Surprises in Data Monday, January 13, 2020, 12:47 PM      As I look at the data I have collected over these many months, I have been consistently surprised that our white students show more growth on benchmark assessments and score higher on state assessments than the majority of our African American students. Having taught or served as an administrator in this school for over ten years, I knew the trends, but I had the preconceived notion that we were doing all the right things to close the achievement gap. We have analyzed data, created instructional plans with up-to-date strategies, we have changed the “face” of our school by creating more diversity among faculty members. We have championship sports and academic teams.  We have been recognized as the only middle school to receive an Excellent rating from the State Department of Education in our region for the last two years. Yet, we are not growing our African American students at the same rates as our white students.  This is the thing I would like to change.  I really do believe all students can learn, but it is clear to me that, as stated by Frederick Brown, we are trying to “make sense of these data with the strategies we’ve already tried and not confront the barriers to real progress” (p.2). One of those barriers is the lack of parent participation in our school.  Studies have shown that students do better when their parents are involved.  We must do more to get our parents out for academic reasons and not just football and basketball games. Another issue is that the current way of things, the lack of participation, is the culture of the community.   That has got to be changed if all of our students are ever going to live up to their potential. Citation: Brown, Frederick. Advancing the Standards. The Learning Principal, Fall 2012. Surprises in Data Monday, January 13, 2020, 12:47 PM As I look at the data I have collect ed over these many months, I have been consistently surprised that our white students show more growth on benchmark assessments and score higher on state assessments than the majority of our African American students. Having taught or served as an administ rator in this school for over ten years, I knew the trends, but I had the preconceived notion that we were doing all the right things to close the achievement gap. We have analyzed data, created instructional plans with up - to - date strategies, we have chang ed the “face” of our school by creating more diversity among faculty members. We have championship sports and academic teams. We have been recognized as the only middle school to receive an Excellent rating from the State Department of Education in our re gion for the last two years. Yet, we are not growing our African American students at the same rates as our white students. This is the thing I would like to change. I really do believe all students can learn, but it is clear to me that, as stated by Fre derick Brown, we are tryin.

1. Surprises in Data
Monday, January 13, 2020, 12:47 PM
As I look at the data I have collected over these many
months, I have been consistently surprised that our white
students show more growth on benchmark assessments and
score higher on state assessments than the majority of our
African American students. Having taught or served as an
administrator in this school for over ten years, I knew the
trends, but I had the preconceived notion that we were doing all
the right things to close the achievement gap. We have analyzed
data, created instructional plans with up-to-date strategies, we
have changed the “face” of our school by creating more
diversity among faculty members. We have championship sports
and academic teams. We have been recognized as the only
middle school to receive an Excellent rating from the State
Department of Education in our region for the last two years.
Yet, we are not growing our African American students at the
same rates as our white students. This is the thing I would like
to change. I really do believe all students can learn, but it is
clear to me that, as stated by Frederick Brown, we are trying to
“make sense of these data with the strategies we’ve already
tried and not confront the barriers to real progress” (p.2). One
of those barriers is the lack of parent participation in our
school. Studies have shown that students do better when their
parents are involved. We must do more to get our parents out
for academic reasons and not just football and basketball games.
Another issue is that the current way of things, the lack of
participation, is the culture of the community. That has got to
be changed if all of our students are ever going to live up to
their potential.
Citation: Brown, Frederick. Advancing the Standards. The
Learning Principal, Fall 2012.

2. Surprises in Data
Monday, January 13, 2020, 12:47 PM
As I look at the data I have collect
ed over these many months, I have been
consistently surprised that our white students show more growth
on benchmark
assessments and score higher on state assessments than the
majority of our African
American students. Having taught or served as an administ
rator in this school for over
ten years, I knew the trends, but I had the preconceived notion
that we were doing all
the right things to close the achievement gap. We have analyzed
data, created
instructional plans with up
-
to
-
date strategies, we have chang
ed the “face” of our school
by creating more diversity among faculty members. We have
championship sports and
academic teams.

3. We have been recognized as the only middle school to receive
an
Excellent rating from the State Department of Education in our
re
gion for the last two
years. Yet, we are not growing our African American students at
the same rates as our
white students.
This is the thing I would like to change.
I really do believe all students
can learn, but it is clear to me that, as stated by Fre
derick Brown, we are trying to “make
sense of these data with the strategies we’ve already tried and
not confront the barriers
to real progress” (p.2). One of those barriers is the lack of
parent participation in our
school.
Studies have shown that studen
ts do better when their parents are
involved.
We must do more to get our parents out for academic reasons
and not just
football and basketball games. Another issue is that the current
way of things, the lack
of participation, is the culture of the communi
ty.

4. That has got to be changed if all of our
students are ever going to live up to their potential.
Citation: Brown, Frederick.
Advancing the Standards
. The Learning Principal, Fall 2012.
Surprises in Data
Monday, January 13, 2020, 12:47 PM
As I look at the data I have collected over these many
months, I have been
consistently surprised that our white students show more growth
on benchmark
assessments and score higher on state assessments than the
majority of our African
American students. Having taught or served as an administrator
in this school for over
ten years, I knew the trends, but I had the preconceived notion
that we were doing all
the right things to close the achievement gap. We have analyzed
data, created
instructional plans with up-to-date strategies, we have changed
the “face” of our school
by creating more diversity among faculty members. We have
championship sports and
academic teams. We have been recognized as the only middle
school to receive an
Excellent rating from the State Department of Education in our
region for the last two
years. Yet, we are not growing our African American students at
the same rates as our

5. white students. This is the thing I would like to change. I
really do believe all students
can learn, but it is clear to me that, as stated by Frederick
Brown, we are trying to “make
sense of these data with the strategies we’ve already tried and
not confront the barriers
to real progress” (p.2). One of those barriers is the lack of
parent participation in our
school. Studies have shown that students do better when their
parents are
involved. We must do more to get our parents out for academic
reasons and not just
football and basketball games. Another issue is that the current
way of things, the lack
of participation, is the culture of the community. That has got
to be changed if all of our
students are ever going to live up to their potential.
Citation: Brown, Frederick. Advancing the Standards. The
Learning Principal, Fall 2012.
Surprises in Data
Monday, January 13, 2020, 12:24 PM
In regards to student achievement, I was surprised that we have
been able to meet or get very close to most of goals. Often
times our projected or estimated average measures are
extremely close to our actual measures. As a new school, I
thought there would be a significant drop in averages across all
grades and demographics because we have begun our own
policies and interventions. I thought we would need time to
figure out what works and what does not work. Technically
speaking, our first group of students were not really a true
representation of the teachers at our school. The students were
demonstrating what they learned at previous schools. Therefore,

6. we have limited data to access from our student body.
Over the last two years, the students at risk has not changed
much. Part of this is due to the new students that come into the
school and add to the at risk number. While the students who
are identified as a student at risk, remain at risk until they leave
school. Also, the qualifications for at risk students has changed
in recent years, therefore more students are now identified as at
risk.
One piece of data that surprised me is our SC Ready Math
Scores and SC PASS Science scores. The gap in percentage of
students scoring at the meets or exceeds level in math decreased
by 4%, but in science it increased by 5.5%. Usually Science and
Math are connected and move in similar data patterns. With one
gap getting smaller and the other getting larger, I was surprised
at the movement in data over the last two years.
Surprises in Data
Monday, January 13, 2020, 12:24 PM
In regards to student achievement, I was surprised that we have
been able to meet or
get
very close to most of goals. Often times our projected or
estimated average
measures are extremely
close to our actual measures. As a new school, I thought there
would be a significant drop in averages across all grades and
demographics because
we have be

7. gun our own policies and interventions. I thought we would
need time to
figure out what works and what does not work. Technically
speaking, our first group of
students were not really a true representation of the teachers at
our school. The
students were d
emonstrating what they learned at previous schools. Therefore,
we
have limited data to access from our student body.
Over the last two years, the students at risk has not changed
much. Part of this is due to
the new students that come into the school and a
dd to the at risk number. While the
students who are identified as a student at risk, remain at risk
until they leave school.
Also, the qualifications for at risk students has changed in
recent years, therefore more
students are now identified as at risk.
One piece of data that surprised me is our SC Ready Math
Scores and SC PASS
Science scores. The gap in percentage of students scoring at the
meets or exceeds
level in math decreased by 4%, but in science it increased by
5.5%. Usually Science
and Math are c
onnected and move in similar data patterns. With one gap
getting
smaller and the other getting larger, I was surprised at the
movement in data over the
last two years.

8. Surprises in Data
Monday, January 13, 2020, 12:24 PM
In regards to student achievement, I was surprised that we have
been able to meet or
get very close to most of goals. Often times our projected or
estimated average
measures are extremely close to our actual measures. As a new
school, I thought there
would be a significant drop in averages across all grades and
demographics because
we have begun our own policies and interventions. I thought we
would need time to
figure out what works and what does not work. Technically
speaking, our first group of
students were not really a true representation of the teachers at
our school. The
students were demonstrating what they learned at previous
schools. Therefore, we
have limited data to access from our student body.
Over the last two years, the students at risk has not changed
much. Part of this is due to
the new students that come into the school and add to the at risk
number. While the
students who are identified as a student at risk, remain at risk
until they leave school.
Also, the qualifications for at risk students has changed in
recent years, therefore more
students are now identified as at risk.
One piece of data that surprised me is our SC Ready Math
Scores and SC PASS
Science scores. The gap in percentage of students scoring at the
meets or exceeds
level in math decreased by 4%, but in science it increased by
5.5%. Usually Science

9. and Math are connected and move in similar data patterns. With
one gap getting
smaller and the other getting larger, I was surprised at the
movement in data over the
last two years.
Surprises in Data
Sunday, January 12, 2020, 1:00 PM
As I look at the data that I have collected over the last two
years, there are many things that surprise me and many trends I
have seen year to year. One of the things in the data that
surprises me most is how close my school was year to year in
terms of meeting or exceeding growth or reaching the next letter
on the letter scale. It seems like every year we were just one
point or even half a point away from reaching goals we had set
in order to grow year to year.
At the same time, the data does reflect some of my preconceived
notions when I started the process. I’ve always known that
working with students who are considered “at-risk” or who have
not been successful in the traditional school system can be an
uphill battle because by the time we get them in high school,
they’ve been overlooked or pushed through the system so much
that they are missing so many fundamental skills that makes it
difficult for them to perform on standardized exams.
After analyzing data extensively, there are several things I think
could change. I would like to better prepare and support
teachers to help them make the extra push to reach goals each
year. I also think teacher turnover and having a transient student
body also has an effect on data and I want to find a way to
retain teachers and not have as fluid of a student body. I think

10. that both of these changes would help continue to grow our
students each year.
Surprises in Data
S
unday, January 12, 2020, 1:00 PM
As I look at the data that I have collected over the last two
years, there are many things
that surprise me and many trends I have seen year to year. One
of the things in the
data that surprises me most is how close
my school was year to year in terms of
meeting or exceeding growth or reaching the next letter on the
letter scale. It seems like
every year we were just one point or even half a point away
from reaching goals we had
set in order to grow year to year.
At
the same time, the data does reflect some of my preconceived
notions when I started
the process. I’ve always known that working with students who
are considered “at
-
risk”
or who have not been successful in the traditional school system
can be an uphill ba

11. ttle
because by the time we get them in high school, they’ve been
overlooked or pushed
through the system so much that they are missing so many
fundamental skills that
makes it difficult for them to perform on standardized exams.
After analyzing data ext
ensively, there are several things I think could change. I would
like to better prepare and support teachers to help them make
the extra push to reach
goals each year. I also think teacher turnover and having a
transient student body also
has an effect on
data and I want to find a way to retain teachers and not have as
fluid of
a student body. I think that both of these changes would help
continue to grow our
students each year.
Surprises in Data
Sunday, January 12, 2020, 1:00 PM
As I look at the data that I have collected over the last two
years, there are many things
that surprise me and many trends I have seen year to year. One
of the things in the
data that surprises me most is how close my school was year to
year in terms of
meeting or exceeding growth or reaching the next letter on the
letter scale. It seems like
every year we were just one point or even half a point away

12. from reaching goals we had
set in order to grow year to year.
At the same time, the data does reflect some of my preconceived
notions when I started
the process. I’ve always known that working with students who
are considered “at-risk”
or who have not been successful in the traditional school system
can be an uphill battle
because by the time we get them in high school, they’ve been
overlooked or pushed
through the system so much that they are missing so many
fundamental skills that
makes it difficult for them to perform on standardized exams.
After analyzing data extensively, there are several things I think
could change. I would
like to better prepare and support teachers to help them make
the extra push to reach
goals each year. I also think teacher turnover and having a
transient student body also
has an effect on data and I want to find a way to retain teachers
and not have as fluid of
a student body. I think that both of these changes would help
continue to grow our
students each year.