Understand, analyze and take supportive actions with data to uncover gaps in students’ access and participation in your school's educational offerings.
Providing high-quality education is the mission of school systems across our country. However, students come to school from a variety of backgrounds, experiences, and academic readiness levels, and a one-size-fits-all approach is not the most effective fit for all students. This is where data can play an important role in helping ascertain if and how students are accessing educational offerings, participating in them, and experiencing desired academic and nonacademic outcomes.
A major challenge school system administrators commonly grapple with occurs when certain students and groups are disproportionately impacted by lack of participation in advanced coursework and college/career pathways; underperformance in academics, grades, and assessment scores; increased rates of discipline, behavior, and attendance issues; and other scenarios that undermine student success. Insights into whether these patterns and consequences are occurring, to what degree, who is being affected, and what practices may lead to them are extremely difficult to identify as a school system administrator.
Nationwide, 43% of Black students attend high schools where the full range of math and science courses (algebra I, geometry, algebra II, calculus, biology, chemistry, physics) are not offered.
Nationwide, only 50% of schools offer calculus and only 63% offer physics. 25% of schools with the highest percentage of Black and Latino students do not offer Algebra II, and 33% of these schools do not offer chemistry.
Even when AP courses are available, Black and Latino students are vastly underrepresented in enrollment. While they make up 37% of students in high schools, Black and Latino students only make up 27% of students enrolled in an AP course.
Using data sourced primarily from Student Information Systems but spanning student demographic data, program and participation data, and both academic and nonacademic outcomes data, administrators are able to chart an informed path to support their student equity goals. These data-based insights support administrators in making effective decisions and adjustments to programs and procedures that target student success for all learners, and improve equitable participation levels in educational offerings.
"Leon County’s vision is to be an engaging, safe, and respectful learning environment that embraces change and produces successful learners who value diversity and are conscientious contributors to society. We use our data to provide all students with equitable access to programs, courses, highly effective teachers, technology, and other district resources free of bias based on ethnicity, race, sex, gender, or any other demographic differences across our diverse group of students."
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