Standard Activity 3

Standard Activity 3.
15 A&B
Skylar A Tomblin
West Virginia State University
Educ 650- Internship
Student Opportunities and Outcomes
Students’ academic opportunities and achievement, student placement, student discipline
involvement, and afterschool programming were examined through a variety of data sources,
including District-provided data, group interviews with students, and a survey of students.
Overall, these data provided a picture of the ways in which District policies and practices impact
students.
Key Takeaways
● Black students were disproportionately involved in disciplinary actions, even when controlling
for a variety of contributing factors like poverty and academic achievement. Teachers were
generally uncomfortable or unable to discuss why this might be.
● There were significant differences in student achievement based on both family income and
race. Although many educators were comfortable discussing the challenges that poverty may
pose to students, very few were able to identify challenges Black students may face at any level
of family income.
● Black and Hispanic students were underrepresented in advanced course enrollment and
academic proficiency.
● District efforts should continue to target improving low-achieving and low-performing
students through early intervention services with concentrated efforts to meet the needs of Black
students, English Language Learners, and students from low-income backgrounds.
● Only half of teachers believe they are able to influence students’ academic outcomes. Many do
not think that professional development opportunities are relevant to their practice.
Conclusions and Recommendations

The District data clearly show that students of color, English Language Learners, and
students from low-income backgrounds face a broad set of academic and behavioral challenges.
By focusing on early interventions and making them a mainstay in schools, the District will be
better positioned to improve overall achievement, increase the participation of underrepresented
groups in advanced and specialized programs, and reduce special education classifications.
The District has worked to find and implement school-based curricular and instructional
resources to support students who are performing below grade level; in addition, we
recommended that special attention be paid to developing and sustaining effective School-Based
Teams that can recommend early intervention supports for both the academic and behavioral
struggles that students may face. These early interventions can be buttressed by the other
recommended strategies for enhancing the abilities of schools to support all kinds of students.
Recommendation 1. Improve the functionality of early intervention systems for learners who
are struggling both academically and behaviorally.
In supporting School-Based Teams, we recommend that the District provide additional
oversight over each team and added training modules to ensure they are functioning at high-level
fidelity to the District model and not being used as a pass-through to special education
classifications. This may mean asking District-level personnel to oversee School-Based Teams
and ensure that all teachers are trained in the purpose and utilization of the teams.
The use of early interventions like School-Based Teams can reduce the number of students who
are referred to committees for special education and special education placement, and can also
reduce disproportionality in schools. Moreover, teachers in schools where those teachers
perceive there to be well-defined intervention systems were less likely to refer to students who
they perceive as having academic or behavior challenges for additional services.
Early intervention practices not only provide students with additional support to meet their
learning needs, but also can provide teachers with new and better instructional practices to help
meet the needs of struggling learners and can shift teachers’ perceptions of students’ difficulties
from being internal to the students to being related to instructional practices.
Efforts to improve schools’ use of early interventions can be done in conjunction with
fostering professional learning communities. Professional learning communities are ideal spaces
for educators in schools to engage in meaningful and productive work to develop support for
students who are experiencing difficulty in learning and/or with behavioral issues; moreover,
professional learning communities build a culture of collaboration in schools that is results-
oriented.
Recommendation 2. Increased professional development on culturally-responsive education.
In supporting a broader initiative of reducing achievement and outcome gaps, we

recommend that the District recommit professional development efforts around culturally-
responsive education. This training would help build the capacity of educators throughout the
District to engage with and support the culturally and linguistically diverse community that
makes up Lincoln County High School. In implementing this type of professional development,
we have found that schools are most responsive to a tiered model for job-embedded, iterative,
differentiated professional development that is responsive to the unique needs of schools and
staff across the district. This includes monthly district sessions for District and school leaders,
need and interest coupled with school-based support that responds to diverse needs.
Recommendation 3. Develop community schools with wraparound services.
Community schools provide supportive wraparound services that are particularly relevant
to high-needs communities. Interviews with District administrators overseeing afterschool
programs noted that in several high-needs communities in the county, parents sought after school
support from outside providers rather than district after school programs. This, along with
conversations with community members and school leaders suggests that the county has a strong
base of community based programs that can help support educational outcomes. Local schools
should be encouraged to develop formal partnerships with these community-based programs to
support academic outcomes as well as students’ social and emotional well-being, and ultimately
develop community schools. The District can provide increased incentives and support for
community schools communities where students and community members have the greatest
levels of needs.
Recommendation 4. Conduct annual teacher and student surveys.

In order to keep abreast of critical issues, the District should develop and implement
teacher and student surveys. These surveys can help the district keep abreast of critical issues in
schools that impact educational outcomes, such as teachers’ levels of self-efficacy or students’
level of engagement. Additionally, these surveys can be used to monitor and get feedback on
district and school initiatives. Regular tracking of student and teacher opinions on recurring and
new relevant issues within the District will provide both baseline information for decision-
making and test reception to new initiatives within the District. Furthermore, opening regular
lines of communication from school staff, students, and their families to District officials and
regularly incorporating feedback into decision- making processes has potential to increase these
stakeholders’ engagement with the District in a positive way.

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Conclusions and Recommendations

Recommendation 2. Increased professional development on culturally-responsive education.

In supporting a broader initiative of reducing achievement and outcome gaps, we

Recommendation 3. Develop community schools with wraparound services.

Recommendation 4. Conduct annual teacher and student surveys.

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