Willamette Promise 2016-17 Annual Report Pat Ketcham, Ph.D Cheryl Davis, Ph.D Senior Analyst Senior Analyst
WillamettePromise
2016-17AnnualReport
PatKetcham,Ph.DCherylDavis,Ph.D
SeniorAnalystSeniorAnalyst
WillamettePromiseAnnualReport
TableofContents
I. ListofFigures ……………………………………………………………………………… 4II. ListofTables ……………………………………………………………………………… 5III. ExecutiveSummary ………………………………………………………………….. 7IV. WillamettePromiseProgram A.Introduction ………………………………………………………………….. 9 B.Background……………………………………………………………………………… 9 C.AboutthisReport …………………………………………………………………... 10 D.WillamettePromise………….……………………………………………………….. a.EndofYearFindings………………………………………………………. 12 b.CourseEvaluations ……………………………………………………….. 24 c.2015-16WPStudentCollegeMatriculation…………………….. 27 d.ProfessionalLearningCommunities …………………….. 31 e.FacultySurvey 37V. Conclusion ………………………………………………………………………………… 39VI. Recommendations …………………………………………………………………….. 40VII. Appendices ………………………………………………………………………………… 42
11-15-17 The Center for Education Innovation, Evaluation & Research Willamette Education Service Districts
2
[Thispageintentionallyleftblank.]
11-15-17 The Center for Education Innovation, Evaluation & Research Willamette Education Service Districts
3
ListofFigures
Figure1 SchoolDistrictParticipation2014-15,2015-16,&2016-17Figure2 NumberofStudentsPassingWPCoursesandCreditsEarnedFigure3 DistributionofStudentsEarnedWPCreditbyGradeLevelFigure4 CourseCreditsEarnedbyGradeLevelsFigure5 NumberandPercentofStudentsEarningEachGradeFigure6 ReasonsforTakingWPCoursesFigure7 RigorofWPCourseComparedtoOtherHighSchoolCoursesFigure8 DegreeValuedbyOtherMembersofthePLCFigure9 PercentageofTeachersWhoBelieveBuildinga College-andCareer-GoingCultureAmongStudentsand FamiliesisImportantFigure10 PercentageofWPTeachersWhoBelieveWPProficiency CoursesEncouragePostsecondaryOpportunitiesFigure11 IntentionofHighSchoolTeacherstoReturnNextYear
11-15-17 The Center for Education Innovation, Evaluation & Research Willamette Education Service Districts
4
ListofTables
Table1 NumberofCoursesTakenbyStudentsTable2 StudentCharacteristicsTable3 AdditionalDemographicCharacteristicsTable4 CreditsEarnedbyChronicallyAbsentStudentsTable5 EconomicallyDisadvantagedbyEthnicityTable6 CoursesTakenbyStudentsbyEthnicityTable7 StudentsWhoEarnedCreditbySchoolDistrictTable8 CoursesOfferedbySchoolDistrictTable9 ComparisonofWPCoursestoComparableCCNCoursesTable10 CollegeMatriculationbyTypeofCollegeTable11 MatriculationbyGenderTable12 College/UniversityMatriculationbyEthnicityTable13 EconomicallyDisadvantaged/ChronicallyAbsentTable14 2015/16College/UniversitySelectionTable15 Top5CollegesandUniversitiesComparisonTable16 CollegeMatriculationbyHighSchoolTable17 ProfessionalLearningCommunitiesTable18 ResponsesbyEducationalServiceDistrictsTable19 CollegeMatriculation:EconomicallyDisadvantagedTable20 PLCs:EducationalServiceDistrictInvolvementTable21 SpringOnlineMeetingTable22 PLCCollaboration
11-15-17 The Center for Education Innovation, Evaluation & Research Willamette Education Service Districts
5
11-15-17 The Center for Education Innovation, Evaluation & Research Willamette Education Service Districts
6
ExecutiveSummary TheWillamettePromise(WP)giveshighschoolstudentstheopportunitytoearnup
toayearofcollegecreditandcompletecareerandtechnicalcoursesbeforehighschool
graduation.Thistwo-yearcontinuationgrantwasawardedtoWillametteEducational
ServiceDistrictaftersuccessfullyexecutingtheWillamettePromise,aone-yearEastern
Promiseexpansiongrant.TheWPcompleteditssecondyearofthegrantcycleandwasable
tosuccessfullyaccomplishthegoals.Thispastyear,atotalof1,735studentspassedatleast
oneWPcourseandearnedcollegecredit,whichexceededthegoalof1,216asstatedinthe
grantproposal.Thenumberofunderrepresentedstudents,584,exceededthegoalof442.
Courseswereofferedinninesubjectareas:Biology,Chemistry,Communication,Computer
Science,Geography,Math,Psychology,Spanish,andWriting.
AccesstocollegecreditincreasedsignificantlywithLaneEducationalService
District,NorthwestEducationalServiceDistrict(NWRESD),MultnomahEducationService
District(MESD)beingincludedbyWillametteEducationServiceDistrict(WESD)inthe
grant.TheWillamettePromisegrewfrominvolving20schooldistrictstoincluding41
schooldistricts.Similarly,thenumberofteachersinvolvedgrewfromtheinitial115high
schoolteachersin2014–15to201in2016–17.Anestimated180,000studentshadaccess
todualcreditcourses
TheWillamettePromisehasastrongcommitmenttoinclusivityandmeetingthe
needsofethnicallyandeconomicallydiversestudentpopulations.Withinthe41WPschool
districts14%arestudentswithdisabilities,26%EverEnglishLearners,30%areHispanic
students,15%arestudentsofcolor,and48%areeligibleforfreeandreducedmeals.
AsaresultoftheWP,ruralschools’accesstocollegecreditisincreasedsignificantly.
In13ofthe20ruralschooldistricts,WPofferedtheonlyaccesstothecollegecourses
offeredthroughWP.Inoneruralschool,WPcoursesweretheonlyaccesstocollegecredit.
Asinprioryears,thesefindingscontinuetosupporttheneedforadditionalwaysin
whichstudents,particularlyfromunderrepresentedand/orruralcommunities,canaccess
collegecourses.TheWillamettePromisecontinuestoprovideacollegecoursedelivery
modelthathasdemonstratedrigorandcapacitytoadapttothelimitationsfoundwithin
schooldistricts.
Thisreportisanevaluationoftheimplementationandcontinuationofthe
WillamettePromiseprogramincluding:studentcharacteristics,matriculationto
11-15-17 The Center for Education Innovation, Evaluation & Research Willamette Education Service Districts
7
college/university,theprocessesofthePLCs,andthedevelopmentofacollege-goingand
career-readyculture.
ThefollowingkeyfindingsarebasedonstudentswhopassedWPcourses:
• Thispastyear,1,735highschoolstudentsfrom41districtsearned9,862college
credits.
• Ofthe1,735students,618studentsearnedcreditintwoormoreclasses.
• Ofthe1,735students,approximately30%arestudentsofcolor.
• Approximately36%ofstudentswereeconomicallydisadvantaged.
• Nineteenhighereducationfacultyand201highschoolteacherscollaboratedthroughProfessionalLearningCommunities(PLCs)toprovide23proficiency-basedcourses.
• In13outof20ruralschooldistricts,WPofferedtheonlyaccesstocorecollege
classes.
• 28%ofstudentsearningcreditwerefromruralschools.
• OfthoseWPhighschoolstudentswhograduatedin2015-16,63%attendedacollegeoruniversityforatleastoneterm.
• ThemajorreasonstudentscitedfortakingWPcourseswasforcollegecredit.
• AccordingtoWPcourseevaluations,65%ofstudentsindicatedtheirWPcourse
wasverydifficulttodifficultwhencomparedtotheirotherhighschoolcourses.
• 88%ofstudentsindicatedtheywouldrecommendtheWPcoursetoanotherstudent.
• Ofthe25312thgraderswhometthecriteriaforbeingeconomically
disadvantaged,64%enrolledinacollegeoruniversityforatleastoneterm.
• 75%ofPLCteachersareplanningtoreturnin2017-18.
• 100%ofPLCfacultybelievethattheWPislikelyto:increaseaccessto
acceleratedlearningforhistoricallydisadvantagedstudents;increasethenumberofstudentswhoconsideranytypeofpostsecondaryeducationasapathafterhighschool;andincreasecollaborationbetweenhighschoolandcollegefaculty.
11-15-17 The Center for Education Innovation, Evaluation & Research Willamette Education Service Districts
8
[Thispageintentionallyleftblank]
11-15-17 The Center for Education Innovation, Evaluation & Research Willamette Education Service Districts
9
WillamettePromiseProgram
Introduction
Infallof2015,WESDwasawardedaPromiseContinuationGranttosupportthe
regionaleducationandcollaborationefforts.Atthattime,theWillamettePromise
expandeditscollaborationtoincludetwoothereducationservicedistricts,NorthwestESD
andMultnomahESD.Thenagain,2016-17,theWillamettePromiseexpandedwithapilot
programpartneringwithLaneESD.WillamettePromisewascomposedof41school
districts:fivefromtheLaneRegion,onefromtheMultnomahRegion,16fromthe
NorthwestRegion,18fromtheWillametteRegion.CollaboratorswithWESDinthisproject
includedWesternOregonUniversity,OregonTech,CorbanUniversity,theSouthMetro
SalemSTEMPartnership,andtheWillametteRegionalAchievementCollaborative.
Background
Thelong-termvisionoftheWPpartnershipisfourfold:(1)provideallhighschool
studentstheopportunitytocompleteupto45creditsoftheOregonTransferModule(OTM)
coursesbeforegraduationfromhighschool,(2)empowerallstudentstoenvision
postsecondaryandcareersuccessbystrengtheningthecollege-goingcultureinour
communities,(3)providehighschoolstudentswithopportunitiesthatalignwithCareer
andTechnicalEducation(CTE)programsthatleadtocareerpathways,and(4)builda
robustinfrastructureofprofessionallyrewardingcross-sectorrelationshipsamong
educatorsanddiversepartnerswhosupportstudentsthroughthetransitionfromhigh
schooltocollegeandcareersthusmovingOregontowardsatrueP-20system.
Sincetheseinitialgoalswereestablished4,147studentshaveearned23,965credits
in23coursesin41schooldistricts.Currentpartnersgeographicallyspanbetween
northernClatsopcountyandwesternLanecounty.The41districtsparticipatinginthis
project,andtheirstudents,experiencegreatneed.Twenty-three(23)receivedlessthan
$350,000fromtheHighSchoolGraduationandCollegeandCareerReadiness(M98)
funding.Sixteen(16)havehighschoolswheremorethan50%ofthestudentsexperience
poverty.Severaldistrictsexperiencemultipledisparateachievementmarkersrelatedto
graduationrates(studentsofcolor,1;studentswithdisabilities,17;EnglishLearners,1)
and9thgradeontrackrates(studentsofcolor,2;studentsinpoverty,1;studentswith
disabilities10;EnglishLearners,2).
11-15-17 The Center for Education Innovation, Evaluation & Research Willamette Education Service Districts
10
ThebasisoftheWPistohonorstudentsandeducatorsbyacknowledgingthatthe
worktheydotogethermustbeengagingandmeaningfulforboth.ThroughitsProfessional
LearningCommunities(PLCs)theWPconnectshighschoolteacherswithuniversityfaculty
tofocusonwhatastudentmustknowandbeabletodotoreceivecollegecredit.Through
thisinterchange23assessment-basedandfoursponsoreddualcreditcourseshavebeen
developedby201teachersand21universityfaculty.TheWPistheonlydualcredit
programinwhichastudent’sworkisassessedbymorethanoneteachertoensurefidelity
totheassessmentrubric
In2014,theWPidentifiedkeycollegefeedercourses:GeneralBiology101,General
Biology102,IntroductoryGeneralChemistry104and150,Composition-Exposition121,
Argument/Research122,Math:IntroductiontoContemporaryMathematics95,College
Algebra111,PublicSpeakingCOMM111,andFirstandSecondYearSpanishSP101–203,as
coursesthatcouldbelayeredontomanyhighschoolmath,English,Speech,andSpanish
classestoreachasmanyunderrepresentedstudentsaspossible.In2015,General
PsychologyPSY201202,wasaddedasacourseoffering.Thispastyear,2016-17
Geography106wasaddedtotheWPcourseofferings.
AboutthisReport
Thisreportfocusesondatacollectedandanalyzedduringthe2016-17academic
year.Muchofthedatacollectedinthisreportisdescriptivedatathatassistsinthe
understandingoftheexperiencesofteachers,universityfaculty,andstudentsinvolvedin
theWillamettePromise.
AmixedmethodsresearchdesignwasusedtoevaluatetheWPgrant.Methodsin
thisdesignwerecomplementaryintheirabilitytoelaborateontheresultsfromonemethod
toanother,providingamuchmoreelaborateunderstandingofthefindings.Thisevaluation
includedobservationaldatacollection,andsurveyadministration.
AnalysisofWP’spastandpresentwillcontinuethroughoutthecomingyear.
Students’promotion,attendance,graduation,andmatriculationtocollegeoruniversitywill
befollowed.ComparisonsofgraduationratesofWP,WPstudentseligibleforFreeor
ReducedLunch,andWPstudentswhoenrolledincollegeoruniversitywillbecomparedto
thosestudentswhodidnotparticipateinWPcourses.
11-15-17 The Center for Education Innovation, Evaluation & Research Willamette Education Service Districts
11
.
11-15-17 The Center for Education Innovation, Evaluation & Research Willamette Education Service Districts
12
WillamettePromise2016-2017EndofYearDataFindings
ThroughtheWillamettePromiseaccesstocollegecredithasincreasedsignificantly
formanystudentsthroughoutthecentralandnorthernWillametteValley.In2016-2017,
41schooldistrictsparticipatedintheWPinvolving201highschoolteachersoffering23
courses(Figure1).TheWillamettePromisehasastrongcommitmenttoinclusivityand
meetingtheneedsofethnicallyandeconomicallydiversestudentpopulations.Withinthe
41WPschooldistricts14%arestudentswithdisabilities,26%EverEnglishLearners,30%
areHispanicstudents,15%arestudentsofcolor,and48%areeligibleforfreeandreduced
meals.
Bymid-August,allgradesfromstudentstakingWPcoursesweresubmittedtothe
registraratWesternOregonUniversity(WOU).Atotalof1,735studentspassedatleastone
WPcourse(Figure2).Thisisdownapproximately5percentfrom2015-16.Atotalof618
studentsreceivedagradeintwoormoreclasses,a27%decreasefrom2015-16.Thisdrop
canbeattributedtoanewpolicythatlimitsstudentstoearncreditinonlytwoSpanish
coursesayear.Thetotalcredithoursstudentsearnedin2016-17were9,866downslightly
from10,494in2015–16.
Figure1.SchoolDistrictParticipation2014-15,2015-16&2016-17
20
40 41
051015202530354045
2014-15 2015-16 2016-17
11-15-17 The Center for Education Innovation, Evaluation & Research Willamette Education Service Districts
13
Figure2.NumberofStudentsPassingWPCoursesandCreditsEarnedinTwoorMorecourses
WhoAreOurStudents?
Table1.NumberofCoursesTakenbyStudents(N=1735)
Table2showsthecharacteristicsofstudentswhoearnedWPcreditthispastyear.
Slightlymorethanhalfofthestudentswerefemale(58%)andthemajorityofstudents
(66%)werewhite.
608
175
1819
856
1735
618
0200400600800100012001400160018002000
UnduplicatedCount StudentsEarningCreditinTwoorMoreCourses
2014-15 2015-16 2016-17
1117
526
63 23 4 20
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
1 2 3 4 5 6
11-15-17 The Center for Education Innovation, Evaluation & Research Willamette Education Service Districts
14
Table2.StudentCharacteristics
Table3alsoprovidesmoredetaileddemographicinformationofthosestudents
enrolledintheWP.StudentswhoareeligibleforFreeorReducedMealsarereportedto
ODEaseconomicallydisadvantaged.AsmallportionofWPstudents,3%hadlimited
Englishproficiency.Interestingly,292(17%)ofthesestudentspassedatleastoneWP
coursewerestudentsidentifiedaschronicallyabsent.
Oregon’sabsenteeismrateshavebeenfoundtobeoneoftheworstinthenation.
Lastyear,28percentofOregonhighschoolstudentsmissed10percentormoreofthe
schoolyear.1Agenerallyaccepteddefinitionofchronicabsenteeismismissing10%or
moreofschooldaysannually.2Therangeofabsenteeismratesforschooldistricts
participatingintheWPwasbetween7and29%.3Twenty-fourschooldistrictshad
absenteeismratesofhigherthan20%,ofthose15wereruralschooldistricts.Ascitedin
theChiefEducationOffice’sChronicAbsenteeismReport,studentsofcolor,ruralstudents,
andlow-incomestudentshavehigherlevelsofabsenteeism.Ourdatahighlightsthispoint
well:ofthe292studentswhowerechronicallyabsent,approximately36%were
economicallydisadvantaged,66%werefemale,39%wereethnicallydiverseand30%were
fromruralschools.
Furtheranalysiswasconductedonthetypesofcourseschronicallyabsentstudents
passed(seeTable4below).Similartolastyear,someofthemostcommoncourseswere
Spanishcourses,however,therewasasignificantincreaseinthenumberofstudents
Characteristic n %Female 1009 58%Male 725 42%White 1149 66%Hispanic 438 25%Multi-racial 71 4%Asian 55 3%AmericanIndian/AlaskanNative 13 <1%Black/AfricanAmerican 6 <1%NativeHawaiian/PacificIslander 2 <1%Total 1734
Table3.AdditionalDemographicCharacteristicsCharacteristic n %FreeorReducedLunch 627 36%ChronicallyAbsent 292 17%LimitedEnglish 51 3%
11-15-17 The Center for Education Innovation, Evaluation & Research Willamette Education Service Districts
15
earningcreditinWriting121,andChemistry104.Forexample,in2015-16,11chronically
absentstudentsearnedcreditinChemistry104,in2016-17,36studentsearnedcredit,a
227%increase.Aschronicabsenteeismhasbecomemoreofafocusoverthelastyearat
thestatelevel,thereasonsbehindthishavegroupedintothreedifferentcategories:cannot
goreasons(e.g.bullying,health,transportation,andfamilyissues),aversions(e.g.academic
struggles,poorschoolclimate,weakparentengagement),anddonotgoreasons(e.g.family
doesnotconsideritimportant,needtosupportfamily)anddisengagement(lackof
relevant,engaginginstruction,nomeaningfulrelationshipswithadults,andpoorschool
climate).4WhiletheWPdoesnothavedirectcontroloverthesepotentialreasonsfor
chronicabsenteeism,itdoeshelpcreateacollege-goingculturewithintheschoolsand
provideanopportunityfordisadvantagedstudentstoexperiencecollege-levelcourse
successandbeapartofthecollege-goingcultureoftheirschool.
Table4.CreditsEarnedbyChronicallyAbsentStudents(n=292)Class n Percent% Class n Percent%
WR121 64 22% MTH111 10 3%SP103 43 15% PSY201 9 3%CH104 36 12% GEOG106 7 2%SP202 35 12% MTH95 7 2%SP201 52 18% PSY202 6 2%SP102 42 9% PSY202 6 2%CS124 23 8% BIO101 4 1%COM111 25 9% CH150 3 1%WR122 17 6% CH150 3 1%WR115 15 5% MTH70 2 <1%SP203 13 5% MTH112 1 <1%SP101 13 5% BIO102 1 <1%
Overall,approximately36%ofWPstudentswhoearnedcreditareconsidered
economicallydisadvantaged.Ofthe36%ofstudentswhoareeconomicallydisadvantaged,
14%arewhiteand21%areHispanic,andtheother2%representsstudentsofcolor(Table
5).
11-15-17 The Center for Education Innovation, Evaluation & Research Willamette Education Service Districts
16
Table5.EconomicallyDisadvantagedbyEthnicity
Additionally,Table5containsinformationoneconomicallydisadvantagedstudents
withintheirethnicity.Thesedataprovideagreaterunderstandingofeconomicchallenges
withinethnicgroupsofstudents.Forexample,82%ofallHispanicstudentswhoearned
creditqualifyaseconomicallydisadvantagedcomparedto20%ofwhitestudents.
StudentssuccessfullycompletingWPcoursesrangedfrom9th–12thgrade(Figure3).
Thelargestpercentageofstudentspassingclasseswas11thgraders(33%)followedby10th
graders(30%).NotincludedinFigure3werethree8thgradestudents.
Figure3.DistributionofStudentsEarnedWPCreditbyGradeLevel(N=1734)
Figure4representsthenumberofWPcoursespassedbygradelevel.Sequence
courses,suchasBiology,Psychology,Math,SpanishandWriting,wereclusteredtogetherto
providegreaterinsightintowhichstudentsaremorelikelytotakewhichtypesofcourses
bygradelevel.Forexample,inthewritingcourses,moststudentsearningcreditwere12th
graders,vs.averysmallnumberof12thgraderswhoearnedcreditinfirstyearSpanish.The
mostcommonclassfor9thgraderstohaveearnedcreditinwasComputerScience.
Characteristic n EconDisadv %ofTotal %ofED %w/iEthnicityWhite/Asian 1204 238 14% 38% 20%Hispanic 438 360 21% 57% 82%Other 92 29 2% 5% 32%Total 1734 627 36% 100% NA
9th17710%
10th51630%
11th57333%
12th46527%
11-15-17 The Center for Education Innovation, Evaluation & Research Willamette Education Service Districts
17
Figure4.CourseCreditsEarnedbyGradeLevels
Therewere1735studentswhotookatotalof2478courses(seeTable6).The
courseswiththelargestnumberofstudentspassingincludedChemistry104(n=355),WR
121(n=255),Spanish103(n=213),Spanish102(n=202),andSpanish201(n=196).The
coursewiththelargestincreaseinstudentsearningcreditwasChemistry104whichhas
experiencedsignificantgrowthoverthepastthreeyears.In2014-15,23studentsearned
credit,2015-16,162studentsearnedcreditandthispastyear355students.Overall,
Spanishcoursesexperiencedadecreaseinstudentsearningcreditthispastyear,aresultof
anewpolicythatlimitedstudentstotwoSpanishcoursesperyear.
Inaddition,Table6highlightscoursecreditsearnedbyethnicity.Hispanicstudents
earnedthegreatestnumberofcreditsinSpanishcourses,theninChemistry104.For
purposesofouranalysis,WhiteandAsianwerecombinedastheyarenotconsidered
underrepresentedpopulations.AnalysisofcoursestakenbyWhite/Asianand
Underrepresented(HispanicandOthercombined)foundthatapproximately87%of
White/AsianstudentsearnedcreditincoursesotherthanSpanish,whileonly49%of
UnderrepresentedstudentsearnedcreditsincoursesotherthanSpanish.Thisrepresentsa
gapof38%,ofunderrepresentedstudentscomparedtoWhite/Asianstudentswhotake
coursesotherthanSpanish.
Table6.CoursesTakenbyStudentsbyEthnicity
0 100 200 300 400 500 600
Geography
Biology
Communications
Math-Developmental
ComputerScience
Math
Psychology
Spanish-2ndyear
Chemistry
Writing
Spanish-1styear
9th 10th 11th 12th
11-15-17 The Center for Education Innovation, Evaluation & Research Willamette Education Service Districts
18
Course White/Asian Hispanic Other TotalBI101 37 3 1 41BI102 34 4 2 40CH104 287 43 25 355CH150 45 5 2 52COM111 67 20 8 95CS124 83 19 9 111CS160 3 1 0 4GEOG106 47 14 9 70MTH070 7 0 0 7MTH095 81 10 3 94MTH111 91 7 2 100MTH112 22 0 2 24PSY201 53 8 5 66PSY202 49 9 2 60SPAN101D 86 35 4 125SPAN102D 141 51 10 202SPAN103D 110 95 8 213SPAN201D 17 179 0 196SPAN202D 2 147 0 149SPAN203D 1 49 1 51WR115 59 12 5 76WR121 204 34 17 255WR122 80 9 3 92Total 1606 754 118 2478 Therewere41schooldistrictsparticipatingintheWillamettePromise(Table7).Of
the41schooldistricts,20(49%)arecategorizedasruralbytheODEdefinitionofrural.All
butfourschooldistricts(Rainer*,Springfield,Suislaw,andVeronia*)hadatleastone
studentpassaWPclass.
Table7.StudentsWhoEarnedWPCreditbySchoolDistrict(N=1734)SchoolDistrict n SchoolDistrict n
Amity* 8 NorthSantiam(Stayton)
86
Banks* 49 Perrydale* 16
Beaverton 24 PleasantHill* 10
Cascade* 23 NestuccaValley* 31
Central 46 NorthMarion* 4
Clatskanie* 19 Riverdale 34
11-15-17 The Center for Education Innovation, Evaluation & Research Willamette Education Service Districts
19
Creswell 6 Salem-Keizer 390
Dallas 40 Scappoose* 34
Dayton* 2 Sheridan* 41
ForestGrove 159 SilverFalls 128
Gaston* 13 SouthLane 22
Gervais 13 St.Helens 84
Hillsboro 1 St.Paul* 23
Jefferson* 35 Tigard-Tualatin 151Jewell* 4 Willamina* 15JunctionCity 18 Woodburn 56Knappa* 20 YamhillCarlton* 45Mt.Angel(JohnF.Kennedy)
10 Other 4
NeahKahNie* 70 Total 1734*RuralSchoolDistrictsasdefinedbyODE
Courseswereanalyzedbythenumberofschooldistrictsofferingeachofthe
courses,thenumberofstudentsinthosecourses,andthecreditsearnedpercourse.Notall
coursesofferthesamenumberofcredits,Biology101and102arefive-creditcourses,
Communication111isathree-creditcourse,andinallothercoursesstudentsearnedfour
credithours.Chemistry104isthemostcommoncourseofferedthroughtheWillamette
Promise,followedbySpanish103andWriting121.Thetwocoursesofferedinthefewest
schooldistrictsareMath70andComputerScience160.Bothofthesecoursesarenew
courseofferings.
Table8.CoursesofferedbySchoolDistrict 2016-2017Course #ofSD #ofStudents #ofCredits
BIO101 7 41 205
BIO102 8 40 200
Chem104 17 356 1,424Chem150 4 52 208Comm111 4 95 285CS124 7 111 333CS160 1 4 16Geo106 4 70 280Math70 1 7 28
11-15-17 The Center for Education Innovation, Evaluation & Research Willamette Education Service Districts
20
Math95 6 96 384Math111 10 100 400Math112 4 24 96Psy201 3 66 264Psy202 4 60 240Span101 10 125 500Span102 14 202 808Span103 16 213 852Span201 13 196 784Span202 11 149 596Span203 7 51 204WR115 10 77 308WR121 14 255 1020WR122 9 92 368
Total 41 1734 9866
Figure5containstheanalysisofthegradedistributionofstudents’coursegrades.
Approximately57%ofstudentsreceivedanAand31%receivedaB,whileonly12%of
studentsearnedaC.Studentshavetheopportunitytoselecttoreceivea“college”gradein
theWPcourseinwhichtheyareenrolled.Itisverylikelythatmanystudentswhowould
havereceivedaCdecidednottopursuecollegecredit.Theoverallgradepointaveragefor
theWP2016-17cohortwas3.38.
Figure5.NumberandPercentofStudentsEarningEachGrade
WillametteESD(WESD),thelargestoftheESDsparticipating,hadthemostnumber
ofstudentspassingclasses(57%).ThisisthethirdyearoftheWPfortheWESDregion.
NorthwestRegionalESD,intheirsecondyearwiththeWP,had14schooldistricts
A
142357%
B
75831%
C
30012%
A
B
C
11-15-17 The Center for Education Innovation, Evaluation & Research Willamette Education Service Districts
21
participatingandrepresented38%ofstudentspassingatleastonecourse.MultnomahESD
hadoneschooldistrictparticipatingintheWPthispastyear,andrepresented2%of
studentspassingatleastonecourse.
Oregon,likemanyareasinthenation,ischallengedbyruraleducationattainment.
WhilemanyruralareasinOregonaremovingawayfromtraditionalindustriessuchas
agricultureandtimber,manyhavenotredesignedtheirinfrastructureneedswiththe
educationandskillrequirementsforjobsthatrequirehigherlevelsofeducation.Distancein
ruralOregoncreatesadditionalchallengesforsomestudents.Illnessesanddoctor’svisits
canturnintoprolongedabsenteeism.Additionally,studentshavelimitedexposureto
collegeanduniversitycampuses,whichinturnmeanslowerratesofenrollmentinhigher
education.5Arecentstudyfoundthatruralstudentsarelesslikelythantheirnon-rural
counterpartstoenrollinpostsecondaryeducationandtopersisttothesecondyearof
college,regardlessoftheirpreviousachievementlevels.6With49%WPschoolsresidingin
ruralareas,accesstocollege-goingandcareer-readycoursesbecomesincreasingly
importantforthelifelongsuccessofthesestudents.
Table9providesacomparisonofWPofferingsandcomparableCollegeCreditNow
(CCN)offeringsandotherdualcreditopportunitieswithinschooldistricts.Information
regardingdualcreditopportunitieswasreadilyavailableforWESD,whileinformationfor
NWRESDandMESDwasnotasreadilyavailable.AsummaryforWPschooldistrictsis
sharedbelow.Thereare20ruraldistrictswithintheWPasdefinedbyODE.In13ofthose
schools,WPprovidedtheonlyopportunityforaccesstotheWPofferedcollegecredit
courseswithintheschooldistrict.
Table9ComparisonofWPCoursestoComparableCCNCoursesWPSchoolDistricts WPCourseOffered CCNCoursesbyDistrictAmity* SP**,CH104 MTH111,112,WR121,122Banks* SP,CH104,BIO101/102
MTH111,112,PSY201-202,WR12,122
BIO101,102
Beaverton GEO106,PSY201-202 Math111,112,WR121,122
Cascade* CH104,MTH,SP,PSY201-202
SP101-201,WR115,121,122
Central CS124,GEO106,PSY201-201,WR115,121,122
Math111,112
Clatskanie* WR115/121/122 NoinformationavailableCreswell BIO101,102,CH104 Math111,112,CIS101,WR
115,121
11-15-17 The Center for Education Innovation, Evaluation & Research Willamette Education Service Districts
22
Dallas BIO101-102,CH104,MTH70,95,PSY201-202,SP,WR115,121
Nocrosslistings
Dayton* BIO101/102,CH104,MTH70,95,111,WR115,121,121
MTH111,112,WR121,WR122
Gaston* CH104,BIO101/102,MTH111,112,Geo106,SP
Nocrosslistings
Gervais WR115/121/122SP,MTH70/95/111
WR121,122
Hillsboro MTH111,112,WR115,121,122
BI101,102,103
Jefferson* BIO101-102,CH104,SP,WR115,121,122
Math111,112
Jewell* BIO101/102,COMM111,SP,PSY201/202,CS124
Nocrosslistings
JunctionCity CS124,WR115,121,122 NoinformationavailableKnappa* MTH70/95/111,112 NoinformationavailableNeah-Kah-Nie* CS124,WR115/121/122,
MTH70/95/111,112,BIO101/102,CH104,SP
Noinformationavailable
Nestucca* WR115/121/122,COMM111,CS124,CH104
Noinformationavailable
NorthMarion* CS124MTH70/95
WR115,WR121,WR122,MTH111,MTH112
NorthSantiam(Stayton) BIO101,102,CH104,GEO106,MTH111,112,PSY201-202,SP
WR115,121,122,
Perrydale* GEO106,Com111,CH104 NocrosslistingsPleasantHill* SP Bio101,102,Math111,
112,WR121Rainer* CH104,MTH70,95 NoinformationavailableSalem-Keizer BIO101,102,CH104,COM
111,CS124,160,GEO106,MTH70,95,111,112,PSY201,201,SP,WR115,121,122
Largenumberofcoursesofferedvariesbyschool.
Scappoose* BIO101,102,CH104,MTH70,95,111,112,SP101-203
Nocrosslistings
Sheridan* CS124,160,COM111,GEO106,WR115/121/122,MTH70/95/111,SP,BIO101/102
Nocrosslistings
SilverFalls(Silverton) BIO101-102,CS124,160,MTH70,95,MTH111,112,SP,WR115,121,122
Nocrosslistings
SouthLane COMM111,PSY201,202,SP
Noinformationavailable
11-15-17 The Center for Education Innovation, Evaluation & Research Willamette Education Service Districts
23
Springfield WR115,121,122 Math95,WR121,122,BI101,102,SP101-203,CH150
St.Helens BIO101,102,CH104,SP, NoinformationSt.Paul* SP,CH104,WR
115/121/122Nocrosslistings
Suislaw BIO101-102 CH104,MTH111,112,SP101-203
Tigard-Tualatin CH104 NoinformationavailableVernonia* SP NocrosslistingsWillamina* SP,MTH70/95/111 MTH111,MTH112COM
111Woodburn BI101-102,CH104,MTH
95,111,112,SP,WR115,121
Yamhill-Carlton* BIO101-102,CH104,GEO106,MTH70/95/111,SP101-203,WR115/121/122
Nocrosslistings
*RuralSchoolasdefinedbyODE**UnlessotherwisenotedSP(Spanish)representsschoolofferingSpanish101,102,103&201,202,203
11-15-17 The Center for Education Innovation, Evaluation & Research Willamette Education Service Districts
24
CourseEvaluations Attheendoftheacademicyear,aWPcourseevaluationwassenttothe1735
studentswhocompletedaWPcoursewithinthelastschoolyear.Thecourse
evaluationwasstructuredcloselytothecourseevaluationusedbyWOU.The
responserateofthecourseevaluationwaslow,approximately19%.WPstudents
weresentthreeremindersoveramonth’stimeinanattempttoincreasethe
responserate.Thelargestportionofstudentswhorespondedtothesurveywere
Seniors33%,followingbyJuniors31%,Sophomore27%andFreshman11%.
Studentsweretoprovidethereason(s)thatbestdescribedwhytheytooka
WPcourse.ThemostcommonreasonwhystudentstookWPcourseswasfor
collegecredit(75%).Figure6belowhighlightsstudents’reasonsfortakingWP
courses.
Figure6.ReasonsforTakingWPCourses(N=234)
StudentswereaskedtocomparetherigoroftheWPcoursestootherhigh
schoolcoursestheyhadtaken.Asanticipated,themajorityofstudentsindicated
courseswereverydifficulttodifficultcomparedtotheirotherhighschoolcourses.
(seeFigure7below).
75%
12%
2% 2% 2% 0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
Forcollegecredit Myteacherencouragedme
WouldliketoknowifIcanpassacollegeclass
WorkingtowardsanA.A.Degree
Workingtowardsacertification
11-15-17 The Center for Education Innovation, Evaluation & Research Willamette Education Service Districts
25
Figure7.RigorofWPCourseComparedtoOtherHighSchoolCourses(N=234)
Studentswereaskedtheamountoftimeperweekoutsideoftheclassroomwas
spentontheirWPcourse.Moststudents(83%)spent0-5hoursoutsidetheclassroomon
theWPcoursework.
Studentswereaskedtorespondtoaseriesofquestionsregardinghowthe
coursewastaught.Courseevaluationsreflectedthatstudentsfeltthatthecourses
weretaughteffectively,84%stronglyagreed/agreedthattheassignments
contributedtotheirlearning;thatconceptswerepresentedinwaysthathelped
themlearn(86%);theinstructorwaseffectiveinteachingthesubjectmatterinthe
course(91%)and88%saidtheywouldrecommendthecoursetoanotherstudent.
Studentswereaskedwhatcontributedmosttotheirlearninginthecourse.The
mostcommonresponsewastheteacher.Over76responsesreferredtotheteacher
insomewayastheattributetowhatcontributedmosttothestudentslearning.
Examplesofcommentsasfollows:
• Myteacherhelpedustounderstandandovercomeanyproblemswehad.• Myteacherswerewonderful.• Myteachers’dedication.• Myteacherdidhisjobextremelywellandtaughtconceptsinwaysthatwere
easytounderstand.• Myteacherwasveryinteractivewiththeclassandmadesuretokeepthe
subjectveryinterestingandengaging.
65%
26%
8%
00%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
VeryDifficulttoDifficult Thesameasmyotherclasses
Easy VeryEasy
11-15-17 The Center for Education Innovation, Evaluation & Research Willamette Education Service Districts
26
Anotherquestionasked,What,ifanything,madeitharderforyoutolearn?Themost
common(approximately24concerns)wasaboutotherstudentsbeingdisruptive,or
distracting/obnoxiousintheclassroom;andthetimedemandsofthecourse,either
lackoftimeonthesubjectitselforspeedofthecourse.Seebelowforexamplesof
studentcomments:
• Distractionintheclassroom• Howfastpaceditcouldbe.Attimes,itisdifficulttokeepupwiththedeadlines.• Theclassroomenvironmentandtheotherstudentsintheclass.• Therewasmuchmorestudyingnecessarytounderstandthecriteria.• Alltheextrawork.• Howmanythingsthatneededtobecompleted/passedjusttoearnacollege
credit.
11-15-17 The Center for Education Innovation, Evaluation & Research Willamette Education Service Districts
27
WillamettePromise2015–16WPStudentCollegeMatriculation
In2015-16,493highschoolgraduates,allseniors,earnedcollegecredit
throughtheWillamettePromiseprogram.Ofthose,311students(63%)attendedat
leastonetermofcollegeoruniversitybeginningthefall,winterorspringtermsor
semesters.Table10highlightsthecomparisonofWPhighschoolgraduates’college
selectionby2014/15and2015/16.
Table10.CollegeMatriculationbyTypeofCollegeCollegeType 2014/15 2015/16Atleast1termorsemester 73% 63%PublicCollege/Univ. 86% 87%PrivateCollege 14% 13%2YearCollege 60% 51%4YearCollege 40% 48%
Consistentwithtrendsinhighereducation,alargerproportionoffemales
attendedcollege(NCES,2016).Nationally,femalestudentsmakeup56%ofthe
totalundergraduatepopulation;theproportionofWPfemalestudentswho
attendedcollegewas59%,slightlyhigherthanthenationaltrend(seeTable11
below).
Table11.MatriculationbyGender
2014/15 2015/16Gender N Percent N PercentFemale 102 68% 184 59%Male 47 32% 127 41%Total 149 311
Table12highlightsthestudentsthatattendedcollegebyethnicity.Alarge
proportionofthosestudentswhocompletedWPcoursesinthe12thgradeenrolled
inacollegeoruniversity.In2015-16,64%ofWhiteand70%ofHispanicWP
studentsenrolledinacollege/university.
11-15-17 The Center for Education Innovation, Evaluation & Research Willamette Education Service Districts
28
Table12.College/UniversityMatriculationbyEthnicityEthnicity 2015/16 PercentAttendingCollegein2015-16 Percent(N) White 67%(209) 64%Hispanic/Latino 30%(94) 70%Multi-racial 3%(10) 59%Black/AfricanAmerican <1%(1) 100%Asian 2%(5) 36%Hawaiian/PacificIslander AmericanIndian/AlaskaNative
Ofthoseattendingcollege,approximately52%wereidentifiedas
economicallydisadvantagedduringhighschool.Thisisslightlyhigherthanthe51%
ofeconomicallydisadvantaged12thgraderswhopassedWPcoursesin2014-15.
Table13.EconomicallyDisadvantaged/ChronicallyAbsentCharacteristic 2014/15 2015/16
N Percent N PercentEconomicallyDisadvantaged
40 51% 162 52%
ChronicallyAbsent NA NA 51 16%*NA=notcurrentlyavailable
WillamettePromisestudentsattended38differentcollegesanduniversities(Table14).Table14.2015/16College/UniversitySelection(N=311)College/University
#ofStudents
Percent
College/University
#ofstudents
Percent
ChemeketaCC 127 41% BiolaUniversity 1 <1%OSU 39 13% BlueMountainCC 1 <1%WesternOregonUniversity
37
12%
BoiseStateUniversity
1 <1%
PCC 22 7% CalPoly 1 <1%UniversityofOregon
15 5% CentralOregonCC 1 <1%
Linfield 12 4% ClatsopCC 1 <1%PSU 6 2% ColumbiaBasin
College1 <1%
LBCC 5 2% ConcordiaUniversity
1 <1%
OIT 5 2% CorbanUniversity 1 <1%BYU 4 1% DePaulUniversity 1 <1%
11-15-17 The Center for Education Innovation, Evaluation & Research Willamette Education Service Districts
29
Pacific 3 1% EasternMennoniteUniversity
1 <1%
SOU 3 1% EasternOregonUniversity
1 <1%
BYU-Idaho 2 1% EverestCollege-Tigard
1 <1%
GeorgeFoxUniversity
2 1% ReedCollege 1 <1%
LewisandClarkCollege
2 1% SouthwestCC 1 <1%
NWChristianUniversity
2 1% UniversityofIdaho 1 <1%
TillamookBayCC 2 1% UniversityofMinn.-TwinCities
1 <1%
WhitmanCollege 2 1% UniversityofUtah 1 <1%WillametteUniversity
2 1% WarnerPacific 1 <1%
Table15highlightsthetop5collegeanduniversitiesattendedbyWP
studentsinboth2014-15and2015-16.Overthepasttwoyears,thetopschool
selectedforattendancewasChemeketaCommunityCollege.Thispastyear,Oregon
StateUniversity(OSU)andWesternOregonUniversity(WOU)wererespectivelythe
secondandthirdselectionsforWPstudents.
Table15.Top5CollegesandUniversitiesComparison
College/University
2014/15Percent(n)
Rank
2015/16Percent(n)
Rank
ChemeketaCC 50%(74) 1 41%(127) 1OSU 10%(15) 2 13%(39) 2UniversityofOregon 5%(8) 3 5%(15) 5WOU 5%(7) 3 12%(37) 3PCC 4%(6) 5 7%(22) 4
Ofthosestudentswhoattendedacollege/university,59(19%)werefrom
ruralschools(Table16).Thisiscomparableto2014/15data,where17%or26
studentswerefromruralschools.
11-15-17 The Center for Education Innovation, Evaluation & Research Willamette Education Service Districts
30
Table16.CollegeMatriculationbyHighSchool2015-16(N=311)HighSchool n PercentMcMinnville 50 16%Dallas 28 9%McNary 27 9%Woodburn 23 7%YamhillCarlton* 19 6%McKay 17 5%Jefferson 15 5%St.Paul* 15 5%Century 13 4%NorthSantiam(Stayton) 13 4%Banks* 11 4%Central 11 4%Silverton 08 3%St.Helens 08 3%Sheridan 06 2%Cascade* 05 2%Hillsboro 05 2%JohnF.Kennedy 05 2%NorthSalem 05 2%RainerJr/Sr 05 2%Sprague 05 2%SouthSalem 04 1%Neah-Kah-Nie* 03 1%Sherwood 02 <1%Tigard 02 <1%Tillamook* 02 <1%Amity* 01 <1%Gaston* 01 <1%
Gervais* 01 <1%Perrydale* 01 <1%
Total 311 *RuralasdefinedbyODE
11-15-17 The Center for Education Innovation, Evaluation & Research Willamette Education Service Districts
31
ProfessionalLearningCommunities
AkeytothesuccessoftheWillamettePromiseistheProfessionalLearning
Communities(PLCs).TheWPisahybridmodelofaPLCscomposedofhighschooland
highereducationfaculty.Alloftheten(Biology,Chemistry,Communications,Computer
Science,Geography,Math70/95,Math111/112,Psychology,Spanish,andWriting)PLCs
havedevelopedproficiency-basedassessmentrubricsforeachofthecorecourses.The
numberofcoursestaughtwithineachPLCvary.Forexample,Spanishoffersatotalofsix
classes,Writingthree,andCommunicationsone.
Table17providesanoverviewofthegrowthofthePLCsoverthelastthreeyears.The
numberofPLCsexpandedwiththeincreasednumberofcourseofferingsovertime.
Table17.ProfessionalLearningCommunities2014-15,2015-16,&2016-17 2014-15 2015-16 2016/17
PLCs 7 9 10#ofPLCMeetings 28 36 40Teachers 114 194 201Faculty 20 21 21
In2016-17,anadditionaleducationalservicedistrict,LaneESD,beganparticipatingin
theWP,bringingthetotaltofourESDs.Anendoftheyearsurveywasadministeredtoall
PLCteacherstobetterunderstandtheworkandperceptionsofPLCmembers.Questionsin
thesurveyaddressedusefulnessofPLCmeetings,perceptionsoffeelingvalued,
effectivenessoftimespentinthePLCmeetings.Additionally,thesurveyservestogather
informationtoassistWPstaffandcollegefacultyinprovidingfurtherassistancetoPLC
teachers,andplanforfuturemeetings.Overall,35%ofPLCteachersrespondingtothe
surveywerenewtoWPthispastyear.Ashighlightedearlier,theWillametteESDhasthe
largestnumberofteachersparticipatingintheprogram.
Table18.ResponsesbyEducationalServiceDistrictESD Number Percent
WillametteESD 72 66%
NorthwestESD 31 28%
LaneESD 4 4%
MultnomahESD 2 2%
11-15-17 The Center for Education Innovation, Evaluation & Research Willamette Education Service Districts
32
ThemajorityofthesurveyparticipantsattendedallormostofthePLCmeetingsheld
throughouttheyear.Approximately70%ofPLCmembersattended3-4meetings
throughouttheyear.
TheEndoftheYearPLCsurveywasonlyadministeredtohighschoolteachers.A
surveyofhighered.facultywasconductedseparately.Differentthanfrompastyears,the
springPLCwasanonlinePLCusingtheCanvasdiscussionboard.TheonlinePLCwasa
pilottoaddressissuesinfindingsubstitutes,thedistancetotheWESDforPLCmeetingsfor
someattendeesandanoverallcuriositytoseehowwellthismightwork.Thefeedback
fromteachersishighlightedinTable19.Overwhelmingly,responsesfortheonlinePLC
formatwasnotstronglysupportedbyeitherhighschoolteachersoruniversityfaculty.
Table19.SpringOnlineMeeting(N=90) StronglyAgree/AgreeTheSpringPLCmeeting,metyourexpectations? 55%TheSpringPLCmeetingworthmytime. 54%TheSpringPLCmeetingmetmyneeds 55%
ThemostsignificantfindingfromthePLCEndofYearsurveyswasthehigh
agreementwith“OurPLCmembersengageindialoguethatreflectsarespectfordiverse
ideasandopinions”(92%).Twoitemswereinthemidtomid-high80%range:“OurPLCis
activelyinvolvedincreatinghighexpectationsthatservetoincreasestudentachievement”
(87%)and“Wehaveestablishedproficiencieswewantstudentstoachieve”(86%).There
aretwostatementsthatfellbelowan80%thresholdrange:“Iamsatisfiedwiththeamount
oftimetherewasforlearning-focusedcollaboration(76%),and“Wehaveestablished
proficiencieswewanteachstudenttoachieve”(69%).Inthelattertwostatements,thereis
anopportunityinthecomingyeartohaveagreaterfocusonlearning-focused
collaborationswithinthePLCs.Regardingtheestablishmentofproficienciesthatmeasure
achievement,therearesomePLCmemberswhoarenotquiteassatisfiedwiththe
assessments(someofthatcomesfromnotbeinginvolvedintheirdevelopmentduringthe
previousyear)andotherswhodonotcompletelyagreewithsomeoftheassessmentsfora
varietyofreasons(seeTable20).
11-15-17 The Center for Education Innovation, Evaluation & Research Willamette Education Service Districts
33
Table20.PLCCollaboration(N=108)Item StronglyAgree/AgreeOurPLCmembersengageindialoguethatreflectsarespectfordiverseideasandopinions.
92%
OurPLCisactivelyinvolvedincreatinghighexpectationsthatservetoincreasestudentachievement.
87%
Wehaveestablishedproficiencieswewanteachstudenttoachieve. 86%Iamsatisfiedwiththeamountoftimethereisforlearning-focusedcollaborationatthePLCmeetings.
76%
ThereareadequateopportunitiestoreviewsamplepapersandrubricsatourPLCmeetings.
69%
FeelingValuedasPLCMembers
Figure11summarizesthedegreetowhichnewandreturningmembersofthePLCs
feelvalued.Attheendofyear,77%ofteachersreportedfeelingveryvaluedorvalued
comparedto79%atmid-year.Therewasnostatisticallysignificantdifferencebetween
newandreturningteachers(X2(4,N=108)=8.79,p=.066).However,theresponses
areinconsistentwithpreviousendoftheyearPLCresponsestothisquestion.
Typically,theteachershavefeltmorevaluedattheendoftheyear,ratherthan
slightlyless.Itisunclear,whatmightcontributetothedecreaseinPLCmembersfeeling
lessvaluedbyothermembersoftheirPLCs.OneconsiderationistheSpringPLCwas
conductedonline,asopposedtobringingPLCmemberstogetherattheWESD.Thislackof
contactwithothermembers,andusingavirtualdiscussionboardmayhavecontributedto
thisdecreaseinperceivedvalue.
11-15-17 The Center for Education Innovation, Evaluation & Research Willamette Education Service Districts
34
Figure11.ToWhatDegreeDoYouThinkYouAreValuedbyOtherMembersofyourPLC?(N=108)
14%
49%
24%
8% 5%
21%
35%
6% 3% 1% 0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
VeryValued Valued SomewhatValued
NotVeryValued NotValuedatAll
NewTeachers ReturningTeachers
11-15-17 The Center for Education Innovation, Evaluation & Research Willamette Education Service Districts
35
BuildingaCollege-andCareer-GoingCulture
Figure12isconsistentwithlastyear’sfindingsthatthereisstrongoverall
agreementthatintoday’sschoolsitisimportanttobuildacollege-andcareer-goingculture
amongstudentsandfamilies.Overall,89%ofPLCteachersfeltbuildingacollegeandcareer
goingcultureamongstudentsandfamiliesisimportant.Therewasnosignificantdifference
betweennewandreturningteachersX2(3,N=107)=3.40,p=.334.
Figure12.PercentageofTeachersWhoBelieveBuildingaCollege-andCareer-GoingCultureAmongStudentsandFamiliesisImportant(N=107)
55%
34%
11%
41%
48%
9% 3%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
VeryImportant Important ModeratelyImportant SlightlyImportant
NewTeachers ReturningTeachers
11-15-17 The Center for Education Innovation, Evaluation & Research Willamette Education Service Districts
36
Figure13highlightsthatthemajorityofPLCmembersbelieveWPcoursesareeffectivein
encouraginghighschoolstudentstoseekpostsecondaryopportunities.Therewasno
significantdifferencebetweennewandreturningteachersX2(4,N=107)=4.99,p=.288
Figure13.PercentageofWPTeachersWhoBelieveWPProficiencyCoursesEncouragePostsecondaryOpportunities(N=107)
Eighty-twopercentofteachersfeltthatthePLCswereeitherusefulorveryusefulinhelping
developmaterialsneededtoimplementtheirproficiencycourse.Manyofthediscussionsin
eachofthePLCswerefocusedonteacherssharingteachingstrategiesandrefiningrubrics
tobeusedintheclassroom.Often,returningteacherswereabletosharetheirexperiences
fromthepreviousyearandhelpguidetheworkofthePLCs
Aspreviouslymentioned,thePLCsthispastspringwereconductedvirtuallyrather
thaninperson.ResponsestothevirtualPLCsabilitytomeetteacher’sexpectationswas
mixed(seeTable21below).
18%
47%
24%
11%
23%
51%
10% 13%
2%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
VeryEffective Effective NeitherEffectiveorIneffective
Somewhateffective
Notatalleffective
NewTeachers ReturningTeachers
11-15-17 The Center for Education Innovation, Evaluation & Research Willamette Education Service Districts
37
Table21.HowWellDidtheSpringPLCOnlineMeetingMetYourExpectations(N=103) Strongly
Agree/AgreeNeitherAgreeorDisagree
Disagree/StronglyDisagree
TheSpringPLCwasworthmytime
54% 30% 16%
TheSpringPLCmetmyneeds
55% 27% 17%
TheSpringPLCmetmyexpectations
55% 30% 15%
PLCmemberswereaskedtorankbenefitsthatresultedfromtheirinvolvementin
WillamettePromise.Thetopthreeoverallreportedbenefitsresultingfrominvolvementin
PLCsweretheabilityofstudentstohaveaccesstocollegecredit;theopportunityto
collaboratewithcolleaguesandtheopportunitytoworkwithhighered.faculty.
Figure14belowsummarizestheintentionoftheteachersplanningonreturningto
WPin2017–18.Themajorityofbothnewandreturningteachers(75%)planonreturning
in2017-2018.Themostcommonreasonsforthoseeitherindicating“maybe”orthatthey
were“notreturning”included:(1)theirdistrictworkingwithNWPromisenextyear,or(2)
notteachingthecoursenextyear.
Figure14.IntentionofHighSchoolTeacherstoReturntoPLCNextYear
66%
28%
6%
80%
9% 11%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%
Yes Maybe No
NewTeachers ReturningTeachers
11-15-17 The Center for Education Innovation, Evaluation & Research Willamette Education Service Districts
38
FacultySurveyResults AttheendofacademicyearPLCfacultywereaskedtorespondtoabriefonline
survey.ThesurveywasanopportunityforthePLCfacultytoprovidefeedbackonthe
programandtodeterminefromafacultyperspectiveifthePLCswerefulfillingthegoals.
Therewere13respondents,representing6differentPLCs.Manyofthefaculty
involvedwiththeWPhaveexperiencewithhighschoolteachingandteacherspriorto
workingwiththeWillamettePromise.Nineofthe13PLCfacultyhavebeeninvolvedwith
theWPfor3years.Fourofthefacultypreviouslytaughthighschool.Nineofthe13PLC
facultyhaveworkedwithhighschoolteachersoutsideoftheWP.Onaverage,thefaculty
respondingtothesurveyhavetaughtatthecollegelevelfor18years.
PreviousexperienceofWPPLCfacultywithhighschoolteachersandsomebeing
formerteachersthemselvesinalllikelihoodcontributesmuchtothesuccessofthePLCs.It
providesgreaterinsightintotherelatabilityofthePLCfacultytothehighschoolteachers.
WhenobservingthePLCfaculty,inparticularthosewhoeitherhaveexperiencewithhigh
schoolteachersorwerehighschoolteachersthemselveswereabletoprovideexamples,
activitiesandteachingstrategiesthataremoreapplicabletohighschoolteachers.
FacultywereaskedseveralquestionsregardingtheirworkwiththePLCsandthe
coursealignment.100%offacultythoughtthattheircollege-levelcourse(s)were
moderatelyorcompletelyalignedwiththehighschoolWPcourse.
Similarly,tohighschoolteachers,PLCfacultywereaskedtowhatdegree
theyfeltvalued.TheperceptionofbeingvaluedwithinthePLCwashigh,with88%
feelingveryvaluedorvalued.Thefacultyhaveaconsiderableamountofinteraction
withthehighschoolteachersintheirPLCsandreceiveconsiderablefeedbackfrom
themonanongoingbasis.ObservingthePLCsoverthecourseoftheyear,itisvery
apparentthatthehighschoolteachersvaluetheirrelationshipwiththePLCfaculty.
FacultywereaskedprovidefeedbackontheWPabilitytoachieveitsgoals.
Overwhelmingly,facultyindicatedstrongsupportforthattheachievementofthegoalsset
bytheWP(seeTable22).Inaddition,80%offacultyareveryconfidentwiththe
standards/curriculumtheirPLCshavedeveloped.
11-15-17 The Center for Education Innovation, Evaluation & Research Willamette Education Service Districts
39
Table22.PerceptionofWPGoalAttainment(n=10) Verylikely/SomewhatlikelyIncreasecollege-goingcultureinareaschools.
90%
Increasethenumberofstudentswhoconsideranytypeofpostsecondaryeducationasapathafterhighschool.
100%
Ensuretherigorofhighschoolacceleratedlearningcoursework.
90%
Increaseaccesstoacceleratedlearningforhistoricallydisadvantagedstudents
100%
Increasecollaborationbetweenhighschoolandcollegefaculty
100%
11-15-17 The Center for Education Innovation, Evaluation & Research Willamette Education Service Districts
40
Conclusion
TheWillamettePromise,inthefinalyearofatwo-yeargrantcycle,successfully
accomplishedtheambitiousgoalsestablishedforthegrant.In2016–17,WPexpandedfrom
itsoriginal20schooldistrictswithintheWillametteEducationServiceDistricttoatotalof
41schooldistrictsfromLaneEducationServiceDistrict,NorthwestRegionalEducation
ServiceDistrictandMultnomahEducationServiceDistrict.Withthatexpansion,the
numberofhighschoolteachersinvolvedgrewfrom115to201in2016-17.Sincethe
establishmentoftheWP,4,147studentshaveearned23,965creditsin23courses.
In2016-17,atotalof1,735studentspassedatleastoneWPcourseandearned
collegecredit.Courseswereofferedinninesubjectareas:Biology,Chemistry,
Communication,ComputerScience,Geography,Math,Psychology,SpanishandWriting.
Fouradditionalcoursesweredevelopedduring2016–17andwillbeofferedin2017–18:
Math251,Biology103,Biology200,andHistory201.
ConsistentwiththeWPcommitmenttotheequitylens,theWPcontinuestoreach
outandprovideopportunitiesforunderrepresentedstudentstoearncollegecreditwithin
highschool.Approximately,34%ofWPstudentswerestudentsofcolor,36%were
economicallydisadvantagedand28%ofstudentsearningcreditwerefromruralschool
districts.Aportionofstudents,17%,werechronicallyabsentstudents.Similartothe
researchonchronicallyabsentstudents,thelargestportion(41%)ofchronicallyabsent
studentswere12thgraders.
WillamettePromisecontinuestoofferaccesstocollegecreditforruralstudents.
Manystudentsinourruralschoolsfacesignificantchallenges.Ruralstudentsaremore
likelytobechronicallyabsent,economicallydisadvantaged(34%)andresideinlocalsthat
arenotincloseproximitytoanycollegecampuses.TheabilityfortheWPtohaveacollege
footprintintheseschools,providesarealisticexposuretoacollege-goingculturethatcould
otherwisebeabsent.For65%ofruralschools,WillamettePromiseofferstheonlyaccessto
thecollegecoursesofferedthroughtheWP.TheopportunityforWPtoproviderural
schoolswithaccesstocollegecreditandacollege-goingculturecannotbeoverstated.
TheProfessionalLearningCommunitiescomposedofbothhighschooland
college/universityfacultycontinuetobeakeytothesuccessoftheWillamettePromise.
UnlikemostPLCsthatonlyinvolvehighschoolteachers,WPisuniqueinthatthePLCisa
collaborativeeffortbetweencollege/universityfacultyandhighschoolteachers.Asinpast
years,theoverallsatisfactionwithinthePLCsremainedhigh.Highschoolteacherscontinue
11-15-17 The Center for Education Innovation, Evaluation & Research Willamette Education Service Districts
41
tocitehavingtheopportunitytonotonlycollaboratewiththeircolleaguesintheirfieldbut
alsohighereducationfacultyasabenefitoftheirinvolvementintheWP.
MuchoftheworkwithinthePLCsthispastyearfocusedonthecontinued
refinementoftherubricsandassessmentsandprofessionaldevelopment.ThePLCswere
abletointegratemoreintentionalprofessionaldevelopmentintothemeetingtime,while
otherPLCsstillneededtodevotemoretimetorefiningassessmentsandrubrics.PLCs
continuetoseekwaysforlearning-focusedcollaborations.
Therewere311WPstudentswhograduatedin2016thatattendedcollegeforat
leastonetermpost-graduation.Approximately70%ofHispanicstudentsand64%ofWhite
studentsenrolledinacollege/university.Fifty-one(51%)percentattendedatwo-year
collegeand48%afour-yearcollegeoruniversity.Ofthoseattendingatwo-yearcollege,
41%enrolledinChemeketaCommunityCollege.Only14ofthe311(5%)studentswentout
ofstate.In2015–16,25312thgradersmetthecriteriaforbeingeconomically
disadvantaged;ofthose,64%enrolledinacollegeoruniversityforatleastoneterm.
WillamettePromiseprovidesanopportunityforhighschoolstobecomemore
engaging,rigorous,andrelevantforstudents.AsOregonschoolsarechallengedby
retentionandgraduationratesinsecondaryschools,helpingstudentsseetherelevanceof
theircourseworkandhelpingstudentsdiscovertheircareeraspirationsmovesstudents
downthepathofsuccess.WPislayingthefoundationforthisworkbycollaboratingwith
Oregonschoolstoprovideopportunitiesforyouthtolearnaboutcareersandinvolvethem
inrigorous,relevant,andengagingclassesandexperiencesthatwillhelpsmooththeir
transitiontopostsecondarysuccess.
RecommendationsThefollowingarerecommendationsfortheWillamettePromisetoconsider:1.Developasystemtotrackandmonitorenrollmentofstudentsineachclass.2.Developamethodtotrackthosestudentswho: a)donotpasstheirclass(es) b)selectnottotranscripttheirgrades.
Astheprogramcontinuestoexpandandreceivescrutiny,thiswillbecomemoreimportant.
3.TheworkofthePLCsneedstobroadenthescopeandoffermoreprofessionaldevelopmentopportunitiesforitsmembers.
11-15-17 The Center for Education Innovation, Evaluation & Research Willamette Education Service Districts
42
4.Administercourseevaluationsinatimelymanner,ratherthanjustattheendoftheacademicyear.5.DevelopasystemthatwillallowcomparisonsofWPstudentstonon-WPstudents. a)Attendance b)GPA c)Testscores d)Graduationrates e)Drop-outrates f)College/communitycollegeattendance g)Collegepersistenceanddegreeobtainment h)Ruralschooldistrictanalysis6)Developasystemtotrackthelevelofteacherparticipationandretention.
11-15-17 The Center for Education Innovation, Evaluation & Research Willamette Education Service Districts
43
Appendices
11-15-17 The Center for Education Innovation, Evaluation & Research Willamette Education Service Districts
44
AppendixA
1.InstituteofEducationScience.(2016).“UndergraduateEnrollment.”NationalCenterforEducationalStatistics.Retrievedfrom:http://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator_cha.asp
2.OregonDepartmentofEducation.OregonReportCard2014-15.SchoolandDistrictReportCards.Retrievedfromhttp://www.ode.state.or.us/search/results/?id=116
3.OregonDepartmentofEducation,(2016-17)“RegularAttendersReport,”Retrievedfromhttp://www.oregon.gov/ode/reports-and-data/students/Pages/Attendance-and-Absenteeism.aspx
4.Pierson,A.,&Hanson,H.(2015).“ComparingpostsecondaryenrollmentandpersistenceamongruralandnonruralstudentsinOregon.”(REL2015-076).Washington,DC:USDepartmentofEducation,InstituteofEducationSciences,NationalCenterforEducationEvaluationandRegionalAssistance,RegionalEducationalLaboratoryNorthwest.Retrievedfromhttp://ies.ed.gov./ncee/edlabs
5.ChalkboardProject,“RuralEducationinOregon,”Retrievedfromhttps://chalkboardproject.org/sites/default/files/RuralEducationReportFINAL_0.pdf
6.Stevens,C.,&Kim-Gervey,C.(2016).“ChronicAbsenteeismReport.”ChiefEducationOffice.www.education.oregon.gov.
11-15-17 The Center for Education Innovation, Evaluation & Research Willamette Education Service Districts
45
AppendixBListofDataSources
1.NationalCenterforEducationSciencesData2.NationalStudentClearinghouseDataforOregonWillamettePromiseGraduates3.OregonDepartmentofEducation(ODE)StudentData4.OregonDepartmentofEducation(ODE)DistrictReportCards5.ProfessionalLearningCommunity(PLC)EndofYearSurvey