Demographics, Data, Decisions:
Addressing Student Needs Today
Stephan Knobloch, Ed.D.
Research Supervisor
Loudoun County Public Schools
Making the Message Matter Institute
July 2007
Make the Message Matter

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Situational awareness:
– Accountability shifts
– Global and technological shift
– Information growth
– Local, state, and federal policy shifts
Each voice needs to be heard!
Collaboration, cooperation, and communication
matter!
Whose Message Matters?
Accreditation (State)
– Annual Cycle
Southern
Association of
Colleges (SACS)
– 5 Year Cycle
AYP (NCLB)
High-stakes
tests
(Federal) (SOLVirginia)
- 1 Year Cycle
School Board Goals
(Regional)
- 4 Year Cycle
Student needs,
Parent desires,
Staff goals
(Local)
- 2 to 6 Year
Cycle
What’s happening in the
intersection at your
school/division?
School Improvement Planning Model
Direct Facilitation of Learning
(Instructional Component)
Addressing Barriers to Learning
(Enabling or Learning Supports Component)
(Source: UCLA, 2005)
Governance and Resource Management
(Management Component)
Improvement Matters?
Teacher
-
Parent
-
Administrator
-
What does each role
associate with the concept of
“improvement”?
Student
-
A reflection of
school
improvement?
I followed the
Something
isn’t
instructions.
quite right…
Quotable Quotes
"Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement,
achievement, and success have no meaning.“
~Benjamin Franklin
"Without change there is no innovation, creativity or incentive for
improvement. Those who initiate change will have a better opportunity
to manage the change that is inevitable."
~William Pollard
“Improvement requires vision from multiple perspectives. The most
important perspective isn’t yours.”
~Stephan Knobloch
“Create your own quote?”
~Your Name
Which Change(s) Are We Addressing?

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Accountability
Administration
Assessment
Co-curricular Program
Curriculum
Information
Instruction
Resources
School Structure
Student Demographics
Teacher Demographics
Technology
Distribution of Loudoun County Public Schools' Student Population
100%
90%
64%
65%
70%
72%
74%
76%
78%
79%
81%
60%
82%
70%
67%
80%
% White
% Black
% Hispanic
50%
% Asian
% Am. Ind.
40%
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
8%
13%
8%
12%
12%
12%
1998
12%
1997
11%
8%
10%
11%
8%
9%
10%
9%
8%
9%
8%
8%
7%
7%
6%
9%
9%
6% 6%
0%
5% 5%
10%
5% 5%
9%
20%
9%
30%
8%
% Unspecified
2005
2006
2007
Competing Pressures for Change

Loudoun County Public Schools
–

34 new schools of 70 since 1997
Student Population
–
79.3% growth (1997-2007)


Leadership
–
School Board Shift

–
–
37 of 70 (52.8%) New Leadership
VA DoE Standards and Assessment
–
–
SOL adopted in 1995
SOL tests administered in 1998
NCLB
–

3 of 9 new Asst. Supt. In 2 Years
School Principals


Appointment to Election in 1995
Senior Staff


(23,616 to 53,396)
2003-04 shifted from 10% increase
every 3 years to 4% every year
Others
–
What pressures of change exist in
your school/division?
Which way is the wind
blowin’ in your
school/division?
5 Necessary Conditions for
Improving School Systems
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Effective leadership of systems for desired results
Policies and practices to sustain improvement
Resource and support systems to sustain improvement
Quality teacher for desired results
Quality information for desired results (NSSE, 2006)
Three Core Tasks to Improve
Student Learning



Ensured Desired Results
– Expect desired results
– Monitor performance
Improve Teaching and Learning
– Support students in their learning
– Maximize teachers’ effectiveness
Foster a culture for improvement
– Develop a learning community
– Lead for improvement (NSSE, 2006)
Words of Wisdom
Information is a source of learning. But unless it is organized,
processed, and available to the right people in a format for
decision making, it is a burden, not a benefit.
~ William Pollard
It is not always what we know or analyzed before we make a
decision that makes it a great decision. It is what we do after
we make the decision to implement and execute it that
makes it a good decision.
~ William Pollard
One High School’s Story
SOL Pass Rates
25
100
20
Percent
90
Econ. Dis.
Sp. Ed.
LEP
Minority
15
10
English
Math
Science
History
Writing
80
70
5
60
0
2000
2003
2006
50
2000
2003
2006
Our Vision
To educate students by providing them with thinking strategies,
career choices, examples of respect, tolerance for others, and
opportunities to learn.
To give them a sense of responsibility to self, society, and the
environment and to enable them to relate to and interact with the
community.
To instill in each student an appreciation for integrity, knowledge,
and intellectual curiosity.
To meet state and local requirements, in cooperation with parents
and community organizations.
To emphasize the importance and satisfaction of lifelong learning.
To educate our students by providing instruction to meet their
different learning styles and abilities.
To encourage students to develop skills in the areas of acquisition
of knowledge, comprehension and application, analysis and
synthesis, and evaluation.
To prepare students for our ever-changing society by presenting
diverse opportunities for continued development in academic,
technological, and vocational competencies.
To monitor students’ progress through a variety of methods.
Data Analysis and
Decision-Making Protocol
School Data at a Glance – Meeting LCPS Goals
School Data
LCPS Goals
63.6% of LEP students passed the
11th grade SOL in Reading, Literature,
and Research.
 75.9% of LEP students passed Math
SOL tests.
 57.9% of LEP students passed
Science SOL tests.

2.
English language
proficiency and
achievement will
improve among nonEnglish speaking
students.
Target Data
67.2% of LEP students pass the 11th
grade SOL in Reading, Literature, and
Research. (87.5%)
 78.3% of LEP students pass Math
SOL tests. (70%)
 62.1% of LEP students pass Science
SOL tests.

School Data at a Glance – Meeting LCPS Goals
LCPS Goal
3.
Eliminate the
disparity in
achievement
among identified
racial/ethnic and
socio-economic
groups.
School Data
RACE/ETHNICITY
Grade 11 passing
Reading SOL test.
 78.9% Blacks
 69.6% Hispanics
 93.3% Whites
Grades 9-12
passing Math SOL
tests.
 59.3% Blacks
 55.9% Hispanics
 78.6% Whites
SES GROUPS
Grade 11 passing
Reading SOL test.
 38.9%
Economically
disadvantaged (ED)
 61.1% of non-ED
who passed
98.4% Non-ED
(Correction)
Grades 9-12
passing Math SOL
tests.
 64.7% ED
 35.3% Non-ED
78.7% Non-ED
(Correction)
Target Data
RACE/ETHNICITY
Grade 11 Reading
SOL test.
 81% Blacks
(82.6%)
 72.6% Hispanics
(60.0%)
 95% Whites
(91.9%)
Grades 9-12
passing Math SOL
tests.
 63.4% Blacks
(64%)
 60.3% Hispanics
(70.8%)
 80.7% Whites
(85.3%)
SES GROUPS
Grade 11 Reading
SOL test.
 45% ED (64%)
 65.1% Non-ED
Grades 9-12
passing the Math
SOL tests.
 68.2% ED
(66.2%)
 41.8% Non-ED
School Data at a Glance – Meeting LCPS Goals
LCPS Goals
3.
Eliminate the
disparity in
achievement
among identified
racial/ethnic and
socio-economic
groups.
School Data
RACE/ETHNICITY
Grades 9-12
passing Science
SOL tests.
 57.5% Blacks
 64.2% Hispanics
 94.6% Whites
SES GROUPS
Grades 9-12
passing the
Science SOL
tests.
 54.9 ED
 45.1% Non-ED
91.6% Non-ED
Correction
Target Data
RACE/ETHNICITY
Grades 9-12
passing Science
SOL tests.
 63.6% Blacks
 67.8% Hispanics
 96% Whites
SES GROUPS
Grades 9-12
passing the
Science SOL tests.
 59.4% ED
Economically
disadvantaged
 40.6% of NonED
School Data at a Glance – Meeting LCPS Goals
School Data
Target Data
ALL STUDENTS
 90.9% of students passed the
Reading SOL test..
 75.3% of students passed the Math
SOL tests..
 87.9% of students passed the Science
SOL tests
ALL STUDENTS
 92% of students pass the Reading
SOL test.. (92.1%)
 77.8% of students pass the Math SOL
tests. (82.7% ALG1; 86.8% GEO;
81.0% ALG2)
 89.1% of students pass the Science
SOL tests. (83.7% ES; 89.5% BIO;
92.9% CHEM)
ALL STUDENTS
 81.4% of students indicated a plan to
attend a two- or four-year college.
 97% of students indicated a plan for
post graduation.
ALL STUDENTS
 83.4% of students indicate a plan to
attend a two- or four-year college.
 99% of students indicate a plan for
post graduation.
94.89% Attendance Rate.
 95% Graduation Rate.
 1674 Discipline Infractions.

LCPS Goals
4.
At least 90% of
students will pass all
required SOL tests.
5.
All graduates will
demonstrate readiness
for continuing
education and entry
level skill for immediate
employment.
6.
LCPS will promote
programs that enhance
students’ health, safety,
and well-being.

96.89% Attendance Rate.
 97% Graduation Rate.
 1500 Discipline Infractions.
School-Level Collaboration
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Communication Systems
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–
–
–
–
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School
Teacher
Student
Parent
Administration
Community
Administrator
Teacher
Teacher
Parent
Decision-Making Teams
–
–
–
–
–
School Improvement Team
Professional Learning Communities
Communities of Practice
PTSA
SCA
How does each group
communicate?
What are preferred
methods of
communication?
What processes are
used to make and
monitor decisions?
What organizational
structures support
decision making?
LCHS Parent Survey Data
Monitor actions:
- Who
- When
- How
Are there other data
regarding this topic?
What data pop
out at you?
What targets
can be set to
address the
concerns from
the data?
What are some possible
actions that can be taken
to address the data
implications?
Improvement Is a Collaborative Effort!
The purpose of collaborating is to achieve collective results
that participants would be unable to accomplish working alone.
Outcomes include:
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Shared objectives
A sense of urgency and commitment
A sense of belonging
Open communication
Mutual trust and respect
Realizing complementary diverse skills and knowledge
Intellectual agility
Interdependence in framing goals and approaches
Individual latitude in carrying out a design the group arrived at
jointly (Garmston, 2007)
Rethink How We School

The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those
who cannot read and write, but those who cannot
learn, unlearn, and relearn.
~ Alvin Toffler

It is, in fact, nothing short of a miracle that the
modern methods of instruction have not entirely
strangled the holy curiosity of inquiry.
~ Albert Einstein
Citations
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ThinkExist.com Quotations. “improvementquotes”. ThinkExist.com
Quotations Online 1 Jun. 2007. 19 Jul. 2007.
http://einstein/quotes/with/keyword/improvement/2.html.
Wisdomquotes.com Quotations. “educationquotes”.
WisdomQuotes.com Quotations Online 1 Jul. 2007. 19 Jul. 2007.
http://www.wisdomquotes.com/cat_education.html.
Garmston, R., Center for Adaptive Schools: Building Capacities for
School Improvement. 1 20 Jul. 2007. http://www.adaptiveschools.com.
Technical Guide to School and District Factors Impacting Student
Learning. National Study of School Evaluation, 2004. 1 15 Jun. 2007.
www.nasse.org. Revised August, 2006.
School Improvement Planning: What’s Missing? Spring, 2005. Center
for Mental Health in Schools, UCLA. http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu.
Barnes, F. (2004). Making School Improvement Part of Daily Practice.
Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University
Thank You!
For more information, contact:
Stephan Knobloch, Ed.D.
Research Supervisor
Loudoun County Public Schools
21000 Education Court
Ashburn, VA 20148
Email: Stephan.Knobloch@loudoun.k12.va.us
Voice: 571-252-1484
Fax: 571-252-1633