses offering early childhood education, pre-K, or kindergarten, 2014-2015 |
DCPS Office of Specialized Instruction indicated that it is OSSE that has any data/documentation for children ages 0-3, and for charter students ages 3-kindergarten entry. |
| Measures for monitoring quality of programs, including family care—please provide documentation. Educator qualifications—please provide documentation of criteria, data regarding qualifications of educator workforce. |
DCPS and PCSB report that they do not have aggregated data on experience/qualifications of early childhood teachers, though all must meet OSSE certification standards. | |
| Head Start | DCPS: Description of goals for provision of Head Start services | |
Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: Information Provided and Not Provided in Response to Committee Requests." National Research Council. 2015. An Evaluation of the Public Schools of the District of Columbia: Reform in a Changing Landscape. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/21743.
×
| Chapter 5: Learning Conditions—Special Education | ||
| Number/percentage of schools offering special education services | OSSE: numbers of schools offering special ed programming for 2006-2007 and 2013-2014; student counts by disability category for DCPS and charter schools for 2013-2014 PCSB: All schools are required to offer a full continuum of services. DCPS: The document, Programs and Resources Guide for Staff, describes programs, resources, and processes. |
|
| Information about class size or student:teacher ratio, availability of classroom aides, data or documentation about mainstreaming Any data available on academic or other supports for students with special needs, including ELLs, special education students, for DCPS and for charters |
OSSE: At the October 25, 2013, meeting OSSE indicated that there are problems with some or all of these data. We asked to have whatever is available, along with a summary of any problems OSSE sees with the data. On March 19, 2014, they indicated that This is handled at the individual LEA basis and OSSE doesn’t have records on exactly what is done at each school. OSSE has Title I and III plans and the equivalent for IDEA and will provide. [Did not receive.] | |
| Documentation of changing policies with respect to accommodations | OSSE: Identification, placement, exit, and monitoring policy | OSSE: All known issues are published on the US Department of Education website, with the most substantial issue being reduction and finally the elimination of the historical read aloud accommodation. |
Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: Information Provided and Not Provided in Response to Committee Requests." National Research Council. 2015. An Evaluation of the Public Schools of the District of Columbia: Reform in a Changing Landscape. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/21743.
×
| Placement—movement of students in and out of district/private placement, and movement of students between DCPS and charters. Please provide data on student mobility as well as documentation of policies regarding such moves. | DCPS: Office of Specialized Instruction indicated that it is OSSE that tracks the movement of students between DCPS and charters, or out of system. OSSE: This was not actually provided, though OSSE indicated it would be provided. |
|
| Qualifications and experience of special education teachers—please provide information about how your office tracks this as well as data on numbers of qualified special education teachers, as well as general education teachers who are trained in special education. | DCPS: We do not have a way to pull an aggregate report to show level of experience, however, teachers must be certified according to OSSE standards. DCPS does not have trouble recruiting and hiring qualified special education teachers to fill vacancies. | |
| Professional development provided for all special education teachers—please provide documentation of the nature of the professional development (including focus area, scope/frequency, presenter experience, objectives, and targeted group) and percentage of targeted group who receive this development. |
DCPS:
|
DCPS: Professional development for special education staff was not tracked in 20062007. |
| Meeting key federal requirements for serving students with disabilities: please provide information on (1) procedural compliance issues related to teaching and learning and (2) educational outcomes for students with disabilities. | DCPS: Written response describing efforts under way to achieve procedural compliance | OSSE: The primary IDEA reporting is through EDFacts—002, 004, 005, 006, 007, 009 (see http://www2.ed.gov/about/inits/ed/edfacts/sy-12-13-nonxml.html for descriptions) and through the APR (http://osse.dc.gov/service/specialized-education-data-and-reports). |
Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: Information Provided and Not Provided in Response to Committee Requests." National Research Council. 2015. An Evaluation of the Public Schools of the District of Columbia: Reform in a Changing Landscape. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/21743.
×
| What is the impact of having DCPS serve as the service provider for students with disabilities in charter schools? | DCPS: Written response | |
| Academic supports provided to language learning students with special needs—please provide documentation. | DCPS: Documentation of recommendations for the coordination of services for English-language learners with special needs | |
| Chapter 5: Learning Conditions—English-Language Learners | ||
| Number and percentage of schools offering ELL services |
OSSE:
|
|
| PCSB: All schools are required to provide ELL services to students of eligible age. | ||
| Information about class size, student:teacher ratio for ELL students | ||
| Number/percentage of ELL classes with classroom aide | ||
Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: Information Provided and Not Provided in Response to Committee Requests." National Research Council. 2015. An Evaluation of the Public Schools of the District of Columbia: Reform in a Changing Landscape. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/21743.
×
| Identification—please provide documentation of the criteria used to place or classify students. At what fluency level do students stop receiving supports? |
DCPS:
|
|
| Qualifications and experience of ESOL teachers, bilingual teachers | DCPS: Written response describing required qualifications and experience of ESOL teachers | |
| How is academic progress of nonfluent students monitored, e.g., in mathematics, science, etc.? | DCPS: Written response describing means of measuring academic progress of nonfluent students in academic subjects | |
| OSSE: Provided identification, placement, exit, and monitoring policy | ||
| Chapter 6: Outcomes—Academic Outcomes | ||
| Achievement trends |
OSSE:
|
|
Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: Information Provided and Not Provided in Response to Committee Requests." National Research Council. 2015. An Evaluation of the Public Schools of the District of Columbia: Reform in a Changing Landscape. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/21743.
×
|
Test Security:
|
DCPS:
OSSE:
|
Written responses we received: OSSE: The replication of analysis would take time, and given the differences in test score processing procedures in place at the time would not match the originally determined statistical scores. |
Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: Information Provided and Not Provided in Response to Committee Requests." National Research Council. 2015. An Evaluation of the Public Schools of the District of Columbia: Reform in a Changing Landscape. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/21743.
×
| With regard to the data file shared with Mathematica for valueadded calculations: due to a time lag between testing and investigations, it has rarely been possible to remove test results from the data file sent to Mathematica for valueadded calculations in the same year as testing occurred. Scores are invalidated later (after investigations). This means that the following year, employees teaching students with invalidated scores are not held accountable for value added to a potentially inflated baseline. DCPS requests Mathematica exclude any data that needs to be removed because of test integrity concerns. Mathematica should therefore already be excluding potentially problematic test results from its calculations. | ||
| Graduation: Number/percentage of students who graduated, by subgroup | OSSE: Number of graduates for DCPS and charters for 2006-2007 and 2013-2014 by race and FRPL (some cells missing). | OSSE reported that they had made a policy adjustment with respect to calculating graduation rates and were planning to retroactively adjust the previous rates—but then had decided not to do this. OSSE subsequently reported that they can provide graduation rates for the time period from when they were first adjusted to the present but cannot go back to 2006-2007. Some data were provided. |
Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: Information Provided and Not Provided in Response to Committee Requests." National Research Council. 2015. An Evaluation of the Public Schools of the District of Columbia: Reform in a Changing Landscape. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/21743.
×
| Chapter 6: Outcomes—Nonacademic Outcomes | ||
| Noncognitive student outcomes for all evaluation years, including attendance, truancy, and disciplinary behavior/actions, in-school suspensions: Please provide data and/ or documentation about policies regarding these areas and prevalence/incidence rates. Data by ward would be particularly helpful. Documentation of goals/philosophy with respect to discipline: Is there a uniform discipline code or other guidance in interpreting whatever data you are able to share? Are there behaviors or incidents that have automatic required responses? Please describe the degree of flexibility schools have in making discipline decisions. |
OSSE: Number of truancy and discipline incidents for 2012-2013 for DCPS and PCSB (elementary, middle, high school, and total)
DCPS:
|
OSSE notes data exist only for 2012-2013 due to data quality issues. |
| Retention in grade | ||
NOTES: AIR, American Institutes for Research; AP, advanced placement; CP, core professionalism; CSC, commitment to school community; DCPS, District of Columbia Public Schools; DME, Deputy Mayor for Education; ELL, English-language learners; ESOL, English as a second language; FRPL, eligible for free and reduced-price lunch; FTE, full-time equivalent; FY, fiscal year; IB, international baccalaureate; LEA, local education agency; LIFT, Leadership Initiative for Teachers; OSSE, Office of the State Superintendent of Education; OTL opportunity to learn; PCSB, Public Charter School Board; POC, point of contact; SBOE, State Board of Education; TAS, teacher-assessed student achievement data; TLF, teacher learning framework.
Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: Information Provided and Not Provided in Response to Committee Requests." National Research Council. 2015. An Evaluation of the Public Schools of the District of Columbia: Reform in a Changing Landscape. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/21743.
×
This page intentionally left blank.
Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: Information Provided and Not Provided in Response to Committee Requests." National Research Council. 2015. An Evaluation of the Public Schools of the District of Columbia: Reform in a Changing Landscape. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/21743.
×
Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: Information Provided and Not Provided in Response to Committee Requests." National Research Council. 2015. An Evaluation of the Public Schools of the District of Columbia: Reform in a Changing Landscape. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/21743.
×
Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: Information Provided and Not Provided in Response to Committee Requests." National Research Council. 2015. An Evaluation of the Public Schools of the District of Columbia: Reform in a Changing Landscape. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/21743.
×
Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: Information Provided and Not Provided in Response to Committee Requests." National Research Council. 2015. An Evaluation of the Public Schools of the District of Columbia: Reform in a Changing Landscape. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/21743.
×
Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: Information Provided and Not Provided in Response to Committee Requests." National Research Council. 2015. An Evaluation of the Public Schools of the District of Columbia: Reform in a Changing Landscape. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/21743.
×
Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: Information Provided and Not Provided in Response to Committee Requests." National Research Council. 2015. An Evaluation of the Public Schools of the District of Columbia: Reform in a Changing Landscape. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/21743.
×
Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: Information Provided and Not Provided in Response to Committee Requests." National Research Council. 2015. An Evaluation of the Public Schools of the District of Columbia: Reform in a Changing Landscape. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/21743.
×
Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: Information Provided and Not Provided in Response to Committee Requests." National Research Council. 2015. An Evaluation of the Public Schools of the District of Columbia: Reform in a Changing Landscape. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/21743.
×
Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: Information Provided and Not Provided in Response to Committee Requests." National Research Council. 2015. An Evaluation of the Public Schools of the District of Columbia: Reform in a Changing Landscape. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/21743.
×
Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: Information Provided and Not Provided in Response to Committee Requests." National Research Council. 2015. An Evaluation of the Public Schools of the District of Columbia: Reform in a Changing Landscape. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/21743.
×
Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: Information Provided and Not Provided in Response to Committee Requests." National Research Council. 2015. An Evaluation of the Public Schools of the District of Columbia: Reform in a Changing Landscape. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/21743.
×
Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: Information Provided and Not Provided in Response to Committee Requests." National Research Council. 2015. An Evaluation of the Public Schools of the District of Columbia: Reform in a Changing Landscape. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/21743.
×
Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: Information Provided and Not Provided in Response to Committee Requests." National Research Council. 2015. An Evaluation of the Public Schools of the District of Columbia: Reform in a Changing Landscape. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/21743.
×
Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: Information Provided and Not Provided in Response to Committee Requests." National Research Council. 2015. An Evaluation of the Public Schools of the District of Columbia: Reform in a Changing Landscape. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/21743.
×
Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: Information Provided and Not Provided in Response to Committee Requests." National Research Council. 2015. An Evaluation of the Public Schools of the District of Columbia: Reform in a Changing Landscape. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/21743.
×
Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: Information Provided and Not Provided in Response to Committee Requests." National Research Council. 2015. An Evaluation of the Public Schools of the District of Columbia: Reform in a Changing Landscape. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/21743.
×
