Chapter Contents:
- A. Student Performance
- B. Instructional Administration and Management
- C. Bilingual Education/English as a Second Language
- D. Special Education/Dyslexia
- E. Compensatory Education/Title I
- F. Career and Technology Education
- G. Gifted and Talented Education
- H. Alternative Education
CURRENT SITUATION
SISD provides alternative education programs in settings other than regular classrooms. The purpose of these programs, as described in SISD's Student Code of Conduct, is to provide a disciplinary alternative to suspension or expulsion. The student receives a supervised education as a part of the disciplinary action. The decision to place a student in alternative education is based on a review of his or her records and a meeting with the parents or guardian to discuss these records. Alternative education is focused on English language arts, mathematics, science, history, and self-discipline. SISD provides two alternative education settings: its Special Assignment Class (SAC) and KEYS Academy.
SAC is a designated room in each school supervised by a teacher, administrator, or other designated staff member. In this setting, the student receives assignments and instruction with few or no opportunities for social interaction with other students. This is intended to deter student misbehavior, reduce incidences of school disruption, and provide students with the best education opportunities possible. Students are instructed in the essential elements of the courses in which they are enrolled at the time of removal.
KEYS Academy, established in the 1994-95 school year, is SISD's separate alternative education school, serving student in grades 6 through 12. Prior to 1994-95, SISD operated an alternative school at Socorro High School. The school is located in the district's Education Annex with several other programs, including Community Education, Special Education, Project REAL, and the Health Clinic, among others. KEYS Academy occupies about half of the available space.
Enrollment in KEYS (the number of admissions to KEYS during the school year) has risen from 237 in 1994-95 to 367 in 1996-97, while average daily attendance has remained steady at about 87 students (Exhibit 2-52).
Exhibit 2-52 Enrollment and Average Daily Attendance KEYS Academy 1994-95 - 1996-97 * Indicates number of students served by the school during the year.
Program 1994-95 1995-96 1996-97 Enrollment * 237 220 367 Average Daily Attendance 87.43% 86.55% 87.37%
Source: KEYS Academy, SISD
KEYS served a total of 367 admissions of 211 individual students in 1996-97. This means that of the 211 individuals, some returned to the program once or more than once during the year. The average daily attendance in the program was 87.37 students in 1996-97, which means that some what less than 90 students were in attendance at any given time. The KEYS Academy's actual cost for 1996-97 was $1,389,431; based on an average daily attendance of 87.37 in 1996-97, the cost per student was $15,903.
Dropout rates for the district have decreased from 1.5 percent in 1993-94 to 0.8 percent in 1996-97 (Exhibit 2-53).
Exhibit 2-53 SISD Dropout Rates 1993-94 - 1996-97 Source: PEIMS
Description 1993-94 1994-95 1995-96 1996-97 Drop Out Rate 1.5% 1.2% 0.6% 0.8%
SISD also participates in the regional Juvenile Justice Alternative Education Program (JJAEP). On November 13, 1997, Ysleta ISD's Board of Trustees approved an interlocal agreement with five other school districts to manage the regional JJAEP; these include Socorro, San Elizario, Fabens, Clint, and Tornillo ISDs. Ysleta operates three alternative education schools: Cesar Chavez Academy, Parkview Middle School, and the Tejas School of Choice. The interlocal agreement has allocated to JJAEP 25 slots in Cesar Chavez Academy, 25 more in Parkview Alternative Middle School, and additional slots in the Tejas School of Choice. JJAEP, in turn, has allocated SISD 12 slots at Cesar Chavez Academy.
FINDING
KEYS Academy is housed in a shared facility with Community Education, Special Education, the Clinic, Title 1 Migrant Office, Section 504/Counselor, and Project REAL, exposing 40 employees to the district's most volatile students. KEYS Academy does not have any physical barriers, such as fencing or security entrances/exits, to control access to the school, allowing students and others, such as gang members, to enter and leave at will. While the review team found no violent incidences between Keys Academy students and other occupants of the facilities, there were numerous incidents noted among KEYS students. In this one facility, there are elementary age children in close proximity to known gang members, students with violent tendencies, and students with identified drug problems.
Recommendation 20:
Construct physical barriers to separate students attending KEYS Academy from administrative offices.
The district should construct a chain-link perimeter fence around the Education Annex and install controlled-access vehicle-entry doors to the Education Annex and controlled-access doors to KEYS Academy. Other security measures also should be investigated and implemented.
IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGIES AND TIMELINE
1 The director of Support Services designs appropriate physical barriers separating KEYS Academy from administrative offices. June 1998 2 The district constructs appropriate physical barriers at KEYS Academy. August 1998 FISCAL IMPACT
The cost of constructing physical barriers is estimated at about $1,600 (400 feet at $4 per foot) for a chain-link fence and fence posts. Controlled access vehicle entry to the Education Annex and controlled access doors to KEYS Academy should cost about $2,000.
Recommendation 1998-99 1999-00 2000-01 2001-02 2002-03 Construct physical barriers at KEYS Academy.
FINDINGPassing rates for students at KEYS Academy are significantly lower than in the overall district and at Ysleta's Cesar Chavez Academy. Students at KEYS Academy take the TAAS either at the academy or at their home school before or after attending KEYS Academy. Out of a sample of 100 students, the review team found that 16 students were exempt from the 1996-97 TAAS (Exhibit 2-54).
Exhibit 2-54 Sample of KEYS Academy Students Taking the TAAS* 1996-97 School Year * From a sample of 100 students out of a total of 211 students served.
School of Examination Category Home School KEYS Academy Exempt Taking TAAS Reading Mathematics Writing Total Taking TAAS
Source: KEYS Academy, SISD
Some special education students are exempt from the TAAS based on a review by their ARD Committee's decisions. This exemption is specified in the special education student's Individual Educational Plan. Bilingual and ESL students are exempt for three years from the date of their enrollment.
In 1996-97, overall TAAS passing rates at SISD were above 75 percent on all three components of the test (reading, writing, and mathematics), while passing rates for TSPR's sample of students at KEYS Academy were 57 percent or below on all three components (Exhibit 2-55).
Exhibit 2-55 TAAS Passing Rates at KEYS Academy * 1996-97 School Year
*From a sample of 100 students out of a total of 211 students served.
Category KEYS Academy District Average Cesar Chavez Academy Reading 57.3% 81.2% 71.0 Writing 54.5% 84.1% 77.4 Mathematics 46.2% 75.1% 44.1
Source: KEYS Academy, SISD
Passing rates for students taking the reading and writing components of TAAS also were significantly lower than rates at Cesar Chavez Academy in Ysleta.
TSPR found that the KEYS Academy curriculum is less academically and technically demanding than the mainstream district curriculum, and provides more opportunities for field trips and other enjoyable activities not available in regular classes-which tends to diminish the "deterrent" effect of KEYS Academy.
Some bus stops for students attending KEYS Academy are located at other schools (Exhibit 2-56), where KEYS students have been known to use drugs and to break district policy prohibiting their presence in other district schools.
Exhibit 2-56 Regular Bus Route 503 To KEYS Academy
Source: Transportation Department, SISD
Stop Location 1 Montwood High School 2 Vista del Sol Elementary School and Winslow Homer 3 Double Jay and Swaps 4 Arrive at KEYS Academy
Bus routes for KEYS Academy also go through rival gang territories (Exhibit 2-57).
Exhibit 2-57 Regular Bus Route 504 To KEYS Academy
Source: Transportation Department, SISD and Project REAL
Stop Location Name of Gang Claiming Territory 1 Buford and El Cid Barrio Nuevo 2 Passmore and Datsun Barrio Campestre 3 Dingdinger and North Loop Barrio Campestre 4 Dingdinger and Walcott Barrio Campestre 5 Zebu and Barzon Barrio Campestre 6 Moon Rd. (by Trailer Court) Moon City Locos 7 Moon Rd. and Armstrong Moon City Locos 8 Moon Rd. and India Moon City Locos 9 Nooch and Middle Drain unclaimed territory 10 Bauman and Delano unclaimed territory 11 Bauman and Rankin unclaimed territory 12 Wellettka and Valle Florido unclaimed territory 13 North Loop and Sudan The Cholo Posse, Lower Valley Kings, and Soco Locos 14 Horizon and Robin unclaimed territory 15 Callander and Seminole unclaimed territory 16 Callender and Moctezuma unclaimed territory 17 Darrington and Roslyn Black Outlaw Gang and Out of Action Krew 18 Bowdoin and Notre Dame Black Outlaw Gang and Out of Action Krew 19 Peyton and Mark Twain Black Outlaw Gang and Out of Action Krew 20 Peyton and Buckwell Black Outlaw Gang and Out of Action Krew 21 Arrive at KEYS Academy Barrio Campestre
To ensure the safety and security of staff and students, the district places a driver, a monitor, and security guard on some "at-risk" bus routes. In one instance reported to TSPR, gang members attacked a security guard on a bus from KEYS Academy. The assistance of local law enforcement agencies is requested when KEYS security members or staff find students in possession of controlled substances or feel that that a search of a student's person is justified in accordance with school district policy.
Criminal activity and incident statistics appear to be rising at KEYS (Exhibit 2-58). However, the rise in criminal activity and incident statistics may partially attributable to changes in reporting requirements.
Exhibit 2-58 Criminal Activity and Incident Statistics Education Annex *As of September 8, 1997. ** As of September 2, 1997.
Description 1994-95 1995-96 1996-97 1997-98 Criminal activity 19 18 22 10 * Incidents 31 26 30 5**
Source: Department of Security Services, SISD
Based on the review team's site visits to KEYS Academy and Cesar Chavez Academy, discipline appeared to be better at Cesar Chavez. Most students attend Cesar Chavez due to their parent's wishes. By contrast, students attend KEYS Academy as a result of their expulsion from other district schools. Nonetheless, many practices at Cesar Chavez Academy could and should be replicated at KEYS. These include the assignment of maintenance and janitorial chores to students, limits on bus privileges, and the requirement that students politely greet all visitors to the academy. Since the review team's site visit, KEYS Academy has implemented a special assignment class where discipline is firmly enforced and a school uniform policy. Students expelled from KEYS Academy are placed at the Cesar Chavez JJAEP.
Houston Independent School District (HISD) began participating in a privatized alternative school concept with Harris County in August 1997 and has seen the number of violent crimes in district schools drop by 23 percent. The Houston School for Accelerated Learning, located in a renovated Wal-Mart, teaches about 400 HISD students and is operated by Community Education Partners. Its assigns three teachers to each class of 24 students and guarantees that every student will advance two grade levels in reading and math for every grade level that they are behind. It is estimated that the cost is $9,300 per year per student in average daily attendance in the program. This cost includes the costs for personnel, curriculum, facilities including maintenance and custodial, food, and other general administrative expenses. Community Education Partners told the review team that serving a smaller district, such as SISD, would be more expensive simply because of the overhead involved in setting up the program remains the same but is supplied to a fewer number of students.
As noted earlier, KEYS Academy's actual cost for 1996-97 was $1,389,431; based on an average daily attendance of 87.37 in 1996-97, the cost per student was $15,903, an amount that significantly exceeds the amount being charged to HISD for these services.
Recommendation 21:
Upgrade the alternative program to better meet the needs of students in that program.
The district should carefully weigh the cost and benefits of upgrading the current alternative education program, or consider contracting for an alternative education program similar to the HISD model.
IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGIES AND TIMELINE
1 The assistant superintendent of Administration and the director of Support Services evaluate HISD's private alternative school concept and consider its applicability to SISD. June 1998 2 The assistant superintendent of Administration evaluated the current alternative education program and determines the costs and benefits of upgrading the current program. October 1998 3 The assistant superintendent of Administration documents his findings and presents them to the superintendent and the board. November 1998 4 The superintendent and board consider contracting the operation of KEYS Academy to a private alternative education company or upgrading the current program. December 1998 FISCAL IMPACT
The district's cost per student for 1996-97 was estimated at $15,903. TSPR assumes that it will cost the district another $200,000 annually in staff and curriculum if the district decides to upgrade the current program. To expand the facility to serve a larger number of students could be accomplished if other programs currently sharing the facility were moved.
On the other hand, should the district decide to go with a contract service, the operating cost of an alternative education program run by a private company is estimated at $10,000 per student in average daily attendance (higher than for HISD since this is a smaller district). For 90 students this would equate to an annual cost of $900,000. If the district stays within its current $1.4 million budget, in theory, the district could expand the program to service as many as 140 students at any given time.
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