July 2006 

Quality Students/Quality Schools Report

Ending Partner Updates:  Two districts will be leaving the formal QS2 partnership at the conclusion of the 2005-2006 school year.  These districts include:

Yupiit School District – Yupiit has been a QS2 partner district since 2001.  Progress over the five years has been rather mixed, with some good gains in terms of district-wide strategic planning but much more limited impacts on student achievement.  A summary of Yupiit’s QS2 involvement is attached for review.

Pribilof School District – In nearly every respect the QS2 partnership with Pribilof has been outstanding.  Despite logistical issues related to long distances and high costs, the Pribilof staff has been responsive and eager to positively impact students and involve community members and agencies.  An example of their many activities occurred this spring when more than 30 individuals participated in a 2-day update of the district’s strategic plan.  An overview of Pribilof’s QS2 activities is included as an attachment.

Returning Partner Updates: 

Chatham School District – A QS2 partner since 2003, Chatham’s QS2 partnership has been extended an additional year.  This decision was made in an effort to provide Chatham with greater support and guidance to better ensure sustainability.  Due to an initial slow start and a subsequent change in superintendents, overall progress has been limited, although momentum is gaining.  During 2007, efforts will focus on updating the comprehensive strategic plan and assisting the district in assuming greater ownership for ongoing, proactive community engagement.

Dillingham, Southeast Island, and Unalaska School Districts – These districts all started their QS2 partnership in 2005-2006 (Dillingham had previously been placed on inactive status due to major leadership issues) and have gotten off to a positive start.  Dillingham and Southeast Island have newly developed strategic plans that focus heavily on improving student learning and involving their communities in meaningful ways.  In addition, the leadership teams and community engagement specialists are supporting each other well in both communities.  Unalaska, since hiring their community engagement specialist, has also made significant progress.  The number of community engagement activities and the participation from local residents has been remarkable.  Unalaska is planning to update their strategic plan in the early fall of 2006. 

Delta Greely, Sitka, and Yukon Flats – These districts are steadily moving forward as QS2 partners.  Delta/Greely has hired a new superintendent following many exceptional years under the guidance of long-term superintendent Dan Beck.  Delta’s new superintendent, PJ Slack-Ford, is eager to learn more about the QS2 partnership and how she can best lend support to the  initiative.  Sitka has made more limited but obvious progress as the QS2 focus was redirected to individual building level initiatives and away from an overall district-directed approach.  This has slowed progress and increased necessary communication requirements with each site administrator.  AASB is eager to see how this approach works and how best to serve the unique needs of each school site.  Yukon Flats continues to struggle, although recent site visits to two schools by AASB community engagement educators proved positive, especially with the strong on-site advocacy provided by Yukon Flats School District Board President Dorothea Adams.  President Adams was able to rally a significant number of community participants in Arctic Village and Venetie, making those community events successful and worthwhile. 

New QS2 Partners:  AASB is pleased to welcome two new QS2 partner districts – Petersburg and Lower Kuskokwim.  Petersburg is eager to become involved and plans to immediately develop a strategic plan and integrate their Apple 1 to 1 Laptop Initiative into their overall instructional program.  Lower Kuskokwim’s partnership is not fully defined, but at this point AASB and the District are looking at involving 3-5 select village sites rather than the entire school district.  By doing so, resources can be concentrated in a manner that will likely allow for direct, ongoing service to each of the identified sites.  This partnership will serve as a pilot for how AASB can best serve larger rural districts through the QS2 partnership.

Past QS2 Partners:  Alaska Gateway, Ketchikan Gateway Borough, Kodiak Island Borough, and Wrangell School Districts, all of which graduated from QS2 partnership in 2005, have each built on their successes as QS2 districts by continuing activities focused on community engagement, school climate, and academic achievement.  Each of these districts has used funds remaining from their last QS2 year to help with their sustainability efforts, and AASB staff continue to provide assistance as time and funding permit. 

Progress Report – Impact on Student Achievement:  As was reported in the Executive Director’s evaluation packet, QS2 partner school districts are recipients of extensive services and facilitation from AASB staff and as such serve as an appropriate measure of the Association’s influence to positively impact student academic growth.  To highlight our most senior QS2 partners (two of which are concluding their formal QS2 partnership), the table below outlines the percentage of students who achieve academic proficiency at grades 3, 6, 8, and 10 as measured by past benchmark assessments, current standards-based assessments (SBAs), and the High School Graduation Qualifying Exam (HSGQE).  Results from the 2006 assessments are not yet available from the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development (EED). 

2003-2005 State Administered Assessment Results—% Proficient
QS2 Partner Districts:  Chatham, Pribilof, and Yupiit

As always, due to the limited number of students enrolled in some school districts, it is difficult to draw conclusive evidence on student performance from these assessment results alone.  Chatham enrolls 195 students; Pribilof enrolls 127; and Yupiit enrolls 445.  From a state and federal perspective, three of four Chatham School District schools meet Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP), and both Pribilof School District schools meet AYP (St. George and St. Paul), whereas all three Yupiit School District schools fail to meet AYP.  As many of you are aware, EED is lending a helping hand in Yupiit, now in its second year of Level 5 AYP district designation.  Hopefully the targets set by EED and our involvement in the Yupiit School District over the past five years will lead to more promising student performance as reflected by the 2006 assessment results.  English language challenges continue for Yupiit students and will likely continue to impact student performance on these assessments.