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

Background

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.

Status Report

1. Literacy and mathematics student success programs.

Frameworks

The District Mathematics Council met on October 20 to react to and advise the mathematics department on the Mathematics Framework and Comprehensive Improvement Plan for the 2000-2001 school year. The District Mathematics Council is made up of teachers and principals as well as representatives of the mathematics education community in higher education, the county, and the private sector.

EarlyLink

On September 26, the Board of Education approved the collaboration between the district and Neighborhood House Association (NHA) to provide healthy child development and school readiness for all four-year-old children entering the district within the next five years. The Memorandum of Understanding between the district and NHA significantly underscores the importance of high quality preschool programs to the improvement of academic achievement in K-12.

To outline the five-year strategic plan for early childhood education, Superintendent Alan Bersin and Dr. Howard Carey held a press conference at Emerson/Bandini Elementary School on October 11. Parents, staff and the community were informed of the program that will begin in November at the Focus Schools and continue throughout the year at 20 elementary and 26 child development center sites. Children and families will be part of a model program that provides for academic readiness, comprehensive health and social services, and extended hours child care. The San Diego Urban League, San Diego READS/Even Start, and the Family Literacy Foundation have joined the collaborative and will provide services to children and families, as well as books and tutors for preschool classrooms.

The Design Team met to determine Phase II implementation of the strategic plan. Funding sources for expansion as well as future sites are being determined for recommendation. Cross site and cross-agency coordination of literacy and school readiness professional and staff development is taking place as well as a alignment of curriculum, assessments and evaluation with the new the Federal Head Start Performance Standards, the State's new Prekindergarten Guidelines, and the Child Development Division's Desired Results.

Openings still exist for instructors in many of the EarlyLink classes. Information can be obtained through the Child Development Programs Office or Neighborhood House Association/Head Start.

Enhanced First Grade and Kindergarten

Meetings were held with all Kindergarten teachers during the first week of October (October 2, 3, and 5) to discuss implementation of the enhanced Kindergarten program. The meetings provided an opportunity for teachers to describe their experiences so far this year. A written response is being prepared to address the issues and concerns generated by the teachers at the meetings. Also at the meeting it was announced that although the enhanced Kindergarten program initially did not have district funding for additional high quality materials, each Kindergarten classroom now will receive $1500 in materials.

Mathematics Specialists at Focus Schools

Elementary Mathematics Specialists from Focus Schools met for the first of six professional development days on October 27. The content focus was on the implementation of the new curriculum materials, Everyday Math.

Elementary Mathematics Specialists are receiving ongoing support for their work from San Diego City Schools Teachers in Residence who are on loan to the Professional Development Institute at San Diego State University. The Professional Development Institute (PDI) is being funded at the level of $1 million per year for three years by a grant from Dr. Irwin Jacobs, CEO of Qualcomm, Inc. through the Foundation for the Improvement of Mathematics and Science Education. The mission of the PDI is to provide high quality professional development and support in mathematics and science content and pedagogy to San Diego City Schools teachers.

Peer Coach/Staff Developers

The contract with San Diego State University was approved by the Board of Education to provide certification of Peer Coach/Staff Developers. A representative of SDSU has scheduled meetings with the current Peer Coach/Staff Developer apprentices on November 1, 16 and 17 to discuss the certification process.

Extended Learning Opportunities

Grade 3, 6/7, And 8 Extended Day Reading Program

The Extended Day Reading Program (EDRP) began in October for low performing students in Grade 3, Grades 6/7(middle level entry grade), and Grade 8 funded through the Blueprint. Beginning January 8, 2001, a modified Extended Day Reading Program model funded entirely by state hourly monies will be offered to school sites to cover the remaining grade levels two through nine. This model is predicated on the sites maintaining the minimum attendance numbers. School sites can chose to use site-controlled dollars to supplement this basic Extended Day Reading Program to bring it up to the level recommended in the Blueprint model. For example, site funds could be used to lower class size, purchase additional materials, and offer additional classes at the middle and senior high levels for significantly below and below grade level students.

Intersession

A total of 48 elementary and middle schools will be open for the 2001 intersession. The majority of school sites will be moving from an intersession schedule of 4 hours, 20 minutes a day to 5 hours, 20 minutes a day and will hold intersession during a five-week period instead of six-week period. Intersession will take place during the first two weeks of January (January 2-12, 2001) and the first three weeks of spring break (March 26-April 12, 2001). It is expected that the 20-minute lunch period will take place after the morning three-hour literacy block each day. The chart below shows the listing of planned intersession sites for the 2001 intersession schedule described above.

Table 1. Elementary schools scheduled to offer intersession programs in 2001.

Table 2. Middle schools scheduled to offer intersession programs in 2001.

There are five elementary schools that will have different schedules. These are shown in the chart below.

Table 3. Elementary schools with alternative intersession schedules for 2001.

Leadership Development

The Leadership Academy Director, Elaine Fink, has been hired and has begun conducting training for the improvement of instructional leadership with Instructional Leaders and administrative interns. The Instructional Leaders began training the principals in the use of videotape to analyze and improve leadership at the principals’ conference on October 26.

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

Students below and significantly below grade level based on district assessments should be enrolled in the courses listed in Table 4. All literacy block courses are two periods and literacy core courses are three periods; classes at the entry grade level have reduced class size (20:1). Most mathematics courses are one period with reduced class size. A two-period Mathematics Exploration 6^th Block is being piloted at Mann, Montgomery, and Wilson; and a two-period Algebra Exploration 9^th Block is being piloted at Crawford and Mission Bay.

Table 4. Secondary college preparatory/intensive support courses.

Tables 5, 6, and 7 report the districtwide numbers and percentages of students enrolled as of October 20, 2000 in secondary college preparatory/intensive support courses in literacy and mathematics. Results are reported for all students, and disaggregated by race/ethnicity, gender, language proficiency, socioeconomic status, special education, and GATE. The percentage of enrollment is calculated by dividing the number of students enrolled in the support courses by the total number of students in the designated grade level at the schools offering the courses. Some students are not included in these numbers because they are enrolled at schools that are not using the district master scheduling system; they are enrolled under the wrong course numbers; they attend charter or pilot schools that are not implementing Blueprint strategies; they have incorrect grade levels posted on the student information system; or they are special education/special day class students enrolled in 7000 series courses.

Table 5. Number and percentage of sixth, seventh, and eighth students enrolled in intensive literacy courses (including regular English, ELD, and ESL versions).