This status report provides information on the work that has been accomplished and the progress that has been made during July 2000 regarding the implementation of the Blueprint for Student Success for the 2000-2001 school year.

This report provides information on the following Blueprint components:

• The status of establishing the literacy and student success programs put forth in the Blueprint.
• The enrollment of high school students in college preparatory and intensive support sequences.
• The impacts on electives, GATE, special education, nurse and counseling wellness services, classified support, and special programs.
• The status of magnet programs at each of the eight Focus Schools.
• The status of facility impacts.
• The status of the mathematics core program.

This report is organized to address each of these issues.

Frameworks

Professional development sessions are continuing this summer on Independent Reading, Read Aloud, Word Study, and Shared Reading to assist teachers with implementation of the approaches that make up the San Diego Literacy Framework. This summer, new sessions are being offered on Guided Reading in preparation for the next literacy focus.

Schools are encouraged to send site teams of principals and teachers to attend sessions targeted to their grade level. Teams are expected to share what was learned during the summer with their colleagues at site staff development sessions held during the school year.

The second presentation on the San Diego Mathematics Framework for the Board of Education will take place on August 8th. The presentation will include the framework and a comprehensive mathematics improvement plan for the next three years that shows how the mathematics elements of the Blueprint will be implemented.

EarlyLink

EarlyLink continues to move forward in their collaborative efforts to provide high quality academically rich preschool, comprehensive health and social services, and child care to four year old children on district elementary and child development center campuses. Twenty-two classes of State Preschool will open at twenty elementary school sites in the fall, 2000 with a total of 888 new children and families served. EarlyLink services are being aligned with Head Start, with students who qualify for both programs being recruited into the early childhood centers to maximize the allocation of resources.

Initial recruitment of staff has begun: post and bid for contract teachers closed July 18^th. Principals and Center Administrative staffs are in the process of hiring preschool teachers. Instructional Aide positions are still available.

Training has begun for Neighborhood House Association and District administrative staff in the High/Scope Cognitively Oriented Curriculum. More extensive training for preschool instructional staff will begin August 14^th with follow-up on a monthly basis. The training includes literacy approaches from the San Diego Literacy Framework. Teacher support groups will begin July 17^th.

Enhanced First Grade and Kindergarten

Schools across the district have ordered literacy materials for enhanced first grade. The materials will be delivered in August. Teachers for the enhanced kindergarten and first grade classes will be able to attend workshops this summer that incorporate the district literacy framework and the Governor’s literacy initiative described below. Teachers will choose from three sessions:

Enhanced Kindergarten: July 10-12, July 17-19, July 24-26, August 7-9, and August 14-16.

Enhanced Biliteracy Kindergarten: July 11-13, and August 16-18.

Enhanced First Grade: June 19-21, July 26-27, and August 14-15.

Enhanced Biliteracy First Grade: July 18-20 and August 22-24.

The Governor’s literacy initiative has funded a collaborative training program in which the University of California at San Diego will work with the district to provide professional development for teachers of reading using the Open Court curriculum. The Open Court curriculum supports the reading development strategy of Word Study from the San Diego Literacy Framework. Student proficiency in phonemic awareness and phonics will be measured using the assessments embedded in the Open Court materials. While students are acquiring basic phonics through the Open Court activities, teachers also will conduct lessons that focus on print/sound correspondence using phonetically decodable text.

The K-1 teachers who participate in the state-funded professional development will receive:

• Open Court Phonics and Phonemic Awareness kits
• Class sets of six each of the decodable texts
• Copies of the decodable texts to send home
• Phonics workbooks

The summer workshops on Open Court will include all kindergarten and first grade teachers, peer coach/staff developers and the district staff supervising the reading program. The instructional staff of these workshops will be recruited and organized by Open Court led by Marsha Roit. In addition to the programs for teachers there will be workshops for principals provided by Open Court recruited persons. The dates of the Open Court workshops are:

Kindergarten: July 24-26, July 27-31, August 7-9, and August 14-16.

First Grade: July 24-26, July 27-31, August 8-10, and August 14-16.

There will be an academic year follow up program of Open Court workshops for peer coach/staff developers every other month. The tentative dates are October 11 & 12, December 6 & 7, February 7 & 8, and May 2& 3.

UCSD and district staff will participate with other projects funded by the Governor’s initiative for reading at one to four joint meetings called by the University of California Office of the President to discuss progress and problems, evaluation and research issues, and problem solving.

Genre Studies

The materials for the Genre Studies courses will be selected at each site from a recommended list prepared by the literacy department. Sites are being instructed to use their procurement cards so that materials can be obtained in time for use at the beginning of the school year.

Professional development sessions are being conducted during July and August for teachers of the three-period Genre Studies course to be offered for significantly low performing ninth graders. The course will focus on the implementation of a reader’s and writer’s workshop model of instruction to enhance literacy skills in a three period format. Participants will become knowledgeable about how the literacy approaches and standards work together to accelerate reading and writing performance. Planning for the best use of the three-period block and long range genre strategies will be a focus. The sessions are being held July 10-12 and August 7-9.

Follow up sessions will be held during the academic year complemented by ongoing professional learning opportunities for intervisitation, curriculum and lesson planning, and reviewing student work.

Teachers of the two-period Genre Studies course in ninth grade have the opportunity to participate in the following professional development sessions:

Introduction to Genre Studies—July 10-12, July 24-26, July 31-August 2, August 14-16.

Genre Studies II (for experienced Genre Studies teachers to extend their expertise)—July 13-14, July 27-28, August 3-4, August 10-11.

Planning a Genre Study Unit (instructional approaches for read aloud, shared, and independent reading in a workshop setting)—July 18, July 20.

Teachers of the Genre Studies course in the middle grades have the opportunity to participate in the following professional development sessions:

Introduction to Genre Studies—July 10-12, July 24-26, July 31-August 2, August 7-9.

Genre Studies II (for experienced Genre Studies teachers to extend their expertise)—July 13-14, July 27-28, August 3-4.

Mathematics Specialists at Focus Schools

The implementation of the Elementary Mathematics Specialist Program for Grades 4-6 is underway following agreements between the San Diego Education Association, the district, and San Diego State University. The implementation steps are provided below:

• Focus Schools were given a presentation on the plan by district and union representatives and had an opportunity to vote on whether or not to accept the resources and requirements of participation in the Mathematics Specialists program. The secret vote required both a majority of all staff and those teachers who are directly affected—the Grade 4, 5, and 6 teachers. All Focus Schools voted to participate: Baker, Balboa, Chavez, Emerson/Bandini, Jackson, Kimbrough, King, and Sherman.
• In order to participate, Focus Schools had to carry out the voting process described above; develop a schedule for the school day for Grades 4, 5, and 6, including the three hour block for literacy and 90 minutes for mathematics for each affected class; and develop a general written description for the use of "professional time" that teachers will have during the math lessons.
• It is anticipated that the post and bid will occur August 1-11; selection between August 14-25; and training between August 28-September 8.
• Selection of the Mathematics Specialists is following the regular contractual procedures as stated in the shared decision-making agreement and the collective negotiations contract. Qualifications will be based on certification, experience, and an effective rating on the candidate’s most recent performance evaluation.
• The Mathematics Specialists are being filled as regular teacher positions with 187+24 days. The Mathematics Specialists will be expected to teach during intersessions and summer as well as during the regular school year, so students at Focus Schools have continuity in their instructional program.
• The anticipated design at Focus Schools will be for Mathematics Specialists to teach three 90-minute mathematics classes per day with one 90-minute period for professional development and collegial planning on four days and their regular contracted one hour of preparation time on one day each week. They will have 35 minutes each day for moving from class to class. They will have standard duty assignments.
• A waiver will be sought from the state to allow Mathematics Specialists to teach only mathematics for one year until they have taken the prescribed course of study at San Diego State University.
• The curriculum materials to be used will be Everyday Mathematics selected because the grade level materials are part of an exemplary, articulated K-6 program, and they offer learning experiences that address all the content standards at the appropriate grade levels. The materials are on the most recent state adoption list and have been proven effective at raising the achievement of urban students.

Peer Coach/Staff Developers

Peer Coach/Staff Developers for literacy are currently being selected for the 2000-2001 school year. Thirty-five aspiring Peer Coach/Staff Developers participated in certification at SDSU this summer, and thirty completed all the requirements for certification. Other teachers hired to be Peer Coach/ Staff Developers will be apprentices who will have the opportunity to be certified this fall. The certification process is an intensive program that requires prospective Peer Coach/Staff Developers to participate in an interview, participate in a classroom instructional visit, make a presentation, and demonstrate coaching. Peer Coach/Staff Developers will participate in two weeks of initial professional development beginning August 7^th.

New Teacher Orientation

Professional development for an estimated 800 new teachers is scheduled for the week of August 21. Letters of welcome and registration materials for the orientations are mailed to teachers throughout the summer as they sign contracts with the district. Experienced teachers and peer coach/staff developers will lead sessions designed to enhance the knowledge and skill of teachers new to the profession as well as those transferring from other districts. Emphasis will be placed on planning for the first days and weeks of school; becoming familiar with district curriculum and standards; classroom management, organization and discipline; and strategies that support the literacy framework.

Summer School

Placement decisions for students who participated in summer school classes in mathematics will be communicated to receiving schools in August.

Students participating in summer school classes in literacy (Grades 5/6 and 8) who showed improvement over the summer were administered the ARI (Analytical Reading Inventory) during the last week of the summer session. Students exiting Grade 9 (students entering Grade 10 in September 2000) were assessed using an alternate form of the Stanford Diagnostic Reading Test (SDRT) at the end of summer school. Students who still are performing below or significantly below grade level will be placed in Genre Studies classes in the fall.

Follow-up professional development sessions for summer school literacy teachers are being provided in the afternoon. In the elementary grades, two-hour sessions were conducted centrally twice a week focusing on assessment and Guided Reading. In the middle grades, five four-hour sessions were offered centrally during the afternoons of summer school, and an additional 12 hours of site-based professional development was led by principals. Secondary Principal in Residence Mary Gilliland conducted professional development with middle and senior high principals in the morning during July—visiting their schools, participating in walk-throughs, and reviewing implementation plans. Middle school vice principals have been participating in the walk-throughs with their principals.

Extended Day Learning Opportunities

Details for operation of the fall 2000 after school reading programs, including teacher selection, attendance policies, snack, transportation, and communications with principals, are being developed by the appropriate departments.

Summer school "6 to 6" programs are being offered at 20 elementary school sites and nine middle schools. Students attending summer school can attend the program at the school where they are attending summer school. VEEP and Magnet students who are taking the bus from a site where a summer "6 to 6" program is being offered also are eligible to attend at that site. There are 834 elementary students and 173 middle school students attending the summer "6 to 6" programs.

During the 2000-2001 school year, the "6 to 6" extended day programs will be offered at 146 schools, including 74 additional elementary schools and eight additional middle schools. Content of the "6 to 6" program includes an academic component for the first 90 minutes after school followed by recreational activities each day until 6 p.m.

Leadership Development

Invitations were sent to all certificated nonmanagement staff to invite them to apply for intern positions in the Aspiring Educational Leaders Program. The program will select ten expert teachers to become administrative interns. The interns will be selected from written applications that were due July 31^st. Candidates may also be required to participate in an interview, and they will participate in a classroom instructional visit. The selected interns will be released from their classrooms for one year and assigned to work with an exemplary principal. Interns also will earn the first tier of their administrative credential by successfully completing specialized classes developed and provided by USD, UCSD, SDSU, Point Loma Nazarene College, the San Diego County Office of Education and the school district.

The internship program will focus on developing the capacity of school leaders to develop and implement a comprehensive school program that ensures continuous academic progress and achievement of standards by all students. The program is offered through the district’s new Educational Leadership Development Academy located on the campus of the University of San Diego and funded with the assistance of private sector contributions from Bank of America and the Broad Foundation.

1. Student enrollments in college preparatory and intensive support courses.

Projected student enrollment data for 2000-2001, based on spring and summer assessment results, will be presented in the August status report.

2. Impact of Blueprint implementation on elective, GATE, special education courses; nurse, counseling, and wellness services; classified support; special programs.

Classified Support

There were 1,081 letters mailed to classified paraprofessionals who were displaced by the redirection of funding for implementation of the Blueprint. There were 860 paraeducator positions that were approved to be reduced (248) or eliminated (612). Sixty-two of those positions were vacant, which reduces the number of impacted individuals to 798. Of the total, 118 individuals have taken positions that give them increased hours (more than four hours per day) and therefore entitle them to district benefits. Another 168 individuals took reductions in hours or months so they could stay at their sites. Sixty-eight individuals had their hours reduced below four hours per day, which removed them from receiving benefits. Fifty-nine individuals retired or resigned.

There are still 213 paraeducators who have been offered monthly positions in Special Education or Child Development Centers, but they have chosen to stay on the reemployment list in the hope that other positions will become available once fall enrollments and budgets are finalized. Paraeducators are offered any positions that become open in their classification in order of seniority. The personnel office has assigned four full time employees to work with the remaining paraeducators to recruit them into open positions. There are 286 vacant positions in Special Education and 195 vacant positions at the Child Development Centers.

There were 55 secretarial (OTBS) positions that were approved to be reduced (19) or eliminated (36). Nine of those positions were vacant leaving 46 individuals impacted. Five of the 46 received increases in their number of hours or months, 16 accepted reduced hours so they could stay at their sites, one person had hours reduced below the level that receives benefits, and one person resigned. Seven individuals are on the reemployment list because they had no bumping rights or they did not wish to take positions or reductions that may have been offered to them.

Two other unique positions in the OSS category were eliminated. One person accepted reduced hours (roofer), and one person is on the reemployment list (a bus driver hired by the school to drive their own bus).

3. Status of programs at Focus Schools.

Enrollment in the magnet programs at the Focus Schools will be provided in the September status report.

Focus School principals have met to work out the details of the calendar that will include 24 extra days. The extra days will include four hours of student instruction in the morning and two hours and thirty-five minutes in the afternoon.

Seven of the eight Focus Schools (Baker, Balboa, Chavez, Emerson/Bandini, King, Kimbrough, and Sherman) will open this fall with either new or existing EarlyLink classes. Comprehensive early intervention health, social services, and evening childcare will be provided to participating children and families at Focus Schools. A phase-in period for more extensive family caseworker services will begin, as Head Start funding becomes available.

The Parent Involvement Department and Institute for Learning representatives met with the Focus School principals on July 10 to discuss the implementation of the Parent Activity Liaisons (PALs). The scope and classification of the position was discussed with the schools and the school board. The PALs positions will be certificated. Positions will be filled by site teachers identified by principals or will be posted. PALs will concentrate on making outreach efforts to parents to help them help their children achieve at high levels. They will also provide training and resources to help teachers form partnerships with parents to support student learning.

In a related action the Parent-Teacher Collaborative report to the school board was approved
on July 11. The report recommended the alignment of school site Parent Involvement Matching Grants with the implementation of the Blueprint and proposed the creation of a Parent University to begin in the fall. Parent University offerings will be funded with a combination of district funds and funds from community partners and will provide high quality classes and seminars to strengthen parenting skills, boost student achievement, and improve parent-child relationships.

4. Status of facilities impacts.

There is nothing additional to report for July.

5. Mathematics core program.

Student Placement

It is estimated that 49% of students entering middle/junior high school are currently below grade level in mathematics (based on SAT 9 Total Mathematics scores below the 50^th percentile). Approximately 70% of entering ninth grade students have been identified as below grade level based on their end-of-year scores on the MDTP Geometry Readiness Test, course grades in Algebra, and completion of Algebra coursework. These students will be assigned to the Mathematics Explorations course in sixth or seventh grade and the Algebra Explorations course in ninth grade for the 2000-2001 school year. Pre-enrollment figures, based on spring and summer assessment results, will be provided in the August 31^st status report.

While these numbers may seem high at the ninth-grade level, it must be remembered that last year was the first year in which the majority of students were placed in Algebra 1 coursework. Because the district mathematics program (curriculum materials and professional development) did not adequately prepare students for the challenge of Grade 8 Algebra, significant numbers of students require additional time and support. This is particularly important because this year's Grade 9 students constitute the first graduating class required to pass the High School Exit Examination (HSEE) in order to earn a diploma from any California high school. The mathematics tested on the HSEE includes Algebra, making the Algebra Explorations 9th coursework essential to our students' success.

Professional Development

Follow-up sessions for teachers of mathematics who participated in the May 20^th summer school preparation session are being held two afternoons per week during summer school. The sessions are being conducted centrally by teacher leaders, the Director of Mathematics, and the mathematics department Program Specialists. Numbers of participants in the summer school professional development will be provided in the August report.

Teachers are being introduced to the San Diego Mathematics Framework this summer at professional development institutes for Grades 3 to 8 and Grades 9 to 12. Teachers are attending the institutes on a voluntary basis where they are learning the concepts that underlie the Mathematics Framework’s content and processes. Teachers are working with exemplary curriculum materials and practicing new instructional approaches aligned with the framework.

Appendix: Updated Blueprint Implementation Plan (Table of Tasks)