La Vega Independent School District
Center Final Report
Cycle 7
July 31, 2014
La Vega Intermediate School Center # 2
1. Executive Summary
La Vega Intermediate School in La Vega ISD is Center Number 2 in La Vega ISD’s (LVISD) 21st CCLC Cycle 7 Grant. La Vega ISD is part of the Waco Metropolitan area in McLennan County outside Waco. The La Vega Intermediate ACE Program serves 4th, 5th,and 6th grades and is a Title 1 school. La Vega ISD has an enrollment district-wide of 2,875 and 90.2% of the students in LVISD have been identified as Economically Disadvantaged, 23.4% African American, 52.8% Hispanic, and 21.9% White. 2.6% of the students are English Language Learners (ELL) and 56.9% of the students are at risk for not graduating high school. La Vega Intermediate campus has an enrollment of approximately 611 students. The ACE Center was required to serve 120 regular students and 25 adults in grades 4-6. The required goal was far exceeded by serving 191 Regular students and 59 Non-Regular students during the 2013-14 school year. Almost one-third (27%) of the students at the campus attended the ACE Program as either a regular student or non-regular student.
Overview of the Evaluation - Key Findings:
La Vega Intermediate ACE ProgramAcademic Support:
1. An average of 239 students in the fall and 203 students in the spring enrolled in the ACE program. On Friday an average of 61 students attend the morning program. 63 students attended Saturday activities in the spring semester for STAAR skill instruction.
2. The average daily attendance for all ACE students in the regular day is 44%.
3. 41 ACE students (16%) increased their attendance from fall to spring.
4. 57% of the Regular ACE students passed the reading STAAR test; 66% of the Regular ACE students passed the mathematics STAAR test. In comparison to “All Students Tested” ACE students were 5 percentage points below in reading and 1 percentage point in mathematics.
5. 70% of the Regular ACE students showed an increase or maintenance in grades (GPA) from fall to spring by at least one grade point or letter grade. In 2013, 60.75% of ACE students improved or maintained their GPA in all core courses;
6. 100% of the ACE students were promoted to the next grade level.
7. The Academic Program makes up 78% of the total ACE Program.
8. The ACE Academic Program is aligned to the Regular School Day Program at 100%.
Enrichment:
1. The ACE Enrichment Program is 75% aligned to the Regular School Day Program
2. The ACE Enrichment Program makes up 10% of the ACE Program
3. The Enrichment Component of the ACE Program includes activities that are provided by the Waco YMCA -ports Academy; CIS bullying, job prep and college readiness. Other Enrichment Activities:
o Crop, Paper, Scissors ACE Staff
o Imagination Station ACE Staff
o Adv Athletics Teacher and ACE Staff
o Sewing- Teacher
o Tech Girls- Volunteer and Staff
o Yearbook Teacher
o Creative Writing ACE Staff
College and Career Readiness:
1. The ACE College and Career Readiness is 10% aligned with the Regular School Day
2. The ACE College and Career Readiness Program is 11% of the total ACE Program
3. College and career awareness are embedded into the activities in the ACE Program and are also provided by Communities in Schools (CIS) staff.
Parent and Family Support:
1. The ACE Parent and Family Support Program is 10% aligned with the Regular School Day
2. The ACE Parent and Family Support Program make up about 10% of the ACE Program – this portion of the program is done after the academic and enrichment program is finished and is in addition to the regular ACE Program.
3. Parent and Family Support Activities are GED & ESL Program; Jay’s Boot Camp for parents; and Parent Events and Parent Connection.
4. 18 more parents than required by the grant were served in the ACE Program.
Intermediate Outcomes
Increased Attendance
1. Attendance in the regular school day slightly increased from (96.2% in 2013 to 96.3% in 2014)
2. 41 ACE students (21%) increased their attendance from fall to spring.
3. The average daily attendance in the ACE Program in 2014 was 44%.
Increased Academic Performance
See Academic Support page 1 of this report
Decreased Behavior Problems
There was no criminal behaviors reported the last two years and discretionary removals decreased from 72 in 2013 to 63 in 2014.
Increased Graduation Rates
The Graduate rate for LVISD for 2014 is 83%
Increased Family Participation
18 more adults than required were served in the ACE Program.
Level of Funding: The level of funding for the ACE Program was $1,481 per student.
Assessment of implementation fidelity:
Fidelity of implementation occurs when the components of the program are implemented at high levels. The La Vega Intermediate ACE Program has implemented the following program components at the levels noted:
Increased Academic Performance (GPA) / 70% of the ACE students improved or maintained their GPA from fall to spring in all core courses. In 2013, 60% of ACE students improved or maintained their GPA in all core coursesSTAAR (academic achievement) / 57% of ACE students passed the reading STAAR test; 66% of ACE students passed the mathematics STAAR test. These scores are below the state average for these grade levels by 18 percentage points in reading and 9 percentage points in mathematics. For all students on the campus who took the STAAR test: 68% passed reading and 70% passed mathematics.
Increased Attendance / 41 ACE students (16%) increased their attendance from fall to spring. Attendance rate on the campus increased by 1 percentage point from 2013 to 2014.
Decreased Behavior / Decreased by 9 incidents from 2013 to 2014
Increased Promotion Rates / All ACE students were promoted to the next grade level
Increased Family Engagement Activities / More adults were served in the ACE program than in previous years
Increased graduation rates / Not known at this time
For the third year of implementation the La Vega Intermediate ACE Program was implemented with a high level of fidelity.
Summary of any survey findings from stakeholders:
Surveys from stakeholders in the ACE Program (0 regular teachers replied to the survey; 1 ACE teacher; 37 students) were done in the spring. With just one ACE Teacher responding, the survey will be not be valid. The majority of the students who responded were from 4th and 5th grades. However, 96% of the students said that they “feel they are a better student since attending the ACE Program. (See survey results at VI Stakeholder Perceptions).
Commentary about next steps:
The Site Coordinator recognizes that there are some changes that can be made for the upcoming 2014-15 school year.
· Increase activities for College and Career Readiness by including more awareness activities in all of the activities that lend itself to that topic
· Increase Parent Engagement activities and offer more activities that meet the needs of parents and work with the FES to develop more activities.
· Increase the amount of time that students who are enrolled in the program attend daily activities.
II. Introduction and Purpose of Program
Describe the ACE Program – Four Areas of Focus
The purpose of La Vega ‘s 21st Century Community Learning Center (21st CCLC) Program (known as ACE) is to provide high-quality extended learning opportunities before and after school to students in need of academic assistance. La Vega’s ACE program is designed based on a community, district, and campus needs assessment in conjunction with each campus’s improvement plans in a collaborative, comprehensive and coordinated approach. La Vega’s ACE Program has used grant funds to build and expand a systemic infrastructure of extended learning opportunities. The approach is centered on a specific framework and foundation and included assurances for effective implementation and high quality programs for the attainment of TEA’s objectives. The strategies implemented also complement TEA’s overarching goals and critical success factors. The ACE Program is intended to improve the following outcomes for students in 1) Academic Performance; 2) Attendance; 3) Behavior; 4) Promotion Rates; and 5) Graduation Rates. La Vega Intermediate School is one of 4 campuses located in La Vega ISD.
The following chart outlines the demographics of La Vega Intermediate School:
Total Campus Enrollment: 611Category / Number / Percentage / Category / Percentage
African American / 133 / 21.8% / Attendance rate / 96.3%
Hispanic / 328 / 53.7% / Annual dropout rate (Gr 9-12) / 0%
White / 136 / 22.3% / STAAR (students passing all tests) / 67%
2 or more races / 13 / 2.1 / TAKS commended 2013 performance, all tests (sum of all grades tested) / NA33333
Economically disadvantaged / 562 / 92% / Students taking the ACT and/or SAT / N/A
Limited English proficient (LEP) / 134 / 21.9% / Average SAT score (number value, not a percentage) / N/A
Disciplinary placements / 20 / 2.9% / Average ACT score (number value, not a percentage) / N/A
According to the census there were 9,901 people, 3,513 households residing in the city of Bellmead. The racial makeup of the city is 42.5% White, 17.2% African American, 0.4% Native American, 0.6% Asian, 0.1% from other races, and 1.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race is 37.8% of the population. The average income for a household in the city was $43,523, and the median income for a family was $34,511. The per capita income for the city was $16,910. Within the population 65.7% have graduated from high school and nearly 11% of these people have completed a higher degree.
Academic Support (Interim Report 2 Workbook & Activity Average Daily Attendance Report)
Activity (Fall Only) / Students Enrolled / Days Attended / Student ADAMorning All Stars / 186 / 61 / 21
ACE All Stars / 239 / 49 / 10
Math Intervention / 125 / 13
Reading Intervention / 72 / 13
Description: The Morning All Stars begins each day at 7:00-8:00 and is in session Monday through Friday. Afternoon Homework Assistance is Monday through Thursday for students who need additional assistance (from teacher referral). The Academic Support Program is 100% aligned with the regular school day. This is evidenced by the fact that regular classroom teacher lesson plans and the ACE teacher lesson plans are coordinated at a high level. Skills that are being taught in the classroom are transferred to the ACE Program in a diligent manner. Rosters of students, the skills they are lacking, and the skills that they have mastered are available in the SC’s office. The first hour of the program is devoted to Homework and Study Skills Monday through Thursday. The second hour of the program is reading and mathematics interventions. Small group interventions are held for students who are in need of additional and intense one-on-one instruction (identified through teacher referrals and STAAR benchmark assessments). Students are referred to the program by a teachers or campus administrators. Teacher-assigned homework as well as project-work makes up most of the instruction in the program. Success Maker Software Program is used for problem solving. During the fall semester students attended a total of 2232.5 total hours of Academic Assistance (Interim Report # 2). Academic Support is 78.5% of the total ACE Program.
Enrichment Activities (Interim Report 2 Workbook)
Activity (Fall) / Students Enrolled / Days Attended / Student ADACommunities in Schools (CIS) Enrichment Program / 13 / 13 / 7
YMCA Sports Academy / 16 / 13 / 12
Creation Time (Arts & Crafts) / 19 / 13 / 5
Angry Birds / 46 / 23 / 17
Crop, Paper, Scissors / 12 / 13 / 4
Imagination Station / 23 / 13 / 9
Mindworks / 32 / 13 / 13
Pinterest 101 / 7 / 13 / 4
Description: Parts of the ACE Enrichment Program are provided through the YMCA and Communities in Schools (CIS) Programs in Waco, Texas. ACE Staff, teachers, and volunteers supervise other enrichment activities that students have said they want. These programs are held Monday through Thursday for one hour each day. Student Voice and Choice is an important part of the enrichment activities that are offered to students and although the overall theme of the activity does not change, the activities within are scheduled based on student interest. Alignment with the regular school day is approximately 50%. Every attempt is made strategically to tie an academic skill that is being taught in the regular school day to the Enrichment Program. Lesson plans from classroom teachers and the ACE staff are coordinated so that the skills being taught during the regular school day are transferred to the after noon program at a high rate. The Enrichment portion of the ACE Programs makes up 10% of the total program.
College and Career (Interim Report 2 Workbook)
Activity (Fall) / Students Enrolled / Days Attended / Student ADAESL/GED
Jay’s Boot Camps
Description: Although some College and Career activities were listed on the Interim Report # 2, the evaluator concluded that these are actually enrichment or parent involvement activities. Although lesson plans for the ACE activities do occasionally embed college and career awareness activities into the activities as they are presented to the students, this does not meet the intent of the ACE programming for College and Career Readiness. CIS does do some college and career readiness but there is no documentation as to how much is done. The Interim Report # 2 states that College and Career composes 11% of the ACE Program and is aligned to the regular school day at 10%.