May 27, 2019
ODDS
Top 5 Positive Outlier Districts
for African American Students*
Continued from page 1
Washington Elementary School students present projects during a College Fair in March. Washington was
recognized as one of LA’s Top Public Schools for serving a significant number of low-income students and
narrowing the achievement gap during the 2017-18 school year.
Washington Elementary School
recognized as a top LA school
Washington Elementary School was
recognized on May 4 as one of LA’s Top
Public Schools for underserved students
during the Top Schools LA: Leading the
Way for Educational Equity conference
at the University of Southern California.
Washington received the distinc-
tion for serving a significant number of
low-income students and narrowing the
achievement gap during the 2017-18
school year. Results from the 2017-
18 California Assessment of Student
Performance and Progress in English
Language Arts and mathematics were a
component to the evaluation process. At
Washington Elementary, 49.4 percent
of students met or exceeded state ELA
proficiency standards — up from 45.2
percent the previous year.
Washington was awarded a banner
for its achievement that will hang at the
school’s campus.
“Receiving this award shows our
community that Washington Elementary
is committed to providing a quality edu-
cation for all of our students,” Principal
Sandra Verduzco said. “At our school,
students are exposed to a safe, respectful
and nurturing learning environment that
supports them in achieving academic
success.”
To receive the honor, schools must
meet statewide enrollment averages of
at least 4 percent low-income African
American students and/or at least 43
percent low-income Latino students.
Additionally, schools must meet or exceed
statewide proficiency rates in English
and/or math.
“It is an honor to have Washington
Elementary represent our district as a Los
Angeles Top School,” Superintendent
Gudiel R. Crosthwaite said. “We are
proud of the academic success our stu-
dents have shown, and will continue to
support our students as they reach their
personal and academic goals.”
EDCAL 5
schools serving the largest shares of stu-
dents of color and students from low-in-
come families throughout the state.
In addition, teachers’ average experience
in the district is positively associated with
achievement for African American and
Hispanic students. These findings spotlight
the impact that the state’s shortage of qual-
ified teachers has on student achievement.
“The research finds that providing
students with qualified, fully-prepared
teachers is a critical component for raising
student achievement,” said LPI Researcher
and Policy Analyst Anne Podolsky, in a
press release. “Fully prepared teachers are
also two to three times less likely to leave
the profession early. Thus, solving short-
ages depends on making preparation more
affordable and incentivizing teachers to
enter the fields and communities where
they are most needed. Effective strategies
include teacher residencies, supports for
classified staff to earn credentials, and
forgivable loans that underwrite teachers’
preparation.”
The report was authored by Podolsky,
LPI President Linda Darling-Hammond,
RAND Associate Policy Researcher
Christopher Doss, and Stanford Professor
Sean Reardon. They analyzed the per-
formance of student subgroups across
435 California school districts with at
least 200 African American or Hispanic
students and 200 white students on the
new California Assessment of Student
Performance and Progress in ELA and
math from 2015-17, the first years the test
was in place.
From this group, they identified 167
positive outlier districts where Hispanic
and white students achieve at higher than
predicted levels relative to their socioeco-
nomic status and 48 districts where African
American and white students achieve at
higher than predicted levels.
Using regression analysis, LPI then
determined the most important with-
in-school factors associated with achieve-
ment. Teacher credentials and experience
were at the top.
“Despite persistent achievement gaps
1. Chula Vista Elementary
2. Perris Elementary
3. Etiwanda Elementary
4. Alvord Unified
5. Santa Monica-Malibu Unified
Top 5 Positive Outlier Districts
for Hispanic Students*
1. Newhall
2. Hawthorne
3. Winton
4. Palo Verde Union Elementary
5. La Canada Unified
*Ranked by how much higher
students performed than predicted,
based on socioeconomic status.
throughout much of the state — and the
nation — students of color and students
from low-income families in these positive
outlier districts are beating the odds and
achieving at higher levels than their peers
of similar socioeconomic background in
the rest of California,” said Reardon, in a
press release. “Our research aims to iden-
tify these districts so that researchers can
uncover the strategies associated with their
success.”
In August, LPI will release a series of
case studies that take an in-depth look into
seven of the positive outlier districts. These
case studies will examine the local policies
and practices that appear to be contribut-
ing to the districts’ success in leveraging
the state’s updated standards, funding, and
accountability systems to support students
in meeting California’s academic standards.
The districts to be studied include Chula
Vista Elementary, Clovis Unified, Gridley
Unified, Hawthorne Unified, Long Beach
Unified, San Diego Unified, and Sanger
Unified school districts.
SAVE THE DATE!
june
10-11 2+1 iLead Lab Series. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sacramento
23-29 Principals’ Summer Institute. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . UCLA
24-28 Institute for New & Aspiring Principals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . UCLA
september
15-17
19-20
24
25-27
NASS/ACSA Federal Advocacy Conference. . . . . . . . . . Washington, D.C.
Excellence through Equity Conference. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Napa
Educational Excellence: Pathways to Equity Summit . . . . . . . . Alhambra
Women in School Leadership Forum. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Huntington Beach
october
2-4
Personnel Institute. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Long Beach
november
5
7-9
2+1 iLead Lab Series. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sacramento
ACSA Leadership Summit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . San Francisco
january
22-24 ACSA Negotiators’ Symposium. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . San Diego
29-31 ACSA Superintendents’ Symposium. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Indian Wells
SEPTEMBER 25-27, 2019 | ISLAND HOTEL | HUNTINGTON BEACH