Remediation: What works in
El Dorado
Tom Simmons
District Mathematics Chair
El Dorado Public Schools
870-864-5167
El Dorado Public Schools
 El Dorado Education Foundation – This non-profit group
funds the teacher excellence awards, a grants program
where teachers and/or groups of teachers can receive
funding for projects, and the endowed chair program.
 El Dorado Promise – scholarship program sponsored by
Murphy Oil Corporation. Currently, over 800 students
receive the Promise scholarship which was announced in
2007. This past spring, 279 students signed letters of
intent, the largest group so far. Over $3.8 million has
been spent to date.
Bridge to College Algebra
 5 week summer
program in which
students work on skills
common to both
Algebra II and
Intermediate Algebra.
 Students are expected
to take and pass
College Algebra
(concurrent credit).
Keys to the program
 The ‘right’ people
 High expectations
Field trips to colleges
and universities.
Hands-on learning
Classes
on the
college
campus
(one unintended positive
consequence)
 After the first B2CA program, one of the
students wanted to take College
Algebra/Plane Trigonometry instead of
TCM/CA.
 We piloted this as a fourth year math
course and 12 students signed up.
 This year we have 49 students enrolled in
Plane Trig (16%) and 87 enrolled in College
Algebra (30%).
 The program has a success rate of over
95%.
The five pillars of KIPP:
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1. High Expectations
KIPP Schools have clearly defined and measurable high expectations for academic achievement and
conduct that make no excuses based on the background of students. Students, parents, teachers,
and staff create and reinforce a culture of achievement and support, through a range of formal and
informal rewards and consequences for academic performance and behavior.
2. Choice & Commitment
Students, their parents, and the faculty of each KIPP School choose to participate in the program. No
one is assigned or forced to attend these schools. Everyone must make and uphold a commitment to
the school and to each other to put in the time and effort required to achieve success.
3. More Time
KIPP Schools know that there are no shortcuts when it comes to success in academics and life. With
an extended school day, week, and year, students have more time in the classroom to acquire the
academic knowledge and skills that will prepare them for competitive high schools and colleges, as
well as more opportunities to engage in diverse extracurricular experiences.
4. Power to Lead
The principals of KIPP Schools are effective academic and organizational leaders who understand that
great schools require great school leaders. They have control over their school budget and personnel.
They are free to swiftly move dollars or make staffing changes, allowing them maximum
effectiveness in helping students learn.
5. Focus on Results
KIPP Schools focus relentlessly on high student performance on standardized tests and other
objective measures. Just as there are no shortcuts, there are no excuses. Students are expected to
achieve a level of academic performance that will enable them to succeed in the nation's best high
schools, colleges, and the world beyond.
90/90/90 study
90/90/90 study
 90% or greater Economically
Disadvantaged
 90% or greater minority population
90% or greater proficiency
rates
90/90/90 study
What did they find in these high-minority, high
economically disadvantaged population, highperforming schools?
 A focus on academic achievement
 Clear curriculum choices
 Frequent assessment of student
progress and multiple opportunities
for improvement
 An emphasis on nonfiction writing
 Collaborative scoring of student work
Remediation is better late than
never…but earlier is even more
effective!
 Accelerated
Academy: 2-year
extended day
program in which
Below Basic
students have
access to our best
teachers.
Students are expected to be proficient or
advanced by the end of 4th grade.
 The teachers are
given the time and
the resources to
make an impact on
these students.
What have you done (as a legislative
group) for our children lately?
 Change in expectations + focus on
results = Improved educational system
in Arkansas…we have no ‘throw away’
kids!
 Focused instruction in core areas resulted
in the ‘top third’ being better prepared for
college
What have you done? (cont.)
 Introduce Adequate Yearly Progress
 While still making sure we met the needs of
all students, we became more focused on
the middle third to improve proficiency
rates
 Implement the Growth Model in grades
4-7
 More focus is on the bottom third (Below
Basic, low Basic) to show growth.
What comes next?
 Arkansas Research Center has
developed a model similar to the
growth model. They can track the
gains made by individual students as
they move through the grade levels
(HIVE).
What comes next?
 We currently administer EOC exams
in Algebra I, Algebra II, Geometry,
Literacy, and Biology. (9 days of
testing)(10th grade issue)
 How do these tests directly impact
post-secondary pursuits?
EXPLORE, PLAN, ACT
 Currently, we have no system in
place to make use of or remediate for
the EXPLORE, PLAN, OR ACT Exam.
(Arkadelphia, B2CA, UAM)
 These tests can be used for math,
literacy, and science.
 Reduce testing to one day.
 Reduce the cost of testing and loss of
instructional days.
EXPLORE, PLAN, ACT
 Student performance on the ACT is used to
determine remediation in college. Why not
focus our efforts on testing and
remediation on a test (the ACT) that will
have an impact in both high school and
college?
 This will pay dividends by drastically
reducing the cost of testing but also the
cost of remediation when students go to
college.
Issue of timing…
 Currently, we time the Benchmark exams
and EOC exams.
 On the 3-8 Augmented Benchmark exams,
our students are compared to students in
other states that are not timed.
 On the 11th grade Literacy exam, our
students have 25 minutes to read,
understand, and answer questions on a 3
page passage. (300 word/minute)
Conclusion:
 We are constantly learning more about how
to help our kids. I don’t know anyone who
has all of the answers but I do think by
putting our heads together, we can come
up with solutions for just about anything.
 We may not all agree on exactly what to do
or when to do it, but we do agree we want
what is best for kids…and that encourages
and inspires me.
It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points
out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of
deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs
to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is
marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives
valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again
because there is no effort without error and
shortcomings, who knows the great devotion, who
spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best
knows in the end the high achievement of triumph and
who at worst, if he fails while daring greatly, knows his
place shall never be with those timid and cold souls who
know neither victory nor defeat…Theodore Roosevelt