Asheville City Schools’ Feb. 7 Board Brief

Press release from Asheville City Schools:

EQUITY: 
During last night’s Work Session of the Asheville City Board of Education, Marta Alcala-Williams presented an Equity Update.  She explained that, for the 2021-2022 school year, the District Equity Team will be grounded in:
-Internal work
-Intentionality
-Unlearning white supremacy culture traits
-Practicality
-Growing accountability partners

ACHIEVEMENT GAP UPDATE: 
Melissa Hedt, Deputy Superintendent, and Ian Nelson, Director of Testing and Accountability, gave an update on student data and the achievement gap.

They began by explaining the difference between proficiency and growth. Proficiency is measured by a single end-of-course or end-of-year test and focuses on how well content was mastered. Growth focuses on learning over time based on a student’s previous performance.

Looking at 2020-2021 EVAAS Growth, Black students in Asheville City Schools met growth in 13 of the 14 tested areas.  This is a significant increase from the 2018-2019 school year in which Black students met growth in eight of the 14 tested areas.

Similarly, a review of Kindergarten mClass data, which assesses students’ reading skills, shows that students are showing growth since the beginning of the school year.
-Beginning of year data shows that a gap exists between our white students and Black upon entering Kindergarten.
-However, the mClass data from the middle of the year shows that all student subgroups increased in the percentage performing at or above grade level.

Elementary principals explained what Asheville City Schools are prioritizing this year to continue to address the achievement gap including:
-Several curricular shifts in English Language Arts (ELA) and Math
-Districtwide professional development
-Intentional focus on social and emotional learning (SEL) and reducing exclusionary discipline practices
-Focus on core instruction within professional learning communities (PLCs) and its effectiveness for all students, but especially Black students

The Board and Leadership recognized the hard work of our staff and the gains our students have made. Moving forward the following areas were identified as priorities:
-Student data, specifically that of our Black students, will be assessed and analyzed, and instructional shifts will continue to occur based on these results
-Providing staff with time to do the hard work
-Supporting consistent and effective district-wide curriculum
-Incorporating social and emotional learning (SEL) into the school day

HUMAN RESOURCES: 
Dr. Mark Dickerson, Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources, presented an update about his department. He explained that:
-Currently, the district has 44 vacancies for full-time employees.
-128 staff members resigned during the 2019-2020 school year, and 129 resigned during the 2020-2021 school year.  To date, we’ve only had 65 staff members resign; therefore, we’re in alignment with typical numbers.
-Asheville City Schools has hired about 100 staff members since July 1, 2021.
-As of January 26, 2022, Asheville City Schools has 702 full-time staff members.  This includes 39 Beginning Teachers.

Additionally, Dr. Dickerson provided an overview of the Black Educator Excellence cohort. The cohort began in the fall of 2021 and is part of a larger Asheville City Schools commitment, in partnership with the Asheville City Schools Foundation, to create an inclusive and supportive culture for BIPOC staff.  Through the program, staff participate in monthly academic scholar sessions and social gatherings.  Additionally, the Foundation is able to provide tuition for current ACS faculty and staff to complete their degrees.

ASHEVILLE CITY SCHOOLS FOUNDATIONS:
Copland Rudolph, ACSF Executive Director, provided Board Members with an update.  She explained that ACSF is investing $762,000 this school year to support program expenses.

COMMUNICATIONS UPDATE: 
Additionally, executive director of communications Ashley-Michelle Thublin presented Board Members with a look at our Communications Plan for the Strategic Plan  To clarify, this is NOT the strategic plan but an overview of how the Communications Department will be providing support during this process.

Strategic plan guiding principles will include:
-Simplicity of Communication:   All materials will be intentionally created with an equity lens for language and literacy, keeping in mind that education  jargon can feel isolating to our families and community partners. Acronyms and jargon will be kept to a minimum whenever possible, and videos will be created whenever possible to provide greater access to all families.
-Importance of the Individual:  Our hope is that every individual will know and understand their role in ensuring its success.
-Necessity for Transparency:  Our stakeholders are valued members in this process and must be well informed.
-Consistency of Visual Identity:  The plan will have its own look and feel that will make it clear when materials being created and shared are part of the ongoing plan communication and accomplishment. It will align with the look of other district communications but also have unique components.

Thublin explained that, at this time, we need to determine specific and measurable objectives for the Communications Plan.  Thublin also shared suggested overall communications methods and provided Board Members with tactics that could be used to gather input.  This includes but would not be limited to:
-Staff Survey
-Parent/Family Survey
-Coinciding with the release of Community Survey release, share press release announcing the opening and closing dates
-Public engagement sessions for families/community members
-Discuss Strategic Plan/gather feedback with district leaders, principals and assistant principals during monthly meeting
-Discuss Strategic Plan/gather feedback with the newly established Educators Council

As additional details surrounding the Strategic Plan are finalized, they will be promptly communicated.

As a reminder, the Board of Education will be hosting its next Regular Meeting on Monday, February 14th in the Board Room located at 85 Mountain Street.  The meeting can also be streamed on the district’s YouTube page.