District Makes Changes to Close Education Gaps, Improve Test Scores

Big changes are happening in the Cleveland Heights-University Heights school district, with the intent of closing achievement gaps and improving scores on the .

Several district education administrators presented new goals and how they were to be met at Tuesday's meeting.

Assistant Superintendent Jeff Talbert said the district has three goals:

1. To increase student achievement in the core academic subject of reading by 15 percent for all students K-12 by 2013
2. To increase student achievement in the academic subject of math by 15 percent for all students K-12 by 2013; and
3. To decrease the number of instructional days lost to discipline by 20 percent by 2013. This will happen through an increase in positive student, family and community engagements

"Our plan is to ensure that all children are successful, and that no building fails," Talbert said. "We improved (on the state report card) in third-grade math, fifth-grade math, eighth-grade reading, math and science, and 10th-grade science. We are getting gain from the work we're doing, just not as much as we'd like."

To help the scores get better, education services is going to make a better effort to have one-on-one student assessments. Then the students will be placed among students with similar abilities, and progress together. That way, no student is left behind, and that students are performing at their grade level, Talbert said.

To make sure everyone is on the same team, the district is also making changes to its "climate," said Jeff Johnston, director of student services.

"We're going to promote what we want to see," Johnston said. "That is, we are all Tigers."

This year, the school all enforce the "Big Five," which include the fact that the district is Tiger Nation, there is a Tiger Pledge, discipline progression, they are Tiger proud and bully free, and the implementation of student assistance teams.

These teams enable students, parents and staff the ability to get a better understanding of a student's strengths or needs to provide targeted intervention, Johnston said. This discipline or intervention will help the student succeed and not miss school days because of suspension.

The teams also ensure that all options are exhausted before a student is referred for consideration of a disability, Johnston said.

Lastly, teachers will be able to keep better tabs on student achievement by entering test scores into a database called Data Director. The tool was purchased with Race to the Top funds and helps teacher gauge progress and identify skill levels of individual students.

Right now teachers are using Data Director to measure reading and math.

"We're looking to close the education gaps by using research-based and literacy-based practices," Talbert said. "We're going to use technology to blend instruction and make the student curriculum available 24/7."