5.1 PROJECT ABSTRACT
Miami-Dade County Public School’s SECME Stars III will serve students and their families from Comstock Elementary, Earlington Heights Elementary, Irving and Beatrice Peskoe K-8, and Maya Angelou Elementary. All four schools are Title I, predominantly minority schools and did not meet Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) in 2014-2015. The afterschool program will serve a combined total of at least 480 students. Through an infusion of STEM activities, students apply collaborative problem solving skills throughout problem based learning across the curriculum, helping to prepare even the youngest of learners for the educational and career demands of a global 21st century workforce.
5.2 CONTINUING IMPROVEMENT
The Formative and Summative evaluations uncovered areas that can be refined, improved and strengthened. For instance, it was found that SECME students appear to be experiencing challenges in meeting proficiency levels in reading. It was recommended that the program continue to provide workshops to adult family members and professional development to teachers on improving student reading skills. With that in mind, Family Literacy Activities align to reading. Although the program’s main focus was STEM, reading was closely integrated at every one of our sites during their academic Project Based Learning (PBL) activities. The goal was to integrate reading in any activity that took place. In addition, SECME teachers, based on current data were able to identify those SECME students who were experiencing challenges in their reading class so that more targeted strategies can be implemented for those students.
5.3 PROGRAM EVALUATION
5.3.a Evaluation Plan
Q-Q Research Consultants (QQRC) will serve as the evaluator for SECME III. QQRC is a full service research and evaluation firm staffed with professionals with over 20 years of experience in program evaluation including experience evaluating 21st CCLC programs in Broward and Miami-Dade Counties. QQRC staff has advanced academic training in quantitative and qualitative research methodologies. For SECME III, QQRC will conduct the following evaluation activities: data collection, program monitoring, evaluation reports including a formative evaluation summary and summative evaluation reports.
The evaluation process will include data collection activities at the start of the program (e.g., baseline data), mid-year (mid-data), and at the end of the year (end-of-year data). Baseline data will be collected for each participant enrolled within two weeks of enrollment. These data will be quantitative and will include enrollment data, attendance data, academic data (e.g., reports grades, FSA data to be collected in conjunction with APR reporting guidelines), and data captured from other proposed assessments and surveys outlined in the Measureable Objectives, Measurement Tools, Activities, and Timeframe Table. In addition to student level data, data will also be collected from participating students’ adult family members and school day teachers to examine stakeholder perceptions of the impact of SECME III Program on student academic and personal development. Parent surveys will be made available in English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole to accommodate the bilingual population.
QQRC will be responsible for collecting assessment data and survey data. Students’ demographic and academic data will be amassed by program staff. All of students’ self-report data will be collected using web-based surveying. Mid-year data will be collected at mid-point of the contract year (in November, in time for data collection submission due in December) and will be compared to baseline data in order to examine progress towards meeting objectives. All enrolled students who are currently participating at the time of the mid-point data collection will be included in the mid-year data collection and reporting.
End-of-year data collection will be conducted at the end of the Spring semester (May). Baseline, mid-year, and end-of-year data will be used to demonstrate achievement of objectives and enrollment and participation rates from the start of the year to the end of the year. Data and reporting will be aligned with federal data collection requirements. All data will be submitted to FDOE electronically utilizing the required data collection format by the FDOE deadline.
Using quantitative data, baseline/mid-year/end-of-year analyses will be conducted to examine changes that occurred as a result of program participation. Analyses will include descriptive analyses on program and participant characteristics (e.g. mean Math report card grades); outcome/goal analyses to examine changes based on the implementation of academic enrichment, personal enrichment, and adult family member services (e.g. pre and post test scores); and quantitative analyses to identify youth, parents’, and staff’s perspectives on program services via parent and student surveys, and program staff surveys and interviews. Qualitative data will be captured from site visits conducted during the fall and spring semesters, surveys and interviews with teachers and other program staff, and annual parent focus groups held in April.
QQRC will provide program staff with a Formative Evaluation Summary (February) which will include baseline and mid-year data analyses. The Formative Evaluation Summary will include data-driven program decisions based on the mid-year data collection findings regarding progress toward achieving program objectives. QQRC will meet with program staff to discuss modifications based on Formative Evaluation Summary. SECME III staff will report any enhancements or changes made to the program based on formative evaluation findings in the FDOE reporting format. The formative evaluation summary will be submitted by the FDOE required deadline.
A comprehensive summative evaluation report which will include student attendance and enrollment rates for Summer and Academic Year programming, indication of achievement of program objectives, reporting of overall operations, final partnerships table, teacher surveys on each student, and parent satisfaction surveys, and recommendations based on findings from the summative evaluations. All summative reports will be submitted utilizing reporting formats provided by the FDOE by the required deadline (August).
QQRC will also conduct site visits in late Fall and early Spring comprising the following activities: (1) completion of a semi-structured interview with program staff to ascertain compliance with proposed service delivery model, (2) observations of the delivery of program components, and (3) an exit meeting to discuss monitoring findings. Follow-up site visits will also be conducted to evaluate any changes to the program’s service delivery model based on the findings and recommendations from initial site visits. QQRC will meet with program staff no less than monthly to monitor program’s progress. Formal guided-discussions on findings from data analyses of baseline and mid-year data will occur the month following data collection.
Dissemination of Findings; Evaluation results will be shared with the community through multiple mediums. First, SECME III will have a designated website and Facebook page to post evaluation findings and upcoming events. Additionally, all partners will post a link on their website and Facebook page that leads to the program website. The website and Facebook page will be updated regularly to add any new reports or upcoming events. Evaluation findings will be clear and free of technical jargon. Second, QQRC will also attend Advisory Board and program staff meetings no less than three times a year to provide a review of all reports and observations from monitoring visits, and to discuss any feedback. These meetings will inform continuous quality improvement efforts. Evaluation findings will be disseminated to all staff to inform professional development activities. Stakeholders will receive copies of reports via Constant Contact, email distribution software.
5.3.b Measurable Objectives and Assessments
English Language Arts:
SECME Stars III program supports the new Language Arts Florida Standards (LAFS) and the Just Read Florida! Initiative. According to a report by the National Endowment for the Arts (2007), strong readers find more financially rewarding jobs and career opportunities and employers rank reading and writing as the top deficiencies in new employees.
Objectives/Assessments:
1.) At least 80% of regularly participating students (students attending the program 30 days or more) will increase their reading achievement as demonstrated by such measures as:
- School report card grades for quarters 2 and 4
- District Interim Assessment in Reading (such Mid-Year Assessment)
Activities: Students will improve their reading proficiency as they are introduced to problem-based learning activities through a series of engineering projects that include challenges of increasing complexity. These projects will allow students to practice communication and peer collaboration as they improve their reading comprehension, fluency, and vocabulary skills. In addition, SECME Stars III program students will also utilize resources from i-Ready Curriculum Associates and Imagine Learning. I-Ready computer based materials increase students’ comprehension skills and is aligned to the Florida Standards. English Language Learners (ELL) students will receive language support through the usage of Imagine Learning, a research based computer program geared for ESOL Level 1 students, and it provides strategic first-language support in a gradual release model to prepare students for English-only environments. Through these approaches, the program will address the Just Read Florida! Initiative.
Mathematics:
The SECME Stars III program supports the Mathematics Florida Standards (MAFS).
Objectives/Assessments:
2.) At least 80% of regularly participating students will increase their mathematics achievement as demonstrated by:
- School report card grades for quarters 2 and 4
- District Interim Assessment in Mathematics (such Mid-Year Assessment)
Activities: SECME Stars III mathematics will center on cross-curricular, problem based learning with real world applications and will be implemented to support the regular school day. Additionally, SECME Stars III will use a variety of technology and telecommunication programs, including Scratch, a computer based coding program developed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), which allows young students, as young as kindergarten, to develop and practice writing code for programming, and i-Ready Math, an adaptive, diagnostic program that provides rigorous grade level instruction and differentiate instruction.
Science and Technology:
The SECME Stars III program supports the Next Generation Sunshine State Standards (NGSSS) in Science.
Objectives/Assessments:
3.) At least 80% of regularly participating students will increase their science achievement as demonstrated by such measures as:
- School report card grades for quarters 2 and 4
- District Interim Assessment in Science (such Mid-Year Assessment)
Activities: SECME Stars III students will use foster critical thinking skills in science through hands on problem based learning projects that include an engineering component. Students will use the APEX Science curriculum developed by the Patricia and Phillip Frost Museum of Science, with funding from the National Science Foundation. The APEX Science curriculum addresses age-appropriate science concepts, including life science, nature of science, energy, matter, environmental science, forces and motion, and Earth and space science, supporting the Next Generation Sunshine State Standards in Science. The 32 inquiry-based lessons provide opportunities for indoor and outdoor investigations.
To capture all reading, math, and science into one robust program, SECME Stars III will also provide each site with a mobile technology lab; this would be a critical component of the SECME Stars III program. This lab will provide the schools with a class set of laptops that will be safely housed in a special SECME Stars Technology Lab.
Personal Enrichment: Physical Education/Nutrition
SECME Stars III supports the healthy physical development of its youth through activities that support both positive physical activity and proper nutrition.
Objectives/Assessments:
4.) At least 75% of regularly participating students will increase their physical fitness and healthy habits as evidenced by:
- Pre/post assessments.
Activities: Physical fitness, nutritional and recreational activities will be provided to all SECME Stars III students. They will participate in a variety of team and individual sports/activities utilizing SECME Stars III equipment. Students will also participate in the FITNESSGRAM comprehensive fitness program. FITNESSGRAM consists of a health-related fitness assessment that provides students, teachers, and parents with information regarding the current level of fitness of a student. Art and music activities will also be incorporated to provide additional recreational activities. During inclement weather, physical fitness will be held indoors.
Adult Family Member Services:
Parental commitment and involvement is a vital component of SECME Stars III afterschool program. Family engagement is one of the most effective early intervention strategies for inspiring students to embrace the learning environment and to explore innovative educational experiences together as a family. Research by the Harvard Family Research Project (2007) found that family involvement has a direct, positive effect on children’s achievement and is the most accurate predictor of a student’s success in school. Consequently, there will be opportunities for adult members to take an active role such as SECME STEM-design activities rocket seminar, mousetrap car seminar and SECME Olympiad and Festival at the Miami-Dade STEM Expo.
Objectives/Assessment:
5.) 60% of adult family members of regularly participating students will participate in at least one adult family member event or activity.
6.) At least 80% of adult family members of regularly participating students will increase knowledge on topics presented.
Activities: On going, year round adult family members services are available for SECME Stars III parents and families through The Miami Dade County Public Schools Parent Academy. The MDCPS Parent Academy website describes their purpose as “a district wide initiative designed to support community and family involvement across the district.” The Parent Academy partners with local and national organizations in order to provide a wide range of free resources in an effort to assist parents in becoming full partners in their children’s education. The Parent Academy also provides parents with constructive parenting practices designed to support them help their children succeed at school and in life.” Workshops and Classes are offered in English, Spanish and Creole and are divided into the following categories: Arts and Culture, Health and Wellness, Helping Your Child Learn, Parenting Skills and Personal Growth. Additionally, site-specific family programs will be initiated upon identification of local needs and will encourage parent/student interactions that support academic achievement.
Student Attendance:
7.) At least 80% of the participating students will increase their attendance by attending 90% of the days in a given grading period during the regular day school year.
5.4 PARTNERSHIPS, COLLABORATION AND SUSTAINABILITY
5.4.a Community Notice
In accordance with Miami-Dade County Public Schools Bylaws and Policies, each school has a “school advisory council.” The Educational Excellence School Advisory Council (EESAC) must be composed of the principal and an appropriately balanced number of teachers, education support employees, students, parents, and other business and community citizens who are representative of the ethnic, racial, linguistic, disabled and economic community served by the school. Notice for EESAC meetings will be delivered a minimum of five days in advance in order to allow community members the opportunity of providing input on agenda items.
5.4.b 21st CCLC Advisory Board
An Advisory Board comprised of the Program Director, students participating in the 21st CCLC program, parents of participating students, program staff members, and members of the evaluation team, will meet on a quarterly basis to review the program and recommend improvements. Feedback from the Advisory Board will be used to identify any challenges that participating students, family members or program staff may experience, and to recommend solutions to those problems.
5.4.c Collaboration with Private Schools
Private schools located near each of the target schools were identified and contacted with information. Specifically, through the use of emails, the following schools were approached and provided notice of potential opportunities for students: Champagnant Catholic School and Lincoln Marti School.
5.4.d Partnerships
There will be three major partners working closely with the SECME Stars III program: SECME, Inc., Florida International University, and Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden.
SECME, formerly the Southeastern Consortium for Minorities in Engineering, has a 39-year legacy of being the only professional development Institute dedicated to focusing on equity in STEM initiatives. As a MDCPS partner for the past 20 years, SECME, Inc., will continue to offer support to the SECME Stars III program including: providing professional development, hands-on materials, lesson plans and real-life experiences that incorporate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) to support teaching and learning specifically as it prepares them to impact student achievement. Additionally, goals include conducting STEM-integrated Project Design seminars for teachers, students, and their families. Furthermore, the organization will coordinate STEM competitions for students and convene the National SECME STEM Institute. Finally, as a partner, SECME, Inc. will assist in providing a scholarship support for M-DCPS SECME Stars III teachers to attend the National SECME Summer Institute for diversity in STEM education, a forum for dissemination of this worthwhile project to more than 100 educators at our annual SECME Summer Institute.
Florida International University (FIU) has agreed to partner FIUteach students and staff with SECME Stars III participants in order to prepare students for the rigors of new Florida Standards. FIUteach is a secondary STEM teacher preparation initiative that is part of the national UTeach model, which is creating a pipeline of highly-skilled teachers who will both inspire and challenge students to become the math and science leaders of tomorrow. FIUteach students will fulfill their required intensive field teaching experiences as assistants to teachers at high needs schools and tutors, and mentors to their elementary students, such as those identified to participate in SECME Stars III.