Is Fresno Unified poised to make big improvements in student achievement? Some say ‘yes’
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Good morning! This is Julianna with the Education Lab, filling in for my colleague Lasherica on the Dec. 20 edition of our weekly newsletter. It’s – believe it or not! – the last one we’ll be writing to you in 2022.
’22 was another tough year for Fresno Unified, with over 60% of the district’s more than 70,000 students failing to meet state reading standards, and nearly 80% failing to meet math standards. Where the district got comparatively much higher marks recently, however, was not on any measure of its current performance, but on its potential for improvement.
Called the “District Readiness Index,” Oakland-based education nonprofit Pivot Learning recently unveiled their new tool for measuring large California districts’ foundations “for launching and sustaining improvement and innovation.”
The index rates districts based on five categories: (1) community and family engagement, (2) financial management, (3) leadership and governance, (4) school personnel, and (5) work environment. Within each of those categories, the index looks at a handful of proxy measures – like whether the district covers retirees’ lifetime health benefits under the finance category, and whether a district has had two or fewer superintendents over the last seven years under the leadership category.
All these factors are weighed to give California districts one of three ratings. “Strong” foundations for improvement is the highest, which Fresno Unified beat out many others, including the state’s two largest two districts, to receive. Just over 40% of districts got the top rating alongside FUSD, while about half got a medium rating of “partial” foundations and 5% received the lowest, or “few” foundations.
Clovis Unified and Sanger Unified join Fresno in the “strong” category, while Central Unified was labeled as having only “partial” foundations.
So how’d FUSD do it? Not by excelling at every single metric, but by scoring high on four of Pivot Learning’s five categories. In community engagement, for example, FUSD was rewarded for things like posting a recent budget to the district website, including a student member on its board of education, and providing opportunities for two-way communication with families.
At the same time, the district got its lowest score on the school personnel category. Under that metric were questions like whether a district employs 90% or more of teachers with at least three years’ teaching experience and whether the 95% or more of teachers have full credentials. Pivot Learning cited data from the 2018-2019 school year, showing that 86% of FUSD’s teachers had 3 or more years of experience and 90.9% were fully credentialed.
While no single measure – not even test scores – ever tells the whole story of a district, this is yet another tool my colleagues and I will be paying attention to.
And for what it’s worth, some local education leaders are looking at the ratings, too. FUSD Superintendent Bob Nelson highlighted the district’s positive standing at the district’s last board meeting of the year Dec. 14, citing a CalMatters opinion column.
“Our district was highlighted as one of very few large urban California districts … to study and watch,” he said. “That type of data-backed recognition helps, and it speaks to the incredible work being done here by our team members.”
Want to read more about how your district fared? Visit districtreadiness.org to use Pivot Learning’s searchable database with information for districts in the state that enroll over 2,500 students. You can also select up to four school districts to compare, side-by-side.
HERE’S THE LATEST FROM THE EDUCATION LAB
School ‘Safe Zone’ program continues despite criticism from some Clovis parents
Clovis Unified will support its educators displaying Safe Zone materials even if there’s parent pushback.
Principals will decide whether Pride flags are allowed in Sanger schools ‘case-by-case’
Pride flags could be prohibited in Sanger Unified classrooms under a recently revised district policy that requires individual school principals to determine whether the flags are allowed “on a case-by-case basis.”
Teacher safety concerns top priority, new Fresno school board says. ‘I’m asking for your help’
Fresno Unified’s new school board immediately confronted some of the district’s most controversial issues in recent years during its first official meeting Wednesday, including teacher safety, student discipline, and cops on campus.
Clovis, Central Unified classes yanked from live ‘Oliver!’ performance due to ‘PG’ themes
“We want the teachers to make the determination as to which students are mature enough or should see the show.”
MORE FRESNO-AREA EDUCATION NEWS
Fresno Unified will offer free meals over winter break starting Dec. 19 to students at 32 different schools in the district that are hosting winter class sessions, according to a media release.
The meals are for folks ages 1 to 18 and must be eaten on site. A complete list of schools and a schedule of the meal times can be found by visiting this link.
Fresno City College and Clovis Community College will both host in-person “Extreme Registration” sessions on Jan. 3 and 4 for students looking to enroll in the spring semester that begins Jan. 9, according to media releases from both colleges.
Interested students can find out more about whether they qualify for free tuition, receive help with financial aid and applications, and participate in express counseling.
FCC’s session will take place in the FCC library from 1 to 6 p.m. each day.
Clovis’s will have both an in-person at Academic Center building 1 or online via Zoom. Register to receive a link here.
New students are asked to complete the online admission application for either school prior to Extreme Registration. You can apply online to both FCC and Clovis Community College.
COVID-19 vaccines are no longer required to enroll at FCC, CCC, or any State Center Community College District campus as of Oct. 3, the media releases note.
Approximately 450 students participated in UC Merced’s Fall 2022 Commencement over the weekend of Dec. 16, according to an email from university spokesperson Juan Flores.
In addition to commencement activities for undergraduates, UC Merced’s graduate students had their own ceremony Dec. 16 for the first time in the school’s 17-year history.
Last but not least, Madera Unified resumed their tradition of hosting a pancake breakfast at Cesar Chavez Elementary School Dec. 16 after a two-year halt due to the pandemic, a district media release said.
The district was expecting over 2,000 participants at the event where students help cook thousands of pancakes.
NEED MORE EDUCATION NEWS? HERE’S WHAT’S ON OUR READING LISTS THIS WEEK
Julianna’s list
West Contra Costa Unified teachers overwhelmingly vote to authorize strike
A majority of the 1,700 members of the United Teachers of Richmond union voted to authorize the strike, after reaching an impasse in contract talks in November. | EdSource
Paso Robles school board to hold special election after petition removes appointed member
The community members behind the petition accused the recently-appointed board member of having beliefs that discriminate against LGBTQ folks, while the now ex-board member has shot back that he’s a Christian conservative asking a lot questions of the district “that people don’t like.” | The Tribune
California’s only HBCU aims to solve Black doctor shortage
Charles R. Drew University in Los Angeles is California’s only historically Black university. 900 physicians have graduated from the school since 1981 through a joint program with UCLA, but the school’s looking to launch its own MD program starting next year. | CalMatters
Mother of overdose victim who died at school sues LA Unified
The suit alleges that school leaders knew there was a problem with drug use at the campus but failed to take action. | EdSource
Lasherica’s list
First year college students facing what Covid cost them, especially in math
Life after high school has its challenges for the Class of 2022. There’s embracing independence and facing what Covid cost them. | EdSource
5 Strategies States Are Using to Fill Teacher Shortages
“To make sure schools are fully staffed, states are attempting a variety of strategies to bring more people into the classrooms—including those who haven’t gone through any sort of teacher training.” | Education Week
School Dress Codes Aren’t Fair to Everyone, Federal Study Finds
“A North Carolina principal suspended a high school girl for 10 days and banned her from attending graduation and any senior activities because she wore a slightly off-shoulder top to school. An assistant principal in Texas drew on a Black boy’s head in permanent marker to cover up a shaved design in his hair.” | Education Week
That’s it for this week’s newsletter. Like what you read? Pass it along to your friends, your family, your Secret Santa ... and in the meantime, we’re wishing you safe travels and Happy Holidays!
This newsletter will take a break next week, but we’ll be back in your inboxes in January.
