Goal 1 Student Success… · Desired Outcome 4: All students will demonstrate digital citizenship...
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0 Goal 1 Student Success Report to the School Board December 15, 2016
Transcript of Goal 1 Student Success… · Desired Outcome 4: All students will demonstrate digital citizenship...
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Goal 1 Student Success Report to the School Board December 15, 2016
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Table of Contents
Overview ............................................................................................................................................................... 4
Overarching Strategy 1: ................................................................................................................................. 4
Overarching Strategy 2: ................................................................................................................................. 4
Overarching Strategy 3: ................................................................................................................................. 4
Overarching Strategy 4: ................................................................................................................................. 4
Highlights............................................................................................................................................................... 6
Overarching Strategy 1 ...................................................................................................................................... 6
Desired Outcome 1: The curriculum will reflect Portrait of a Graduate outcomes in all content areas,
where students are appropriately challenged ................................................................................................ 6
Desired Outcome 2: Achievement gaps will be eliminated.......................................................................... 13
Desired Outcome 3: Teachers, students, and parents will have access to contemporary and effective
technology resources ................................................................................................................................... 20
Desired Outcome 4: All students will demonstrate digital citizenship skills ................................................. 22
Desired Outcome 5: Centralized support will be available for schools and school staff based on student
achievement needs ...................................................................................................................................... 22
MONITORING METRICS for OVERARCHING STRATEGY 1: ...................................................................... 24
Metric: Percentage overall and by subgroups (disaggregated by socioeconomic category) of students
demonstrating grade level reading proficiency by the end of 3rd grade ...................................................... 24
Metric: Percentage of English Language Learners who demonstrate competency and progress on WIDA
ACCESS as measured by VDOE growth targets ........................................................................................ 28
Metric: Percentage overall and by subgroups of students meeting college and workforce-readiness
benchmarks on Division assessments ......................................................................................................... 29
Metric: Percentage overall and by subgroups of students successfully completing Advanced Placement
(AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), or dual enrollment and honors courses, as well as percentage of
students taking AP exams and their grades ................................................................................................ 30
Metric: Program evaluations of specified programs .................................................................................... 34
Metric: Percentage overall and by subgroups of students successfully completing Algebra 1 by grade 8 . 35
Metric: Graduation rates will consistently stay at or above 95% each year ................................................ 37
Metric: Reduction in achievement gaps ....................................................................................................... 39
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Metric: Student performance-based measure ............................................................................................. 45
Overarching Strategy 2 .................................................................................................................................... 46
Desired Outcome 1: A fully-developed balanced assessment system will reflect Portrait of a Graduate
outcomes in all content areas ...................................................................................................................... 46
Desired Outcome 2: Data tools will be available to schools, school teams, and individual teachers to
diagnose and monitor individual student progress ...................................................................................... 48
Desired Outcome 3: Grading will be an accurate reflection of learning ...................................................... 50
MONITORING METRICS for OVERARCHING STRATEGY 2 ....................................................................... 51
Metric: Passages report ............................................................................................................................... 51
Metric: Program evaluations – Summary of Issues and Trends .................................................................. 52
Overarching Strategy 3 .................................................................................................................................... 53
Desired Outcome 1: All qualifying future FCPS students will have access to high quality early education
programs ...................................................................................................................................................... 53
Desired Outcome 2: All agencies will coordinate their efforts to provide similar early childhood
experiences .................................................................................................................................................. 55
MONITORING METRICS for OVERARCHING STRATEGY 3 ....................................................................... 57
Metric: A comprehensive report on kindergarten students who received pre-school service ..................... 57
Metric: Available Pre-K opportunities and number of students participating in Pre-K programming .......... 57
Metric: Longitudinal data for Pre-K students through 6th grade .................................................................. 58
Overarching Strategy 4 .................................................................................................................................... 61
Desired Outcome 1: A portfolio of school options will provide multiple pathways to a high school diploma
..................................................................................................................................................................... 61
Desired Outcome 2: Students will be fluent in two or more languages ....................................................... 68
MONITORING METRICS for OVERARCHING STRATEGY 4 ....................................................................... 71
Metric: Number of Career and Technical Education (CTE) certificates received per number of students in
CTE programs .............................................................................................................................................. 71
Metric: Percentage of students participating in work-based learning, internships, and job shadowing
experiences .................................................................................................................................................. 73
Metric: Number of internship sponsors ........................................................................................................ 74
Metric: Percentage of seniors prepared for post-high school as measured by senior exit survey, post-high
survey, and feedback from select Virginia colleges and universities .......................................................... 75
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Postsecondary Enrollment and Programs ................................................................................................... 75
Metric: National Student Clearinghouse data .............................................................................................. 76
Metric: Degree of performance above state and national averages on SAT, ACT, and PISA .................... 80
PISA Results ................................................................................................................................................ 85
Conclusion........................................................................................................................................................... 93
Addendum ........................................................................................................................................................... 94
Overarching Strategy 1 – Achievement Gap Data .......................................................................................... 94
Addendum II ...................................................................................................................................................... 106
Strategies 1 & 2 ............................................................................................................................................. 106
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Overview
Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) is nationally recognized for providing students with a premier
education. Fairfax County stakeholders recognize the Division’s academic excellence, with 83 percent of
stakeholders agreeing FCPS provides a high quality education. Stakeholders also value educating the “whole
child,” including the support of activities that build physical, mental, and social wellness. In 2014, FCPS
adopted the Portrait of a Graduate, which identifies five characteristics necessary for students to be prepared
for their futures and aligns with stakeholders’ desires for the Division to educate “a child”, teach real-world
skills, and prepare students for both college and career success. Portrait of a Graduate provides the
expectation that all students will graduate as excellent communicators, collaborators, critical and creative
thinkers, global citizens, and goal-oriented, resilient learners.
In July 2015, the School Board approved Ignite, the Strategic Plan for Fairfax County Public Schools. Ignite
serves as a roadmap for the Division to achieve Portrait of a Graduate outcomes for all students. Ignite
represents the cooperative work of the School Board and FCPS Leadership Team, with significant community
input, to create a long-term plan for continuous improvement. The Ignite Plan contains four strategic goals:
Student Success, Caring Culture, Premier Workforce, and Resource Stewardship. Each goal contains
overarching strategies, desired outcomes, actions, and monitoring metrics.
This report provides an update on Goal 1, Student Success. The four Overarching Strategies for Goal 1,
Student Success, are:
Overarching Strategy 1:
Enhance instructional practices to ensure that all students receive an education in a dynamic environment
designed to foster life-long learning and support them in achieving their full potential
Overarching Strategy 2:
All students will achieve their full potential through the use of assessment and data systems for decision
making that support student attainment of the outcomes defined by the Portrait of a Graduate
Overarching Strategy 3:
Provide quality Early Childhood experiences aligned with Portrait of a Graduate outcomes that are designed to
prepare students to successfully enter Kindergarten
Overarching Strategy 4:
Provide students with relevant opportunities to explore options and prepare for College and Career
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This report is organized by the Overarching Strategies and the desired outcomes for each strategy and
provides an update on actions related to the desired outcomes and associated monitoring metrics. The 2016-
2017 school year marks the second year of implementation of the Ignite Plan. The monitoring metrics provided
in this report establish baseline data to serve as a starting point for the future evaluation of trends for portions
of Goal 1, Student Success trends.
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Highlights
Overarching Strategy 1
Desired Outcome 1: The curriculum will reflect Portrait of a Graduate outcomes in all content areas, where
students are appropriately challenged
A number of professional and curricular resources have been developed and deployed to ensure K-12
curriculum reflects Portrait of a Graduate. The FCPS Instructional Services Department (ISD) has worked with
Division Leadership and school leaders to create these resources and provide professional development to
staff. Highlights of the actions related to this desired outcome are outlined below. Information about capstone
opportunities for students is referenced in Overarching Strategy 2.
Learning Model
To further support Portrait of a Graduate, ISD, working with Division Leadership, has developed the FCPS
Learning Model to clarify the Division’s beliefs about high quality instruction that leads to Portrait of a Graduate
outcomes. The Learning Model, comprised of four domains and three belief statements, is shown below.
The Learning Model was introduced to schools at the beginning of the 2016-17 school year and provides an
update to the existing Best Practices for Teaching and Learning framework and website. The recently revised
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Best Practices Website provides an entry point for FCPS educators to access resources to support the
implementation of the approaches included in the Learning Model. It makes multiple connections to ongoing
work and helps people see how their work fits into the bigger picture of achieving Portrait of a Graduate
outcomes for all students. A video has been created to more fully explain the model.
Planning and Pacing Guide Development and Continued Improvement
Planning and pacing guides provide teachers and schools with a guidance document that support highly
effective instruction and assessment. The FCPS Language Arts, mathematics, social studies, and science
curriculum is being revised and organized into meaningful and cohesive units of study that provide
developmentally appropriate pacing and a conceptual approach to teaching, learning, and assessing that is
aligned with the Portrait of a Graduate. The organization of the revised curriculum into updated planning and
pacing guides, addresses four goals:
• To provide teachers with a user-friendly, comprehensive tool to support planning, teaching, and
assessing for student understanding
• To reorganize the Program of Studies (POS) into meaningful units of study focused on developmental
learning
• To revise the pacing and sequencing to promote student transfer of ideas and connections within and
across curriculum as well as to related Portrait of a Graduate skills
• To provide job-embedded professional development within these tools to deepen teachers’ content
knowledge and pedagogical practice
After two years of development, the K-6 mathematics planning and pacing guides have been fully
implemented division-wide for the 2016-2017 school year. In addition, planning and pacing guides for
advanced mathematics were created during summer 2016. These documents connect to the Advanced
Academic Program (AAP) curriculum and provide both content and pedagogical support to ensure teachers
are able to meet the needs of these students. The K-6 social studies planning and pacing guides were
developed during the 2015-16 school year and have been fully implemented. These documents are aligned to
the recently approved 2015 Standards of Learning (SOL). Teacher feedback is continuously being collected
on all of these guides to inform of revisions and ensure effectiveness.
The K-6 Language Arts planning and pacing guides are undergoing revisions throughout the 2016-2017
school year. Fifteen grade level teams, in a variety of elementary schools, are field testing the 131 reading and
writing units and providing feedback to guide the revisions. The division-wide implementation of these guides,
including professional development for staff, will occur in the 2017-2018 school year. The work on the K-6
science planning and pacing guides will begin in the spring of 2017. The guides will have a similar layout as
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the other subjects and leverage the strengths of the current science curriculum units, while giving students
learning opportunities to develop proficiency with both science content and skills. A timeline for this work,
including revisions, field testing, and implementation, is currently being developed.
As foundational resources for teachers and schools using best practices in teaching and learning, these
documents will continue to evolve. Over time, additional layers will be added to support teachers in achieving
the following aspects of the Ignite Plan:
• Intentional integration of content and Portrait of a Graduate skills
• Grade level appropriate blended learning experiences
• Inquiry driven lesson/unit exemplars, such as Project Based Learning (PBL)
• Connections across content areas/resources to support facilitation of interdisciplinary instruction
Increased Emphasis on Writing
Long before writers can create their own text, they can learn what good writing is all about by hearing and
loving the work of others (Spandel & Stiggins, 1997). With this in mind, much of the FCPS approach to
providing resources, professional development and support for writing has been in conjunction with the literacy
work and the development of the Language Arts planning and pacing guides also detailed in this report. In
addition, FCPS has implemented common writing rubrics in grades K-12 to articulate the developmental
progression of writing and to ensure common writing expectations across our division. These tools allow for
meaningful feedback to students and encourage increased student self-assessment.
Revisions to the Elementary Literacy Program and Instruction
ISD is supporting division-wide understanding and leadership in literacy by providing a variety of professional
learning experiences and resources. The recently completed Elementary Literacy Framework provides an
overall view of FCPS literacy instruction for elementary administrators, reading teachers, and classroom
teachers. The Elementary Literacy Framework is being used in three professional learning sessions for
elementary administrators and school literacy teams. These sessions are designed to support literacy
leadership at the elementary school level along with enhancing literacy content knowledge. School literacy
teams are examining best practices for literacy instruction with a special focus on writing instruction and the
use of feedback to promote continuous instructional improvement.
Three Elementary Literacy Skills Progression Charts have been created based on current research with the
assistance of Dr. Marjorie Lipson, a nationally recognized literacy specialist, from the University of Vermont.
These charts extend teachers’ understanding of word learning and developmental spelling for grades K-6 so
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that they can effectively introduce, support, and reinforce literacy behaviors, including the identification of
potential dyslexia markers.
Professional development opportunities and resources have also been created to support elementary school
teachers who are new to FCPS. Elementary Great Beginnings coaches are provided with a “Getting Started
with Reading and Writing Workshop Guide” that will be used in the first days of training with new teachers.
This guide provides lessons and assistance with launching successful reading and writing instruction from the
first days of school. In addition, two modules deepening the planning and instruction for workshops are being
provided to Lead Mentors to use during fall training days with teachers who are new to FCPS.
Enhanced Elementary Summer Literacy Symposium
The overarching goal of the Elementary Summer Literacy Symposiums has been to build the capacity of
school-based literacy leaders with training and resources to support their ability to provide job-embedded
professional development. In the past two years, opportunities were added for principals to bring literacy
teams together for learning about and analysis of school-wide implementation of literacy. To ensure consistent
understanding and implementation of literacy instruction throughout the Division, there was a need to
recalibrate classroom teachers’ literacy understanding and instructional practices.
The 2015-2016 school year was the second year that FCPS offered an opportunity for elementary teams to
collaborate and learn about literacy instruction with the main goal of “resetting” teachers’ understanding of
FCPS’ approach to writing. Depending on school size and need, teams ranging from 8-16 people were invited
to learn and collaborate together. All 141 elementary schools were represented by teams which included
classroom teachers, literacy leaders, instructional coaches, principals, English for Speakers of Other
Languages (ESOL) teachers, special education leads and others. The approximately 1,300 participants
attended two whole group opening sessions and spent the bulk of the day in small group sessions as school
teams deepened their understanding of effective writing instruction and planning for school year
implementation. Below is a sample of the participant evaluation results.
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Secondary Literacy Initiative In the 2015-2016 school year, the literacy work at the secondary level focused on two fronts:
• Ensuring that effective literacy support is available for emerging middle and high schools readers.
• Developing a strategy to promote and support increased reading and writing opportunities for student
in all subject areas.
When a student enters middle or high school, it is critical that staff be able to identify literacy deficits and plan
for appropriate intervention. For an emerging reader, this may mean enrolling in a literacy intervention course
in place of choosing an elective. Below is a chart of current options:
Middle School Courses
Description Target Students
Action Literacy 7
Action Literacy 8
Semester course focused on reading
comprehension, vocabulary
development, media literacy, and
research
• 0≤2 years below grade level reading
• Failed or low- passing English/Reading
SOL scores
• Students identified by SRI, DRA2, or
QRI
READ 180
Full year course that includes the use
of adaptive instructional software to
improve reading comprehension,
vocabulary development, and
increased reading stamina
• 2 years below grade level reading
• Have decoding skills
• Students identified by SRI, DRA2, or
QRI
Survey Question Participant Response
The extent to which this PD was relevant to
your work
78% Great Extent
20% Moderate Extent
2% Lesser extent of not at all
The extent to which you intend to apply the
skills/knowledge in your work.
65% Great Extent
30% Moderate Extent
5% Lesser extent of not at all
Overall, this training was excellent or good 96% Agree
4% Disagree
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Responsive
Writing
(grade 8)
Semester English Writing SOL support
course focused on implementing the
writing process and applying the Six
Traits of Writing
• Teacher recommendations
High School Courses
Description Target Students
Literacy LAB 1
(grade 9)
Full year course focused on using
cross-curricular texts to develop
general literacy strategies with
emphasis on academic vocabulary
development
• Failed or low-passing MS Reading
and/or Writing SOL scores
• 1-2 years below expected grade level
reading
• Poor grades in multiple subjects
Literacy LAB 2
(grade 10)
Full year course focused on reading
and writing skills as well as content
from English 9 and 10 POS necessary
to pass the EOC English: Reading
and/or Writing SOL tests
• Failed or low-passing MS Reading
and/or Writing SOL scores
• Poor grades in multiple subject
Literacy LAB 3
(grade 11)
Full year course focused on reading
and writing skills as well as content
from English 11 POS that is necessary
to pass the EOC English: Reading
and/or Writing SOL tests
• Failed or low-passing MS Reading
and/or Writing SOL scores
• Poor grades in multiple subjects
Appropriate placement of students into these electives is critical. Best practices suggests a review of Reading
and Writing SOL data, followed by consideration of other student data by a multidisciplinary faculty committee
to narrow the number of students for consideration to those with two or more areas of concern in their profile.
ISD has provided tools and data to support school-based decision making with student placement. In addition,
resources and ongoing professional development are provided to ensure teachers are able to meet the needs
of these students.
To continue to grow the literacy skills of all students in middle and high school, ISD and the Department of
Special Services (DSS) staff, alongside of principals, spent the 2015-2016 school year developing a shared
understanding of adolescent literacy development and planning to implement literacy work across secondary
schools in 2016-2017 school year. An integral product of these efforts was the Secondary Literacy
Framework, which was created to serve as a blueprint for the actions that schools, teams, and teachers can
take to support literacy growth. This resource provides examples of what these actions look like within each of
the academic disciplines. It also provides a comprehensive bank of scaffolds, supports, and extensions that
support literacy. Through the involvement of secondary school administrators, teachers, ISD and DSS staff,
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this framework will continue to be developed and will provide foundational expectations for reading instruction,
writing instruction, goals and assessment, professional development, and literacy leadership.
In August of 2016, the Summer Secondary Literacy Symposium was held to begin to build common
understandings and expectations around reading and writing, student engagement, and leadership centered
on the promotion of strong literacy practices within each of the academic disciplines. Schools were invited to
bring teams comprised of teachers, administrators, school-wide literacy leaders, and others such as librarians,
SBTS, and instructional coaches. School teams worked with nationally known literacy expert, Cris Tovani, as
well as with specialists from ISD and DSS, to explore the topic of literacy and its application in secondary
classrooms. School teams were also given an opportunity to explore the Secondary Literacy Framework. A
total of 426 classroom teachers, literacy leaders, instructional coaches, administrators, ESOL teachers,
special education leads and others participated in the two day event.
Three follow-up sessions will be provided during the 2016-2017 school year to give teams the opportunity to
continue their learning, while also being given a forum to share their progress, ask questions, and problem-
solve challenges that they are facing. In addition, the topic of literacy will be integrated into several other
venues such as division-wide in-services, department chair meetings, FCPS academy courses and All County
Principals Meetings.
Implementation of Advanced Mathematics Study Recommendations
In 2014, FCPS completed a mathematics curriculum study to determine the extent to which the mathematics
sequence and other mathematics programs offered support, opportunity, and challenge for all students to
excel in mathematics. FCPS began implementing the recommendations from the study during the 2015-2016
school year.
The findings suggest that at the elementary level, acceleration and greater rigor are accessed together
through the Advanced Mathematics curriculum, which incorporates above grade level content (one grade
ahead) as well as enriched, more rigorous content (via extended POS indicators). Advanced Mathematics is
offered in one of three models: (a) schools with Advanced Academic Program (AAP) centers, where students
are identified, (b) schools offering Local Level IV services, and (c) schools that do not offer Level IV services.
FCPS’ Level IV Program, which includes the AAP centers, provides full-time academic placement for highly
gifted students. Teachers follow a curriculum framework to differentiate the depth, breadth, and pace of
instruction based on the FCPS POS, including mathematics. In schools that do not have a large number of
students ready for Advanced Mathematics, implementation can be challenging due to scheduling and staffing
parameters. Without a common framework, students attending different FCPS schools could receive different
amounts of exposure to the division’s most rigorous curriculum even when taking the same grade and type of
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mathematics.
During the 2015-16 school year, individual schools determined strategies for ensuring advanced mathematics
opportunities would be available in their school during the 2016-2017 school year. Resources have been put
in place to support school implementation, such as Planning and Pacing Guides for Advanced Mathematics
and a revision of the Considerations for Identification of Advanced Mathematics Student document. In
addition, ongoing professional development opportunities are available to teachers. Targeted supports are
being provided to a small number of schools who have not yet started implementation.
Project Based Learning
To meet the challenge of Portrait of a Graduate, instruction needs to provide all students with meaningful
learning experiences that connect to 21st century skills. One promising approach is Project Based Learning
(PBL). When PBL units are implemented effectively, students are able to master core content in conjunction
with Portrait of a Graduate skills.
With the help of the Buck Institute for Education, a leading organization in the implementation of PBL, a plan
was developed to expand the existing PBL work taking place in FCPS. ISD has established a pilot cohort of
schools (K-12) with a focus on PBL innovation. The goal of this cohort is to create a culture where teachers
can successfully implement the PBL model, leading to measurable student success and growth in PBL. This
cohort allows for a monitoring of successes and challenges to support effective scaling of this work to all
schools.
In addition to the cohort, two courses are being offered through the FCPS Academy to support teachers’
understanding and initial implementation of PBL in their classrooms. In the PBL 1 course, participants learn
the what, why and how of project based learning and in the recently developed PBL 2 course, participants
deepen their understanding around PBL implementation and develop their skills to build the capacity of others.
At the time of this report, 1156 teachers have completed the PBL 1 course and 81 teachers have completed
the PBL 2 course. Fifteen additional PBL 1 courses and three additional PBL 2 courses will be offered during
the 2016-2017 school year.
Desired Outcome 2: Achievement gaps will be eliminated
FCPS established a Closing the Student Achievement Gap (CAG) project team in 2010 to focus on issues of
equity, access, and achievement for black and Hispanic students. This section highlights the current work of
the project team and FCPS division-wide efforts to close the achievement gaps. Responsive Instruction (RI)
expansion efforts will be further detailed in the Overarching Strategy 2 section of this report.
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Closing the Student Achievement Gap Project Team
The CAG project team is made up of central office staff from ISD and DSS. The CAG framework consists of
six major drivers: Academic Support, Access to Rigor, College and Career Readiness, Family and Community
Engagement, Ready to Learn, and Relationships, Each research-based driver has specific strategies, actions
for implementation, and measures. The CAG plan recognizes that a central aspect of the success of these
drivers is the establishment and sustainment of strong Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) where
school professionals consistently analyze academic and socio-emotional data and plan differentiated
instruction and supports for students in all gap groups. Each school is required to include CAG goals and
strategies in their School Improvement and Innovation Plans. In addition, the CAG project team oversees six
individual driver teams that partner with schools to pilot specific strategies at those schools and to use the
lessons learned to scale division-wide. Below is a list of each CAG driver project and their partner schools.
Driver Project Goal School Partners
Academic Support Improve the Responsive
Instruction team process so
that all English learners (ELs)
receive quality Tier 1
instruction or necessary
intervention support
Groveton ES
Stone MS
Access to Rigor Increase access to advanced
courses and programming for
all black and Hispanic students
Riverside ES
Whitman MS
Mount Vernon HS
College and Career Readiness
All black and Hispanic students
will have a postsecondary plan
West Springfield HS
Irving MS
Family and Community
Engagement
Engage school staff with family
and community partners to
share supports and align
academic and social and
emotional instruction of feeder
preschools and Family, Friends
and Neighbors (FFN) for all
Bailey’s ES
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black and Hispanic children
Ready to Learn All black and Hispanic students
will enter Kindergarten with
language, literacy, and school
readiness skills
Lynbrook ES
Relationships Strategies and teacher training
led by Systems of Support
Advisors (SOSAs) will improve
relationships between teachers
and all black and Hispanic
students
Fairfax HS
Falls Church HS
Hayfield SS
Lake Braddock SS
Marshall HS
Robinson SS
South Lakes HS
Thomas Jefferson HS
In addition to the work of the CAG project team, FCPS has had success in closing gaps through Project
Momentum and enhanced ESOL programming. During the 2015-2016 school year, noticeable gains were
made to close achievement gaps at the 18 Project Momentum schools that received “Intensive” support from
the Office of Professional Learning and School Support. Education specialists from ISD worked with region
leadership, school principals and school staff to develop strategic plans to address the gap in each school.
Further detail on Project Momentum will provided in the section on Desired Outcome 5: Centralized support
will be available for schools and school staff based on student achievement needs.
Additional Initiatives to Close the Student Achievement Gap
There is no single project that can close achievement gaps in FCPS, particularly when gaps of access and
opportunity exist as well. The existing achievement, access, and opportunity gaps must be addressed through
the lens of each of the six CAG drivers at all levels of the division, from the School Board and Leadership
Team to central offices, schools, and classrooms. To that end, there are many initiatives in FCPS which aim to
close achievement, access, and opportunity gaps. Some initiatives are division-wide, while others are at the
school level with the intent to learn and bring positive outcomes to the division level. Below is a sample of
FCPS CAG initiatives listed by driver:
Academic Support
• Enhanced ESOL programming for English learners (ELs) at all high schools which provides ELs the
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opportunity to graduate in 4 years
• Expansion of Responsive Instruction (RI) to all high schools in the 2015-2016 school year
• Collaboration with VTSS and Project Aware grant to integrate student wellness/mental health into the
RI triangle
• Expansion of RI Worksheet in EDSL to include Secondary Worksheet and Common Assessments
• Development of Foresight tool in EDSL to facilitate transition planning and proactive and early
implementation of interventions
• Continued differentiated professional development and school support opportunities
o RI Overviews
o RI in EDSL Trainings
o RI Coaching Sessions
o School-based PD for RI Core teams
o Collaboration between RI and ESOL teams to develop and deliver PD entitled English
Learners in the RI Framework
o Proactive planning for differentiation and scaffolding for diverse learners
• Differentiated pacing guides in content areas
Access to Rigor
• Professional development for Riverside ES teachers to increase access for all students to advanced
math curriculum and strategies
• Dedicated Young Scholars (YS) course for Whitman MS and Mount Vernon HS to increase supports
and strategies in place for black and Hispanic students
• Coordinated communication and counseling between Whitman MS and Mount Vernon HS regarding
YS identification and scheduling
• Using AP potential at Mount Vernon HS in scheduling and counseling processes to target identified
areas of student strength
• Constructing explicit lessons around components of Student Learning Plan (SLP) to assist with
appropriate placement in rigorous courses
College and Career Readiness
• Targeted supports for traditionally underrepresented college going students through The College
Success Program including: The College Partnership Program (CPP) , Advancement Via Individual
Determination (AVID) , the Early Identification Program (EIP) , and Pathway Connection and Pathway
to the Baccalaureate
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• Opportunities for All research project led by FCPS School Counseling Services in collaboration with
Annandale, Marshall, McLean, Mount Vernon, and South County High Schools to study best practices
in academic advisement that increase enrollment of underrepresented students in advanced academic
coursework at the high school level
• Irving Middle School and West Springfield High School development of targeted programs and efforts
(beyond the SLP) to further develop the postsecondary plans and preparation of all black and
Hispanic students in the pyramid
• Collaboration between middle and high school counseling teams and College Access Fairfax to
provide students and families with additional support in preparation for paying for college including
targeted resources in schools with the highest populations of students receiving free or reduced
lunches or those in ESOL classes and early college financial planning for middle school families
• Expansion of Career and Technical Education (CTE) courses and pathways that support a variety of
postsecondary opportunities including the Firefighting Academy (new in 2016-2017) and a future 911
Dispatch course
Family and Community Engagement
• Family Literacy partnership with WETA Ready to Learn at Bailey’s ES & Graham Road Community
Building Early Literacy program
• Early Literacy and Family Literacy programs at 57 sites serving 586 adults and 656 students who are
not attending a formal preschool program.
• Getting to Know FCPS presentation given by regional Family Engagement Representatives and
Parent Liaisons at the school level
• Families Reunification supports available at all schools
• Systems of Support for English learners resources website on FCPSnet
Ready to Learn
• Bridge to K summer program for students who have not had a formal preschool experience
• Use of Early Childhood Rubric across FECEP/Head Start classrooms in FCPS
• Kindergarten transition form for all incoming kindergarteners across preschool and childcare settings
• Early Intervention Reading Initiative (EIRI) for students in Kindergarten
Relationships
• Cultural self-identity and awareness discussions with students of diverse backgrounds at Marshall HS
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• Minority boys group focus on navigating academic careers led by parent liaison at Hayfield
Secondary School
• Cultural Proficiency school staff Level 1 trainings and Level 2 cohorts for school teams
Enhanced English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Programming
The Office of ESOL Services completed a pilot for enhanced ESOL programming at Lee and Stuart High
Schools during the 2015-2016 school year. The ESOL programming provides English learners (ELs) the
opportunity to graduate with a Standard Diploma in four years while developing their English language
proficiency (ELP). ELs participate in intentionally designed, credit-bearing classes that integrate language
development within content disciplines. English language development objectives are built into the curriculum
and are implemented through a balanced literacy framework that includes reading, writing, speaking, and
listening tasks. Students are enrolled in classes aligned to the grade level Standards of Learning and the
WIDA English language development standards. Students who need additional mathematics support are
enrolled in a second mathematics block to provide additional time to develop the foundational knowledge,
skills, and understandings necessary to be successful in mathematics. This provides ELs with a pathway to
graduation that begins in the first year of high school enrollment, regardless of their ELP level at time of entry,
and allows them to progress through a grade appropriate content sequence as they acquire English. The
following tables show the numbers of students at Lee and Stuart high schools in ELP levels 1, 2 and 3 that
earned standard credit in the 2015-2016 school year and are enrolled in Algebra I in the 2016-2017 school
year.
School Students who earned English 9 credit Students who earned Government credit
Total ELP 1 ELP 2 ELP 3 Total ELP 1 ELP 2 ELP 3
Lee 200 71 64 65 122 67 54 1
Stuart 369 165 119 85 106 100 2 4
School “EP” Students enrolled in Algebra I in the 2016-2017 school year after a math double block in 2015-2016 school year
Total ELP 1 ELP 2
Lee 55 41 14
Stuart 41 41 0
This enhanced ESOL programming has been expanded to all high schools for the 2016-2017 school year.
The model is flexible depending on the needs of schools and overall ESOL student enrollment. In addition to
the enhanced ESOL programming, nine high schools (Annandale, Edison, Falls Church, Herndon, Lee, Mount
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Vernon, South Lakes, Stuart, and West Potomac) have been identified for a school-within-a-school newcomer
program. The school-within-a-school newcomer model promotes the development of systems of support
comprised of in-school and out-of-school resources for students who are new to U.S. schools. The school’s
student services team is an integral part of the system of support and often includes a dedicated EL school
counselor or bilingual counselor. In addition, through a Strategies for Success course, teachers and school
counselors provide lessons that promote a culturally responsive environment, foster relationships and facilitate
students’ transition into a U.S. high school. Included in this support network is the parent liaison who connects
families with school and community resources.
EL Innovation Professional Development
During the 2015-2016 school year, the Office of ESOL Services implemented a new professional development
opportunity for elementary, middle and high schools, EL Innovation, to increase the capacity of school staff to
meet the diverse needs of ELs. Thirty school teams comprised of administrators, teachers, and instructional
coaches were trained during this initial year. EL Innovation includes a three-day series, with the first two days
designed for school teams to gain an understanding of powerful instructional strategies for ELs, to develop
skills to implement English Language Development (ELD) standards and utilize WIDA tools, and to examine
data to identify the instructional and programming needs for ELs in schools.
The six areas of focus for EL Innovation are:
• Cultural Responsive Teaching and Learning
• Making Connections and Building Background Knowledge
• English Language Development and Scaffolding using the WIDA ELD Standards and WIDA Essential
Actions
• Language Rich Classrooms and Academic Language
• Decision Making and Problem Solving for English learners
• Collaboration and Collective Responsibility
The third day of the training is school-based to support school teams with the creation of an innovation
implementation plan. The “innovation” is designed by the school staff based on an analysis of their school
specific needs. Examples of school designed innovations include: turn-around professional development,
implementation of language and content objectives to create clear learning targets for students, use of EL data
for problem-solving and decision-making, parent and family outreach, and cultural proficiency training for
school staff. Twenty additional schools are participating in EL Innovation cohorts during the 2016-2017 school
year.
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Responsive Instruction
Responsive Instruction (RI) is a multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS) through which school teams make
instructional decisions based on data to provide differentiated instruction and the necessary academic,
behavioral, and student wellness supports for all students across all schools. In Fairfax County Public Schools
(FCPS), RI is built upon the foundation of active PLCs delivering high quality core instruction. The RI
framework is designed to create an environment that engages all stakeholders in ensuring student success.
Schools implementing Responsive Instruction use a collaborative problem solving approach to build a
continuum of increasingly intensive interventions to address the needs of students. Standard decision rules for
tiering are applied to provide greater consistency and fidelity of implementation. At all tiers, intervention
decisions are based upon data. Teams apply decision rules to monitor progress of core instruction and
determine the appropriate instructional support.
Schools participate in overview training where topics such as the role of the RI Core team, universal
screening, progress monitoring and problem solving are addressed. Teams work together to self-assess their
school’s level of implementation. Based on this data, the team identifies areas for growth and develops an
action plan. RI training expanded to include high school during the 2015-16 school year. At the time of this
report, 154 schools have attended RI Overview training (75% of schools).
In the 2015-2016 school year, the RI team in collaboration with FCPS Information Technology (IT) and ISD,
developed expanded functionality in EDSL School Insight to include a data management system to support RI
practices. This tool supports schools as they analyze student academic and behavioral data, facilitate problem
solving conversations, support the development of intervention plans, and monitor progress of students
receiving intervention. At the start of the 2016-2017 school year the RI functionality in EDSL expanded to
include a secondary view and numerous enhancements to support core instruction and intervention. This fall,
a brand new tool called Foresight was launched to support transition and end of year planning. At the time of
this report, 158 schools (77% of schools) have accessed RI Functionality in EDSL training.
Additional differentiated professional development options and school-based supports are available to
schools. Division RI staff routinely collaborate across departments and teams to plan, design, and deliver
professional development and support. Examples of support services include participation in data dialogues,
Collaborative Learning Team and RI Core team problem solving, and school-based professional development.
Desired Outcome 3: Teachers, students, and parents will have access to contemporary and effective
technology resources
FCPS has a number of technology tools within its digital ecosystem to support student achievement. FCPS is
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working to enhance the use of these tools by expanding student access through one to one initiatives,
discounted internet partnerships, extended access to technology after school hours, and professional
development for staff to improve student engagement and learning with these technology resources.
FCPSOn
During the 2015-2016 school year, the FCPSOn initiative was launched to enhance learning by providing
students with opportunities to control the time, place, path, and pace of their learning through meaningful
learning experiences and one to one technology solutions. FCPSOn accelerates the effective use of
instructional practices, digital resources, and technology tools to achieve the FCPS Portrait of a Graduate
attributes. In addition, FCPSOn supports essential student skills, teacher instructional practices and the FCPS
Learning Model. An FCPSOn Steering Committee, comprised of various stakeholders including teachers,
school-based administrators, and leadership team members, provides leadership and strategic vision to the
initiative, ensures stakeholder views are represented, and encourages parental and community support. In
addition, several strategic partners, such as Johns Hopkins University, have been engaged to support this
initiative.
The first phase of FCPSOn includes the Chantilly Pyramid schools K-12 and the five high schools receiving
funds from the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) e-learning backpack grant. 8,369 devices were
distributed to FCPSOn schools in the Chantilly Pyramid and 7,531 devices to the e-learning backpack schools
in the fall of 2016. Students with limited internet access outside of school were provided with additional tools
including mobile wireless devices. The FCPSOn Steering Committee recommends a phased approach to
achieving one electronic device per student across the division.
The staffs at the phase one schools are invested in the learning process and recognize that their experiences
will influence future phases and deepen the systemic understanding of how teachers approach this change
into practice. Each of these schools created an Instructional Transformation Team (ITT) to lead this work at
the school level. Professional development for the FCPSOn schools is ongoing, from formalized workshops, to
collaborative learning visits, to just in time support from school or central office staff to ensure they have direct
access to support for both instruction and technology. The impact of the ITT is already evident through the
observation of increased use of digital resources to construct knowledge and design products that
demonstrate understanding of content and the development of FCPS Portrait of a Graduate skills. The work in
FCPSOn schools is informing the creation of systemic strategies and standards for technology use by
teachers and students to improve student engagement and learning. The BrightBytes survey will be
administered to staff, students and parents in both the fall of 2016 and the spring of 2017 to quantitatively
determine the impact and inform future phases.
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A critical component necessary for a successful digital transformation is the establishment of a robust and
user centric digital ecosystem. FCPS has recently begun gathering requirements for a new Learning
Management System (LMS), the goal is to release the Request for Proposals (RFP) during the 4th quarter of
2016-2017 school year. The LMS is the backbone for the digital classroom environment which will allow for
ease of access to key resources and tools for students, staff and parents. The availability of electronic
portfolio functionality will be considered as a requirement for the new LMS.
Desired Outcome 4: All students will demonstrate digital citizenship skills
The FCPS digital citizenship efforts address teachers, parents and students, and equip them with strategies,
resources, and tools to successfully create safe, respectful and ethical cultures for online learning at home and
at school. These efforts emphasize a community-school partnership approach to digital citizenship education,
encompass nine topics under the umbrella topic of digital citizenship, and provide options that allow for
personalization of individual needs. Learning may take place in a teacher professional development setting, in
a classroom, at a school-based parent event, or online and is reinforced through focused work and reflection
both at school and in the home.
School teams have access to resources for coordinating parent education events, providing classroom
instruction on digital citizenship, and celebrating Digital Citizenship Week. Over 95 schools reported
participating in Digital Citizenship week this past October. The materials remain available to support ongoing
digital citizenship efforts.
Parents receive supports through the FCPS Digital Citizenship website and local school events and
communications. Resources such as Device Contracts and Media Agreements have been created to support
conversations around technology use and to help families set expectations. An online course is currently
being designed for parents and their children to take together and is expected to be made available during the
2017-2018 school year.
Desired Outcome 5: Centralized support will be available for schools and school staff based on student
achievement needs
Project Momentum is an initiative that began in the 2014-2015 school year to support the schools at greatest
risk of state accreditation warning status as well as those identified as Title I Focus schools. FCPS provides
differentiated support for all Project Momentum schools to address the VDOE Accreditation challenges and to
raise the bar and close gaps in student achievement. Project Momentum’s goal is for every FCPS school to
achieve one of the following VDOE Accreditation Ratings:
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• Fully Accredited
• Conditionally Accredited: New School
• Partially Accredited: Approaching Benchmark- “close” to the target
• Partially Accredited: Improving School- demonstrates growth for school and/or for a majority of
individual students
Based on the level of support needed, schools are either provided with targeted support or intensive supports
through Project Momentum. Schools identified for targeted support are provided with enhanced supports to
prevent or narrow performance gaps and hourly funds to augment team collaboration and data dialogues.
Schools identified for intensive supports receive extended contracts for teacher leaders and support funds for
summer development of School Improvement Plans and professional development plans to aid goals and
strategies for the upcoming year. Additionally, these schools are provided with an instructional coach for each
warned area. It is the expectation that no school in FCPS will hold Title I Focus or Priority status based on
assessment results from the 2015-2016 school year.
Intensive Schools’ Outcomes (based on 2015-2016 school year assessments)
• 2 of 4 Focus schools exited Focus status
• 1 of 2 “Year 3” schools became fully accredited
• 4 of 7 “Year 2” schools became fully accredited
• Lynbrook, Forestdale, Stuart, Washington Mill, and West Potomac increased pass rates in all four
subjects
• Cameron and Rose Hill maintained or increased pass rate in all four subjects
Targeted Schools’ Outcomes (based on 2015-2016 school year assessments)
• 3 of 5 schools in “Year 1” became fully accredited
• Braddock ES, Lee HS, and Sleepy Hollow increased pass rates in all four subjects
• Bush Hill, Herndon MS, Mount Eagle, Riverside, and Sandburg increased pass rates in three of four
subjects
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MONITORING METRICS for OVERARCHING STRATEGY 1:
Metric: Percentage overall and by subgroups (disaggregated by socioeconomic category) of students
demonstrating grade level reading proficiency by the end of 3rd grade
The overall pass rate for grade 3 reading SOL data by ethnicity remained constant. The pass rate for
Hispanic students increased by four percent while the black and white subgroups experienced slight
changes. The overall pass rate for the state of Virginia is 76 percent.
25
Each subgroup showed improvement on the grade 3 reading SOL. English learners by one percent,
economically disadvantaged students increased two percent and students with disabilities increased five
percent. These changes represent slight progress toward closing the achievement gap.
26
This graph shows the change in performance by proficiency level. Overall, FCPS experienced a slight
decrease for all students in meeting the pass advanced level, with the largest change being a decrease in
the performance of Asian students at the highest level. The Hispanic students made the most positive
change, increasing the percent of Hispanic students reaching Pass Advanced by two percent. The overall
pass advance rate for grade 3 reading in Virginia is 17 percent.
27
The performance of both the economically disadvantaged and English learner subgroups increased the
percent of students reaching Pass Advanced by two percent.
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Metric: Percentage of English Language Learners who demonstrate competency and progress on WIDA
ACCESS as measured by VDOE growth targets
The chart above shows the percentage of English learners who met 2010 VDOE progress targets on two
consecutive WIDA ACCESS tests. VDOE uses improvement in scaled scores that vary depending on student
English Language Proficiency (ELP) level to measure progress. It should be noted that VDOE has not used
these metrics to measure school divisions since 2015 due to upcoming changes in ESSA. Beginning in 2014,
a higher percentage of newcomer students enrolled in high schools with significant academic and social
emotional needs. These students require additional time and support to make ELP progress. In addition, the
WIDA ACCESS for ELLs assessment has undergone content and administration changes since 2015
including moving from paper/pencil to an online format. VDOE will establish new progress targets to align with
the new test and ESSA regulations in 2017.
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Metric: Percentage overall and by subgroups of students meeting college and workforce-readiness
benchmarks on Division assessments
• This data point will be interpreted as college readiness based on senior survey data and work-force-
readiness based on industry credentialing and internships and will be reported with Overarching
Strategy 4.
• There currently is not a college and workforce readiness Division assessment. ISD is investigating
ways to assess college and workforce readiness of our students in partnership with local colleges,
universities, and business partners.
30
Metric: Percentage overall and by subgroups of students successfully completing Advanced Placement (AP),
International Baccalaureate (IB), or dual enrollment and honors courses, as well as percentage of students
taking AP exams and their grades
The percent of graduates who passed at least one AP/IB/Dual Enrollment course has remained constant over
the past three years.
31
There has been a slight decrease in the percent of English learners and students with disabilities graduates
who have passed at least one AP/IB/Dual Enrollment course.
32
This graph shows a comprehensive comparison of student course performance to performance on the AP
assessment. It does show that students who preform highly on one measure are likely to perform high on the
other and vice versa, though there does continue to be students for whom this correlation does not exist.
33
This graph shows a comprehensive comparison of student course performance to performance on the IB assessment.
34
Metric: Program evaluations of specified programs
Completed:
• Impact of Pre-Kindergarten Experiences – Final Report
Identified differences that exist in academic and behavioral outcomes for students with and without a formal
pre-kindergarten experience, and investigated the costs, funding streams, and potential return on investment
of FCPS’ primary preschool offering (FECEP-Head Start).
• Annual Monitoring Report on Honors – Year Three (Final) Report
Examined changes, if any, in course completion and student performance as a result of reinstituting honors
classes in five English and social studies course sequences in high school, beginning in the 2012-2013 school
year. The Final Honors Monitoring Report, released in November 2015, compares baseline data from the year
prior to the course reinstitution (2011-2012 school year) to patterns three years after the reinstitution (2014-
2015 school year).
• English Learner (EL) Study – Year One Report
Provided evidence-based judgments about the services provided by FCPS to its EL students at all grade
levels. The Year One report (a) identified and classified organizational structures and educational approaches
supported by research for educating ELs in kindergarten through grade 12; (b) determined the extent to which
FCPS' current structures and approaches reflect those found in the literature; (c) examined the historical
performance of FCPS' ELs (English-language proficiency and academic performance in core content areas).
In Progress:
• English Learner (EL) Study – Final Report
Will expand on what was covered during year one to (a) examine implementation of services for ELs (b)
understand the relations among organizational structures, instructional approaches, and the performance of
FCPS’ EL students; and (c) understand how FCPS uses funds for educating ELs, (including a return on
investment analysis). The final report, scheduled for release in December 2016, will also report separate
findings about the Enhanced ESOL High School Pilot program begun in the 2015-16 school year (a program
designed to serve the growing number of EL high school students with beginning English skills).
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Metric: Percentage overall and by subgroups of students successfully completing Algebra 1 by grade 8
The percentage of students successfully completing Algebra 1 by 8th grade overall and by subgroup has
shown a slight decrease.
36
The percentage of economically disadvantaged students and English learners who are successfully
completing Algebra 1 by 8th grade has also shown a decrease, while students with disabilities are maintaining
at the same level.
37
Metric: Graduation rates will consistently stay at or above 95% each year
The on-time graduation rate for black students has increased while the rate for Hispanic students has
decreased since last year. Other subgroups as well as the overall percentage have remained relatively
consistent.
38
The on-time graduation rate for students who are economically disadvantaged has increased while the rate for
English learners has decreased slightly since last year. Other subgroups as well as the overall percentages
have remained relatively consistent.
39
Metric: Reduction in achievement gaps
Though all subgroups have increased their percent passing over the past four year, performance gaps among
student sub-groups continue to exist.
40
41
Similar to reading, all subgroups have increased their percent passing over the past four year but performance
gaps among student sub-groups continue to exist.
42
43
The data in this chart represents scaled scores, where a score between 400 and 499 is a pass and 500 and
above is equivalent to pass advanced. Since the new standards and assessments were fully implementing in
2013, there has been an increase in the average score for each subgroup. FCPS black and Hispanic students
continue to perform lower than their white and Asian peers.
44
45
Metric: Student performance-based measure
The data for this past year shows a decrease in student performance in all four of the reporting categories:
Understands Content, Expression of Content, Research of Content and Technology Integration of Content.
This decline is likely due to the implementation of new rubrics that aligned to the Portrait of a Graduate. The
2016 data should be considered a new baseline for data analysis.
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Overarching Strategy 2
Desired Outcome 1: A fully-developed balanced assessment system will reflect Portrait of a Graduate
outcomes in all content areas
Balanced Assessment Framework
Assessment is a vital part of teaching and learning because it provides teachers, students and other
stakeholders with evidence of growth. As noted in the FCPS Learning Model, assessment should be
purposeful, and a wide variety of assessment options should be used to maximize student learning, provide
data to show progress in both content and skill attainment, and support students’ ability to monitor their own
growth.
FCPS is committed to implementing a purposeful, balanced approach to assessment that helps fully prepare
students for the 21st century. This approach takes into account the current context of standardized testing as
one of the means of assessing student learning and encourages administrators and teachers to include
assessment opportunities that engage students in the learning process and that measure deeper
understandings and Portrait of a Graduate attributes. This shift promotes change in both classroom
assessments and the assessments used for accountability purposes as detailed in the diagram below.
Though the full realization of balanced assessment, where student portfolios are fully implemented and
systems of division accountability are in place, is still in the future, ISD has begun to build school level capacity
in performance based assessments. Over the past two years, in the five areas where SOL tests were
removed, teachers have been encouraged to use Performance Based Assessment (PBA) to assess student
learning. Many teachers of grades 3, 6, and 7 social studies, grade 3 science and grade 5 writing have
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provided the opportunity for students to demonstrate content knowledge and skills in this way. The VDOE has
increased its expectation for the 2016-2017 school year and students must engage with at least one PBA in
each of those areas. Impacted teachers will be provided with a list of three PBAs that align with pacing for
quarters three or four and will be required to implement one of their choice. A plan is currently under
consideration to determine an efficient way of collecting student work samples to determine the current state
of student work and teacher scoring as well as inform processes for implementing alternative accountability
metrics in future reports.
While this work specifically addresses the changing SOL requirements from the VDOE, it has a much broader
scope. The use of performance-based assessments allows teachers to measure growth in skills and
understandings that more traditional paper and pencil tests do not measure (McTighe, 2014). Performance-
based assessments also provide students with greater opportunities for self-assessment, which helps support
their development as goal directed and resilient individuals (Adamson, F. & Darling-Hammond, L., 2010).
To address the Strategic Plan goal of incorporating capstone-like assessments at grades three, five, eight and
ten/eleven, ISD created an Assessment Innovation Team (AIT), comprised of elementary, middle and high
school staff that are committed to creating and piloting more authentic performance-based assessments.
Select staff members from these schools are collaborating to determine capstone design criteria and to
vertically articulate the Portrait of a Graduate skills. Once those tasks are complete, each school will work with
ISD staff to co-design and implement a capstone project which will inform the scaling of this work to the entire
Division. This work will be informed by the FCPS Global Awareness Technology Project (GATP) that has been
in place for several years.
As FCPS broadens the types of assessments being used in classrooms, there is a need for resources to
support teachers and students in measuring growth toward the Portrait of a Graduate attributes. Rubrics and
self-reflection pages have been created and are intended to be a flexible resource that is integrated into the
ongoing teaching and learning occurring in the classroom. These resources offer students the opportunity to
self-assess their progress toward each attribute. They also provide teachers the opportunity to explicitly
assess those attributes as part of the work they already do in the classroom. These rubrics can also become
the basis of a portfolio approach, allowing students and teachers to collect evidence and assess growth
toward Portrait of a Graduate goals.
These resources were piloted during the 2015-2016 school year. The feedback collected was used to revise
the rubrics and create professional learning opportunities that support teachers and administrators with the
implementation of these rubrics.
An example of the student self-reflection page is included below.
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Desired Outcome 2: Data tools will be available to schools, school teams, and individual teachers to diagnose
and monitor individual student progress
FCPS has a number of data tools available to schools to support student achievement. To aid staff in using
these tools effectively to monitor student progress and improve student achievement, a Division Data
Collaboration Team (DDCT) was created. In addition, a new universal screening and progress monitoring tool
is being piloted during the 2016-2017 school year.
Division Data Collaboration Team (DDCT)
This newly formed team supports schools with assessment cycles, collaborative planning, and data driven
dialogues through increased access to data, data tools, and data literacy. This team has inherited a number of
applications and data tools, such as the DataWall, DataSorter, SOLsorter, SPBQsorter, Teacher AID, and El
Data Portfolio and will continue to develop new tools, such as CDLS and a geospatial benchmarking tool, in
response to instructional needs. This team also works collaboratively with other offices in ISD to integrate data
literacy and data tool proficiency into professional development.
Since forming in late September, the team has:
• Assisted over 60 schools in setting up Data Walls for the 2015-2016 school year
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• Provided 24 secondary schools with Teacher AID to combine intervention data with quarter grades,
SOL history, and Horizon scores to create detailed student reports and school summary dashboards
• Provided over 100 schools with EL Demographic Data, analytics that detail English Language
Proficiency (ELP) progress, individualized WIDA Performance and CAN DO descriptors to inform
instruction, and testing data to support assessment through the EL Data Portfolio
• Developed Data Sorter proficiency with the elementary and secondary instructional coaches
• Provided data analysis and reports to over 20 Project Momentum schools
Team members have also been part of the conception, testing, and professional development of Responsive
Instruction (RI) functionality in EDSL. To date, 754 staff members at 116 elementary schools and 33
secondary schools have been trained.
Universal Screening and Progress Monitoring Tool
Universal screening is the systematic assessment of complete populations of students in order to identify
students at risk of learning difficulties. School divisions across the country use universal screeners to assess
foundational skills in reading and math and tier students by risk level within the context of a Response to
Intervention framework. Universal screening is often followed by diagnostic testing to further target learning
needs to be addressed by intervention. Student growth is tracked by progress monitoring assessments.
FCPS identified a need for universal screening to promote early identification of students at risk for difficulties.
In the spring of 2016, a RFP for a Universal Screening and Progress Monitoring tool was launched. After a
rigorous RFP process, Curriculum Associates, the developer of i-Ready, a universal screening and progress
monitoring tool, was awarded a contract in July 2016. This tool was selected for its potential to streamline RI
processes, promote early identification and remediation of difficulties, and improve student achievement. The
i-Ready tool provides screening and progress monitoring in foundational skills for reading and mathematics, as
well as targeted teacher-led and online intervention lessons.
i-Ready is being implemented with all students, grades K-6 in 15 elementary school pilot sites during the 2016-
2017 school year. All pilot schools will administer online, adaptive assessments in reading and mathematics
three times a year, conduct additional monthly growth monitoring checks throughout the year, and utilize
online and teacher-led instruction to support students identified as at risk for difficulties in reading or
mathematics.
Data from the pilot year will be used to explore i-Ready’s suitability to satisfy the eligibility requirements of the
Early Intervention in Reading Initiative (EIRI) for the VDOE. To this end, the results of i-Ready will be
compared to the results of the DRA-Word Analysis and the DRA2 to solicit state approval to use i-Ready in
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lieu of the universal administration of the DRA2 tools. This would reduce teacher workload, and allow teachers
to use DRA2 tools as follow up diagnostic assessments with students who demonstrate risk for reading
difficulties on i-Ready. Secondly, data sources will be correlated to identify possible redundancies in
assessments currently used in FCPS, in an effort to reduce testing time for both students and teachers.
Finally, data from the pilot year will be used to determine the impact on achievement and inform plans for
division-wide scaling in elementary schools and middle schools in the 2017-2018 school year and beyond.
Desired Outcome 3: Grading will be an accurate reflection of learning
FCPS has undergone extensive work to update secondary grading and reporting practices to ensure grades
are an accurate reflection of learning. As a part of this work, ISD engaged with stakeholder groups to
determine current homework practices in the Division.
Secondary Grading and Reporting
After eighteen months of consideration by various stakeholder groups, FCPS implemented several new middle
and high school grading policies to bring more consistency to practices across the Division and ensure that
grades are an accurate reflection of learning. The new policies were in the following areas:
• Separation of work habits and achievement
• Maximum and minimum weights grades can carry
• Retakes with associated guidelines
• Limiting or eliminate zeros in a 100 point scale
The new policies bring more consistency to schools across the division and focus on providing students
opportunities to demonstrate proficiency. Collaborative teams have been provided guidance through regulation
and supporting documents to implement grading policies that encourage students to make continued efforts to
improve and ensure grades better reflect learning.
During the 2016-2017 school year, the impact of these new policies will be monitored and then it will be
determined if additional policies should be considered. The full text of changes can be found at:
https://www.fcps.edu/academics/grading-and-reporting/high-school
Best Practices for Homework
During the 2015-2016 school year, ISD staff began work with stakeholder groups related to homework
practices. This work included clarifying the purpose of homework for district-wide understanding and
51
consistency; addressing community/stakeholder concerns about student health and wellness and life/ school
balance regarding homework; and developing resources for teachers and administrators that will help
generate dialogue and understanding about how to meet rigorous course requirements within the homework
time constraints sited in FCPS Regulation 3205 Homework-Guidelines. As a result of this work, research
based homework best practices resources and reflective tools have been developed to address the urgent
need to improve student health and wellness and life/school balance related to homework. These tools are
being piloted in a few schools with a specific emphasis on advanced academic courses and additional
professional development opportunities that will be determined as the work moves forward.
MONITORING METRICS for OVERARCHING STRATEGY 2
Metric: Passages report
When looking at student achievement through the lens of grade 3, 6,and 8 students passing both the reading
and mathematics SOL assessments, there was a slight increase this past year. Grade 3 represents the
strongest results since 2012.
There was a decrease last year in the percent of graduates passing all 5 course courses.
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Metric: Program evaluations – Summary of Issues and Trends
The Office of Program Evaluation (OPE) has conducted studies about the experiences of pre-school students
who enter FCPS and the subsequent outcomes they demonstrate; about the impact of extending honors
course opportunities for high school students; and about how FCPS educates English learners (EL students),
as well as the historical academic performance of ELs. These studies should not be regarded as sufficient for
definitive conclusions or a description of a full array of cross cutting issues and trends. However, these studies
do reflect a common theme related to equity in opportunity and outcomes:
1. While equity in student opportunities is a great concern and pursuit for FCPS, students experience a
wide range of learning environments, both upon entering and after years of enrollment in FCPS. In
some cases the rigor of the environment is not directly related to a student’s academic ability. And, the
consequence of experiencing a lesser challenging academic environment may last multiple years or
even throughout the student’s public school experience.
2. Students from groups typically underrepresented in more rigorous learning opportunities, when given
those opportunities and support, experience success similar to those groups of students who most
often experience the more rigorous learning opportunities. This condition about equity in outcomes
suggests, in part, that more students can be engaged in rigorous curriculum and FCPS is on the right
pathway to motivating and teaching more students to master high level content.
Ensuring that timely and relevant data are available and that decision-makers understand how to use these
data are critical conditions for continuing the progress made in student equity in opportunity and outcomes.
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Overarching Strategy 3
Desired Outcome 1: All qualifying future FCPS students will have access to high quality early education
programs
Collaborative Comprehensive Plan
In October 2016, Fairfax County’s Office for Children launched the process for developing a school readiness
strategic plan that would address all of Fairfax County. FCPS’ early childhood staff are participating as
members of the steering committee. Early childhood stakeholders from the community and public schools are
being interviewed by a consultant to capture the landscape of school readiness in Fairfax County, including
availability of and access to preschool services. As members of the steering committee, FCPS staff will help
draft Fairfax County’s school readiness strategic plan which will complement the efforts of both the FCPS
School Board’s Ignite Strategy 3 and the Successful Children and Youth Policy Team (SCYPT) endorsed early
childhood recommendations. The key SYCPT recommendations include: (1) creating a learning network of
quality early care and education programs that promote readiness through the expansion of the Neighborhood
School Readiness Teams; (2) expanding the Virginia Preschool Initiative, Child Care Assistance and Referral
and Virginia Quality program; (3) improving accountability and opportunities for data-driven decision making
through a comprehensive early childhood data system; and (4) investigating opportunities to provide a place-
based coordinated services (early childhood care and education, health, mental health, nutrition, social
services, and dental) for children and their families in locations near their work or home.
Continuum of Services
FCPS and Fairfax County offer a range of preschool experiences for children birth to five years old. The
preschool opportunities for qualified children are in the public schools, center-based, family childcare, and
home environments. These opportunities are grant funded with support from FCPS, Fairfax County, and, in
some instances, with a sliding scale fee paid by families.
The broad range of programming for children living in Fairfax County varies in quality. Quality is dependent on
professionals who have a strong background in education and child development; positive interactions that
support social emotional development and curiosity; class sizes that allow for individual attention; and age
appropriate curriculum and learning environments that stimulate cognitive development (A Matter of Equity:
Preschool in America, 2015 & Expanding Access to Quality Pre-K is Sound Public Policy, 2013). These
characteristics are the hallmark of quality and must be cultivated in all early childhood settings in Fairfax
County.
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Access requires that qualified children have affordable programs available in their neighborhoods that include
place-based coordinated services such as wraparound services. (A Matter of Equity: Preschool in America,
2015 & Expanding Access to Quality Pre-K is Sound Public Policy, 2013). Access to quality early childhood
programs continues to be a challenge in Fairfax County, as is evidenced by the number of children entering
kindergarten without a preschool experience and the waitlist for programs despite the increase in spaces
made available to families. The chart below indicates the areas in Fairfax County where families reported
children had no formal PreK experience when entering Kindergarten in the 2015-2016 school year (Study of
the Impact of Pre-Kindergarten Experiences on FCPS Students, Office of Program Evaluation, (OPE) 2016).
Despite a reduction in children on the waitlist; which may be attributed to FCPS and Fairfax County growing
the number of children receiving services by increasing grant funding (e.g., Title I, EHS, VPI, and VPI+) and
increasing class size in the schools; the OPE chart shows a concentrated need for PreK experiences in the
Herndon, Falls Church and Mt Vernon pyramids.
Finally, an early childhood readiness rubric is in development. The rubric will be one tool to increase the
quality of early childhood programming in Fairfax County. More details regarding the rubric can be found in the
Percentage of students entering kindergarten without a preschool
experience by pyramid
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FCPS Readiness Plan section of this report.
Family Engagement
Family engagement is an integral part of the publicly funded preschool programs in FCPS and Fairfax County.
These programs offer opportunities for families to engage around their child’s learning (e.g., kindergarten
transition), as well as, opportunities to learn skills that will potentially improve the family status (e.g.,
budgeting). Further development of family engagement strategies with support from community and cultural
organizations is in its infancy. Established partnerships with community services like the public libraries to
promote literacy and health department to promote healthy living are the foundation from which additional
efforts will be developed. Early childhood staff is partnering with the FCPS Family and School Partnership
team to review current opportunities and partnerships with community and cultural organizations that will
better inform the development of engagement strategies for families with young children (birth to five).
Desired Outcome 2: All agencies will coordinate their efforts to provide similar early childhood experiences
Community Partnerships
FCPS has well-established programs and functioning partnerships with Fairfax County’s Office for Children as
well as early childhood stakeholders. Programs that offer direct early childhood experiences to qualified
children include the Virginia Preschool Initiative (VPI), VPI+, Head Start, and Early Head Start. VPI is a state
grant that provides funding to the majority of enrolled FCPS four-year-olds and is administered by the County.
VPI+ is part of the federal preschool expansion grant that is administered by the VDOE for four-year-olds. The
County and FCPS partner to administer this grant. Both of these programs serve children in public schools
and community programs. Head Start is a federal grant for three- and four-year-olds. FCPS and the County
partner to serve children in public schools and two community Head Start programs. Early Head Start is a
similar grant, but for infants and toddlers. The County and FCPS serve children in public schools, community
programs, and family child care. Some partnerships, such as the School Readiness Council (SRC) and
Neighborhood Schools Readiness Teams (NSRT) focus on improving the processes that support children’s
school readiness. The goal of the Neighborhood School Readiness Project, which includes the NSRT, is to
establish, sustain, and increase collaborative partnerships that support the vision that every child enters
kindergarten ready to be successful in school and beyond. The NSRT expanded by three schools in the 2015-
2016 school year and three schools in the 2016-2017 school year in response to early childhood readiness
recommendation endorsed by the Successful Children and Youth Policy Team (SCYPT). Teams are becoming
increasingly clustered to include multiple school communities (e.g., Mount Vernon Team – Riverside, Woodley
Hills and Westlawn Elementary Schools). The teams identify actions to support the overarching goal and meet
the needs of the communities.
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Beginning in the 2016-2017 school year, FCPS included community four-year-olds in Fairfax County’s publicly
funded community preschoolers in the Student Information System (SIS). This action will result in supporting
the coordinated efforts related to early childhood experiences. Specifically, inclusion in SIS will improve the
reporting to the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) on enrollment in preschool programs; the ability to
include community children’s data in the FCPS system allowing demographic and literacy data to follow
students into FCPS and potentially inform the projections for kindergarten enrollment.
FCPS Readiness Plan
Early childhood stakeholders (e.g. Office for Children, Title I, Early Childhood, Special Services, Professional
Learning and Family Engagement) began meeting in March, 2016 to address the issues of quality and access.
To better coordinate services, this team of stakeholders collaborated to develop an early childhood readiness
rubric that includes resources for early childhood educators. The rubric was developed using the VDOE
definition of readiness, Virginia’s Foundation Blocks for Early Learning Standards for Four-Year-Olds and the
PreK POS. It is designed to promote quality and to be used as a tool to support community program
connections and alignment to the public schools, promote quality teaching and learning practices, and define
age appropriate best practices. The rubric is currently being introduced and critiqued by a variety of early
childhood practitioners (e.g. preschool general education and special education teachers, community
preschool directors, community teachers, and school readiness teams) to gather feedback to refine the tool.
The rubric is expected to be finalized in December 2016.
FCPS proposes leveraging the rubric to improve quality through professional learning opportunities with
community partners in a variety of platforms such as face to face and through virtual connections. Such
professional learning begins with building partnerships. The team of stakeholders is developing a website for
these early childhood partnerships that will foster cross sector connections. Strengthening, expanding, and
developing partnerships, guided by the notion of school readiness, has the potential to positively impact
coordinated efforts to promote similar early experiences for children throughout Fairfax County.
In recognition of the importance of families in young children’s lives, the next step will be to develop a plan for
providing families with access the rubric, related resources and participation in family engagement
opportunities. Such opportunities will require partnering with early childhood stakeholders including the FCPS
Parent Resource Center, Family and School Partnerships, Fairfax County’s Office for Children, Neighborhood
and Community Services and Public Libraries, FCPS Parent Liaisons, and Wolf Trap Institute for Early
Learning through the Arts. The focus of the family engagement will be school readiness opportunities and
resources. Some of the topics may include executive functioning and the Mind in the Making modules.
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MONITORING METRICS for OVERARCHING STRATEGY 3
Metric: A comprehensive report on kindergarten students who received pre-school service
In May 2016, the Office of Program Evaluation (OPE) completed a study on the impact of pre-kindergarten
experiences on FCPS students. The purpose of this study was to (a) identify to what extent differences exist in
academic and behavioral outcomes for students with and without a formal pre-kindergarten experience; and
(b) investigate the costs, funding streams, and potential return on investment of Family and Early Childhood
Education Program (FECEP)/Head Start. The study indicated that participation in FECEP/Head Start for two
years, rather than one, was associated with higher achievement, lower need for ESOL services, and greater
participation in advanced coursework during high school. It further showed that former FECEP/Head Start
students required fewer Special Education services in elementary and middle school. The study also noted
that students who participated in FECEP/Head Start demonstrated stronger early reading skills upon
Kindergarten entry than those who had not participated in a formal experience and this reading difference was
evident through the first grade. OPE recommends FCPS continue to decrease the waitlist and provide
preschool services for all eligible children by advocating at the state level for more access to funding and
collaborating with the Office for Children in Fairfax County (Study of the Impact of Pre-Kindergarten
Experiences on FCPS Students, Office of Program Evaluation, 2016). More information on the study is
available at
http://www.boarddocs.com/vsba/fairfax/Board.nsf/files/AAPUDU77CCBF/$file/EC%20Y1%20Presentation.pdf
Metric: Available Pre-K opportunities and number of students participating in Pre-K programming
The VDOE requires that families report their child’s Pre-K experience as part of kindergarten registration.
Each bar on this graph represents the percentage of preschool experience in the 2011 to 2015 school year.
Each year, there is an increase in the percentage of students that had a preschool experience; however, the
quality and dosage (i.e., number of years or hours) of the experience is not captured in the data.
In July 2016, the Commonwealth changed the Pre-K experience categories. As a result of these changes, it is
anticipated that families will more accurately reflect their child’s Pre-K experience. Due to the timing of the
change, this is a transition year. Pre-K experience data in the 2017-2018 school year will reflect only the
revised categories.
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Metric: Longitudinal data for Pre-K students through 6th grade
The current results of FCPS early childhood programs are captured in the longitudinal data on cohorts of
students who participated in FECEP/Head Start. Standards of Learning (SOL) data continues to be collected
on cohorts of students who previously attended FECEP/Head Start. Longitudinal data demonstrates that gains
made as a result of participation in FECEP/Head Start continue through eleventh grade, currently the last
grade for which data is available. Systemwide, FECEP/Head Start students outperformed economically
disadvantaged peers who did not attend FECEP/Head Start in both reading through eleventh grade and
mathematics through tenth grade. The graphs represented in this report are an example of several cohorts’
performances on the Grade 2 DRA and 5th grade math and reading SOLs and is consistent with other
cohorts.
30 24 22 19
70 76 78 81
0
20
40
60
80
100
2012N=13,836
2013N=13,915
2014N=13,448
2015N=12,966
Perc
ent
No PreK Experience PreK Experience
Available Opportunities:
• Center Based
• Head Start
• Early Head Start
• Virginia Preschool Initiative (VPI)
• VPI – Plus
• Family Child Care
• Early Childhood Special Education
• Home Visiting
• Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool
Youngsters (HIPPY)
Early Childhood Preschool Experience
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A greater percentage of second grade students who participated in FECEP/Head Start in the spring
consistently met the spring Developmental Reading Assessment 2 (DRA2) benchmark when compared to
students who qualified for free/reduced meals who did not attend FECEP/Head Start. While these same
cohorts of students in first and second grade reflect a gap in meeting the grade level benchmark on the DRA2
when compared to all FCPS students, they continue to exceed the performance of free and reduced students
who did not attend FECEP/Head Start.
A greater percentage of former FECEP/Head Start students consistently passed the grade level reading and
mathematics SOL exam than other students who qualify for free/reduced meals. However, there continues to
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be a gap between division-wide performance and students who attended FECEP/Head Start. Additional
longitudinal data is available in the FECEP/Head Start Advisory Committee
Report http://www.boarddocs.com/vsba/fairfax/Board.nsf/goto?open&id=AA8J3J4AE25A.
Every fall, all kindergarteners district-wide, with the exception of students with limited English or students with
an IEP exemption, are administered the DRA2 WA. The DRA2 WA measures phonological awareness, printed
language concepts (language used to talk about letters and words), letter/word recognition, and phonics, all
building blocks for learning to read. The assessment is used to identify students who need additional
instructional in order to learn the necessary skills. Students who did not meet the fall benchmark on this
assessment received intervention throughout the kindergarten school year. In the fall of 2015-2016 school
year, 83% of kindergarten students assessed met the fall intervention benchmark and 17% were identified as
needing intervention. Students are assessed again in the spring of their kindergarten school year.
Percent of the 2015-2016 school year Kindergarten Students Meeting DRA2 Word Analysis Intervention Benchmark
Identified for
Intervention17%
Not Identified for
Intervention83%
Number of students tested: 12,410
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Overarching Strategy 4
Desired Outcome 1: A portfolio of school options will provide multiple pathways to a high school diploma
FCPS provides a comprehensive portfolio of services and programs to support students with postsecondary
readiness and success. All students have the option of pursuing honors, Advanced Placement, or International
Baccalaureate coursework available at their school through open enrollment. Highly specialized coursework is
available through FCPS High School Academies. School counselors work with students, beginning in
elementary school, to provide classroom instruction, individual and small group programming focused on
academic success, social emotional wellbeing, school engagement, and academic and postsecondary
planning. Career Center Specialists are housed in all high schools to provide resources and information about
postsecondary options and planning and to offer support to students and parents in collaboration with school
counselors. Additional support services are provided to students with disabilities through Career Transition
Services (CTS) and to students who are traditionally underrepresented in colleges through the College
Success Program (CSP). This portfolio of services works collaboratively to ensure postsecondary readiness
for all students.
Career and Technical Education (CTE) is at the forefront of preparing students to be college- and career-
ready by providing instructional programs through which students acquire core academic skills and knowledge
and learn relevant technical applications of current and emerging careers while preparing for postsecondary
studies and employment opportunities following high school graduation. This program provides for a variety of
CTE courses in all middle and high schools and continues to monitor student interests and workforce
demands in order to provide academic coursework and opportunities that meet the needs of students and the
community.
FCPS continues to focus on providing students with a meaningful pathway to graduation that will result in
college and career readiness by supplying students with opportunities to explore academic and personal
strengths and college and career interests, to set personal and educational goals related to strengths and
interests, and to pursue relevant coursework and work-based learning experiences related to those goals. To
reach this desired outcome, FCPS is engaged in ongoing advocacy with the VDOE, has expanded strategic
community partnerships, and continues to expand and refine educational programs and support services for
students and their families. These efforts are detailed below.
Graduation Requirements
FCPS continues to monitor VDOE action on changes to graduation requirements and will continue advocacy
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for additional flexibility, including the decreased number of verified credits and required end-of-course exams,
increased opportunities for students to earn verified credits through industry credentials, additional coursework
to satisfy graduation requirements, and multiple pathways for students. A proposal for a review and
adjustment of the FCPS local graduation requirements for the Standard Diploma to match the VDOE
requirements for the Standard Diploma will be presented to the School Board in early 2017.
During the 2015-2016 school year and the current school year, additional efforts and tools to market existing
graduation requirements have been developed, including a graduation requirements tracker for use by school
counselors through the Student Information System (SIS), a redesign of the graduation requirements
resources for school counselors and other school staff, resources promoting and explaining industry
credentials, an updated electronic course catalogue for students, and enhanced resources for the course
planner in Naviance.
Student Learning Plan
The FCPS Student Learning Plan is designed to capture the whole child – social, emotional, intellectual, and
physical. It provides a means for students to synthesize their work associated with the skills outlined in Portrait
of a Graduate. The Student Learning Plan supports personalized learning and prepares students for
postsecondary careers and work. This process is developed to improve each student’s motivation and
engagement connecting to future plans; support each student’s personal and social growth as they progress
through school into adulthood; encourage family involvement in planning; improve each student’s
understanding of postsecondary options and long-term planning; and enable students to take ownership of
their future and make a successful transition from school to work.
This plan is developed and implemented by students in grades 7-12 with the strong support of parents, staff in
schools, and the community. The Student Learning Plan is designed as a dynamic process, which allows
students to identify their interests, incorporate their strengths, set academic, career, and personal goals, and
reflect on their learning. The FCPS Student Learning Plan satisfies the VDOE mandate for each middle and
high school student to have a personal learning plan that aligns academic and career goals with the student’s
course of study.
Elementary school is a time for building awareness around college and career readiness. Parents and school
staff can help students identify their own unique strengths and interests. Students learn the language of
SMART goal setting and begin to set academic goals. At 6th grade, teachers and school counselors help
students plan for their courses in middle school based on their strengths, interests, and goals. Efforts are
underway to expand elementary school access to Naviance. Currently, 58 elementary schools have access to
Naviance for their grade 6 students, and additional schools will be added over the next two years Middle
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school is a time for exploration. Using the electronic tool, Naviance/Family Connection students, review and
revise SMART goals; use purposeful assessments to identify and build their strengths and interests; and
explore careers that are related to those strengths and interests; record activities, accomplishments, awards,
and leadership opportunities to build their resume; and develop draft course plans of study for high school
based their strengths and career interests. High school is a time for application. Each year, students continue
to refine their plan for their future, building on work that was started in elementary school. Throughout high
school, tasks started in middle school are reviewed, revised and updated as needed. Students engage in
meaningful learning experiences that align with their postsecondary plan including job-shadowing, internships,
problem-based learning, and service learning opportunities.
Students, parents, and staff use an electronic tool in a blended learning environment to develop, maintain, and
support the Student Learning Plan. Effective use of the Student Learning Plan can guide instructional
practices across all content areas. Middle and high school CTE teachers and Career and Transition Services
staff have received training on how to integrate the Student Learning Plan into content, and training will be
available in additional content areas over time.
High School Academies
High school academies are centers within existing high schools that offer advanced technical and specialized
courses that successfully integrate career and academic preparation. Each academy emphasizes instruction
in one or more career pathways through unique programming and coursework. The academies located at
Chantilly, Edison, Fairfax, Falls Church, Marshall, and West Potomac High Schools are open to students at
any FCPS high school interested in pursuing careers in engineering and scientific technology; health and
human services; international studies and business; or communications and the arts. Students enrolled in the
academy elective courses are provided with opportunities to participate in job shadowing, mentoring, and/or
internships with local businesses. The program provides high school students with access to courses that are
not available in the base high school programs; prepares students for employment following high school
graduation and/or preparation for continuation of postsecondary studies; and increases opportunities for
students to successfully pass industry certification and licensure tests that can be used to gain employment
upon graduation.
Four of the six high school academies have received the VDOE designation as a Governor’s Academy. Each
Governor's Academy is a partnership among school divisions, postsecondary institutions, and business and
industry. Falls Church and West Potomac are Governor’s Health Sciences Academies that focus on
therapeutic services, support services, health informatics, diagnostic services and biotechnology. The
Governor’s Health Sciences Academies provide expanded options for students in health sciences literacy and
other critical knowledge, skills, and credentials that prepare them for high-demand, high-wage, and high-skill
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health sciences careers. Several courses offered, provide the opportunity for students to earn industry
certifications and dual enrollment college credits. These academies work with business and community
partners including health care institutions, higher education institutions, local government, and economic
development entities to provide rich workforce development experiences for students and build a skilled
network of future health care professionals. The Governor’s STEM Academies at Chantilly and Marshall focus
on information technology and engineering with an emphasis on advanced manufacturing, robotics, and
aerospace science. The Governor's STEM Academies are programs designed to expand options for the
students to acquire literacy in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) while earning
industry credentials required for high-demand, high-wage, and high-skill careers in Virginia. STEM literacy is
an interdisciplinary area of study that bridges the four areas of science, technology, engineering and
mathematics. STEM literacy does not simply mean achieving literacy in the individual strands; STEM
classrooms shift students toward investigating and questioning the interrelated facets of the world.
In collaboration with a CTE advisory council and through the review of workforce trends data and student
interest data, course offerings at high school academies are continually evaluated to ensure they reflect
industry demand as well as connect academic knowledge with technical applications. New in the 2016-2017
school year is the Firefighting Academy program at the West Ox Fire Training Facility. Launched through a
partnership with the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department, approximately 20 students are participating
in the inaugural year of the program. In addition, the Emergency Medical Technician program has been
expanded to include an additional site at West Potomac Academy. The additional programs in health and
medical sciences have been developed in response to the growing student interest, often including waitlists to
enter classes, in available academy programs within the career cluster, as well as the increased workforce
demand in the local region.
Cybersecurity
In response to increased demand for cybersecurity jobs, cybersecurity courses and experiences are being
expanded in FCPS. During the 2016-2017 school year, cybersecurity courses are offered at four school sites:
Chantilly Academy, Marshall Academy, Edison Academy, and Mount Vernon High School. Additionally, 18
FCPS schools with 90 total teams will participate in the National Youth Cyber Education Program,
CyberPatriot. At the center of CyberPatriot is the National Youth Cyber Defense Competition. The competition
puts teams of high school and middle school students in the position of newly hired IT professionals tasked
with managing the network of a small company. This year, for the first time, seven FCPS middle schools, in
addition to more than ten high schools, will participate in the CyberPatriot competition. Middle school
participation is sponsored through a partnership grant from the FCPS Education Foundation and the
Community Foundation. Over a two year period, ten middle schools will receive funding to jumpstart a
CyberPatriot program. Schools work closely with FCPS school-based sponsors and business volunteers to
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provide students with the resources to be successful as part of this national program. Additionally, FCPS will
participate in the Virginia National Security Agency (NSA) Day of Cyber School Challenge by providing
opportunities for schools and students to explore virtual real world cyber scenarios and other cybersecurity
resources.
STEAM Innovation Projects
STEAM is a student-centered, project based interdisciplinary instructional model that integrates science,
technology, engineering, the arts, and mathematics. STEAM is based on student driven inquiry and problem
solving to facilitate innovation through collaboration, communication, creativity, and critical thinking. The
STEAM Project team consists of members of various ISD teams including mathematics, science, and CTE,
that work collaboratively to provides ongoing support to a growing number of STEAM Resource and STEAM
focused teaching through optional professional development sessions, on site school support, and
instructional resources via Blackboard and the FCPS Google+ Community, a personal learning network. The
STEAM Project works closely with community and business partners such as Boeing, the American
Association for the Advancement of Science, and the National Academy of Engineering to support teachers
and provide real world connections to future career possibilities for students.
The STEAM Project team works collaboratively with school administrations and teachers to grow the number
of STEAM instructional learning opportunities for students throughout the District. At the elementary school
level, the number of STEAM labs located within FCPS elementary schools has grown from four to 64 since the
beginning of the STEAM Integration Project in 2014. STEAM labs provide a dedicated space and STEAM
instructor to provide an opportunity for students to enrich and apply their content knowledge to develop a
solution to a challenge or problem presented through the class. Students use the Engineering Design Process
to solve challenges in small collaborative groups. STEAM instructors work closely with the K-6 classroom
teachers to ensure the challenges are closely connected to the content taught in class and structure lessons to
provide students with the opportunity to further develop Portrait of a Graduate attributes. The STEAM Project
team collaborates with EdLeader21 and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching to
incorporate research-based Improvement Science in FCPS practices as much of the STEAM Project work
revolves around innovation and change. As part of a national Networked Improvement Community (NIC) that
includes four school districts from around the country, FCPS will create 100 STEM classrooms at the grade 6
level by May 2018. This collaborative NIC will create a model for STEM expansion in additional FCPS
elementary school classrooms.
FCPS continues to expand K-12 summer enrichment opportunities in areas such as robotics, cybersecurity,
aerospace, and sustainable energy. STEM Camp, a centrally located camp for students in grades 3 through 5,
gives students the opportunity to explore three-dimensional design and printing, aerospace, robotics, and
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energy. In the summer of 2016, STEAM Lab was held at Woodlawn Elementary School and hosted students in
grades 1 through 6 from across the Mount Vernon Pyramid. Students were exposed to engaging activities
aligned to Virginia SOLs, specifically mathematics and science, including a robust robotics program. In
collaboration with SySTEMic Solutions, a partnership with Northern Virginia Community College, FCPS
offered 2016 summer enrichment opportunities in VEX robotics and cyber security at South Lakes, Edison,
and West Potomac High Schools.
At the middle and high school level, the STEAM Project team has focused on expanding coursework,
innovative programming, and summer enrichment for students. In the summer of 2015, FCPS was awarded
the three-year VDOE High School Innovation Planning Grant to develop an integrated high school STEM
program. The program, Global STEM Challenges, is offered at Edison High School and currently serves 69
students in the first cohort. Students learn in an integrated, project based learning environment focused on
science, mathematics, and engineering concepts and also earn computer science credit as the curriculum is
embedded throughout the coursework. The Grand Challenges for Engineering provides the framework to
support the real world connections that are emphasized through the curriculum, work-based learning
experiences and site-based learning opportunities with business and community partners.
The Mount Vernon STEAM Innovation Pyramid (MVP) is a K-12 initiative that was launched in the summer of
2014 and provides students with rigorous STEAM centered learning experiences to facilitate a deeper
understanding of content knowledge and opportunities for innovation, emphasizing Portrait of a Graduate
attributes. Schools in the pyramid are provided with curriculum, support resources, targeted professional
development, and extended learning opportunities. Two STEAM resource teachers are dedicated to
supporting the pyramid in this initiative along with the implementation of new resources. Based on regional
workforce needs data, Whitman Middle School and Mount Vernon High School are offering new courses in
cybersecurity and engineering to inspire, engage, and increase student awareness of these career fields.
Each MVP elementary school has a STEAM committee and a STEAM focus in their School Innovation Plans.
Over the summer, elementary teachers in the pyramid developed STEAM lessons for each grade level to
support student learning and opportunities for increased development of Portrait of a Graduate attributes.
Finally, in collaboration with the FCPS Instructional Technology Integration (ITI) team, the STEAM Project
team provides website resources to promote computer programming, the Hour of Code, and coding. The
STEAM Project team supports the integration of coding activities into the K-12 learning environment and
support schools with implementation of the Hour of Code.
Work-Based Learning
The expansion of work-based learning opportunities continues to be a focus for FCPS. During the 2015-2016
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school year, a project team with representation from across ISD completed a national review of best practices
for work-based learning and began the development of a definition and continuum for work-based learning in
FCPS. Over the next school year, the project team will continue to refine the continuum and develop an
implementation plan to expand current opportunities as well as explore opportunities for new programs and
experiences for students, including advocacy for additional community partnerships and course codes for
work-based learning experiences in addition to the existing business and marketing cooperative education
courses and opportunities for students with disabilities. While work-based learning experiences are being
incorporated across content areas and grades, the Genesys Works partnership as well as the data from
Career and Transition Services (CTS) are highlighted below as examples of work-based learning opportunities
for students.
Genesys Works
Genesys Works is a non-profit that aims to support students on free and reduced lunch and/or students who
will be the first in their family to attend college by providing workforce skills training, meaningful internships,
and impactful relationships. FCPS established a partnership with Genesys Works in 2015 to expand existing
internship and work-based learning opportunities available to students. In the first year of the partnership, 21
students from six different high schools (Annandale, Falls Church, Lee, Mount Vernon, Stuart, and West
Potomac) are participating in year-long paid internships with a focus on information technology at companies
around the Northern Virginia area. This is the highest number of internships that Genesys Works has
supported in its history during the first year of a new partnership. Prior to beginning an internship, students
complete a seven week summer program to gain comprehensive workforce training. Throughout the school
year, students receive continuous support in workforce skills training as well as postsecondary planning from
Genesys Works. For the 2017-18 school year, Genesys Works hopes to increase the number of internships at
the six identified high schools with the intention of expanding to other high schools once the base of business
partners has increased sufficiently to support larger numbers of students.
Career and Transition Services (CTS)
In order to prepare youth with disabilities for the challenges and expectations that await them upon graduation
from high school, effective transition programming is vital. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act,
IDEA (2004) mandates that transition services address all areas related to successful entry and participation in
adult life, begins once a student turns 14 years of age, and must include measurable goals and objectives
related to postsecondary education, training, employment, and as appropriate independent living skills. CTS
provides a range of student focused, coordinated activities and supports including career assessment, career
related instruction, parent/family education, and interagency and community partnerships that support
individualized postsecondary goals and assist students with disabilities with college and career readiness. The
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CTS courses and services provide opportunities for work-based learning (WBL) and lead to the development
of the attributes outlined in Portrait of a Graduate. In the 2015-2016 school year, 843 students participated in
career assessments, 587 students received academy support services while participating in an academy
class, 257 students participated in services through Special Education Career Centers and the Secondary
Transition to Employment Program (STEP), 719 students took a Work Awareness and Transition or Education
for Employment course, and 221 students received job coach services. In addition, CTS worked with 391
business partners who supported 1,102 students in a nonpaid community work experience.
Desired Outcome 2: Students will be fluent in two or more languages
Effective communication is one important component of preparing FCPS students with the 21st century skills
they need to be successful members of today’s global society. To prepare students to become competitive in
the global economy and to better understand perspectives of diverse societies around the world, FCPS
continues to focus on expansion of language programs, opportunities for students to participate in intercultural
exchanges, and recognition of biliterate graduates.
Language through Content World Language Program
Foreign Language in Elementary Schools (FLES) programs are in the second year of transitioning to
Language Through Content (LTC) programs. LTC is an approach to language learning that allows students to
develop basic communicative skills in a language while reinforcing and enriching concepts from the science
POS and reinforcing concepts in STEAM. In the summer of 2016, an interdisciplinary curriculum writing team
developed LTC units of study for grades K-6. These units will be translated into the eight LTC program
languages (Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, and Spanish). Curriculum
development will continue throughout the 2016-2017 school year and into summer 2017. With the addition of a
Korean LTC program at Colin Powell Elementary School this fall, there are currently 53 FLES/LTC programs
providing early language learning opportunities to FCPS students division-wide. Expansion efforts are
underway, including the consideration of blended/hybrid early language learning models.
World Languages Programs in Critical Languages
The World Languages/Internationalization Working Group Report, presented to the School Board in 2014,
recommends that world languages programs in critical languages be expanded at the secondary level to
provide students whose home language is a critical language with the opportunity to develop literacy in their
first language. To this end, FCPS has expanded language offerings in Korean, Arabic, and Chinese. Korean
language programs were established at Liberty Middle School and Centreville High School for the 2016-2017
school year with the support of grant funding from the Embassy of the Republic of Korea. Arabic was
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expanded as a language offering at the Fairfax Academy for the 2016-2017 school year. Finally, Chinese
courses are being developed that will be offered to students through the FCPS Online Campus beginning with
a level one Chinese course that will be available to students in the 2017-2018 school year with levels two and
three added to the offerings in subsequent years. Adding Chinese as an online course will provide division-
wide access to this critical language.
Virginia Seal of Biliteracy
In March 2015, the VDOE approved the Virginia Seal of Biliteracy for students who attain proficiency in
English and one or more world languages by high school graduation. The seal serves to certify achievement of
biliteracy for students, employers, and institutions of higher learning and is a statement of accomplishment that
helps to signal evidence of a student’s readiness for career and college. To earn the Seal of Biliteracy,
students must pass all required end-of-course assessments in English reading and writing at the proficient or
higher level and demonstrate proficiency at the intermediate or higher level in one or more languages other
than English, as demonstrated through a VDOE approved assessment. The FCPS Credit Exam for World
Languages and results of at least “Meets Expectations” on summative upper level (Levels 4, 5, AP/IB)
Performance Assessments for Language Students (PALS) are among the assessments that can be used for
awarding students the Seal of Biliteracy. During the first year of implementation, in June 2016, 3,526 grade 12
students earned the Virginia Seal of Biliteracy.
International Study Travel Program
FCPS partners with Education First (EF) to operate the International Study Travel/Service Learning Program
(ISTP/ISLP). This partnership provides FCPS students with a unique experience that combines knowledge
and first-hand experiences to produce globally-minded, career-focused citizens. The ISTP/ISLP is a tuition-
based, division-wide opportunity that provides global experiences to elementary, middle, and high school
students. In the 2015-2016 school year, 82 students participated in these opportunities. The ISTP/ISLP are
aligned with and support the FCPS curriculum, itineraries are vetted by FCPS content specialists in ISD, and
each trip is led by an FCPS teacher who is selected through an application process. Trips like the service
learning program Global Volunteers allow students to work side by side with local citizens to gain insight into
the challenges they face and build lasting solutions to help empower the community. Projects may include
building and restoring local schools, assisting with health and hygiene lesson plans, or establishing latrines
and hand-washing stations in the community. ISTP/ISLP opportunities connected to science, CTE, service
learning, social studies, and language immersion have been identified through 2020.
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Virtual Exchange Pilot Program
Beginning in the 2016-2017 school year, FCPS will pilot a virtual, teacher-facilitated exchange through the
iEARN-USA’s BRIDGE Program (Building Respect through International Dialogue and Global Education). This
program engages students in the US and MENA (Middle East and Northern America) regions in deep,
interactive social learning. By employing a variety of technologies and educational pedagogy, entire classes
and schools have access to high quality international and cross-cultural education. The BRIDGE program has
three main components: preparation for online exchange, virtual exchange activities, and local and virtual
project exhibitions. Teachers will receive professional development training and tools to engage their students
in these online projects. The BRIDGE program will engage with primarily high school classes across a wide
range of subject areas; iEARN offers flexible participation and customization to meet different classes’ needs.
Global STEAM Classroom Initiative (GSCI)
The Global STEAM Initiative promotes international student collaboration and communication via a virtual
classroom. Students complete PBL and STEAM activities that support FCPS language arts objectives. The
program is currently offered at Centerville Elementary School. FCPS students interact with 5th grade
classrooms in Costa Rica to learn with and from their peers through an integrated STEAM instructional model
that is focused on environmental issues.
Centreville ES has established the virtual global classroom within the constraints of the existing school
resources. The new instructional model, developed to support FCPSOn, incorporates all aspects of the GSCI,
from 1:1 technology in grade 5, global learning, inquiry-based instructional practices, and balanced
assessments including self-reflection on Portrait of a Graduate. Teachers engage in professional development
opportunities with Dr. Andrew Gilbert from George Mason University and learn ways to integrate the GSCI into
daily practice. During the 2015-2016 school year, Centreville ES held two “virtual student assemblies” with
their partner schools, with the support of the Costa Rica and U.S. Embassies
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MONITORING METRICS for OVERARCHING STRATEGY 4
Metric: Number of Career and Technical Education (CTE) certificates received per number of students in CTE
programs
While the overall percentage of students passing at least one industry credential has remained consistent
since last year, the percentage of Asian, black, and Hispanic students passing at least one industry credential
have increased and the percent of white students has decreased by one percentage point. Current seniors
who entered ninth grade in 2013-14 are the first class required to earn an industry credential for a Standard
Diploma.
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The percentage of students who are economically disadvantaged, English learners, and students with
disabilities passing at least one industry credential test have all increased since 2015.
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Metric: Percentage of students participating in work-based learning, internships, and job shadowing
experiences
Work-based learning (WBL) is a coordinated educational strategy that provides students with a continuum of
career related experiences which support their career goals and prepares them for education and employment
beyond high school. In partnership with businesses and community organizations, WBL extends the
classroom into the workplace, applying acquired knowledge and skills that employers are seeking for their
workforce. Work-based learning opportunities are available for all learners in FCPS from elementary school
through adulthood.
A continuum of WBL experiences has been developed to guide learners through the process of career
exploration. This continuum serves as a roadmap for students and adults as they explore their interests and
passions. The WBL continuum is comprised of three elements: career awareness, career exploration, and
career preparation. Each element consists of a variety of activities that learners can experience. Each of the
activities builds upon the previous activity (activities are in draft form during the 2016-2017 development
phase).
• Career Awareness - Awareness of the variety of careers available and the role of postsecondary
education to broaden student options.
• Career Exploration - Develops knowledge related to a career interest, a potential career pathway,
and workplace readiness skills to inform decision making in high school and postsecondary education.
• Career Preparation - Application of learning through practical experience that develops knowledge
and skills necessary for success in a clear pathway that moves towards employment and
postsecondary education.
WBL provides an opportunity for students to experience/engage/explore career-related education during their
schooling. WBL is not a singular experience, rather, students have a spectrum of opportunities that vary in
length and involvement to foster college and career readiness. Typically, WBL is connected to a course of
study so academic and career connections are explicit.
Career Awareness
•Inquiry & Investigation•Guest Speakers•Work Based Tours•College and Career Fairs•Informational interview
Career Exploration
•Job Shadowing•Community Work Experience•Service Learning
Career Preperation
•Student Enterprise•Internships•Cooperative Education•Apprenticeship
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Student engagement with WBL as extrapolated from the 2016 Senior Survey revealed that students are
participating in many WBL activities. The 2016 Senior Survey was administered to 13,101 students with
12,756 responding, a 97.3% response. *3,456 (27%) students reported that they had participated in job
shadowing and internships (paid and unpaid). *10,431 (81.5%) students reported that they had participated in
other work experiences (paid or unpaid), which could include employment or volunteering. *3,120 (24%)
students reported that they had no WBL experiences.
Type of WBL Experience Respondents % of Respondents
Job Shadowing *1,195 9.3%
Internships (paid) *647 5.1%
Internships (unpaid) *1,614 12.6%
Total *3,456 27.00%
Type of WBL Experience Respondents % of Respondents
Other Work Experience (paid) *7,414 57.9%
Other Work Experience (unpaid) *3,017 23.6%
Total *10,431 81.15%
Type of WBL Experience Respondents % of Respondents
No Experience *3,120 24.4%
(footnote) *may indicate duplicate student responses
Metric: Number of internship sponsors
• Currently this data is tracked only for CTS, not all FCPS programs
• During the 2015-2016 school year, CTS staff worked with 391 business partners supporting 1,102
students with disabilities in a community work experience
• During the 2015-2016 school year, CTS assisted 225 students in obtaining paid employment.
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Metric: Percentage of seniors prepared for post-high school as measured by senior exit survey, post-high
survey, and feedback from select Virginia colleges and universities
Senior Exit Survey
• In the class of 2016, 92% of the approximately 13,000 high school graduates indicated their intention
to attend postsecondary educational institutions.
• Of this group:
o 62% attend four-year colleges
o 27% attend two-year colleges
o 5% pursue military/employment
o 3% pursue other educational plans
Postsecondary Enrollment and Programs
The National Student Clearinghouse captures data from private, public, for profit and not for profit, two-year
institutions, and four-year institutions and provides a general overview of how FCPS graduates are
progressing through postsecondary education.
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Metric: National Student Clearinghouse data
The persistence rates of FCPS graduates who return for a second year at two-year and four-year institutions
have remained relatively consistent on the most recent data available from the National Student
Clearinghouse.
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Within seven years, approximately 63 percent of FCPS’ 2009 graduates earned an Associate’s, Bachelor’s, or
higher degree since graduating from FCPS.
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Within six years, approximately 59 percent of FCPS’ 2010 graduates earned an Associate’s, Bachelor’s, or
higher degree since graduating from FCPS.
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Within five years, approximately 55 percent of FCPS’ 2011 graduates have earned an Associate’s, Bachelor’s,
or higher degree.
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Metric: Degree of performance above state and national averages on SAT, ACT, and PISA
The SAT Combined Average Score for FCPS continues to increase and be above the averages for Virginia
and the nation.
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The overall percent of FCPS students scoring above national averages on the SAT continues to be 77%.
Hispanic and white students showed an increase since the last reporting year with Asian students remaining
the same and black students decreasing by one percentage point.
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Since last year, there has been a slight decrease in the percentage of students who are economically
disadvantaged scoring above the national average on the SAT while percentages for students who have
limited English proficiency and students with disabilities have slightly increased.
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The ACT Composite Average Score for FCPS continues to increase and be above the averages for Virginia
and the nation.
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The overall percent of FCPS students scoring above national averages on the ACT continues to increase. All
ethnicities increased since 2015.
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Since last year, there has been an increase in the percentage of students overall and in all subgroups scoring
above the national average on the ACT.
PISA Results
Data on the economic, social and cultural status (ESCS) is available on countries who participate in PISA
testing. The index of ESCS is based on self-reported information concerning highest occupational status of
parents, highest educational level of parents, family wealth, cultural possessions, and home educational
resources. The average ESCS for FCPS is 0.8, which is higher than the average ESCS for any of the
countries participating in 2009.
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The information on the chart above has been plotted against the ESCS index. The red dot in the center
represents the OECD average: An average scale score of 493 and an ESCS index of 0.0.The United States
2012 average score and FCPS’s 2014 performance are also indicated in red.
In an effort to show the economic diversity of FCPS, orange dots were added representing each FCPS high
school. The large red FCPS dot represents an average of all the FCPS high schools.
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The following chart displays the PISA countries in order by ESCS with their corresponding mathematics score.
FCPS remains on top, with an ESCS of 0.8.
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The information on the chart below has been plotted against the ESCS index. The red dot in the center
represents the OECD average: An average scale score of 494 and an ESCS index of 0.0.The United States
2012 average score and FCPS’s 2014 performance are also indicated in red.
In an effort to show the economic diversity of FCPS schools, orange dots were added representing each of the
FCPS high schools. The large red FCPS dot represents an average of all the FCPS high schools.
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NOTES: Education systems are ordered by average score on the 2012 administration of the PISA. The OECD average is the average for the 34 OECD countries that participated in PISA 2012, with each country weighted equally. Scores are reported on a scale from 0 to 1,000. The score for Fairfax and the average score for the Global Learning Network (GLN) are based on participation in the OECD Test for Schools (based on PISA) during the 2013-2014 school year. The GLN average is for the 146 schools that participated in 2013-2014 school year, with each school weighed equally.
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Conclusion
This report concludes the first presentation of the desired outcomes and metrics for Goal 1: Student Success.
These outcomes and their associated metrics have provided a clearer picture of FCPS’ current achievements
and the work that lies ahead to reach, challenge, and prepare every student to succeed in work and life. In the
coming year, FCPS will continue to collaborate to ensure that each desired outcome is realized. Work with
Fairfax County and outside agencies will be accelerated to ensure that quality early childhood experiences are
available to every qualified student. Departments within FCPS will continue to work together to provide
students with varied educational experiences that lead to success in college and career. The necessary steps
needed to ensure that each metric is clearly understood and fully reported has begun and will continue to be
refined during the upcoming year. With Ignite and Portrait of a Graduate as the foundation of the year ahead,
FCPS is positioned to continue to fulfill the needs of all students and ensure their success. We are very proud
of how we outperform the commonwealth, the nation, and the world.
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Addendum
Overarching Strategy 1 – Achievement Gap Data
The following slides provide a detailed examination of the achievement gap for economically disadvantaged
students by ethnicity.
In Reading, the achievement gap for economically disadvantaged students mirrors the overall achievement
gap with black and Hispanic student achievement continuing to lag behind that of white and Asian students.
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The achievement gab in reading for English Language Learners trends to the national data, with white and
Asian English Language Learners performing slightly better than black and Hispanic English Language
Learners.
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An achievement gap in Reading for Students with Disabilities exists with white and Asian students with
disabilities performing higher than black and Hispanic students with disabilities.
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In mathematics, the achievement gap for economically disadvantaged students mirrors the overall
achievement gap with black and Hispanic student achievement lagging behind that of white and Asian
students.
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The achievement gap in mathematics for English Language Learners follows the same general pattern as that
of reading, with white and Asian students scoring higher than black and Hispanic students on Virginia’s
Mathematics Standards of Learning test.
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The achievement gap in mathematics for Students with Disabilities continues to persist with white and Asian
students with disabilities performing higher than black and Hispanic students with disabilities.
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The following charts display the number of students by sub-group category that participated in both the
reading and mathematics SOLs. The data indicate that the number of economically disadvantaged and
Hispanic students in the division continues to increase significantly.
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Addendum II
2016 Strategic Plan Goal 1: Strategies 1 & 2 Next Steps
During the January 23, 2017 Work Session, the School Board was provided an opportunity to discuss
Strategies 1 and 2 of the Goal 1, Student Success report. As a result of this work session, the following
responses address the Summary of Issues and Next Steps.
Focus on ensuring that there is equity of opportunity in science curriculum at each elementary school to include, among other things, science fairs, STEM labs, etc. (Corbett Sanders)
Currently, we have 60+ STEAM labs in FCPS across the 5 Regions. Because the desired outcome and
structure of the labs are at the discretion of school-based administrators, there is a great variance in the types
of learning opportunities available to students. Some STEAM labs may be focused on deepening grade-level
science content, while others may be focused on providing opportunities to more freely explore interdisciplinary
concepts. Furthermore, some programs focus heavily on robotics and programming. All in all, the overarching
goal of all STEAM labs is to promote creativity, hands-on learning, and collaboration.
In collaboration with the math and science offices, the grade 6 Energy Unit was developed. Through project-
based learning, the quarter-long unit integrates math and science standards, which culminates into students
using the engineering design process to create, test, and improve wind turbine blades. The schools
participating in the grade 6 Energy Unit were selected based on their interest in integrating disciplines. The
goal is to continue to expand at the same rate next school year.
STEAM Labs – Elementary Schools
2014 - 15 2015 - 16 2016 - 17
School Region 1
Aldrin Aldrin Aldrin
Armstrong Armstrong Armstrong
Clearview Clearview Clearview
Colvin Run Colvin Run Colvin Run
Crossfield Crossfield Crossfield
Dogwood Dogwood Dogwood
Dranesville Dranesville Dranesville
Forestville Forestville Forestville
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Herndon Herndon
Hunters Woods Hunters Woods Hunters Woods
Hutchison Hutchison Hutchison
Lake Anne Lake Anne Lake Anne
Louise Archer Louise Archer Louise Archer
Marshall Road Marshall Road
Navy Elementary Navy Elementary
Wolftrap Wolftrap
Region 2
Bailey's (Primary) Bailey's (Primary) Bailey's (Primary)
Bailey's (Upper) Bailey's (Upper) Bailey's (Upper)
Beech Tree Beech Tree
Braddock Braddock Braddock
Camelot Camelot Camelot
Freedom Hill Freedom Hill Freedom Hill
Glen Forest Glen Forest
Graham Road Graham Road
Kent Gardens Kent Gardens
North Springfield North Springfield North Springfield
Shrevewood Shrevewood Shrevewood
Westlawn Westlawn Westlawn
Region 3
Cameron Cameron Cameron
Forestdale Forestdale Forestdale
Fort Belvoir (Upper) Fort Belvoir (Upper) Fort Belvoir (Upper) Fort Belvoir (Upper)
Garfield Garfield Garfield
Groveton Groveton Groveton
Hayfield Hayfield Hayfield
Hollin Meadows Hollin Meadows Hollin Meadows
Hybla Valley Hybla Valley Hybla Valley
Island Creek Island Creek
Lorton Station Lorton Station
Lynbrook Lynbrook Lynbrook
Mount Eagle Mount Eagle Mount Eagle
Mt Vernon Woods Mt Vernon Woods Mt Vernon Woods
Riverside Riverside Riverside
Saratoga Saratoga Saratoga
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Washington Mill Washington Mill Washington Mill
Waynewood Waynewood
Woodlawn Woodlawn Woodlawn Woodlawn
Woodley Hills Woodley Hills Woodley Hills Woodley Hills
Region 4
Bonnie Brae Bonnie Brae
Cardinal Forest Cardinal Forest Cardinal Forest
Centre Ridge Centre Ridge Centre Ridge
Centreville Centreville Centreville
Colin Powell Colin Powell Colin Powell
Halley Halley Halley
Hunt Valley Hunt Valley Hunt Valley
Keene Mill Keene Mill
Laurel Hill Laurel Hill
Laurel Ridge Laurel Ridge Laurel Ridge
Newington Forest Newington Forest Newington Forest
Rolling Valley Rolling Valley Rolling Valley
Sangster Sangster Sangster
Silverbrook Silverbrook Silverbrook
Terra Centre Terra Centre
Region 5
Providence Providence Providence Providence
Brookfield Brookfield Brookfield
Cub Run Cub Run Cub Run
Daniels Run Daniels Run Daniels Run
Deer Park Deer Park Deer Park
Floris Floris Floris
Little Run Little Run Little Run
McNair McNair McNair
Oak Hill Oak Hill Oak Hill
Virginia Run Virginia Run Virginia Run
Wakefield Forest Wakefield Forest Wakefield Forest
Schools Beginning in 2014 -15 Please note: STEAM Lab information
was collected via school-based personnel, optional survey, indirect
observation, and/or lab visits. Schools Beginning in 2015 -16
Schools Beginning in 2016 -17
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Grade 6 STEAM Energy Unit
2014 - 15 2015 - 16 2016 - 17
School Number of Students Number of Students Number of Students
Region 1 Clearview ES 103 95
Crossfield ES 100 100 113
Flint Hill ES 50 132
Navy ES 100
Region 2
Poe MS 330
Region 3
Ft. Belvoir (Upper) 100 75 156
Riverside ES 100 103
Washington Mill ES 42 48
Region 4
Centreville ES 75
Region 5
Brookfield ES 125 104
Greenbriar West ES 100 106 139
Providence ES 25
Total number of students: 500 701 1220
Schools Beginning in 2014 -15 Schools Beginning in 2015 -16 Schools Beginning in 2016 -17
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Provide the school level reports of metrics being prepared for the RAS when they are available (Corbett Sanders)
The Office of Student Testing staff is working on school-level reports for the regional assistant
superintendents. Copies will be provided to the School Board when they are available.
Bring a recommendation to the board on an equity/closing gaps dashboard for FCPS, with recommended measures of student and system progress (Hynes)
The FCPS FAMO dashboard, available in EDSL, is designed to provide schools with current year FAMO pass
rates as well as three year trend lines for each subgroup. All SOLs and V-Tests scores are included in the
dashboard. The dashboard is very interactive and includes a tab link to a supporting document that explains all
terms. School Board members can access this report through the EDSL catalog listing. Please log into EDSL
from a FCPS computer or through VPN. For assistance with the dashboard, please view this
screencast https://www.youtube.com/embed/bs_6NfEeLJ8 or contact the Office of Student Testing. You may
also have success accessing the dashboard utilizing the following link - FCPS Federal Annual Measurable
Objectives (FAMO) Dashboard Workbook, you will need your network login credentials to access this
dashboard.
Bring recommendation to board on alternative measures of school quality that take into account level of challenges and growth (Evans)
In 2015, the Virginia State Board of Education developed School Quality Profiles in response to a Virginia
General Assembly directive to redesign accountability reports. These School Quality Profiles allow for schools
and school divisions, to more effectively communicate to parents and the public about the status and
achievements of Virginia’s public schools. Virginia’s new School Quality Profiles provide information about
student achievement, college and career readiness, program completion, school safety, teacher quality and
other topics of interest to parents and the general public. Information on Fairfax County Public Schools can be
found on the VDOE website at http://schoolquality.virginia.gov/divisions/fairfax-county-public-
schools#desktopTabs-6. If FCPS would like to add any additional school quality measures to the division’s
accountability monitoring, it is recommended that the School Board schedule a work session to determine
which measures should be added to the division’s Strategic Plan reporting metrics.
Provide 5 year analysis of number of students entering ELL programs by level and school and school size (Derenak Kaufax)
Each year, January 31 enrollment is used to determine ESOL staffing levels for the following year. The data
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charts below show January 31 ESOL student enrollment at each high school for the last 5 years. These data
show that many high schools have had a significant increase in the number of WIDA ELP level 1 students over
the last five years. The Office of ESOL Services refers to different high schools as having either a small,
medium or large ESOL program. This helps to determine which elements of ESOL programming might be
necessary at a school. Some elements, such as English 9 for ELs, are mandatory at all schools. Other
elements, such as dividing students and teachers into interdisciplinary cohorts, are introduced depending on
the size of the program. ESOL staffing can often change so schools may move from one sizing group to
another. Here are the current size groupings:
• Large: Annandale, Centreville, Edison, Falls Church, Herndon, Lee, Mount Vernon, South Lakes,
Stuart, West Potomac
• Medium: Chantilly, Fairfax, Madison, Marshall, McLean, Westfield
• Small: Bryant, Hayfield, Lake Braddock, Langley, Mountain View, Oakton, Robinson, South
County, West Springfield, Woodson
Students Entering ELL Programs during 2012 – 2013
School Name ELPlvl
1 ELPlvl
2 ELPlvl
3 ELPlvl
4 ELPlvl
5 ELPlvls
1-5 ACHIEVEMENT, INTEGRITY, MATURITY 1 1 3 7 1 13 ALC AT BRYANT 1 4 5 4 14 ALC AT MOUNTAIN VIEW 1 1 4 7 13 ANNANDALE HIGH 67 48 111 209 49 484 ANNANDALE TRANS ESOL CENTER 69 43 10 122 BRYANT ALTERNATIVE HIGH 21 31 68 50 5 175 CEDAR LANE SCHOOL 2 5 5 1 13 CENTREVILLE HIGH 16 18 43 92 33 202 CHANTILLY HIGH 20 24 55 73 29 201 DAVIS CAREER CENTER 17 7 24 EDISON HIGH 28 24 65 103 50 270 FAIRFAX COUNTY ADULT HIGH 4 43 160 105 16 328 FAIRFAX HIGH 32 30 89 122 41 314 FALLS CHURCH HIGH 69 56 123 143 56 447 FALLS CHURCH TRANS ESOL CENTER 82 47 14 1 144 HAYFIELD HIGH 12 14 47 92 45 210 HERNDON HIGH 70 48 84 111 38 351 INTERAGENCY ALT SECONDARY CTR 10 17 20 5 52 JEFFERSON SCI/TECH HIGH 1 1 KEY CENTER 22 1 23 KILMER CENTER 9 9 LAKE BRADDOCK HIGH 5 16 38 64 32 155 LANDMARK CAREER ACADEMY 1 1 LANGLEY HIGH 4 2 7 14 7 34 LEE HIGH 53 45 89 127 45 359
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LEE TRANS ESOL CENTER 70 63 9 142 MADISON HIGH 12 9 19 21 5 66 MARSHALL HIGH 32 23 39 45 36 175 MCLEAN HIGH 13 17 25 50 22 127 MOUNT VERNON HIGH 28 29 72 122 42 293 MOUNTAIN VIEW SCHOOL 10 26 44 43 12 135 MULTI-AGENCY SERVICES 13 3 8 3 1 28 OAKTON HIGH 16 21 31 50 24 142 PULLEY CAREER CENTER 23 9 3 35 QUANDER ROAD SCHOOL 4 7 3 2 16 ROBINSON HIGH 8 4 23 46 14 95 SOUTH COUNTY HIGH 5 9 32 72 29 147 SOUTH LAKES HIGH 37 27 45 89 31 229 SOUTH LAKES TRANS ESOL CENTER 92 58 7 157 STUART HIGH 78 74 115 182 64 513 WEST POTOMAC HIGH 36 43 95 148 49 371 WEST SPRINGFIELD HIGH 7 9 28 43 18 105 WESTFIELD HIGH 19 26 49 106 42 242 WOODSON HIGH 7 10 27 29 12 85
Students Entering ELL Programs during 2013 – 2014
School Name ELPlvl
1 ELPlvl
2 ELPlvl
3 ELPlvl
4 ELPlvl
5 ELPlvls
1-5 ACHIEVEMENT, INTEGRITY, MATURITY 1 2 3 6 1 13 ALC AT BRYANT 2 3 4 8 2 19 ALC AT MOUNTAIN VIEW 2 3 6 11 ANNANDALE HIGH 67 50 118 168 69 472 ANNANDALE TRANS ESOL CENTER 52 58 4 114 BRYANT ALTERNATIVE HIGH 12 24 43 48 16 143 CEDAR LANE SCHOOL 3 5 6 2 16 CENTREVILLE HIGH 16 13 36 81 16 162 CHANTILLY HIGH 35 25 38 55 25 178 DAVIS CAREER CENTER 19 6 5 30 EDISON HIGH 44 42 41 97 49 273 FAIRFAX COUNTY ADULT HIGH 1 27 149 105 28 310 FAIRFAX HIGH 37 28 59 130 44 298 FALLS CHURCH HIGH 94 65 97 120 55 431 FALLS CHURCH TRANS ESOL CENTER 91 89 13 193 HAYFIELD HIGH 8 20 46 75 27 176 HERNDON HIGH 95 57 71 110 34 367 INTERAGENCY ALT SECONDARY CTR 2 11 20 5 38 KEY CENTER 24 24 KILMER CENTER 11 11 LAKE BRADDOCK HIGH 7 16 21 61 34 139
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LANDMARK CAREER ACADEMY 1 1 2 LANGLEY HIGH 1 4 11 13 5 34 LEE HIGH 64 46 81 127 52 370 LEE TRANS ESOL CENTER 67 53 19 139 MADISON HIGH 26 12 20 27 10 95 MARSHALL HIGH 38 17 38 62 24 179 MCLEAN HIGH 20 17 18 42 19 116 MOUNT VERNON HIGH 56 36 76 110 36 314 MOUNTAIN VIEW SCHOOL 12 12 43 43 10 120 MULTI-AGENCY SERVICES 17 6 7 4 34 OAKTON HIGH 24 16 33 44 21 138 PULLEY CAREER CENTER 17 9 4 30 QUANDER ROAD SCHOOL 1 4 10 3 1 19 ROBINSON HIGH 6 6 18 40 8 78 SOUTH COUNTY HIGH 11 6 22 51 14 104 SOUTH LAKES HIGH 51 27 51 65 25 219 SOUTH LAKES TRANS ESOL CENTER 91 60 9 160 STUART HIGH 129 85 127 172 48 561 WEST POTOMAC HIGH 43 41 89 150 37 360 WEST SPRINGFIELD HIGH 13 9 26 27 14 89 WESTFIELD HIGH 24 16 55 102 35 232 WOODSON HIGH 13 16 12 29 18 88
Students Entering ELL Programs during 2014 – 2015
School Name ELPlvl
1 ELPlvl
2 ELPlvl
3 ELPlvl
4 ELPlvl
5 ELPlvls
1-5 ACHIEVEMENT, INTEGRITY, MATURITY 2 4 6 3 1 16 ALC AT BRYANT 3 5 3 6 1 18 ALC AT MOUNTAIN VIEW 1 2 3 ANNANDALE HIGH 120 61 90 162 52 485 ANNANDALE TRANS ESOL CENTER 73 49 14 136 BRYANT ALTERNATIVE HIGH 16 19 46 47 5 133 CEDAR LANE SCHOOL 2 1 2 7 12 CENTREVILLE HIGH 29 20 28 68 23 168 CHANTILLY HIGH 37 30 37 45 20 169 DAVIS CAREER CENTER 15 8 3 2 28 EDISON HIGH 67 49 65 69 30 280 FAIRFAX COUNTY ADULT HIGH 1 21 146 135 10 313 FAIRFAX HIGH 50 33 52 84 21 240 FALLS CHURCH HIGH 158 74 96 117 30 475 FALLS CHURCH TRANS ESOL CENTER 103 58 12 1 174 HAYFIELD HIGH 27 12 46 66 17 168
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HERNDON HIGH 199 60 73 100 34 466 INTERAGENCY ALT SECONDARY CTR 1 4 18 15 6 44 JEFFERSON SCI/TECH HIGH 1 1 KEY CENTER 25 25 KILMER CENTER 14 14 LAKE BRADDOCK HIGH 9 13 16 58 27 123 LANGLEY HIGH 6 1 5 9 5 26 LEE HIGH 110 59 76 107 40 392 LEE TRANS ESOL CENTER 68 45 10 123 MADISON HIGH 45 23 30 26 5 129 MARSHALL HIGH 43 29 30 54 20 176 MCLEAN HIGH 24 16 23 33 12 108 MOUNT VERNON HIGH 65 45 69 96 28 303 MOUNTAIN VIEW SCHOOL 5 13 26 43 3 90 MULTI-AGENCY SERVICES 20 6 5 3 1 35 OAKTON HIGH 23 18 30 40 8 119 PIMMIT HILLS TRANS ESOL CENTER 12 18 1 31 PULLEY CAREER CENTER 16 10 6 32 QUANDER ROAD SCHOOL 4 9 6 1 20 ROBINSON HIGH 6 7 14 31 15 73 SOUTH COUNTY HIGH 9 8 15 42 14 88 SOUTH LAKES HIGH 80 41 48 60 13 242 SOUTH LAKES TRANS ESOL CENTER 83 55 15 2 155 STUART HIGH 213 92 98 150 48 601 WEST POTOMAC HIGH 80 52 84 102 27 345 WEST SPRINGFIELD HIGH 9 14 21 25 8 77 WESTFIELD HIGH 50 26 52 76 23 227 WOODSON HIGH 14 10 22 45 4 95
Students Entering ELL Programs during 2015 – 2016
School Name ELPlvl
1 ELPlvl
2 ELPlvl
3 ELPlvl
4 ELPlvl
5 ELPlvls
1-5 ACHIEVEMENT, INTEGRITY, MATURITY 2 4 3 6 1 16 ALC AT BRYANT 3 1 4 3 11 ALC AT MOUNTAIN VIEW 3 2 2 10 ANNANDALE HIGH 110 84 86 153 68 501 ANNANDALE TRANS ESOL CENTER 55 48 103 BRYANT ALTERNATIVE HIGH 11 14 25 31 9 90 BRYANT TRANS ESOL CENTER 35 17 52 CEDAR LANE SCHOOL 1 6 1 8 CENTREVILLE HIGH 45 28 38 71 20 202 CHANTILLY HIGH 33 29 37 47 15 161 DAVIS CAREER CENTER 16 9 3 1 29
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EDISON HIGH 70 60 52 80 25 287 FAIRFAX COUNTY ADULT HIGH 13 203 94 4 314 FAIRFAX HIGH 40 44 50 76 13 223 FALLS CHURCH HIGH 137 97 113 110 27 484 FALLS CHURCH TRANS ESOL CENTER 53 44 97 HAYFIELD HIGH 18 21 34 47 20 140 HERNDON HIGH 160 115 104 86 22 487 INTERAGENCY ALT SECONDARY CTR 7 7 8 20 4 46 KEY CENTER 26 26 KILMER CENTER 14 14 LAKE BRADDOCK HIGH 21 18 25 49 24 137 LANGLEY HIGH 4 3 6 13 8 34 LEE HIGH 100 78 104 114 28 424 LEE TRANS ESOL CENTER 67 36 1 104 MADISON HIGH 25 34 28 30 7 124 MARSHALL HIGH 44 28 32 49 29 182 MCLEAN HIGH 25 20 28 36 9 118 MOUNT VERNON HIGH 63 71 97 106 19 356 MOUNTAIN VIEW SCHOOL 11 12 29 36 8 96 MULTI-AGENCY SERVICES 24 4 9 2 1 40 OAKTON HIGH 15 21 38 37 20 131 PIMMIT HILLS TRANS ESOL CENTER 31 24 55 PULLEY CAREER CENTER 20 13 7 2 42 QUANDER ROAD SCHOOL 1 7 10 1 19 ROBINSON HIGH 4 9 15 34 10 72 SOUTH COUNTY HIGH 9 4 18 27 9 67 SOUTH LAKES HIGH 66 58 58 60 22 264 SOUTH LAKES TRANS ESOL CENTER 62 48 110 STUART HIGH 179 146 114 125 40 604 STUART TRANS ESOL CENTER 25 16 41 WEST POTOMAC HIGH 74 71 87 111 29 372 WEST SPRINGFIELD HIGH 7 9 16 22 9 63 WESTFIELD HIGH 49 36 48 82 33 248 WOODSON HIGH 13 19 28 31 10 101
Students Entering ELL Programs during 2016 – 2017
School Name ELPlv
l 1 ELPlv
l 2 Level_
3 Level_4 Level_5 ELPlvls 1-5
ACHIEVEMENT INTEGRITY AND MATURITY 6 4 2 1 1 14 ALC AT BRYANT 1 4 4 2 11 ALC AT MOUNTAIN VIEW 1 2 3 4 11 ANNANDALE HIGH 131 94 110 130 38 503 ANNANDALE TRANSITIONAL ESOL CENTER 49 35 84 BRYANT ALTERNATIVE HIGH 20 21 33 37 6 117 BRYANT TRANSITIONAL ESOL CENTER 33 12 45
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CEDAR LANE SCHOOL 1 1 8 1 1 12 CENTREVILLE HIGH 77 14 51 62 27 231 CHANTILLY HIGH 39 31 40 50 18 178 DAVIS CENTER 21 10 3 2 36 EDISON HIGH 57 66 74 73 26 296 FAIRFAX COUNTY ADULT HIGH 5 158 99 7 269 FAIRFAX HIGH 64 33 47 55 12 211 FALLS CHURCH HIGH 202 84 111 126 31 554 FALLS CHURCH TRANSITIONAL ESOL CENTER 54 48 102 GRAHAM ROAD TRANSITIONAL ESOL CENTER 15 6 21 HAYFIELD HIGH 15 31 40 50 15 151 HERNDON HIGH 205 117 110 107 21 560 HERNDON TRANSITIONAL ESOL CENTER 50 45 95 INTERAGENCY ALTERNATIVE SECONDARY 3 5 14 17 6 45 JEFFERSON SCI TECH HIGH 1 1 KEY CENTER 24 24 KILMER CENTER 13 13 LAKE BRADDOCK HIGH 21 21 22 43 13 120 LANGLEY HIGH 2 3 6 13 1 25 LEE HIGH 111 74 93 116 35 429 LEE TRANSITIONAL ESOL CENTER 49 32 81 MADISON HIGH 37 19 30 34 5 125 MARSHALL HIGH 48 29 36 59 13 185 MCLEAN HIGH 25 24 19 32 11 111 MOUNT VERNON HIGH 85 78 98 106 24 391 MOUNTAIN VIEW ALTERNATIVE HIGH 25 22 33 44 1 125 MULTI-AGENCY SERVICES 25 3 7 1 36 OAKTON HIGH 32 12 34 53 11 142 PIMMIT HILLS TRANSITIONAL ESOL CENTER 14 16 1 31 PULLEY CENTER 27 16 6 49 QUANDER ROAD SCHOOL 1 3 4 6 2 16 ROBINSON HIGH 7 10 16 20 11 64 SOUTH COUNTY HIGH 10 10 16 35 13 84 SOUTH LAKES HIGH 72 50 63 64 11 260 STUART HIGH 284 115 136 154 30 719 STUART TRANSITIONAL ESOL CENTER 46 30 76 WEST POTOMAC HIGH 83 53 83 112 26 357 WEST SPRINGFIELD HIGH 9 9 28 21 7 74 WESTFIELD HIGH 59 43 60 69 23 254 WOODSON HIGH 26 11 22 35 8 102
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Provide disaggregated data for students with disabilities (Schultz)
The graphs below show the disaggregated Grade 3 SOL Reading Data by disability, to include results from
SOL, VAAP and VGLA assessments. While there are differences in percent passing between disability types,
the data show all special education categories are on a positive trajectory.
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The next four graphs below detail the performance of special education students by the mathematics course
and/or assessment they took in grade 8.
In the 2015-16 school year, one percent of the total special education population was enrolled in a course
above Algebra 1 in grade 8. Of those 28 students, one hundred percent passed both the course and the SOL
test. Autism was the only special education category with a group number greater than 10 and therefore that is
the only data presented below.
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In the 2015-16 school year, fourteen percent of the total special education population was enrolled in Algebra 1 or Algebra 1 Honors in grade 8. Of those 253 students, ninety four percent passed both the course and the SOL test. Performance of individual special education categories is shown in the chart below.
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In the 2015-16 school year, seventy-eight percent of the total special education population was enrolled in
Mathematics 8 and took the grade 8 Mathematics SOL. Of those 1461 students, forty-four percent passed
both the course and the SOL test. Performance of individual special education categories is shown in the chart
below.
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In the 2015-16 school year, seven percent of the total special education population was enrolled in a grade 8
mathematics course and took the VAAP. Of those 1461 students, eighty-seven percent passed both the
course and the SOL test. Performance of individual special education categories is displayed in the chart
below.
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The next two graphs show the performance on Reading SOL, VAAP and VGLA assessments for all students,
all students with disabilities, and by disability type. From 2014-2016, the pass rate in reading increased for
students in 9 of 12 disability types. During that same period, positive gains were made in closing the
achievement gap in reading for the following disability types: developmental delay, hearing impairments,
speech or language impairments, and traumatic brain injured.
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The next two graphs show the performance on Mathematics SOL and VAAP assessments for all students, all
students with disabilities, and by disability type. From 2014-2016, the pass rate in math increased for students
in 6 of 12 disability types. During that same period, the achievement gap in math was closed by one
percentage point for all students with disabilities combined. Positive gains were made in closing the
achievement gap in math for the following disability types: developmental delay, emotional disturbance,
intellectual disabilities, other health impairments, specific learning disabilities, and speech or language
impairments.
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Provide more data regarding reasons for overall decline for all students and English Language Learners passing both course and SOL for Algebra 1 by the End of Grade 8 – narrative page 36 (Moon)
When considering the data for this metric, Percentage overall and by subgroups of students successfully
completing Algebra 1 by grade 8, it is difficult to determine if the data represents declining enrollment of
students taking Algebra 1 at or before grade 8, decreasing achievement of those participating, or perhaps a
combination of both factors. The following chart shows the enrollment and success rate for the all student
category for the past four years.
Algebra 1 Enrollment and SOL Pass Rates
2015 – 2016
Year
Number of Students
Enrolled in Alg 1 by the end of
grade 8
Total number of
grade 8 students
Percentage of all grade 8 students enrolled in Alg 1
by the end of grade 8
Percentage of all grade 8 students that passed Alg 1 class and the SOL by end of
the grade 8
Percentage of grade 8
students enrolled in Alg
1 or beyond that did not
pass both the course and SOL by the
end grade 8. 2012-
2013 8779 13149 67% 61% 6%
2013-
2014 8647 13483 64% 59% 5%
2014-
2015 8568 13603 63% 58% 5%
2015-
2016 8531 13574 63% 56% 7%
Since school year 2012-13, there has been a five percent decrease in the percentage of students enrolled in
Algebra 1 prior to high school and a slight change in student performance over the same time period. We
continue to have an open enrollment policy for Algebra 1 starting in grade 8, though we recognize that factors
such as grade 7 course choice and performance as well as the academic advising process impact a student’s
grade 8 course selection. Further work will be done with middle school department chairs to ensure that
schools are analyzing their data and responding appropriately.
For English Learners specifically, a closer look at disaggregated data by WIDA ELP level shows a few
trends. First, the number of ELP level 1 and 2 students taking Algebra 1 in grade 8 has remained relatively
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steady at below ten percent since 2012. The number of ELP level 6a and 6b students taking Algebra 1 in grade
8 has remained steady at around sixty percent (similar to the All Student category). However, there has been
a decrease in grade 8 Algebra 1 enrollment for ELP levels 3, 4 and 5. In 2012, thirty percent of ELP level 3-5
students took Algebra 1 in grade 8. In 2016, only fourteen percent of level 3-5 students took Algebra in grade
8. While the percentage enrollment dropped between 2012 and 2016, the percentage pass rate on the Algebra
1 SOL test improved from 80% to 92%for ELP level 3-5 students. There could be varying reasons depending
on the school for the drop in enrollment, so the Office of ESOL Services will be conferencing with elementary
and middle schools to talk about math placement for English Learners. Our goal is to have English Learners
placed in math classes that challenge them and prepare them for the next level of mathematics as they learn
English.
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Provide additional data in reading and math scores at division level comparing students who defer to those students who attend local level 4 and level 4 centers (Palchik)
The graphs below show that students who are identified as eligible for Level IV Advanced Academic Program
services, perform similarly on reading and mathematics Standards of Learning assessments.
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Consider developing metric that will capture parent/student input on the educational experience as it relates to student success (i.e. survey input) (McLaughlin)
As provided in response to Ms. Evans’ question, on page 5, Virginia implemented new School Quality Profiles
in 2015 to more effectively communicate to parents and the public about the status and achievements of the
Virginia’s public schools. If FCPS would like to add any additional school quality measures to the division’s
accountability monitoring, it is recommended that the School Board schedule a work session to determine
which measures should be added to the division’s Strategic Plan reporting metrics.
