Directions: Identify at least one root cause for every priority performance challenge. Root causes should address adult actions, be under the control of the school, and address the priority performance challenge(s). Provide evidence that the root cause was verified through the use of additional data. This can be included in the "reflection" box. A description of the selection process for the corresponding major improvement strategies is encouraged. View the Quality Criteria for the Root Causes section.
Priority Performance Challenge: Graduation and Dropout Rates Our graduation rate is below state expectations and our dropout rate is above state expectations. Area of Focus: Root Cause (s) Associated with this Performance Challenge [ Add / Associate Root Cause ] Lack of student engagement - Our system lacks infrastructure to model and promote student participation and parent involvement related to implementation of additional instructional support. More definitive participation guidelines need to be established to expand this opportunity to meet student needs at all levels and content areas. Root Cause Category: Edit Unassociate Delete Lack of infrastructure for supporting all students - Current multi-tiered system of supports is not currently addressing all student academic needs. Root Cause Category: Edit Unassociate Delete
Priority Performance Challenge: Graduation and Dropout Rates Our graduation rate is below state expectations and our dropout rate is above state expectations. Area of Focus:
Root Cause (s) Associated with this Performance Challenge [ Add / Associate Root Cause ]
Lack of student engagement - Our system lacks infrastructure to model and promote student participation and parent involvement related to implementation of additional instructional support. More definitive participation guidelines need to be established to expand this opportunity to meet student needs at all levels and content areas. Root Cause Category:
Edit Unassociate Delete
Lack of infrastructure for supporting all students - Current multi-tiered system of supports is not currently addressing all student academic needs. Root Cause Category:
Priority Performance Challenge: Matriculation rates Our matriculation rate is below state expectations. Area of Focus: Root Cause (s) Associated with this Performance Challenge [ Add / Associate Root Cause ] Lack of student engagement - Our system lacks infrastructure to model and promote student participation and parent involvement related to implementation of additional instructional support. More definitive participation guidelines need to be established to expand this opportunity to meet student needs at all levels and content areas. Root Cause Category: Edit Unassociate Delete
Priority Performance Challenge: Matriculation rates Our matriculation rate is below state expectations. Area of Focus:
Priority Performance Challenge: Grade level proficiency in Math. Persistent declining or flat achievement of high school students in math, substantially below state expectations when N size was large enough to generate sufficient data. Area of Focus: Root Cause (s) Associated with this Performance Challenge [ Add / Associate Root Cause ] Lack of infrastructure for supporting all students - Current multi-tiered system of supports is not currently addressing all student academic needs. Root Cause Category: Edit Unassociate Delete
Priority Performance Challenge: Grade level proficiency in Math. Persistent declining or flat achievement of high school students in math, substantially below state expectations when N size was large enough to generate sufficient data. Area of Focus:
Unassociated Root Cause(s)
Provide a rationale for how these Root Causes were selected and verified:
School Accountability Community was informed of our performance on ESSA Indicators and the reason for our ESSA identification is Comprehensive Support(CS) low graduation rate.  The School Accountability Committee made up of parents, staff, and community members met monthly to discuss, analyze and evaluate current school programming and historical trends. Observations and recommendations were presented to the school’s leadership team on a monthly basis for consideration and feasibility resulting in a continuous exchange of rich ideas and perspectives.
Though increasing the rigor of curriculum and an increased focus on backward planning likely led to improved scores in some content areas and grade levels, isolated student learning data remains a root cause for significant improvement in teaching and learning. We are lacking enough data to adequately determine and impact student growth and achievement. While we conduct pre- and post- exams, record mid-unit scores, utilize common ''core course'' assessments and build a body of evidence for each student; the data does not reside in a central repository where it can be easily accessed and utilized to impact instruction and student achievement. The district implemented a data warehouse, which houses data from district interims, TCAP, NWEA, and DRA2 assessments. However, small n size continues to be an issue in demonstrating root causes for the Priority Improvement Strategies we have identified and/or those we are working on as a school.Â
School processes and structures were examined to better understand the impacts upon our student performance. Due to a fluctuating funding model, schedules, class sizes, services, and programs have been compromised and are currently being adjusted. The current systems limit our ability to adequately collect and monitor data on student learning, attendance, engagement and demographics in a fashion that can be applied to our existing MTSS process. The district has developed new systems, related to Senate Bill 191, that require complete implementation. In addition, the school model has changed significantly from year to year creating a lack of consistent operational practices. However, staff development around 21st Century Skills and best practices for online teaching and learning as adapted from iNacol have been regularly implemented and enhanced. The Douglas County Strategic plan focus on balanced assessment and world-class education further support increased development in instructional practices, such as backward planning, and quality assessments. The Douglas County School district continues to provide resources to assist us in obtaining our goals through financial support/district budgeting office, Center for Professional Development, IT support, guidance from the Office of the Asst Superintendent and Director of Schools, as well as other various district offices and resources.
Through this process, we repeatedly surfaced the fact that our system lacks a consistent infrastructure used to collect and track data addressing the unique circumstances of an online school. Our analysis shows two root causes as follows:
Lack of student engagement - Our system lacks the infrastructure to model and promote student participation and parent involvement related to the implementation of additional instructional support. More definitive participation guidelines need to be established to expand this opportunity to meet student needs at all levels and content areas.
Lack of infrastructure for supporting all students - The current multi-tiered system of support is not currently addressing all student academic needs.
Ultimately, in an effort to reorganize the oversight and management structure within the school providing greater and more effective support, eDCSDÂ will utilize the data from our trends analysis and significant needs to continue our focus on major improvement strategies to address the above root causes.
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