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Heber School Gains 161 Points in 7 years with DataWORKS
Heber School faculty and staff celebrate the achievement of an 839 API score.
Building a successful
Community of Learners with
DataWORKS Educational
Research!
In spite of challenging
demographics, Heber School
has achieved an API of 839,
gaining 161 points in the past
seven years.
Heber School Demographics
•
Ninety-nine percent of
students are Latinos;
•
Fifty-eight percent of
students are English
learners;
•
Ninety-four percent of
students qualify for
reduced or free meals;
•
Twenty-two percent of
the students are migrant
students
Acknowledging that good
teaching is the best first
intervention for students,
Heber School staff initiated a
new, comprehensive schoolwide approach to improving
how children learn through
DataWORKS’ Explicit Direct
Instruction (EDI) training.
(Continued on following page)
Heber School Makes 839 API with the help
of DataWORKS Educational Research
Heber School in Imperial
County defies odds and
meets State’s Goal of 800 API
Heber School has achieved a milestone
that some thought was impossible to
achieve. Heber School’s 2013 API is
839. For over one hundred years, Heber
School was the only school in the Heber
Elementary School District (HESD).
HESD is located in the township of
Heber, a small rural community in
Imperial County. The demographic
characteristics of the school district are
as follows:
• Ninety-nine percent of students are
Latinos;
• Fifty-eight percent of students are
English learners;
• Ninety-four percent of students
qualify for reduced or free meals;
• Twenty-two percent of the
students are migrant students.
Heber is located in Imperial County,
a county that has the highest
unemployment rate in both California
and the nation. Since Heber is about
six miles from the United States/
Mexico border, it sees a significant
influx of newcomers enrolling into its
school district.
During the 2006-2007 school year,
Heber School was selected to participate
in the now defunct High Priority
Schools Grant (HPSGP) program
established by Assembly Bill 961
to assist low-performing schools in
California. Schools with a valid 2005
Base Academic Performance Index
(API) in the state decile ranks 1 and 2
were invited to apply. Heber School
had a ranking of 2, and its 2005 Base
API was 646, with 25% of Heber School
students scoring proficient or above in
English-Language Arts and 22% scoring
proficient or above in mathematics.
Partnership with DataWORKS
Toward the end of the 2005-2006
school year, the Superintendent Jaime
Silva began exploring school reform
initiatives which target improving
student achievement.
During this
time, Silva attended a DataWORKS
Educational
Research
workshop,
and learned about Explicit Direct
Instruction (EDI). He knew, without a
doubt, that this pedagogical approach
would benefit all students in the school
district.
After officially contracting with
DataWORKS as an External Evaluator
of the school district, a District/School
Liaison Team was formed. This team
developed a school action plan, which
was used as a blueprint by Heber School
Seven years later, the
DataWORKS’ framework for
Heber School’s reform is the
expected delivery model of
instruction and is still helping
HS achieve extraordinary
academic achievement.
2005-2006
•
Heber School API was 678
•
Superintendent Jaime Silva
explored school reform
initiatives and attended a
DataWORKS free seminar
•
Heber School contracted
with DataWORKS for Explicit
Direct Instruction (EDI
training), forming a District/
School Liaison Team to
identify goals and objectives
to improve student
performance
staff to identify goals and objectives
that would lead to improved student
performance.
Acknowledging that good teaching
in the classroom is the best first
intervention for students, Heber School
staff embarked on a collaborative
journey of learning about, and reflecting
upon proven instructional methods and
practices that best met the needs of the
district’s population.
API
839
2012-2013
•
•
•
Heber School gained 161
API points to achieve an
impressive milestone – an
API of 839
50% of Heber students
scored proficient or
advanced in EnglishLanguage Arts (a 33%
increase from 2005)
62% of Heber students
scored proficient or
advanced in Mathematics (a
37% increase from 2005)
Teachers and administrative staff
participated in the Explicit Direct
Instruction
(EDI)
professional
development modules, which became
the framework for sustained, systemic
change in the school district’s delivery
of instruction.
Explicit Direct Instruction in
the Classrooms
Explicit Direct Instruction is the
expected delivery model of instruction
in the Heber Elementary School
District. HESD staff learned in their
training that EDI incorporates researchbased pedagogy and positively affects
student achievement.
After five years of EDI implementation,
and in conjunction with other reform
efforts, HESD staff has realized the
benefits of EDI. Teachers’ use of EDI
strategies has helped their students
perform better on the California
Standards Test (CST) each subsequent
year of their implementation.
The District leadership recognized
that while sustained professional
development is essential in facilitating
new learning, coaching and support
is also vital. With the support of
DataWORKS consultants, teachers,
site and district administrators, and
literacy coaches collaborated in the
development of well- designed lessons,
lesson study, coaching, and feedback.
Once these lessons were completed,
the “Coaching Team” (comprised of
2-3 teachers, an administrator and
the DataWORKS consultant) visited
classrooms to observe the previously
planned lesson. A specific observation
sheet was used to provide feedback to
teachers being observed.
The model of designing a well-crafted
lesson, peer observation, coaching,
and feedback is powerful. By following
this simple model, teachers learn from
one another and their teaching skills
improve significantly. Teachers who
are observed by the “Coaching Team”
receive supportive positive feedback
as well as “next steps” to ensure their
teaching becomes completely aligned
to the EDI model, and that the steps
throughout the teacher’s delivery
become internalized.
Student Engagement
Student engagement is a major
component of the EDI model and it
works! At HESD, it is a recognized
fact that checking for understanding
(CFU) is vital to ensure not only that
ALL students are engaged in learning
at all times, but also that teachers are
instantly aware of their students’ level
of success at each step in the lesson.
DataWORKS has developed an
effective student engagement model,
which includes, but is not limited to,
calling on non-volunteers, pair sharing,
and the use of white boards for student
responses. Used daily by HESD teachers,
each phase of EDI allows teachers to
check for understanding throughout
the content of the lesson being taught.
Summary
HESD believes strongly that the best
first intervention in the classroom is
good teaching and acts on this belief.
Heber School strives to provide wellcrafted and well-taught lessons in every
classroom, every day. In the previous
five years, the District has implemented
many programs that support student
learning; all have contributed to the
academic success of students. However,
the implementation of EDI is the one
approach that has truly made the largest
impact on the way teachers teach and
students learn. Supporting data is
compelling, depicting the growth in the
district API score each year since the
implementation of EDI.
As illustrated in the graph to the right,
HESD has gained 161 API points during
the past seven years.
About DataWORKS
Educational Research
John Hollingsworth and Dr. Silvia
Ybarra founded DataWORKS
with the single purpose of using
real data to improve student
learning, especially for English
Language Learners and other
low-performing students. Now,
DataWORKS focuses on GIFT –
Great Initial First Teaching—it’s
all about how all students are
taught. Analyzing test scores
does not help improve student
achievement; delivering great,
grade-level lessons ... every
lesson, every day ... helps
improve student achievement.
Furthermore, in 2013, 57.8% of Heber
School students scored proficient or
advanced in English-Language Arts
(a 27.7% increase from 2006) and
73.4% scored proficient or advanced
in Mathematics (a 40.3% increase from
2006).
As a result of these student gains on the
CST, currently, Heber School is not in
program improvement.
Improved test scores are not
serendipitous, nor do they occur in
isolation. They are the result of hard
work, hours of meaningful professional
development, a commitment by all
stakeholders to changing the culture of
the school district, an acceptance of EDI
as a district-wide instructional delivery
system, the continued monitoring and
support by administrators, along with
the support from coaches.
Heber School teachers, classified and
support staff, administrators, school
board members, and students are
commended for their dedication and
commitment to the implementation
of EDI.
Demographically, Heber
Elementary School District faces
tough challenges in overcoming the
obstacles that impede student success.
Continuing to provide high quality
instruction for generations to come is
Heber Elementary School District’s
commitment to its community.
DataWORKS offers a variety
of general and intensive
Explicit Direct Instruction
trainings, demonstrations,
coaching, summer acceleration
programs (StepUP Academy),
and implementation support
is available for educators,
administrators and parents.
DataWORKS’ Ready to Teach
EDI Lessons for grades K-12
are available for purchase
and download for individual,
school, or district-wide licensing
according to license agreement.
Visit Dataworks-ed.com or call
(800) 495-1550 for information.
T: 800 495-1550 8:00 am-5:00 pm PST | F: 800 579-4222 | www.dataworks-ed.com
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T: 800 495-1550 8:00 am-5:00 pm PST | F: 800 579-4222 | www.dataworks-ed.com