Equitable Access to Rigorous Coursework

Chelan High School

Barbara Peterson, L4L5, SIG 5
May 1, 2015
MEMO
Page | 1
TO:

Members, Board of Director, Chelan School District

Superintendent Rob Manahan, Chelan School District
Principal Barry DePaoli, Chelan High School

From:

Barbara Peterson, Executive Director, Northwest Learning and

Achievement Group

SUBJECT
Equitable Access to Rigorous Coursework for Students in Chelan School
District

Introduction:1
Chelan is part of a nine-district federally-funded college outreach program
awarded in 2011, the purpose of which is to prepare a 2-grade cohort of students,
Classes of 2018 and 2019, to enroll and persist in postsecondary education. NLA
Group is lead partner with Central Washington University in this project which also
serves Oroville, Omak, Tonasket, Brewster, Manson, Wenatchee, Quincy and
Highland School Districts. All students in this two-grade cohort, currently 9 th and
10th graders, are served by this grant.
This project follows on a prior GEAR UP grant cycle involving a 7-district
consortia including Chelan that culminated in 2011. In June 2011, 100% of 12 th
graders in these districts completed a FAFSA, a 5 th Year Plan, then made application
to a postsecondary institution, significantly higher than historical application rates
of 50%: a remarkable effort. However, surveys of the 2011 grads conducted as
part of the current GEAR UP grant found that only 40% had persisted, only 10%
1 Note to Ann: This is the first time the Board has received a formal briefing on the
GEAR UP program, although they might have seen a 2011 press release with the
100% statistics. There are new members on the Board who were not there in 2011
which is why the extensive preview is necessary.

Equitable Access to Rigorous Coursework

Chelan High School
Barbara Peterson, L4L5, SIG 5
May 1, 2015
higher
Pagethan
| 2 historical levels.

Survey findings from nearly 50% of the 2011 grads

indicated issues with financial aid but a recurring challenge was apparent lack of
readiness for college level work. Student grades and test scores, however, had
indicated to the admitting institutions that these students would be ready for
college. One goal of the current grant is to help improve students postsecondary
persistence. One remedy identified in the research (An, 2013; Allen, 2012; Bailey,
2002; Wood, 2010) was to encourage high school students to complete rigorous (AP,
dual-credit) classes. Ans research (An, 2013) indicates that underrepresented
students (low income, first generation, students of color, English language learners)
benefit more from those classes than high income, high-performing students who
will complete postsecondary programs with or without the benefit of rigorous
coursework.
We are now in Year 4 of this GEAR UP program; this years objectives include:
o

Increase the % of MOSAIC students earning either dual enrollment college

credits or complete AP coursework by 12th grade.

Increase the % of MOSAIC students who complete a college preparatory
curriculum that would enable them to enroll in a 4-year college or university.
To understand these issues, I partnered with Chelan High School Principal Barry

DePaoli to investigate these issues in Chelan. I want to thank him for his generous
involvement in this important project. Our review began by reviewing information
on the number of rigorous courses currently offered in Chelan, current enrollment by
ethnicity and gender, shown below.
Table 2B DISTRICT: Chelan School District
Course Title
Ethnicity/Gender Enrollment
Ethnicity

Ethnicity/Gender Enrollment
Gender

Equitable Access to Rigorous Coursework

Chelan High School
Barbara Peterson, L4L5, SIG 5
May 1, 2015
Honors
Page
|3
English 9 (9th
graders)
19 enrolled
Honors
English 10
24 enrolled
Honors
English 11
21 enrolled
AP World
History
17 enrolled
AP US History
22 enrolled
Sociology 201
12th
37 enrolled
College Prep
English 101
Enrolled 14
College Prep
English 105
Enrolled 14
Pre-Calculus
Enrolled 38
Calculus
Enrolled: 11

Hispanic

Anglo

Female

18

Ethnicity
Female
17

Hispanic
Anglo
2
19
Ethnicity

Female
18

Hispanic
Anglo
3
14
Ethnicity
Hispanic
Anglo
7
15
Ethnicity

Female
11

Hispanic
Anglo
14
23
Ethnicity

Female
17

Hispanic
Anglo
6
8
Ethnicity
Hispanic
Anglo
16
22
Hispanic
Anglo
1
10

11
Gender

Hispanic
Anglo
6
18
Ethnicity

Hispanic
Anglo
6
8
Ethnicity

Male

Male
7
Gender
Male
3
Gender
Male
6
Gender

Female
17

Male
5
Gender
Male
20
Gender

Female
Male
Unknown
Unknown
Gender
Female
8
Female
17
Female
7

Male
6
Gender
Male
21
Male
4

The ethnicity of Chelan High School is 52% Anglo and 46% Hispanic (OSPI, Report
Card, 2013). We then reviewed policies for access for courses, followed with
analysis of data from student focus groups to further clarify students enrollment
decisions with the following findings:

Equitable Access to Rigorous Coursework

Chelan High School
Barbara Peterson, L4L5, SIG 5
May 1, 2015
Problem
Page | 4of Student Learning

CLAIM: In Chelan, Hispanic students enroll at significantly lower rates than Anglo
students.
Evidence: Chelan School District offers seven rigorous and advanced courses (AP,
College in the High School, Honors) but for the majority of classes (8 of 10), Latino/a
students are not enrolled in numbers consistent with their representation in the
student population. Elite schools such as Harvard, Harvey Mudd, Stanford, note
students enrollment and scores in AP classes as they evaluate potential candidates
in their institutions. Not having these courses on a high school transcript could
unfairly keep qualified students from these institutions.
CLAIM: Participation in two classes mirrors student body participation rates.
Evidence: In the newly added (2014) College Prep English101 and 105, while
enrollments are low (14 total) Hispanic and Anglo students enroll in numbers
consistent with their representation in the student population.
Claim: Females are not disadvantaged in their enrollment in courses.
Evidence: In four classes, enrollments are highly skewed female over male; in
others they are near parity with males.
Claim: Some classes have significantly greater enrollment disparity than others.
Evidence: In Honors English in 9, 10, and 11th grade, there is a 1:16, 6:18, 2:19
ratio of Hispanic to Anglo students. The ratios in College Prep English 101 and 105
are nearly 50:50 Hispanic to Anglo.

Equitable Access to Rigorous Coursework

Chelan High School
Barbara Peterson, L4L5, SIG 5
May 1, 2015
CLAIM:
Page | The
5 district inadvertently advantages Anglo students and their parents in
1) the mix of courses offered, and 2) policies or practices that prompt a student to
enroll in these courses.
Evidence: Principal DePaoli reports that any student can request placement in the
rigorous coursework, and schedules classes to responds to student enrollment. He
acknowledges that Anglo parents are more savvy and likely to ensure their child
enrolls in rigorous coursework. Using student enrollment as evidence of student
need advantages current Anglo enrollees.
Evidence: The College Board has a new report that indicates how many students
could pass a 16 different AP classes that could be offered in high school, but DePaoli
has not yet requested this report to inform a possible expansion of courses.
Evidence: Principal DePaoli has not surveyed all students to assess student needs,
nor reviewed research that might broaden the pool of students he would recruit to
these programs.
CLAIM: Students get differing support in assessing the value of rigorous course
enrollment.
Evidence: A small group of Latino students (more informal than a focus group) at
Chelan were
asked if they had considered entering any of the seven accelerated classes for
which they would be eligible in the 10 th grade. This group had not been told, or had
not YET been advised, about their readiness and likely ability to succeed in these
classes.
Evidence: Focus groups with 11th grade students found that students that were
currently enrolled in these classes had been informed or invited:

Equitable Access to Rigorous Coursework

Chelan High School
Barbara Peterson, L4L5, SIG 5
May 1, 2015
Well, they actually sent us a letter for the English Class assignment
PageStudent:
|6
that said, You were outstanding in English, and so we want you in this class.
So I sort of heard about it through the letter, from the teacher.
Student: Well, it was just an invitation to an advanced class and I was going
to just want to address the recognition thing, and I wanted to have it look
good on a resume or a college application.
Student: Well, my Mom and my Grandmom both work at the school district
and theyre constantly telling me about it. Like even if you do take higher
classes and you dont go to college but youre looking for a higher level job, it
looks better on your resume, it helps you get that job, even if you dont go to
college.
Students in the group whose grades would have qualified them for taking these
classes who had not enrolled, had not been asked or invited, and harbored a feeling
similar to the following statement:
Student: .. you dont have to take an advanced course - thats what I dont
like about those classes because some people may think, those kids in that
group are the stars and the most successful in business and life in general
and I dont feel like it should be - I dont feel like that is always the case,
because I know people that struggled in school
An issue of Teacher or Site Director Practice:
Claim: The Chelan GEAR UP site director responsible to counsel 9 th and 10th
students to be college-ready did not use available information to counsel students
to seek rigorous coursework.
Evidence: The Chelan GEAR UP site director had not reviewed data to see which
students might be eligible for rigorous coursework, did not know how many classes
were available or when students could apply, did not observe the classes to know
who was currently attending, did not know the pre-requisites and process for
enrolling in these courses.

Equitable Access to Rigorous Coursework

Chelan High School
Barbara Peterson, L4L5, SIG 5
May 1, 2015
Claim:
Page The
| 7 Chelan GEAR UP site director did not know the career aspirations of
their students and of the educational demands these careers require.
Evidence: Although students were to have completed career awareness activities,
the site director had not yet completed the collection and compilation of these data
to learn which students might be seeking a career field or postsecondary training
for which rigorous classes would be valuable.
Claim: Site directors believe that underrepresented students who have not
aggressively sought placement in challenging coursework choose not to do that
level of academic work.
Evidence: The Chelan Site director did not advocate that Hispanic students with
similar grades to those enrolled in the classes be encouraged or allowed to enroll
and suggested casually that they could choose to take the classes if they had really
wanted them. (Conversation, November 2014).
An Issue of Teacher Practice:
Claim: Teachers much more often reached out to invite Anglo students, but not
Hispanic students, to enroll in these classes.
Evidence: Focus group responses indicated that at least 90% of those students,
Hispanic or Anglo, who chose to enroll in rigorous classes, were specifically tapped
for the program: either a letter of invitation went home to parents, or teachers or
counselors made specific entreaties or invitations.
Claim: Teachers are not aware of the research indicating a value in taking AP or
rigorous coursework for college persistence.
Evidence: Principal DePaoli asked me to provide him the PowerPoint of research
findings on this issue so that he could provide this information to his teachers.

Equitable Access to Rigorous Coursework

Chelan High School
Barbara Peterson, L4L5, SIG 5
May 1, 2015
AnPage
Issue
| 8of Principal Practice:
Claim: Leaders (principals and superintendents) were not aware of the AP and
rigorous coursework enrollments disparities.
Evidence:

Principal DePaoli compiled this data to answer my request and in the

email that accompanied the data he notes: I have not reviewed the enrollments on
this data. Where are the Hispanic students and why arent they in these classes?
Claim: DePaoli did not correlate classroom observations of one of the AP teachers
and the impact her inflexible instructional practices would have on student success
in these classes.
Evidence: DePaoli, upon hearing information from the focus groups that students
had, or had heard of, experiences that one of the AP classes (course unnamed to
protect the teacher) was both hard and unfair, said he could understand that might
be the case, given the teachers old-fashioned way.
Claim: The principal had in place an open-door policy (any student could enroll) but
did not realize that students did not understand the policy in this way; they chose to
enroll only when invited.
Evidence: I provided comments from the focus groups that indicated that
students believed there was a code by which teachers picked students they
believed should enroll in these classes. DePaoli noted that information was new to
him; he had not previously solicited such input from students.

Equitable Access to Rigorous Coursework

Chelan High School
Barbara Peterson, L4L5, SIG 5
May 1, 2015
Claim:
Page The
| 9 Chelan program of rigorous coursework with a focus on AP and Honors,
with only two college-in-the-high school class, advantages students from affluent
families.
Evidence: Hispanic, and low-income students in the focus groups noted that they
would be more interested in college credit earning classes to reduce their college
tuition costs. Indeed, there were a higher proportion of Hispanic students in classes
that were college-in-the-high-school classes.
Evidence: The principal said that this array of classes reflected student interests
and demand for programs based on how students or their parents signing up for
courses. He had not surveyed students to see if there were different courses (dual
credit) they would sign up for. In truth, the two College in the High School classes
are new, had only 14 students, but it was the only rigorous class with enrollments
that mirrored student enrollment with 6 Hispanic and 8 Anglo students.
Evidence: Enrollments in some of these courses are very low; this is either an
indication that students are not interested and have different needs, or that
counselor or the site director have not encouraged or informed these students
about the benefits of these courses.
An Issue of Leader Practice (Mine)
Claim: As the director of a college outreach program in these districts, I was illinformed about how students access rigorous coursework in these districts.
Evidence: I have not reviewed or requested enrollment information until this year.
In Chelan, we have lost some opportunities for 10 th grade students to enroll in
rigorous coursework.

Equitable Access to Rigorous Coursework

Chelan High School
Barbara Peterson, L4L5, SIG 5
May 1, 2015
Claim:
Page I| have
10 focused effort on working on general strategies and lower performing
students, neglecting training my site directors to anticipate course selection
patterns for high school students that we should now be monitoring.
Evidence: In collecting this information, it was clear that this was the first time my
site directors were following options for our more highly ambitious and wellprepared students, having spent most of their time with lower-performing students.

THEORY OF ACTION: Following is my Theory of Action (TOA):

If Leaders: Principal (DePaoli) and GEAR UP NLA Director (Peterson)
Action
If the high school principal reviews

Rational
The principal noted he had not

rigorous coursework enrollment data

reviewed the rigorous course

regularly to determine who was and

enrollment data previously, noted the

was not taking advantage of rigorous

low enrollments in some classes and

coursework, and adopted a general

the dearth of Hispanics in most

policy to ensure course enrollment

classes (email, 11/14). Researchers

mirror building enrollments for both

recommend (Solorzano and Ornelas,

Hispanic and Anglo students

2004, p. 24) that all school must

ensure that all students have access
to and are proportionately enrolled in
AP and other college preparatory

If principals share this data with

courses.
The principal shared that neither he,

counselors and other administrators

his teachers or counselors were

on their enrollment findings

aware of these racial disparities

If principals engage with students,

(Conversation, 12/14).
Student focus groups showed there

through focus groups, 1:1

was no sure and singular way for

conversations, or at least by tasking

students to learn about these

Equitable Access to Rigorous Coursework

Chelan High School
Barbara Peterson, L4L5, SIG 5
May 1, 2015
thePage
counselor
| 11 to do this work, to learn
how students learn about these

courses. Some students felt that the

classes, how they assess the value of

who wanted to show off. Some

the classes to them, and to learn the

students had, or had heard of, bad

student experience (actual or

experiences in these courses saying

rumored) in these classes(The

that teachers did not differentiate to

principal is constrained with his own

allow students who were taking a

job demands, delegating this to a

chance to be in the class to be

counselor who has not acted on these

successful in the class.

issues.)
If principals observe teachers

Students commented that students

providing rigorous classes with an

were left to flounder if they were not

eye to ensuring teachers are

able to keep up with the class;

adequately differentiating the

researchers note that students need

instruction to be supportive of

more scaffolding and differentiation

Hispanic and Anglo students

to help them succeed (Kyburg, et. al.

classes were only for those students

2007); students felt they should have

more help to move from high school
If I as a colleague and a collaborator

to college-classroom expectations.
I had alerted the principals that I

engaged student focus groups to

would be doing the student focus

elicit information from students as to

groups as part of my internship to

their reasons for engaging in rigorous

assess the districts college and

coursework and I shared this

career readiness; the sessions

information with teachers and

provided insights the building had not

administrators
If I as a colleague also provided

previously considered.
Research (Stephens, 2014) indicates

summaries of the extensive literature

that first generation students

that shows that students who

encounter more obstacles to college

complete AP, honors or other rigorous

completion than students with at

coursework do better in college

least one college educated parent. An

classes and also in high school; if I

(An, 2013) found significant benefits

Equitable Access to Rigorous Coursework

Chelan High School
Barbara Peterson, L4L5, SIG 5
May 1, 2015
also
provide
Page
| 12 grant funding to send
more teachers to Summer AP training

to degree attainment for first

to help them differentiate their

dual enrollment courses in high

approaches (Kyburg, et al 2007)

school. In fact, first generation

generation students who completed

students received a disproportionate

benefit over students whose parents
had college experience.
If teachers/counselors:
If teachers of rigorous courses accept

Research (Wood, 2010) reports that

the AP Summer training I fund to

teachers of AP classes, who receive

upgrade their skills and to collaborate

AP training, are more likely than

with other teachers of rigorous

teachers teaching honors classes or

coursework to learn how best to help

general education teachers, to

Hispanic and Anglo students

believe that all students can be

succeed
If teachers change their practice after

successful in rigorous courses.

Students noted a specific class with a

the principal shares observations

reputation of being too hard for most

indicating that their practice may not

students; the principal agreed this

be adequately inclusive to

class would be a challenge for some

nontraditional (Hispanic, low income,

students (Conversation 11/14). The

ELL) students(Teachers are

principal admitted he did not share

constrained as the principal has not

concerns about differentiation with

made differentiation for

his AP teacher.

nontraditional students in rigorous

coursework one of his look fors. )
If counselors and teachers who affect

A counselor who observed one of my

the decisions of Hispanic and Anglo

student focus groups mentioned that

students to enroll in rigorous classes

he was not aware of the research I

are made aware of the research that

cited to the students nor were the

students who complete rigorous

teachers; with this information they

coursework do better in college

would take special effort to recruit

Equitable Access to Rigorous Coursework

Chelan High School
Barbara Peterson, L4L5, SIG 5
May 1, 2015
more low income, first generation

Page | 13

and Hispanic students.

Then both Hispanic and Anglo students:
Will be encouraged and recruited to

While the principal told me that all

enroll in rigorous coursework

students engage with the counselor

to sign up for classes each late
spring, not one student remembered
or reported talking to a counselor

Will enroll in honors, AP or college-in-

about these classes.

Students indicated that they are very

the-high-school classes

positively affected by teachers

comments on their abilities; these
comments were more important than

Will be successful in completing these

parents recommendations.
The students were affected by

classes which will make it easier for

reports of other students experience

subsequent classes of students to

in rigorous classes; positive reports

take these courses.

could help encourage more students

to enroll.

Planning To Collect Data; Evidence of Progress:

Key Audience:

The immediate audience for this work has been the Chelan

School Board and senior administrators reflecting the in-depth analysis I did of
Chelan data. In truth, this effort has truly facilitated collective work among the
other eight districts are already benefitting from the findings as I have shared what
Ive learned. In addition, research I conducted for Principal DePaoli has been
presented to the January 2015 meeting of the Rural Alliance, with 150 school
personnel from 50 rural districts in attendance. It is logical to involve these groups

Equitable Access to Rigorous Coursework

Chelan High School
Barbara Peterson, L4L5, SIG 5
May 1, 2015
as Page
all rural
| 14districts are newly engaged in ensuring students are college and career
ready, and many have very similar demographics to those in Chelan.
Specific Data Measures: The data collected for this effort included quantitative
data (current grade/test score data of 10th and 11th graders not now in rigorous
coursework to identify students who should be recruited for courses), process
analysis (how is information regularly provided to inform targeted students of these
options) and qualitative data (student focus groups, interviews with principals,
superintendent and counselors) to conduct the process analysis, test administration
attitudes and awareness of unintended barriers in district/building policies and
processes, and to clarify district and building priorities for course enrollment.
Further qualitative data included information shared from principal observations of
teachers teaching rigorous coursework; informal feedback from the principal as to
the level of receptivity of his teachers of his teachers to research on student benefit
of rigorous coursework.

This data was collected by various people, including the

principal, the Chelan site director, by me, and by the counselor so that there was
broad learning in the collection of data about the policy and practice.
Taking Action: A brief chronology of the steps of this process follows:

October: I engaged in a discussion with Principal DePaoli and Site Director Robert
Fifer and got their agreement to participate with me in this analysis; DePaoli

reviewed enrollment data of current class attendees by gender and ethnic.

November: Just before the Thanksgiving break, DePaoli facilitated my
conducting two student focus groups: one with students currently enrolled in
rigorous courses, and the second with students who would have been eligible,
but were not enrolled, in these classes.

Equitable Access to Rigorous Coursework

Chelan High School
Barbara Peterson, L4L5, SIG 5
May 1, 2015
Page
December:
I typed up verbatim transcripts from the focus groups, identified
| 15

themes and conducted a review of research on these issues.

January: At the request of Principal dePaoli, I compiled a short synopsis of relevant
national research on the effects of rigorous coursework on students, including
underrepresented populations. On January 26, I presented my 20-minute PowerPoint
presentation as part of my internship to the January convening of the Rural Alliance
with 40 rural school districts and area higher education representatives in
attendance, and circulated the PowerPoint and research citations. On January 28, I
trained my nine GEAR UP site directors using the PowerPoint and research to alert
them to these issues. Each was to bring this information back to their districts to
share with administrators. I forwarded via email this PowerPoint to all nine district

principals of our consortium in late January.

March: A similar collective effort among the other districts was initiated using

references to the work done in Chelan on this issue.

April: The work to date was drawn up, with next steps outlined. A presentation to
the administrations and Board of Directors was scheduled.
Amending the Original Theory of Action: The Student Focus Groups added
information that caused me to retrofit my Theory of Action to be more mindful of the
informal communications networks that affected students enrollment decisions. In
truth, the district had what they believed to be a race-neutral admissions and
recruitment policy that they believed would not disadvantage any student; review of
actual enrollment data showed otherwise.

Unconscious actions were defining a

policy; consciously the principal believed he had an equitable system, with

inequitable outcomes. Two immediate actions that can be underway promptly fall
into the categories of information sharing and capacity building.

Equitable Access to Rigorous Coursework

Chelan High School
Barbara Peterson, L4L5, SIG 5
May 1, 2015
Sharing: Given the clear good will in the district to support
PageInformation
| 16
both Hispanic and Anglo students, a first step to finding a really equitable practice
for Chelan is in the sharing of data, engaging in discussions of issues raised by the
data, and referencing research that explicates the issues in similar environments.
Weve taken the first step which has brought us here.
The next step will be to ensure that teachers, counselors, board members,
parents and stakeholders are made aware of the research and the districts current
statistics. The district has been steadfast in promoting a college going culture with
its strong support of GEAR UP and other initiatives, its investment in the new CTE
wing providing an array of rigorous career options to students among other efforts.
The building has worked with CWU, WVC and EWU to plan for more college-in-thehigh-school programs, which will come on line in the next two years. This new
awareness of the value of rigorous courses to nontraditional students provides
greater rationale for bringing in these additional classes and enrolling more
students.
Capacity Building: This summer three Chelan teachers will be attending
AP Summer training the MOSAIC grant will fund this summer. They will join with
about 10 teachers from other GEAR UP schools, building a Community of Practice
here in the Okanogan Valley. Our intention in providing this training is to enhance
teachers repertoire of strategies for differentiating instruction in the AP or dual
credit classroom. We know that this training helps any teacher enhance their
teaching practice; we also know that the grant can reconvene these teachers into
PLCs next fall to get to a critical mass of rural colleagues able to share challenges

Equitable Access to Rigorous Coursework

Chelan High School
Barbara Peterson, L4L5, SIG 5
May 1, 2015
and
best| 17
practices. The College Board will partner with us to develop individualized
Page
training for our rural consortium.
We recognize that adding more students to classes and bringing in students
requiring more support will challenge teachers, so we will revise our budgets to
incorporate more in-class and after-school tutoring focused on supporting these
students. We will also follow the lead of programs accomplished at working with
struggling students, like Agile Minds, and incorporate into our AP classes some
social/emotional concepts from the Why Try curriculum that the district is already
promoting to students to help address stereotype threat and promote student
success.
We will also be building a cadre of near-peer 12 th grade advisors whom we will
call Ambassadors to go from class to class next year sharing information about the
value of rigorous coursework and answering students questions about how the
classes are organized. Our student focus groups told us this was the optimal way to
inform students about these classes:
Male student: I agree, about having guest speakers, I agree with what she
said. I feel like I could get the message better than just having some adult
talk to us - or like, reading it on a piece of paper -- you get a better
connection out of it if you can talk to someone who did it.
Constraints: Most of Chelans rigorous course offerings are in the 12 th grade
but our cohort students are 10th and 11th graders. That gives us all of next year to
build a communications plan to advise and ready this group for these classes as
seniors. Next year, working with administration, we will promote filling all classes,
with a goal to enroll 50:50 Hispanic/Anglo students.

Equitable Access to Rigorous Coursework

Chelan High School
Barbara Peterson, L4L5, SIG 5
May 1, 2015
what happened: As a result of this effort, many foundational
PageAssessing
| 18
efforts were made to set in motion a policy shift for Chelan to promote rigorous
course enrollment; these are: Data is now reviewed as a guide to equitable practice
in course enrollment.

Research has been circulated and at least two staff meetings have engaged
teachers in discussions about the need to bring more Hispanic students into

advanced classes.
Teachers have taken advantage of additional training opportunities. Three of 19
teachers who teach core classes, or 15% of teachers of core classes, are this
summer enrolled in AP training; others have completed the training in years

past.
Teachers have voiced interest in having additional training opportunities next
year to convene with colleagues of other districts and welcomed working with

College Board trainers.

The effort started in Chelan has now been extended system-wide: all eight
partnering districts are reviewing enrollment data, reading research and
reviewing building/district policies to find unintended barriers to students

enrollment in rigorous coursework.

NLA has developed a back-to-back document printed in glossy paper, and has
designed a short training that would allow high school seniors, near-peers, to
bring the message of the value of rigorous coursework to other high school
students in English classes or advisory periods this spring after testing is
completed. Ambassadors will be a part of MOSAICs communication strategies
next year, inspired by our student focus groups.

Equitable Access to Rigorous Coursework

Chelan High School
Barbara Peterson, L4L5, SIG 5
May 1, 2015
Page
Each| district
has drawn a flow analysis of the ways in which students are
19
provided information about, recruited for, and signed up for, rigorous coursework

to identify both barriers and opportunities to exchange critical information.

Discussions are underway to agree to one single metric for next year: that GEAR
UP will be allowed to advocate to bring in Hispanic, English language learner or
underrepresented students to bring to full enrollment (23-25) any AP or dual
credit class next year. As not all of our districts are through with course
assignments, and for those that are, information had not been provided to
counselors, teachers or students about the value of rigorous coursework, we will
work with principals and counselors to reassign deserving students into those
classes hoping to have full enrollment in all offered classes as a 2015-6 goal

metric.
We will be engaged in goal setting this next year in each district. Goals as
written into the grant were to improve 2015-6 enrollments 20% over those
registered in 2011 when the grant was written. I believe we can increase our
goal statement in this measure.

Next Steps: Measures of Progress:

Our first measure of progress will be the increased attendance in all nine
districts rigorous coursework, with a goal in each district to match enrollment
more closely to the relative enrollment by ethnicity. We will review that metric

next year as we have enrolled students to address its reasonableness.

Our second measure of progress will be to reprise student focus group panels
and expect to hear that students have a much more robust understanding of the
value of rigorous study.

Equitable Access to Rigorous Coursework

Chelan High School
Barbara Peterson, L4L5, SIG 5
May 1, 2015
Page
Our third
| 20 measure will be that this issue will be revisited at least bi-monthly in
MOSAIC GEAR UP meetings to surface and share implementation successes and
challenges.

CONCLUSION:
This completes our review of the Equitable Access to Rigorous Coursework
study. I thank Dr. Manahan for his authorization of my work in this project; to
Principal Barry DePaoli for his collegiality and openness to the issues brought up in
this study, and to the Board member of Lake Chelan School District for keeping
illuminated the goal to ensure all students are prepared for college and career.

Equitable Access to Rigorous Coursework

Chelan High School
Barbara Peterson, L4L5, SIG 5
May 1, 2015
Page | 21

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May 1, 2015
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