Tag: Achievement

Many public school diversity efforts rely on reassigning students from one school to another. While opponents of such efforts articulate concerns about the consequences of reassignments for students’ educational experiences, little evidence exists regarding these effects, particularly in contemporary policy contexts. Using an event study design, we leverage data from an innovative socioeconomic school desegregation plan to estimate the effects of reassignment on reassigned students’ achievement, attendance, and exposure to exclusionary discipline. Between 2000 and 2010, North Carolina's Wake County Public School System (WCPSS) reassigned approximately 25 percent of students with the goal of creating socioeconomically diverse schools. Although WCPSS's controlled school choice policy provided opportunities for reassigned students to opt out of their newly reassigned schools, our analysis indicates that reassigned students typically attended their newly reassigned schools. We find that reassignment modestly boosts reassigned students’ math achievement, reduces reassigned students’ rate of suspension, and has no offsetting negative consequences on other outcomes. Exploratory analyses suggest that the effects of reassignment do not meaningfully vary by student characteristics or school choice decisions. The results suggest that carefully designed school assignment policies can improve school diversity without imposing academic or disciplinary costs on reassigned students.

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Career academies serve an increasingly wide range of students. This paper examines the contemporary profile of students entering career academies in a large, diverse school district and estimates causal effects of participation in one of the district’s well-regarded academies on a range of high school and college outcomes. Exploiting the lottery-based admissions process of this technology-focused academy, we find that academy enrollment increases the likelihood of high school graduation by about 8 percentage points and boosts rates of college enrollment for males but not females. Analysis of intermediate outcomes suggests that effects on attendance and industry-relevant certification at least partially mediate the overall high school graduation effect.

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In 2013-14, students in WCPSS continued to score 60-70 points higher on the SAT compared to students in NC and across the nation. All major WCPSS ethnic groups also continued to score significantly higher than their peers. Fifty-four percent of WCPSS students met the College Board's College and Career Readiness Benchmark. North Carolina had 41% of its students meeting the benchmark, while the nation had 43%. Continued improvements on college entrance exams are likely to be driven by student exposure to rigorous curriculum and high-level coursework. Schools are encouraged to find ways to prepare all students to engage in rigorous experiences in high school.

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In 2012-13, students in WCPSS continued to score 50-60 points higher on the SAT compared to students in NC and across the nation. Most major WCPSS ethnic groups also continued to score significantly higher than their peers. Trends in performance on college entrance exams such as the SAT represent important metrics for monitoring how well the system is preparing all students for post- secondary success.

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Students in Wake County Public Schools (WCPSS) continue to score well on AP exams with an increased percentage of students enrolling in the courses. As in past years, in 2013 the district had higher average AP exam scores compared to the state and the nation. WCPSS had 76.6% of scores 3 or higher in 2013 (qualified and above). Again in both 2012 and 2013, a high number of students took exams in Environmental Science, English Language & Composition, Psychology, and Statistics. Schools can use these data to benchmark themselves against their own past performance as well as their peers across the district. Encouraging more students to participate in AP classes and take the exams, in addition to other high-level coursework, should help WCPSS graduates be college and career-ready.

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WCPSS students continue to fare well on the SAT test compared to students in the state and nation. While there was a slight decline in the overall average score in 2012 compared to the previous year, the scores continue a trend of measurable improvement over time. In addition, most major ethnic groups continue to have average scores significantly higher than comparable groups in the state and nation. In 19 of the last 21 years, the WCPSS participation rate has remained above 70%, suggesting that a large majority of WCPSS seniors are intending to continue their education by going to college. In the same 21-year time frame, participation rates for the state have mostly been in the 60% range, while national rates have been in the high 40s.

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Student Achievement in WCPSS, 2011-

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Student Achievement in WCPSS, 2009-2010

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A Digest of UNC System Reports on Freshman Performance: 2006-07

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In 2007-08, the WCPSS teacher absence rate was 10.3 days, slightly higher than a national rate of 9.5 days in 2004-05 but lower than the 11.3 to 14.6 days reported in large school districts more recently. In comparison with other studies, WCPSS teachers averaged smaller proportions of personal and sick leave days, slightly more annual leave days, and a higher proportion of administrative leave days. Teacher absences varied by years of experience and by schools' grade span and proportion of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch. Overall, there is some evidence, low but significant, of a negative relationship between teacher absences and mathematics achievement in two of six grades, but not in reading or six high school courses. These and other findings, including screening and costs of substitute teachers, are detailed in this report.

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Test Scores and the Standard Error of Measurement

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Analysis of 2008-09 WCPSS SAT Scores

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Student Support Teams (SST) are designed to strengthen and support students who are experiencing academic, behavioral, family, and/or emotional difficulties that interfere with learning. SSTs develop and implement action plans using classroom-, school-, family-, and/or community-based strategies. In 2003-04, 80% of the 4,944 students served by SSTs were elementary students. Over half of the students referred for academic reasons scored on grade level before SST participation. Earlier SST meetings and family-based strategies were correlated with positive academic outcomes. Classroom-based strategies were correlated with fewer suspensions. Schools varied in their success in improving SST students' achievement. SST participants' growth in achievement was generally smaller than a matched comparison group over one year, but students could have differed in ways related to referral reasons. SST students closed the gap between their achievement and that of the district overall in some elementary grades but not at the secondary level.

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This evaluation provides an overview of demographic characteristics and student achievement outcomes among Wake County Public School System elementary schools, when these schools are categorized as schools of choice (program magnets and calendar magnets) or traditional schools (non-magnets). Data were drawn from school-level outcomes reported in the 2000-2001 Wake County School Profiles. Central to the study is the conclusion that there are no significant differences in schools' ABCs Performance Composites when they are statistically adjusted to equalize differences in race and socioeconomic status. Through the WCPSS Magnet Program, families can take advantage of opportunities for school choice without sacrificing the level of academic performance their students can expect to achieve. The school system also benefits because magnet schools promote diversity and help to optimize the use of facilities throughout the system.

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