Executive Summary
Duval County School District
Dr. Nikolai P Vitti, Superintendent
1701 Prudential Drive
Jacksonville
,
FL 32207-8182
Introduction
1
Description of the School System
2
System's Purpose
7
Notable Achievements and Areas of Improvement
11
Introduction
Every school system has its own story to tell. The context in which teaching and learning takes place influences the processes and
procedures by which the school system makes decisions around curriculum, instruction, and assessment. The context also impacts the way a school system stays faithful to its vision. Many factors contribute to the overall narrative such as an identification of stakeholders, a description of stakeholder engagement, the trends and issues affecting the school system, and the kinds of programs and services that a school system implements to support student learning. <br><br> The purpose of the Executive Summary (ES) is to provide a school system with an opportunity to describe in narrative form the strengths and challenges it encounters. By doing so, the public and members of the community will have a more complete picture of how the school system perceives itself and the process of self-reflection for continuous improvement. This summary is structured for the school system to reflect on how it provides teaching and learning on a day to day basis.
Description of the School System
Describe the school system's size, community/communities, location, and changes it has experienced in the last three years. Include demographic information about the students, staff, and community at large. What unique features and challenges are associated with the community/communities the school system serves?
Background:
Jacksonville, Florida is located in Northeast Florida and is the largest city in the contiguous United States in land area. We are ranked as the 14th largest city in the United States in population with more than 800,000 residents. The Jacksonville metropolitan area, including
surrounding Clay, Baker, Nassau and St. Johns counties, has a population of more than 1,000,000 residents.*Population data from the U.S. Census Bureau for Jacksonville/Duval County: n2010 actual: 864,263 (An increase of 85,384 or 11.0 percent from the 2000 Census)
Jacksonville has one of the lowest overall costs of living in Florida and the U.S. The area's cost of living is 92.6 percent of the national average, with housing and utilities being the best bargains. The median age of Jacksonville residents is 36.3. The mean household income is $65,491 while the median household income is $50,301, according to 2008 data from the American Community Survey.
Duval County and the City of Jacksonville merged in 1968, creating a single entity governing all of Duval County with the exception of the beach communities (Atlantic Beach, Neptune Beach and Jacksonville Beach) and Baldwin. The Duval County Public School District includes the beach communities, as well as the City of Baldwin.
District Statistics:
Duval County Public Schools (DCPS) is the seventh largest school district in the state serving over 120,000 students annually. The District is largely urban core and differs from many of the "size alike" Districts due to its large military population.
-Class Size Compliance Average: 2012-13 = 80%
2013-14 = 95% a 15% point improvement from the prior year Schools: 192 total school
-Elementary Schools - 104 -Middle Schools - 25 -High Schools - 20 -K-8 Schools - 2 -6-12 Schools - 2 -Alternative Schools - 2 -ESE Center Schools - 4 -Virtual Schools - 1 -Charter Schools - 30
-Total cost per student per year: $7,947 -Federal Graduation rate: 67.7%
-Dropout rate: 2.9%
Employee Data:
- Total employees: 14,059 (8,441 teachers).
- Ethnicity/Race TotalPercentage Hispanic 624 4.63% Amer. Indian 29 0.21% Asian 199 1.48% Black 4247 31.48% White 8142 60.36% Multi-racial 240 1.78% - Employees: ClassificationQuantity Percentage Teachers 828369.89% Teachers 8283 Specialists 200 Psychologists 56 Para-professionals 1035 8.47% UPOD/Classified 977 8.0% Administration 691 5.66% Exempt 303 2.48% Police 74 0.61% IBEW 299 2.45% Supervisors 42 0.34% C630 65 0.53% C079 192 1.57% - Gender GenderTotal Percentage Male306522.72% Female1349077.28% - Degree Level
-Total Teachers w/ Doctorate Degree: 95 -Total teacher w/ Specialist Degree: 124 -Total teachers with a Master Degree: 2974
Teaching Experience: The average teacher years of service is 13 years
Student Information:
-Total student enrollment: 127,085* (*the total number of students fluctuates throughout the year due to transfers in and out of the school system.) -Elementary - 58,444 students -K-8 - 1,847 students -Middle - 22,631 students -6-12 School - 2,255 students -High - 31,294 students
-Exceptional Schools - 636 students -Virtual School - 350 students
-Alternative Schools - 301 students -Charter Schools - 8,988 students -Special Programs - 339 students
Special Assignment: (please reference attachment "Executive Summary" for tables)
Student Demographic Data: oBlack (44.8%) oWhite (39.4%) oHispanic (8.0%) oAsian (4.4%) oMultiracial (3.2%) oAmerican Indian (0.2%)
Exceptional Students Education: (please reference attachment "Executive Summary" for tables)
Free and Reduced Lunch: (please reference attachment "Executive Summary" for tables)
Over the past five years DCPS has seen its enrollment increase by approximately 5,000 students. In all this reflects an increase of 4% since 2009. The second table provides an enrollment count by grade level across the District.
Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten:
2014 - 15 2013 - 14 2012 - 13 2011 - 12 2010 - 11 # Enrolled 1699 1555 1044 1008 540 # Schools 62 46 33 32 30 # Classrooms 93 85 58 56 30
- Prior to August 2013, the Pre-Kindergarten for general education was offered only at DCPS Title I schools.
- DCPS initiated the Early Childhood Program at Non-Title I schools in 2013 - 2014; seven (7) schools located regionally throughout Duval County.
- ESE Developmentally Delayed Pre-K children gained access to a "least restrictive" early learning educational environment in 2011 - 2012; currently eight (8) schools offer a blended/inclusive model early learning classrooms for four-year-olds. 2014 - 2015: Eleven (11) schools will offer the Blended Pre-K program.
- 2013-2014 VPK Staffing: 75 Certified Teachers, 10 Child Development Associates, 85 Highly Qualified Instructional Para-professionals. The 1st formal early childhood student assessment, Florida VPK Assessment, was implemented in Duval County Public Schools in 2010 -2011 to measure student growth in print knowledge, phonological awareness, oral language/vocabulary, and math skills.
- The Response to Intervention program was implemented in 2009 - 2010 using the Nemours BrightStart! Curriculum based on student results from the Get Ready to Read assessment.
District Accomplishments:
It is essential to remain committed to educational success in each school every day. Duval County Public Schools relies on its engagement between students, teachers, administrators, parents and the entire community to exceed expectations, and follows a District strategic plan to help guide initiatives designed to produce positive results. Listed below are some recent achievements by students, schools, instruction, and
administration personnel.
Student Achievement:
- Improved graduation rate at record levels
- Increased its graduation rate 4.4 percentage points to 72.1%. - Graduation rate increased 4 times the state average increase - Closed the achievement gap on the state average by nearly half
- 9th highest increase in the state and the highest among the "Largest 7" Districts - Largest increase of African-American graduation rate among the "Largest 7" Districts
- Increased at-risk graduation rate by 4 percentage points; tied for the highest among the "Largest 7" Districts - Increased District wide reading college readiness rates by 8 percentage points; 80% of Graduates College ready - Increased District wide mathematics college readiness rates by 6 percentage points; 60% of Graduates College ready - Increased Writing Proficiency by 7 percentage points (grades 4, 8, and 10)
- Increased Elementary Reading Proficiency 2 percentage points (grades 3-5) - Increased Middle School Reading Proficiency by 1.5 percentage points (grades 6-8) - Increased High School Reading Proficiency by 2 percentage points (grades 9-10) - Increased Middle School Math Proficiency by 1.5 percentage points (grades 6-8) - Increased Algebra Proficiency by 12 percentage points
- Increased grade Science Proficiency by 3 percentage points (grades 5 and 8)
- Tied for the Largest Percentage Point Increase in Science in Grade 5 among the "Largest 7" Districts in Florida - Increased Dual Enrollment courses taken and completed from 6,405 to 6,525 (+1.9%)
- Increased Advanced Placement Course Participation from 20,634 to 21,404 (+3.73%) - Increased Advanced Placement Course Performance from 26.66% to 28.93% (+2.27%) - Increased Industry Certification Exams earned from 441 to 1,041 (+600)
Home to eight of the nation's top 300 high schools (The Washington Post): Darnell-Cookman Middle/High School (7), Stanton College Prep (11), Paxon School for Advanced Studies (17), Douglas Anderson School of the Arts (112), Robert E. Lee High School (153), Wolfson High School (193), Atlantic Coast High School (205), and Mandarin High School (268).
Home to three of the nation's best high schools (Newsweek Magazine): Stanton College Prep (10), Paxon School for Advanced Studies (35), and Douglas Anderson School of the Arts (456).
Two high schools rank in the top 15 (Florida Department of Education): Stanton College Prep (5) and Paxon School for Advanced Studies (12).
Two middle schools rank in the top 20 (Florida Department of Education): Julia Landon College Prep (11) and James Weldon Johnson (17).
Acceleration programs in high schools provide students the opportunity to earn college credits while in high school. The acceleration programs may include Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE), Advanced Placement (AP) Honors, Advancement via Individual Determination (AVID), Early College and International Baccalaureate Diploma (IB).
Organizational Success:
Duval County Public Schools (DCPS) has a global credit and investment grade rating of AA- per Standard & Poor's Ratings Services (S&P) and Fitch Ratings; these ratings are based on good financial management policies and practices, low debt ratio, tax base stabilization,
adequate fund balance, strong lease structure, strong wealth and income, strong reserves despite decreases in property tax revenue and state aid reductions, and implementing a conservative budgeting approach.
Duval County Public Schools is ranked 3rd in the state for overall lowest energy costs per FTE and consumption costs per square foot (Florida Department of Education)
Duval County Public Schools has the youngest bus fleet in Florida (average bus age is 6.94 years); a newer fleet has the latest safety enhancements, and requires lower maintenance and fuel costs.
Continuing Challenges:
Technology: The District continues to struggle with meeting the demands of improving infrastructure and device deployment. The fiscal impact of reduced capital funds and other District revenue sources has resulted in stop gap measures to address technology. The District must continue to be creative to transform the District into a technology rich and savvy organization.
- Lack of wireless infrastructure - investment in computers and one to one devices cannot occur without access to power and wireless - Technology - demand increasing to refresh computers and upgrade to one to one devices for digital learning and online testing
- Underutilized Schools: 51 of the Districts' schools (33%) are at less than 75% capacity. - Older Buildings: 60% of our schools are fifty or more years old
- Expiration of Race to the Top Funding - RTTT provided approximately 16M dollars in funding for project enhancements and transformation strategies. While the funding will expire at the end of the 2013-14 school year the needs and activities persist.
- District Tier III interventions - The District continues to struggle to provide adequate alignment and support for Tier III interventions. This is due to funding and access to highly skilled staff who can support the appropriate interventions to address student proficiency needs. - Class size - While the District made significant improvement in meeting the mandated class size requirements the funding required to do is not fiscally responsible.
System's Purpose
Provide the school system's purpose statement and ancillary content such as mission, vision, values, and/or beliefs. Describe how the school system embodies its purpose through its program offerings and expectations for students.
Vision
Every student is inspired and prepared for success in college or a career, and life.
Mission
To provide educational excellence in every school, in every classroom, for every student, every day.
Core Values:
Excellence.
We expect the highest standards throughout our organization from the School Board and Superintendent to the student.
Integrity.
We foster positive relationships based on mutual respect, transparency, honesty, and the consistent demonstration of actions.
Innovation.
We create dynamic systems and processes that solve problems and overcome challenges.
Equity.
We promote an environment that ensures equal opportunity, honors differences, and values diversity.
Collaboration.
We are a community of individuals who share a collective responsibility to achieve our common mission.
Goals:
Develop Great Educators and Leaders
Strategies
Provide teachers and students with the tools and resources necessary to meet the demands of the Common Core Standards and students' individual needs.
Recruit, employ, and retain high quality, diverse teachers, instructional leaders, and staff.
Provide ongoing professional learning and support to develop all teachers, instructional leaders, and staff.
Engage Parents, Caregivers, & Community
Strategies:
Establish and sustain a culture that is collaborative, transparent, and child-centric.
Create a welcoming, respectful, and responsive environment for all stakeholders that leads to open lines of communication.
Expand partnerships and ensure alignment between district strategic plan and community, government, non-profit, and business initiatives.
Ensure Effective, Equitable, & Efficient Use of Resources
Strategies:
Ensure the use of district funds is transparent, strategic, and aligned.
Distribute district-wide programs and resources in an equitable manner.
Deploy information technology that supports the academic needs of all students, teachers, and staff.
Develop the Whole Child
Strategies:
Facilitate and align effective academic, health, and social-emotional services for students based on needs.
Address the needs of all students with multiple opportunities for enrichment.
Encourage positive behavior, respect towards others, and ensure safe environments throughout the school district.
Using the new Strategic Plan as a guidepost, Dr. Vitti developed a School Allocation Plan that equally distributed resources across over 160 schools, passed a $1.7 billion dollar budget, and completed a reorganization of the District Office shifting resources to schools, including the expansion of music and art programs at each elementary and middle school. The 2013-14 school year brought about new programs and resources including:
-Developed a School Allocation Plan that ensured the equal distribution of resources across all 160 schools. -Expanded music and art programs at each elementary and middle school.
-Developed two overage centers with a total of 13 sites to assist students who are more than two years out of their age cohort. -Piloted the GRASP Academies to provide a focus on dyslexic students who have high intellectual ability.
-Deployed Reading Coaches in all schools and math coaches to lower performing schools.
-Lobbied for a hybrid high school diploma that aligns to the District's goal of preparing students for college and the workforce.
-Developed additional Career Academies, culminating in Advanced Placement, Industry Certification Exams, and Dual Enrollment Courses have been expanded and internship opportunities have been increased.
-Negotiated and implemented an eight period schedule in all secondary schools to offer additional courses to students, ensure that all students have access to elective course offerings and, support common planning time.
-Developed new Curriculum Guides for all courses along with assessments directly aligned to the Guides. This was done in collaboration with teachers and District Curriculum Directors and Specialists.
-Held the Teacher and Coaches Academies to build the bench of future leaders as well as to train teachers on inquiry based instruction and provide explicit support in the implementation of the new Curriculum Guides and the aligned resources.
-Negotiated agreement with the Duval Teachers United to support Common Planning in all secondary schools allowing for job embedded professional development as well as the opportunity to share best practices.
-Developed the Parent Academy which offers courses throughout the county to assist parents to advocate for their children academically, become better parents, and build personal and job skills.
-Raised, in collaboration with the city's leading educational philanthropists, over $35 million dollars through the Quality Education for All (QEA) fund to focus on recruiting and developing human capital.
-Developed a disciplinary task force, consisting of various stakeholders, to review existing practices and develop an improved Student Code of Conduct that focuses on intervention and prevention.
-Funded, through the school allocation plan, a Dean of Discipline, and In School Suspension Teacher to facilitate the shift away from out of school suspensions and towards proactive student disciplinary practices.
-Expanded VPK settings and opportunities across the District to address early literacy and social development.
-In less than a year, Dr. Vitti has worked with the city's leading educational philanthropists to raise over $35 million dollars through the Quality Education for All fund to focus on recruiting and developing human capital.
The District has established strong community and business partnerships. The results of these relationships are clearly evident through the work to create a new Vision, Mission, and Strategic Plan that are all clearly aligned with our District mission of educating students. New partnerships have led to the support for new or the expansion of existing programs including Quality Education for All (QEA), City Year, and Communities in Schools.
Stakeholders & Community, Competition is growing for early learning, elementary and secondary schools as issues pertaining to customer service, student performance, low district reputation, academic offerings, and safety have led parents and educators to choose between traditional public education experiences and other options. As one of the largest school districts in the country, DCPS faces these challenges and many others on a grand scale, requiring an emphasis on expansive communications and marketing to improve perceptions.
The District focus is child-centric, supported by a vision that ensures students are provided resources that prepare them from early VPK learning to entering college or gaining a professional certification upon graduation. Does our District accurately portray this commitment? Does our District resonate against other education options for parents? Does the community truly know our successes and understand our challenges?
Like many organizations, our image is often defined via media stories, word of mouth, and school grade performance. Communicating our intentions, being transparent through our efforts, and making sure we monitor our progress to ensure we are meeting our objectives are key to defining Duval County Public Schools. In addition to traditional public relations, integrating marketing planning and tactics into the communications mix will reduce misinformation or maligned perceptions.
Our District should promote a culture that reflects a commitment to our Strategic Plan focusing on student achievement, supporting teachers and administrators, demonstrates fiscal responsibility, and con- tributes to safety throughout our schools. District board members, the Superintendents' leadership team, and the Superintendent have embraced the challenge to build and increase awareness locally, statewide, and throughout the nation.
DCPS seeks to strengthen to our District equity, establish a consistent transparent message, and provide all students, parents, educators,
and the community with accurate and engaging information about why our schools are a great option.
Create A Desirable Educational Organization:
People support what they help create (Drucker). For a six month period, the District team reviewed strategic plan data, conducted focus groups, disseminated survey information, and compiled results to identify the strengths and opportunities of the Duval County School District. For an organization to succeed a culture must be built that promotes equity and customer service and identifies simple and targeted
objectives.
The District continues to champion its focus that promotes student achievement, safety, positive customer interaction, and also encourages each school to adopt an "Open For Business" mentality with the community that will ultimately translate to stronger District recognition ownership by all stakeholders. All District efforts work to promote and optimize the following objectives:
-Parents have confidence in Duval County Public Schools -Qualified staff works for and supports public schools
-Community has opportunities to engage and support public education District Priorities:
The key priorities for the district during the 2013 - 2014 school year are based on the initiatives created by the Superintendent and School Board. Both offices realize it will take more than verbalizing expectations to make positive gains in these areas, but executed marketing tactics will assist in promoting these priorities.
-Strategic Plan- The mission, vision, core values and goals will be promoted throughout the organization to ensure they are understood and used to improve overall performance.
-Student achievement - proficiencies, graduation rates, acceleration programs Promote student successes taking place throughout the district.
- Academic offerings - VPK, career academies, magnet programs, and initiatives Express the diversity in educational paths and opportunities from early learning through multiple diploma paths.
-Enrollment: middle school focus Instill confidence and safety, and promote academic offerings about district's middle schools.
-Safety and Discipline: The addition of discipline deans, more resource officers, student safety monitoring, anti -bullying campaigns, and improved suspension programs will improve safety.
-Communications: Provide additional and better communication paths via digital content, video, radio podcasts, and social media; establish new social media policy while maintaining student privacy and prohibiting adult-student interaction through strict guidelines
Notable Achievements and Areas of Improvement
Describe the school system's notable achievements and areas of improvement in the last three years. Additionally, describe areas for improvement that the school system is striving to achieve in the next three years.
POINTS OF PRIDE
Duval County Public Schools is the only school District in Florida to increase in "A" schools and decrease in "F" schools for the 2011-12 school year.
Eighty-six percent of our schools made A, B or C grades in 2012
In 2012, 100% of our Duval County high schools scored A, B or C grades.
According to The Washington Post, Duval County is home to eight of the nation's top 300 high schools: Darnell-Cookman Middle/High School (7), Stanton College Prep (11), Paxon School for Advanced Studies (17), Douglas Anderson School of the Arts (112), Robert E. Lee High School (153), Wolfson High School (193), Atlantic Coast High School (205), and Mandarin High School (268).
Duval County is home to three of the nation's best high schools according to Newsweek Magazine. Stanton College Prep (10), Paxon School for Advanced Studies (35), and Douglas Anderson School of the Arts (456).
According to the Florida Department of Education, Duval County has two high schools that rank in the top 15 throughout the state - Stanton College Prep ranked 5th and Paxon School for Advanced Studies ranked 12th.
Duval County has two middle schools that rank in the top 20 throughout the state according to the Florida Department of Education - Julia Landon College Prep ranked 11th and James Weldon Johnson ranked 17th.
The number of Duval County Public Schools' students passing AP, IB, and AICE exams increased more than 20% in the past five years.
An acceleration program is available in each of our 19 high schools, providing highly motivated students the opportunity to earn college credits while in high school. The acceleration programs include Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE), Advanced Placement (AP) Honors, Advancement via Individual Determination (AVID), Early College and International Baccalaureate Diploma (IB).
According to the Florida Department of Education, 100% of the Duval County students who enrolled at the University of North Florida in 2010-11 were considered college-ready (2011-12 data not yet available).
Two Duval County students were among 1,000 students nationwide selected as Gates Millennium Scholars. Alexus Smiley from Raines High School and Caleb Bonsi from Terry Parker High received good-through-graduation scholarships to use at any college or university. This is the third year in a row that two Gates Scholars have been chosen from Duval County Public Schools.
Douglas Anderson School of the Arts (DA) was named the 2012 National Grammy Signature School by the Grammy Foundation in Los Angeles, signifying that DA is the #1 high school music program in the country.
Grace Wilhelm, a counselor at Darnell-Cookman Middle/High School, was named a semifinalist for the 2012 School Counselor of the Year Award by the American School Counsel Association.
Duval County Public Schools' business partnerships expanded to 1,356 and 203 faith-based partners in 2011-12.
In 2011-12, more than 27,500 volunteers logged 589,052 hours of service throughout the Duval school system. More than 4,100 mentors also logged 116,326 hours of mentorship with students in schools for the 2011-12 school year.
40 talented Duval County student-athletes signed letters of intent with their college of choice on National Signing Day.
Duval County has 40 established Career Academies, with six programs that are nationally certified and three Model Academies determined by the National Career Academy Coalition.
For 10 consecutive years, DCPS has been awarded both the Governmental Finance Officers Association's Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting and the Association of School Business Officials International's Certificate of Excellence in Financial Reporting.
Eight Duval County elementary students were selected to join the 2012 All-State Elementary Chorus. Four of the chosen students attend Atlantic Beach Elementary; two attend Bartram Springs Elementary; one attends Beauclerc Elementary; and one attends Chets Creek Elementary.
Ashlie Malone, an eighth-grader from Julia Landon College Preparatory, was announced as Duval County's 2013 Spelling Bee Champion. Ashlie's winning word was "desperado."
Duval County Public Schools serves more than 4,000 students in the English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) program which represents 123 countries and approximately 73 different languages in 158 schools.
The percentage of suspended students has decreased more than 70% over the last three years.
Duval County Public Schools is the second largest employer in Jacksonville, according to the Jacksonville Business Journal.
The District has 430 National Board Certified Teachers, the profession's highest credential. Thirty-six percent of the teachers have advanced degrees, 35 percent master's degrees and one percent doctorate degrees.
The Teacher Supply Depot collects donated materials from companies throughout the Jacksonville area and gives those supplies and materials free to teachers.
Duval County Public Schools operates a Dual Language Program in English and Spanish at Beauclerc and San Jose elementary schools.
The preliminary VPK Readiness Rates for 2012-2013 indicates that we decreased from eight Low Performing Providers (LPPs) to four LPPs with only one repeat LPP. Please note that schools must have a readiness rate of 70 or above to avoid LPP status. In addition, 21 of 33 schools (highlighted in blue) increased their rates last year. Overall readiness rates also increased nearly six percentage points from last year to this year.
EOC Retake Data:
The Florida Department of Education (FDOE) released scores for the End of Course (EOC) Exams taken during the Winter 2013 Assessment Period. The main focus of the Winter Assessment Period is Algebra 1 retakes since a passing score is a graduation
requirement. Retake scores for Geometry and Biology were also released. As was the case for college readiness and graduation data, we are beginning to compete with the Big 7 and exceed the state average in performance.
DCPS ranked 2nd among the group in Algebra, tied for 1st in Geometry, and 3rd in retake Biology scores. In addition to our high rankings, our District's percent passing was four (4) percentage points higher than the State average in Algebra 1, five (5) percentage points higher in Geometry, and eleven (11) percentage points higher in Biology.
Based on civil citation data from December, 2012 to November, 2013, DCPS utilized civil citations an average of 69% of the time for eligible youth compared to the greater Jacksonville community, which is only 24%. Statewide school based civil citations averaged 44%.
Graduation Rate Improvement:
Highest graduation rate, at-risk graduation rate, reading readiness score and math readiness score recorded to date in District history Increase in overall graduation rate by 4.4 percentage points which was 4 times the state average
304 additional graduates over the total from 2011-2012 5,707 graduates in 2012-2013
9th highest increase in overall graduation rate in the state and highest among the largest 7 districts
Closed the achievement gap on the state average (6.8 percentage points to 3.5 percentage points - NEARLY 1/2) Paxon School for Advanced Studies achieved a 100% graduation rate for the second consecutive year
Three schools with double digit increases in overall graduation rate (Lee, Ed White, Peterson) Largest increase among the Largest 7 districts in African-American graduation rate
3rd highest among the Largest 7 districts in African-American graduation rate Increase in At-Risk Graduation Rate by 4.0 percentage points
Tied with Hillsborough for the largest increase in at-risk graduation rate among the largest 7 districts
Five schools with double digit increases in at-risk graduation rate (Lee, Anderson, Mandarin, First Coast, Peterson) District-wide Increase reading college readiness by 7 percentage points
District-wide Increase in math college readiness by 5 percentage points
Student Achievement:
Improved graduation rate at record levels
Increased its graduation rate 4.4 percentage points to 72.1%. Graduation rate increased 4 times the state average increase Closed the achievement gap on the state average by nearly half
9th highest increase in the state and the highest among the "Largest 7" districts Largest increase of African-American graduation rate among the "Largest 7" districts
Increased at-risk graduation rate by 4 percentage points; tied for the highest among the "Largest 7" districts Increased districtwide reading college readiness rates by 8 percentage points; 80% of graduates college ready Increased districtwide mathematics college readiness rates by 6 percentage points; 60% of graduates college ready Increased Writing Proficiency by 7 percentage points (grades 4, 8, and 10)
Increased Elementary Reading Proficiency 2 percentage points (grades 3-5) Increased Middle School Reading Proficiency by 1.5 percentage points (grades 6-8)
Increased High School Reading Proficiency by 2 percentage points (grades 9-10) Increased Middle School Math Proficiency by 1.5 percentage points (grades 6-8) Increased Algebra Proficiency by 12 percentage points
Increased grade Science Proficiency by 3 percentage points (grades 5 and 8)
Tied for the Largest Percentage Point Increase in Science in Grade 5 Among the "Largest 7" districts in Florida Increased Dual Enrollment courses taken and completed from 6,405 to 6,525 (+1.9%)
Increased Advanced Placement Course Participation from 20,634 to 21,404 (+3.73%) Increased Advanced Placement Course Performance from 26.66% to 28.93% (+2.27%) Increased Industry Certification Exams earned from 441 to 1,041 (+600)
Home to eight of the nation's top 300 high schools (The Washington Post): Darnell-Cookman Middle/High School (7), Stanton College Prep (11), Paxon School for Advanced Studies (17), Douglas Anderson School of the Arts (112), Robert E. Lee High School (153), Wolfson High School (193), Atlantic Coast High School (205), and Mandarin High School (268).
Home to three of the nation's best high schools (Newsweek Magazine): Stanton College Prep (10), Paxon School for Advanced Studies (35), and Douglas Anderson School of the Arts (456).
Two high schools rank in the top 15 (Florida Department of Education): Stanton College Prep (5) and Paxon School for Advanced Studies (12).
Two middle schools rank in the top 20 (Florida Department of Education): Julia Landon College Prep (11) and James Weldon Johnson (17). Acceleration programs in high schools provide students the opportunity to earn college credits while in high school. The acceleration programs may include Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE), Advanced Placement (AP) Honors, Advancement via Individual Determination (AVID), Early College and International Baccalaureate Diploma (IB).
Organizational Success
-Duval County Public Schools (DCPS) has a global credit and investment grade rating of AA- per Standard & Poor's Ratings Services (S&P) and Fitch Ratings; these ratings are based on good financial management policies and practices, low debt ratio, tax base stabilization, adequate fund balance, strong lease structure, strong wealth and income, strong reserves despite decreases in property tax revenue and state aid reductions, and implementing a conservative budgeting approach.
-Duval County Public Schools is ranked 3rd in the state for overall lowest energy costs per FTE and consumption costs per square foot (Florida Department of Education)
-Duval County Public Schools has the youngest bus fleet in Florida (average bus age is 6.94 years); a newer fleet has the latest safety enhancements, and requires lower maintenance and fuel costs.
Improvements:
Discussed throughout this document is the recognition that our work is clearly outlined through the Strategic Plan. Following months of careful analysis and stakeholder involvement the Board and Superintendent developed the Strategic Plan. This plan clearly outlines expected outcomes through targeted initiatives that are outcome based, measureable, and supports shared accountability. Three year goals are clearly outlined in the District Strategic Plan and respective Initiatives. Please refer to the Strategic Plan and Strategic Plan Updates provided as an attachment.
Additional Information
Provide any additional information you would like to share with the public and community that were not prompted in the previous sections.
Duval County Public Schools has undergone a significant transformation since the beginning of 2012-13. The infusion of new leadership, newly adopted Strategic Plan, and other initiatives set that stage for the District continued success and improvement.
Competition is growing for early learning, elementary and secondary schools as issues pertaining to customer service, student performance, low district reputation, academic offerings, and safety have led parents and educators to choose between traditional public education experiences and other options. As one of the largest school districts in the country, we face these challenges and many others on a grand scale, requiring an emphasis on expansive communications and marketing to improve perceptions.
The District focus is child-centric, supported by a vision that ensures students are provided resources that prepare them from early VPK learning to entering college or gaining a professional certification upon graduation. However, the District must remain reflective as we move forward. Does our District accurately portray this commitment? Does our District resonate against other education options for parents? Does the community truly know our successes and understand our challenges?
Like many organizations, the District image is often defined via media stories, word of mouth, and school grade performance.
Communicating our intentions, being transparent, and ensuring that the District continually monitors its' progress to ensure that DCPS is meeting the organizational objectives are key to defining Duval County Public Schools. In addition to traditional public relations, integrating marketing planning and tactics into the communications mix will reduce misinformation or maligned perceptions.
DCPS must continue to promote a culture that reflects a commitment to the Strategic Plan focusing on student achievement, supporting teachers and administrators, demonstrates fiscal responsibility, and con- tributes to safety throughout our schools. We seek to strengthen to our District equity, establish a consistent transparent message, and provide all students, parents, educators, and the community with accurate and engaging information about why DCPS schools are a great option.
Duval County Public Schools has implemented several District transformation strategies that were necessary to align the school system with the new strategic plan goals. To date these reform initiatives include:
- Reorganization of District level positions resulting in a complete realignment of department/divisions to further their alignment as it relates to the work they support.
- The reorganization resulted in over 7 million dollars in additional funding that was used to directly support schools and schools based support staff.
- Adoption of a new District Strategic Plan and aligned initiatives (link can be found at http://www.duvalschools.org/static/aboutdcps/beliefs/) - Re-alignment of funding that included SAI, Title I, Title II, and other funding to directly support the newly adopted Strategic Plan and its subsequent initiatives.
- Complete redesign of the Curriculum Guides and Curriculum Assessments to better align to the standards and CCSS
- Revised Assessment calendar that reduced the number of mandated assessments and better aligned remaining baseline and interim assessments to inform students placement for intervention and/or acceleration.
- Designed and implementation of new Teachers Academy to support a one week intensive training for teachers on the new curriculum guides and aligned supplements.
- Designed and implementation of new Coaches Academy to support a one week intensive training for those wishing to pursue a role as a math, reading or science school based academic coach. Candidates were required to complete the course in order to be eligible for a school based coaches position.
- Implemented of QZAB bond to provide 30 million dollars to upgrade the infrastructure, teacher instructional devices, and student devices in 41 schools.
- Created the GRASP pilot in four schools to address the needs of students with Dyslexia that are significantly underperforming as it relates to their intellectual ability.
- Created two district overage academies with 13 satellite sites to support 1197 students who are two or more years behind their graduation cohort.
- Developed a new School Based Allocation plan that allowed the district to improve its overall class size compliance (improved 15% from prior year), allowed for the expansion of Art and Music programs in all elementary and middle schools, provided a Reading Coach in all schools, and funded specific positions that were needed including the Dean of Discipline, In School Suspension Teacher, Graduation Coach, and Test Chair (varied by school due to flexibility for magnet schools)
- Revised the Student Code of Conduct, in collaboration with community stakeholders, with an emphasis on reducing out of school
suspensions through stringer Positive Behavior Support systems, building stringer relationships with students and their families, establishing proactive strategies to prevent code of conduct violations, and realignment of the progressive discipline process to emphasize counseling and in school suspension.
- Expanded VPK sites to non-Title I locations serving over 1550 students in 85 classrooms. This was an increase of 27 classrooms and 511 students served as compared to 2013-13.
- Established Quality Education for All (QEA) foundation raising over $35M to address the strategic plan initiatives of Creating Great Teachers and Leaders.
