D

is for
Demographics
 We already know that the
DoE is targeting schools
with the
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3.5
Columbus
3
2.77 Closing schools
2.67
2.53
2.5 2.38
Same/Lower
grades/Not Closing

2 Citywide
Incoming (Grade 8) Scores
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Special Education services.
30

26
25
Columbus

20
Closing HS
18.2

15 15 Same/lower Acct
13.6 grades and not
closing
Citywide not
10 closing

5
Percent Special Ed
 But did the Progress Reports
at least give us a fair shot?

Did they truly reflect the quality of the education

± or just the challenges of the kids?

:KRJRWWKH$¶V"
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(the schools against which we were graded)
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with fewer struggles. Fewer!
 Follow  Along

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 ³6SHFLDO(GXFDWLRQ´
students are broken into
two broad groups :

high need

low need
 H igh Need
Self-Contained Students
have more intensive needs and
require significantly more
resources including very small
classes and significant social,
academic, and emotional support
 High  Need  Kids  are  Great  Kids

Like all good schools

we give all our students the But kids are not
extra help they need statistics.
to become successful T hese students
as adults make slower
progress than
students with
fewer needs.
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lower % of Special Education
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30
Percent Sp Ed

20

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 But,  more  important³$´VFKRROV
have  a  smaller  %  of  high  needs
students  within  that  Sp  Ed  population
60
% High Needs

40

20 44
Higher Need
18
0
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Much smaller, in fact!

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D
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% of Sp Ed that is "high need"
4    had  virtually  NO  high  need  kids  
50
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40 for schools
without high
30
need special
20 education

10

0
A schools
 But  if  lots  of  your    
Sp  Ed  students  arrived  with  high  needs?

% of Sp Ed that is "high need"

RIWKH'¶V 60

were high-need 50
schools 40

30

20

10

0
A schools
D Schools
The  Progress  Reports  seem  to  
measure  the  challenges  of  the  
kids,  and  not  the  
quality  of  the  school.  
In  our  peer  group  they  were  
stacked  against  schools    
with  lots  of  high-­need  kids
 And What
About Columbus?
Columbus  educates  a  high  percentage  of  
Special  Education  kids        
20
Percent Sp Ed

10 23 26
16.7

0
s

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ol

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And Columbus educates more
high-need kids than any other
school in the district
% Sp Ed that is High-Need

60

40
55
20 44 Higher Need
18
0
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 So Columbus
Gets a D«
«IRUDemographics
 Meanwhile
what plan does DOE
have for
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 DOE says it is making
room for KAPPA and says
KAPPA will provide a
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 KAPPA is so new that
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been graded yet.

What was data-driven

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 M AY B E
,WLVWKH³4XDOLW\´RIWKHVWXGHQW
scores from Middle School:

C
2.5 K

2
Incoming (Grade 8) Scores
 Or maybe it is that there are
YLUWXDOO\QR6SHFLDO(GNLGV«

30
25
20
C
15
K
10
5
0
Percent Special Ed
 «DQG12
high-need kids at all
60
55
50
40
C
30
K
20
10
0
0
% Sp Ed that is High-Need
 KAPPA
is sure to be a
fine
NY School Just like
Columbus
with fine teachers
 But it is not
serving
the kids that
Columbus serves
 Will KAPPA serve
our kids?
All they get, says DOE
Is the
³2SSRUWXQLW\WR$SSO\´
6R/HW¶V6XP7KLV8S
 F irst
the DOE closes schools and herds
all the most vulnerable students
into fewer schools
 Next
it creates a formula that puts
these schools at a disadvantage
 T hen
it blames the school
for the grade and
decides to close it
 A nd F inally
it has
NO PLAN
for the students left behind
Is this any way to
run a
School System?