La Vega Independent School DistrictCenter Final Report

Cycle 7July 31, 2014

La Vega Intermediate School Center # 2

1. Executive Summary

La Vega Intermediate School in La Vega ISD is Center Number 2 in La Vega ISD’s (LVISD) 21st CCLC

Cycle 7 Grant. La Vega ISD is part of the Waco Metropolitan area in McLennan County outside

Waco. The La Vega Intermediate ACE Program serves 4th, 5th,and 6th grades and is a Title 1 school.

La Vega ISD has an enrollment district-wide of 2,875 and 90.2% of the students in LVISD have been

identified as Economically Disadvantaged, 23.4% African American, 52.8% Hispanic, and 21.9%

White. 2.6% of the students are English Language Learners (ELL) and 56.9% of the students are at

risk for not graduating high school.  La Vega Intermediate campus has an enrollment of

approximately 611 students. The ACE Center was required to serve 120 regular students and 25

adults in grades 4-6. The required goal was far exceeded by serving 191 Regular students and 59

Non-Regular students during the 2013-14 school year. Almost one-third (27%) of the students at

the campus attended the ACE Program as either a regular student or non-regular student.

Overview of the Evaluation - Key Findings:

La Vega Intermediate ACE ProgramAcademic Support:

1. An average of 239 students in the fall and 203 students in the spring enrolled in the ACE

program. On Friday an average of 61 students attend the morning program. 63 students

attended Saturday activities in the spring semester for STAAR skill instruction.

2. The average daily attendance for all ACE students in the regular day is 44%.

3. 41 ACE students (16%) increased their attendance from fall to spring.

4. 57% of the Regular ACE students passed the reading STAAR test; 66% of the Regular ACE

students passed the mathematics STAAR test. In comparison to “All Students Tested” ACE

students were 5 percentage points below in reading and 1 percentage point in mathematics.

5. 70% of the Regular ACE students showed an increase or maintenance in grades (GPA) from

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fall to spring by at least one grade point or letter grade. In 2013, 60.75% of ACE students

improved or maintained their GPA in all core courses;

6. 100% of the ACE students were promoted to the next grade level.

7. The Academic Program makes up 78% of the total ACE Program.

8. The ACE Academic Program is aligned to the Regular School Day Program at 100%.

Enrichment:

1. The ACE Enrichment Program is 75% aligned to the Regular School Day Program

2. The ACE Enrichment Program makes up 10% of the ACE Program

3. The Enrichment Component of the ACE Program includes activities that are provided by the

Waco YMCA -ports Academy; CIS bullying, job prep and college readiness. Other

Enrichment Activities:

o Crop, Paper, Scissors ACE Staffo Imagination Station ACE Staffo Adv Athletics Teacher and ACE Staffo Sewing- Teachero Tech Girls- Volunteer and Staffo Yearbook Teachero Creative Writing ACE Staff

College and Career Readiness:

1. The ACE College and Career Readiness is 10% aligned with the Regular School Day

2. The ACE College and Career Readiness Program is 11% of the total ACE Program

3. College and career awareness are embedded into the activities in the ACE Program and are

also provided by Communities in Schools (CIS) staff.

Parent and Family Support:

1. The ACE Parent and Family Support Program is 10% aligned with the Regular School Day

2. The ACE Parent and Family Support Program make up about 10% of the ACE Program – this

portion of the program is done after the academic and enrichment program is finished and is in

addition to the regular ACE Program.

3. Parent and Family Support Activities are GED & ESL Program; Jay’s Boot Camp for parents;

and Parent Events and Parent Connection.

4. 18 more parents than required by the grant were served in the ACE Program.

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Intermediate Outcomes

Increased Attendance

1. Attendance in the regular school day slightly increased from (96.2% in 2013 to 96.3% in

2014)

2. 41 ACE students (21%) increased their attendance from fall to spring.

3. The average daily attendance in the ACE Program in 2014 was 44%.

Increased Academic Performance

See Academic Support page 1 of this report

Decreased Behavior Problems

There was no criminal behaviors reported the last two years and discretionary removals decreased

from 72 in 2013 to 63 in 2014.

Increased Graduation Rates

The Graduate rate for LVISD for 2014 is 83%

Increased Family Participation

18 more adults than required were served in the ACE Program.

Level of Funding: The level of funding for the ACE Program was $1,481 per student.

Assessment of implementation fidelity:

Fidelity of implementation occurs when the components of the program are implemented at high

levels. The La Vega Intermediate ACE Program has implemented the following program

components at the levels noted:

Increased Academic Performance (GPA)

70% of the ACE students improved or maintained their GPA from fall to spring in all core courses. In 2013, 60% of ACE students improved or maintained their GPA in all core courses

STAAR (academic achievement)

57% of ACE students passed the reading STAAR test; 66% of ACE students passed the mathematics STAAR test. These scores are below the state average for these grade levels by 18 percentage points in reading and 9 percentage points in mathematics. For all students on the campus who took the STAAR test: 68% passed reading and 70% passed mathematics.

Increased Attendance 41 ACE students (16%) increased their attendance from fall to spring. Attendance rate on the campus increased by 1 percentage point from 2013

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to 2014.Decreased Behavior Decreased by 9 incidents from 2013 to 2014Increased Promotion Rates

All ACE students were promoted to the next grade level

Increased Family Engagement Activities

More adults were served in the ACE program than in previous years

Increased graduation rates

Not known at this time

For the third year of implementation the La Vega Intermediate ACE Program was implemented with a

high level of fidelity.

Summary of any survey findings from stakeholders:

Surveys from stakeholders in the ACE Program (0 regular teachers replied to the survey; 1 ACE teacher;

37 students) were done in the spring. With just one ACE Teacher responding, the survey will be not be

valid. The majority of the students who responded were from 4th and 5th grades. However, 96% of the

students said that they “feel they are a better student since attending the ACE Program. (See survey

results at VI Stakeholder Perceptions).

Commentary about next steps:

The Site Coordinator recognizes that there are some changes that can be made for the upcoming 2014-

15 school year.

Increase activities for College and Career Readiness by including more awareness activities in all

of the activities that lend itself to that topic

Increase Parent Engagement activities and offer more activities that meet the needs of parents

and work with the FES to develop more activities.

Increase the amount of time that students who are enrolled in the program attend daily

activities.

II. Introduction and Purpose of Program

Describe the ACE Program – Four Areas of Focus

The purpose of La Vega ‘s 21st Century Community Learning Center (21st CCLC) Program (known as ACE)

is to provide high-quality extended learning opportunities before and after school to students in need of

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academic assistance. La Vega’s ACE program is designed based on a community, district, and campus

needs assessment in conjunction with each campus’s improvement plans in a collaborative,

comprehensive and coordinated approach. La Vega’s ACE Program has used grant funds to build and

expand a systemic infrastructure of extended learning opportunities. The approach is centered on a

specific framework and foundation and included assurances for effective implementation and high

quality programs for the attainment of TEA’s objectives. The strategies implemented also complement

TEA’s overarching goals and critical success factors. The ACE Program is intended to improve the

following outcomes for students in 1) Academic Performance; 2) Attendance; 3) Behavior; 4) Promotion

Rates; and 5) Graduation Rates. La Vega Intermediate School is one of 4 campuses located in La Vega

ISD.

The following chart outlines the demographics of La Vega Intermediate School:

Total Campus Enrollment: 611

Category Number Percentage Category Percentage

African American

133 21.8% Attendance rate 96.3%

Hispanic 328 53.7% Annual dropout rate (Gr 9-12) 0%

White 136 22.3% STAAR (students passing all tests) 67%

2 or more races 13 2.1TAKS commended 2013 performance, all tests (sum of all grades tested)

NA33333

Economically disadvantaged

562 92% Students taking the ACT and/or SAT N/A

Limited English proficient (LEP)

134 21.9%Average SAT score (number value, not a percentage)

N/A

Disciplinary placements

20 2.9%Average ACT score (number value, not a percentage)

N/A

According to the census there were 9,901 people, 3,513 households residing in the city of Bellmead.

The racial makeup of the city is 42.5% White, 17.2% African American, 0.4% Native American, 0.6%

Asian, 0.1% from other races, and 1.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race is

37.8% of the population. The average income for a household in the city was $43,523, and the

median income for a family was $34,511. The per capita income for the city was $16,910. Within the

population 65.7% have graduated from high school and nearly 11% of these people have completed

a higher degree.

Academic Support (Interim Report 2 Workbook & Activity Average Daily Attendance Report)

Activity (Fall Only) Students Days Attended Student

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Enrolled ADAMorning All Stars 186 61 21ACE All Stars 239 49 10Math Intervention 125 13Reading Intervention 72 13

Description: The Morning All Stars begins each day at 7:00-8:00 and is in session Monday through

Friday. Afternoon Homework Assistance is Monday through Thursday for students who need

additional assistance (from teacher referral). The Academic Support Program is 100% aligned with

the regular school day. This is evidenced by the fact that regular classroom teacher lesson plans

and the ACE teacher lesson plans are coordinated at a high level. Skills that are being taught in the

classroom are transferred to the ACE Program in a diligent manner. Rosters of students, the skills

they are lacking, and the skills that they have mastered are available in the SC’s office. The first

hour of the program is devoted to Homework and Study Skills Monday through Thursday. The

second hour of the program is reading and mathematics interventions. Small group interventions

are held for students who are in need of additional and intense one-on-one instruction (identified

through teacher referrals and STAAR benchmark assessments). Students are referred to the

program by a teachers or campus administrators. Teacher-assigned homework as well as project-

work makes up most of the instruction in the program. Success Maker Software Program is used

for problem solving. During the fall semester students attended a total of 2232.5 total hours of

Academic Assistance (Interim Report # 2). Academic Support is 78.5% of the total ACE Program.

Enrichment Activities (Interim Report 2 Workbook)

Activity (Fall) Students Enrolled

Days Attended

Student ADA

Communities in Schools (CIS) Enrichment Program

13 13 7

YMCA Sports Academy 16 13 12Creation Time (Arts & Crafts) 19 13 5Angry Birds 46 23 17Crop, Paper, Scissors 12 13 4Imagination Station 23 13 9Mindworks 32 13 13Pinterest 101 7 13 4

Description: Parts of the ACE Enrichment Program are provided through the YMCA and

Communities in Schools (CIS) Programs in Waco, Texas. ACE Staff, teachers, and volunteers

supervise other enrichment activities that students have said they want. These programs are held

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Monday through Thursday for one hour each day. Student Voice and Choice is an important part of

the enrichment activities that are offered to students and although the overall theme of the activity

does not change, the activities within are scheduled based on student interest. Alignment with the

regular school day is approximately 50%. Every attempt is made strategically to tie an academic

skill that is being taught in the regular school day to the Enrichment Program. Lesson plans from

classroom teachers and the ACE staff are coordinated so that the skills being taught during the

regular school day are transferred to the after noon program at a high rate. The Enrichment

portion of the ACE Programs makes up 10% of the total program.

College and Career (Interim Report 2 Workbook)

Activity (Fall) Students Enrolled

Days Attended Student ADA

ESL/GEDJay’s Boot Camps

Description: Although some College and Career activities were listed on the Interim Report # 2, the

evaluator concluded that these are actually enrichment or parent involvement activities. Although

lesson plans for the ACE activities do occasionally embed college and career awareness activities

into the activities as they are presented to the students, this does not meet the intent of the ACE

programming for College and Career Readiness. CIS does do some college and career readiness but

there is no documentation as to how much is done. The Interim Report # 2 states that College and

Career composes 11% of the ACE Program and is aligned to the regular school day at 10%.

Family and Parental Support –

Parent Involvement Activities # Of Parents AttendingGED Classes 1 adults were enrolled; offered 36 times; 1 adult

attendedESL Classes 5 adults were enrolled; offered 36 times; 1 adults

attendedJay’s Boot Camp 5 adult was enrolled; offered 95 times; 1 adults

attendedParent Events/Activities 11 adults enrolled; held 1 times; 1 parents

attendedDescription: 43 adults (parents and community members) have been served through the ACE

program. The Family Engagement Specialist (FES) schedules and supervises the adult ESL and GED

Programs and Jay’s Boot Camp. Site Coordinators are responsible for offering parent workshops

and sessions that relate to the specific Center. It is estimated that Family Support composes

approximately 5% of the ACE program and is 10% aligned with the school day. This is

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documented through Leadership Meeting Minutes and Logs that show the ACE SC meetings

frequently with grade level teams and the campus team to discuss family involvement programs

that are going to be held and what teachers are working on in their classrooms to encourage parent

involvement.

Summary of Academic, Enrichment, College and Career Readiness and Family Engagement Activities:

The Academic and Enrichment activities are targeted to the students’ needs and are well implemented.

The alignment to the school day and the amount of time spent on the Academic and Enrichment

activities are appropriate and meet the needs of students (STAAR scores; GPA; attendance). Although a

large number of students attend these activities, the quartile dosage of student attendance needs to be

increased. Although the Academic Support component of the program is broken into 10-15 different

sessions, the attendance in many of these sessions is low. The charts below Illustrates that the quartile

dosage of attendance is low.

Academic Assistance (Fall) 0-25% 25-50% 50-75% 75-100%

All Stars 4th grade -11 students enrolled 5 3 1 1

All Stars 5th grade -16 students enrolled 8 4 2 2All Stars 6th grade – 20 students enrolled 8 4 1 1YMCA Sports Academy - 28 enrolled 4 8 6 8

*Activity Attendance Percentage Chart

Although the Activity Attendance Percentage Chart details the low numbers of students attending

for extended periods of time, there have been few modifications made to better align activities.

College and Career Readiness Activities are virtually non-existent in the program and will be a

recommendation for improvement. The Family Engagement component of the program needs to be

more clearly aligned between the Family Engagement Specialist and the Site Coordinator. Although

the Site Coordinator did host some parent and family activities, the Family Engagement Specialist

will need to assist in individualizing the activities for the LV Intermediate Center. This will also be a

recommendation.

Three of the highest attending activities were (Interim Report # 2):

Tech Girls Angry Birds 101 AE Reading

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The three lowest attending activities were: ( Interim Report # 2)

AE Mathematics UIL Pharris Jay’s Boot Camp

Activities Offered Fall Only; Spring Only; Both Fall & Spring

Academic Activity Fall Only Spring Only Both Fall & SpringMorning All Stars XACE All Stars XMath Intervention XReading Intervention X

Enrichment Activity Fall Only Spring Only Both Fall & SpringCommunities in Schools (CIS) Enrichment Program

X

YMCA Sports Academy XCreation Time (Arts & Crafts) XAngry Birds XCrop, Paper, Scissors XImagination Station XMindworks XPinterest 101 X

College and Career Activity Fall Only Spring Only Both Fall & Spring

Family Engagement Activity Fall Only Spring Only Both Fall & Spring

GED Classes XESL Classes XJay’s Boot Camp XParent Events/Activities X

Overall Goals (Intermediate Outcomes)

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The La Vega Intermediate School ACE Community Task Force understands that the critical success

factors reflect behavioral changes that must be demonstrated by students and families enrolled in

the program or by the adults working on their behalf. These critical success factors are essential for

the ACE Program to succeed in meeting the objectives for student success. The Community Task

Force agrees that the following critical success factors for the ACE program are:

Students’ and families active participation and engagement in learning Students’ and families increased sense of involvement in school Use of assessment data to revise/evaluate student services Implementation of strategies learned through training

The Intermediate Outcomes that LV Intermediate ACE Program has outlined are:1. Increase attendance2. Increase academic performance3. Decrease problem behavior 4. Increase promotion rates5. Increase graduation rates6. Increase family participation

Program Theory of Action

ACE Program Theory of Action – Students in need, spending additional time (min. 30 days) in well-

structured and aligned afterschool activities, taught by qualified personnel, focused on the 4 activity

components will yield improvement in the academic performance, attendance, behavior, and

promotion and graduation rates of students.

Overall School Context and the Students Being Targeted

LV Intermediate ACE Program was required to serve 120 students and 25 adults. However, the

program far exceeded those goals serving 191 Regular students, 59 non-regular students, and 43

adults. With 611 students enrolled on the site campus, 40% of all of the students on the campus are

enrolled in the ACE Program. Although LV Intermediate School has 92% of the student population

receiving Free and Reduced Lunch and 12.4% of the students live in families that are below the

poverty level, the students on the campus have out preformed students of schools of similar

demographics. However, the campus has not scored above the state or regional averages in the last

two years.

2013 All Tests Reading Math Science Soc StudiesState 77% 80% 79% 82%LV Interm 67% 68% 73% 57%Results Below State Below State Below State Below State

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Average Average Average Average

III. Evaluation strategy/plan

Identify the Type of Research Design

The program research design that has been developed for the La Vega ACE Center is a descriptive

research model that will provide an accurate portrayal of the characteristics of the ACE Program.

The description model will describe the data and characteristics of the IISD ACE Program, discuss

the finding of the data, and make recommendations.

Analysis Strategy That Will Be Employed

The analysis strategies that have been employed are:

Interview forms/questionnaires for ACE staff

Parent survey (Parent Involvement Specialist)

fall online survey for students, parents, and teachers.

Evaluator observations – copies of site observations – project director formal site

observations

Student attendance in ACE & regular school day; student academic achievement; decrease

in student behavior problems during the school day

STAAR scores, AEIS for campuses served

Tx21st Reports

Sampling Plan Described for Surveys

Surveys were developed and each Site Coordinator, Teacher, Regular Day Teacher, and ACE Student

were asked to take the survey in the late fall of 2013. The ESC 12 Task Force composed of the

Project Director, evaluator, representatives from community and educators selected a sample of

elements in the form of a questionnaire for the target population (Regular Teachers, ACE Teachers,

Site Coordinators, and students) to answer. The survey was meant to measure the attitudes of

people who were associated with the ACE Program. The survey was developed at ESC 12 and

distributed to each Site Coordinator through a computer link. The Site Coordinator then made

respondents aware that the survey should be answered prior to the end of the first semester of the

ACE Program. Probability sampling was the type of survey used -where a small randomly selected

sample of the population is used to estimate the distribution of an attitude or opinion. (See VI

Stakeholder Perceptions)

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Participant Attendance

31.3% (191) of the students on the campus are Regular ACE students. Less than 1% of the

students on the campus are Non-Regular Students in the ACE Program. The average attendance has

remained at a constant daily average as represented by the chart below (TX 21st Center Attendance

Count Calendar Report). On Friday there is no afternoon program; however, Morning All Stars

meets.

Average ACE Attendance 2013-14Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

Students 95 120 107 122 2363 1 0 0 0 0

The reports from the TX21st System are further discussed on page 26.

AEIS site level report 2012-13 (see Demographics Chart on Page 5)

IV. Program Design and Strategy - Logic Model

a. Fall-Spring Logic Model Data Elements

The Logic Model for La Vega Intermediate Center represents the history of the program for the

2013-14 school year. The Logic Model is in the appendix.

Two Examples of Clear Logic Model Elements Descriptions1). The La Vega Intermediate ACE Logic Model clearly describes the Academic Support at each

grade level. Certified teachers work with 12-15 students; for 19 days in the fall for one hour

each day. It is clear from the Logic Model that the purpose of the activity is to assist in reaching

the Intermediate Outcomes listed – increase Academic Performance.

2). Monday Sports Academy is an enrichment activity that provides students with non-UIL

sports that includes the history of the sport, leadership, teamwork and other elements that can

connect to core academic skills. According to the Logic Model 26 students attended this activity

for 22 times during the fall, one hour each day.

Components of the Logic Model:

RESOURCES

Staff: According to the Logic Model Ryan Sparks is the Site Coordinator, 10 certified teachers,

and 7 qualified program staff member’s work in the ACE Program.

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Students and Adults: The ACE Center is required to serve 120 students and 25 adults in the

program. According to the logic model, 191 regular students, 59 non-regular students and 43

adults were served.

Support for Program: The ACE Program is supported by he Project Director (Lisa Drafahl); the

Family Engagement Specialist (Nina Ruff); the After School Task Force; TX21st web-based

tracking system; the Texas Education Agency; Edvance; La Vega ISD, local businesses and

campus Site Based Committees.

Curriculum: The curriculums that are used in the ACE Program are a valuable resource to the

program. Other than TEKS, the ACE program uses ACE Activity Planning Tools (TEKS

Aligned); Motivation Math, Science & Writing; Success-Maker Software, Mindworks, and

Bridges Training.

IMPLEMENTATION

The implementation of the La Vega Intermediate School ACE Program is to 1) provide

opportunities for academic enrichment to help students meet the local student academic

achievement standards in the core subject areas of reading, mathematics, social studies and

science; 2) to offer students a broad array of additional services, programs, and activities such

as youth development activities, character education, counseling, art, music and recreation

programs all designed to reinforce and complement the regular academic; 3) offer families of

students served opportunities for literacy and related educational development. The ACE

Program implementation is divided into the following areas:

School Program Alignment – ACE activities are aligned to grade level TEKS; District/Campus

improvement plans are aligned to the ACE Program; staff training on lesson plans and

classroom management is provided for staff; needs assessments of the campuses served are

done to identify specific campus needs that are to be addressed in the ACE Program; Cross

Curriculum training and implementation is done; ACE staff have access to regular-day teacher

lesson plans; tutorial materials are provided at the grade level to address specific students’

academic needs; grade level meetings are attended by the ACE Site Coordinator; the ACE Site

Coordinator meets with the principal leadership team and teachers to ensure that there is a

strict alignment of the regular school day and the ACE program.

Recruitment and Retaining Students – La Vega Intermediate ACE Program (4-6 grades) is a

Title 1 school so all students in the district are recruited to participate in the program. Students

are recruited through informational meetings, talking directly with parents and talking with

students directly in pairs or groups (especially students in grades 5 & 6). To retain students the

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ACE program hires well-educated staff who have demonstrated an ability to connect easily with

students, especially those identified as “at-risk”; offer quality and interactive programs that link

youth to real-world experiences; offer flexible attendance policies and make the program

accessible; overcome barriers for students such as transportation.

Student and Family Voice/Choice - Listening to students and families when developing

programming for students is vital to a well-run program. Surveys are given to students and

family members several times a year to solicit input into the program activities; focus groups and

face-to-face conversations with students and parents are held each semester to solicit input;

lunch bunch program where ACE staff meet with teachers to solicit input about the program and

discuss additional programming that will meet student and family needs.

Ongoing Monitoring (data use and observation) – The Site Coordinator (SC) is responsible for

the ongoing monitoring of the ACE Program on a day-to-day basis. The SC uses regular

classroom teacher lesson plans to make sure there is an alignment from the regular program to

the after school program; the SC observes in regular classroom teachers’ day classrooms to

ensure that there is a continuity in areas of instruction and to observe students; daily and weekly

conversations with teachers and administrators regarding the ACE program activities; 3 and 6

week student report cards are examined by the SC to ensure that student academic progress is

being made; attendance at SBDM meetings by the SC to ensure alignment of the ACE program

and regular programs; results of benchmark testing is provided to the SC as the testing is done.

Professional Development – Staff for teachers who work in the program attend an orientation at

the beginning of the program each year to understand the general rules of the program and to

understand the purpose of the program. Regular teachers training is aligned with the school

day staff development and training. However, if a teacher has a problem or issue, the SC works

with the regular teacher on an individual basis. Staff is encouraged to attend staff development

at ESC 12 on a variety of programs that will enhance their teaching abilities. Paraprofessional

training is done on an individual basis with staff as a need arises.

Qualified Personnel: Staff that work in the academic support are a combination of certified

teachers and trained ACE Staff that are not employees of the district. The Waco YMCA and the

Communities in Schools provide activities for the Enrichment Program. La Vega Intermediate

ACE staff provide additional Enrichment Programs for students. To ensure that all staff is

qualified, all ACE staff attends orientation and staff meetings and engages in daily

conversations with the SC. The staff meetings are held for 3 days at the beginning of the school

year and the ACE staff provides the curriculum for the training. Walk-through and feedback

conducted by the SC provide the teachers with constant feedback as to their implementation of

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the ACE principles in the program.

OUTPUTS-ACTIVITIES

Academic Support, enrichment, family engagement, and college and career activities are all

available at the La Vega Intermediate ACE Program.

Academic Support – A description of the Academic Program is on Page 6 of this Report.

Enrichment – A description of the Enrichment Program is on Page 6 and 7 of this Report.

College & Career Readiness – A description of the College & Career Readiness Program is on

page 7 of this report.

Family Engagement – A description of the Family Engagement Program is on Page 7 of this

Report.

A summary of the four components of the ACE Program is on page 8 of this Report.

Outputs-Participation

The La Vega ACE Program ran for 62 days in the fall and 85 days in the spring for a total of 147

days. The Logic Model clearly defines the number of days each activity was held, the hours and

the number of students who attended that activity. See Page 8 for modifications made to the ACE Program.

Intermediate Outcomes for La Vega Intermediate ACE Program

Increase Attendance Increase Academic Performance Decrease Problem Behavior Increase Promotion Rates Increase Graduation Rates Increase Family Engagement

Impact

The La Vega Intermediate ACE Program has as the overall goal to impact each student at such

a high level that all students will graduate ready for college and career. La Vega ISD has a

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graduation rate of 83% for 2014, and the requirements for promotion and graduation continue to

increase. Therefore, for students to keep up with increasing graduation and promotion

requirements, additional academic assistance is necessary- especially at the early grades so

students are able to master basic skills and make grade-level progress each year.

b. Modifications

As previously stated on Page 8, the modifications made to the program are minimal. Certified

teachers from the campus and ACE Staff work in the Academic part of the program. Morning

ACE Stars is held on Friday morning but regular afternoon classes are offered only 4 days a

week. The YMCA and CIS organizations contract to work in the Enrichment Program.

C. Research Questions

i. Program Structure: Was the program implemented as intended?

Overall the La Vega Intermediate ACE Program was implemented as intended. The program

provided an academic-focused program that is strongly aligned with the academic day in both the

Academic Support and the Enrichment components. STAAR scores have exceeded the state and the

region average during the last two years. According to staff focus groups, the ACE Program has

been a major reason for the increase in student achievement. The Community Task Force and

school administrators agree that improving the academic program is the main focus of the ACE

Program. However, the Task Force understands that students need enrichment activities because

these are students who live in rural areas on farms and ranches and do not have access to activities

outside the school.

Areas that are considered weaknesses in the program are:

Parent involvement activities that include parent-training type activities were not offered.

Although 43 parents were served during the year, these were usually one-time activity-

based programs. Low numbers of adults are participating in the ESL and GED Program.

Although the Site Coordinator did host some parent and family activities, the Family

Engagement Specialist will need to assist in individualizing the activities for the LV

Intermediate Center. This will also be a recommendation.

College and career readiness is a weakness in the La Vega Intermediate ACE Program.

Some college and career activities were embedded within the enrichment activities during

fall and spring (in lesson plans). However, rather than embedded within other activities,

college and career activities need to be distinguished. Almost all of the students that attend

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the ACE Program are from families that are Economically Disadvantaged there needs to be

a focus for students in this area on careers that are currently in demand so students can

continue their post-secondary education or enter the world of work once they graduate

from high school.

Increase the amount of time (student dosage) that students who are enrolled in the ACE

Program attend the Academic and Enrichment Programs.

Very few modifications in the Enrichment Program have been made although some of the

activities have very few students attending the activities.

Implementation on 10-Point Scale

Logic Model Areas Documentation for Implementation (Why do you think that your rating is sound)

1-10 Points

Targeted numbers (Operations Criteria) are met in all areas.

Required student numbers were met

TX21st System

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All 4 components are incorporated in activity planning.

College and Career and Family Engagement were not served at a high level.

Logic Model; TX 21st Activity Attendance Participation

6

Student participants are intentionally targeted.

There is a system implemented for targeting students –report card grades; 3-week reports from teachers

TX21st System

8

Planning is intentional and specific to the needs of the student participants.

It is evident from the student Voice/Choice Sheets, teacher input regarding activities; meetings with grade levels of teachers and the campus site based committee that planning is taken seriously.

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Planning is done in collaboration with the campus leadership team.

The Site Coordinator has monthly meetings with the principal & Instructional Facilitator where a plan for the next month of activities, lists of students, student attendance, and other pertinent information is shared.

8

Activities are monitored and The Site Coordinator visits in ACE classrooms and 8

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adjusted to ensure higher quality programming.

regular classrooms during the day. Modifications are made in programming as necessary; student voice and choice is apparent.

Classroom visit logs; list of activity changes

Intermediate outcomes are monitored and improved/revised.

Student Voice/Choice; 3 week student reports; report card grades; minutes of meetings with teachers & administrators

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Budgets are monitored carefully to ensure expenditures are going to meet student needs and budget amounts are expended to meet those needs but not exceeded.

Site Coordinator keeps a spreadsheet with all expenses by category as well as a payroll planning sheet each semester to predict how much will spend in contract services and in payroll expenses. The Project Director gives the Site Coordinator high marks in budget monitoring.

8

Regular communication with all participants (parent & student) is a standard practice along with outreach and community involvement

Documentation to show communicate with parents and students; parent letters; phone calls, emails, sign-in sheets

8

Total 7.2

ii. Resources: Were requisite resources available for program success?

La Vega ISD has worked as a partner with the ACE Program from its beginning to ensure that

the ACE Program is a success. The quality of the district contribution to the ACE program

contributes to the quality of the program.

The district has made sure that rooms and space are available for the program to run

smoothly- classrooms, computer rooms, library, and cafeteria.

District employees are encouraged to work in the program to ensure that there is a

strong alignment between the regular school day and the after school program.

The district provides every student a laptop computer and these computers were

available for students during the ACE Program as well as software programs

The district allows the ACE students access to technology labs.

The district provide snacks at no charge to the ACE Program to assist with the Breakfast

Club;

The district does not charge the ACE Program for the copy machine and miscellaneous

materials and supplies for student and teacher use.

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iii. Implementation Practices: Were program practices well implemented?

School program alignment- The ACE Academic Program is 100% aligned with the school day

and the Enrichment Program is 75% aligned with the school day. Documentation for this is that

100% of Academic activities are related to the school day; TEKS and STAAR objectives.

50% of the teachers who work in ACE Academic Program are also regular classroom

teachers.

ACE staff has access to teachers’ lesson plans and have received training.

There is constant communication between the Site Coordinator and teachers on a daily

basis as documented by the Site Coordinator and regular classroom teachers (focus

meeting, logs)

The SC attends campus and district Leadership Meetings and presents the progress of

the ACE Program at District and Campus Site Based Meetings.

Recruiting and retaining students – Recruiting and retaining students to the ACE Program is done

through teacher and administrator (principal/counselor) recommendation. The Site Coordinator

attends the Orientation Meeting at the campus and provides registration forms to students and

parents. The SC also provides teachers with ACE Student Referral forms at the beginning of the

school year and asks for students that met the criteria for the program (did not pass STAAR or last

benchmark assessment in reading or mathematics) to be recommended. As the semester passed,

these forms are again provided to teachers every three weeks to recruit students that are new to

the district or the teachers see falling behind. Teachers, parents and community members can

recommend students for the ACE Program throughout the year. However, it is important that

teacher recommendations are not only academic in nature– students with behavior issues and

attendance issues are also recommended and enrolled in the program.

Integrating student and family voice – The ACE staff receives input from students and parents

through surveys every six weeks for parents and students, direct conversation with students and

parents; focus groups of students at various grade levels; communicating with individual parents by

sending home newsletters and information letters and inviting parents to activities that students

are involved in. The ACE Program has an email system that is set up on district server and parents

can ask questions about the program. Information is also printed in the local newspaper on a

periodic basis. Periodically students discuss the activities that being offered and provide input

about the activities and how they have enjoyed them.

Observing and monitoring program participation – The SC and the Project Director monitor the

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program through periodic “Walk through” monitoring of classes as they are being taught during the

regular day and in the afternoon. The Site Coordinator also visits in classrooms of students who

may have had behavior or other issues in the ACE program to determine alternatives that may be

implemented in the ACE program for student behavior. The Site Coordinator visits with teachers

on a frequent basis about student progress and discusses with teachers how the students are

progressing in academics, attendance, and behavior.

Using report data - The LV Intermediate ACE Program staff have access to student report cards and

progress reports on a three and six weeks basis. Benchmarking testing results are available for the

ACE staff as well as data on attendance and behavior of ACE students. STAAR results are provided

to the ACE staff. Any other information such as medical issues is also made available to the ACE

staff.

Staff professional development needs - The Site Coordinator holds an orientation meeting at the

beginning of the program to provide ACE Staff (that are not employees of the district) with up-to-

date information on the program. This training is a 3-day training with topics such as classroom

management; TEKS implementation; communication with regular teachers. Any new staff are

provided additional time to go over the ACE philosophy and other information they will need.

Staff development needs are done on an individual basis for certified teachers who work in the

program. Problems that arise with the staff are solved on an individual basis. The teachers in the

Enrichment ACE Program (2nd hour teachers) are trained by the Site Coordinator on classroom

management, software training, and any skills that the teachers feel they need. There is also a need

for the Site Coordinator to refresh classroom management training more than once a year. As soon

as the Site Coordinator sees that there is a problem, the SC meets with the teacher to discuss the

problem and ways to solve the problem. The certified teaching staff and the Site Coordinator do not

do any formal training since all the teachers are certified teachers and they attend trainings

through the school. However, staff meetings to discuss issues within the ACE Program are held on

an as-needed basis.

IV. Outputs-Activities: Are activities targeted to student needs and well implemented?

Are activities targeted to student needs and well implemented? Activities in the ACE Program

are targeted to student needs in the academic program. There is a 100% alignment between

the school day and the ACE Program. This is evidenced throughout the academic program by

comprehensive lesson plans that are shared with the ACE staff. District and campus needs

assessments for the district and campuses are carried through to the ACE Program. The

20

Enrichment Program is 75 % aligned with the school day. Although the Enrichment activities

are “fun” for students, there are skills that are woven throughout the program that focus on

skills that are being taught in the classroom. However, College and Career Readiness are not

aligned to the school day. Other than careers that apply to the activity, there is no clear trail of

alignment in the College and Career Readiness activities.

Were program modifications made to better align activities offered with school learning

objectives? There have been few modifications made in the program offerings that were not

well attended by students.

Strategies and processes utilized to align activities to student needs – The alignment of

students’ needs to the ACE Program activities began at the end of the 2013 school year with a

thorough needs assessment that looked at STAAR scores for each student, classroom grades in

all the core areas, behavior records on each ACE student, attendance and attendance for ACE

students. During the year 3 and 6-week academic reports are received from classroom teachers

and provided to the ACE staff so that alignment can be intentional and well streamlined with

both the regular day program and the after school program.

How was instructional quality managed or assessed? The Site Coordinator observes ACE

teachers while activities are being taught in the ACE program to assess how well the ACE

teachers are targeting the individual needs of students. Attending teacher staff meetings where

student academic achievement goals and monitoring are taking place helps with the

instructional quality of the ACE program. All ACE staff is provided job descriptions. The Site

Coordinator does informational evaluations with ACE staff teachers each semester. Constant

visits to the ACE classrooms in “walk-by” evaluations are done monthly or on an as-needed

basis.

Basically, how were program modifications managed? Major modifications such as a program

changes have to be approved by the Project Director in conjunction with the Site Coordinator.

Modification also are discussed in the Leadership Team; no major modifications at the ACE

program have been made.

V. Outputs-Participation: Were program modifications made to increase participation in

program activities.

Only one activity was modified. Imagination Station was cancelled after the fall semester due to

discussions with classroom teachers and ACE Staff. The SC made the decision to avert the

students who had preciously been attending this program to a more academic-focused

21

program. No staff changes were made in the ACE Program in either semester

How were they addressed? If enrollment decreased in activities, the Site Coordinator would

talk with students in the program and asked for their input. Decisions to eliminate a program

or add another program would be the result of student interest decline, teacher or ACE Staff

suggestions, or a review of student grades and benchmark assessments.

VI. Opportunity Analysis: How many and how varied were the proposed activities

allocated to academic support, enrichment, family engagement, college and

career?

How varied were the activities in the four areas?

Academic Support has three major activities for both fall and spring semesters- ACE All Stars

(homework help with tutorials), reading and mathematics intervention, and Morning All Stars

(homework help with technology). The Academic Support Program is 100% aligned with the

regular school day. This is evidenced by the fact that regular classroom teacher lesson plans and

the ACE teacher lesson plans are coordinated at a high level. Skills that are being taught in the

classroom are transferred to the ACE Program in a diligent manner. Rosters of students, the skills

they are lacking, and the skills that they have mastered are available in the SC’s office. The first

hour of the program is devoted to Homework and Study Skills Monday through Thursday. The

second hour of the program is reading and mathematics interventions. Small group interventions

are held for students who are in need of additional and intense one-on-one instruction (identified

through teacher referrals and STAAR benchmark assessments). Students are referred to the

program by a teachers or campus administrators. Teacher-assigned homework as well as project-

work makes up most of the instruction in the program.

LV Intermediate ACE Program offers Enrichment Activities during the school year (Logic Model,

Interim Report # 2, Participant Activity Attendance Detail, and Participant Attendance Reports) – CIS,

YMCA Sports Academy, and a host of other Enrichment Activities that are taught by teachers and

ACE Staff (14 or more additional enrichment activities). Enrichment Classes, like the Academic

Program, are divided into grade appropriate classes and a variety of classes are offered. The

enrichment program takes up approximately 10% of the ACE program. CIS activities include health,

social skills, self-esteem, counseling, and family issues. YMCA Sports Academy provides non-UIL

22

sports that include teamwork and leadership skills. Math and reading skills are embedded in all of

the activities.

Family Engagement (per Logic Model) composes a small percentage of the ACE Program. GED and

ESL programs are supervised by the FES and some campus family activities have been held.

College and Career Readiness activities were not as extensive or varied as the Academic or

Enrichment components. Some career information was provided during the activities but no

formal College and Career Readiness program was evident.

Summary: In looking at the variety of activities (Logic Model, Interim Report # 2, Participant

Activity Attendance Detail, and Participant Attendance Reports) in LV Intermediate ACE Center’s

program the Academic and Enrichment program were varied enough for students in grades 4th

through 6th. However, the College Readiness and the Family Support components are not varied

enough to offer a program that meets the ACE requirements.

Rationale for the allocation of activities to each of the four program components areas (academic

support, enrichment, family engagement, college and career) and its relationship to the

program’s intermediate outcomes:

According to the Site Coordinator the majority of activities that the ACE Program focuses on are

academic in nature and tied to the intermediate outcomes of improving student academic success

by improving STAAR scores, improving attendance, and decreasing behavior problems for ACE

students. Each three-weeks regular classroom teachers provide important information regarding

each student’s progress in academics, attendance and behavior. Specific, detailed information for

each student’s academic progress was detailed by specific math and reading skills. Therefore, the

ACE staff knows exactly what skills each individual student needs to work on. The accumulation of

the mastery of each of the skills pushed the students along to the program’s intermediate outcomes

of increased academic performance; increased attendance; decreased problem behavior; increase

promotion rates; increase graduation rates; increase family engagement.

Intermediate Outcome #1: Increase Attendance2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 Increase/Decrease

LV Intermediate 96.5% 96.2% 96.3% Slight Increase

Intermediate Outcome #2: Increase Academic Performance (STAAR Scores)LV Intermediate 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 * Increase/DecreaseAll Subjects 66% 67% 69% IncreaseReading 71% 68% 68% Remained SameMath 70% 73% 70% Decrease from 2013

23

Science*These results are preliminary results (all students tested) because testing has not been completed in several grade levels for students who are retaking STAAR tests.

STAAR scores at the LV Intermediate Campus are above the State and Regional averages for the last

two years and again in 2014. However, there is a continued focus in the ACE Program on grade

level TEKS.

Intermediate Outcome #3: Decrease Problem BehaviorMandatory Removals 2013 0Mandatory Removals 2014 0Decrease/Increase Stayed the Same

Discretionary Removals 2013 72Discretionary Removals 2014 63Decrease/Increase Decrease in discipline incidents from 2013

Intermediate Outcome #4: Increase Promotion Rates2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 Increase/Decrease

LV Intermediate 100% 100% 100% Stayed the same*CISD Promotion Data – 8 students on the campus of 978 students were retained; 3 ACE students

were retained.

Intermediate Outcome #5: Increase Graduate Rates 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 Increase/Decrease

92% DNA DNA

Intermediate Outcome #6: Increase Family Engagement Activities2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 Increase/Decrease

10 activities 17 activities

V. Program Participation

a. Reports from the TX 21 st system are to be used for this section of the report

Center Attendance Count Calendar was used to determine the average number of ACE

students who attended by the day of the week. This data shows that the number of students

attending the ACE program is quite consistent -most students attend toward the beginning

of the week.

The Participant Attendance Report was used to determine the number of days students

attended during the program, the total hours the student attended, and the number of

regular and non-regular students in the program.

24

21% of the students attended from 1 to 49 days;

29% of the students attended from 50 to 99 days;

26% of the students attended from 100 to 149 days;

0 student attended150 or more days;

Student Attendance Percentage – Center Level report details in graph format. During the

fall 63% students attended the program from 41-81+% of the time and during the spring

49% students attended the ACE program 41-80+% of the time. The attendance rate of

students in the ACE program is 44%. Student attendance decreased in the spring due

to extracurricular and community sports.

Participant Activity Attendance Detail - report depicts the attendance count of each

activity by date and time. Students in large numbers attended the Academic Assistance

and the Enrichment Program.

Interim Report 2 – Fall Term - This report was used to determine the number of

academic, enrichment, and career and college activities for the fall semester and the

number of students enrolled in each activity as well as the hours of attendance per day,

total hours attended and he median student attendance and an ADA of the students.

b. Research Questions

i. Right Students:

Characteristics of program participants:

214 of the ACE students in the fall and 191 in the spring were eligible for the Federal Free and Reduced Lunch Program (Student Economic Disadvantaged Report)

62 LEP ACE students attended in the fall and 51 LEP ACE students attended in the spring

39 White students attended the ACE Program in the fall and 34 in the spring

115 Hispanic students attended the ACE Program in the fall and 97 in the spring

40.9% of the students in the program are classified as At Risk for not graduating high school

Do the regular program students differ from the non-regular or total school population?

The student population, regular students and non-regular students at the LV Intermediate ACE

Program do not differ. The characteristics of the students remain constant. Fall and spring

participants do not differ. Since the characteristics of the students in the program are basically

similar, recruitment and retention strategies for all students are the same. Since STAAR scores

25

exceeded the state and regional average, grades of all students increased, and attendance in the ACE

program increased, the right students were recruited and targeted for the ACE Program.

ii. Right Activities

What are offered activities? The following activities are offered to students in the LV Intermediate

ACE Program and divided into Academic, Enrichment and College and Career Readiness.

Academic Support (Interim Report 2 Workbook) - The right Academic Support (78% of the ACE

Program) activities have been developed and implemented in the ACE Program. The ACE

Academic Program consists of Morning All Stars and a series of ACE All Stars (homework help and

tutorials) divided by grade levels. Tech Girl, Angry Birds, and Reading were among the highest

attended activities for the fall. With 68% of the ACE students passing the reading STAAR test, 70%

of ACE students passing the mathematics STAAR test, and 70% of ACE students increasing or

maintaining their GPA from fall to spring, the right activities for Academic Support were provided.

Enrichment Activities (Interim Report 2 Workbook) - Enrichment Activities (10% of the ACE

Program)–include the YMCA Sports Academy, Communities in Schools (bullying, job prep, and

college readiness), and 12 to 14 additional enrichment activities such as choir, sewing, computers,

Yearbook, and Imagination Station. CIS activities include health, social skills, self-esteem,

counseling, and family issues. YMCA offers a variety of different sports and the rules and history of

the specific games. Math and reading skills are embedded in all of the activities. There is

consistent attendance in the YMCA enrichment programs. The other enrichment programs are not

as heavily attended. To make sure that the right activities are being offered for these students, the

Task Force should look at the activities within each of the major activities and examine the number

of students attending on a daily basis.

College and Career (Interim Report 2 Workbook) - A very small amount of the time (11%) was

allocated to College and Career Readiness according to the Interim Report # 2. The purpose of the

ACE Program’s College and Career Program is to expose students to age-appropriate activities

regarding careers. One of the activities in the CIS Enrichment Component was job prep and college

readiness. However, there was a lack of College and Career Readiness activities.

Family and Parental Support –

Less than 10% of the time was spent in working with the Family and Parent Support Program from

26

both the Center Level. 43 adults (parents and community members) have been served through the

ACE program. Other than ESL and GED supervised by the FES, there is a lack of Family Support

Activities. The right activities for family support and parent involvement have not been offered to

adults in the ACE program.

Program Response to Low Attendance: There are some Enrichment Activities that have low

attendance (both fall and spring). These activities should be monitored and if it becomes evident

that the activity enrollment is not going to increase, the SC should talk with students in the activity

to get an understanding of why the activity had a low attendance. In conjunction with the ACE staff

and at times the Leadership Team, the decision would be made as to the continued status of the

activity.

Percent of Time Allocated to Activities (Interim Report 2)

Area of Activities Fall Spring

What is the % of time allocated to academic support 78% 78%

What is the % of time allocated to enrichment 10% 10%

What is the % of time allocated to family engagement 11% 11%

What is the % of time allocated to college & career <10% <10%

III. Right Student Level of Participation – Are students participating at appropriate levels to benefit form the activities.

Student Attendance Percentage Report:

Attendance Percentage Fall Spring Total0-20 43 61 10421-40 46 47 9341-60 48 32 8061-80 89 63 15281+ 16 9 25

As the chart above details, 242 students in the fall and 212 students in the spring attended the

program. 153 students in the fall and 104 in the spring attended the ACE Program from 41% to 81+

% of the time. No students in the program attended 150 or more days. Only 66 students attended

from 100 to 149 days and the majority of students (126 students) attended from 1 to 99 days. This

27

provides evidence to the fact that the ACE Program targeted and recruited students into the

program; however, a greater number of students need to attend the program for more days to

benefit at high levels from the program. The Activity Attendance Percentage Chart (See Page 8)

provides examples of activities with low dosages of student attendance.

The Participant Attendance Report was used to determine the number of days students attended

during the program, the total hours the student attended, and the number of regular and non-

regular students in the program. See Student Attendance Percentage Report on Page 27.

This provides evidence to the fact that the ACE Program during the first year of operation targeted

and recruited students into the program; however, a greater number of students need to attend

the program for more days to benefit at high levels from the program.

Participant Activity Attendance Detail report depicts the attendance count of each activity by

date and time. As other reports have indicated, large numbers of student attend the afternoon

Academic and Enrichment ACE Program. Again, more students need to attend the program for

more days to get the full benefit of the program.

I nterim Report 2 – Fall Term - this report was used to determine the number of academic,

enrichment, and career and college activities for the fall semester and the number of students

enrolled in each activity as well as the hours of attendance per day, total hours attended and he

median student attendance and an ADA of the students.

Are students participating at appropriate levels to benefit from the activities?

Students are attending the ACE Program at levels to be considered appropriate; however, is the

level of attendance enough to make a difference for students? Students have shown positive

gains in mathematics achievement and reading is above the state and regional averages. However,

large numbers of activities are showing attendance numbers that are in the first and second

quartiles of dosage rather than in the third or fourth quartile

Right student level of participation for the overall program:

Overall the student participation in the program appears to be at a level that is considered

appropriate. Students participated in the afternoon program and they participated in both

Academic Assistance and Enrichment programs. The exact level of participation for students to

28

benefit has not been determined but only 0 student attended from 100 to 150 days. Although 63%

in the fall and 49% in the spring participated from 41% to 81+ %, it is clear that more students

need to participate for more days and receive a larger dosage of activities.

Right student level of participation relative to other students:

The average attendance for both Regular and Non-Regular students who attended the ACE Program

was 44%. The chart below outlines the number of ACE students who tested in each area of the

STAAR, the number of students who passed the STAAR at that subject’s area and the percentage of

ACE students who passed the STAAR. There were 191 4th-6th-grade Regular ACE students who took

the STAAR test. These results point to the fact that the students who attended ACE performed well

compared to other students on the campus and across the region and state.

Regular ACE Students Who Took STAAR

# Regular ACE Students Passing STAAR

% Regular ACE Students Passing STAAR

Reading 191 109 57%Mathematics 191 126 66&

Right student level of participation relative to their own set of activities: At this time there is no

data to distinguish the ACE students who passed the STAAR and how many days they attended the

ACE Program. Therefore, it is difficult to draw a conclusion as to the level of participation and each

student’s own circumstances.

VI. Program Intermediate Outcomes

3 Research Questions:

Question # 1: Are There a Greater Number of Students Experiencing Improvement?2012-13 2013-14 Increase/Decrease

Increased Academic Performance (GPA)

158 175 students increased GPA

Increase in # from 2013

Increased Attendance (School Days Absent)

96.2% 96.3% Slight Increase

Decreased Behavior (Criminal referrals)

0 0 Same as 2013

Decreased Behavior(Non-criminal referrals)

72 63 Decrease from 2013

Increased Promotion Rates 100% 100% Same as 2013Increased Family Engagement Activities

4 Activities 4 Activities Same as 2013

Student Export (Excel Spreadsheet 2012-13 & 2013-14)

29

Question # 2: Are There a Greater Percent (%) of Students Experiencing Improvement?2012-13 2013-14 Increase/Decrease

Increased Academic Performance (GPA)

69% 70% Increase from 2013

Increased Attendance (School Days Absent)

96.2% 96.3% Slight Increase

Decreased Behavior (Criminal referrals)

0 0 Same as 2013

Decreased Behavior(Non-criminal referrals)

31% 25% Decrease from 2013

Increased Promotion Rates

100% 100% Same as 2013

Increased Family Engagement Activities

4 activities 4 activities Same as 2012

*Student Export (Excel Spreadsheet 2012-13 & 2013-14

Question # 3: Are There Greater Amounts of Improvements by Students?Increased Academic Performance (GPA) 1% more students increase or maintained their GPA

in 2014 than in 2013. However, the program served more students in 2014.

Increased Attendance (School Days Absent) In the regular school day, the average daily attendance for all students lightly increased. For ACE students the attendance rate was 44% during the regular school day. However, there is no data on from 2013.

Decreased Behavior (Criminal referrals) No criminal behaviors for 2013 or 2014Decreased Behavior(Non-criminal referrals)

Referrals decreased from 2013 to 2014

Increased Promotion Rates 100% promotion rate for 2013 and 2014Increased Family Engagement Activities Same from 2013 to 2014Summary:

Not as many Regular ACE students passed the STAAR reading and mathematics tests as All Students Tested.

57% of Regular ACE students passed the STAAR reading test in 2013 (57% in 2014) 68% of Regular ACE students passed the STAAR mathematics test in 2013 (66% in 2014) Report card grades for the majority of students (77%) have shown increases or maintained

grades that are “mostly As and Bs.” There were 72 non-criminal incidents in 2013 and 63 in 2014 The attendance rate of ACE students in the regular school day is 44% while the campus

attendance rate is 95.4% - which translates to ACE students missing an average of 79 days during the school year.

VII. Program Impacts

This section of the report is necessary if a QED is being used to analyze program impact

30

VIII. Stakeholder Perceptions

ACE Teachers’ Survey:La Vega Intermediate ACE Program had 1 ACE Teachers and 0 Regular Classroom Teachers respond

the survey. There is not enough data to report.

Student Survey:

37 Students responded to the survey; however, 43% of the students reported that they do not

participate in the ACE Program (however, students who took this survey were only morning

students and do not realize that the morning program is part of the ACE Program.

Never Sometimes Often Total

Get homework help or tutoring at the 21st CCLC before/after school program?

52%17

33% 11

155

 33

Do art, dance, drama, music, and graphic arts at the 21st CCLC before/after school program?

41%13

34%11

25%8

 32

Do sports or games 21st CCLC before/after school program?

28%

8

31%9

41%12

 29

Do college awareness and preparation activities at the 21st CCLC before/after school program?

50%16

25%8

25%8

 32

Do job and career activities at the 21st CCLC before/after school program?

33%

11

45%

15

21%7

 33

Get to use technology/computers to do your school work at the 21st CCLC before/after school program?

19%6

41%13

41% 13

 

32

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Of the students who responded to the survey, 73% stated that they attend the ACE Program daily.

80% said they attend the afternoon sessions. Students also gave the ACE Program high marks for:

I get a chance to do a lot of new things – 77% agree The activities before and after school are fun and educational – 83% agree. 96% said that they think they are a better student now than before they enrolled in the ACE

Program

IX. Evaluator Commentary & Recommendations –

The evidence examined in this report suggests that the La Vega Intermediate ACE Center in

operation for the third year during the 2013-14 school year made progress in providing

programming that contributed to student growth and development in Academic Support and

Enrichment. College and Career Readiness and Family Support did not provide enough student

dosage to make a difference in these two areas. The strongest evidence for such a conclusion was

the finding that of the Intermediate Outcomes defined in the Logic Model, five of the five

(Academic Performance; Attendance; Behavior; Promotion Rates; and Graduation Rates) were met.

Outcomes yielded evidence that the program is having a significant impact on student performance

and a greater number and percentage of students are experiencing improvement (Research

Question):

1) 76% increase in students’ GPA from fall to spring (Academic);

2) 91.9% of 3rd Grade ACE students passed the Reading STAAR test; 86.5% of 3rd Grade ACE

students passed the mathematics STAAR test. These ACE students out-performed students

in the region and the state on the STAAR test (Academic);

3) 100% of students were promoted to the next grade level (Increase Promotion)

4) 37 students did increase their attendance from fall to spring (Increase Attendance)

5) Behavior incidences decreased from 72 in 2013 to 63 in 2014.

6) The graduation rate for LVISD is 83%; however, it appears that the students on this campus

are on track for a high graduation rate.

Recommendations:

The LV Intermediate ACE program has made progress in adjusting to the challenges of

implementing an after school program that addresses family and children’s needs as well as

meeting the demands of complying with program regulations in the first year of a project. In

addressing program objectives the program met criteria standards or made progress toward

meeting standards in the objectives set forth in the grant application. However, there are some

program objectives that remain particularly challenging. To assist with focusing program

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improvement efforts, recommendations are offered in four areas: staff awareness of goals and

objectives, staff training, and program-classroom teacher collaboration. Many of these

recommendations are interrelated.

1). Expand the Parent Involvement Activities – It is recommended that additional parent

involvement activities that are more educational in nature be offered to parents such as a Parent

University offered several times a year in a seminar-type format. A variety of sessions should be

offered to parents so they can choose two or three sessions to attend and over the course of a year

they would have attended eight to ten information session on various topics. The SC should work

with the FES to develop a series of parent involvement activities that meet the needs of this campus.

2). Expand the College and Career Readiness Activities for Students- According to the Interim

Report # 2 the college and career readiness activities did not meet the standard for activities that

make a difference for students. It is recommended that the College and Career Readiness

component of the ACE Program be intentionally planned to provide students with college and

career readiness activities that are age and grade appropriate. The TASK Force can investigate

College and Career Readiness Curriculums that are age and grade appropriate.

3). More students need to attend the ACE Program a greater percent of the time. 26% of the

students attended from 100 to 149 days in the program. It is recommended that the Task Force

investigate ways to encourage students to increase the number of days they attend the program.

4.). Examine Enrichment Program to see if any modifications in the activities should be made

and if they are meeting the needs of the students. Also, examine each activity to see if enough

students are attending the activities to make them worthwhile fiscally and for the students.

X. Site Coordinator commentary and next steps

Response to Evaluation As the Site Coordinator for the La Vega Intermediate Center Cycle 7 ACE Program, I agree with the evaluator’s summary of this year program. I feel that the ACE Program has accomplished many requirements. Evaluator’s Recommendations:

1. More students need to attend the ACE Program a greater percent of the time. Steps: I plan to meet with the TASK Force as well as the administrative team on my campus and present the data to them that clearly shows that lots of students are attending the program but that the amount of days and hours in the program has to be increased for students to receive the maximum benefit from the program. I will encourage these groups to become involved in talking with parents and students and explaining the benefits of the ACE Program.

2. Expand the Parent Involvement Activities. Steps: A designated parent room will be available for parents to come at certain

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times during the day, as well as during the ACE activities. Parenting mini workshops designed according to parent surveys will be available at these times. There will also be scheduled parent/student nights throughout the school year; some informational and some “social” events. A parent “Board of Directors” will be encouraged to help plan special parent/student events.

3. Expand the College and Career Readiness Activities for Students. Steps: Intentionally planned activities that foster college and career readiness will be scheduled throughout the year. Activities that engage students in the process of learning about college and career such as, having ACE teachers and ACE students collage activities for their favorite college to be displayed during the year. A college day will be planned in which all teachers and students wear their favorite college T-shirt or Jersey. A cafeteria -style format will display the different colleges. Students will rotate through the cafeteria to view the displays. A career day is also planned to include representatives from local businesses in town.

4. Examine Enrichment Program to see if any modifications in the activities Steps: The Task Force will examine each activity to see if enough students are attending the activities to make them worthwhile fiscally and for the students. If not, the activities will be cancelled.

Ryan SparksLa Vega Intermediate Center # 2August 10, 2014

XI. Appendices

All Tx21st reports used in the analysis (we do not want the student export data)

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