The document summarizes the review of the first year of the STAAR Pilot Project. It provides preliminary results from various school districts that show academic improvements in reading and math for students participating in the program. It also discusses common barriers faced and best practices identified, such as alignment to student needs, low student-teacher ratios, and intentional recruitment. The review of NYOS Charter School highlights their approach of using cognitively guided instruction and software programs. An enrichment activity on career readiness is described that integrates math skills into hands-on projects related to different careers.

1. STAAR Pilot Project
Review of Year 1
Kathleen Bethke
ACE Training Consultant
STAAR Lead

2. ObjecCves
• Review criteria/requirements of SPP
• A look at preliminary Year 1 results
• Review of how findings will impact the future
of ACE
• A look at NYOS

3. Celebrate
• Total SPP Students
• Total New Students
• Preliminary Results

4. SPP Requirements
• Data‐Driven Design
• IntenConal Recruitment
• Targeted ScienCfically‐Based IntervenCon
• Targeted, IntenConal Enrichment
• SMART Goals
• Research QuesCons
• Fidelity Tools
• Pre‐ and Post‐Assessments

5. SPP Programs
9
3 3
0
2
4
6
8
10
Mixed FTF/Online FTF Only Online Only
8
6
1
0
2
4
6
8
10
ELA & Math ELA Only Math Only
Types of IntervenCons
Content Focus

6. Total SPP Students
Grantee Proposed Students Students Served 30+ days New Students
AusCn 120 120 70
CIS SA 72 63 27
CIS SEHC 100 83 78
Ft Worth 6 72 72 35
Ft Worth 7 72 55 14
Harlingen 450 255 326
HCDE 140‐280 177 1
NYOS 40 45 13
Reg 13‐Bartle` 50 59 14
Richardson 442 364 37
Sherman 270 208 187
Snyder 120 15 71
Taylor 160 164 96
Temple 126 126 88
Valley View 280 210 3
TOTAL 2602 1812 1051

7. Preliminary Results
• Sherman ISD – Power Reading
 2490 months of reading improvement in 4 months, an average of 11 months with a range of 2 months to 24 months
of improvement (24 months is equivalent of 2 ½ school years!)
• Taylor – IstaHon, Think Through Math
 85% of SPP students improved reading proficiency
 69% of SPP students improved math proficiency
 56% of SPP students who were “on the bubble” in January were “off the bubble” in May resulCng in significant
increases in STAAR assessment passing percentages (as high as
>70% exceeding State Stds in Reading at both campuses and >45% exceeding State Stds in Math at
Passman
• Temple – Sylvan ACE It!
 When compared to non‐SPP students of similar demographics, SPP students scored 6.02 points higher on STAAR
Reading Assessments.
 When compared to non‐SPP students of similar demographics, SPP students scored 10.44 points higher on STAAR
WriCng Assessments
 SPP students had 44% lower absences and 43% lower disciplinary referrals when compared to non‐SPP students of
similar demographics.
• CIS – SEHC – Kids College
 79% of the students parCcipaCng in SPP for math either passed or improved their score on the STAAR math assessment.
 56.5% of the 108 Regular SPP students passed the STAAR test for the subject in which they were tutored. 31% of the
108 SPP Students passed at least one addiConal STAAR subject test. 11.25% of the SPP students did not pass any
STAAR subject, but improved from last year’s scores.

8. Common Barriers
• Secondary Student recruitment and retenCon
• Providing intenConal enrichment for SPP students
• Genng parents to allow students to stay for
enrichment (or only planning 1 hour of
intervenCon)
• Genng core day to see the importance of
intenConally aligned enrichment
• Managing SPP and tradiConal ACE program
• Managing the requirements from State
Evaluators

9. Common Themes
• Computer‐based IntervenCons (Think Through Math,
Achieve 3000, etc.)
• Computer‐based IntervenCons with Reciprocal/Guided
Learning
• Reciprocal/Guided Learning IntervenCon
• Student Centered Learning (giving students a voice in
learning)
• Highly Qualified Staff
• Lack of Staff:Student InteracCon in some intervenCons
• Low Staff:Student RaCos
• More purposeful planning

10. Best PracCces
• Alignment to student need for both academic
intervenCon and enrichment
• Campus:Aperschool CollaboraCon
• Highly Qualified Teachers
• Low Staff:Student RaCos
• IntenConal Recruitment
• Engaging Learning Environment (Reciprocal
Learning, Guided Learning, Student Voice,
IntenConal Enrichment)

11. What SPP Findings Mean For The
Future
• IntenConal academic intervenCons
• Academically aligned enrichment
• IntenConal recruitment
• ScienCfically and/or evidence‐based learning
strategies embedded in every acCvity
• Fidelity measurement tools
• More coaching/mentoring to help programs
reach desired quality goals
• Everything is connected

12. A Look At NYOS

13. NYOS Charter School,
Inc.
STAAR Pilot Program
Alyssa Moore
Project Director
amoore@nyos.org

14. APPROACH TO DESIGN
• Cognitively Guided Instruction
– SMART Boards
• Essential Skills and Mentoring Minds software
– Student and Parent Laptops
• Parent Math Numeration Classes and software
classes
• Mentoring Program

16. Students work together to develop and verbalize their
own strategies to solve problems using manipulatives.

18. • Benchmarks
o BOY, MOY, EOY campus developed STAAR assessments
• Progress monitoring data
o Essential Skills software
• Students, parents and teachers may track progress
o Mentoring Minds software
• Teachers monitor student progress TEK by TEK
• Attendance Records
• Laptop check­out logs
• Mentor Logs

19. • Training sign­in sheets
• ACE program leader observation forms
• Principal observation forms
• Lesson plan review by Site Coordinator
• Center leaders and school leaders meet monthly to
review progress
• Center leaders, school leaders and teachers meet every
9 weeks to analyze data

20. Beginning of Year Benchmark (BOY)
• All students that scored a 70 or below on
math benchmark were referred into the
program
• Teacher referral

21. • BOY (Beginning of Year) Math Benchmark: 53% of
NYOS K­3rd graders were BELOW level in Math.
• MOY (Middle of Year) Math Benchmark: 21% of NYOS
K­3rd graders were BELOW level in Math
• EOY (End of Year) Math Benchmark: 12% of NYOS K­3rd
graders were BELOW level in Math

23. Enrichment Activity
When I Grow Up
College and Career Readiness

24. • Needs Inventory
• How can we relate math to career readiness?
• Reviewed STAAR Math Reporting Categories 1 & 2 and
started to brainstorm how we could “sneak” those
TEKS into fun, hands­on enrichment lessons
• Chose an experienced counselor to lead activity
development

25. • Google “School Career Days” for original pool of
careers as examples for students to choose from
• Google “Crafts for Careers” to see if fun, hands­on
activities already existed
o Counselor tweaks the activity to meet our program needs
• Appropriate grade level
• Align with STAAR Math Reporting Categories 1 & 2
o All students participated in the same activities for the 2 weeks so that
students and activity leaders could gain a sense for how the activity is
implemented
o At the end of the 2 weeks students were asked to choose which activities they
wanted to learn about

26. • Students asked to write down their top 5 careers that
they would like to learn about
• All choices were graphed as a class
• The 5 most popular careers were the winners
o Students voted on the order in which they would learn about each career

27. • Activity leaders discuss career with students
• Students are asked what math skills they think would
be used in that particular career
• Activity leader compiles a list of the math skills and
turns that list over to the counselor planning the
activity
• The counselor researches the projects/activities and
gives the activity leaders and students a foundation to
build on
o The counselor provides the students with a topic but the students come up
with the activities­ math problems, games, realections, etc.

28. • Once activity is implemented with the students the
activity leader completes a realection feedback form
and turns that in to the counselor
• Counselor makes revisions to the activity based on
student and teacher feedback

29. • All activities are project­
based
• Students experience
airst­hand how the math
they are learning in
school can relate to their
future careers

31. • Follow 1 “E” per day
• Monday
o Students learn about their career
• Tuesday – Thursday
o Students work on aligned
activities
• Math Problems
• Projects
• Games
• Arts and Crafts
o Parent Involvement
• Friday
o Project completion

32. • Career Activity Examples
o Dancer­ dance studio
o Photographer
o Detective
o Construction worker
• Engineers
• Popsicle stick city
o Veterinarian
o Fashion Designer
o Artist­ sculptures
o Police ofaicer
o Librarian
o Business owner­ hats and shirts

33. Kathleen Bethke
kathleen.bethke@mytexasace.org
Alyssa Moore
amoore@nyos.org