final cfhs year 3 report 10-14-2013

7/27/2019 Final Cfhs Year 3 Report 10-14-2013

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/final-cfhs-year-3-report-10-14-2013 1/103

C E N T R A L F A L L S H I G H S C H O O L

Report Third Year



Central Falls High SchoolThird Year Transformation Report

The Education Alliance at Brown University,

Research & Evaluation Division

4 Richmond Square, Fourth Floor

Providence, Rhode Island 02906

Phone: 401.274.9548

Fax: 401.421.7650

E-mail: [email protected]

Web: www.alliance.brown.edu

Annenberg Institute for School Reform at

Brown University, Research & Policy

Box 1985

Providence, RI 02912

Phone: 401.863.7990

Fax: 401.863.1290

E-mail:[email protected].

Web: www.annenberginstitute.org



Central Falls High School: Third Year Transformation Report

Authors

The Education Alliance: Amy Burns and Hardeek Shah

Annenberg Institute: Elsa Duré

About the Education Alliance

Since 1975, the Education Alliance, a department at Brown University, has helped the education

community improve America’s schools. The Alliance provides applied research, technical assistance, and

informational resources to connect research and practice, build knowledge and skills, and meet critical

needs in the field.

The Education Alliance engages a wide range of qualitative and quantitative strategies to provideeducators with information they can use to improve programs, inform school reform activities, and

facilitate change. Our approach considers multiple perspectives and local contexts to ensure that educators

can apply our recommendations to their specific concerns. We have conducted assessments of school

change models, online professional development offerings, school support organizations, and ESL and

bilingual programs. We also evaluate how assessment strategies inform professional development and

classroom practice in terms of national standards.

About the Annenberg Institute for School Reform

The Annenberg Institute for School Reform is a national policy-research and reform-support

organization, affiliated with Brown University, which focuses on improving conditions and outcomes for

all students in urban public schools, especially those serv ing disadvantaged children. The Institute’s vision

is the transformation of traditional school systems into “smart education systems” that develop and

integrate high-quality learning opportunities in all areas of students’ lives – at school, at home, and in the

community. The Institute conducts research; works with a variety of partners committed to educational

improvement to build capacity in school districts and communities; and shares its work through print and

Web publications.

Rather than providing a specific reform design or model to be implemented, the Institute’s

approach is to offer an array of tools and strategies to help districts and communities strengthen their local

capacity to provide and sustain high-quality education for all students.



Table of Contents

Introduction ...................................................................................................................................................................................................1

The Central Falls High School Transformation Study ...........................................................................................................................2

Section I. Participants and Methods ..........................................................................................................................................................6

Section II. The First Strategic Goal: Increase the Graduation Rate ................................................................................................. 12

Section III. The Second Strategic Goal: Improve Student Proficiency in Mathematics ............................................................... 29

Section IV. The Third Strategic Goal: Improve the Culture and Climate of the School .............................................................. 42

Section V. Transformation Summary ..................................................................................................................................................... 57

Section VI. Recommendations ................................................................................................................................................................ 64

Appendix A ................................................................................................................................................................................................. 67

Staff Transformation Study Survey

Appendix B.................................................................................................................................................................................................. 71

Staff Transformation Study Survey Data, Disaggregated by Teacher, Other Staff, and Overall Across Three Time Points

Appendix C ................................................................................................................................................................................................. 77

List of Expanded Learning Opportunities

Appendix D ................................................................................................................................................................................................. 79

Strategies that Increased Graduation Rates (Open-Ended Responses from the Transformation Study Survey)

Appendix E ................................................................................................................................................................................................. 82

Strategies that Improved Mathematics Proficiency (Open-Ended Responses from the Transformation Study Survey)

Appendix F ............................................................................................................................................................................ 85

Strategies that Improved Climate and Culture (Open-Ended Responses from the Transformation Study Survey)



Appendix G ................................................................................................................................................................................................. 88

Areas in Need of Further Improvement (Open-Ended Responses from the Transformation Study Survey)

Appendix H ................................................................................................................................................................................................. 93

Strategies/ Next Steps for Continued Improvement (Open-Ended Responses from the Transformation Study Survey)



List of Figures

Fig. 1. Number of Interviews and Focus Group Participants: Year 3

Fig. 2. Number and Response Rates of Survey Participants across Three Time Points

Fig. 3. Student and Staff Characteristics at Central Falls High School and RI State, 2012-2013

Fig. 4. CFHS and RI State Graduation and Dropout Rates across Three Years

Fig. 5. Guide to Success Program Student Data, 2012-2013

Fig. 6. Square Mile Program Student Data, 2012-2013

Fig. 7. P.M. School Student Data, 2012-2013

Fig. 8. Wordle Diagram of Multiple Pathways Program Themes

Fig. 9. Exemplar Student Quotes on Advisory: Year 3

Fig. 10. Student SurveyWorks! Data on Personal Relationships and Community Support

Fig. 11. 4-Year, 5-Year, and 6-Year CFHS Graduation Rates 2009-2012

Fig. 12. Grade 11 Student Proficiency on the Mathematics NECAP

Fig. 13. 2012-2013 Mathematics Grades Earned by Quarter

Fig. 14. Grade 11 Student Proficiency on the Reading NECAP

Fig. 15. Mean SAT Scores: Math, Critical Reading & Writing

Fig. 16. Staff Transformation Survey Findings: Curricular Planning

Fig. 17. Staff Transformation Survey Findings: Instructional Practices

Fig. 18. Common Planning/ PD Opportunities: Year 3

Fig. 19. Staff Transformation Survey Findings: Professional Development

Fig. 20. Frequency of CFHS Staff Absences, by Category 2011-2013



Fig. 21. Student Attendance and Chronic Absenteeism Rates

Fig. 22. CFHS Teacher Effectiveness Ratings: 2012-2013

Fig. 23. Staff Survey Findings: Reform Climate and Culture

Fig. 24. Student Discipline Data: Three-Year Comparison of Monthly Referrals

Fig. 25. Student SurveyWorks! Data on Discipline and Equity

Fig. 26. Student SurveyWorks! Data on Student-Teacher Relationships

Fig. 27. Student SurveyWorks! Data on Student Engagement

Fig. 28. Monthly Parent Volunteer Hours at CFHS: 2012-2013

Fig. 29. Exemplar Quotes: Strategies that Increased Graduation Rates during the Transformation

Fig. 30. Exemplar Quotes: Strategies that Improved Mathematics Proficiency during the Transformation

Fig. 31. Exemplar Quotes: Strategies that Improved School Climate and Culture during the Transformation

Fig. 32. Exemplar Quotes: Areas that Are in Further Need of Improvement

Fig. 33. Exemplar Quotes: Strategies/ Next Steps for School Improvement



1

Central Falls High School: Third Year Transformation Report

Introduction

In January 2010, the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) identified Central Falls

High School (CFHS) as one of the state’s persistently lowest-achieving schools. Though the Central

Falls School District had been in state-administered corrective action since 2002, student

achievement at CFHS had remained among the lowest in the state. According to RIDE’s Protocol for

Interventions: Persistently Lowest-Achieving Schools , local education agencies with one or more persistently

low-achieving school are required to choose from one of the four “turnaround” models that are

designed to radically alter conditions in the school and provide students with enhanced educational

opportunities.1 After consideration of the options, the Central Falls School District (CFSD) and the

Central Falls Teachers Union (CFTU) chose to adopt the Transformation Model to improve CFHS.2

Specifically, this model called for:

Replacement of the school leader

Rigorous, transparent, and equitable evaluation systems for teachers

A commitment to consistent use of data to drive decision-making, revisions to reform

strategies, and approaches to instruction

Operational flexibility for administrators, allowing for extended learning time, unfettered use

of school/district resources, and creative use of instructional time available within the school

day with the ability to revise that use based on results, etc.

Appointment of a turnaround officer or turnaround office to oversee the reform efforts of

the Local Education Agency (LEA)

During the summer of 2010, leadership in Central Falls developed an action plan which

incorporated the elements described above, and began immediate implementation of the

1 Please see RIDE’s Protocol for Interventions: Persistently Lowest-Achieving Schools for complete definitions of the four models.http://sos.ri.gov/documents/archives/regdocs/released/pdf/DESE/6266.pdf

2 Further description regarding the selection of the Transformation model can be found in the First Year Transformation Report (September, 2011).



2

Transformation model. This study by Brown University details the Transformation process,

highlighting the successes, challenges, areas for improvement, and future directions.

The Central Falls High School Transformation Study For three years, the Education Alliance (EA) and the Annenberg Institute for School

Reform (AISR) at Brown University have collaborated to evaluate the Transformation process at

CFHS. The overarching focus of the study was the progress CFHS has made toward the three

strategic goals named in the action plan:

Increase the graduation rate and decrease the dropout rate.

Improve student proficiency in mathematics and maintain improvement in Englishlanguage arts (ELA) proficiency.

Improve the culture and climate of the school.

The final report details the third Transformation year at CFHS and also highlights three-year

trends across data sources. An overview of the various participants and methods utilized in the

evaluation will be provided in Section I of the report. Sections II – IV will describe the progress

CFHS has made toward each of the three strategic goals during the Transformation. Finally,

Sections V and VI summarize the findings and offer recommendations for continued improvement.

The Year 3 Report provides a follow-up to the findings reported in the Year 1 Report (September

2011) and the Year 2 Report (August 2012). Together, these three reports provide a comprehensive

overview of the collective lessons learned in the Transformation of Central Falls High School.

Executive Summary of Findings

Strategic Goal 1: Improve Graduation Rates

Throughout the Transformation, CFHS has implemented and refined alternative educational

programming that provides students with unique support services aimed at increasing the graduation

rate and reducing the dropout rate. Due to innovation and the combined efforts of the CFHS

community, graduation rates have improved substantially during the Transformation years. All of

the Multiple Pathways programs (e.g., Guide to Success, Square Mile, P.M. School, Saturday School,



3

Online Learning Academy) enrolled students who graduated or recovered credits as a result of their

involvement with these programs. Additionally, the Expanded Learning Opportunities (ELO)

initiative has enabled students to earn credits while exploring their individual interests. Over 250

students successfully participated in the ELO initiative during the last two years of the

Transformation.

In addition to Multiple Pathways, many other supports and opportunities were created and

streamlined during Transformation years. Illustratively, CFHS has forged over 100 partnerships

with community organizations to leverage resources, materials, and opportunities for students. In

Year 3, the Academic Enhancement Center was repurposed to provide more direct instruction to

students in need of extra academic support. Qualitative data across stakeholder groups has shown

that opportunities for student engagement and leadership have increased during the past three years.

CFHS leadership has begun plans for the implementation of key holistic services including

substance abuse support, a student assistance counseling program, mental health services, and a

school-based clinic which would serve the entire Central Falls district.

Structural changes made to strengthen the advisory program during the Transformation have

shown mixed results according to teacher, staff, and student data, indicating that further

improvements are needed to meet program objectives. It should be noted, however, that the

majority of CFHS students who participated in focus groups and surveys across three years reported

positive relationships with teachers and staff.

Strategic Goal 2: Improve Mathematics Proficiency

For the first two years of the Transformation, progress toward the goal of improving

mathematics proficiency was slow due in part to transitional challenges in staffing and a delay in the

development of new mathematics curriculum. By Year 3, however, improvements in the

mathematics content area were evidenced. There was a focus on rewriting and implementing a

consistent math curriculum, as well as the development and administration of common assessments

in mathematics courses. Student proficiency on the New England Common Assessment Program

(NECAP) mathematics examinations showed a longitudinal increase, nearly doubling from 7%

proficient in October 2011 to 13% in October 2012. Additionally, a multi-layered plan for

intervention was employed for students needing extra help in mathematics. Although progress in

mathematics during the third year of the Transformation was encouraging, teachers and leadership

report that further attention and resources are needed to continue improvement efforts.



4

With a broadened focus on teaching and learning, staff across CFHS reported increasingly

positive perceptions of curricular planning and instructional practices by Year 3 of the

Transformation. Survey findings show longitudinal gains in the number of teachers and staff who

agree that curricula are planned between and among grade levels. Additionally, increases were shown

in the frequencies with which staff reported using data to improve teaching and using formative

assessment strategies to measure student progress. CFHS administrators credit strong teacher

leadership, particularly in Year 3, as a driving force in the improvement of instruction and

engagement.

According to staff data, the need for more common planning time remains a persistent

challenge to teaching and learning. Additionally, staff have reported mixed perceptions of

professional development throughout the three years of the Transformation. CFHS leadership,

however, is using this teacher feedback to drive new trainings. For example, during the first two

years of the Transformation teachers recommended utilizing in-house expertise for professional

development. Based upon this information, CFHS leadership implemented three days of teacher-

led professional development focused on literacy, reasoning, and differentiation during the summer

of 2013.

Strategic Goal 3: Improve School Culture and Climate

Data from multiple indicators and across stakeholders provide strong evidence that the

culture and climate at Central Falls High School have improved from Year 1 to Year 3 of the

Transformation. Examples of the positive changes include substantial decreases in teacher

absenteeism over time and yearly increases in staff perceptions of collaboration and communication.

On the CFHS Transformation survey, the majority of staff reported that by Year 3 staff and

leadership openly discuss efforts to improve the school and that CFHS has made changes to better

meet the needs of its diverse student body.

Students also reported an increasingly positive school climate; Surveyworks! data show

longitudinal gains in perceptions of student engagement and relationships with teachers.

Specifically, students believe that teachers treat them with respect and that teachers inspire them to

do their best work. Indeed, by Year 3 of the Transformation CFHS students rated both areas higher

than the average of high school students across the state.



5

Family engagement also showed marked improvement throughout the Transformation.

CFHS provided numerous opportunities for parents to engage with the school community around

the strategic goals. These opportunities included bimonthly Board of Trustees meetings, monthly

Superintendent meetings, parent-teacher-student organization (PTSO) meetings, and various

committee meetings. In addition, the Central Falls district, in collaboration with different

community partners, provided leadership and advocacy training for parents. Parent participants in

focus groups and interviews reported improved interactions between the high school and families.

While the number of student behavior referrals decreased from Year 1 to Year 3 of the

Transformation, further improvements to the behavior management system are still needed. Survey

and interview findings indicate that CFHS staff are unsatisfied with the current discipline system and

that student behavior is still seen as a challenge to effective instruction. Additionally, chronic student

absenteeism and tardiness remain obstacles.



6

SECTION I. CFHS TRANSFORMATION STUDY: PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS

Given the complexity of the Transformation process, the study employed a multifaceted

evaluation approach. The design incorporated both qualitative and quantitative methods including

stakeholder interviews, focus groups, a longitudinal staff survey, and an analysis of key student,

teacher, and school-level indicators. The design and methods were held constant throughout the

three years of the study with small adaptations made to samples and protocols to capture the

nuances and growth of the programs, climate, and context of the CFHS community. A detailed

description of the participants and methods is provided below.

Stakeholder Interviews and Focus Groups

Collecting and synthesizing the perceptions, concerns, and suggestions of the various

stakeholders in the CFHS community has been a cornerstone of studying the Transformation

process. Illustratively, over 275 students, leadership team members, parents, and other members of

the CFHS community have participated in interviews and/or focus groups during the three years of

the study. Figure 1 summarizes the number of interviews and focus groups conducted in Year 3,

disaggregated by participant group.3

Figure 1. Number of Interview and Focus Group Participants: Year 3

Interviews Number of Interviews/Participants

Teachers and staff 14

School/ district leadership* 9

CFHS bench members 2

Focus Groups

Students(6 Groups)

47

Teachers(3 Groups)

27

Parents(1 Group)

14

Note. *Six leadership team members were interviewed in fall 2012. In spring 2013, a sub-sample of three leadersparticipated in a follow-up interview, resulting in 9 interviews in all.

3 The specific numbers of interviews and focus groups conducted in the first two years are available in the Year 1 and Year 2 Transformation Reports.



7

Each year the evaluation team developed interview and focus group protocols for all

stakeholders to collect qualitative data on the Transformation efforts at CFHS. To allow for the

triangulation of responses from multiple perspectives, the protocols were aligned among participant

groups. Where possible, the protocols also asked participants to reflect upon changes that may have

occurred across years of the Transformation.

Year 3 Interviews

During the first two years of the Transformation study, the evaluation team conducted 42

interviews with teachers and other key staff.4 To examine changes in perceptions over time, 11 of

the 14 teachers and staff members interviewed in Year 3 had been interviewed previously during the

first and/or second years of the Transformation study. In addition, three new teachers were invited

to be interviewed in Year 3, yielding a representative sample of veteran and new teachers. Data

collected during these one-on-one interviews with teachers and staff were synthesized with teacher

focus group data and interviews with the leadership team, as well as quantitative data from the staff

survey.

Beyond teachers and staff, the evaluation team also interviewed all members of the

leadership team in the fall of 2012, including the Superintendent, Deputy Superintendent for

Transformation, Principal, Assistant Principal, Assistant Director of Special Education, and the

Executive Director for Family Assistance and Student Supports. To capture an end-of-year

administrative perspective, evaluators conducted follow-up interviews with a sub-sample of this

leadership team ( n = 3 participants). Finally, interviews were conducted with two members of the

Bench.5 These interviews took place in the fall of 2012 and spring of 2013.

Year 3 Focus Groups

To collect firsthand qualitative data from as many participants as budgetary resources would

allow, the evaluation team held focus groups in addition to the one-on-one interviews. These focus

groups were comprised of CFHS students, parents, and teachers.

Student Focus Groups. In Year 3, six student focus groups ( n = 47 participants) were held,

including a group of elected student government members; a group of students who participated in

4 Other key staff interviewed may include guidance counselors, the school librarian, behavior specialists, and staff involved in Expanded Learning Opportunities (ELOs) at the high school.

5 The “Bench” is an external group of certified evaluators tasked to observe and evaluate CFHS teachers.



8

Multiple Pathways programs; a group of students who have received English as a second language

(ESL) services; a group of students who have received special education services; a group of Young

Voices6 participants; and a group comprised primarily of graduating seniors. Assisted by the deputy

superintendent and supporting staff, the evaluation team was able to use time during advisory period

as a venue for these group discussions on students’ views of climate, instruction, teacher-student

relationships, absenteeism, behavior management, and suggestions for improving CFHS.

Parent Focus Group. The evaluation team strived to include CFHS parents’ perspective of

the Transformation process as part of comprehensive reporting. To accomplish this objective, a

focus group was facilitated with fourteen parent participants; a bilingual facilitator invited parents to

participate in Spanish or English. The discussion focused on their perceptions of communication

with the high school, interactions with teachers, climate and culture, and levels of community

involvement. To complement the data provided by parents, staff and leadership team protocols also

include specific questions regarding the ways that CFHS has engaged parents throughout the

Transformation.

Teacher Focus Groups. Three teacher focus groups ( n = 27 participants) were also

conducted in this final year of the study. Two of these three groups provided data which explicitly

addressed overarching Transformation goals. First, the CFHS Math Team comprised one focus

group and offered insight on the progress toward the goal of improving mathematics proficiency.

Multiple Pathways teachers comprised a second focus group and discussed the impact these

alternative programs have had on graduation rates, as well as ideas for sustainability of these

programs. The final focus group was comprised of special educators who shared their viewpoints

on the services and supports available for CFHS students.

Staff Transformation Survey

In collaboration with CFHS leadership, evaluators developed a survey to collect data on staff

beliefs and attitudes regarding the Transformation process. Specifically, the survey asked staff to rate

the extent to which they agreed or disagreed with twenty-one items in the areas of: reform climate

and culture, teaching practices, professional development, and curricular planning. Additionally, in

Year 3 the survey contained three open-response questions that asked staff to describe their

6 Young Voices is a Rhode Island-based non-profit organization that seeks to transform urban youth into powerfuladvocates, who partner with our State’s major leaders to create systemic reform and policy change that improve thelives of thousands of youth across the state. http://www.youngvoicesri.org/about-us/



9

perceptions of the following areas: Transformation progress; further improvements needed at

CFHS; and next steps to continue improvement efforts.7 Participants were assured that responses

were confidential and individual identities would not be disclosed in evaluation reporting.

The survey was designed to be administered at multiple time points so that staff perceptions

could be assessed over the duration of Transformation efforts. The survey was administered at the

end of the first, second, and third years of Transformation (i.e., June 2011, 2012, and 2013).8 It

should be noted that there were minor changes to the content of the survey across time points.9 The

electronic survey was administered to CFHS staff members through Qualtrics, a tool that Brown

University has licensed for online data collection.

Fifty-seven staff members responded to the survey in June 2013, representing a 70%

response rate; an improvement from the 51% response rate in the first year, and similar to the 71%

response rate in the second year. Within the Year 3 sample, 45 respondents were classroom teachers

and 12 represented other staff at the high school which could include positions in leadership,

guidance, school psychology, social work, and the school library. The survey sample did not include

non-certified support staff. Figure 2 displays the number and response rate of the survey sample

over time. In the next several sections of this report, survey data will be presented for the overall

sample across the three time points. Evaluators have also disaggregated survey data by teacher, other

staff, and overall; these findings are presented in Appendix B.

Figure 2. Number and Response Rates of Survey Participants across Three Time Points YEAR 1 YEAR 2 YEAR 3

Number of Respondents

Response Rate


Response Rate


Response Rate

Teachers 36 49% 48 69% 45 69%

Other Staff 7 70% 8 89% 12 71%

Overall Sample 43 51% 56 71% 57 70%

Note. The base number of staff members employed at CFHS fluctuated across time points, which affects the response rates.

7 Please see Appendix A for the complete Staff Transformation Study Survey.8 An abbreviated version of the survey was also administered in October 2011; this mid-year format was eliminated from

the evaluation design to reduce survey fatigue and increase likelihood of participation at the end of the year.9 Four questions related to curricular planning were cut after the first administration to lower repetition within the

instrument. In addition, open-response questions were revised slightly over time.



10

Student, Teacher, and School Indicators

Evaluators have examined student, teacher, and school indicators from multiple sources to

provide data-based evidence for Transformation progress to date. In reporting, many of these data

points will be presented longitudinally to highlight trends corresponding to the three years of the Transformation. These indicators include:

New England Common Assessment Program (NECAP) scores, disaggregated by student

subgroups for CFHS and RI state

Graduation and dropout data for CFHS and RI state

Attendance data for CFHS students and RI state

Attendance rates and trends for CFHS teachers

Mathematics indicators (classroom grades, number of students enrolled in advanced classes

and participating in enrichment opportunities)

SAT data

Teacher evaluation data

SurveyWorks! student data10 for CFHS and RI State

Expanded Learning Opportunities data

Advisory data

Professional development data

Multiple Pathways program data

Behavior management data

10 SurveyWorks! is Rhode Island's Education Survey Suite. The Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (RIDE) conducts these annual surveys of students, parents, teachers/staff, and administrators as part of ancoordinated effort to improve schools. See http://surveyworks.ride.ri.gov/ for more information.

http://surveyworks.ride.ri.gov/






11

Structure and Demographics of CFHS High School

Central Falls High School is a diverse educational community that served 824 students and

employed 106 staff members during the 2012 - 2013 school year.11 Of these 106 staff members, 74

were teachers, 28 were non-certified support staff

12

, and four were administrators. The structure of the high school includes a lower house (grades 9 and 10); an upper house (grades 11 and 12);

English as a Second Language (ESL) team; and, the Unified Scholars special education team. In

addition, students are affiliated with one of three academies: the Science Academy (grades 10, 11,

and 12); the Arts Academy (grades 10, 11, and 12), or the Ninth Grade Academy. Figure 3 displays

an overview of student and staff characteristics in the third Transformation year at CFHS and

statewide.

Figure 3. Student and Staff Characteristics at Central Falls High School and RI State, 2012-2013

CFHS RI State

Students

Student eligibility for subsidized lunch 70% 46%

Hispanic students 74% 22%

African American students 15% 8%

White students 10% 63%

Multiracial students 1% 3%

Students receiving English language services 23% 6%

Students receiving special education services 28% 15%

Staff

Highly qualified teachers13 96% 97%

Teacher-Student ratio 1:9 1:11

Note. Data source: Student data in the table were obtained from the Rhode Island Department of Education(http://infoworks.ride.ri.gov/school/central-falls-high-school). RI state average also includes 3% Asian students and1% Native American students.

11 Data source: Central Falls High School Records.12 This number includes non-certified support staff ( i.e., clerical staff, teacher assistants, restoration specialists, and

home-school liaisons). 13 A “highly qualified” teacher must meet the following federal law requirements: Be fully certified and/or licensed by the state; Hold at least a bachelor degree from a four-year institution; Demonstrate competence in each core academicsubject area taught. In Figure 3, staff information on highly qualified teachers and student-teacher ratios represents thedata from the latest available year, 2010-2011.



12

SECTION II. THE FIRST STRATEGIC GOAL:INCREASE THE GRADUATION RATE

The first strategic goal in the Transformation plan was to increase the graduation rate and

decrease the dropout rate at CFHS. Throughout the Transformation process, the high school has

continued to implement and refine several strategies that address this goal, including:

• Developing Multiple Pathways programs

• Offering Expanded Learning Opportunities

• Cultivating community partnerships

• Strengthening the advisory program

• Streamlining student supports

These strategies are intended to provide added academic and socio-emotional support

tailored to the individual needs of each student at CFHS. In this section, an overview of graduation

and dropout rate data is provided and then each of the key areas — Multiple Pathways programs,

Expanded Learning Opportunities, community partnerships, advisory, and student support

services — is discussed in relation to the overarching goal.

Three-Year Graduation and Dropout Trends

Figure 4 displays the three-year trends of graduation and dropout rates for CFHS overall and

disaggregated by student subgroup. The RI state average is also provided in each area. It should be

noted that in 2010-2011, the graduation rate at CFHS improved by 19 percentage points, while the

RI state average increased by one percentage point. This large gain was sustained in 2011-2012.

Similar to the graduation trend, the dropout rate at CFHS decreased by 27 percentage points from

the 2009-2010 school year to the 2010-2011 school year, while the RI state average decreased by

only one percentage point. In 2011-2012, the CFHS dropout rate was 14%, slightly higher than the

RI state average of 12%.



13

Figure 4. CFHS and RI State Graduation and Dropout Rates across Three Years2009-2010

Students enrolled in9th grade for the first

time in2006-2007

% (N)

2010-2011Students enrolled in9th grade for the first

time in2007-2008

% (N)


time in2008-2009

% (N)

Graduation Rates All CFHS Students 52% (135) 71% (172) 70% (156)

GenderFemale 51% (64) 79% (100) 73% (83)Male 52% (71) 62% (72) 66% (73)

Race/Ethnicity Black or African American 45% (18) 68% (26) 76% (19)Hispanic or Latino 52% (99) 72% (128) 70% (118) White (non-Hispanic) 56% (18) 64% (16) 58% (15)

StatusEconomically disadvantaged 54% (123) 72% (166) 69% (145)Students with disabilities 38% (25) 59% (37) 62% (36)Students with LEP 49% (43) 70% (57) 74% (71)

RI State 76% (9,452) 77% (9,270) 77% (9,308)Dropout Rates All CFHS Students 35% (91) 8% (20) 14% (31)


Race/Ethnicity Black or African American 30% (12) 5% (2) 12% (3)Hispanic or Latino 35% (66) 7% (13) 13% (22) White (non-Hispanic) 41% (13) 16% (4) 23% (6)

StatusEconomically disadvantaged 31% (72) 7% (15) 13% (28)Students with disabilities 46% (30) 8% (5) 10% (6)Students with LEP 37% (32) 9% (7) 12% (11)

RI State 14% (1,761) 13% (1,496) 12% (1,439) Note. Data Source: The RIDE website, http://www.eride.ri.gov/FileExchange/FredPublic.aspx. This information wasextracted from the Frequently Requested Education Data (FRED) documents: the 2009-2010 excel file,"c2007rates_public", the 2010-2011 excel file, "c2008rates_public", and the 2011-2012 excel file,"c2009rates_v.1.2_public".

Multiple Pathways Programs

When asked about the improvements made in graduation and dropout rates, one teacher in

Year 3 commented, “W e’re concentrating on our struggling students earlier on, school-wide. Administrators are

acting quickly so students have successful experiences and graduate. So much effort is put into helping students.” TheMultiple Pathways programming is one such effort of how CFHS is helping students reach the goal

of graduation.

The Multiple Pathways programs were created and refined as part of the Transformation

strategic plan. These alternative educational offerings help students overcome challenges that may

http://www.eride.ri.gov/FileExchange/FredPublic.aspx






14

prevent them from staying in school. According to interviews with Multiple Pathways teachers and

CFHS Leadership, the programs provide opportunities for students to recover credits and fulfill

graduation requirements in collaborative, supportive settings which are tailored to the needs and life

circumstances of the students enrolled.

The CFHS Multiple Pathways programs include:

Guide to Success (G2S)

Square Mile

P.M. School

Online Learning Academy

In addition to the four pathways listed above, Saturday School and Expanded Learning Opportunities are other options available to CFHS students for credit recovery and academic

support. A summary of these alternative education offerings is provided below, along with

supporting qualitative and quantitative data for each program.

Guide to Success and Square Mile

Guide to Success (G2S) provides alternative educational programming for older students

who are interested in early college programs, specialized extended learning opportunities, and online

credit recovery. Teachers explained that they follow the same curriculum and cover the same Grade

Span Expectations (GSEs) as in the traditional school day, but often within a shorter time frame.

G2S offers flexible scheduling and an opportunity for over-age students to make up credits and

accelerate their learning via participation in school-to-work programs. Figure 5 presents data by

grade level of students who successfully earned credits and/ or completed the program during the

third year of the Transformation.

Figure 5. Guide to Success Program Student Data, 2012-2013Grade level Number of students

enrolled for the2012-2013 school year

Number of students successfully

earning credits2012-2013 school year

Grade 10 3 2

Grade 11 3 3

Grade 12 26 10 Note. Data source: Central Falls High School Student Records.



15

Square Mile is a transitional, alternative learning program that focuses specifically on the

needs of special education students. The purpose of this alternative learning program is to promote

positive social interaction and academic success through four major goals:

Increasing positive behavior Promoting academic achievement

Encouraging self-control

Developing personal responsibility for emotional and academic performance

One teacher described Square Mile as “…a small self-contained behavioral school where all students

have IEPs.” CFHS Leadership explained that students have the opportunity to transition back into

the high school once they have exhibited consistent positive behavior. A leveled incentive system is

utilized in Square Mile, tailored to the specific needs of individual students. Figure 6 displays datafor the number of students enrolled and those who successfully earned credits during 2012-2013.

Figure 6. Square Mile Program Student Data, 2012-2013Grade Level Number of students


Number of studentssuccessfully earning credits

2012-2013 school year

Grade 9 5 5

Grade 10 3 3

Grade 11 7 7

Grade 12 2 0

Note. Data source: Central Falls High School Student Records.

The G2S and Square Mile programs have experienced logistical transitions over the course

of the Transformation. In Year 1, the programs were located at the Feinstein School. When this

facility unexpectedly closed just before the start of Year 2, both programs were re-located to the

Young W omen’s Christian Association (YWCA) for the 2011-2012 school year. In Year 3, the G2S

program was held at Progreso Latino14, while Square Mile was held at Central Falls High School.

In the teacher focus group, evaluators asked about the location and space of the G2S and

Square Mile programs. Teachers shared that holding the G2S program away the high school building

enabled students to focus without distraction. One G2S teacher added that the first year at Feinstein

was an optimal location, commenting, “We started with more students the first year. The number of students

14 Progreso Latino, Inc. is a multi-service, non-profit, community based organization located in Central Falls whosemission is to empower the Latino community by providing the knowledge, skills, training, continuum of serv ices andopportunities for self-sufficiency, human development, prosperity, and a flourishing community.



16

has gone dow n in the last two years; there has been less space and fewer teachers.” Square Mile teachers shared

mixed feelings about the program’s relocation to the high school this year. They felt that having

physical education and lunch with mainstream students provided a sense of normalcy for many of

their students; however, teachers felt that being in the mainstream also poses a challenge, saying,

“Sometimes our students need more structure with fewer people.”

P.M. School and the Online Learning Academy

P.M. School is a Multiple Pathways program that offers students the ability to earn credits

outside of the typical school day. Among others, this option has appealed to students with children

and/or daytime jobs. Figure 7 displays the number of students enrolled in P.M. school during the

2012-2013 school year, as well as the number of students who successfully earned credits through

this program. It should be noted that the majority of these students earned credits for multiple

classes. One PM school teacher made the following comment regarding the successes of the

program this year, “We regained approximately 77 credits during the first half of the year. In the second half, we

saw a dip in attendance. But we are retaining at-risk students, including pregnant students. They are coming through

this program--we have graduated three already and one more is on the way.”

Figure 7. P.M. School Student Data 2012-2013Grade level Number of students


Number of studentssuccessfully earning credits

2012-2013 school year

Grade 9 4 4Grade 10 8 8

Grade 11 5 5

Grade 12 13 5

Note. Data source: Central Falls High School Student Records.

Similar to G2S, the Online Learning Academy pathway also targets over-age and under-

credited students. According to the CFHS website, the program was created to decrease course

failure by offering a virtual learning opportunity with academic options for credit recovery and

enrichment. The digital curriculum provided teachers with a standards-based instructional program

to deliver individualized, student-centered instruction with integrated diagnostic, formative and

summative assessments. Students who used this program were able to complete assignments from

any computer with Internet access, including school-based labs and computers outside of school,

like home and personal electronics.



17

Saturday School

Described by a leadership team member as, “akin to a sum mer school experience offered on

Saturdays,” Saturday School is another pathway for providing CFHS students with academic support

and credit recovery opportunities. Some students who attended Saturday School were enrolled inone of the other Multiple Pathway programs, while others attended traditional classes at the high

school. Teachers described the Saturday School program as a needs-based program that was an

option for any student who failed a course or did not have an opportunity to take a course. In

addition to earning course credits, students could receive individualized help on their senior projects

and portfolios. In the third year of the Transformation, 78 CFHS students earned credits through

Saturday School and 51 students worked on their senior projects and/or portfolios.

Overall Perceptions of Multiple Pathways Programs

During Multiple Pathways student and teacher focus groups several common themes

emerged to describe the implementation and impact of these programs. These themes included:

credit recovery, increased graduation rates, supportive teachers, positive relationships, rigorous

requirements, real-world skills, student interests, opportunities, meeting student needs, trust; clear

expectations, flexibility; responsibility; hands-on, focused, and, motivation. Figure 8 uses qualitative

data to graphically present Multiple Pathway themes in a Wordle TM diagram15, where the more

frequently used descriptors appear larger and less frequently used descriptors appear in smaller sized

font. In the diagram, the most frequent theme was mentioned seven times in focus groups while the

less frequent descriptors were mentioned two times by students and teachers.

15 Wordle TM is a tool for creating “word clouds” from qualitative data sources. The clouds give greater prominence to words that appear more frequently in the source text. http://www.wordle.net/



18

Figure 8. Wordle Diagram of Multiple Pathways Programs Themes

Several students and teachers attributed successful outcomes to the trusting and respectful

relationships that have been built within these programs. For example, one student remarked, “The

teachers know us really well. They push you, they are there to talk to you and motivate you. I wouldn’t be graduating without G2S.” Individualization of instruction was also cited as a reason why Multiple Pathways

programs are successful. One teacher commented, “We do our best to meet students where they are— we

truly meet their needs. We can document the improvement of individual students.” Another teacher shared, “Before

Multiple Pathways , we didn’t have anything for these students. They would have dropped out— now they have many

opportunities to recover credits and graduate. This is how we have measure impact. Every student that graduates is a

plus.”

Some teachers outside of the Multiple Pathways programs expressed apprehension about the

academic rigor of these alternative learning options. As one teacher commented, “What should be

examined is the way in which these programs are aligned to the standards and graduation requirements to make sure

that the students are still working towards a standards- aligned diploma.” When asked specifically about the

rigor, however, leadership and Multiple Pathways teachers were clear that the programs are aligned

with the required coursework for classes at the high school. Illustratively, one MP teacher shared,



19

“English is aligned, but may be done at a lower, more appropriate, level. For example, we read Raisin in the Sun

at the same time everyone else did. We focus on skill building. We differentiate. Students are able work at their own

pace.” One student who has attended both traditional high school classes at CFHS, as well as the

G2S program offered the following insight,

“The only difference between HS and G2S is the amount of time you’re in class. It’s more condensed at G2S. Believe me, they don’t just give the credits; it’s a lot of hard work. Maybe harder than high school.But we’re connected to the teachers — they know we have to leave right at 2pm because we have to pick up the kids from daycare or something like that, so it’s flexible. I think that’s it: it’s more flexible, but the standards are harder at G2S.”

Evaluators asked teachers and students to offer ideas for improving the Multiple Pathways

programs in future years. These suggestions included:

• More technology —Develop a plan to share the high school’s computing resources, e.g., the

laptop cart (student suggestion)

• Clear protocols on student placement — Establish criteria for entrance and registration using

available background information to determine which pathway is the best fit (teacher

suggestion)

• More communication about high school events — Share information about events such as

dances, banquets, and guest speakers in a more inclusive, timely way (student suggestion)

• Location of the programs — for some pathways, the most important component is not being

in the high school building, which allows for too many distractions s(teacher suggestion)

Expanded Learning Opportunities

The Expanded Learning Opportunities (ELO) initiative, like the other Multiple Pathways

Programs, was identified as a key strategy to dramatically increase graduation rates and decrease

dropout rates. The program initially functioned as a credit recovery program for students in the

Multiple Pathways Programs. As the program expanded during Year 2, it was offered to all high

school students, enabling them to recover credits as well as earn new course credits. By participating

in ELOs students could engage in academically rigorous and engaging learning via hands-on,

experiential learning driven by their own interests.16 During the 2012-2013 school year, 128 students

16 Source: CFHS ELO Webpage: http://cfhs.cfschools.net/extended-learning-opportunities.html. Blog: www.expandedlearning.tumblr.com.

http://cfhs.cfschools.net/extended-learning-opportunities.html



http://www.expandedlearning.tumblr.com/






20

participated in ELOs, resulting in an overall total of 250 students earning ELO credits during the

second and third years of the Transformation.

ELOs are structured as either group or individual opportunities that take place during the

school day, after-school, and/or during the summer. The student’s personal interests and academic

strengths are considered to be the foundation of each ELO. Teachers and community partners

collaborated with one another to ensure that learning opportunities meet academic standards and are

connected to real-world applications. The ELO subjects and interests varied greatly and included

core subjects such as math, science, history and English and electives like art, engineering, and

psychology. School leadership and staff explained that the program provides students with

opportunities and experiences that allow them to be able to succeed both in school and beyond

graduation. They felt that ELOs help students develop “21st Century Skills” such as critical thinking,

creativity, innovation, flexibility, ethical and collaborative problem solving, effective use of applied

technology, interpersonal, and leadership skills.17

The CFHS ELO Coordinator provided oversight for the ELO process. Her responsibilities

included meeting with students, identifying and creating community service opportunities, fostering

community relationships, monitoring progress, and scheduling meetings and final presentations.

Teachers helped with designing and developing the ELOs, as well as monitoring and assessing their

progress. In addition, community mentors were often involved to provide a connection between

students’ ELO work and real-life applications. Teacher mentors and/or community mentorsgenerally met once a week with students. Each ELO needed a teacher mentor to sign-off on the

project to ensure that all ELOs align with goals and requirements.

Perceptions of the ELO Initiative

Teachers, staff, and leadership reported overwhelming support for the ELO initiative and

high levels of success in engaging students in creative, individualized, hands-on learning experiences.

A math teacher described one of these individualized experiences, “I have an intern in one of my classes, a

junior. She’s getting one credit to be here every day period 4 to provide extra help to these students as a tutor/ teacher

assistant. She also started her own tutoring program after school on Mondays and Wednesdays to help students after

school until 4:45 p.m. I’m really proud of her.” In the case summary below, another CFHS teacher

17 Source: CFHS ELO Webpage.



21

describes the development of the School Emergency Response Team (SERT) ELO and the impact

it had on students and four staff at the high school.

The CFHS School Emergency Response Team: An ELO Case Summary

The CFHS School Emergency Response Team (SERT) began after a CFHS teacher was inspired by an article about community emergency response teams, where volunteers in the community respondto disasters like floods and earthquakes and explosions. The teacher approached the ELOcoordinator with this idea and asked if this type of team could be started with kids at CFHS. Twoother dedicated teachers were recruited to help and together this group developed a curriculum forthree SERT classes. Initially, the expectation was that one or two kids might be interested in thisELO...but the very first time, 18 kids showed up after school.

These 18 kids attended consistently for the next sessions. At one point, the lead teacher recalls

asking them, “Why are you showing up here?” The students responded, “Well, I want to be a nurse, or I want to go into the military, or I want to be a doctor, or I want to be a firefighter…and this is the way I can do it.” Theteachers utilized SERT curricula that trained students in search-and-rescue, first aid, and emergency medical services. The plan was for students to earn credits and also, to contribute to the CFHScommunity. It was a huge success. Beyond the ELO credits and community service hours, some of the kids independently enrolled in online certification classes that required a commitment of 20additional hours.

An induction ceremony--attended by Governor Chafee, Lt. Governor Roberts, Central Falls MayorDiossa, and the fire and police chiefs--was held to present badges to the students for theirparticipation. In addition, the Red Cross became involved and offered the use of Camp Fogarty as

part of a disaster training week in July. Through this work, the lead teacher applied for and wasgranted one thousand dollars to buy communication and medical equipment to use in trainings. Teachers truly believe that this ELO has impacted students’ futures.

Note. Data source: CFHS teacher interview transcripts, spring 2013

Students, as well as staff, reported positive experiences with Expanded Learning

Opportunities during the third year of the Transformation. In comparison to more “traditional”

classes, participating students found ELOs to be more student-initiated, individualized, and

beneficial. Students also believed that they learned more because ELOs “matched their interests” and“ bring in the outside world.” One student remarked, “I did a history ELO. The best part was choosing what to

focus on because you can actually have a good time and learn. I picked Human Trafficking and I really enjoyed it. I

learned about people around the world. Plus, I liked going to Brown Un iversity once a month.” For a list of the

Expanded Learning Opportunities offered at CFHS, please see Appendix C.



22

Cultivating Community Partnerships

As described, community partnerships played a critical role in the development and

implementation of the Expanded Learning Opportunities offered to students. Indeed, by the end

of Year 3 of the Transformation, the high school had forged over 100 partnerships withcommunity organizations to leverage resources, materials, and opportunities for students. On

May 30, 2013 CFHS hosted a Transformation Summit entitled, “The Power of Partnerships.” The

summit featured an overview of the partnerships, structured break-out sessions, and an ELO

Expo followed by dinner and a movie for participants. During the summit, guest speakers

highlighted the strengths and successes of the following partnerships:

Rhode Island Department of Transportation: Seatbelt Awareness Program

American Red Cross: The School Emergency Response Team (SERT)

Rhode Island College: District Lab Partnership

Progreso Latino: Central Falls Youthworks Program

JASON Learning: Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM) Programming

Leadership team members reinforced the importance of community partnership during

individual interviews. One leader specifically discussed the partnership with Rhode Island College

and the potential benefits for the district and the college.

“What we want to do is have the district become a lab site for the college, where, we’ll be able to gain experience, expe rtise, additional resources from the college. We’ll have student teachers in an extended program and we will have professors working with our teachers. Having those additional resources will be helpful. At the same time, RI College is looking to us to figure out best practices, how does an inner-city school thrive, how does an inner-city school do in terms of teacher training, and what does an urban program need to have in order for their teachers to succeed. We are going to have up to 12 different projec ts that we’re launching this summer and into next fall.”

Strengthening the Advisory Program

Throughout the Transformation, leadership has reviewed and made structural changes to the

advisory program in an effort to build stronger, more productive relationships between school staff

and students. For example, in Year 2 the advisory schedule changed from twenty-two minutes, five

days per week to one hour, once per week. In Year 3, advisory students were grouped by gender.

Despite these changes, the fundamental purpose of the advisory program remained the same across



23

the three years of the Transformation. The program goals were to support academic success for all

CFHS students by focusing on three broad areas:

Promoting Personal Development and Responsibility Building Relationships

Supporting the Portfolio Process

During the Transformation, two CFHS teacher representatives, one from the upper house

and one from the lower house, were appointed to share advisory co-chairing responsibilities. The

co-chairs met monthly to develop curriculum that was both age and grade appropriate. They were

also available to assist teachers and staff who had questions with any of the advisory activities or

materials. Planned activities for ninth and tenth grades emphasized relationship building and

problem solving. The planned activities in grades eleven and twelve focused on decision-making,

proficiency-based graduation requirements (PBGRs), college preparation, and job applications.

Monthly grade level meetings, called “community meetings” were also held in the auditorium during

advisory as a vehicle to convene all students for guest speakers and informational sessions.

Staff Perceptions of Advisory

In Year 3, teachers had mixed views on the usefulness of advisory and the new gender-basedstructure. More positive comments were made by teachers who expressed that they took advantage

of the flexibility advisory afforded and were creative with how they engaged with students and met

their needs. For example, several teachers explained they used advisory time to help eleventh and

twelfth grade students with their portfolios. One teacher made the following comment on the

structure of advisory this year, “ I think this year, especially, they have a nice system set up….Once a month, we

go to a common meeting and many times that’s about something going on that is very timely.”

Other teachers perceived advisory as a challenge due to a lack of adequate guidance and the“inappropriateness” of the curriculum. Further, some teachers shared that the absence of course

credits provided little incentive for students to attend advisory and said that students would cut

advisory and roam the hallways, which exacerbated behavioral problems. Along with curriculum

and attendance issues, a few teachers mentioned difficulty having separate and personal advisories

since teachers shared classroom space with their colleagues.



24

Teachers also had split opinions on the gender-based structural changes made to advisory.

A few teachers favored the clustered approach; one teacher remarked, “It was a great way to open up

advisory. We had guest speakers who went around the various advisories. For example, there was someone who

stopped into the female advisories to talk about dating and healthy dating habits.” Other teachers, however,

expressed more negative views towards gender grouping. For example, “I think it was the wrong idea to

give a teacher 15 boys. Basically there is no decorum whatsoever. It’s a period of locker room talk.” As in the first

two years of the Transformation, many teachers in Year 3 expressed interest in keeping the same

advisees over time.

Student Perceptions of Advisory

Figure 9 shows exemplar quotes on advisory taken from student focus groups (n = 47

participants). Similar to teachers, students also had mixed perceptions on the effect of advisory

tasks, the purpose of advisory, and the new structure implemented in Year 3.

Figure 9. Exemplar Student Quotes on Advisory: Year 3

Advisory

Tasks

If you need something, the advisory teacher helps you do your other class

work and homework.

We work on our portfolio binder

We get newspapers from the teacher and write about a current event

We sit, we chill, and we do homework.

We created a “Senior Survival Kit”— things you need to get through your

senior year

Purpose of

Advisory

What is the purpose of the advisory? I don’t think it’s working. Is there a

plan that a teacher has to follow? Is there a curriculum that the teachers

have to follow?

I actually look forward to the days that we can skip advisory and go to

grade-level council meetings.

Advisory would be better if it was just a study hall or a place to work on

our portfolio.

Structure of

Advisory

I have the best teacher in the school for advisory… every Wednesday we

always eat food that everyone brings in from their own backgrounds andhome countries.

I heard that if the teachers have the girls in their advisory, they love it; if

they have boys, they don’t.

My teacher gives us advice on many things. It’s just girls. No boys.

I hate it. The gender separation. It’s ridiculous.



25

Several students said that advisory served as a place to work on homework, portfolios, and

activities, such as writing reflections, playing trivia games, and researching senior projects. In

contrast, other students felt that advisory lacked purpose, was unstructured, and became a time to

talk about personal life. Some students looked forward to skipping advisory, while others

mentioned that advisory may help if better designed. With respect to the advisory structure, more

female students than male students seemed to favor advisory groups separated by gender. Overall,

students in focus groups expressed satisfaction with advisory in the presence of positive, respectful

relationships with their teachers.

The SurveyWorks! 18 instrument captured another data point on student perceptions of

their relationships with teachers and other adults in the school building. Figure 10 shows that the

majority of CFHS students feel that they can talk to an adult at school about problems at home and/

or problems with classwork. These data have been consistent for the three years of the Transformation at Central Falls High School. The survey data on relationships and community

support for CFHS students show a pattern similar to the RI state average for high schools students.

Figure 10. Student SurveyWorks! Data on Personal Relationships and Community Support

2010-2011 2011-2012 2012-2013

CFHS RI State CFHS RI State CFHS RI State

Percent of Students Reporting “Agree” or “Strongly Agree”

I can talk to/ let an adultat my school know if I’mhaving a problem at home.

65% 62% 61% 62% 67% 64%

I can talk to an adult at my school if I’m having aproblem with my classes orschool work.

86% 84% 86% 83% 82% 83%

There is an adult in thecommunity, other than my parent/ guardian, who Ican talk to when I have aproblem.

83% 80% 78% 78% 73% 72%

Note. Student Survey (Grade 9-12) Participation Rates for Central Falls High School: 62.4% in 2010-2011; 79.1% in2011-2012; and, 58.1% in 2012-2013. Participation Rates for RI State: 75.6% in 2010-2011; 77.4% in 2011-2012; and,77.8% in 2012-2013. Data has been rounded to the nearest percentage point in the table. Data source:http://infoworks.ride.ri.gov/school/central-falls-high-school.

18 As previously described, SurveyWorks! collects annual data from teachers, students, and parents on their perceptions of school experience.



26

Streamlining Student Supports

The Transformation action plan also targeted graduation rates by proposing to streamline

existing academic and socio-emotional supports for students at CFHS. These supports include the

Academic Enhancement Center, and the services of mental health care and social workers. Inaddition, student engagement and leadership structures have increased throughout the

Transformation, which has provided a venue for students to voice their concerns and ideas for

improvement.

Academic Enhancement Center

During the first two years of the Transformation, The Academic Enhancement Center

(AEC) was a resource setting for students to engage in academic work with the help of tutors, both

in-school and after-school. In Year 3, however, the AEC was repurposed to provide more directinstruction to students in need of extra academic support. According to CFHS leadership,

We flipped the model. Based on data, we took the students who needed these types of services, built time right into their schedules, and placed them in a class in the AEC during the school day with a teaching fellow. Sorather than a drop-in center where it was up to students to access the services, we took a more proactive approach. Next year, the plan is for the AEC to target the 9 th grade transition, as well as students preparing for the NECAP examinations.

Health Care and Social Services

In addition to academics, CFHS has also focused on the mental, physical, and socio-

emotional well-being of students. As part of this holistic approach, leadership has planned for the

implementation of several key services including substance abuse support, a student assistance

counseling program, and mental health services for students and families. In addition, CFHS is

currently working with Brown University Medical Program and Memorial Hospital to re-start a

school-based clinic, which was in place at the high school several years ago. With funding from an

i3 grant, leadership hopes to offer these services district-wide, given that many of the high school

students have siblings at other schools in the Central Falls community.

The partnership with Rhode Island College will also allow for additional social workers to be

placed at the high school. Leadership shared that one of these social workers may work directly with

Square Mile and another will likely work directly with the Unified Scholars team. These additional



27

staff will allow for a lighter, more distributed caseload for the current CFHS social worker, thus

enabling more students and families to benefit from these services.

In Year 1 of the Transformation, an Executive Director for Family Assistance and Student

Supports was hired to improve services by creating a “roadmap” of various agencies and support

systems that exist within the Central Falls community. Throughout the three years of the

Transformation, the Director has continued to provide assistance to families and students facing

social and economic issues that may prevent them from effectively engaging with the school

community.19 CFHS leadership has confirmed that funding for this position has been secured for the

2013-2014 school year, reinforcing the value of this role.

Supporting Student Engagement and Leadership

Qualitative data collected across stakeholders consistently shows that opportunities forstudent engagement and leadership have increased during the past three years. In Year 1, for

example, students expressed frustration with the lack of communication about Transformation

efforts and expressed a desire to be included in decision-making processes. CFHS leadership has

shared that they have increased efforts to communicate with students more frequently and

transparently and have given students leadership roles with more responsibilities. On this topic, one

member of the leadership team shared,

Student leadership has grown from a group of 18 student leaders last year to 45 student leaders this year.

These are student leaders that have an actual position, they’re running programs, they’re partnering with people, they’re sponsoring activities, and they have become a very large voice in terms of what they want to see at the school, how they want to see things done, and contributing to making that happen.

Staff and students reported that new and continued organizational structures gave students a

voice in the Transformation efforts. These structures include student government and a class council

at each grade level. The student government had an elected president, vice president, secretary and

treasurer, in grades 9-12; teacher-mentors provided oversight for these student leadership groups.

Another active student leadership group at CFHS was Young Voices --a Rhode Island-based youth

organizing nonprofit. Students in focus groups shared that they saw all of these structures as

important leadership opportunities. One student described his experience in Young Voices,

Young Voices is a leadership program where you get to meet and practice public speaking, and speak upabout things that are important to you. We meet every Tuesday and Thursday from 3 pm to 5 pm and talk

19 Family engagement efforts at CFHS are further described in Section IV of this report.



28

about the community and how we can change it. W e’ve gone to the state house to talk about NECAP testing, we’ve gone to City Hall…You speak your opinion and sometimes actions are taken . Your opinions are taken into consideration.

Summary of Strategic Goal 1

Throughout the Transformation, CFHS has implemented and refined alternative educational

programming that provides students with unique support services aimed at increasing the graduation

rate and reducing the dropout rate. All of the Multiple Pathways programs (e.g., Guide to Success,

Square Mile, P.M. School, Saturday School, Online Learning Academy) enrolled students who

graduated or recovered credits as a result of their involvement with these programs. Additionally, the

Expanded Learning Opportunities (ELO) initiative has enabled students to earn credits while

exploring their individual interests. Over 250 students successfully participated in the ELO initiative

during the last two years of the Transformation.

In addition to Multiple Pathways, other supports and opportunities were created and

streamlined during Transformation years. In Year 3, the Academic Enhancement Center was

repurposed to provide more direct instruction to student in need of extra academic support.

Qualitative data across stakeholder groups has shown that opportunities for student engagement and

leadership have increased during the past three years. CFHS leadership has begun plans for the

implementation of key holistic services including substance abuse support, a student assistance

counseling program, mental health services, and school-based clinic which would serve the entire

Central Falls district. Finally, school staffs have forged over 100 partnerships with community

organizations to leverage resources, materials, and opportunities for students.

Structural changes made to strengthen the advisory program during the Transformation

showed mixed results according to teacher, staff and student data, indicating that further

improvements are needed to meet program objectives. It should be noted, however, that the

majority of CFHS students who participated in focus groups and surveys reported positive

relationships with teachers and staff.

Due to innovation and the combined efforts of the CFHS community, graduation rates have

improved substantially during the Transformation years. Figure 11 displays the longitudinal growth

in 4-year graduation rates made during 2009-2012.



29

Figure 11. 4-Year CFHS Graduation Rates: 2009-20122008-2009

Students enrolled in9th grade for the first

time in

2005-2006

2009-2010 Students enrolled in9th grade for the first

time in

2006-2007


time in

2007-2008


time in

2008-2009

CFHS Students 48% 52% 71% 70%

Note. Data Source: The RIDE website, http://www.eride.ri.gov/FileExchange/FredPublic.aspx. This information wasextracted from the Frequently Requested Education Data (FRED) documents: the 2008-2009 excel file,“c2006rates_public”, the 2009-2010 excel file, "c2007rates_public", the 2010-2011 excel file, "c2008rates_public", andthe 2011-2012 excel file, "c2009rates_v.1.2_public".

SECTION III. THE SECOND STRATEGIC GOAL:

IMPROVE STUDENT PROFICIENCY IN MATHEMATICS

The second strategic goal was to improve student proficiency in mathematics and maintain

improvement in English language arts (ELA) proficiency. In Year 3, improvements in the

mathematics content area were evidenced due in large part to a focus on rewriting and implementing

a consistent math curriculum, as well as the development and administration of common

assessments in each course. Additionally, a multi-layered plan for intervention was employed for

students needing extra help in mathematics.

Beyond mathematics, longitudinal staff survey responses and qualitative data from interviews

and focus groups show that by Year 3, improvements were made in the following areas:

Perceptions of curricula and instructional practices

Professional development opportunities

Teacher leadership roles







30

Improving Mathematics Proficiency

Figure 12 displays NECAP mathematics scores at CFHS over the past three years,

disaggregated by student subgroup. The RI State average for eleventh grade students is also

presented. In October 2012, 13% of tested students at CFHS met proficiency on this examination,representing substantial increase over the first two years of the Transformation. The percentage of

students meeting proficiency at CFHS continues to fall below the Rhode Island state average of 30%

proficiency.

Figure 12. Grade 11 Proficiency on the Mathematics NECAP, Overall and by Student SubgroupOctober 2010

% Proficient (N) October 2011


% Proficient (N) All CFHS Students 8% (14) 7% (15) 13% (26)


Race/Ethnicity Black or African American - 6% (2) 10% (3)Hispanic or Latino 7% (9) 8% (11) 14% (20)

White (non-Hispanic) 10% (4) 7% (2) 14% (3)Status

Current LEP Students 0% (0) 3% (1) 0% (0)Economically Disadvantaged 7% (8) 8% (13) 13% (19)Students with an IEP 0% (0) 0% (0) 2% (1)

RI State 33% (3,496) 30% (3,167) 34% (3,548)

Note. Data Source: The NECAP website, http://reporting.measuredprogress.org/NECAPpublicRI/select.aspx. Thisinformation was extracted from each year’s respective School-Level Report, “Grade 11 School Results Report (Testing Year).” The data represent students who scored “Proficient” (i.e., Level 3) and, “Proficient with Distinction” (i.e., Level4). A dash indicates blank; i.e., fewer than ten students were tested. The table displays the percent of students exhibiting each characteristic, with the actual number of students in parentheses.

Mathematics Course Data

In addition to NECAP proficiency, CFHS provided data on the mathematics course grades

assigned by teachers. Figure 13 presents quarterly mathematics grades earned by CFHS students

during the 2012-2013 school year. Each quarter, approximately 25-30% of students, across gradelevels, failed their math course, while approximately 40% of students received an A or a B in their

math class each quarter. The highest percentages of A’s and B’s were earned in the first quarter.



31

Figure 13. 2012-2013 Mathematics Grades Earned by QuarterGrades Quarter

Quarter 1%

Quarter 2%

Quarter 3%

Quarter 4%

A, A+ 20.21% 17.23% 16.18% 18.81%

B, B+ 24.84% 21.80% 24.07% 22.00%C, C+ 20.98% 20.23% 19.09% 19.83%D, 65 9.65% 7.05% 8.58% 8.10%F*, 50 12.48% 13.45% 13.00% 9.84%F, 00 10.30% 15.54% 14.52% 18.82% Note. Data Source: Central Falls High School Student Records. Percentages may not sum to 100 due to rounding. Inthe table, “D, 65” represents scores of 65-69; “F*, 50” represents scores 50 – 64; and, “F, 00” represents scores 49 andbelow.

Staff from the mathematics team also shared information regarding the changes in student

enrollment patterns in math courses.

Increase in the enrollment in mathematics honors classes from 72 students in fall 2012 to 88

students in fall 2013.

Increase in the enrollment in mathematics classes beyond Algebra II from 80 students in fall

2012 to 94 students in fall 2013.

Decrease in the enrollment in Algebra I classes from approximately 190 students in fall 2012

to 140 students in fall 2013. CFHS math staff share that this decrease stems from fewer

students needing to repeat Algebra I or going “off track” in their annual progress; in 2013

more students are enrolled in classes on grade level.

Mathematics Curriculum and Common Assessments

Due to factors such as transitions in staffing, challenges with a hired consultant, and

shortages in time and resources, the development and implementation of new mathematics

curriculum was delayed during the first half of the Transformation at CFHS.20 In Year 3, the

mathematics lead teacher’s schedule was changed to allow for three days per week to be spentteaching (course load of four classes) and two days per week to be spent on curriculum

development, common assessment development, resource management, and transition to Common

Core Standards.

20 For a detailed description of these issues see The First Year Transformation Report (September 2011) and The Second Year Transformation Report (August 2012).



32

In focus groups and interviews, mathematics staff shared information about the status of the

curriculum and common assessments. By the end of the third Transformation year, formal written

curriculum was in place for Algebra I, Geometry, and Algebra II. The curriculum was distributed

electronically to teachers and included common formal assessments and scoring guides.

Additionally, an Algebra I Lab variation of the Algebra I curriculum was provided for those students

in math intervention programming. Staff further shared that the next step in the process will be to

develop similar curriculum documents for Statistics, SAT Prep, Pre-Calculus and Calculus courses,

with the Statistics being a top priority.

In Year 3, the mathematics team administered a total of 28 common assessments across the

core mathematics curriculum, representing an improvement from the 15 common assessments

administered in Year 2 of the Transformation. Approximately 580 CFHS students took the

assessments during the 2012-2013 school year. According to mathematics staff, students struggled

with the common assessments at first, but adjustments were made so that the tests would be more

appropriate. One teacher explained, “By the end of the year, student performance on the assessments evened out

to a more expected bell curve.”

Mathematics Support and Intervention

Beyond the progress of the curriculum and common assessments, the following mathematics

support and intervention strategies were incorporated during the third Transformation year and the

preceding summer.

Several new programs and opportunities were offered to students who needed additional

support, including: a ramp-up enrichment program for students who were behind in math; a

Freshman Seminar for incoming freshman which provided a heavy focus on Algebra in hopes of

adequately preparing students for Geometry the following year; and, a math lab was created in

room 240 as a place for math teachers to take students to work on Study Island , a computer-

based math intervention.

In the summer of 2012, 20 incoming juniors participated in the NECAP Prep Summer Program

curriculum. Taught by a teacher from the math department, the students met for 20 days--five

weeks, Monday-Thursday, for 1.5 hours. The course content was designed around the four

areas of NECAP. The students who came every day were offered a job through Progresso

Latino and CF Youth Works, so that they would have some type of monetary incentive. The



33

premise was that if the students came for an academic opportunity, they had the opportunity to

get a summer job around the community. As one teacher shared, “Strides were really made during

this summer program. And whatever was not reinforced completely, students also had SAT prep this semester,

which really focused on NECAP, so it kind of carried it over.”

The way in which NECAP was administered was changed in October 2012; 9th, 10th, and 12th

graders were at the school in the morning only during testing days. The 11th graders arrived in

time for lunch and to take the exam. One teacher commented on this new schedule, “It was so

much smoother this way. It was quieter, there were more proctors, and the students didn’t know if 30 other kids

had just left the building because they were finished. There was more focus from the students. It worked for science

NECAP last spring, so I’m glad that we extended this system to October NECAP testing.”

Staff transition was a challenge on the mathematics team. One teacher provided insight on this

challenge, “ Each year since the transformation began there has been approximately a 50% teacher turnover rate

in the department… n ew teachers were always coming in and more importantly they were new teachers with little

to no actual teache r experience…” As described, the changes in the lead teacher’s schedule in Year 3

allowed for time to work on curricula and common assessments. In addition, the new schedule

enabled the lead to provide feedback on content and instruction, especially to newer teachers.

Recommendations for Improvement in Mathematics

Math teachers shared several recommendations for improving mathematics instruction at CFHS. Two themes were similar to those heard from teachers and leadership across the high school:

improving student attendance and behavior. Other suggestions included:

More resources (e.g., Smart Boards; graphing calculators) are needed.

More time to plan with team members is needed.

Backwards-plan mathematics curriculum and instruction in the Central Falls School

District (PK-12), beginning with the objective that all students exit high school ready for

college or careers.



34

Explore alternative models of mathematics instruction in the elementary grades where a

dedicated math specialist teaches all students mathematics as a push-in or specialist teacher.

Integrate math into the STEM academy by aligning content in math-related courses and

offering alternative elective Year 4 math classes at different levels — Statistics, Math Models, Advanced Studies, Computer Algorithms.

Encourage the guidance department to make mathematics courses a priority when creating

students’ schedules.

Eliminate “Math” as a course offering; instead offer differentiated versions of Algebra I,

Geometry and Algebra 2, and Pre-Algebra, if necessary. Also, students should repeat

mathematics courses that they have not passed.

Implement the STAR 21 progress assessment suite as a means of benchmarking and tracking

student performance in mathematics.

Designate additional time to continue the alignment of the new mathematics curriculum to

the Common Core Standards.

In summary, a mathematics teacher offered the following insight on the math progress

witnessed during the Transformation,

This is anecdotal…my first year, I had kids that couldn't multiply, they couldn’t add, they couldn’t subtract. And they were 10th graders. My second year, I have 10th graders that could add, but they couldn't solve for ‘ x ’ and they were in Geometry; they should not have passed Algebra I. This year, my Geometry students are blowing it out of the water, their Algebra skills are fantastic, they can solve for ‘ x .’ And they remember, they do it quickly, they can do math in their head. Math is improving, I'm seeing basic level skills improve, which is helping students with their confidence levels.

Broadening the Focus on Teaching and Learning

Figure 14 shows the three-year trends of reading scores for grade 11 students at CFHS and

in the state of Rhode Island. In 2012, 47% of the tested CFHS students reached proficiency on the

21 STAR is used for screening, progress-monitoring, and diagnostic assessment — is a computer-adaptive assessment of

general math achievement for grades 1 – 12. STAR Math provides nationally norm-referenced math scores and criterion-referenced evaluations of skill levels.



35

NECAP examination, while an average of 79% of eleventh graders met proficiency in 2012,

statewide. Acknowledging that further attention is needed to increase student proficiency, one

leadership team member shared the following thought on broadening the focus of mathematics and

English language arts:

We’re concentrating on teaching and learning. This will be our primary goal next year. We will continue to focus on Math and English language arts proficiency, but within the context of three broader areas: differentiation in teaching practice; literacy across all content areas; and, reasoning across content areas.

Figure 14. Grade 11 Proficiency on the Reading NECAP, Overall and by Student SubgroupOctober 2010



% Proficient (N) All CFHS Students 44% (78) 41% (91) 47% (86)

GenderFemale 48% (41) 48% (44) 59% (49)

Male 39% (35) 37% (47) 37% (37)Race/Ethnicity

Black or African American - 33% (12) 39% (10)Hispanic or Latino 47% (59) 40% (61) 49% (65)

White (non-Hispanic) 40% (17) 64% (18) 50% (10)Status

Current LEP Students 11% (3) 6% (2) 3% (1)Economically Disadvantaged 45% (48) 41% (73) 51% (70)Students with an IEP 12% (5) 18% (9) 10% (5)

RI State 76% (8,090) 76% (8,071) 79% (8,163) Note. Data Source: The NECAP website, http://reporting.measuredprogress.org/NECAPpublicRI/select.aspx. Thedata represent students who scored “Proficient” (i.e., Level 3) and, “Proficient with Distinction” (i.e., Level 4). A dash

indicates blank; i.e., fewer than ten students were tested.

SAT Scores in Mathematics, Critical Reading, and Writing

Figure 15 displays available SAT data for CFHS and RI State for the Transformation years.

The mean SAT scores in reading/writing have remained generally stable across time for CFHS,

while the mean SAT score for mathematics improved from 374 in 2010-2011 to 410 in 2011-2012.

It should be noted that the number of test takers at CFHS has fluctuated over the three-year period.



36

Figure 15. Mean SAT Scores: Mathematics, Critical Reading, & Writing2009-2010

Mean SAT Score(N tested )

2010-2011Mean SAT Score

(N tested )

2011-2012Mean SAT Score

(N tested )Math – CFHS 374 (81) 374 (92) 410 (73)

Math – RI State 488 (5,718) 482 (6,192) 480 (6,299)

Critical Reading – CFHS 390 (81) 381 (92) 389 (73)

Critical Reading – RI State 485 (5,718) 482 (6,192) 477 (6,299)

Writing – CFHS 383 (81) 376 (92) 385 (73)

Writing – RI State 478 (5,718) 474 (6,192) 470 (6,299)

Note . Data Source: The RIDE website, http://www.ride.ri.gov/Applications/fred.aspx. This information was extractedfrom the Frequently Requested Ed Data (FRED) database.

Perceptions of Curricula and Instructional Practices

To collect information on perceptions of curricula and instructional practices, the

Transformation survey asked staff to rate the degree to which they agreed or disagreed with several

relevant items. Figure 16 shows positive changes in the percent of staff members who agreed or

strongly agreed that curricular planning improved from Year 1 to Year 3. For example, 68% of

respondents agreed that assessment of student performance has led to changes in school curricula in

the third year. Additionally, the percentage of respondents who agreed that curricula are planned

between and among grades to promote continuity doubled from 30% in Year 2 to 60% in Year 3.

Figure 16. Staff Transformation Survey Findings: Curricular Planning

SPRING Year 1

SPRING Year 2

SPRING Year 3

Percent of Staff Reporting “Agree” or “Strongly Agree”

Assessment of student performance has led to changes in ourschool’s curricula

54% 54% 68%

Curricula are planned between and among grades to promotecontinuity

44% 30% 60%

Note. Spring Year 1 n = 43; Spring Year 2 n = 56; Spring Year 3 n = 57. Sample may include classroom teachers,leadership, guidance counselors, school psychologists, social workers, and librarians.

Figure 17 displays data on staff perceptions of instructional practice across three time points.

On virtually every item, longitudinal improvements were evidenced by Year 3 of the

Transformation. Participants overwhelmingly agreed that teachers use formative assessment

strategies to measure student progress (97%) and that teachers are committed to improving student

achievement (98%). Other positive changes were noted around the use of data; for example,



37

agreement that teachers are engaged in systematic analysis of their teaching practices rose from 65%

in Year 1 to 72% in Year 3, while the belief that teachers are engaged in systematic analysis of

student performance data improved from 56% to 74%. In interviews and focus groups, teachers and

leadership also shared that data have increasingly been used to improve instruction in the following

two ways:

Data connected to creating, tracking, and monitoring IEPs for special education students has

greatly improved over the years of Transformation.

Student and school data is reviewed for planning purposes during weekly district leadership

meetings.

Figure 17. Staff Transformation Survey Findings: Instructional PracticesSPRING

Year 1

SPRING

Year 2

SPRING

Year 3

Percent of Staff Reporting “Agree” or “Strong ly Agree”

Teachers use data to improve their teaching 74% 79% 86%

Teachers are engaged in systematic analysis of student performancedata

56% 48% 74%

CFHS has well-defined plans for instructional improvement 40% 53% 61%

Teachers at CFHS share a vision of effective teaching 63% 70% 74%

Teachers at CFHS are engaged in systematic analysis of theirteaching practices

65% 61% 72%

Useful information to make informed decisions is readily availableto teachers (e.g., about student performance, available resources,etc.)

51% 43% 51%

Teachers meet regularly to discuss student performance andinstructional practices

77% 42% 42%

Teachers use formative assessment strategies to measure studentprogress

79% 82% 97%

Teachers are committed to improving student achievement 88% 100% 98%


Common Planning Time

Figure 17 shows a substantial decrease from Year 1 (77%) to Year 3 (42%) in staff

agreement that they meet regularly to discuss student performance and instructional practices. The

primary mechanism for staff to collaborate with others is common planning time (CPT), but for



38

budgetary reasons, common planning time was greatly reduced in Year 2 of the Transformation.

Teacher interview and focus group data supported these survey results and revealed that teachers

missed the opportunity to collaborate with colleagues this year. One teacher specifically commented,

“ Years ago, we had CPT with teams on an everyday basis and it was incredible…we saw almost instantaneous

results. Today, it’s haphazard at best.” Another staff member expressed a concern that individual

teachers who co-teach no longer have CPT together: “This is a bad thing because if you are co-teaching with

me, I would want to know what exactly is in your lesson. I need to know your lessons two weeks in advance so that I

can adapt for the students who have special needs or who may need more support.”

A mandatory block of time after school on Wednesday afternoons was reserved for either

professional development or common planning time. Leadership distributed a schedule which

delineated the focus of the Wednesday sessions into Team, Content, and New England

Accreditation of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) planning time. It should be noted that some

teachers described CPT as working well for their own teams. For example, one teacher commented,

“Time with the math depar tment is where we accomplish the most.” CFHS Leadership shared that they will

continue to monitor the structure and usage of common planning time in 2013-2014.

Professional Development

During the Transformation, professional development was held during the week prior to the

first day of school and on Wednesday afternoons during the school year from 3:15 pm to 4:45 pm. As previously described, this block of time alternated between structured professional development

and common planning time. A leadership team member reported that the name of these times was

intentionally changed from "PD" to "Common Planning/PD", to express that collaborative time

together as a content area or team is highly important in improving teaching and learning. Figure 18

lists the Common Planning/PD opportunities offered during the 2012-2013 school year.



39

Figure 18. Common Planning/ PD Opportunities: Year 3

Achieve 3000

Study Island

Aquity Network

Incorporating math learning centers and stations for Differentiation

Differentiated Instruction (4 Modules): School Wide

Dana Center Science Curriculum Work

AP Training (Chemistry, History, Math, Biology, Environmental Science, Art, Spanish)

Professional Learning Communities

Teaching Content to ELL (ELA, Math, Science)

ELA Curriculum Development

Guided Discipline

JASON Project Curriculum and Instructional Supports

Peer Observer Training for the Evaluation System

NEASC School Visits and Training Sessions

Accountable Talk

Effective Questioning

New Teacher Forum CFG (Critical Friends Group)

Case Management PD for Special Education

MIMIO PD for Special Education Technology

Articulation Meetings for Special Education

Transition Workshops: Summary of Performance, Writing IEP Goals, Developing Baselines

Transition Assessments

Consultation from the Groden Center

PISA Data Review

Administrative Training in Evaluation and SLOs

Figure 19 shows that staff have mixed perceptions about the professional development

opportunities offered at CFHS. Approximately half of the respondents on the Transformation

survey report that PD experiences have been closely connected to the reform vision (47%), and that

they have been able to use the knowledge they gained from PD in their work (51%). The percentage



40

of staff who believes that PD is coherently focused has improved over the three years. During

interviews, several teachers said that the shift to more content-specific topics and differentiated

instruction in Year 3 has been helpful. A mathematics teacher commented on this point, “I believe

that we have been emphasizing the importance of the math curriculum in everyday life as well as trying to make the

math relevant to the students. There has also been some helpful PD available to math teachers to learn some new

methods of differen tiated instruction.”

Figure 19. Staff Transformation Survey Findings: Professional DevelopmentSPRING

Year 1

SPRING

Year 2

SPRING

Year 3


All Staff

Professional development experiences this year have been closely

connected to the reform vision at CFHS

47% 37% 47%

Professional development experiences this year have been coherently focused

33% 29% 42%

Teachers Only

I have been able to use knowledge or information I gained fromattending professional development this year in my work

44% 41% 51%

Professional development experiences this year have helped me buildnew skills and identify strategies to better meet the needs of my students

31% 29% 44%

Note. The first two professional development questions display data from all participating staff members. Spring Year 1 n

= 43; Spring Year 2 n = 56; Spring Year 3 n = 57. The final two items ask for perceptions directly related to classroominstruction, so the responses have been presented for teachers only. Spring Year 1 Teacher n = 36; Spring Year 2 Teacher n = 48; Spring Year 3 Teacher n = 45.

Throughout the three years of the Transformation, teachers have reported that professional

development should be led by in-house experts and practitioners. Illustratively, one teacher in Year

2 commented, “Bring in practitioners, not consultants. We can run professional development ten times better than

half of these folks….Bring practitioners, this is how it works in the classroom .” CFHS leadership has acted

upon this recommendation — during the summer of 2013, three days of teacher-led professional

development will be offered around the three the areas of literacy, reasoning, and differentiation.

Teacher leaders will provide this optional PD using an interdisciplinary approach; for example, an

English teacher and a science teacher will work as a team to provide training on how literacy can be

incorporated into chemistry and biology classrooms.



41

Teacher Leadership

The Deputy Superintendent of Transformation and the high school principal praised a group

of 20 teachers who have come forward during the Transformation as team leaders, content leaders,

and initiative coordinators.22 These lead teachers applied, interviewed, and were selected for their

roles, demonstrating their willingness to become deeply involved with both the day-to-day

operations of CFHS and guiding the mission of the school. Teacher leaders have regular meetings

with their teams and building administrators which focus on communication, examination of data,

and meeting the needs of students and teachers in their area. During interviews, building

administrators described the work of teacher leaders as “critically important” and “having huge impact” on

the CFHS community.


For the first two years of the Transformation, progress toward the goal of improving

mathematics proficiency was slow due in part to transitional challenges in staffing and a delay in the

development of new mathematics curriculum. By Year 3, however, improvements in the

mathematics content area were evidenced. There was a focus on rewriting and implementing a

consistent math curriculum, as well as the development and administration of common assessments

in mathematics courses. Student proficiency on the New England Common Assessment Program

(NECAP) mathematics examinations showed a longitudinal increase, nearly doubling from 7%

proficient in October 2011 to 13% in October 2012. Additionally, a multi-layered plan for

intervention was employed for students needing extra help in mathematics. Although progress in

mathematics during the third year of the Transformation was encouraging, teachers and leadership

report that further attention and resources are needed to continue improvement efforts.

With a broadened focus on teaching and learning, staff across CFHS reported increasingly

positive perceptions of curricular planning and instructional practices by Year 3 of the

Transformation. Survey findings show longitudinal gains in the percentages of teachers and staff

who agree that curricula are planned between and among grade levels. Additionally, increases were

shown in the frequencies with which staff reported using data to improve teaching and using

formative assessment strategies to measure student progress. CFHS administrators credit strong

22 Examples of the responsibilities of initiative coordinators include advisory and oversight of internship programs.



42

teacher leadership, particularly in Year 3, as a driving force in the improvement of instruction and

engagement.

A persistent challenge to teaching and learning, according to staff data, remains the need for

more common planning time. Additionally, staff have reported mixed perceptions of professional

development throughout the three years of the Transformation. CFHS leadership, however, is using

this teacher feedback to drive new trainings. For example, during the first two years of the

Transformation teachers recommended utilizing in-house expertise for professional development.

Based upon this information, CFHS leadership implemented three days of teacher-led professional

development focused on literacy, reasoning, and differentiation during the summer of 2013.

SECTION IV. THE THIRD STRATEGIC GOAL: IMPROVE CLIMATE AND CULTURE

In addition to focusing on increasing graduation rates and academic proficiency, the CFHS

Transformation also focused on dramatically improving the organizational and institutional culture

and climate of the school for students, teachers, parents, staff and other stakeholders. The following

key areas related to climate and culture are explored in this section of the report:

Staff and student attendance

Teacher evaluation data

Communication and collaboration

Behavior management

Student perceptions of school climate

Family and community engagement

Student and Staff Attendance

Teacher/Staff Attendance

A longitudinal examination of staff attendance was conducted for the Transformation years

at CFHS. Figure 20 shows the three-year trends, grouped by the following areas: sick days, personal



43

days, professional days, and days off due to union business. Teacher absences have decreased

substantially from Year 1 to Year 3. Sick time, for example, dropped from 1,470 days in 2010-2011

to 676 days in 2012-2013. The number of personal days has also decreased over time, while the

number of professional days has increased slightly from Year 1 to Year 3 of the Transformation.

By Year 3, teacher attendance was no longer a predominant issue cited as having an adverse

impact on the school Transformation, as was the case during the Year 1 interviews and focus

groups. The leadership team attributed the improvements in teacher attendance rates to the overall

improvement in climate and culture. During interviews, leadership team members also expressed

their continued focus on ensuring that the school has an adequate and qualified pool of substitutes

to draw from in advance of teacher absences.

Figure 20. Frequency of CFHS Staff Absences, by Category: 2011-2013

Note Data Source: Central Falls High School Absence Interactive Report. These data do not include absences due to vacancy positions; approved absences; bereavement/ funerals; comp time; or, court time/ jury duty.

2 0 1 0 - 1 1

2 0

1 0 - 1 1

2 0 1 0 - 1 1

2 0 1 0 - 1 1

2 0 1 1 - 1 2

2 0 1

1 - 1 2

2 0 1 1 - 1 2

2 0 1 1 - 1 2

2 0 1 2 - 1 3

2 0 1 2

- 1 3

2 0 1 2 - 1 3

2 0 1 2 - 1 3

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

1600

Sick Days Personal Days Professional Days Union Business

N u m b e r o f D a y s A b s e n t



44

Student Attendance

Interviews with the leadership team and teachers, as well as findings from the spring 2013

Transformation survey, have revealed continued issues with student attendance. Figure 21 shows

student attendance and chronic absenteeism rates for Central Falls High School and all Rhode Islandhigh schools. In general, attendance at CFHS falls below the state average across years, with the gap

widening during the 2011-2012 school year. Chronic absenteeism at CFHS has increased since the

2009-2010 school year and was substantially higher than the RI state rate over the last three years.

Across years of the Transformation, students have reported inconsistencies with regard to how the

school dealt with absences. Some students noted that being absent did not affect their grades, while

others specifically mention needing to attend school a minimum number of days in order to

graduate. CFHS leadership shared that the school has attempted to improve student attendance by

reaching out to parents and families when students are absent or repeatedly tardy.

Figure 21. Student Attendance and Chronic Absenteeism RatesCharacteristic Year

2009-2010 2010-2011 2011-2012

Attendance rates

All CFHS students 88% 87% 82%

RI State, high schools only 91% 92% 91%

Chronic absenteeism rates*

All CFHS students 44% 51% 49%

RI State, high schools only 20% 18% 17%

Note. Data Source: The InfoWorks website, http://infoworks.ride.ri.gov/search/data. *RIDE defines chronic absenteeism as

the percentage of students who missed 10% or more school days during the year. This calculation only includesstudents who were enrolled at least 90 days in a given school or district.

Teacher Evaluation System: Year 3

The system of observing and evaluating teachers has evolved during the Transformation.

During the first two years, teacher observations were conducted by members of the PerformanceManagement “Bench23” in accordance with requirements from the RIDE Protocol for Persistently Lowest

23 As previously described, the Bench was a group of six experienced educators who were asked to assess teachers andprovide suggestions for improvement.

http://infoworks.ride.ri.gov/search/data






45

Schools.24 In Year 3, a new statewide teacher evaluation system was implemented in Rhode Island.

Although the Bench continued to be involved in classroom observations, the number of bench

members was reduced from six individuals in Year 1 to three individuals in Year 3. As mandated by

RIDE, building administrators were responsible for conducting the majority of observations in the

new evaluation system, using a scoring matrix provided by the state. One leadership team member

shared the following about the transition in Year 3,

It was a growing year, a learning year, we went from the system we developed in the first year and we were getting comfortable and seeing some good results and we all understood and the teachers wanted to keep it and we wanted to keep it, but the state was heading in a different direction, and we needed to join that direction.So, this was a learning year for us, and it was a little bit uncomfortable for the teachers and for the evaluators, but now that we’ve completed the first year, we can see the benefits of how to do it differently next year. We’re going to invest in how we can help teachers to grow. That is our focus.

As part of the teacher evaluation scoring matrix, evaluators rate teachers on a series of indicators to calculate composite scores in the areas of Professional Practice, Professional

Responsibilities, and Student Learning Objectives. In the Rhode Island model25, these composites

are then used to determine the final Teacher Effectiveness Rating ( i.e., Highly Effective, Effective,

Developing, Ineffective). Figure 22 shows the number of teachers who attained each rating during

the 2012-2013 school year. The majority of CFHS teachers (n = 49) received the rating of

“Effective.”

Figure 22.CFHS Teacher Effectiveness Ratings: 2012-2013

Rating Number of TeachersHighly Effective 7Effective 49Developing 2Ineffective 1 Note. Data Source: Central Falls High School Records.

Teacher Supports, Collaboration, and Communication

Figure 23 shows changes in the percent of staff members who agreed or strongly agreed that

reform climate and culture improved from Year 1 to Year 3. The largest proportions of agreement

were observed in the third year in which respondents viewed that Central Falls High School made

24 Please see The First Year Transformation Report (September 2011) and The Second Year Transformation Report(August 2012) for a comprehensive overview of the Performance Management systems during the first two years of Transformation.

25 For a complete overview and explanation of the Rhode Island Teacher Evaluation Model, seehttp://legisweb.state.wy.us/InterimCommittee/2012/RIModel.pdf.



46

changes designed to better meet the needs of its diverse student body (84%), and that staff and

leadership openly discuss efforts to improve CFHS (83%). Notably, when compared to the first

year, in Year 3 there was a 41 percentage point increase in the proportion of respondents who

agreed that staff and leadership openly discuss efforts to improve CFHS.

Figure 23. Staff Survey Findings: Reform Climate and Culture

SPRING

Year 1

SPRING

Year 2

SPRING

Year 3


CFHS has a clear vision of reform that is linked to standards forstudent learning and development

56% 54% 70%

Staff and leadership openly discuss efforts to improve CFHS 42% 69% 83%

CFHS has made changes designed to better meet the needs of its diverse student body 58% 68% 84%

Communication between high school leadership and teachershas improved this school year

40% 67% 77%


One leadership team member described how individual meetings between building

administrators and teachers may have contributed to improved communication.

“ Throughout the course of the year, we had periodic one-on-one meetings; we met for 15 minutes, just to ask: ‘H ow are you doing? What are you thinking? ’ They could bring in lessons or plans or problems. And it was jus t alone time, undisturbed…they could share whatever they want to share …the key was following-up after the meeting.”

Behavior Management

Behavior management has been a struggle at CFHS throughout the Transformation process.

In Year 3 students, teachers, and leadership reported that behavior issues persist and the

management system continues to be a work in progress. The following describes the role of the

restorative specialist team, the implementation of the behavior management system, and theperceptions of teachers and staff members on discipline and behavior management.

The Restorative Specialist Team

In Year 3, restorative specialists talked to disruptive students and helped them find ways to

re-engage back into the classroom. One leadership member explained, “if [students are] being disruptive



47

or if something’s not going well, [r estorative specialists will] pull [these students] out, have the conversation with them

and try to re- engage them so that they can be productive and not miss class.” Another leader added,

“ Our restorative specialists try to get at the root causes of behavior issues. It does take a lot longer, it is much more work, and it is much harder to impact th an simply removing the problem. We’ve decided to invest in

students to help them figure out a way to be a part of this community. It’s a difficult process and i t hurts as you’re going through it, but I think that investment will pay off in the long run, as opposed to suspending and taking those students out.”

This year there were five members in the restorative specialist team: three worked in the

halls, one served as a restorative coach, and another worked with the Square Mile program. Along

with the restorative specialists, leadership expressed interest in deploying a new team of 14 adults

next year to improve behavior management. This team will include five restorative staff members,

three guidance counselors, and a number of other specialists, including psychologists, social workers,

and parent home school liaisons.

The Behavior Referral System

Across the board, CFHS staff acknowledged that the behavior management system needs

improvement. One leadership team member stated, “Our referral system was sort of all over the place this

past year. We’re definitely streamlining that for next year, so teachers know what to write. Our restorative coach

knows who to giv e it to and what to do with this. That person will be making decisions around discipline.” The

leader went on to explain that previously, while referrals were entered into the data management

system (MMS), information was scarcely used for analysis. “The re was never a look back to see that if the

same student was kicked out of class 27 times, for example, the issue needs to be brought to the attention of an

administrator.”

To address the absence of systematic review and administration feedback for referrals,

leaders expressed interest in advancing the tiered behavior system in order to help restorative

specialists work with students in the next year. Leadership plans to use a guideline to manage

student problems. One member offered an example: “With the low tier, the restorative coach will aim to re-

engage the student, and assign them to the alternative suspension program, or administrative referral. That’s what the

coach will do. And then they’re also going to run restorative circle after school and we’re going to include the parent

leadership group.”



48

Figure 24 shows the number of student referrals each month over the three years of the

Transformation process. It should be noted that the total number of referrals has decreased from

the first to the third year: there were 8,209 referrals in Year 1 compared to 3,815 referrals in Year 3.

Figure 24. CFHS Student Discipline Data: Three-Year Comparison of Monthly Referrals

Perceptions of Discipline and Behavior Management

As in previous years, several teachers in Year 3 reported that a small group of students

caused a majority of behavioral problems. One teacher commented, “There is this group of 25 or so

ninth grade students that are absolutely toxic in their behavior.” Other teachers discussed the impact of poor

student behavior on learning. A teacher remarked,

“ Teachers are being insulted, treated rudely and disrespectfully in the classroom. It’s been horrible this year for us. It’s a constant struggle, a constant battle, just to maintain some kind of respect in the classroom. And so if you’re going to spend tha t much time and energy on that, then it takes away from education and academics.”

Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun

2010-2011 412 775 825 824 708 685 1158 911 1044 867

2011-2012 58 218 255 338 214 284 576 347 505 2482012-2013 166 335 616 376 509 271 541 380 409 212

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

N u m b e r o f R e f e r

r a l s



49

Many teachers were also frustrated with the lack of consequences for poor student behavior.

Teachers attributed this to ineffective policy. For instance, one teacher shared that if a behavior

specialist came into a classroom to remove an obstinate student, then the next day this same student

would be free to come back and repeat the action; this teacher asserted, “T he number one problem is that

there are no consequences. It stems in part from the superintendent’s belief that students should not be suspended. I

understand that policy. [But] i t is simply not an effective policy for this high school.” Other teachers reported

problems with inconsistent policy changes over the years. Illustratively, one teacher commented,

“Administration needs to pick and choose what they want for their policies, and keep them; don’t change them. Don’t

say yes to some kids and no to other kids. And everybody has to follow the policies . That’s not happening.”

Several teachers suggested changing restorative practices and the current In School

Suspension (ISS) room to a more “punitive” school system to resolve behavioral problems. Other

teachers, however, sought to resolve issues by engaging students and using incentives and rewards.

A teacher explained,

“I think we are seeing more student engagement. There are more opportunities for students to either learn or to get involved in school. Administrators have initiated student leader groups, which is going to pay large dividends in years to come, because it emphasizes the 9 th graders. There’s an attempt to make the school a little bit more fun, for instance, with pep rallies and group meetings. Administration is also very serious about promoting and rewarding kids who are doing positive things with their grades and attendance. So we’re discussing field trips in the future to reward kids for these things. I think this will also have a tremendous result.”

Figure 25 displays the three-year trends of student SurveyWorks! data on discipline and equity

for CFHS and the state of Rhode Island. These data show that while the majority of students report

that they understand what will happen if they break a school rule, less than half of students believe

that discipline is fair and that all students are punished equally for breaking the same rule. It should

also be noted that items related to discipline and equity were rated at slightly lower levels by CFHS

students than for high school students statewide. These findings were stable across both respondent

groups for all three years.



50

Figure 25. Student SurveyWorks ! Data on Discipline and Equity

CFHS2010-2011

RI State2010-2011

CFHS2011-2012

RI State2011-2012

CFHS2012-2013

RI State2012-2013

Percent of Students Reporting “Agree” or “Strongly Agree”

All students arepunished equally if they break thesame rule.

41% 46% 46% 45% 48% 49%

Discipline at my school is fair

44% 55% 48% 55% 49% 56%

I understand what will happen if Ibreak a schoolrule

78% 84% 79% 84% 81% 85%

Note. Student Survey (Grade 9-12) Participation Rates for Central Falls High School: 62.4% in 2010-2011; 79.1% in2011-2012; and, 58.1% in 2012-2013. Participation Rates for RI State: 75.6% in 2010-2011; 77.4% in 2011-2012; and,77.8% in 2012-2013. Data has been rounded to the nearest percentage point in the table. Data source:http://infoworks.ride.ri.gov/school/central-falls-high-school.

Student Perceptions of School Climate, Engagement, and Instruction

In Figure 26, SurveyWorks! data are displayed to note changes in the percentage of students

who agreed or strongly agreed on statements related to student-teacher relationships across three

years. In the third year, there was a prominent rise in the proportion of respondents who agreed

that teachers seem to care about students personally (from 43% in Year 1 to 66% in Year 3 for

CFHS, and from 34% in Year 1 to 65% in Year 3 for RI State). There was also an increase in the

percentage of respondents who agreed that students in school treat teachers with respect (from 24%

in Year 1 to 36% in Year 3), although the perceived level of respect for teachers remains low. This

finding triangulates qualitative data shared by teachers in the Perceptions of Behavior Management and

Discipline section of this report.



51

Figure 26. Student SurveyWorks ! Data on Student-Teacher Relationships

CFHS2010-2011

RI State2010-2011

CFHS2011-2012

RI State2011-2012

CFHS2012-2013

RI State2012-2013

Percent of Students Reporting “Agree” or “ Strongly ”

My teachers seem tocare about mepersonally.

43% 34% 45% 36% 66% 65%

My teachers/teachers in my school treat me/students withrespect.

75% 61% 77% 64% 74% 72%

Students in my school treatteachers with

respect.

24% 39% 28% 40% 36% 47%

Note. In 2012-2013 the wording of the item, “My teachers treat me with respect.” changed to “Teachers in my school treat students with respect.” Student Survey (Grade 9-12) Participation Rates for Central Falls High School: 62.4% in 2010-2011; 79.1%in 2011-2012; and, 58.1% in 2012-2013. Participation Rates for RI State: 75.6% in 2010-2011; 77.4% in 2011-2012; and,77.8% in 2012-2013. Data has been rounded to the nearest percentage point in the table. Data source:http://infoworks.ride.ri.gov/school/central-falls-high-school.

Many students had positive comments for the ways in which their teachers support their

learning. For example one student commented, “It’s like a giant family. They will do whatever it takes to

help you.” Agreeing with this notion, another shared, “ All of my teachers stay after school for extra help. They

make time for you.”

Figure 27 shows SurveyWorks! data on the changes in the percentage of students who agreed

or strongly agreed on statements related to student engagement across three years. The largest

proportions of agreement were observed in the third year in which respondents perceived that

teachers keep students interested in class (63% for CFHS and 57% for RI State), and that teachers

inspire students to do their best work (74% for CFHS and 64% for RI State). When compared to

the first year, both engagement items increased by more than 20 percentage points for CFHS

students.



52

Figure 27. Student SurveyWorks! Data on Student EngagementCFHS

2010-2011RI State2010-2011

CFHS2011-2012

RI State2011-2012

CFHS2012-2013

RI State2012-2013

Percent of Students Reporting “Most/ All of Them” or “ Agree/Strongly Agree”

My teachers keepme interested inclass.

40% 30% 42% 32% 63% 57%

My teachersinspire me to domy best work.

51% 39% 52% 40% 74% 64%

Note. In 2012-2013 the response options of these questions changed from None, Some, Most, All to Strongly Disagree,Disagree, Agree, Strongly Agree. Participation Rates for Central Falls High School: 62.4% in 2010-2011; 79.1% in 2011-2012; and, 58.1% in 2012-2013. Participation Rates for RI State: 75.6% in 2010-2011; 77.4% in 2011-2012; and, 77.8% in2012-2013. Data has been rounded to the nearest percentage point in the table. Data source:http://infoworks.ride.ri.gov/school/central-falls-high-school.

Family Engagement at CFHS

Family Engagement in the Central Falls High School Turnaround

Central to the high school’s turnaround efforts has been the hiring of an executive director

for family assistance and student supports in early 2011 as part of the school leadership team. The

director’s efforts are focused on facilitating the engagement of the Central Falls community to

support the high school’s improvement goals. In Year 3, and throughout the progress of the

Transformation, the school community continued its focus on building the infrastructure necessary

for continued and sustained engagement of families and the community at large. Several of these

efforts are described below.

Supporting Families

Central Falls has directly co-located services at the school to connect families with service

providers. This was done with the goal of helping to reduce the social and economic barriers that

may prevent families from effectively engaging with the school community. Available services range

from case management assistance for teenage mothers to having a 2-1-1 representative at the school

weekly to provide information and assistance.26 In Year 2 of the Transformation the school sought

out a partnership with the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training through the Workforce

26 2-1-1 is a free and confidential information and referral service that helps people connect to social services offered by health and human service providers, government agencies and community-based organizations (Source:http://www.211ri.org ).

http://www.211ri.org/





53

Investment Act of 1998 to provide youth academic and job readiness programming and activities for

students and their families. The school leadership also has a partnership with Rhode Island College

to provide classes to the Central Falls community. RIC representatives have met with a number of

families to assess their wants and needs. At the time of this study, families had expressed interest in

topics ranging from English Language to computer skills. RIC is expected to offer these classes for

the first time in the fall of 2014. By making available an array of services, the school hopes to be able

to tap into the strengths and skills families have and engage them more directly and effectively at the

school. In addition, students may also be more engaged and focused on school when some of the

stressors faced by their families are, at least in part, alleviated.

Parent Meetings

Parents are given numerous opportunities to engage with school leadership around theschool Transformation goals. These include bimonthly Board of Trustees meetings, monthly

Superintendent meetings, parent-teacher-student organization (PTSO) meetings, and various

committee meetings. Monthly meetings with the superintendent include presentations on school

related topics such as Proficiency-based Graduation Requirements (PBGR), discipline policies, and

programs. Families are also invited to join the School Improvement Team (SIT) and the New

England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) accreditation process committees. At PTSO

meetings, families had the opportunity to discuss issues related to their child’s education, remain

informed about school happenings, and plan events. These meetings occur once a month, with

sessions held during both the morning and afternoon to accommodate parents’ work schedules. In

Year 3 the district started weekly parent meetings open to all families as an additional opportunity

for families to engage with the school, community service providers, and each other. A typical

meeting format includes a social/mingle hour, followed by either a meeting with a community

partner ( e.g. researchers at the Bradley Hospital discussing HIV/AIDS curriculum), information

session with school leadership, or a workshop/activity session (topics generating by participant

interests). Families are also given a dedicated space to use at the high school, called the “ParentRoom.” This space is used to meet both formally and informally, and also gives volunteers access to

resources like computers, copiers, and phones.



54

Training and Advocacy

The district, in collaboration with different community partners, has been able to provide

leadership and advocacy training opportunities for parents. Collaboration between the district and a

community-based organization, Fuerza Laboral, yielded the Parent Leadership Institute. The twiceper year, three-day intensive training program developed participants’ leadership skills and built

knowledge about district policies. Themes explored during the training included parent rights, the

role of parents in education, identifying leadership structures in schools, and effective

communication. Another partnership between the district and RI Parent Information Network

(RIPIN) offered Family Leadership Trainings focused on building parents’ leadership, meeting

facilitation, and advocacy skills while increasing general policy knowledge. The goal of these and

future trainings is to build a system for parents to help other parents navigate the education system

and share knowledge.

Building on these training efforts, the district has created “Agents of Transformation” at the

middle and high school levels. These five agents are parents volunteering about 30 hours per week

to help support various school transformation goals, including making home visits, daily calls to

other families, and helping to implement school-wide attendance and behavior strategies. Families

are also encouraged and offered the opportunity to volunteer at the high school. Volunteers assist in

a variety of tasks at the high school, ranging from providing classroom and office supports to

contacting other parents about their student and to share information about school events. Volunteers have also played an increasingly more active role in tackling school issues. In 2011,

parent volunteers successfully advocated for the restoration of the school’s water fountains and are

part of the efforts to tackle issues of student absenteeism and tardiness. Figure 28 shows the total

hours volunteered per month for the 2012-2013 school year. Volunteers receive a small stipend for

their time and training covering the “dos and don’ts” of volunteering and matters of confidentiality.

Further information on volunteering is also detailed and made available in the district’s Volunteer

Handbook.27

27 Central Falls Volunteer Handbook: http://www.cfschools.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Volunteer-Handbook-final.pdf



55

Figure 28. Monthly Parent Volunteer Hours at CFHS: 2012-2013

Perceptions of Family Engagement Efforts

Participants in focus groups and interviews continue to report improved interactions

between the school and families. Families in particular noted feeling more welcomed, saying they felt

the school treated them like “family,” and that believed they are assets to the school. Families

highlighted several key strategies to facilitating stronger school to community relationships. These

included dedicated staff to support families like the director for family assistance and student

supports and the Home Liaisons28, as well as individuals who can assist families in their home

language.

Families also noted the value of having the dedicated space and resources of the “Parent

Room,” and the time other school staff dedicate to parents, for example the Principal’s Coffee

28 The Home Liaisons are district staff located in schools who serve as the entry point for families seeking assistance innavigating the educational system.

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900

1000

AUG. SEPT. OCT. NOV. DEC. JAN. FEB. MAR. APR. MAY JUN.

N u m

b e r o f H o u r s



56

Hour.29 Both teachers and parents also reported increased level of partnership between each other

around how students are doing and praised the leadership team for prioritizing family engagement

efforts.

Parent engagement has improved tremendously over the past few years of the

Transformation in large part due to the efforts describe above. One remaining challenge is reaching

out to all families and maintaining consistent communication within a highly mobile community.

Despite this challenge, there is an acknowledgement amongst school leadership, school staff and the

community that families are crucial to the success of the Transformation. As such, the CFHS

community continues to establish new opportunities to involve and engage families in supporting

school-wide initiatives.


Data from multiple indicators and across stakeholders provide strong evidence that the

culture and climate at Central Falls High School have improved from Year 1 to Year 3 of the

Transformation. Examples of the positive changes include substantial decreases in teacher

absenteeism over time and yearly increases in staff perceptions of collaboration and communication.

On the CFHS Transformation survey, the majority of staff reported that by Year 3 staff and

leadership openly discuss efforts to improve the school and that CFHS has made changes to better

meet the needs of its diverse student body.

Students also perceived an increasingly positive school climate; Surveyworks! data show

longitudinal gains in perceptions of student engagement and relationships with teachers.

Specifically, students believe that teachers treat them with respect and that teachers inspire them to

do their best work. Indeed, by Year 3 of the Transformation CFHS students rated both areas higher

than the average of high school students across the state.

Family engagement also showed marked improvement throughout the Transformation.

CFHS provided numerous opportunities for parents to engage with school leadership and parents

around the strategic goals. These opportunities included bimonthly Board of Trustees meetings,

monthly Superintendent meetings, parent-teacher-student organization (PTSO) meetings, and

various committee meetings. In addition, the Central Falls district, in collaboration with different

29 Coffee Hour is an opportunity for families and the school principal to discuss ways to make Central Falls High thebest school for all the students. Coffee Hours are held the first Friday of every month from 8:30-9:30 a.m. in the ParentRoom.



57

community partners, provided leadership and advocacy training for parents. Parent participants in

focus groups and interviews reported improved interactions between the high school and families.

The number of student behavior referrals has decreased from Year 1 to Year 3 of the

Transformation; however, further improvements are still needed for the behavior managementsystem. Survey and interview findings indicate that CFHS staff are unsatisfied with the current

discipline system and that student behavior is still seen as a challenge to effective instruction.

Additionally, chronic student absenteeism and tardiness remain obstacles.

SECTION V. TRANSFORMATION SUMMARY

This final report has synthesized quantitative and qualitative data from multiple sources todetail the three-year Transformation process at Central Falls High School. A comprehensive

summary of progress on the three strategic goals can be found in both the Introduction and at the

conclusion of each report section. To supplement these summaries, the Year 3 Transformation

survey also invited teachers and staff members to respond to open-ended questions on their

perceptions of progress. On the instrument, participants were also asked to write about the areas

that remain in need of improvement at CFHS and suggestions for next steps in the reform process.

Because the survey collected data from 70% of staff, including teachers and leadership, these

perceptions have been summarized and presented below. The tables display exemplar quotes from

participants, disaggregated by theme. The full set of responses to these five open-ended survey

questions can be viewed in the report appendix.



58

Progress on the Strategic Goals

Strategic Goal 1: Increasing Graduation Rates

The first open-ended question asked: “During the Transformation process, what strategies have been

most effective in helping CFHS increase graduation rate?” Thirty-four of 57 CFHS staff members

responded that Multiple Pathways programs led to improvements in graduation. Specifically,

respondents mentioned Expanded Learning Opportunities, Guide to Success, P.M. School, Saturday

School, and Summer School as key contributors to graduation improvements. Respondents also

described the positive impact of tutoring and student support on graduation rates. Figure 29

provides several exemplar quotes; Appendix D displays a complete list of the responses.

Figure 29. Exemplar Quotes: Strategies that Increased Graduation Rates during the Transformation

Theme Exemplar Quotes

Multiple Pathways Programs

The creation of alternative learning programs such as Guide to Success, PMSchool, Square Mile, and the ELO system have helped give students who wouldhave given up hope and dropped out a second chance to regroup and get back on the right track in a setting beneficial for them.

Saturday School, PM School, ESL PM School, and portfolio support are some

of the many strategies implemented that have greatly improved the graduation

rate this year.

Multiple Pathways: Saturday School, PM School, Portfolio recovery, G2S

program, Expanded Learning Opportunities.

Tutoring Extra tutoring hour for teachers to help students either one hour before or after

school.

Tutoring, AEC, and in class support.

Student Support

Working with teachers to identify academic and behavior stressor that may beimpacting students early on in the year so that students may be provided withthe resources and services needed both in and out of school to help decreasedropout rate and increase graduation rate.



59

Strategic Goal 2: Improving Mathematics Proficiency

The transformation survey also queried teachers and staff members on strategies that

improve mathematics scores. Fifty-seven staff members responded to the question, “During the

Transformation, what strategies have been most effective in improving math proficiency?” Figure 30 showsexemplar quotes from the three most frequently-written themes: mathematics intervention courses,

mathematics curriculum, and NECAP preparation program. Appendix E provides the full

responses from teachers and staff members.

Figure 30. Exemplar Quotes: Strategies that Improved Mathematics Proficiency during the Transformation


Mathematics Intervention

Courses

This year’s development of Seminar course was able to target the student’s inneed at the 9th and 10th grade level. We need to build this intervention in a

school wide intervention.

We have implemented math intervention courses for students in grades, 9, 10,

11 for specific supports.

Mathematics Curriculum

The acquisition of Common Core aligned text books, Math Team common

planning time in order to create and edit curriculum, consistency in curriculum,

restructuring of classes to incorporate more frequent common assessments to

monitor student achievement.

Development of a math curriculum.

NECAP Preparation Program

NECAP Prep summer program, Seminar classes during Fall semester, greaterfocus on numeracy and literacy within mathematics courses.

Math Seminar. NECAP Prep.



60

Strategic Goal 3: Improving School Climate and Culture

Figure 31 provides exemplar quotes from teachers and staff members who responded to the

third open-ended question, “What strategies have been most effective in improving school climate and culture?”

Participants wrote that open communication and collaboration were key factors for improving school climate and culture. Three teachers and staff members also shared that after-school program

and activities, and parent and community engagement are effective strategies. The complete set of

responses is available in Appendix F.

Figure 31. Exemplar Quotes: Strategies that Improved School Climate and Culture during the Transformation


Open Communication & Collaboration

Increased communication between leadership and teachers via teacher

leadership teams, student leadership teams, and shared walkthroughs withleadership/teachers/parents have all contributed to an improvement in the

climate and culture of the building. We’re working toward defining our PLC.

Being open and receptive of constructive criticism without utilizing the

information to penalize teachers and/or staff.

Having better communication helps to improve the school’s climate and

culture.

Stronger relationships between teachers and evaluators-more of a partnership;

higher percentage of new teachers that are willing to embrace the

transformation and work collaboratively.

After school programs/

activities

Teachers taking the initiative to bring back after school clubs, sports, academicteams, student leadership, etc… Also re-establishing a sense of Warrior Pride

among the students and staff.

After school programs, sports, and ELO.

Parent & Community

Engagement

Parent Volunteers, involving family more into the school.

Community events, high expectations.

Home school liaisons.

Areas in Need of Further Improvement

Along with the reform goals, the Transformation survey asked teachers and staff members

about areas in which they believe CFHS needs further improvement. Of the 57 respondents, 27

wrote that the area of student behavior, discipline and absenteeism warrants further effort. Other

areas included building a professional learning community, and the need for leadership and staff



61

stability. Exemplar quotes are displayed in Figure 32; Appendix G provides a complete set of

responses.

Figure 32. Exemplar Quotes: Areas that Are in Need of Further Improvement Theme Exemplar Quotes

Student Behavior,

Discipline & Absenteeism

Behavior and discipline- there are little or no real consequences of disruptive or

disrespectful behavior.

Discipline. There is no real discipline in this school. We need a system that

enforces detention, in school suspension, and possibly a suspension…

Discipline Management. There is no reason why our system should be as

flawed as it is. Students should have to meet with an administrator and not just

the restoration team. “Processing” in ISS with the students is not achieving

anything if the same student gets removed from class for the same behavior

more than once…

I believe we have very competent, dedicated teachers. However, we cannot

make the progress needed because of excessive tardiness and absenteeism… Holding students more accountable for their behavior as well as academics.

Management of student behavior. This chronic issue is still not being

addressed. Attendance and tardiness is included here. All are major obstacles

to improving student achievement.

Building a

Professional Learning

Community

I think the school needs to strengthen as a whole community with the

development of a Professional Learning Community where we can all learn

together and from each other. This would allow teachers to lean on each other

as we continue forward on this journey at CFHS.

I think it will be important for teachers to use common instructional language,

classroom norms, management systems, behavioral expectations, etc. so thatstudents are held to the same high expectations wherever they are in the

building. I would like to see a more consistent school-wide instructional

approach aimed at NECAP preparation.

Consistent Clear Communication within departments and through a network

connecting all stake holders. More faculty and staff have to be engaged in the

vision, not just the motivated few. Use common planning time with a strong

consistent purpose.

Stability of Leadership &

Staff

Stability — turnover of staff, particularly with administrators; technology

(although plans to improve will be helpful if implemented); create consequences

for student behavior, cutting class, lateness to class. We have been asked this

numerous times and lack of discipline in the building remains a glaring,unattended problem.

…No stability in administration or the teaching staff. Reduction in staff next

year will make it an almost impossible situation to keep all of the programs that

increased graduation rates. Staff turnover is going to continue. The district is

receiving less money next year, so there will be drastic cuts in Special Education

services, guidance counselors, Inclusion teachers and reading teachers.



62

Next Steps for School Improvement

The final open-ended question on the Transformation survey asked teachers and staff

members, “What strategies/ next steps should be implemented to continue the school’s improvement efforts?”

Figure 33 displays exemplar quotes from the most frequently-noted themes: behavior and discipline,

teacher support and instruction, professional development time, and using data for improvement.

Appendix H shows the full set of responses from teachers and staff members.

Figure 33. Exemplar Quotes: Strategies/Next Steps for School Improvement Theme Exemplar Quotes


Time

Focus on improving PD; Make PD more effective .

Focus PD on strengthening curriculum alignment (interdisciplinary units)

Train new & incoming teachers on the transformation, curriculum and

portfolio process…

Teacher Support & Instruction

More access to administration staff especially when they are invited to

classroom activities/ lesson and presentations. Teacher support according to

content. It would be useful to bring teachers from high performing districts to

assist us by sharing teaching techniques and strategies.

…Continue to provide support in math during school, after school, and during

the summer.

I think we need to build on our efforts to improve instruction. Similar to the

differentiation PD, we need to have more conversations around co-teaching

and teaching English Language Learners.

Behavior & Discipline

Development of a code of conduct with clearly defined consequences forbehavior including attendance. Continued commitment to common curriculum

and assessment school wide. Development of school wide rubrics to be used

across disciplines.

Behavior and academic expectations clearly stated with stated consequences

that have follow through. Establishment of a special classroom setting for

students that constantly disrupt where they can learn how to be students and

how to function as part o[f] a class…

Fix discipline management. Clearer/faster communication between faculty and

administration… If a teacher sends an email about a concern, even if the issue

at hand cannot be handled at that moment, at LEAST send an email back

saying they received the email and will be in contact soon about the issue…

Using Data for Improvement

More collaboration based on a more integrated data and curriculum sharing

digital network.

Using data to tell the whole story, using data collection as a tool for

improvement in creating tangible action steps and open discussion. Use

information to support struggling teachers and students.



63

Future Directions for CFHS

Longitudinal data show that progress has been made during the Transformation on

increasing graduation rate, improving mathematics proficiency, and improving the climate and

culture of CFHS. In interviews and focus groups, staff shared their ideas about how this progressmight be sustained. Stakeholders shared that the school has been “gearing up” for the end of the

School Improvement Grant funds since the first year. Three strategies were discussed as ways that

the school has prepared for sustainability:

1. A focus on building capacity and systems that can be sustained without the funding. Thisincludes the investment that teams of parent, student, and teacher leaders have made in theschool.

2. Over 100 partnerships have been made with the community. Through their work withteachers and students, the resources these partners bring to CFHS can make up, in many ways, for the lack of Transformation money.

3. Additional grants ( e.g ., i3) and carryover funds will allow for the continuation of key staff. The district has also reorganized structures, such as the registration center, to enableresources to be shared more effectively across the district.

In conclusion, the evaluation team asked staff members to reflect on what

accomplishment(s) made them the most proud of Central Falls High School during the

Transformation. Several of these ideas are presented below.

“ We have developed a greater professional learning community…and we’ve redefinedleadership: student leadership, teacher leadership and parent leadership. Across the board wehave groups of people who are now coming forward and want to be part of the changes at alllevels. I think that says a lot about where we are because I think they’re all now feeling comfortable to take those risks. It is part of building the climate and culture here.”

“I would say the team of people that we have at this school. It has been difficult for peoplehere: a lot of changes, a lot of judgments, a lot of uncertainty, and they have stuck through it andthey continue to come here every day and give their best.”

“I am proud that people see CFHS as a resource…. I think a lot of our partners see thatfamilies, students, teachers and this community can also give back to them and help build theirorganizations. Our budding relationship with Rhode Island College is a perfect example of this…they’re not coming in here to save ‘poor’ Central Falls; they see this as a true partnership — we’re going to gain something for sure, but they’re going to gain something as well.”



64

SECTION VI. RECOMMENDATIONS

Based upon data collected throughout the Transformation, five recommendations are

offered for the CFHS community to address remaining challenges and support further

improvement. These recommendations reflect the key challenges faced by the school community

throughout the three years of the Transformation:

1. Continue to develop, refine, document and communicate behavior management and

student attendance protocols and expectations.

Survey, focus group, and interview data across school stakeholders indicated that student

behavior, the lack of clarity around the behavior management system and disciplinary protocolscontinues to need refinement. Direct communication among staff, leadership, parents, and students

around issues of accountability, expectations, and consequences related to student behavior within

classrooms are critical to the climate and culture of CFHS. In addition to behavior and discipline,

low student attendance and high levels of student tardiness were a primary concern of teachers and

staff on the spring 2013 survey. A clear school-wide policy on unexcused student attendance and

punctuality is recommended.

2. Support the continued growth and expansion of student-centered initiatives.

The Multiple Pathways (MP) programs and Expanded Learning Opportunities (ELOs),

which offer students alternate ways to earn credit and re-engage in school, have consistently been

reported as a major strength of the high school Transformation. Students, teachers, staff, and the

leadership all have expressed satisfaction, optimism, and commitment when speaking about the

progress and future of these programs. At the core of their success is the focus on engaging students

based on their own needs and interests. These programs present an opportunity for collaboration

among CFHS staff members to strengthen and align curriculum and widen academic offerings.

Stakeholders have also reported that for ELOs to expand, more individuals would need to be

engaged across the initiative, including coordinators, validation committee members, and mentors.

3. Continue to develop opportunities to build stronger relationships between and

amongst the various school community stakeholders.



65

Efforts during the final two years of the Transformation focusing on building relationships,

engagement, and shared accountability have directly contributed to reported improvements in

school climate and culture. Feedback from the wider school community specifically suggest that the

leadership team has made significant progress in building and strengthening relationships between

them and teachers, staff, students and families. While leadership can set the foundation for key

drivers to improved school culture, the relationships and interactions between and amongst the

various school stakeholders are fundamental to the continued success of the transformation.

Common Planning Time (CPT) provides leadership and teachers the opportunity to

collaborate on areas such as instructional activities, student progress, curricular planning, and

behavior management. Across years, CFHS staff members have reported that the limited time

available for common planning is most beneficial when spent with team members. To improve CPT

quality, leadership should utilize in-house expertise to study the structure/ processes of the teams’

planning time that yield high productivity and replicate the recommended strategies across teams.

Stronger relationships between “teachers and students” and “families and key school staff”

have also contributed to increased family engagement and improved school climate and culture. The

school has primarily focused on engaging families by providing family-specific targeted supports and

skills training. By creating formal structures that support the wider school community to engage with

families, the school can continue to foster and deepen existing efforts to strengthen the school

community.

4. Increase the focus on Strategic Goal 2: Improving Student Proficiency by using data

to examine current instructional practices; eliminate, re-design, or replace those

which are not effective.

Continue to support the improvement of mathematics by implementing recommendations

offered by mathematics team teachers: backwards-plan mathematics curriculum and instruction in

the Central Falls School District (PK-12); explore alternative models of mathematics instruction in

the elementary grades; integrate math into the STEM academy by aligning content in math-relatedcourses and offering alternative elective Year 4 math classes at different levels; encourage the

guidance department to make mathematics courses a priority when creating students’ schedules;

offer differentiated versions of Algebra I, Geometry and Algebra 2; implement policies for students

to repeat mathematics courses that they have not passed; implement the STAR Math progress

assessment suite as a means of benchmarking and tracking student performance in mathematics;



66

and, designate additional time to continue the alignment of the new mathematics curriculum to the

Common Core Standards.

Also related to instructional practices, synthesized staff data also showed the need to

continue to use staff feedback for improving the quality and utility of professional development

including identifying and using in-house experts to lead the sessions.

5. Strengthen the advisory program to provide clarity about the function and

implementation of the program.

Leadership, teachers, staff, parents, and students should revisit the current advisory

curriculum aimed at supporting academic, post-graduation and socio-emotional needs of students

enrolled at CFHS. Evaluation data collected across three years reveal that both students and staff

lack clarity around the purpose for the advisory program. In addition, staff and students have

repeatedly suggested keeping the same teacher advisor, or group of advisors, for more than one year.

Three specific, data-based recommendations to improve the program include: (1) keeping the

advisory schedule to one hour per week; (2) creating a planning team comprised of student,

leadership, teacher/staff, and parent representatives, who set the grade-level goals of advisory and

make ongoing decisions about the curriculum; and, (3) having leaders take responsibility for

informally and formally monitoring the mutually-agreed upon goals of advisory.



67

Appendix A:

Staff Transformation Study Survey



© The Education Alliance at Brown University 68

Central Falls High School

Transformation StudyYear 3 Survey

Thank you for your participation on the Year 3 staff survey. This instrument was developed by The Education

Alliance and The Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University as part of the Central Falls High

School (CFHS) Transformation Study.

It is important to note that most of the items are required; meaning that the survey tool will not allow you to

proceed to the next page until a response has been selected. Also, please be assured that your responses will

be confidential; the data you provide will be combined with those of other educators and will not be identified

with you as an individual.

Again, thank you for your participation!

Section I. For each of the following statements, please mark the response that best describes your

perspective for this school year 2012-2013.

Strongly

DisagreeDisagree Agree

Strongly

Agree

1. CFHS has a clear vision of reform that is linked

to standards for student learning and

development.

1 2 3 4

2. Staff and leadership openly discuss efforts toimprove CFHS. 1 2 3 4

3. Teachers use data to improve their teaching.1 2 3 4

4. CFHS has made changes designed to better

meet the needs of its diverse student body. 1 2 3 4

5. Teachers are engaged in systematic analysis of

student performance data. 1 2 3 4

6. Assessment of student performance has led tochanges in curricula. 1 2 3 4

7. CFHS has well-defined plans for instructional

improvement. 1 2 3 4

8. Teachers at CFHS share a vision of effective

teaching. 1 2 3 4




9. Teachers at CFHS are engaged in systematic

analysis of their teaching practices. 1 2 3 4

10. Useful information to make informed decisions

is readily available to teachers (e.g., about student

performance, available resources, etc.).1 2 3 4

11. Curricula are planned between and among

grade levels to promote continuity. 1 2 3 4

12. Teachers meet regularly to discuss student

performance and instructional practices. 1 2 3 4

13. Teachers use formative assessment strategies

to measure student progress. 1 2 3 4

14. Teachers are committed to improving student

achievement. 1 2 3 4

15. Professional Development (PD) experiences

this year have been closely connected to the

reform vision at CFHS.1 2 3 4

16. PD experiences this year have been coherently

focused. 1 2 3 4

17. I have been able to use knowledge or

information I gained from attending PD this year inmy classroom/ in my work.

1 2 3 4

18. PD experiences this year have helped me build

new skills and identify strategies to better meet

the needs of CFHS students.1 2 3 4

19. Communication between high school

leadership and teachers has improved this school

year.1 2 3 4

20. The structure of advisory has been beneficial

to students this year. 1 2 3 4

21. Planned performance management/ teacher

evaluation activities have improved instructional

practices this year.1 2 3 4




Section II. Open Response Questions

1. During the Transformation process, what strategies have been most effective in helping CFHS reach its

three goals of increasing the graduation rate; increasing math proficiency; and, improving school climate and

culture?

Most effective strategies in helping CFHS increase graduate rate:

Most effective strategies in helping CFHS increase math proficiency:

Most effective strategies in helping CFHS improve school climate and culture:

2. In what areas do you believe that CFHS needs further improvement? Please describe.

3. What strategies/ next steps should be implemented to continue the school's improvement efforts?

Section III. Staff Roles

1. Please indicate your role at CFHS. Please select one.

Teacher

Guidance

Administrator

Other staff

2. For current teachers only: What grade level do you teach? (check all that apply)

9

10

11

12

3. For current teachers only: Including this year, how many years have you been teaching?

Please provide a number:

4. For current teachers only: How many years have you been teaching at CFHS?

Please provide a number:



71

Appendix B:

Staff Transformation Study Survey Data,

Disaggregated by Teacher, Other Staff, and Overall

across Three Time Points



CFHS Staff Transformation Survey Findings Three Time Points

72

Response Rates

Note. Year 1 Teacher n = 36; Other Staff n = 7; Overall n = 43. Year 2 Teacher n = 48; Other Staff n = 8; Overall n = 56. Year 3 Teacher n = 45; Other Staff n = 12;Overall n = 57. Teacher sample includes classroom teachers. Other staff may include roles such as leadership, guidance, school psychologists, and librarians.

YEAR 1 YEAR 2 YEAR 3

Number of Respondents Response Rate

Number of Respondents Response Rate


ResponseRate

Teachers 36 49% 48 69% 45 69%

Other Staff 7 70% 8 89% 12 71%

Overall Sample 43 51% 56 71% 57 70%




73

Curricular Planning

Percent Agree or Strongly Agree…


TeachersOtherStaff Overall Teachers

OtherStaff Overall Teachers

OtherStaff Overall

Assessment of student performance has led tochanges in our school’s curriculum [In Year 3, thestatement says, “ Assessment of studentperformance has led to changes in curricula”]

53% 57% 54% 48% 100% 54% 67% 75% 68%

Curricula are planned between and among gradesto promote continuity [In Year 3, the statementsays, “Curricula are planned between and among grade levels to promote continuity”]

36% 86% 44% 32% 25% 30% 56% 75% 60%





74

Teaching Practices





OtherStaff Overall

Teachers use data to improve their teaching 78% 57% 74% 77% 88% 79% 84% 92% 86%

Teachers are engaged in systematic analysis of student performance data

58% 43% 56% 45% 75% 48% 73% 75% 74%

CFHS has well-defined plans for instructionalimprovement

33% 71% 40% 48% 88% 53% 58% 75% 61%

Teachers at CFHS share a vision of effectiveteaching

67% 43% 63% 67% 86% 70% 73% 75% 74%

Teachers at CFHS are engaged in systematicanalysis of their teaching practices

72% 29% 65% 64% 50% 61% 69% 83% 72%

Useful information to make informed decisions isreadily available to teachers (e.g., about student

performance, available resources, etc.)

44% 86% 51% 40% 71% 43% 44% 75% 51%

Teachers meet regularly to discuss studentperformance and instructional practices

75% 86% 77% 41% 88% 42% 38% 58% 42%

Teachers use formative assessment strategies tomeasure student progress

83% 57% 79% 85% 75% 82% 96% 100% 97%

Teachers are committed to improving studentachievement

94% 57% 88% 100% 100% 100% 100% 92% 98%





75






OtherStaff Overall

Professional development experiences this yearhave been closely connected to the reform visionat CFHS

42% 71% 47% 33% 63% 37% 44% 58% 47%

Professional development experiences this yearhave been coherently focused

28% 57% 33% 24% 63% 29% 36% 67% 42%

I have been able to use knowledge or informationI gained from attending Professional developmentthis year in my work [In Year 3, the statementsays, “I have been able to use knowledge orinformation I gained from attending PD this yearin my classroom/ in my work”]

44% -- -- 41% -- -- 51% -- --

Professional development experiences this year

have helped me build new skills and identify strategies to better meet the needs of my students[In Year 3, the statement says, “PD experiencesthis year have helped me build new skills andidentify strategies to better meet the needs of CFHS students”]

31% -- -- 29% -- -- 44% -- --

Note. Year 1 Teacher n = 36; Other Staff n = 7; Overall n = 43. Year 2 Teacher n = 48; Other Staff n = 8; Overall n = 56. Year 3 Teacher n = 45; Other Staff n = 12;

Overall n = 57. Teacher sample includes classroom teachers. Other staff may include roles such as leadership, guidance, school psychologists, and librarians.




76

Reform Climate and Culture





OtherStaff Overall

CFHS has a clear vision of reform that is linkedto standards for student learning anddevelopment

50% 86% 56% 47% 100% 54% 64% 92% 70%

Staff and leadership openly discuss efforts toimprove CFHS

36% 71% 42% 67% 88% 69% 80% 92% 83%

CFHS has made changes designed to better meetthe needs of its diverse student body

50% 100% 58% 66% 88% 68% 82% 92% 84%

Communication between high school leadershipand teachers has improved this school year

33% 71% 40% 68% 72% 67% 76% 83% 77%




77

Appendix C:

List of Expanded Learning Opportunities



78

Expanded Learning Opportunities: 2012-2013

American Sign Language

Architecture, Construction, and Engineering

Central Falls History

Commercial Sexual Exploitation

Country Explorations

Crossfit/Restorative Workouts

Drumming

School Emergency Response Team

Film

Kids in the Canyon

Non-Violence

Nursing Photography

Playwriting About Race and Sugar

Seatbelt/Car Seat Safety

Health for Teen Parents

Urban Debate

Writers-in-the-Schools RI

Young Voices

Youth Development



79

Appendix D:

Strategies that Increased Graduation Rates

(Open-Ended Responses from the Transformation Study Survey)



80

During the Transformation process, what strategies have been most effective in helping CFHSincrease graduate rate?

Teachers (n=45 teachers: 36 responses*,†; 9 blanks and n/a)1. Adding alternative opportunities like ELOs, PM school, and G2S.2. Additional programs such as PM School, Saturday School, and Summer School.3. Alternative avenues for completing high school. There is concern among the faculty that these

alternative options do not represent or meet high performance standards.4. Alternative crediting programs like G2S, PM School, Saturday school, etc.5. Alternative programs.6. Alternative programs (Saturday, PM, G2S).7. Creating different pathways to success: G2S, Saturday school, PM school, etc.8. Different programs.9. Differentiated instruction.10. Differentiated instruction and portfolio work.11. ELOs and added creativity.12. ELOs, Saturday School, Summer School, PM School.13. G2S, P.M. School, Saturday School.14. Guide to Success, PM School, Saturday School...

15. Lowering rigor / requirements.16. Math and ELA intervention classes; differentiation of instruction; available tutoring; dedicatedperson to assist in completion of Portfolios.

17. Multiple learning opportunities that are afforded to students.18. Multiple Pathway opportunities for at-risk and special education students.19. Multiple Pathways.20. Multiple Pathways.21. Multiple Pathways.22. Multiple Pathways, ELOs.23. Multiple Pathways: Saturday School, PM School, Portfolio recovery, G2S program, Expanded

Learning Opportunities.24. P.M. school.25. P.M. School, Saturday School, Extra tutoring hour for teachers to help students either one hour

before or after school.26. Parent involvement and Parent engagement center more choices in programming.27. Passing student along by administration.28. PM School, Sat. School, ELO, credit recovery.29. PM School; G2S.30. Saturday School, PM School, ESL PM School and portfolio support are some of the many strategies

implemented that have greatly improved the graduation rate this year.31. The creation of alternative learning programs such as Guide to Success, PM School, Square Mile, and

the ELO system have helped give students who would have given up hope and dropped out asecond chance to regroup and get back on the right track in a setting beneficial for them.

32. The development of Multiple Pathways, allowing our students to have access to PM School, Guide 2Success, and ELOs has benefited our student's needs in graduating.

33. There has been little or no effect at all in improving attendance.34. Tutoring, AEC, and in class support.35. We have implemented many alternative programs for students.36. When the students have more than one path they can take to graduate works very well.

Other Staff (n=12 other staff: 8 responses*; 4 blank)1. Alternative learning placements.2. Creating alternative programs such as Pm School and Guide to Success to ensure and provide

students the opportunity to continue their education and receiving a high school diploma.3. Credit recovery and multiple pathways still fare well for graduation support and dropout prevention.



81

During the Transformation process, what strategies have been most effective in helping CFHSincrease graduate rate?

We are now offering an after school ELA program for support. Expanded learning opportunitiesare continue to grow and develop.

4. Lowering standards.5. Multiple Pathway Programs.

6. Multiple Pathway Programs, Credit Recovery Saturday programs, counselors frequently meeting withstudents and individual schedules to meet graduation requirements have improved graduation rates.

7. The development and implementation of Multiple Pathways.8. Working with teachers to identify academic and behavior stressor that may be impacting students

early on in the year so that students may be provided with the resources and services needed both inand out of school to help decrease dropout rate and increase graduation rate.

* For the purpose of improved clarity, spelling errors have been corrected without changing the phrase content ormeaning. Capitalization, grammar, and punctuation have been preserved.† Please note that there was one respondent who left blank the question that asked about the individual’s role at CFHS;that is, the role of teacher, guidance, administration, or other staff. This respondent was inferred as a teacher since they responded to the two questions addressed to current teachers only. Other staff could include positions in leadership,guidance, school psychology, social work, and the school library.



82

Appendix E:

Strategies that Improved Mathematics Proficiency




83

During the Transformation process, what strategies have been most effective in helping math proficiency? Teachers (n=45 teachers: 34 responses*,†; 11 blanks and n/a)

1. After school tutoring.2. Before and after school support, teachers are required to stay after school at least one day per week.

This strategy helps students who are not doing well due to absenteeism or learning exceptionalities to

learn effectively. Communicating to students the importance of their test scores for their graduation.3. Co-teaching, Seminar...4. Common Planning Time.5. Departmental curriculum development.6. Designating a content lead and giving that teacher the important extra planning time during the week

that they need to support the other members of the math department.7. Development of a math curriculum.8. Differentiated instruction.9. Don't know.10. I am not a math teacher. So, I don't believe I have enough information to answer this question.

However, during the iWalkthrough sessions, there has been a focus on numeracy regardless of thesubject being taught. Whenever possible, I always try to include numeracy in my lessons.

11. I don't know.12. I don't know.

13. Lowering standards.14. Math intervention and seminar class.15. Math intervention blocks.16. Math Seminar, curriculum planning.17. NECAP Prep summer program, Seminar classes during Fall semester, greater focus on numeracy

and literacy within mathematics courses.18. New Curriculum.19. Prep classes.20. Pull out sessions and additional help.21. Ramp up opportunities.22. Regular Ed students have access to a class for additional math assistance.23. Remedial practice.24. Study Island.25. Study Island; Seminar.26. Summer programs were utilized to bring students performing at a level 2 up to a level 3 by providing

intensive math instruction. School year initiatives have included tutoring which is sparsely attended.Students are provided AM and PM tutoring options. Increasing rigor and speeding up instructionhave also been utilized. This option has created more math class failures for those students whohave marginal skills.

27. Summer Ramp-up Programs.28. Targeted student selection and instruction.29. Targeting specific students to improve overall proficiency numbers, common curriculum and

assessment across the school.

30. Technology.31. The acquisition of Common Core aligned text books, Math Team common planning time in order to

create and edit curriculum, consistency in curriculum, restructuring of classes to incorporate morefrequent common assessments to monitor student achievement.

32. The teachers are working very hard and together to help the students learn everything they need toknow.

33. This year's development of Seminar course was able to target the student's in need at the 9th and10th grade level. We need to build this intervention in a school wide intervention.

34. Tutors, Special Educator in math classrooms.



84

During the Transformation process, what strategies have been most effective in helping math proficiency?Other Staff (n=12 other staff: 7 responses*; 5 blank)

1. Analyzing data and creating interventions to improve students’ math knowledge. The creation of 2classes Engineering and Statistics have helped.

2. Continuing to provide 9th and 10th graders with math intervention elective to strengthen their math

skills.3. Developing SAT Test Prep and Seminar class to try to increase math proficiency for those students

who have been identified as not being proficient in the content area of math. There are also plans of creating a Math Intervention Program for NECAP preparation during the summer and removing those students in the fall from their advisory classes into NECAP prep before the test retake.

4. Math interventions.5. Math Seminar. NECAP Prep.6. Not aware.7. We have implemented math intervention courses for students in grades 9, 10, 11 for specific

supports.* For the purpose of improved clarity, spelling errors have been corrected without changing the phrase content ormeaning. Capitalization, grammar, and punctuation have been preserved.† Please note that there was one respondent who left blank the question that asked about the individual’s role at CFHS;that is, the role of teacher, guidance, administration, or other staff. This respondent was inferred as a teacher since they responded to the two questions addressed to current teachers only. Other staff could include positions in leadership,guidance, school psychology, social work, and the school library.



85

Appendix F:

Strategies that Improved Climate and Culture




86

During the Transformation process, what strategies have been most effective in improving schoolclimate and culture?

Teachers (n=45 teachers: 35 responses*,†; 10 blanks and n/a)1. After school programs, sports, and ELO.2. Activities, clubs, sports and discipline!3. Administration involving more "middle Management".

4. After school clubs, Student leadership, Teacher Retention.5. An increased restorative presence in the hallways, and a constantly ongoing discussion of best

practices.6. Being able to remove disruptive students and the processing with them to change their behavior.

But, there is some weakness in this system. It does not effectively deal with the most troublesomeand repetitive student offenders.

7. Common Planning Time and Professional Development.8. Communication between administration and staff.9. Community events, high expectations.10. Having better communication helps to improve the school's culture and climate.11. Honest conversations.12. Individual meetings with administrators (not enough of those meetings).

13. Intimidation, pretending to include teachers in decisions but fail to use the suggestions made by teachers, admin., has its own agenda.

14. More open communication with everyone we are in this together.15. Multiple pathways off site especially.16. None.17. None - School culture and climate is poor.18. None have been effective; discipline is still the main issue in the high school. Several students have

been able to wreak havoc on their classrooms. No suspension policy is ineffective.19. None. Restoration Program does not work and student disciplinary issues are extremely high which

affects the morale of teachers and students.20. Nothing I've seen.21. Open communication and dialogue.22. Open nature of admin-teacher communication.23. Parent Volunteers, involving family more into the school.24. Principal engagement with teachers.25. Removing troubled students to alternative programs.26. Restorative practices help but they do not always work.27. School activities that engaged all students.28. School climate has deteriorated.29. Stronger relationships between teachers and evaluators-more of a partnership; higher percentage of

new teachers that are willing to embrace the transformation and work collaboratively.30. Student leadership and a coherent discipline policy.31. Teachers are encouraged to be more involved in decision making for the school and students.32. Teachers taking the initiative to bring back after school clubs, sports, academic teams, student

leadership, etc... Also re-establishing a sense of Warrior Pride among the students and staff.

33. This is an area that the school needs to focus more. I feel that ESL students need more opportunitiesto effectively communicate and work with each other. To me the segregation among mainstream andESL programs is an area of concern and needs to be addressed.

34. The school climate and culture was improving last year but I believe it has taken a nose dive thisyear. Teachers are feeling more stress with evaluations with less and less support. More and moreresponsibilities are being given to teachers with time for completion is falling.

35. ?Other Staff (n=12 other staff: 8 responses*; 4 blank)

1. Being open and receptive of constructive criticism without utilizing the information to penalize



87

During the Transformation process, what strategies have been most effective in improving schoolclimate and culture?

teachers and/or staff.2. Bringing guest speakers, programs and performers into the school to enrich and expose students to

different culture. As for the improvement of climate & culture into the school I have not seen aneffective strategy.

3. Home school liaisons.4. Improved communications.5. Increased communication between leadership and teachers via teacher leadership teams, student

leadership teams, and shared walkthroughs with leadership/teachers/parents have all contributed toan improvement in the climate and culture of the building. We’re working toward defining our PLC.

6. Josh and Troy as leaders!7. Soliciting Teacher Input.8. There has been NO Improvement at all in school climate and culture; in fact it is much worse than it

used to be 3 years ago. Restorative practices have been a dismal failure. Attendance and tardiness is ahuge issue.

* For the purpose of improved clarity, spelling errors have been corrected without changing the phrase content ormeaning. Capitalization, grammar, and punctuation have been preserved.† Please note that there was one respondent who left blank the question that ask ed about the individual’s role at CFHS;that is, the role of teacher, guidance, administration, or other staff. This respondent was inferred as a teacher since they responded to the two questions addressed to current teachers only. Other staff could include positions in leadership,guidance, school psychology, social work, and the school library.



88

Appendix G:

Areas in Need of Further Improvement




89

In what areas do you believe that CFHS needs further improvement? Please describe.

Teachers (n=45 teachers: 40 responses*,†; 5 blanks)

1. Although we have made progress with math proficiency, I believe we need to continue to makestrides in order to sustain success and get a higher percentage of students meeting proficiency. I alsobelieve the school climate and culture needs further improvement because some expectations are notconsistently upheld for all students and other students in the school see NO CONSEQUENCES for

specific behaviors and students. Thus, discipline should be improved to improve culture and climate within the school.

2. Attendance and behavior. You will see in the data of our SLO's At the start of the year tracking about 109 students but now if they have been absent 18 or more days from class data doesn't countso we can only record about 35 of the 109. Not much is done about attendance. Behavior is also ahuge part. They need a much better plan. We are held accountable for everything they should be as

well.3. Attendance issues.4. Behavior and discipline- there are little or no real consequences of disruptive or disrespectful

behavior.5. Behavior Management, student accountability, communication between administration and teachers.6. CFHS needs to continue to improve instructional practices, graduation rate, and daily and class

attendance. Most of all, the school climate and culture needs to improve, specifically from ourstudents.7. Clarity of vision, transparency and student accountability.8. Climate and culture. In my opinion, some of the students and staff do not take pride in their school.9. Climate and culture. We talk about high expectations, but do not follow through in the behavior

realm. There has been improvement, but there is still far too much disruption of teaching and classtime by students who have no desire to learn. There is still far too much swearing and disrespect of teachers and each other. Our passing standard at 65 is too low.

10. Climate and discipline and teacher evaluations need to be done by ADMINISTRATORS in building!Get rid of PD Wednesdays! Made PD worthwhile.

11. Coherent, school-wide discipline.12. Communication.13. Control of student behavior and rigor.14. Discipline and Behavior Management.15. Discipline Management. There is no reason why our system should be as flawed as it is. Students

should have to meet with an administrator and not just the restoration team. "Processing" in ISS withthe student is not achieving anything if the same student gets removed from class for the samebehavior more than once. There needs to be clearer consequences for all students for actions THAT

ARE FOLLOWED THROUGH UPON and not just used as idle threats. Also, there are significantholes/flaws in the system if a student can get written up for a tier 3 offense of having a weapon andyet not have it get noticed/flagged/processed until 3 school days later... with paperwork returnedsaying that "processing with student occurred. parent contact made". If this is all that is happening,no wonder why so many students continue to get away with what they do.

16. DISCIPLINE! Consistent policies that are enforced. Enforce suspension. There is a group of 30students that are pulling the rest down. Get rid of them. They make every effort to sabotage the

efforts of the school. Create a program OFF CAMPUS or tell them that they are no longer welcomed here. Attendance - enforce the state laws on attendance. Tell RIDE to get off our backs.Let us gain control of the school before we jump on into their requirements. Alternative programs -not every kid is going to college, but CFHS has eliminated Business classes and technology.

17. Discipline. There is no real discipline in this school. We need a system that enforces detention, inschool suspension, and possibly a suspension. If two kids get into a fight, they should be sent homefor the remainder of the day, not back to class later 10 minutes. The current discipline system is noteffective what so ever because if students go to the In school room, they do not have any structure atall. The kid goes in there, writes a reflection about what they did and then sits there and either talks



90


to their peers, listen to music, cell phones are not restricted and kids are automatically sent back toclass. NO DISCIPLINE and students know that they can get away with a lot.

18. Discipline, Tardiness, Absenteeism.19. Disruptive student behavior in the school. Low teacher morale. Poor support from administration

and poor leadership from Josh Laplante and Victor Capellan. No protocol for discipline. Poor

response time for completing teacher evaluations. Poor training for teacher evaluations system.Low visibility of administration in hallways all year. No active role in discipline. Teachers fear tospeak up during meetings for fear of being targeted and penalized. High teacher turnover, and poorclimate and culture.

20. Family involvement, clubs and after school activities and events mentoring programs set up to assiststudents who need extra support.

21. Holding students more accountable for their behavior as well as academics.22. I believe we have very competent, dedicated teachers. However, we cannot make the progress

needed because of excessive tardiness and absenteeism. The school is too lax about many things....cell phones, tardiness to school, tardiness to class, cutting classes, foul language, etc. Itseems that teachers get "punished" but students do not. A student can miss 56 days of school and belate 24 times and still graduate. No teacher would be able to keep his/her job with an attendance

record like that. But, our students keep getting promoted.23. I feel having curriculum for all students is very important and having better communication. Thecommunication has improved but I still think it needs more work.

24. I think it will be important for teachers to use common instructional language, classroom norms,management systems, behavioral expectations, etc. so that students are held to the same highexpectations wherever they are in the building. I would like to see a more consistent school-wideinstructional approach aimed at NECAP preparation.

25. I think the school needs to strengthen as a whole community with the development of a ProfessionalLearning Community where we can all learn together and from each other. This would allow teachersto lean on each other as we continue forward on this journey at CFHS.

26. I think we need to improve common planning time at the content level. We need teacher leaders tomaximize common planning time. More than just a check in. I think it would be beneficial if thebuilding was set up so that contents were in close proximity t each other (like the STEM Academy).Other contents, like ELA and History are spread across the building. We also need time to planacross content areas.

27. Leadership is a critical area because there are day to day things that impact our ability to positively impact instruction. Discipline continues to be a problem in this school as it has been for the past 5years. General student behavior has become negative and disrespectful. Students are allowed tocontinue inappropriate classroom behavior at the expense of the learning of others in the class.

28. Management of student behavior. This chronic issue is still not being addressed. Attendance andtardiness is included here. All are major obstacles to improving student achievement.

29. More opportunities to effectively communicate and work with each other. To me the segregationamong mainstream and ESL programs is an area of concern and needs to be addressed.

30. New superintendent, commissioner and admin. Need consequences and consistency for students.31. Open communication and proactive planning. The teachers must feel valued and respected. A simple

'good morning' on a regular basis would be a good start. It would be great to see administration walking around the building and into classrooms regularly.

32. Restorative Practices/Behavior Management, accountability for all, teachers, students, administrators.33. Scheduling student activities such as field trips, assemblies, and internships, so that they do not

interfere with student attendance, particularly in math classes. More technology related PD. Moredata management tools, PD, and assistance to help teachers analyze, collaborate, and make informeddecisions based on students' past performance.

34. School Climate and Culture.35. Stability--turnover of staff, particularly with administrators; technology (although plans to improve



91


will be helpful if implemented; create consequences for student behavior, cutting class, lateness toclass. We have been asked this numerous times and lack of discipline in the building remains aglaring, unattended problem.

36. Students must be instructed how to act in school with appropriate reinforcement and consequencebefore they can even begin to be expected to meet academic standards.

37. Technology.38. The building is falling apart.39. There is no shared vision. There is no consistency in programs, protocols or procedures. Dr. Gallo's

commitment seems to be with the charter schools and not the high school. Josh and Jodi are working tremendously hard to improve the climate but they can't make the necessary steps because of thesuperintendent's office. We hear all the time how well we're doing, but you never hear it from theteachers. Transformation should never have been this difficult and this long. It seems nothing haschanged in the past 3 years; possibly worse.

40. We need a better behavior/discipline system with the students; we also need to continue to aligncurriculum and continue to focus on literacy skills.

Other Staff (n=12 other staff: 8 responses*; 4 blanks)

1. Access to remedial reading and math programs attendance issues behavioral issues.

2. Consistent Clear Communication within departments and through a network connecting all stakeholders. More faculty and staff have to be engaged in the vision, not just the motivated few. Usecommon planning time with a strong consistent purpose.

3. Everything beginning with ending tenure of Dr. Gallo. We are losing students faster as a result of her "leadership" and this will continue as we have more and more cutbacks. Discipline!!! Enoughsaid.

4. I believe that CFHS can start exposing students to career exploration, college access and relating theimportance of NECAP testing in the 9th grade. I find that students make a correlation betweenacademics and their future goals & careers a little o late. Class selection- I feel that students at timesdo not have a say as to what class or academy they would like to take, especially selecting theacademy that interest them. College Access/Technical College- Students need to be exposed todifferent colleges from a 2 year college, vocational school to a 4 year public & private institution. Ibelieve that many of our students are not being exposed to college campuses this can in turn make apositive impact on that student, thus giving them the dive to do well within their academics.Portfolio Support- I believe that many students, especially our senior population will benefittremendously from a class that will provide students with support on how to write their summativereflections, organizing their senior binders, to presenting to an audience. Advisory - I believe thatadvisory is not really utilized properly, well many of the advisory classes are not being used withpurpose.

5. Improvement continues to be needed in the communication area. Staff and teachers should be madeaware of when student have been suspended and or when meetings are being held so thatinformation may be provided by all parties who are or who have been involved with those particularstudents and/or families.

6. Leadership is top down and not collaboration at all. Principals come and go EVERY year. Nostability in administration or the teaching staff. Reduction in staff next year will make it an almost

impossible situation to keep all of the programs that increased graduation rates. Staff turnover isgoing to continue. The district is receiving less money next year, so there will be drastic cuts inSpecial Education services, guidance counselors, Inclusion teachers and reading teachers.

7. None.8. The climate and culture of the building still needs a primary focus while maintaining high

expectations for faculty, staff, and students. There is still a "fear" associated with taking risks andlimits the success of our programs. Behavior management systems need a major revision and focus.

The system needs support through training and consistency.



92

* For the purpose of improved clarity, spelling errors have been corrected without changing the phrase content ormeaning. Capitalization, grammar, and punctuation have been preserved.† Please note that there was one respondent who left blank the question that asked about the individual’s role at CFHS;that is, the role of teacher, guidance, administration, or other staff. This respondent was inferred as a teacher since they responded to the two questions addressed to current teachers only. Other staff could include positions in leadership,guidance, school psychology, social work, and the school library.



93

Appendix H:

Strategies/ Next Steps for Continued Improvement




94

What strategies/ next steps should be implemented to continue the school’s improvement efforts?Please describe.

Teachers (n=45 teachers: 37 responses*,†; 8 blanks)

1. 1-behavioral expectations, 2-academic expectations, 3-goal setting, action planning, accomplishing.2. 1. Continue to improve school culture and climate. 2. Continue to improve Multiple Pathways3. 1. Establish and implement a strong, clear code of conduct with consequences. 2. There are no

consequences for not coming to school, so how effective can our attendance policy be? 3. Site basedmanagement/department chairs to take pressure off of principals. 4. School newsletter, monthly. 5.Our NEASC visit will be in November: use the recommendations from the committee to empowerSchool Improvement team to act on them.

4. 1. Site based management. Time to let teachers have a say in how the school is run. 2. Hold parentsand kids accountable for behavior and academic issues. 3. No tolerance for fighting, drug use/selling, or any behavior that takes away from the educational process. 4. Tell the middle schoolnot, repeat NOT pass students to the high school that fail core courses. This is David Alba's was of cleaning house so he looks good.

5. A NEW DISCIPLINE SYSTEM.6. A pool on the roof? Just a thought...parent involvement...more partnerships with local

industry....CCRI classes not just RIC…vocational planning....get our kids working!

7.

Administration needs to support teachers instead of creating a fearful environment where voices andideas cannot be heard. Administrative policies and procedures for discipline need to be changed. Teachers need to feel like they are being supported by the administration instead of always being blamed for everything. We need a comprehensive overall change in the way discipline is done atCFHS. Poor administrative leadership in the area of student discipline is the biggest priority.

8. Behavior and academic expectations clearly stated with stated consequences that have follow through. Establishment of a special classroom setting for students that constantly disrupt wherethey can learn how to be students and how to function as part o a class. Students often come toschool for the socialization and to be with their friends. They have no interest in learning and just

want to disrupt. This seriously undermines the efforts of those students that want to get aneducation. Consequently, we cover less material and more material in less depth due to the time thatis lost. It is not fair to the students that want to learn, and there are many.

9. Better use of PD time.10. Consequences for poor behavior on behalf of the students.11. Control of student behavior and increased rigor.12. Development of a code of conduct with clearly defined consequences for behavior including

attendance. Continued commitment to common curriculum and assessment school wide.Development of school wide rubrics to be used across disciplines.

13. Discipline continues to be an issue at CFHS. Discipline must be addressed.14. Discipline must be addressed at the beginning of the upcoming school year. Meaningful learning

cannot happen in this current environment.15. Ensure funding for existing programs/initiatives.16. Fix discipline management. Clearer/faster communication between faculty and administration... If a

teacher sends an email about a concern, even if the issue at hand cannot be handled at that moment,at LEAST send an email back saying they received the email and will be in contact soon about the

issue. Otherwise it feels like being ignored. More efficient ways to deal with calendar changes (suchas for NECAP). Once the days of NECAP are known the schedule should also be known and sentout... not the wee of... teachers need to plan accordingly and have difficulty doing so with last minuteupdates like that. Closer monitoring of the connection to/achievement of Standards in thealternative learning programs such as Guide to Success, PM School, Square Mie, and the ELOs.

17. Focus on improving PD, make PD effective holding students accountable to school-wide standardsthat are set.

18. Focus on students rather that harass the teachers.19. Focus PD on strengthening curriculum alignment (interdisciplinary units). Train new & incoming



95


teachers on the transformation, curriculum and portfolio process. Strengthen behavior system.20. I think before leaving Transformation we will need support to transition out, we cannot loose

everything we have implemented because of funding, we will be back were we started three yearsago.

21. I think we need to build on our efforts to improve instruction. Similar to the differentiation PD, weneed to have more conversations around co-teaching and teaching English Language Learners.

22. Implement a code of conduct with consequences.23. Implement a coherent system of discipline so that students feel safe and can focus & concentrate in a

businesslike learning environment.24. Keep moving forward. Always keep planning, reflecting, revising, and improving.25. More access to administration staff especially when they are invited to classroom activities/ lesson

and presentations. Teacher support according to content. It would be useful to bring teachers fromhigh performing districts to assist us by sharing teaching techniques and strategies.

26. More collaboration based on a more integrated data and curriculum sharing digital network.27. More common planning time across the board and better communication.28. More consequences and a step-by-step list of next steps with students who have acted in a way that

is not consistent with the expectations of the school. Continue to provide support in math during school, after school, and during the summer.29. Need consequences and consistency for students. Need a policy that will consistently be

implemented by admin.30. Parental engagement, more communication between elementary school and middle School.31. PD/including teacher in developing a Behavioral Management system that affects change.32. PLC's.33. Reinstate detention, get rid of Julia Steiny and restoration practices.34. See above.35. Strategies to effectively deal with discipline, tardiness, and absenteeism.36. Students need to be held accountable for their actions (both positive and negative) and teachers must

feel validated and supported.37. Teachers need more time to work with colleagues in other departments. We need to know what is

going on elsewhere in the building. We need time to work on curriculum. Re: school climate andculture. The administration needs to create school-wide rule regarding cell phones and electronics inthe classroom. This is taking time away from teaching and learning. They need to create strategiesto improve attendance.

Other Staff (n=12 other staff: 7 responses*; 5 blanks)

1. Hiring more teachers.2. Perhaps scheduling a meeting with all teachers and staff in regards to improving the school.3. Reading and math programs for RTI More Social Workers for counseling and behavioral

interventions and NOT Julia Steiney's ideas that DONT work. Transitional skills program for new enter students that are immigrants and have low skills. More BD classroom that have supports.

4. Restorative Practices need to be redefined to the school and practiced fully. New Teacher forumsneed to continue to develop to support teacher most at need. The evaluation system needs to move

with greater priority and used as the basis for all conversations. PD plans need to include faculty input and facilitation.

5. Terminate Dr. Gallo and begin disciplinary consequences. We also need to have conversations andinput from the faculty of the school about the vision of the school and the direction we are going infor the future.

6. Using data to tell the whole story, using data collection as a tool for improvement in creating tangibleaction steps and open discussion. Use information to support struggling teachers and students.

7. We all need to get past Transformation, and to work together and collaborate instead of this topdown we got you attitude from the leadership team. We will have less staff next year to try and




accomplish the same things. We need to get out of the blame game.* For the purpose of improved clarity, spelling errors have been corrected without changing the phrase content ormeaning. Capitalization, grammar, and punctuation have been preserved.† Please note that there was one respondent who left blank the question that asked about the individual’s role at CFHS;

that is, the role of teacher, guidance, administration, or other staff. This respondent was inferred as a teacher since they responded to the two questions addressed to current teachers only. Other staff could include positions in leadership,guidance, school psychology, social work, and the school library.

final cfhs year 3 report 10-14-2013

Documents