By Dale Mann, Ph.D., Managing Director Thursday, June 19, 2008

1. An Audit of the Curriculum ofThe Enlarged City School District of Middletown, New YorkA Requirement from NYS in connection with NCLB and Adequate Yearly Progress By Dale Mann, Ph.D., Managing Director Thursday, June 19, 2008

2. Middletown’s recent progress. • Student groups are (1) Limited English Proficient and (2) Students with Disabilities • + High school graduation rates have increased from 2004-07 for SWD students, African-American students and Hispanic-American students. Deficiency areas

3. The Logic of auditing curriculum The tested curriculum The written curriculum The taught curriculum What the teachers do in ELA and Math What the board and central office does What the state tests

4. Audit procedures March, April and May, 2008 • (1) Review of written documents • (2) Interviews with administrators, a union representative and two board members • (3) Web survey responses from 160 teachers • (4) Observations of 200 classrooms • (5) Discussions of our analysis and recommendations in draft with district leaders Interactive, Inc. is solely responsible for the accuracy of this report and for the content and utility of the recommendations.

8. SUMMARY Structural changes are in place (scope & sequence, quarterly assessments, pacing guides, walk-throughs, etc) Organizational changes in place (new hires, departmental organization, reporting procedures) Implementing structural and organizational changes Board Central Office BUILDINGS CLASSROOMS Students -Pressure on the principals -Protection for the principals

9. An Example of the work of implementation • Assessment, interim and formative assessment (not EOY scores only) • But does assessment determine instruction? • Is professional development enough? • Middletown has more professional development than teacher supervision • Without both, teachers will never use assessment data to modify teaching in the middle of the year

10. How can ECSDM focus more effectively on ELL and SWD students? • Those students are identified in the AYP analysis. • There is more attention to general education student populations • than to the AYP-identified populations. • Middletown has an obligation to both. • There are strategies that advance both, for example, assessment, • and scope and sequence • But, with limited resources, the two groups also compete and • compete legitimately. • The purpose of this State-required audit is to focus on the • AYP-identified sub-populations.

11. DETERMINE WHAT IS TO BE TAUGHT: A scope and sequence + pacing guides

12. MEASURE HOW WELL THE CURRICULUM IS LEARNED: Assessments and ‘quarterlies’

13. MAKE TESTING EASY, QUICK, FREQUENT AND CONNECTED TO SUBSEQUENT INSTRUCTION

14. ANALYSE THE ASSESSMENT AND OTHER DATA BY PUPIL BACKGROUND CHARACTERISTICS

15. BUILDING ADMINISTRATORS SHOULD MODEL AN INSTRUCTIONAL FOCUS ON THE IDENTIFIED POPULATIONS

16. FOCUS ON TEACHERS WHO WORK WITH ELL AND SWD STUDENTS

17. INCREASE THE VISIBILITY AND TRANSPARENCY OF INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERSHIP IN CLASSROOMS

18. INCREASE THE VISIBILITY AND TRANSPARENCY OF INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERSHIP IN CLASSROOMS

19. POLICY CONSIDERATIONS • District school improvement plan • What is a critical mass necessary for improvement?

20. SUMMARY OF ECSDM PROGRESS • From 16 deficient areas to 6 areas • New hires • Scope & sequence + pacing guides • Quarterly assessments • Walk-throughs The program initiatives are substantial, indicated and useful. Each should be more intensively applied, by the teachers, to the needs of the AYP sub-populations.