OK folks, here is Dr. Pope’s response to the “Efficiency Study” that was published a little while back in the WaPo. I saw her today and indicated that I was going to pass this along. I’d also like to thank the good Dr. for taking the time to answer this study. Same set of comment rules apply here as before. In posting your thoughts, avoid ad hominem attacks. Comments containing such will be edited or deleted. Without further ado:
Efficiency Study: Response to Washington Post Article
Summary of Study
I have been asked to address the results of a recent study cited in the Washington Post. The study referenced in the article was performed by the Center for American Progress. The study sought to compare productivity or cost effectiveness of school divisions nationwide. The key data used in the study was as follows: results of 4th grade and 8th grade SOL tests in English and mathematics and grade 11 English and high school Algebra I, geometry, and Algebra II for the 2007-2008 school year and cost of per pupil expenditures for fiscal year 2008.
The basic return on investment index rates school districts on how much academic achievement they get for each dollar spent, relative to other districts in their state. The study adjusted for factors including cost of living differences as well as high concentrations of low income, non-English speakers, and special education students. During the 2007-2008 school year, Manassas City Schools identified 28% of their students as low income, 13% as special education, and 33% as limited English proficient. Academic performance was the straight average of the test scores. The average academic performance index for Manassas was 78 percent.
The unadjusted expenditure per pupil in FY 2008 was $12,399. After adjusting for cost of living differences and student population needs, the per pupil expenditure dropped to $7,269. We ranked 31 in adjusted cost per pupil when compared to other school divisions in Virginia. Our adjusted cost per pupil was lower than 95 of the 126 Virginia school divisions included in the study.
What have we learned from this study?
This study is predicated on student achievement. My first question is always, “What did that school division do to improve student achievement?” As Manassas Park is recognized as the most efficient division in northern Virginia, I must speak to their success. As the Associate Superintendent for Curriculum Instruction, and Technology in Manassas Park from July 2001 to June 2006, I know about the time and money invested in curriculum development, staff recruitment, and professional training for Manassas Park. The pass rates on the spring 2008 SOL tests are a direct result of seven years of hard work focused on specific initiatives.
The authors of the study state that successful businesses improve performance and boost efficiency by using data to identify problem areas, create short and long term goals, and engage their employees to sustain transformations and nurture further innovation. We have developed and implemented the curriculum and assessment management process [CAMP] designed to:
- Enhance the ability to systematically ensure K-12 curriculum alignment to the Virginia Standards of Learning
- Enhance the ability to align division assessment processes to state assessments
- Engage a broad-base of teachers in shared decision making processes that address the learning needs of students and
- Align professional learning experiences to identified learning needs of students
Our work is data driven and research based and all expenditures are reviewed through these lenses. This work began in earnest during the 2007-2008 school year.
What if the study was done today?
Overall student achievement has improved each year and the unadjusted per pupil expenditure has decreased while the percentage of English language learners, the percentage of students identified as low income, and the number of special education students have increased. We have been working to incorporate all of the things suggested in the study. I am confident that the seeds of success have been planted and are producing results. I am very appreciative of the support of the School Board and the City Council in this effort.
April 1, 2011 at 5:53 pm
Someone please translate. Sounds like:
1. the study was based on 2008 data
2. since 2008, the city schools have had a plan in place to address the issues
3. if the study was done today, you would see improvement
4. with continued hard work and investment that improvement will continue
April 1, 2011 at 6:06 pm
For those, like me, coming at this late in the game here are some links about the study:
Methodology and Data : http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2011/01/educational_productivity/methodology.html
Interactive Map for ROI:
http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2011/01/educational_productivity
April 1, 2011 at 10:14 pm
The verbiage of the response is noteworthy – I speak “Pentagonese” and the wording and terminology is comparable to the Five-Sided Puzzle Palace. I’ll be back with my crafted response as soon as I analyze what she has written.
For those also wishing to compare Dr. Pope’s response to available other statistics before they respond, I add the Washington Area Boards of Education (WABE) FY2011 Guide available on the MCPS Website at: http://manassascity.va.schoolwebpages.com/education/page/download.php?fileinfo=RlkyMDExV0FCRS1maW5hbC5wZGY6Ojovd3d3NS9zY2hvb2xzL3ZhL21hbmFzc2FzY2l0eS9pbWFnZXMvZG9jbWdyLzEyNjVmaWxlNzQzNC5wZGY=
I also add the Virginia Education Report Card for MCPS: https://p1pe.doe.virginia.gov/reportcard/report.do?division=143&schoolName=All
April 1, 2011 at 10:17 pm
@AndyH…..Andy, my first posting has two links to reports, and hence slipped over to your moderation. Forgot the rule of when adding links, do one at a time. Please review and unlock for the folks. The two links are two the WABE Report and to the State Report Card for MCPS. Just figured to give folks more data and save them some time when crafting their own responses. Thanks!!!
April 2, 2011 at 10:53 pm
What does “unadjusted” mean? No attacks here, but I wish she would have gone further to say, if results do not turn around that she’d resign. While I’m not a betting man, I’d bet the school system is not going to turn around, and in fact the decline is going to accelerate at a greater rate over the next few years.
April 3, 2011 at 7:41 am
Let’s look at the SOL data for the Grades and Courses referred to; it may have been in 2008 “a direct result of seve years of hard work focused on specific initiatives”, and “began in earnest in during the 2007-2008 school year”, but started to slide off the wagon in 2009 in several subjects:
Year 2007-2008 2008-2009 2009-2010
4thGrd English Pass 80% Pass 85% Pass 79%
Reading State 88% State 89% State 88%
4thGrd Math Pass 73% Pass 87% Pass 82%
State 84% State 86% State 88%
8thGrd English Pass 70% Pass 78% Pass 84%
Reading State 83% State 87% State 90%
8thGrd Writing Pass 80% Pass 76% Pass 89%
State 87% State 89% State 91%
8thGrd Math Pass 58% Pass 50% Pass 70%
State 83% State 85% State 87%
High School
English Reading Pass 93% Pass 92% Pass 90%
State 94% State 95% State 94%
High School
English Writing Pass 90% Pass 91% Pass 85%
State 92% State 92% State 92%
Algebra I Pass 91% Pass 91% Pass 87%
State 93% State 94% State 94%
Geometry Pass 82% Pass 82% Pass 87%
State 87% State 87% State 88%
Algebra II Pass 86% Pass 79% Pass 75%
State 90% State 91% State 91%
It is interesting to note for the Disabled, Economic Disadvantaged, and Limited English Proficiency, the scores at the 4th & Grade Levels for each year are within 5 percentage points of the State Average; drops dismally at the High School Courses Levels to anywhere from 10 to 20 points BELOW State Average. Given the amount of money expended for LEP, there is a return on expenditure at the earlier Grade Level; but appears not to be true for High School. The statement “Overall student achievement” is not reflected in what is supposed to be “data driven” work.
April 3, 2011 at 11:53 am
Raymond,
Don’t see where the high school is 20 points BELOW State Average. What is the amount of money expended for LEP? I have heard lots of different #’s, do you have any idea what the real # is?
April 3, 2011 at 3:07 pm
@Not Sure
You are correct there is not a 20 point below State at High School…except for Algebra II which falls between 6 to 16 across the three years – and I should have been clear in my commentary about the percentage points. I just posted the overall results across the SOL Test areas Dr. Pope made reference to her opening paragraph.
I should have been clearer in my ending commentary that if you review the Virginia Report Card, you will find the percentage point differences I saw in those three distinct categories. Just decided to comment vs. trying to work a readable table in the blog.
As to cost for the LEP, a great question you ask! Won’t find it on the MCPS Budget documents posted on their website. Can’t even give you any other reference. My conjecture is based on the LEP being 34% of FY10 School Population (which was 35% in FY09 and 33% in FY08 which is on the School website). If you hire one teacher for ESOL, the starting salary for a BS Degree at Step 1 is $42,585.
I don’t know nor could find an exact count of ESOL Teachers across the District. But for fun, guessing at 2 per each Elementary School (6schools x 2 teachers = 12), 2 at reach Middle School (4 teachers), and say 4 at the High School, that gives a base salary of $851,700. Large chunck of change.
April 3, 2011 at 3:40 pm
@COM
Going to take a stab and say when Dr. Pope said “unadjusted per pupil expediture has decreased”, she is referring to the her third paragraph where the $12,399 included Cost of Living factors and Student Population Needs (such as Special Education). She is correct there has been a decrease as shown below which I pulled from the WABE Report – Cost per Pupil (Page 30):
FY2009 $13,105
FY2010 $12,192
FY2011 $11,351
So, if in FY2008 it ws $12,399 it has dropped $1,048. Of course, without an explanation of the variable or reason it dropped, ain’t very reliable to comment on.
April 3, 2011 at 7:40 pm
Raymond,
Thanks. Can we say the same about our taxes? Which most go to support the school system.
April 3, 2011 at 9:20 pm
“I am confident that the seeds of success have been planted and are producing results.”
Exactly what are these ‘seeds’ and how/when will we objectively measure the results?
April 4, 2011 at 6:43 pm
But Raymond, you KNOW the cost to the taxpayer for that $45k salary is far more than that. I don’t know the “load” for City or School employees, 1.5? 2?
April 4, 2011 at 8:34 pm
gee, David, I thought we were friends 🙂
Yeah, it is more, I just tossed around the base dollar for salary. I am not sure what factor the City has, but standard calculation always starts at 1.5% (old Comptroller trick – if an employee says how much is taken out of my paycheck for various deductions, general rule is 15%. When looking at the base salary, add in 1.5% and that is just a ballpark thing….never, never, ever meant to be accurate since everybody has different deductions. Just an old rule of thumb).
In taking another hit at a “guesstimit” of what the load might be, I noticed across the City Departments when you look at Total Salary Amount, then look at Benefits Amount, the Beneftis & Compensation seem to be around 34% of the Total Salary. Soooooo….in taking the base salary number of $851,70o and toss in the B&C, probably closer to $1.1 million. If I remember right, the MCPS for proposed FY2012 Instruction was almost $64million total. Hard to tell since no publically available breakouts from MCPS which follow the format of City Manager.
Which of course begs the question: if we are all ONE City, why does the MCPS follow a different format for their Budget & CIP? Especially the CIP since they historically do a bad job of consistently maintaining one.
April 4, 2011 at 8:50 pm
Way off topic but here the senate bill for redistricting.
http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?112+ful+SB5001
April 5, 2011 at 2:32 pm
Ok, I toss in the towel – I have been reading and thinking off and on on the response and it is filled with such ambiquity in wording, there is not enough Crown Royal in the world to aide in interpreting it!
April 5, 2011 at 3:12 pm
I grew up in a town like this one. The problem is the school board, not the superintendent. They’re willing to accept mediocrity.
April 5, 2011 at 6:40 pm
Cabbage makes a good point.
April 6, 2011 at 7:05 am
They did hire Pope. And, we’ve still not heard a peep from them.
Raymond,
And that was the goal.
April 7, 2011 at 9:10 am
@COM you called that one right. I think our Council at time is too gracious in accepting a non-answer; should have been a powerpoint with targeted objectives to answer the Council’s directive.
April 7, 2011 at 11:35 am
Ray
It is all about accountability. If she can get away from specifics then how can she be held accountable for any result that is not positive. Which is exactly what she wants. The council might not want to venture far down that road either because that might make them accountable too. You have to love politics.
April 7, 2011 at 2:40 pm
@ray: that is a fair observation. I don’t think it would be too much to ask for a presentation detailing the “seeds of success”.